It has been peaceful these past few days.
Since Monday, I've been back to being a loner, spending my breaks and heading home alone.
Well, that's usually how I am—nothing new.
Even today's break, I planned to spend it by myself at the back of the gym. Again. Or so I thought, when suddenly Escuro came to my seat during break.
"Dalino, let's have lunch."
After our last conversation, she never contacted me. Knowing her situation, I thought she would ask me for help, but to my surprise, she didn't. So this was a perfect opportunity to ask what she was up to.
"Sure. Are we eating at the cafeteria?"
"No, we'll eat at our secret spot."
Secret spot? What is she talking about? Is there such a place? Don't tell me—is she talking about the back of the gym? How dare she make it ours—that's supposed to be my secret spot.
Anyway, it's not exclusive to me, and it's open to the public, so I don't mind what Escuro said.
"Ah, right, you still need to buy food."
"Yep."
"Alright, let's buy you food first before going there."
"I'm fine with that."
With that, I stood from my seat and left the room with her. As we moved away from the classroom, the whispers among our classmates faded.
Those guys, really. When it comes to me, there's always talk. And with what Escuro said earlier, it just fuels their delusions. Why did she have to mention the secret spot? I don't want another nasty rumor about me going around.
"Go on, buy your food."
"You know, you could have just headed there first and waited for me."
"Eh, the cafeteria is just nearby, so I can wait here."
As she said, she waited outside the cafeteria. Meanwhile, I went inside and queued at the counter. Since I arrived late, the line was pretty long, so buying food took longer than expected. When it was finally my turn, I picked a sandwich and paid for it.
After securing lunch, I hurried out of the cafeteria.
"Sorry I took so long. A lot of people were lined up."
I said to the person waiting outside.
"I don't mind, but we don't have much time."
That's right. We only had fifteen minutes to spare.
"Can't we just eat here in the cafeteria?"
"No, I want somewhere private—or at least somewhere with fewer people."
Fewer people, she says. I knew it; this wasn't simply about having lunch. She had a reason for inviting me.
Thinking quickly, I remembered a place.
"If you want somewhere with fewer people, I know a spot."
Just outside the main building, across from it, was a garden. In the middle stood a fountain, and around it was a small plaza with benches.
It was a nice place to have lunch, yet I rarely saw anyone eat there. That's why I recommended it to Escuro.
So we headed to the garden and went to the fountain at the center. After that, we settled on a bench and started talking as we ate.
"So the reason you invited me is related to the fact that you can't talk to Manzano even this time, am I correct?"
"Hmm? Oh, you already figured it out. Exactly, that's the reason why I wanted to talk to you."
"But before that, I want to hear it first."
"Hear what?"
"What you've been up to these days. Or, to be specific, your attempts to talk to Manzano."
"Eh?! Even that, you know?"
Nope, I don't know. I just tried guessing.
As we talked, someone suddenly interrupted us.
"Umm… excuse me."
It was a soft voice. When we heard it, Escuro was the first to react. She stopped the conversation and looked toward the owner of the voice. I also stopped talking and turned to see who it was.
Based on the voice, it was obviously a girl. She wore an apron, gloves, and a headscarf.
"Eh, ah, um… I'm from the gardening club…"
"So what does the gardening club want from us?" Escuro asked in a firm tone, probably out of wariness.
"Well, that's, um…"
This person is notably shy. So shy that she can't even talk to people properly?
This kind of person is common in fiction, but in reality, there are hardly any people like that. Shy people exist, of course, but not to that extent. So seeing her was quite a rare find.
"Hey, cutie—"
"C-c-cutie?!"
"You need to calm down. Slowly, take a breath in, then breathe out."
Following my voice, she inhaled and exhaled. She did it three times.
"Did that calm you?"
"Y-yes."
"Great. Then back to the matter—what were you trying to say?"
"Um, well, it's that…"
Managing to speak, she raised her hand and pointed at us—no, more specifically, at our food.
"I-it's forbidden to eat here."
"Eh, really?!"
"Yes. Due to some students littering, students are now banned from eating here."
"Is that so? I didn't know that."
"…I-it was posted on Facebook."
Escuro took out her phone and searched. After confirming, she flashed the screen at me and glared.
Really, I didn't know.
"So, c-can you two e-eat somewhere else?"
Returning my attention to the gardening girl, I answered, "We could, but there's not enough time to finish our lunch."
When I said that, she shut her mouth and made a conflicted expression. In the short silence, her eyes met ours—only to quickly look away.
"I… I'll allow it today. But next time, please eat somewhere else."
"Thank you. We won't do it again."
Hearing the reassuring answer, she turned around and walked away.
Once the gardening girl was out of sight, I turned back to face Escuro.
"So, where were we?"
However, to my question, Escuro didn't respond. She just stared at me for a few seconds.
"Wha-what's wrong?"
"You… did you just call her 'cutie'?"
"Eh, did I?"
Oh crap. Since that kind of character only exists in fiction, seeing one in real life made my fanboy instincts come out naturally.
"I guess the rumors were true."
"Urgh, not the rumors again. I swear I'm not like that."
"Hmm? Oh, I'm not talking about you."
"Really? Then what?"
"You don't know? There's been talk around the school during the first semester that there's a fairy in the garden."
"A fairy?"
"That's just what they call a pretty or cute girl in the garden. And that must be her."
She was talking about the gardening girl earlier.
"I never heard of that."
"How could you? You don't even know what's going on in your own class."
"Ack…"
Don't do me like that.
"Ah, right. About our conversation—but we don't have enough time anymore."
With the earlier interruption and this off-topic talk, it was no wonder time had run out.
"It's fine. I more or less got the gist of it."
"Really? So, can you help me?"
"Well, I'll try."
"Great. What's the plan?"
"There's none."
"Eh? Really? I thought you had one since you already anticipated this."
"Yeah, I did. Even so, it's not like I can come up with a plan every time."
Nor am I obliged to make one.
"That's why give me time to think of one."
Also, there was something I wanted to confirm.
"It's up to you, as long as you help me. But just don't take too long."
After that, we ended the conversation and turned our focus to finishing our lunch. Hurried, we raced against time.
***
It was after school.
Once the last class was dismissed, I went straight outside the main building and sat on a nearby bench.
From there, I watched my fellow schoolmates exit the building. Some were alone, while others walked in pairs or groups. They either went home or hung around campus for a bit.
Now, you may wonder why I'm still here. If it were the usual me, I'd already be heading home. But today, there's someone I'm waiting for. After my talk with Escuro earlier, there was something I wanted to confirm before making a move. That's why I stayed.
And soon, the person I was waiting for appeared.
"Yo, Manzano."
"Dalino?"
As our eyes met, he made an uneasy expression.
"D-did you need something from me?"
"Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to go home together with you, that's all."
After hearing Escuro's side of the story, I wanted to confirm Manzano's side. I wanted to hear his opinion on the current situation.
These past few days, he'd been passive. Aside from Escuro being too embarrassed to talk, Manzano surprisingly did nothing. Instead of taking the initiative to speak to her, he just let things be—hence the situation now.
Waiting for his reply, the answer I got wasn't what I expected.
"Sorry, not today."
I'd always thought of Manzano as a chill guy. Whenever we invited him to hang out, he casually joined. And no matter how absurd Ponce's or Escuro's ideas were, he didn't mind and simply went along.
So I assumed I could invite him today. But he turned me down, which threw me off. I guess it made sense—it's not been long since I joined their circle. Plus, thinking about it, I hadn't had many conversations with Manzano. With so little interaction between us, it's no wonder there was still some distance.
I understood if that was the case. However, I had a feeling it wasn't just that. Why? Because his eyes said it all.
"I have something important to do. I'm really sorry. Maybe we can do it another time."
Then he left immediately. His pace was notably quick, as if his business was truly urgent—if that was the truth.
But noticing his nervousness and shifty eyes, I knew there was more to it. His aversion, the way he wouldn't meet my gaze—it was as if, as if…
Don't tell me. Is he avoiding me? That can't be it, right?
Seeing his silhouette fade into the distance, I was left standing there, confused.