The sports‑festival cheer battle had ended, and in Classroom 2‑C the boys were changing back into their regular clothes.
Ayano Mitsuki unbuttoned his gakuran jacket and spoke to his friend changing beside him.
"Hey—what do you think about Nukumizu lately?"
"Think about him how?"
Hiroto Sakurai cocked his head at the sudden question, brushed dust off his jacket, and returned the question with curiosity.
"He's been hanging out with Basori‑san a lot lately. I'm guessing they're—um—developing something, right?"
"Maybe. It's true Basori‑chan seems relaxed around him, though."
Sakurai, taken aback by the sudden romance talk, asked,
"Why bring that up now?"
"I owe Nukumizu a lot for Chihaya's situation—he really helped me. I figured I'd repay the favor by helping him with his love life."
Wouldn't that be better when he actually asks? Sakurai thought, but kept quiet—he's the adult here.
"First we need to know how Nukumizu feels. Didn't you say you thought something was up with Yakishio‑san?"
"I used to think that, but it never solidified. I don't think Nukumizu is interested in her that way."
"Well... Nukumizu‑kun isn't the type to chase after every girl, right?"
As Sakurai pulled on his gym clothes, Ayano's glasses flashed in the light.
"For someone like Lemon Yakishio—even an average guy would fall for
her. But he hasn't even tried confessing. That means he must like
someone else."
Full of confidence, Ayano prompted Sakurai to think—this could lead to trouble, depending on the answer.
"Right... I don't know Yakishio‑san well, but if she's that wonderful, he probably admires her, respects her, and feels all sorts of things."
Ayano, eager to push back, reacted quickly.
"I see—so it's admiration, respect, and so on. But—"
At that moment, Ayano's phone screen glowed on the desk.
"...Ah. Chihaya?"
"A message from her?"
"No, sometimes she sends blank texts by mistake—she reviews my messages and accidentally replies."
Ayano smiled ruefully.
"She's a handful."
"Definitely." Sakurai changed topics swiftly.
"So you two went to the same middle school—what was he like back then?"
"Same school, different classes. Lemon told me there was someone in my
class always reading books like me, so I chatted with him at cram
school."
Again Ayano's phone lit up—another unwelcome distraction. Sakurai felt this topic was off‑limits too.
He glanced at Ayano's discarded jacket and switched subjects:
"Ayano, you still fit into your middle‑school gakuran?"
Proudly, Ayano lifted the jacket.
"Chihaya let out the sleeves—pretty neat, huh?"
"Wow—no sign of the alterations."
Sakurai admired the work—until his gaze landed on one button.
"Hey—this second button is new. Did you give your old one to someone at graduation?"
"I didn't have any ceremony like that...but you're right, it's been replaced."
Ayano looked puzzled, then suddenly smiled shyly as if he'd realized something:
"Chihaya wanted the second button. She should've just said so."
Sakurai opened his mouth, then swallowed the words at Ayano's gentle smile.
"...Yeah, you're right."
He'd heard from President Hokobaru about Ayano's girlfriend, Asagumo Chihaya. Though he had thoughts of his own, he knew better than to pry further. Sometimes being a little insensitive is...necessary.
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I was this close to change the title of the extra story as "Dumbfuck No More" but Ayano is still a dumbfuck.
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