After school.
Amane hummed a cheerful tune as she packed her textbooks. This level of knowledge was very simple for her, so studying wasn't particularly difficult.
But that wasn't the reason for her exceptionally good mood.
The reason for her happiness was...when she went to the vending machine at noon, she found one that had a lottery.
Amane bought a tomato juice on a whim.
Hmm, a tomato-flavored drink.
And she actually won a prize!
She exchanged it for a bag of chocolate from the machine.
Getting a bit addicted, she tried her luck again. This time, she got a banana-flavored soda, plus a large bag of potato chips.
By the time Amane carried her haul back, she ran right into Kushida.
When Kushida asked why she didn't get a shopping bag, Amane told her about winning twice in a row.
But surprisingly, Kushida mentioned that someone from another class had emptied the entire machine once and didn't win a thing.
Later, a phone call to inquire revealed the winning probability was one in five hundred.
So Amane hitting the jackpot twice consecutively was undeniably incredibly lucky. No wonder Amane was in such high spirits today.
"Amane-san, do you have any plans after school?" Wang Meiyu asked somewhat shyly as she walked over.
"I haven't decided yet. Do you have something in mind, Meiyu-chan?"
"We're planning to see an anime movie~ Would you like to join us, Amane-san?" Compared to the somewhat timid Wang Meiyu, the enthusiastic and outgoing Kushida was practically the polar opposite.
Normally, even though Amane got along quite well with Kushida's circle, the others never really invited Amane to hang out.
The main reason was that Amane would always say she was accompanying Horikita.
Lately, Kushida noticed that Horikita and Amane seemed somewhat distant.
So she suggested to Wang Meiyu that she, being the one closest to Amane in their group, should extend an invitation.
If successful, they could have one more person for future group activities.
"I don't have a problem with it. Is Ruri-chan coming too?"
"She's in the tennis club and has club activities after school. It's a bit of a shame, isn't it? How about just the three of us go see it?" Kushida directly produced four movie tickets.
Clearly, she had prepared them a day in advance.
And Kushida was quite thoughtful.
If she had only taken out three tickets now, Amane might have wondered—was she only being invited because Ichihashi-san couldn't go?
But by pulling out all four tickets at once, she made it clear that Amane was part of the original plan.
Truly worthy of someone who navigated the first-year social scene with ease.
"Sure, I was just wondering what to do tonight…"
Just as they were talking, Horikita surprisingly came over too. Though she clearly wasn't comfortable in such a setting.
Her expression was a bit awkward.
"Amane… would you like to go to Palette with me tonight?"
Seeing Horikita actively invite Amane, Kushida found it hard to believe.
Had their relationship soured?
Why did it seem just like before?
"If Amane-san has other plans…"
Kushida, after hearing just that one sentence from Horikita, sensed that Amane might lean towards going with Horikita.
To save Amane any awkwardness, she immediately provided an out.
Before Kushida could even finish, Amane looped her arm through Kushida's.
This sudden closeness made both Kushida and Horikita widen their eyes.
"Sorry, Horikita-san, I've already promised Kikyo-chan and Meiyu-chan that I'd go see a movie with them. How about we go for coffee at Palette next time when we're free?"
Witnessing Amane decisively refuse Horikita, Kushida couldn't help but lightly cover the corner of her mouth.
So their relationship really had deteriorated.
It seemed Horikita-san was still clinging to Amane-san.
Should she help Amane-san out a bit?
Kushida narrowed her eyes.
"Actually, we have four tickets here. Would you like to join us, Horikita-san?"
Kushida offered a sweet smile. But beneath that sweet smile lay a hidden mockery aimed at Horikita.
Did Horikita need Kushida's charity?
She did not!
Horikita's face darkened slightly as she stared at Kushida.
"Thank you for the offer, Kushida-san. I'm not particularly fond of movies, so I'll pass this time. Besides, I can afford my own movie ticket. It would be better if Kushida-san gave it to someone who really needs it."
Having said that, Horikita turned silently, picked up her books, and left.
Kushida looked down at the tickets in her hand with a disappointed expression.
"Don't mind it, Kikyo-chan. Horikita-san just seems to be that type of person," Wang Meiyu quickly comforted Kushida.
"If she doesn't want to, let's just go by ourselves," Amane chimed in.
Only then did Kushida's expression shift from disappointment to a smile.
"Mhm, let's go."
She had just remembered.
Horikita did attend the same middle school as her. If she recalled correctly, Horikita was quite famous back at school too.
Of course, it was for her academic performance.
But in other areas… well, heh. Like just now, with Kushida's casual little move. Pretending to be magnanimous by offering Horikita a ticket.
Offering it after Amane had rejected her.
It was pure charity.
If Horikita accepted, it would only make her more awkward.
If she refused, she'd look like she was throwing a fit after being rejected, disrespecting Kushida's 'kindness'.
Everyone would just comfort Kushida, and no one would consider Horikita's reasons for refusing.
No matter how you looked at it, Horikita couldn't come out ahead.
But for Kushida, this was just improvisation.
--+--
Pop-pop—pop-pop—pop-pop-pop!
Watching the corn kernels in the machine burst into little white flowers, Amane's face was full of amazement.
"So this is popcorn? It looks delicious." Seeing Amane look like a little greedy kitten, even the usually shy Wang Meiyu laughed.
"Amane, you've never had popcorn before?"
"Nope, my family doesn't allow me to eat food like this."
Wang Meiyu was a little curious; Amane's upbringing seemed rather strict.
But after glancing at Amane's figure, Wang Meiyu had to admit, Amane had the best physique among all the girls she'd ever seen.
It retained a feminine charm while also giving a sense of being protected, like one might feel with a boy.
If Amane-san were a boy…Wang Meiyu's face instantly turned bright red.
She then abruptly covered her face and muttered some strange words.
Something about having babies…
"Then let me treat you to popcorn, Amane-san, as thanks for last time," Wang Meiyu said to Amane after finally calming down.
Amane then remembered the milk tea date she'd promised Meiyu-chan, which they never got around to.
"Then I'll trouble you, Meiyu-chan~ I'd like a drink too," Amane agreed without the slightest hesitation.
"Leave it to me!" Wang Meiyu made an 'OK' sign, ordered three boxes of popcorn, and then hurried off to the drink counter at the other end, seemingly to pick out some tasty beverages.
Meanwhile, Kushida Kikyo was handling the ticket check with the tickets.
Both Wang Meiyu and Kushida-san were so reliable.
Amane smiled happily.
What she didn't know was, at the very back of the line, a girl in a sundress, wearing a fisherman's hat and black sunglasses, was secretly watching her.
Amane...
She looks very happy.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.