Izumi's soul nearly left her body.
"K-k-kissing buddy?!"
Steam practically rose from her face as she flailed her arms in complete panic.
"A-Aoyama-kun! You can't just say that out loud!"
Minette gasped dramatically, both hands flying to her mouth.
"Kiss buddy… you…"
Her eyes snapped toward Aoyama.
Then toward Izumi.
Then back toward Aoyama again.
The cycle repeated several times as if her brain was struggling to process what she was hearing.
"You two are really shameless!"
Minette stumbled back a step as if she'd just witnessed forbidden knowledge.
"I can't believe you'd admit something like that so casually!"
Izumi immediately shook her head.
"W-we're not! He was just joking!"
Aoyama tilted his head innocently.
"Really? Because I just saw us kissing like thirty seconds ago."
"AAAAAAAAH—!"
Izumi covered her face with both hands.
"A-Aoyama-kun, say something…"
She buried herself against Aoyama's chest, desperately wanting him to salvage her image.
Minette pointed accusingly at Aoyama.
"You're way more of a player than I thought!"
Aoyama placed a reassuring hand on Izumi's shoulder.
"Player is such a harsh word."
"Then what would you call it?!" Minette shot back instantly.
He thought about it for a moment.
"...Efficient social growth?"
Minette stared at him blankly.
Izumi made a tiny strangled noise behind her hands.
He wasn't fixing the situation at all. He was somehow making it sound even worse.
"Aoyama-kun, I was wrong. Please stop talking…"
But Minette wasn't finished.
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Wait a minute…"
She stepped closer to Izumi.
"You agreed to this?"
Izumi froze.
Her lips opened.
Closed.
Then opened again.
"I-I mean… technically…"
Minette grabbed both sides of her head dramatically.
"YOU AGREED?!"
People farther down the beach started glancing over from the sheer volume of her voice.
Izumi shrank in embarrassment.
"W-we're just helping each other build confidence!"
Minette blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...That's the excuse you're going with?"
Izumi's face somehow became even redder.
Aoyama nodded thoughtfully.
"See? She understands."
"I absolutely do not understand!"
Minette pointed between the two of them repeatedly.
"You two sound like the beginning of either a romance manga or a terrible life decision!"
"Hahaha, I don't think it'll be that severe."
Aoyama laughed lightly while keeping a hand on Izumi's shoulder.
"I don't think it's that serious."
He faced Minette with an easy smile.
"The two of us are just having fun."
Izumi made another embarrassed noise beside him, still hiding half her face against his chest.
"By the way, I haven't properly introduced you two, have I?"
He stretched an arm toward the purple-haired girl.
"Izumi, this is Minoru Minette."
"A girl I teamed up with during the U.A. entrance exam."
Then he gestured toward the flustered green-haired girl practically melting beside him.
"And Minette—this is Izumi."
He paused dramatically.
"My kiss buddy."
Izumi nearly died on the spot.
"Aoyama-kun…!"
He ignored her panic entirely.
"She gets shy easily, so I'd appreciate it if you kept our relationship a secret. If you tease her too much, she'll start hating me."
With surprising ease, he gently nudged Izumi upright so she wasn't hiding anymore.
"She also took the U.A. exam with us."
He grinned.
"And she's the one who destroyed that Zero Pointer."
Minette's eyes widened so much they almost sparkled.
"WAIT—it was her?!"
She rushed forward, circling Izumi with undisguised excitement.
"I can't believe it!"
Her gaze scanned Izumi from head to toe like she was inspecting some legendary hero.
"That was amazing! I stayed up half the night wondering who smashed that giant robot!"
She suddenly grabbed Izumi's hands.
"It was you all along, Izumi-chan?!"
Izumi blinked at the sudden burst of energy.
"I-I guess…"
Minette gasped dramatically.
"And I can call you Izumi-chan?!"
"That's fine…"
"YES!"
Minette pumped her fist excitedly.
"Then you can call me Minette-chan too!"
"Minette-chan…?"
"YES! What can I do for you?!"
Her eyes practically glowed.
Izumi instinctively stepped backward from the overwhelming enthusiasm—
—and bumped directly into Aoyama's chest again.
"I-I was just saying your name because you told me to…"
"Oh. Right."
Minette coughed awkwardly before regaining her composure.
Then Aoyama tilted his head.
"So what about you? Out for a morning stroll?"
Minette immediately deflated.
"No…"
She lifted the small pharmacy bag in her hand.
"My mom isn't feeling well. She has a headache, so she sent me to buy medicine."
"Hm. That's rough."
"Yeah…"
Then Minette slowly steered the conversation back toward them.
"So, were you guys training together?"
She pointed between the two of them.
Aoyama shook his head.
"Not really. I was just out for a morning run and happened to bump into Izumi."
Minette stared at them.
Then deadpanned:
"And the first thing you two did after bumping into each other was kiss."
Izumi squeaked.
"W-we didn't immediately—!"
Minette let out a long, suffering sigh.
"Life is unfair…"
She stared dramatically toward the sunrise.
"People our age are already experiencing romance and weird relationships…"
Then she lifted her medicine bag sadly.
"And here I am waking up early to run errands."
Aoyama patted her shoulder sympathetically.
"Tragic."
"It really is."
Then Minette suddenly looked up at him.
"Oh right."
"You said you're on a run, right?"
Aoyama nodded slowly.
Minette smiled brightly.
"Then do you mind lending me your legs and giving me a piggyback ride?"
She quickly glanced toward Izumi afterward.
"If Izumi-chan doesn't mind, of course."
Izumi blinked.
"Why would I mind?"
Minette pointed at Aoyama matter-of-factly.
"Because he's yours."
Izumi instantly short-circuited.
"H-HE'S NOT MINE!"
Minette shrugged.
"It'd still feel rude not to ask permission."
Izumi crossed her arms quickly, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"I don't own him. If he wants to help you, that's his choice."
She said the words confidently enough—
—but the moment Aoyama looked toward Minette, something uncomfortable twisted inside her chest.
Aoyama crouched slightly.
Minette immediately brightened.
But instead of turning around for a piggyback—
Aoyama slid one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back.
Then lifted her princess-style into his arms effortlessly.
Minette froze.
"...Oh."
Izumi froze too.
"...Oh."
Aoyama grinned casually.
"Piggybacks are overrated."
Minette stared up at him blankly before her face exploded red.
"W-WAIT, HOLD ON—!"
Meanwhile, Izumi watched the scene with a strange tightness in her chest.
Why does that bother me so much…?
And just like that—
The three of them left the beach together beneath the rising morning sun.