Chapter Ⅲ | Turning Point. “Contact”

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After school.

Himari and I came to Aeon together. Naturally, it’s to plan out accessory-making for the cultural festival.

This time, we haven’t planted flower seeds yet, so that’s our top priority. But to choose the flowers, we need to decide on a theme for the accessories first.

So, as usual, it’s time to hunt for inspiration. We ordered double cones at Thirty-One Ice Cream and cooled off at a table. Strawberry cheesecake is delicious.

“Inspiration…”

“Huh? Nothing at all? That’s rare!”

“Hmm. It’s autumn flowers, so I was thinking of leaning into a kind of fleeting melancholy vibe…”

“That’s pretty vague~”

Yeah, it is.

Our main new pieces since April… Enomoto-san’s tulip hairpin. Custom-made accessories for schoolmates. Kureha-san’s sunflower tiara.

Lately, challenges have been coming at me from others, so my brain’s struggling to switch to this “do whatever you want” course after so long.

It’s like being asked, “What do you want to express?” out of nowhere and stumbling over my words—does that make sense?

My goal is to hone my communication skills through the accessory sale, but… if I don’t have accessories ready, it’s pointless.

Himari licked her matcha ice cream and suggested,

“How about the bookstore?”

“Oh, yeah. I haven’t gone that route in a while…”

Reading something trendy to spark inspiration.

It’s a method I used a lot up until this spring. It might be a good return to basics.

“Alright, let’s go after we finish our ice cream.”

“Hehe~ Feels like it’s been forever since we’ve had ‘our time,’ huh?”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

This calm moment, now that I think about it, has been a while.

Things have been so hectic lately. It finally feels like our normal pace is back.

As I was thinking that, Himari suddenly poked my nose.

“Hehe~ Yuu, you better only have eyes for me during the cultural festival, okay? ♪”

“I-I get it…”

Having spent the whole day getting her back in a good mood, Himari was now visibly chipper.

Her energy’s toned down a bit since summer break, but it’s still embarrassing when she does this in public. Summer-break me who was okay with this—what was wrong with me…?

(To protect this peaceful time, I’ve got to step up.)

For that, I need to approach this cultural festival with clear intent to level up—

“‘Planning with an eye on leveling up,’ huh? That’s what you’re thinking, right?”

“Whoa! You scared the crap out of me!?”

A flashy guy’s voice suddenly piped up from behind. I nearly dropped my ice cream but managed to catch it.

It wasn’t just the voice—Makishima himself slid in with a “Nahaha,” slinging an arm around my shoulder. He was holding an Ogura toast-flavored ice cream.

“…Makishima. Since when were you here?”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m some yokai. We were just ordering ice cream normally—you two were too lost in your own world to notice, that’s all.”

“Shut up. Anyway, why’re you here? Don’t you have club?”

“It’s equipment check day today. The first-years are scrambling to handle it. Once my business is done, I’ll head back to practice.”

“Oh, I see… ‘We’?”

Something caught my attention, so I asked—then another person sat at the table.

As expected… it was Enomoto-san. She had the same strawberry cheesecake ice cream as me.

“Huh, Enomoto-san’s here too? What about brass band practice?”

“Shii-kun dragged me along.”

Licking her ice cream with her usual cool, grumpy face—she pulls it off so well.

As I was thinking something totally off-topic, Himari, annoyed at the interruption, shot daggers at Makishima.

“Hehe~ This annoying pest doesn’t realize he’s not welcome, huh?”

“Naha. My life, my rules, right? And in terms of bothering others, Himari-chan, you’re not much better, are you?”

Zap zap zap…

These two get along so well. As I casually licked my ice cream, Makishima dramatically swung his gaze back to me.

He sat in the chair next to me with an exaggerated grin.

“Natsu, you’re struggling with inspiration for the accessories you’re selling at the cultural festival, huh?”

“We’re about to figure it out, so it’s not like I’m struggling…”

“I see, I see. That much trouble, huh? That’s rough!”

“This guy seriously doesn’t listen…”

This pattern… he’s definitely cooking up some unnecessary scheme. He said something this morning too. That means there’s a high chance he’s about to suggest something annoying.

No way. I’m stopping this cold. I won’t let him ruin this peace.

“Alright, we’re heading to the bookstore—”

“Ohh~? Are you planning to ditch Rin-chan? Saying that in this situation—quite the cold-blooded move, huh?”

“No, Enomoto-san, didn’t you have stuff to do with him…?”

You know how it’s awkward running into a classmate outside school? Using that logic, my perfectly reasonable point was brushed off by Makishima shaking his head like it was absurd.

“As if I’d have a lovey-dovey childhood friend like in some romcom.”

“I mean, they might exist out there…”

“At least my childhood friend relationship is dry as hell. You have no idea how much whining I’ve endured on the way here.”

“Then why’d you bring Enomoto-san…?”

Meanwhile, Enomoto-san was chatting with Himari.

Uh, let’s see… “Yuu-kun looks so happy talking with Shii-kun.” “Huh, is he into that?” “…Could be.” What the heck!? Please don’t spread rumors like that at school!

“Oi, Makishima. If you’ve got something to say, spit it out.”

“…Fair enough. I’ve got to get back to club practice, so I’ll keep it short.”

Makishima licked his ice cream, fanning himself with his fan.

Then he gave the three of us a sharp look.

“You guys—are you subtly keeping your distance from each other?”

—We all flinched at the same time.

Then silence. Naturally, we averted our eyes.

“No, it’s not like that…”

“Y-Yeah! I even had lunch with Enocchi today!”

“Shii-kun. Don’t say weird stuff.”

Makishima smirked.

“No point in dodging it. Natsu and Himari-chan, why didn’t you invite Rin-chan to start working on the cultural festival accessories? You three were practically glued together all summer.”

“Enomoto-san has brass band practice…”

“You know the brass band’s just a side gig for Rin-chan, right?”

“Uh…”

As I fumbled, Makishima shifted his gaze.

“Rin-chan. Why aren’t you sticking with Natsu and them? Don’t tell me you’re gonna play the ‘I wasn’t invited’ card now—that’s not your style, and we all know it.”

“…It’s not that. I’m just a normal friend. We’re not always together.”

“After dramatically saving the day yesterday, that logic doesn’t fly.”

Makishima laughed heartily.

Feeling a subtle awkwardness, we shot back.

“Makishima. What’re you getting at?”

“I’m saying you should work on the cultural festival accessories together. Leaving one person out feels lonely, no? It’s painful to watch.”

“That’s up to the person themselves.”

“Rin-chan, is that true?”

Enomoto-san nodded.

“I’m doing the cultural festival with the brass band. I’ve got friends there too.”

“Oh…?”

Makishima bit into his shrinking ice cream, crunching the cone as he spoke.

“Separate plans for the cultural festival? Rejected.”

“Huh? You don’t get to decide that.”

Glancing at Himari and Enomoto-san, they both nodded in agreement.

Three against one. It’s not a majority vote, but at least our stance is unified here. Makishima’s just throwing a tantrum solo—that shouldn’t change.

Makishima sighed in exasperation.

Something felt off about that. No, not the action—his vibe seemed to shift somehow.

His gaze sharpened compared to before, glaring at us. Slapping his fan against his palm, he declared firmly,

“You lot. Planning to defy your investor?”

“…Huh? What’s that mean?”

Shrugging with a “Yare yare” vibe at our confusion, he tossed the last of his cone into his mouth and continued, slightly annoyed.

“Who do you think made it possible for all three of you to make it through to second semester unscathed?”

“No, I don’t get it. ‘Thanks to who’…? Huh?”

Makishima started gesturing.

First, both hands flipping through a stack of papers—no, that’s counting cash. It’s like my dad handling money in the office when I work at our convenience store.

Then stuffing that cash into a large bag (?). He slickly brushed back his hair, flashing a sparkling grin. …That’s gotta be Hibari-san.

Next, hand to his mouth with an “Ohohoho” laugh. That’s probably Kureha-san. Finally, a big double-armed toss like throwing the cash-filled bag—ah.

I get it.

I figured out what he’s saying.

What flashed through our minds was last summer break—when Kureha-san nearly dragged Himari off to Tokyo, and Makishima cleverly arranged the money to stop it.

‘…’

As the three of us went speechless, Makishima spread his fan with a triumphant look.

“Oh my~? Since when did you start deluding yourselves that your high school lives belong to you?”

“Uh, no, it’s…”

‘Natsu, Himari-chan, and Rin-chan’s high school lives—I bought them with this money.’

I hadn’t completely forgotten… or anything.

Makishima hadn’t mentioned it, and things were so hectic—it just slipped my mind. Himari and Enomoto-san looked just as thrown off.

“Seriously, you guys are way too soft when it matters most. Didn’t Kureha-san just exploit that gap? Grow up a little.”

“But that money came from Hibari-san…”

“You think that perfect superhuman would do something so half-baked?”

“Urk…”

He wouldn’t.

That guy’s always fair and square. Even if it disadvantages him, he owns it.

…And that applies to others too.

Which means—

“Thanks to that repayment, I’ve been strapped for cash lately. Even buying new tennis shoes is a hassle. Well, if I can’t win nationals with this kind of handicap, guess that’s all I’m worth. Naha.”

“No, no, no, no! Makishima, are you serious!?”

“I’m flashy, but I don’t lie. The money I used to buy your high school lives? I’m paying it back monthly from my allowance. Since it’s to help Hibari-san’s family, I got the interest set at 0%. My first paycheck after getting a job’s already spoken for. Naha.”

“That’s our problem, not yours to shoulder!”

“I chose to buy it. And when I took over the loan, it was a cash lump sum—standard practice. Natsu, you got that kind of money?”

“Urk…”

Nope.

Even if we scraped together all of “you”’s funds… honestly, it wouldn’t come close. Makishima knows that, which is why he’s so confident.

“Relax, I’m not a monster. I won’t force anything unreasonable against your wills—like telling you to ‘quit making accessories.’”

Implying he could—say, “Dump Himari and date Enomoto-san” if he wanted.

Sensing trouble in his proposal, we braced ourselves and listened.

“For this cultural festival accessory project, I’m adding ‘three conditions.’”

Makishima raised three fingers, starting with his index.

“One: Until the cultural festival ends, all three of you must always work together on accessory-making.”

“Two: The accessory motif is ‘Enomoto Rion.’ In other words, they’re for Rin-chan.”

“Three: If the group’s opinions split, Rin-chan’s takes priority.”

After rattling them off, he added,

“Of course, there might be unavoidable cases—family issues or schoolwork taking precedence. I’ll allow exceptions then. Just aim to ‘do your best’ with this vibe.”

Declaring “That’s it,” Makishima stood from the table.

Enomoto-san threw out a comment.

“Shii-kun. That approach isn’t like you.”

“…”

I didn’t get what she meant.

For a split second, Makishima clicked his tongue in irritation. But the next moment, he flashed his usual flippant grin.

“Rin-chan. Getting cocky after outsmarting me twice, huh? …There won’t be a third time.”

Folding his fan, he tapped my shoulder with it.

“Natsu. This deal shouldn’t be bad for you either.”

“How so?”

“It’s your beloved ‘trial.’ Think of it as practice for the future. If ‘you’ gets sponsors someday, dealing with worse demands will be daily life. You know the rule: in society, the one with the money’s always king, right?”

“…”

Slipping back into his usual tone, Makishima said, “See ya,” and left.

Stunned by the sudden storm that hit us, I just sat there. Himari and the others were the same, unable to hide their confusion.

‘The one with the money’s king.’

Just the other day, the Tokyo trip showed me that.

It’s not just me or Enomoto-san.

Tenma-kun, Sanae-san, that scruffy-bearded “Master”—in the end, if you asked who was at the center of it all, it’d undeniably be “Kureha-san.”

This time, Makishima just took that seat.

That’s reality, and I can’t deny it. Instead of whining about society’s established rules, it’s healthier to work on using them to get on the strong side.

I get that in my head.

But having our smallness shoved in our faces like this…

It stung a little.