The after-party

Ever since that pool incident, Aisa’s attitude didn’t undergo any dramatic transformation… or anything like that.

(Aisa) You free today?

If there was any change, it was that messages like this started popping up every now and then.

(Kouki) Probably free… I think.

(Aisa) Then after school, we’re having a class after-party!

Is that so…? For now, I just sent a sticker back.

“So, you’ve finally started messaging, huh…”

“Well, yeah… it’s just this much.”

“That’s not what I mean. It’s who you’re messaging. You’ve been sneaking glances, so it’s gotta be Takanishi-san, right? Am I wrong?”

“Well, yeah, that’s true.”

As usual, my conversation partner is Akito. But today marks the last time we’ll see each other for a while.

The closing ceremony just wrapped up, and all that’s left is a quick homeroom. Once that’s done, it’s the long-awaited summer break.

“You going to the after-party, Akito?”

“After-party…? What’s that?”

“Aisa mentioned it.”

“Oh, you mean that’s probably not for the whole class but for that group, right?”

He juts his chin toward a group of people who always lead the class, gathered together in full force.

At the center is Aisa, surrounded by four girls and two guys. They’re the aces of their clubs, student council members, or people recognized for their achievements outside school—each one a distant, untouchable star in their own field.

“No way… really?”

“I mean, if it was for the whole class, announcing it at this timing would be weird, wouldn’t it?”

Now that he mentions it, he’s right. I’d assumed I was just the last one to hear about it.

“Got it. So, Akito, you free after this?”

“Give it up. I’m not dragging you around just to get on Takanishi-san’s bad side, and I’ve got my own stuff to do.”

My attempt to use Akito as an escape route was seen right through.

“Well, whatever. It’s a good chance to make your presence known.”

“Why do I need to make my presence known…?”

“I don’t know what’s up, but you’ve been getting weirdly close to her lately, haven’t you? If that group’s okay with you, no one’s gonna give you any grief.”

I get what he’s trying to say.

But it’s not like I’m planning to have that kind of relationship with Aisa. If anything, I think the reason we’re this close is because I’ve been put in the “family” category, safely filtered out of that zone. That’s what I think. That’s what I have to think right now.

But when I tried explaining that to Akito, all I got back was this:

“Nobody else knows that. All they see is you and Takanishi-san being weirdly chummy. Instead of people thinking, ‘If he’s good enough, why not me?’ it’s better if they think, ‘Well, if it’s him, I guess it’s fine.’ For Takanishi-san’s sake too.”

“Yeah, I guess…”

“So, go play nice with them. It’s not like you hate those guys, right?”

“Well, yeah, that’s true.”

It’s just that there’s a distance, and we don’t talk much. We’re just people who don’t have any connection or interest in each other, that’s all.

“Alright then, wake me up when it’s over.”

With that, Akito plopped his head on the desk as usual, leaving me to stew in dread about this mysterious after-party I was about to face.

1. ◇

“Alright, cheers to surviving the first semester!”

“““Yayyy!”””

“…Yay?”

Why am I even here?

“Man, I’m so glad you came!”

“Yeah, I’ve been wanting to chat with Fujino at least once.”

It’s been a while since a classmate called me by my last name. It really hits home how small my social circle has been.

“Aisa’s always talking about how much you help her out!”

“I’m not really…”

“Oh, come on, come on! Since he’s here, you’ve gotta take care of him, Aisa!”

The one teasing Aisa is the student council vice president, Touno Aiko. She’s known as the next in line for president and the class’s organizer-slash-mood-maker, but in this group, she’s leaning hard into the latter role.

“Honestly, though, I didn’t think you’d show up.”

“Yeah, same here…”

The soccer team’s ace, Miyano Hayato, and the kendo club captain, Enomoto Makoto.

“You don’t have to be so nervous, Kouki-kun.”

Sitting next to me is the short-haired band club president, Akitsu Rikako. Of this group, Akitsu’s probably the one I talk to most. Or rather, she’s like this with everyone—always closing the distance. And whenever I’m chatting with Akitsu, Aisa’s mood tends to sour.

“Rikako, you shouldn’t cling so much to Aisa’s Fujino-kun.”

Across from me is Kanou Mie, a figure skater who’s competed at nationals. She gives off a cool vibe but is surprisingly considerate and composed.

What a lineup… All three girls are among the most popular beauties in class.

That said, compared to Aisa, even with my bias aside, she’s on a whole other level of popularity. That’s what makes Aisa so incredible.

I glance at Aisa for help, but she’s just getting teased with, “No way! He’s not mine!” and the group’s having a blast, so my plea goes nowhere.

“Well, since we’re at karaoke, let’s sing!”

Akitsu says, passing me the remote.

“Me…?”

“Yup, yup. Oh, if it’s awkward, you can sing with Aisa!”

I look at Aisa, but before I can say anything, she’s shaking her head like her life depends on it.

“No way, no way, no way!”

Is she that bad at karaoke…? She sings with Manami all the time, though.

The vibe makes it hard to refuse, so I pick a random top-ranked song and start singing.

“Whoa!”

“Nice one!”

I’m nervous, but unlike Manami’s chaotic tambourine-playing, these guys actually cheer in rhythm, making it a bit easier to sing.

“Great job! You’re good!”

“Thanks.”

Akitsu’s the one leading the cheers. It’s helpful, but she’s so close, and Aisa’s giving me the death stare.

“Alright, my turn!”

While Akitsu fiddles with the remote, Enomoto, holding another remote, calls out to me.

“Yo, Fujino, can you sing this one?”

“Hold up, Makoto. You’re just gonna do the ad-libs and make Fujino sing the whole thing, aren’t you?”

“You know I can’t sing, Hayato!”

Apparently, Enomoto’s not great at singing. His voice is loud, though.

“Fujino-kun! Let’s sing together!”

“Oh, me too…”

Touno and Kanou chime in too. Karaoke’s great for breaking the ice, and you can tell these guys are pros at communication. I just go along with it, singing my heart out.

Somewhere in the middle, I hear Aisa’s singing voice—clear and beautiful. Guess she’s not that bad at karaoke after all.

When I stare at her, she blushes and turns away, so I quietly shift my gaze to the monitor.

1. ◇

After singing our hearts out, we take a break as pizzas and fries are brought in.

Akitsu and Touno occasionally queue up songs, creating a nice background vibe.

The two singing are seated near the monitor, and now the guys and girls are sitting across from each other. With the music playing, you can only really hear the person next to you.

So, for now, I’m sandwiched between two guys, creating a makeshift guys-only huddle.

“Fujino… feels kinda formal, huh? Kouki’s fine, right?”

“Sure.”

“Phew, good. We haven’t talked much, so I was worried you might not like me or something.”

That’s Miyano Hayato, the soccer ace. He’s a bit of a goofball, but not the type you’d hold a grudge against.

“I mean, I’m kind of a ‘go with the flow’ guy, you know? Oh, just call me Hayato!”

“Got it.”

I know someone way worse when it comes to living by momentum (looking at you, Manami). Hayato’s concerns are honestly unnecessary. If anything, I’m surprised he even cares what someone like me thinks of him.

“No, but seriously, it always felt like Takanishi was, like, taken by you, so I was kinda worried about how you saw me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

By the time Makoto finishes a song, we’re already calling each other by first names.

“So, real talk—what’s the deal with you and Takanishi?”

“Even you guys are on about that…?”

I’d gotten a bit more comfortable with Akito, his familiar presence not too different from usual, but there was also a part of me that felt a little exasperated.

“I mean, it’s hard not to be curious, right? I get why it’s annoying since I get dragged into it too, but still.”

“Ugh…”

Hayato, well, he’s undeniably the guy closest to Aisa in terms of looks in our grade. His popularity’s no joke either.

Most guys would probably back off if Hayato was their competition. That’s why his name comes up so often.

“But y’know… being close to her, you can tell—she’s not into him like that.”

“Yeah, it’s Aisa, so…”

As long as you’re just casually hanging out, there’s no talk of liking or disliking her. From what I’ve seen, the only ones Aisa might actually like are a few of her girl friends and maybe Manami.

“And the fact that you get that just shows what a true childhood friend you are… Honestly, I just wish you two would hurry up and start dating already.”

“Why would you even say that…”

Hayato let out a sigh, but I couldn’t quite catch his meaning.

“I don’t usually get caught up in those kinds of rumors, but it’s pretty obvious that Takanishi looks at you differently.”

Makoto said it. Well, yeah, no kidding. It’d be terrifying if she looked at anyone else with those eyes. Even I get chills.

“Haa…”

Both of them sighed at me.

“What’s that for?”

“Nah, it’s fine. We’ll leave the rest to the girls. Good luck.”

“So you’re saying we’re hopeless, huh? Well, whatever. Let’s keep getting along.”

That’s all fine and dandy, but I couldn’t shake a bad feeling as karaoke wrapped up and we headed to the family restaurant.

It might’ve been business as usual, but Aisa, teased by the girls until her face turned red, was glaring at me.

◇

“Fujino-kun, you’re surprisingly good at playing around, huh?”

We arrived at the family restaurant. Kanou, who hadn’t spoken much until now, opened her mouth. Outside of her figure-skating talk, she’s usually in energy-saving mode, her voice lacking any real vigor. Yet her words cut like sharp blades.

“Huh?”

For some reason, Aisa dropped the fry she was eating. Silently, Touno picked it up and wiped her mouth. Talk about attentive. Future student council president material.

“Manami… uh, Aisa’s little sister is pretty into that kind of stuff too.”

“I see… So why didn’t Aisa go with them?”

Kanou’s gaze shifted to Aisa.

“W-What!? Me!?”

“Who else would I be talking about?”

“Uh, well… Manami’s really attached to Kouki-nii, so…”

Caught off guard by the sudden attention, Aisa frantically fanned her face with her hands before taking a sip of her drink.

“Even though you’re just as attached.”

“Pfft!?”

Aisa spewed her drink and ended up being tended to by Touno again.

“Hehe, come on, Mie. Aisa’s already at her limit.”

The one throwing her a lifeline was Akitsu.

Aisa, unable to say anything, shot me another glare for some reason.

“Why are you glaring at me…?”

“Well, she only ever does that to you, you know.”

“Makoto, that phrasing makes me sound like some kind of creep.”

Makoto and Hayato whispered to each other. Talking like this, I realized there wasn’t as much of a wall between us as I’d felt in class.

While that was going on, Akitsu seemed to have shifted her target to me, sitting down next to me and, for some reason, throwing an arm around my shoulder.

Aisa’s scary, so I really wish she’d stop.

“But it’s true, it’s kinda frustrating to watch, isn’t it?”

“Why are you all so eager to push us together…? We’re just childhood friends who get along, that’s all.”

“Haa…”

For some reason, Aisa sighed at me too.

“This is one of those situations, huh…”

Akitsu mumbled, seemingly deep in thought, before suddenly wrapping her arms around me.

“Wha—?”

Aisa reacted faster than I did, and I froze, missing my chance to respond.

“Hehe, not bad, not bad at all.”

“What is this…?”

Thanks to Aisa’s gaping mouth, I managed to regain my composure. Plus, Akitsu’s vibe was similar to Manami’s, so I didn’t get too nervous.

But then—

“Well, in that case, me too.”

“Hey, what’s going on!?”

Out of nowhere, Kanou appeared from under the table and hugged me. You wouldn’t guess it from her looks, but her grip was firm, making me hyper-aware of how toned she was. Also, it was cramped.

“Wait, am I supposed to join in too?”

Even Touno started saying stuff like that.

“There’s no such trend. Help me out here!”

I looked at Aisa, but she was frozen in place, and the two guys just clasped their hands together and backed off, politely leaving the seat next to me open.

“Alright, sorry, Aisa. Here goes!”

In the end, Touno joined in on the chaos, and I found myself in the bizarre situation of being hugged by all the girls. The fact that the restaurant was nearly empty saved us from standing out too much.

We were already the kind of annoying customers who lingered forever despite barely spending money on drinks, pizza, and fries…

“Mmm, mmm. Thoroughly enjoyed that.”

“Seriously, what was that…?”

I could never keep up with the energy of the group that’s always at the center of things in class…

“Getting hugged by all these gorgeous girls and you’re still so calm! You are a player, huh!”

“How does that even make sense!?”

I managed to retort to Akitsu’s comment, but my heart was pounding like crazy.

“So, that just leaves Aisa, right?”

“Yup.”

“Yeah, it wouldn’t be fair if it was just us…”

What even is this…? Aisa’s frozen in place too, isn’t she?

“You childhood friends used to take baths together, didn’t you?”

Makoto’s question made Aisa spew her drink again.

Since Touno wasn’t next to her this time, she was frantically wiping her mouth alone.

“That’s way too sudden, and it was ages ago!”

“Well, if that’s the case, getting hugged shouldn’t be a big deal, right?”

“Well…”

I said it out loud, but while it’s one thing with Manami, it’s hard not to be conscious of Aisa hugging me now.

There’s a difference between Manami, who’s always been like family, and Aisa, who stopped being family at some point.

While I was lost in thought, Aisa somehow ended up standing right in front of me.

“I-I mean… if I’m the only one who doesn’t do it… it’d be, like, bad vibes or something…”

“You’ve got it rough, huh.”

“Shut up!”

With that, Aisa dove into me, hugging me tightly.

Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her back, hugging her in return.

“…Say something, will you?”

“Uh… well…”

All sorts of sensations hit me. She’s soft. Smells nice. Feels like she’d break if I held her too tight.

A whirlwind of thoughts raced through my head, but I hesitated to voice any of them. Thankfully, Akitsu, the instigator of this whole mess, cut in at just the right moment.

“Alright! That’s it! We’re done! Hey, don’t go getting lost in your own little world!”

“W-What… It’s not like that…”

“Yeah, yeah, save it for home! Seriously, how do you two make just a hug feel that intense?”

Did we do something wrong? I glanced around, and everyone was staring at us, their faces red.

“What…?”

Aisa, whose face was the reddest of all, still had that sharp, glaring look in her eyes.