Chương 145: Strengthen the Friendship between girls
Ding-ling~
Click—
After Serizawa left and the library was closed, Sasaki had just locked the library door when his phone rang with a crisp message notification.
Taking out his phone, he saw a message from the silly Chifuyu.
[Fuyumi, sorry, I have to go to a cake shop with the president for pancakes... I probably can't go home with you... (little dilemma.jpg)] 16:27 "Read"
Seeing this message, knowing that stupid Chifuyu was getting along well with Otome, Sasaki quickly typed a reply.
[No problem, have fun with your friend~ (encouragement.jpg)] 16:27 "Read"
[Okay~ (happy.jpg)] 16:27 "Read"
Putting away his phone and looking at the empty hallway, Sasaki, who was in no rush to go to work, naturally felt curious about how the two girls were getting along.
He wasn't worried about any conflicts between them.
With Otome's gentle and kind nature, she would never start a conflict with anyone.
From childhood until now, he had never seen her argue with anyone.
And stupid Chifuyu wasn't the type to be difficult either.
But knowing is one thing, and seeing it with his own eyes is another.
And Sasaki, having nothing better to do, wanted to check on them.
After all, they were his future big and little wives.
Even if he was confident they wouldn't have conflicts, he felt more at ease seeing it for himself.
If there were any issues, he could discover and resolve them early.
Thinking this, Sasaki headed to the nearest school gate, knowing they hadn't left the club building yet.
But he had just reached the school gate when he heard a burst of lively chatter from the nearby building.
Knowing that most clubs, except for the sports ones, had finished their activities, Sasaki didn't stand in the conspicuous spot at the school gate.
Instead, he stood by a street food stall, casually ordering a snack and turning his back, waiting for them to come out.
Listening to the increasingly clear sounds behind him, Sasaki half-turned, using his peripheral vision to observe the girls heading to the cake shop.
There were many cake shops around the school, but only a few were particularly good.
Based on what stupid Chifuyu had said about the school corner, and frequently hearing Otome and Rinka discuss these places, he quickly figured out which shop they meant.
He watched for a while but not seeing them after such a long while, just as he was beginning to think they might have changed plans, three very familiar voices cut through the noisy chatter and reached his ears clearly.
"I'm telling you, the pancakes at that shop are delicious, but the cookies are just okay."
"Rinka, do you want cookies? I can bake some at home for you~"
"Hey~ Otome-nee is so nice~"
"Otome can bake cookies too?"
"Of course, Otome-nee's cooking is the best I've ever had."
"Little flatterer~"
"I'm just speaking the truth~"
Hearing the distinct yet equally pleasant voices, Sasaki turned his head slightly towards the source and saw three beautiful girls just walking out of the school gate.
Although their uniforms were no different from the other girls around, in his eyes, the three of them stood out as if on a spotlighted stage, attracting all attention.
The one laughing the most and talking the most was, of course, Rinka, who was on the right, holding Otome's arm.
Their close relationship was evident to anyone.
On Otome's left was Tsukimi Chifuyu, with a faint smile, occasionally asking or responding to something.
While her demeanor towards Otome wasn't as intimate as Rinka's, her natural smile and unrestrained behavior showed she was getting along well with Otome and the others.
"Customer, here are your grilled mochi balls and takoyaki."
"Mm, thank you."
Turning back, Sasaki accepted the hot snacks.
After paying, he began eating the mochi balls, following them from a distance, eavesdropping on their conversation.
Most of it was typical girl talk, somewhat uninteresting to him.
At least for Sasaki, topics like phone stickers and backpack charms didn't catch his interest.
But that was fine.
At least it distracted Rinka from doing anything that would increase his heart beat.
However as he was thinking about this, Rinka, who had been quiet for a while, couldn't hold back anymore.
After commenting that the daifuku at the nearby shop was also good, her eyes gleamed as she shook Otome's arm:
"Otome-nee, should we bring some food for Fuyumi-nii?"
"Fuyumi… he doesn't like things that are too sweet."
Responding softly, Otome glanced at a street food stall and spoke.
"But bringing him some takoyaki sounds good; he likes that."
Hearing the familiar name, Tsukimi Chifuyu, who felt a bit curious, rarely chimed in.
"Um, the Fuyumi you're talking about is…"
"Mm… he's our childhood friend, Sasaki Fuyumi. Why? Do you know him, Chifuyu-nee?"
As if caught off guard by the sudden interruption, Okino Rinka, who had anticipated this question, subtly curved her lips and quickly explained before Otome could speak.
Well..her intention was simply to give Fuyumi-nii a bit of a boost, not to disrupt their relationships.
So, she didn't mention that Otome was his girlfriend.
With Rinka already having explained, Otome certainly wouldn't add anything more.
Besides, this matter concerned her far more than it did Rinka, so she wouldn't dwell on these minor details.
As Rinka had predicted, after she spoke, she saw Otome's gaze shift from the street food stall to Tsukimi Chifuyu.
That direct look indicated her keen interest in the answer to this question.
Learning about Fuyumi's social relationships for the first time, Tsukimi Chifuyu, though initially surprised, quickly followed the boy's previous instructions about discussing their relationship in front of others.
"Yes, I know him. We're classmates, um... we sit in front and behind each other, so we've talked a bit."
While she felt it wouldn't be a problem to admit her friendship with Fuyumi in front of the two girls, after all it could potentially deepen their bond, but Tsukimi Chifuyu, being timid and obedient, didn't like to show off.
Often excluded by others, she always adhered to the principle of "the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make."
Avoiding causing trouble for Fuyumi was more important to her than gaining new friends' favor.
"I see, what a coincidence," Rinka responded, not surprised by Chifuyu's answer, and smiled.
If it were just her and Chifuyu alone, she would have probed further into their relationship.
After all, she, who had seen them holding hands before, didn't believe they were just ordinary classmates sitting front and back.
But with Otome-nee around, Rinka didn't push the issue.
Her goal was to let Otome-nee know how far Chifuyu and Fuyumi-nii's relationship had progressed, giving her a heads-up.
To prevent her growing curiosity and unease from turning into uncontrollable dissatisfaction, it was crucial.
Sharing one's lover is something most if not all girls can't accept.
Otome-nee, although gentle and kind, is still a girl with her own temper.
Taking her feelings for granted just because she's nice would lead to big problems.
She is shy and won't ask Fuyumi-nii about his progress with other girls.
Though Fuyumi-nii, being considerate, treats her very well, he won't bring up his interactions with other girls in front of her due to guilt.
But they are in the same club and see each other daily.
So ignoring it is impossible, and curiosity will naturally arise.
If curiosity isn't satisfied, it turns into dissatisfaction, which, when accumulated, breeds resentment.
This wouldn't be good for Otome-nee and Fuyumi-nii's relationship.
Otome-nee likely invited Chifuyu out of curiosity.
Otherwise, it wouldn't explain why two unfamiliar people suddenly decided to go eat pancakes together.
But even halfway there, and after many topics, she still hadn't asked anything.
Since Otome-nee was too shy to ask, as her 'sister,' Rinka had to help out.
But she could only help this much.
Asking further would cross the line.
So, after responding, she quickly changed the topic to prevent Otome from asking anything that might embarrass Chifuyu.
However, her worries didn't materialize.
Upon hearing Chifuyu's answer, Otome didn't show relief or suspicion.
She simply shifted her gaze naturally and joined in their conversation with a smile.
Rinka internally marveled at Otome's impeccable composure, showing no signs of the anxiety she felt inside.
'Otome-nee is really good at pretending...' she thought.
Pretending not to care while being extremely curious, and needing help to act calm.
Hugging Otome's arm tighter, Rinka cheerfully continued the conversation.
Following them from a distance, Sasaki, who felt a bit amused, swallowed his mochi ball.
He couldn't fully grasp Rinka's tactics but felt she was helping him.
Her way of helping, however, increased his heartbeat.
If he hadn't instructed stupid Chifuyu to say they were just friends in front of others, or if Otome hadn't trusted him with Rinka, things could have gone terribly wrong today.
With Otome paying close attention, Chifuyu wouldn't have been able to withstand questioning for long, and would have most likely slipped up within a few sentences out of nervousness.
Fortunately, Otome had shifted her focus from guarding against others to strengthening their alliance.
And Sasaki had already clarified his classmate relationship with Chifuyu, so he made it through this test.
Next, he needed to find a way to strengthen their friendship.
If they sincerely became friends, Otome might even pull Chifuyu into her camp.
After all, Rinka's support didn't provide her with much security.
Taking a bite of takoyaki from his disposable container, Sasaki stood by the roadside, pondering ways to enhance the three girls' friendship as he watched them enter the cake shop.
If it were about fostering romantic feelings between boys and girls, that would be easy for him.
But helping girls strengthen their friendship...
Shaking his head to dismiss the sudden thought of stacking games, Sasaki swallowed the takoyaki and smacked his lips, a bit troubled:
"If only girls could also be... wait... who says they can't!"
Finding a solution, the boy's eyes lit up.
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