"So, is everyone ready?" Yoshida asked.
"Yeah!!" We all answered excitedly in unison, well, except for Miyamura who was completely silent.
He was angry a while ago though. Luckily, it wasn't at me but at himself.
"Damn, so I gutterball for nothing!"
Anyway, Yoshida led us to the restaurant; it supposedly had a 3-star Michelin rating. We used the train—it was on the west side of Elysia.
As we kept walking, I repeatedly heard the words, "Michelin 3-star rating."
I had no idea what that meant but when Yoshida said it both Miyamura and Aiya got excited saying "it's the best in the school," so it probably meant it had amazing food.
If the latter is happy then it's definitely good.
The outside of the restaurant already looked like a hotel that towered over us but the entrance was completely different.
It was pristine and modern with a mix of American style that blended well with the Japanese architecture.
On entering the restaurant a waiter greeted us and asked if we had a reservation, to which we said no.
Despite our answer being unsavory to him, we were guided to our table, which was perfectly set with elegant flower arrangements.
They offered us a welcome drink which we declined.
"This place is so amazing. Miyamura, are you sure you can pay?" I asked, seeing the restaurant's elegance—guessing the price was probably above his budget.
"Uh, let's just see the menu."
The waiter brought the menu and told us the prices were reduced for students.
The menu was way out of Miyamura's price range.
We saw meals that were 40,000 RP, the most expensive meal was 80,000 RP.
Miyamura couldn't pay so we saw ourselves out. We silently followed a train back.
No one has the guts to speak up.
After arriving at the train station, we followed a bus back to the dorms.
While on it Miyamura and Yoshida slept off with Yoshida sleeping on Miyamura's shoulder–they looked really romantic.
However, Aiya was wide awake allowing me to rest on her laps while I pretended to be asleep.
So freaking soft.
After being dropped off, we just went to the convenience store as we were already tired of walking. Miyamura got us ice cream.
I had never actually had ice cream before, so I was excited to try it out.
"Here you go," Miyamura handed me 'ice cream'.
This isn't ice cream.
I'd seen ice cream before, it's in a cone but this was on a stick.
Moreover, ice cream is white, the thing he gave me was black.
"I thought ice cream was in a cone and was white," I said under my breath.
"This is a popsicle; don't tell me you've never had it before," Miyamura overheard me.
"I-I have, I just thought you'd give me ice cream in a cone," I lied.
"Oh, ok. I get that if—"
"Nah, it's fine."
I opened the wrapper on the popsicle and then put the popsicle in my mouth.
It was cold but also sweet, creamy but also firm—it took my taste buds for a loop.
Wow, I've never had anything this sweet. This really is amazing.
We walked to the dorms peacefully; it was different from my other second date.
"Brainfreeze!!!" Aiya said, holding her head.
"If you can't handle it, you can give it to me."
I had already finished mine and wanted hers. I had become mesmerized by the ice cream.
"You're supposed to say sorry."
"Sorry, can you give me the popsicle?"
"Hmph," She pouted.
"So, Aiya, are you going on a date with Nakamura tomorrow?" Yoshida asked.
"Uh, no."
"What about on Monday?"
"I-I don't know, maybe not."
"What about on Tuesday?"
I gave Miyamura a look that said, "Tell your girlfriend to stop." He surprisingly got the message.
"Yoshida, don't you think it's ok?"
She glared at Miyamura as if saying, 'Stay out of it'. We went silent as Yoshida glared at Miyamura with malicious intent.
Aiya blinked, her grip on her popsicle tightening just slightly. Then, as if nothing happened, she turned to Yoshida with a smile.
"So, Aiko, have you started studying for the midterms?"
Her question broke the uncomfortable silence.
"Yeah, I have."
"Really? Since when?"
"Well, after the general study session with Ito, I go home and hit the books."
"And you didn't even tell the girls, huh?" Aiya jabbed Yoshida's ribs teasingly. "Trying to surpass everyone, right?"
"Uhm…"
"Oh, come on spill, let me hear your reason."
We walked blissfully to dorms as Aiya changed to subject, to be frank I was shocked at how she handled it.
However, it proved one indisputable fact—
My girlfriend is amazing.
On reaching the dorms, everyone followed me despite having their own rooms—they even followed me to my floor. It got to the point I had to stop abruptly and ask a question.
"Ok, why are all of you following me?"
"I wanna see your room—uh I meant it's way too early," Yoshida said.
"Yeah, let's go," Miyamura agreed.
You've already been there so why are you eager to go?
"I don't want to have many people at my house," I said frankly.
"Come on dude, friends are supposed to hang out at each other's rooms," Miyamura replied.
Friends, huh? I suppose I can allow my friends to come to my room.
"Fine," I sighed.
They came to my room. Now that I thought about it, only 3 people had come here—and one was a staff member.
The walk there was oddly quiet. I led the way, keeping my gaze forward while Aiya and Yoshida whispered behind me.
Their hushed conversation was filled with giggles and faintly audible words like "cute" and "awkward."
Miyamura, meanwhile, walked silently, hands in his pockets, his eyes darting to the other students we passed.
I was surprised to see him so quiet. Well, he had already come here before so nothing special but so did Aiya–perhaps the hushed words were Yoshida's words.
As they sat on my couch, I noticed something was weird—they kept staring at my bedroom.
What's with the attention? I mean it's just my bedroom.
"Let's go to your room," Yoshida said.
"Uh, no."
"Come on, just this once."
"Yeah dude, just this once. I'm sure Suzuki wants to see it too," Miyamura added.
"Yeah, I actually do wanna see it."
They waited eagerly for my answer, looking at me with doe eyes.
"…Fine."
As the lock clicked open, they realized what awaited them: the plainest, most boring room imaginable.
The door creaked as it swung inward, revealing the small space I called home.
It was as utilitarian as dorm rooms got—a single bed against the wall, a standard-issue desk, and a chair in the corner.
No decorations, no personal touches, not even a rug to cover the bare floor.
It was functional, but it didn't exactly scream, "Welcome! Make yourself at home!"
Yoshida, predictably, made herself at home. She flopped onto my bed without hesitation, bouncing slightly as if testing its firmness.
"A bit stiff," she remarked, folding her legs beneath her.
"It's not a hotel, Yoshida," I replied, closing the door behind us.
"It's a boy's dorm room. I didn't expect luxury," she quipped, smirking.
Hey, apologize to every boy in this school. Also, why would you change your mattress, it's just a waste of money.
"Hey! My room is amazing, I even have a racer be—forget I said anything," Miyamura noticed his mistake and kept quiet.
Aiya, also like I expected, jumped onto my bed. She glanced around, clearly surprised at my minimalist room.
While Miyamura leaned against the wall by the door, lingering on what he said.
He really cares a lot about how girls see him, huh? Well, Yoshida is his girlfriend, so I guess that's normal.
The awkward silence weighed on me, so I defaulted on the one thing I could offer. "I'll make tea."
Aiya's face lit up. "You can make tea?"
"Yeah, it's not that hard," I muttered, heading to the kitchen.
While I filled the kettle, I could hear Yoshida teasing Aiya in a low voice.
I couldn't make out the words, but Aiya's embarrassed laugh was unmistakable–not that I heard it often except from school.
By the time the tea was ready, I'd grabbed the tray and brought it over to the desk, setting it down carefully.
"Tea's ready," I announced, pouring it into mismatched cups—I mean I didn't bother to decorate so why bother getting special cups.
"Finally, some hospitality!" Yoshida said, sliding off the bed to take her cup.
"You didn't even ask for anything," I muttered, handing her the cup anyway.
"You're not supposed to ask. It's the host's job to offer," she replied smugly.
I handed a cup to Aiya, who accepted it delicately, her fingers brushing against mine for a brief moment.
Miyamura, however, barely glanced at his cup. "Black tea? No sugar?"
"You're in my room," I said flatly. "You drink what I serve."
"Fair enough," he replied, though he didn't touch the tea again.
The silence stretched as we all sat there, the faint hum of my AC in the background filling the void.
Finally, Aiya broke it.
"Eiya, what do you even do in this boring room? Sit around and stare at the ceiling?"
"Pretty much," I admitted with a shrug.
Aiya giggled. "You don't have any hobbies? Like… something fun to pass the time?"
I told you my hobby.
"I cook sometimes," I said, leaning back in my chair.
"That's kind of surprising," Miyamura said, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't think you had the patience for it?"
You're one to talk.
"It's not about patience," I replied. "It's about survival. The price of cafeteria food isn't exactly inspiring."
That earned a laugh from Yoshida. "Fair point."
The conversation shifted to lighter topics—school events, weird things teachers had said during class, and rumors about a haunted supply closet on the third floor.
Yoshida was animated, gesturing wildly as she recounted a story about a classmate who'd gotten locked in there overnight.
Aiya laughed so hard she nearly spilled her tea, while Miyamura chimed in trying to be funny though failing badly.
For a moment, it felt… normal. This was what I wanted—no, it was what I needed.
But then the topic shifted again.
"Aiya, how are you and Nakamura doing?" Miyamura asked suddenly, his tone casual but curious.
The question caught her off guard.
"Huh? Oh, uh we are—we're fine," she blurted, her cheeks tinged pink.
"Not that. I mean like have you guys kissed."
I glared at Miyamura but unfortunately, the die had already been set.
"N-No," Aiya replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What?!" Yoshida and Miyamura exclaimed in unison.
"What have you two been doing, then?" Yoshida asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"P-P-Preparing for the midterm test?" Aiya stammered, avoiding eye contact. "But we've also held hands."
They both sighed loudly, shaking their heads.
"You should take your relationship more seriously, I know you're studious but at least do something. Oh, I should have noticed it's Nakamura's fault he influenced you with his bookworm personality," Yoshida said, her voice dripping with disapproval.
I'm not even a bookworm.
Yoshida's words hit me like a stray bullet. I blinked, staring at her. Was she serious? Apparently, she was. Because Miyamura nodded along like a fool.
"Yeah, that's right, it's Nakamura's fault," Miyamura added.
Why am I being blamed?
"Nakamura, studying is fine and all, but you also have to enjoy your youth," Yoshida added, her tone teasing but firm.
She genuinely believed I was the one who made Aiya not go on dates—Aiya was the one who literally went full-on study mode.
I looked at Yoshida with widened eyes; it was an understatement to say I was flabbergasted.
Aiya pouted, looking down at her lap. "We'll kiss soon… I promise."
I stayed silent, watching as they continued to lecture me and it lit a fire in me.
"What about you guys? Have you kissed?" I asked.
"Huh? It's not about us, it's about you."
"Y'know you're right Eiya. Aiko, have you guys even held hands?" Aiya asked.
"T-Thanks not important," Yoshida's voice squeaked.
"Not important my ass, I wanna hear all the details," Aiya said, looking even scarier than the devil.
Yoshida looked to me for help, but I turned away from her as she started this mess.
"Nakamura! Help me!" Yoshida begged but it was too late. "Aiya, no!!!"
She was mercilessly tickled as I silently turned away, in truth, you reap what you sow.
Yes, this is the might of Aiya. The power of a true gyaru.
While Yoshida was a gyaru, she wasn't on the same power level as Aiya.
I feel like I'm forgetting someone.
I silently thought about who that could be until I saw Miyamura trying to sneak into the bathroom, but I held his shoulder and grinned menacingly.
"And where do you think you're going?"
"I-I-I just want to go to the toilet; I really need t—"
"You're not going anywhere."
"Huh?"
"Me and you are going to have a long talk."
Let's just say it was a long night. Eventually, the conversation would die down, and Yoshida stretched dramatically.
"Well, this was fun, but we should probably head out. Thanks for the tea, Nakamura. Even if it was bitter," Yoshida waved as she left.
"Yeah, add sugar next time. Also thanks," Miyamura added, leaving directly beside him.
What kind of Japanese household did you two grow up in?
"You're welcome," I replied dryly.
As they filed out, Aiya lingered at the door, her gaze lingering just a second too long. She giggled a bit then smiled–she really was an amazing person who was authentic.
"Today was fun," she grinned. "Thanks for having us over. Really."
I nodded. "Anytime."
Her smile is so authentic.
With that, she was gone, and the room was silent again.
After cleaning up the cups and wiping down the table, I made a quick dinner—something simple, just noodles and vegetables.
The rhythmic chopping and the hiss of the pan filled the quiet space, grounding me after the chaos of the day.
Once the dishes were done, I took a quick shower and collapsed onto my bed. My phone buzzed just as I closed my eyes.
[Aiya-chan: Can you handle one more date?]
[Me: If I say no, would you let me?]
[Aiya-chan: Nope.]
[Me: Can't it wait till Monday?]
[Aiya-chan: It's urgent, I have something to tell you.]
What? Why is the date urgent?
[Me: I see, where are we going?]
[Aiya-chan: The amusement park 😊]
[Me: Fine.]
I really need to stop being a doormat.
With a sigh, I tossed my phone onto the nightstand.
"Tomorrow's going to be exhausting," I muttered to myself, putting off my lamp and pulling the blanket over my head.
I suppose my weakness is cute girls.
I was about to sleep when I received a sudden message.
The message read: "Break up with Suzuki, please."
The message came from Kagura, however, we barely chatted so our chat box was like a desert.
[Me: Why?]
She didn't answer my message, it seemed she just wanted me to blindly listen to her.
Of course, that was out of the question.
***
Author's Note:
I have something to say about Aiya but it's a spoiler so I'll keep my peace so yeah.
Anyway, remember to comment, share, and leave a review. Thanks for reading the chapter and see you in the next one.