“I’m a bit late. And seriously, tone it down. I won’t say much, so I’ll just trust you’ll keep yourselves in check.”
“Actually, I don’t trust you at all. Just behave.”
Looking at Nagisa’s Momotalk, which seemed like it was about to burst, I thought this must be nearly the level of cursing for her standards.
And as soon as I saw this, the first thing that popped into my head was the two people from Abydos.
Hoshino could probably communicate somehow, but Shiroko… to be honest, I wasn’t confident about that.
If I refuse, she’d just glare at me silently while getting closer, slowly cornering me… It felt like I was being hunted by a wolf in an intense pressure cooker of a situation.
“Heueng…”
“W-what’s wrong? Why are you acting like that all of a sudden?”
“Oh, it’s nothing really…”
Ah, just imagining it is amazing. I absolutely have to ask Nagisa to do this.
But Akko didn’t seem to believe my words. But what can I do if she doesn’t believe me? Is she going to inspect my underwear humidity or something?
“Well, anyway… about you.”
“Yeah…?”
“Why are your lips so loose? Seriously, with you constantly doing that… I feel like I was the only one getting fixated on something trivial!”
“No, that’s… it’s a big deal for Akko-chan… Besides, you can’t be saying that after keeping quiet knowing what Hina-chan did to me…”
“Ugh… That, that’s… it’s your fault, right?”
“What? Did I hear that wrong?”
“…Was it my fault that I got snuck up on while sleeping?”
“Weren’t you prepared to share the same bed with no defense? If it were me…”
“If it was Akko-chan?”
“…”
Whoa… Even though it doesn’t seem obvious, Gehenna students are just Gehenna students. The average…
“Another intrusive thought…”
But when did Akko start reading minds? Does she think she’s a Mihori or something?
It might also be a sign that my expression is transparent, but somehow, whenever I’m next to Akko, it becomes glaringly obvious. I guess that’s the feeling of being a comfortable friend.
“By the way, are you really okay with this? To be honest, even I think this is a bit much. I’m just trying to—”
“Are you planning to sulk in a corner or something? Enough with the complicated thoughts, just enjoy, Akko-chan. Alright, I’ll take full responsibility.”
I led Akko, who was about to say more, up to the stage in this space that could either be a banquet hall or an auditorium.
As I received the mic from our faction member who was waiting, I glanced over the audience and felt their gazes converge on us.
Definitely, being in the same space as Tsurugi and Hina at the same time is a pressure that is off the charts.
And over there, the teacher playing with Ibuki next to Makoto noticed Akko, who was right next to me, and was subtly rubbing her eyelids.
I’m not sorry for being a rogue who pretends to be an adult while leeching off students… well, maybe just a bit. Not much, just a little. Like the size of a fingernail?
…By the way, aren’t rehearsals like this supposed to be the norm? Like, preparing some witty lines to recite and memorize?
Our faith in these kids doing just fine feels so heavy…
*
Trinity Academy is essentially a cradle for rich young ladies. And if you want to be dramatic, the upper class of Trinity carries a rather aristocratic air, almost akin to a class system.
“I’ll believe that Akko-chan isn’t clumsy for now, but…”
“I told you I’m not clumsy!”
“Okay, that’s one thing, but you don’t know how to dance at all, right?”
“That’s… true, but…”
She can’t dance but wants to try couple dancing at a party. Are you planning to smash my toes to bits, Akko?
“Well… I don’t really care since I don’t know much about social dancing either.”
“…What? Is that even a reasonable thing to say? At a Trinity T-party, it should be basic…”
As Akko grasped the meaning of my words, she nodded slowly. If the young ladies belong to a T-party, they might be used to dancing. I’m not sure about Mika, but anything physical seems so awkward for her even though her body remembers.
Now that I think about it, Nagisa is clumsy, and Seiya is just really weak. With this, social dancing is out of the question for everyone. Is this really how a T-party is supposed to be…?
“Anyway, if neither of you knows how to dance, then just enjoy it blindly☆”
“Is it really okay? I know enough about Trinity. If we can’t dance properly in front of them, it’s obvious they’ll use it as gossip behind your back—there’s no need to indulge my stubbornness—–”
“Haha! Akko-chan, I really don’t care about their gazes. This isn’t a dance for others; it’s just for us to enjoy, right?”
“Um…”
“You don’t need to overthink, Akko-chan. We’re not trying to perform some significant choreography… Come on.”
I led Akko back up to the stage that had transformed into a dance floor. I know at least the basic step of a waltz, but I have no confidence to lead perfectly. I’m not sure if Akko will follow along well either.
Fortunately, it seemed like she had learned something, as she placed her hand around my waist and clasped her other hand on my shoulder…
“Fufu…”
“Why are you laughing?”
“Just thought you were cute?”
“Excuse me, could you give a proper reason? Don’t gloss over it.”
“Really, it’s nothing much. Just, yeah.”
If I tell her this is how a leading posture is supposed to be, it would be boring. Being a bit more proactive might make me excited too.
Thinking that, I applied pressure to our clasped hands and placed my other hand on Akko’s shoulder. Considering our height difference, this seems more fitting and there’s nothing wrong with the appearance.
“You can get a bit closer, yeah, like this.”
“W-wait a second! We’re touching! I-I mean, we’re definitely touching?! We should be a little farther apart…!”
“Did you actually think we could dance facing each other and not touch? Calm down, just focus on your feet and my eyes, Akko-chan.”
“Ugh… I feel like I’m the only one looking foolish again…”
“Shh. The song’s starting. Don’t stress, and if you want to move just step on my feet if needed.”
I’d rather avoid being stepped on, but that seems like a tall order.
But if the other kids see this, they’ll definitely try to dance with me later. I have a feeling we’ll be dancing all night long today.
“…”
Once the music started, Akko suddenly went silent. Being this close and looking into each other’s eyes was enough to make her ears turn red.
“Heueng… this will get awkward with mixed perfumes later.”
“W-what? Is that really important right now?”
“I just thought you seemed nervous☆”
I smiled and tried to move my feet to match Akko’s steps. Gently pushing and pulling, we ended up with a strange dance that barely resembled a waltz…
But seeing Akko’s expression, it seemed like she was starting to have fun, so I’m glad I accepted her invitation… ugh.
“S-sorry.”
“It’s fine…”
“…”
After Akko stepped on my foot twice in a row, she suddenly froze. I feel like no matter what I say, she wouldn’t listen now.
Just as I thought, even when I told her not to worry, Akko’s movements became much more timid. Would we even be able to enjoy this with the silence growing even heavier?
Squeak.
I did it. It was intentional but not really a mistake.
“?!”
“By the way, I’m not sorry at all? If you’re mad, you can just step on me back.”
“I did step on you, so it’s even… Ugh…!”
I guess she was willing to let it slide after stepping on me twice. But seeing tears welling up in Akko’s eyes, I figured one more time would be fine…
“Don’t do it.”
No, seriously, what’s going on? This feels like reading my mind. There’s no way my expression was that blatantly showing.
“Haha, then I’ll just have to do things right so that won’t happen, right?”
“Just don’t say something weird later.”
“But you did say it was fine to step on you?”
“Seriously, I’ll really stomp on you.”
“I didn’t say to go that far! I was just saying to do it like before, that’s all.”
I’m telling you it hurts, Akko. Please don’t intentionally step on me or anything.
Luckily, I think my feelings were conveyed, as Akko started to lead me, albeit awkwardly, in a more proactive manner…
“…”
“Sorry…”
After about three songs, I led Akko off the stage into a secluded spot with few people around. I sat Akko on a chair in a nearly empty area and pulled another chair opposite her.
“Roughly… was that about nine times?”
“Well, I just did what you instructed. It’s not like I’m trying to take back what I said or anything—— Pheuh!”
“Well, thankfully it was less than I expected. Is that considered lucky?”
“W-why are you touching my foot again?!”
“Oh. This just reminded me how I said I wasn’t sorry earlier. But this is the injured foot, right?”
“It is, but…”
As I took off Akko’s shoe and gently began to massage her foot, I felt her giving me a strange gaze.
“What’s up?”
“Aren’t you hurt? You got stepped on way more than me.”
“Of course it hurts. I don’t know why you’re asking such an obvious question.”
“But then, this isn’t right?! You should be sticking your foot out instead of this!”
“I’m not a weakling like Akko-chan, so I’m totally fine☆”
I don’t know who’s worrying about whom. I was intentional, and she was a mistake. There might have been a reason for it, but still, her stepping on me too hard was making me a bit guilty.
“…Next time, I want to learn properly.”
“Huh? Are you asking for a follow-up? Akko-chan, you’re surprisingly bold~”
“That’s not what I meant! I’m telling you this as a warning! Next time, I’ll come back so perfect that Mika will look sloppy!”
“Haha… I’m looking forward to it.”
I decided against asking if she enjoyed it, since Akko’s expression was already telling me everything.
“Happy birthday.”
“But it’s not even my birthday.”
“Shut up. Just think of it as a belated wish for last year.”
More than friends, less than lovers.
Neither of us really understood which side we were closer to. Where it ends… is probably a little obvious.
It started spicy, was sweet in the middle, and ended with an oddly light touch on this peculiar date.
“Uhoohoo. Mika-senpai, your dance was great. But… don’t you think it was a bit too provocative? Everyone couldn’t tear their eyes away… And by the way, the number of times Koharu-chan sneaked glances while saying pervy things was — ”
“Execution!!!”
…Well. The first date came to a close.
