After the Saturday arrangement ended, my business with Escuro was over. I had already helped her, and the last time we talked was that night when she thanked me. After that, no more messages followed.
I wonder how their relationship turned out, but it's not my place to interfere anymore. I'm just glad I'm no longer involved.
The study group, although it lasted only a single day, wasn't too bad. Perhaps I felt that way because it was the first time I spent my weekend outside—and with someone else. Nevertheless, it was tiring.
Now that the study group is done, the plan I made is also complete. Whatever the outcome may be, it's up to Escuro to handle.
With that, I returned to my peaceful loner life. Or so I thought.
It was Monday morning, and the school day began with a flag ceremony, when not only Escuro but also Manzano greeted me. I thought it was just a normal greeting between classmates, something that would happen from time to time. And I never imagined myself getting involved with them beyond that. At least, that's what I thought. But once break time started, I didn't expect them to be the ones to approach me.
"Hey, Dalino, wanna go to the cafeteria with us?"
Manzano asked while I packed my things. While Escuro was behind him, smiling and waving.
What's going on? I wanted to ask, but sensing my confusion, he clarified his intention.
"It's about what we did on Saturday. I have something to ask."
Saturday? That's the day we had the study group. What does he want to know?
Is he perhaps going to confront me about that time when I pushed Escuro?
I only did that to help her, you know. Did she really have to report me to him? That would be too much.
Well, I never told her the full extent of the plan, so I guess I overdid it a little.
Gulping hard, I replied, "S-sure."
Accepting their invitation, the three of us left the classroom and headed to the cafeteria.
Before leaving, I could feel our classmates' stares following us. Some looked baffled, some curious, and one pair of eyes even felt intense.
Arriving at the cafeteria, we ordered our meals and found a table. It wasn't overcrowded yet, with plenty of tables still available, but the spot we chose was by the window, off to the side.
Placing our trays on the table, we sat down.
Looking at the meals we bought, none of us ordered the same thing. For example, I picked fried rice with pork katsu. On the other hand, Manzano chose a regular rice burger steak meal with gravy, while Escuro had plain rice with fish fillet in ala king sauce, plus a mushroom soup as a side dish.
While the food was still hot, they grabbed their spoons and forks and began eating.
As for me, I hadn't touched mine yet. Because I wanted to know first why they invited me.
I'm so glad they didn't take me to some secluded spot. I really didn't want to get beaten up. So, being here in the cafeteria, surrounded by other people, was reassuring.
"So, what do you want to ask me?"
I asked them.
Hearing my question, Manzano put down his spoon and fork. He swallowed the food in his mouth before speaking.
"Right. We just wanted to know how your progress is."
"Progress?"
"Your progress on the homework. Next period is Math, you know."
Ah, so that's what they're concerned about. And here I thought they were mad.
"Don't worry, I finished it yesterday."
Thanks to the study group, half of the homework was done, and I finished the rest on Sunday.
"Glad to hear that."
"Is that all you wanted to say?"
I asked because I wasn't fully convinced that was the only reason he invited me here. If it were, he could've just asked me that in the classroom.
"Actually, there's another thing."
I felt satisfaction that my instincts were right, but I soon realized it was not a good thing, since the matter of me pushing Escuro might still come up.
"What is it?" I nervously asked.
"The thing is, Escuro and I planned to go to karaoke after school—to celebrate finishing the homework. We wanted to know if you'd like to join."
What he said caught me off guard. I never expected them to invite me. 'Cause I thought my connection with them had ended after that day.
Moreover, what does Escuro think about this? This was her chance to be alone with Manzano—just the two of them in one room.
Looking at Escuro, she stared back at me with a smile. I couldn't read what was on her mind. Did she really want me there or not?
"Are you fine with inviting me?"
I asked, partly to make sure, partly to remind her what this meant.
"Yeah. Actually, Escuro is the one who suggested the celebration."
So she was the one who planned it. If that's the case, wouldn't it have been better not to invite me? Did she even consider that?
I looked at Escuro again, hoping for a hint, but she just kept smiling and said;
"Come on, join us, Dalino."
No hint at all.
But the way she urged me—it sounded like she really wanted me to come. Should I take it that way? Hard to tell.
"Alright, I'll join."
I wasn't sure if that's what she wanted, but it was too late—I had already accepted.
Hearing my response, Escuro looked delighted and said, "That's great. Don't forget, it's after school."
Was she really happy, or just pretending? I'd only know later.
***
The last period had just ended.
When the teacher dismissed the class and left, everyone stood up and started tidying up.
After Manzano and Escuro packed their things, they walked over to my seat.
"Ready to go?" Manzano asked.
"I'm good to go."
Once everything was set, we headed out.
Before leaving the classroom together, I could feel our classmates' eyes on us again. They probably found our group combination odd.
Well, same for me—I never thought the day would come when I'd spend after-school time with people. It felt surreal.
The karaoke place we were heading to was the same one where we had our study group. Upon arriving, we paid and entered a room.
"So, how are we celebrating?" I asked as we put down our bags.
"Well, by singing, of course. This is called karaoke for a reason," Escuro said, stating the obvious.
Except for family, I'd never celebrated with anyone else. So excuse me for not knowing. Not that I'd say that out loud—it'd be embarrassing.
While the two of us talked, Manzano turned on the TV, grabbed the tablet, and took out a pair of microphones.
"Who wants to go first?" he asked, turning to us.
Escuro looked at me, which made Manzano look at me too.
"You guys go first," I said.
"Alright, I'll go first."
With that, Escuro grabbed the tablet and one of the microphones from Manzano. She skimmed through the list of songs, picked one, and the title appeared on the TV screen. What happened next was that the music started playing through the speakers, and before the lyrics began, she hurried to the light switch beside the door, changing the normal lights to disco lights.
Now that everything was set, Escuro began singing.
Listening to her, I couldn't help but compliment her singing—it was good. Compared to professional singing, I wouldn't know, since I don't personally know any singers. But in my opinion, females tend to be naturally good singers.
Looking back at the TV screen, I read the lyrics and realized the song she chose was a love song. How do I know? Because the lyrics were full of confessions about a maiden in love.
I couldn't tell if that was intentional or just a random choice.
Understanding those lyrics, I glanced at Manzano, but he didn't react at all. I probably know the reason. If I didn't already know that Escuro liked Manzano, I wouldn't have noticed the hidden meaning behind the song, either.
Nearly three minutes later, the song ended. Escuro lowered the mic and panted slightly. The three of us watched the screen as her score appeared—98. Seeing that, she beamed a smile and turned to us.
"So, who's next?" she asked.
Manzano looked at me, but I didn't want my turn yet, so I said;
"No, you first."
"Alright then."
Saying that, he stood up, grabbed the second microphone, and scrolled through the tablet to pick a song.
The title of the song appeared on the TV screen, and the music started to play.
As it was now Manzano's turn to sing, Escuro exited the spotlight and sat beside me. She just sat quietly, saying nothing.
It still bothers me why she chose to invite me. I'd like to hear her thoughts on that, but I can't ask her that right now—maybe later.
So we watched Manzano sing in silence.
Manzano's song choice was a classic OPM track—a guy's song, with lyrics about friendship and getting wasted.
After about three minutes, his turn ended. Seeing the TV screen show an 85 score, he let out a satisfied sigh.
He then turned toward me and extended his hand, offering the mic.
"It's your turn," he said.
I hesitated. I didn't want my turn.
"Hurry, take it already. My hand is getting numb."
"Sorry, I don't want to sing."
Hearing my reply, he lowered his stretched hand and asked;
"Why? You don't like singing?"
"It's not that I hate it. It's just… I don't really sing. And if I did, it probably wouldn't sound good."
I wasn't a fan of music, let alone singing. And this was my first time in a karaoke, aside from the study group.
"We don't care if you're good or not. Look at Manzano—he still sang even though he's not great at it," Escuro said, trying to reassure me.
"Hey!" Hearing the criticism, Manzano glared at her.
Seeing their exchange cheered me up a little. Letting out a chuckle, I commented;
"That's true. He sounded monotone."
"Come on, not you too," Manzano sighed, clearly at a disadvantage, "So… still going to sing?"
He asked again. This time, I accepted the mic and rose from the couch.
"I'll try. But again, my singing probably won't be good… maybe even worse than yours," I admitted.
"Oh, come on, you're just exaggerating," Escuro said.
Maybe I was, but it was still embarrassing.
With newfound determination, I grabbed the tablet to search for a song.
Since I wasn't a particularly avid music fan, I didn't know many of the songs on the list. But there was one I recognized—it had been popular, and everyone in the neighborhood played it all the time. So I looked for it and chose it.
When the title appeared on the TV, I heard a reaction from behind.
"Ooohhh…"
From the voice alone, I could tell it was Escuro without even looking. But why did she react that way? Was it the song? Probably—it was a popular one, after all.
Ignoring her, I kept my focus on the TV screen, waiting for the lyrics to appear. Once they did, I started singing along. Even though I couldn't really sing, as long as I followed the lyrics, I could somehow manage.
At first, singing felt normal, but as I went on, some of the lyrics began turning into something vulgar.
Is this what the song is about?
I'd never really heard the whole thing before, so I didn't know the lyrics were like that. Now, singing it myself, it felt embarrassing.
As my thoughts ran wild, the tempo of the song suddenly sped up.
"Here's the rap part."
That voice came from Manzano.
What?! Rap?! I never signed up for this!
I can't even sing, let alone rap—so why am I singing this?
I complained to myself, but then realized it was totally my fault—I was the one who picked this song.
Trying to contain my embarrassment, I attempted the rap. Even though I kept stuttering, I continued singing until the very end of the song.
Finally finishing, I turned around, not wanting to see my score. But facing the back, I was met with something worse.
"That was… something."
"Kh—"
Manzano just gave me a strange comment, while Escuro tried to hide her laughter.
Seeing them react that way, the corner of my mouth twitched upward. It made me regret accepting their invitation.