First Time

◇ July 4th, 2:15 PM, Free Time During School Trip

POV: Kiyohito Ōsako

This free time is the best chance.

And I understand everyone’s objectives to some extent.

My goal is, without a doubt, to pair up with Shiozaki-san.

To achieve that, I need to understand everyone’s thoughts and then guide them accordingly.

Umi-chan’s thoughts align with mine. We’ve already discussed this and know we’ll split into male and female groups. She’s an ally.

Aoi’s thoughts should be similar to mine… I hope.

My intentions should be clear since I invited Shiozaki-san. However, there’s a possibility that, from an ethical standpoint, he might refuse to pair up deliberately to prevent any inappropriate advances towards a married woman. Lately, whenever I mention targeting Shiozaki-san, Aoi advises me to stop.

Shiozaki-san’s thoughts are probably safe.

She accepted my invitation because she understood my intentions… 

The likelihood of her joining the male-female split plan is high. However, if the three of them agree to it, my backup plan is my partner, Yamaguchi Aoi. He’s the least harmful person in this class.

Even though she’s married now… no, her popularity has only increased. There are still those who target her. That’s why she chose this group, the safest option, and escaped to this group… I think.

In the overall scheme of things, it’s 2:1:1… 

So, the odds are… high!!

“Umm, since there are two guys and two girls, should we split up for the free time?”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

At this point, I’m slightly surprised by the unexpected turn of events. I had assumed Shiozaki-san would oppose it… Well, if she’s on board, then all the better…

“So, uh, about splitting up… I want to pair up with Shiozaki-san, is that okay?”

“Yeah! Sure thing, Kiyohito-kun!” She flashes an angelic smile.

“Huh!?” I’m surprised despite being the one who asked.

“Then I’ll go with Shichiya-san… Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah… Likewise…”

And thus, my one-man strategy comes to a close.

◇ Same day, 7:15 PM

“I’m home!”

“Welcome back!” She greeted me with her usual smile.

And so, we enjoy a delicious meal together.

“Isn’t the room a bit warm?”

“Do you think so?”

“Maybe it’s just me… Oh, by the way, I’m sorry about the school trip thing.”

“I feel a little sad that we couldn’t spend time together, but it’s okay!”

“Yeah….it’s fine.”

“You really mean it? You know, just because I’m not there doesn’t mean you can get all cozy with Umi-chan, okay?”

“I won’t, I won’t. Don’t worry.”

“Really?”

That day when Shichiya-san caught us, she laid down a condition: she wanted some alone time during the school trip. Initially, even Mairin-chan was against it, but she couldn’t refuse after being reminded that the whole date idea was forced by Shiozaki-san.

“Of course, I’d be happy if that’s true,” she replied with a somewhat forced smile.

Then, she finished dinner faster than usual and headed to the study room instead of the bedroom.

After living together for about three weeks, I’ve started to notice when she’s not feeling well.

I debated whether I should just leave her be, but my curiosity got the better of me. So, I put my hand on the doorknob and hear her quietly sobbing inside.

“Mairin-chan?” I slowly opened the door, finding Mairin-chan sitting in the dark room, tears streaming down her face as she bit her lip.

“What’s wrong!?”

She looked at me with a slightly surprised expression, quickly wiping away her tears. “It’s nothing!”

“There’s no way it’s nothing.”

Again, she forced a smile through her tears, biting her lip. 

“I’m fine, really.”

“Sorry. It’s my fault, isn’t it? I’ve been acting so wishy-washy…”

“N-no! It’s not your fault! I know you’re trying to reach out… And Umi-chan… She said she’d give up if you didn’t reciprocate during the school trip… But… if she does feel something, I want you to tell me. I don’t know if I can give up, but…”

“Sorry…”

“You see? Even now, I’m making Aoi-kun apologize… I-I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I don’t know how to make someone like me… I keep expressing my feelings without considering the other person… I feel like I’m just spinning my wheels and end up being disliked…”

“I don’t dislike you. But, it’s my first time being liked by someone too…”

“I understand… I understand everything, but… I’m just so anxious… I hate myself like this…”

Perhaps the right thing to do would be to hug her and reassure her everything will be okay. But there’s a part of me that can’t do it. It feels like I’m just acting, trying to do what’s expected of me.

“I…” Before I could finish my sentence, my vision started to blur, and I collapsed.