Karuizawa Kei finished chatting with Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki, and then the three of them wandered around at their leisure. Before they knew it, it was evening, and after grabbing a quick dinner, the three of them soon arrived at the foot of the dormitory building.
Even though she had already promised both Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki, Karuizawa Kei still wasn't entirely sure what sort of attitude Shikime Natsu would take toward this whole matter.
On the one hand, she had promised to help create an opportunity for Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki; on the other hand, she wasn't quite certain how Shikime Natsu would view the situation.
On top of that, the date was originally supposed to be just the two of them, but now she was suddenly going to say she wanted to bring two other people along—no matter how she thought about it, it felt rather abrupt.
Turning these thoughts over in her mind, Karuizawa Kei found herself standing before her own dorm door before she even realized it. She fished the key out of her pocket, slid it into the keyhole, and gave it a gentle twist.
With a soft "click," the door opened.
She pushed it open, stepped inside, and casually pulled the door shut behind her.
The dorm was very quiet—she was the only one there.
She walked over to the bed, then let her whole body fall backward, sprawling out onto the mattress.
The soft mattress caught her body, filling her with a wave of relaxation.
She picked up the phone from the nightstand and held it up before her eyes; the glow of the screen seemed especially bright in the dim room.
She opened up her chat with Shikime Natsu.
Displayed on the screen was the record of their last conversation.
The final message was a "good night" from Shikime Natsu, followed by a sticker—the very same "good night" sticker that Karuizawa Kei had sent during an earlier chat.
When Shikime Natsu had used that sticker, Karuizawa Kei had been in a really good mood.
Looking again at her chat history with Shikime Natsu, the corners of the girl's mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
But right now, Karuizawa Kei's finger hovered over the screen, unsure of what to type.
In her mind, she was trying to figure out just how to word it—how to ask Shikime Natsu whether it would be all right to bring Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki along on the date.
She'd been mulling over this question for a long time, but she still hadn't found a suitable way to phrase it.
Karuizawa Kei rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.
"Nnngh…"
She let out a faint, muffled little whimper.
Then she rolled over again, lying face up, holding the phone aloft with both hands, her eyes fixed on the screen.
Her lips were pursed slightly, her brows knitted faintly—she looked utterly conflicted.
Her finger tapped once at the screen, then tapped again, but in the end she never typed a single word.
"Just asking directly… wouldn't that be kind of bad…"
She muttered quietly to herself.
"But… if I don't ask directly, then what else can I do…"
She bit her lip, then pressed the phone facedown against her chest.
Her heart was pounding, thump-thump-thump, like a drum being beaten.
After a while, she took a deep breath and lifted the phone up once more.
Gripping the phone in both hands, her two thumbs flew rapidly across the screen, tapping out a line of text.
"Natsu, for this weekend's date, would it be okay if Maya and Chiaki came along too?"
After finishing, she read it over again and felt it seemed too blunt.
Delete. Retype.
"Natsu, this weekend Maya and Chiaki happen to be free too—how about we all go out together?"
Hmm… this one seemed a little more tactful.
But looking at this line, Karuizawa Kei felt it seemed a bit too deliberate.
Delete. She typed it out yet again.
"Natsu, I want to bring two friends along, is that okay?"
As for this… who else could her two friends be, other than Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki? But right now she couldn't think of any better way to put it. She really was clumsy with words.
Karuizawa Kei hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath, and her finger pressed the send button.
The message was sent.
The screen displayed the words "Sent."
Karuizawa Kei stared at those words, her heart racing even faster.
She clutched the phone tightly in both hands, her eyes locked onto the screen.
Then, the word "Read" appeared on the screen.
Shikime Natsu had seen it, and Karuizawa Kei's heart leapt straight up into her throat.
She waited for Shikime Natsu's reply.
Soon, half a minute passed, and the screen still showed "Read," but no message came through.
Karuizawa Kei's mood was like riding a roller coaster, with tremendous ups and downs. Those pretty purple eyes stared fixedly at the screen, her dark brows slightly furrowed, her lips pressed tightly together.
Was the request she'd made a little too much?
Karuizawa Kei thought to herself, and couldn't help feeling a twinge of regret.
Maybe Shikime Natsu wanted the date to be just the two of them?
If that really was the case, then her request would have been terribly inconsiderate.
Thinking this far, Karuizawa Kei couldn't help feeling a little dejected.
But she had already promised Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki.
If Shikime Natsu truly was unwilling, then all she could do was report the failed outcome to them.
Still, Karuizawa Kei continued thinking to herself—if Shikime Natsu turned down this invitation, then the subtext would be quite clear.
Shikime Natsu had no such feelings toward Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki.
When that time came, all she could do was pass the message along to them.
But if Shikime Natsu really did refuse, then Karuizawa Kei was rather curious just why exactly Shikime Natsu had fallen for her in the first place.
Even though Shikime Natsu had once given her the reason, Karuizawa Kei still felt she was no better than Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki.
In terms of looks, both Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki were very pretty.
In terms of personality, Satou Maya was cheerful and generous, while Matsushita Chiaki was gentle and reserved.
And what about herself?
Thinking this far, Karuizawa Kei began to feel a little unsure of herself again.
She let out a soft sigh, then set the phone down beside her pillow.
It was right at that moment that the phone buzzed.
"Ding-dong."
Karuizawa Kei snatched up the phone and looked at the screen.
Shikime Natsu had sent a message.
[Shikime Natsu: Of course that's no problem.]
Even though it was only text, Karuizawa Kei could still feel the gentleness behind Shikime Natsu's words, and a smile couldn't help but break across that cute little face of hers.
Her eyes curved into crescent moons, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and her whole being radiated an air of joy and elation.
"Yes!"
She let out a quiet little cheer, then, hugging the phone, rolled over once on the bed.
After she finished rolling, she hurriedly picked up the phone again and replied.
[Karuizawa Kei: Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Natsu!]
After the message was sent, the other side replied very quickly.
[Shikime Natsu: No need to thank me for something like this, but what brought this on all of a sudden?]
Seeing this question, the smile on Karuizawa Kei's face pulled back just a touch.
Her finger hovered over the screen for a moment, then she began to type.
[Karuizawa Kei: I just want to hang out with my friends~ And it's livelier with more people.]
She'd come up with a slightly clumsy excuse.
Because there was no way she could lay out everything she'd discussed with Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki.
After all, if Shikime Natsu really didn't harbor that kind of affection for them, then wouldn't saying it outright end up holding them back?
So it was best not to spell out this sort of thing too clearly.
Shikime Natsu saw this message but didn't call her out on it.
He simply replied.
[Shikime Natsu: Then it's settled. See you this weekend.]
Shikime Natsu could more or less guess what Karuizawa Kei and the others were thinking. What he hadn't expected, though, was that Karuizawa Kei was planning to set him up with Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki, while Morishita Ai intended to pair him up with Yamamura Miki, and then… lately Mako Amikura's side was also planning to help him get together with Ichinose Honami.
Not that Shikime Natsu minded, of course.
Seeing this message, a great weight finally lifted from Karuizawa Kei's heart.
[Karuizawa Kei: Mm-hmm, see you this weekend.]
Then she typed out a "good night" sticker and sent it to Shikime Natsu.
Shikime Natsu replied with a "good night" as well.
Looking at those two words, Karuizawa Kei couldn't suppress the smile at the corners of her mouth no matter how she tried.
Hugging the phone, she rolled over on the bed once more before finally sitting up.
She took a deep breath, then opened the three-person group chat with Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki.
Looking at the group's name, Karuizawa Kei couldn't help but chuckle.
She tapped open the input box, then typed.
[Karuizawa Kei: Good news! Natsu agreed!]
The moment the message was sent, the group chat instantly exploded.
Satou Maya replied practically within a second.
[Satou Maya: Really?! That's amazing! Kei, you're the best! Thank you so much!]
[Matsushita Chiaki: Thank you.]
Both of them replied very quickly—they seemed to care a great deal about this matter. Looking at their responses, Karuizawa Kei's mood grew even better.
[Karuizawa Kei: This weekend, let's all go out together. So where should we go?]
[Satou Maya: I haven't figured that out yet…]
[Karuizawa Kei: Then there's no need to rush. We've still got some time until the weekend anyway, so think it over carefully.]
[Matsushita Chiaki: Kei's right.]
[Satou Maya: Then… what should we wear?]
Another question from Satou Maya.
Seeing this question, Karuizawa Kei thought it over and then replied.
[Karuizawa Kei: I think dressing like usual is fine.]
[Satou Maya: No, no, no! This is a big deal! How could we just throw on anything? I need to think carefully about what to wear. Kei, what are you planning to wear?]
Karuizawa Kei thought it over, then replied.
[Karuizawa Kei: I haven't figured it out yet…]
After that, the three of them launched into an enthusiastic discussion about what to wear for the weekend.
Satou Maya sent lots of photos—skirts, pants, tops, jackets—every single outfit thoughtfully coordinated.
Karuizawa Kei sent some photos too. She picked out a few outfits she thought looked nice and asked Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki to help her choose.
Matsushita Chiaki, for her part, sent two outfits she was torn between, asking everyone which one was better.
The three of them discussed with great fervor, messages piling up one after another on the phone screens.
Meanwhile, standing before her walk-in closet, Matsushita Chiaki held two garments in her hands—one a pale blue sundress, the other a light pink chiffon blouse paired with a white long skirt.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two outfits, her brows slightly furrowed, looking utterly conflicted.
She was thinking to herself: which style would Shikime Natsu prefer?
The more mature look, or the cuter one?
If the cuter one, then the pale blue sundress would probably be more fitting.
If the more mature one, then the chiffon blouse with the long skirt wasn't bad either.
Matsushita Chiaki pondered for a long time, but still couldn't make up her mind.
Her hand lingered on the hanger, and then she let out a soft sigh, looking thoroughly torn.
Over on Satou Maya's side, she too was agonizing.
She stood before the mirror, holding a red sundress, holding it up against herself, then setting it down again.
She picked up a black form-fitting skirt, held it up against herself, then shook her head.
"Not eye-catching enough…"
She muttered quietly, then started rummaging through the wardrobe again.
She wanted to dress up a little nicer, wanted to make Shikime Natsu notice her.
But she also didn't want to dress too deliberately—after all, this was Karuizawa Kei's home turf, so to speak. Karuizawa Kei was the main figure of this date, while she and Matsushita Chiaki were merely off to the side, looking for their chance.
No, no, that's not right—once they'd started looking for their chance, could this date's home turf really still belong to Karuizawa Kei?
It seemed she'd have to keep negotiating with Karuizawa Kei. If she succeeded, then she'd let Karuizawa Kei have her turn back.
After that, Satou Maya picked out another outfit. She looked at herself in the mirror, then gave a nod.
"This one it is."
Karuizawa Kei lay on her dorm bed, phone in hand, watching the lively discussion in the group chat.
The corners of her mouth curved up slightly, a faint little smile surfacing on her face.
Inside, she wasn't as torn as Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki.
After all, she and Shikime Natsu had already been dating for a while now, and choosing what to wear to see him no longer made her nervous.
Still, she seriously picked out an outfit she thought looked nice.
A white sundress—simple and elegant, yet not lacking a girlish sweetness.
She looked at herself in the mirror, then gave a satisfied nod.
After settling on their outfits, the three of them began discussing the day's itinerary.
[Satou Maya: What time should we meet?]
[Karuizawa Kei: How about eight in the morning, meeting up at the entrance of Keyaki Mall.]
On ordinary weekends, Karuizawa Kei basically never got up that early—after all, this was precious weekend time. Wasn't it far better to spend the weekend in bed?
Of course, when there was a date with Shikime Natsu involved, Karuizawa Kei would get up very, very early. After all, this was a date with Shikime Natsu, no less, and the girl had been looking forward to it all along.
[Satou Maya: Okay, so where should we go for lunch that day?]
Even though Shikime Natsu had superb culinary skills, they couldn't very well follow him back to his dorm to eat, could they?
Thinking of the topic of food, Satou Maya couldn't help feeling a little envious of Karuizawa Kei again—Karuizawa Kei had surely already been to Shikime Natsu's room.
How enviable. She wondered what Shikime Natsu's room was like—it was surely spotlessly clean and tidy, and then… it probably even carried Shikime Natsu's scent.
The discussion carried on, and over on Matsushita Chiaki's side, watching the messages in the group chat, her mood grew increasingly complicated.
In her mind, she was once again thinking about those dreams.
In the dreams, she and Shikime Natsu were so intimate, so sweet.
Yet in reality, she got nervous just talking to him.
Matsushita Chiaki thought this to herself, then let out a soft sigh.
She set down her phone and walked over to the window, gazing out at the pitch-black night sky, her heart a tangle of mixed emotions.
She didn't know what would happen this weekend.
Nor did she know whether she could seize this opportunity.
But she wanted to try—wanted to confirm just what that special feeling in her heart for Shikime Natsu really was. Was it truly love? Or some other kind of fondness?
Even having come this far, Matsushita Chiaki was still hesitating.
Three girls, each cradling her own feelings, looked forward to the arrival of the weekend.
Karuizawa Kei turned off the light, lay in bed, phone clutched in her hand, her eyes fixed on the ceiling.
She thought to herself that this weekend, everything had to go smoothly.
If only… Satou Maya and Matsushita Chiaki could also make things official with Shikime Natsu, that would be wonderful.
____
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