It was after school. All the students went off on their own fun after-school life as they talked about where to go. I looked at Kushida and signaled that I was starting the plan.
Horikita, the target, had started her usual routine of getting ready to go home.
“Hey, Horikita. Are you free right now?”
“I don’t have any time to spare. I have to go back to the dorms and prepare for tomorrow.”
Prepare for tomorrow? I’m pretty sure she only has school to prepare for…
“I want you to go somewhere with me, though.”
“… What are you trying to do?”
“Do you think I’m inviting you with a particular goal in mind?”
“If you invite out of the blue, it’s natural that I would doubt you. However, if there’s something concrete you need to talk about, I wouldn’t mind listening.”
Of course, there’s no such thing.“You know how there’s a cafe on campus? There are too many girls, so I don’t have the courage to go in myself. It feels like boys are being excluded.”
“Certainly the proportion of girls is high, but can’t boys go in too?”
“Yea, but no boy goes in alone. They always go in with other girls. Only those kind of boys go to the cafe.”
Horikita tried to recall information about Pallet as she pondered over it.
“That does sound correct. It’s unusual for Ayanokouji-kun to have a reasonable opinion.”
“But I’m still interested in the place. So I thought I would to invite you to come with me.”
“Naturally, since… you have no one else to invite, right?”
“That’s a rude way to put it, but yea.”
“And if I refused?”
“Then that’s that. I have no choice but to give up. I can’t force you to give up your private time, after all.”
“… Understood. What you said seems to be true. I can’t spend too much time, though. Is that fine?”
“Yea. I won’t be there long.”
I added “probably” in my mind. If she knew that Kushida was involved, Horikita would probably reproach me.
Because I can talk to Kushida and was able to invite Horikita, I started to think that I probably could’ve become friends with Horikita by myself.
After all, whether it was the club for or the cafe, Horikita went with me, despite complaining all the time. It’s a miracle considering I find it hard to make friends.
After leaving together, we finally arrived at the cafe, Pallet, on the first floor of the school building.
Girls started gathering one by one to have fun after school.
“Looks very crowded.”
“Is this your first time here after school too? Oh, right. You’re always alone.”
“Was that meant to be sarcasm? Childish.”
It was only a joke, but as usual, Horikita verbally insulted me.
After ordering, we got our drinks. I ordered pancakes.
“Do you like sweet foods?”
“I just wanted to eat pancakes.”
I didn’t particularly like or dislike them, but I just made up a plausible reason.
“There aren’t any seats…”
“I guess we’ll have to wait a bit. Oh, nevermind, there are seats over there.”
Having noticed two girls get up from their seats, I quickly secured the table. I let Horikita pass to the far side of the table. Putting my bag down on the ground, I sat down and looked around casually.
“Hey, I just realized. If someone looked at us from afar, we would look like a couple… not.”
Horikita’s face was expressionless and frigid like always. Feeling nervous from the crowded surroundings, my stomach started to hurt.
I overheard the two girls next to us say “Let’s go” while holding drinks in their hands.
And immediately after, another person sat right down. It was Kushida.
“Ah, Horikita-san. What a coincidence! Ayanokouji-kun too!”
“… Yea.”
Pretending that we met by chance, Kushida greeted us. Horikita looked at Kushida with narrowed eyes, then turned to me. Of course, this was something we had planned out earlier. We reserved two tables with four of Kushida’s friends, and then when Horikita and I arrived at Pallet, I signaled them to make spots for the two of us. After a while, the other two would leave so that Kushida could come by.
As a result, our meeting looked like a coincidence.
“Did Ayanokouji-kun and Horikita-san come with each other?”
“By chance, yea. Did you come alone?”
“Yea, today I——”
“I’m going home.”
“O-oi, we just got here.”
“You don’t need me because Kushida-san’s here, right?”
“No, you’re not a problem. Kushida and I are only classmates, after all.”
“You and I are also only ‘classmates’. In addition…”
She looked at me and Kushida with a cold look.
“I don’t like this. What are you planning?”
Looks like she saw through our plan.
“N-no, it’s only a coincidence!”
If it was possible, I didn’t want this outcome to happen.
The correct course of action would have been to make a small shrug and say, “What do you mean?”
“When we were sitting down, the two girls before us were from class D. And then, the two next to us were also from class D. Is that only a coincidence?”
“Wow, you noticed that—I didn’t notice at all.”
“Also, we came straight over here as soon as it was after school. No matter how quickly the other girls rushed over here, they might’ve been here maybe 1, 2 minutes at the most. It’s a bit too early to be returning home. Am I wrong?”
Horikita is a much more observant person than I thought.
Not only did she remember her classmate’s faces, she understood what was happening nearly instantly.
“Um…”
Feeling bewildered, Kushida looked at me for help.
Horikita noticed her look at me. The gig was up.
“Sorry Horikita. We arranged this.”
“I thought so. The situation made me think something was suspicious.”
“Horikita-san. Please be my friend!”
No longer trying to hide anything, Kushida asked her directly.
“I’ve already said it many times, but leave me alone. I have no intention of becoming a bother to the class. Is that not allowed?”
“… Always spending time by yourself will lead to a lonely and sad school life. I want to get along with everyone in the class.”
“I’m not trying to deny your wishes. However, it’s wrong to involve other people against their will. I don’t feel sad from being alone.”
“B-but…”
“Also, for argument’s sake, do you think I would be happy if you forced me to get along with you? Do you think any friendships or trust will come from a forced relationship?”
Horikita’s words aren’t wrong. It’s not that she doesn’t want to make friends, it’s that she feels they are unnecessary. Kushida thinks one way, but Horikita thinks another way.
“This time, it was my fault for not clearly telling you. So I will not blame you. However, if you try again, I will not forgive you next time.”
She grabbed her untouched cafe latte and stood up.
“I want to get along with Horikita-san by any means. When I first saw you, it didn’t feel like it was our first time meeting—I think that Horikita-san felt the same way.”
“This is a waste of time. You’re making me feel uncomfortable.”
Horikita interrupted her while raising her voice. Kushida involuntarily gulped.
Even though I agreed to help Kushida, I had no intention of interfering. However——
“It’s not like I can’t understand Horikita’s way of thinking. I’ve also questioned whether or not friends are necessary on multiple occasions now.”
“You’re saying that? You’ve wanted friends ever since the first day of school.”
“I’m not denying that. However, I’m the same type of person you are. At least until I graduated middle school. I’ve never been able to make friends until I entered this school. I’ve never known anyone’s contact address, nor have I played with anyone after school. I was completely alone.”
Kushida was surprised when I said those words.
“I think that’s why I started talking to you a lot.”
“That’s new. However, even if we have something in common, everything that comes after is different. You didn’t make friends even if you wanted friends. I didn’t make friends because they’re unnecessary. To say we’re similar is incorrect. Am I wrong?”
“… Maybe. But telling Kushida that she’s uncomfortable is going too far. Are you really ok with that? Saying that you won’t get along with anyone now means that you’ll be alone for the next 3 years. That’s a lot of loneliness in the future.”
“I’m fine because it’ll be my 9th year in a row. Ah, if you include kindergarten it’s even longer.”
Did she just casually drop something heavy? Does she stay by herself all the time because she’s been alone for as long as she can remember?
“Can I go home now?
Horikita let out a deep sigh and looked straight into Kushida’s eyes.
“Kushida-san, if you won’t be convinced, I won’t say anything. Promise me. Since you’re not stupid, you know what I’m saying, right?”
Horikita left the store with a “Well then”. She left me and Kushida behind in the busy cafe.
“That was a failure. I tried to help but it was no use. She got too used to being alone.”
Kushida, who couldn’t say anything, sat down with a thump. However, she immediately recovered with her usual smiling face.
“No, thank you Ayanokouji-kun. I wasn’t able to become friends with her, but… I got to learn something important. I’m satisfied with that. Sorry, Horikita-san might hate you because you helped me.”
“Don’t worry about it. I also wanted Horikita to know about the benefits of having friends.”
Because we were holding up four seats by the two of us, I moved over to Kushida’s table.
“Even so, I was surprised. When you said you didn’t have friends. Is that true? It didn’t seem that way at all. Why were you alone?”
“Hmm? Oh, that’s true. Sudou, Ike and co. are the first friends I made. I don’t know whether it was my fault or just the environment I grew up in.”
“Are you happy that you made friends? Is it fun?”
“Yea. It’s annoying at times, but it’s also really fun.”
Kushida’s eyes were sparkling as she nodded her head while saying “Un, un”
“Horikita has a thought and purpose to her way of thinking. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Is that so? Is it impossible for her to make friends?”
“Why are you so desperate? Don’t you already have a lot of friends? There’s no reason to obsess over Horikita.”
Even though she wasn’t able to get along with absolutely everyone in the class, it doesn’t mean she should desperately try to become friends with Horikita.
“I wanted to be friends with everybody… It’s not only class D, but with all the other classes too. However, if I can’t get along with one girl in the class, then I’ve already failed…”
“Just think of Horikita as being special. And then wait for a true coincidence to happen.”
Not something forced, but a real coincidence.
When that happens, becoming friends might become a possibility.