The End of the Festival and the After-Party

"I'm so tired…"

Amane released a heavy sigh, listening to the announcement marking the end of the cultural festival that reverberated throughout the school.

After his parents left the café, his classmates started teasing him, and it wasn't just a one-time ordeal. Amane was already on edge from dealing with customers in ways he wasn't used to, but even his classmates seemed to be having fun teasing him, so he was accumulating more mental fatigue than physical exhaustion.

Yet, it had all come to an end already, and he relaxed his shoulders at the repeated broadcasts.

"Hey, good work out there, everyone! Seriously, we were much busier than expected."

Waiting for the customers to leave and broadcast to end, Itsuki cackled and gathered around his classmates.

The brief yet seemingly lengthy cultural festival had now come to an end, and everyone wore expressions filled with a sense of accomplishment. However, they were clearly very fatigued, given how busy their class had been over the last two days.

"Anyway, let's clean up before we start celebrating. Honestly, cleaning up is the hardest part, so it takes more effort than preparing. I was told the school will dispose of all the trash, so let's get a move on and gather it all in one place."

"Ugeh."

"What a pain, no way."

As soon as the cleanup was mentioned, the atmosphere in the room quickly became languish and lethargic, and Itsuki flashed an awkward smile at how easy his classmates were to understand. Amane listened to him intently as he switched gears into cleaning mode and gathered trash from their café into a bag.

"Now, now. Once we've finished up, we can have a party since we've got the day off tomorrow. Just give it up and get your hands moving."

"That includes you as well."

"I am working, I'm giving out orders… Ow, I get it, so don't mess around."

A classmate prodded at Itsuki, who was puffing his chest out in pride in front of the blackboard. He responded with a chuckle, likely used to being toyed with, and lent a hand with the cleanup.

"I'll charge you for attending the party after it's over, so don't go telling me you used up all your money at the cultural festival."

"Crap, do I have any money?"

"You wrote your name on the list, so you're going to participate, right? If you don't have enough, you can borrow it from someone or borrow it from me. Choose whichever fits you best. My interest rate is an extra hundred percent each day."

"What kind of extortion is this?"

"If you don't like it, then hurry up and take care of it and get to work. The interest will be negotiable."

"You get to work too, Itsuki."

Itsuki raised his fist in the air to encourage his classmates, saying, "Let's get this over with and head to the afterparty," while his classmates patted him on the shoulder. He tossed nearby cutlery into a bag, and Mahiru was looking at him as she cleaned up in the same way.

"He's really energetic."

"It's basically his trademark."

"Where was the afterparty planned to be hosted?"

"He mentioned that he reserved a few rooms at a karaoke place. After that, everyone's free to participate in the afterparty if they want."

The afterparty was a celebration held only for those who told him they were coming in advance. It happened last year in a similar fashion, but Amane didn't attend. This time he was also familiar with Mahiru and Chitose, not to mention Itsuki, and also felt that he had a stronger bond with the rest of his class, so he decided to join, although not without any reluctance.

Truth be told, Amane wasn't the best at singing in public, so if possible, he wanted to stay on the sidelines as a listener, but he was worried about what to do if Itsuki ended up forcing the microphone on him.

"It's fine if we come home a little late, but I guess I'm just not used to lively events like this. I'll probably just go home after karaoke."

His parents had planned to stay over at a hotel for a few days, so there wasn't much reason for him to rush home. He offered for them to stay at his apartment for a while, but Shihoko declined, reasoning, "I don't want to get in the way of your flirting with Mahiru-chan, and besides, I can't get comfortable with Shuuto-san in your apartment, now, can I?"

Shihoko's words contained a mixture of consideration and gratitude, and Amane obediently took her up on her offer.

As for Amane, being teased for spending time with Mahiru was the usual affair during his visit home during summer vacation. If he could avoid a similar situation, he would jump at the chance.

"That's what I intend to do too. I've already prepared dinner." "You're very capable."

"Since it reduces the effort needed once we're home, it's worth doing."

Mahiru smiled at him as Amane looked at her in admiration. She said such a thing as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and he swore to be more considerate of her efforts, and as a start, psyched himself up to clean up what was in front of him.

✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧

Having finished cleaning up, Amane and the others headed out for the afterparty, feeling exhausted. They had reserved three rooms at the Karaoke place and decided to split the students into three groups for each room. This was out of Itsuki's consideration, and he placed students friendly with each other in the same groups.

Amane's group consisted of students he usually chatted with. Starting with Mahiru, there was Itsuki, Chitose, Yuuta, Kazuya, Makoto, and finally, Ayaka, who he had recently started talking to. The girls seemed subtly disappointed that Yuuta was placed in a different group, but were at ease once they realized the other girls in the group already had boyfriends, and wouldn't bat an eye at Yuuta. Incidentally, the girls heading into other rooms grinned while teasing, "You're with Shiina-san, so flirt as much as you want," and Amane returned them a frown.

"Anyway, good work today—"

Following Itsuki's lead, who raised his cup of cider from the drink bar and made a toast, everyone in the room lifted their drinks. They didn't touch cups, for their distance was too far, and simply gestured instead.

Finishing the toast, Amane brought his melon soda towards his lips. With its rather unique flavor and aroma giving him a feeling akin to junk food, Amane enjoyed the drink, but once he let Mahiru, who expressed her want to have a sip, taste it, her expression darkened. It didn't seem to be to her taste. Amane knew she wasn't so good with carbonated drinks, and expected as much.

The teary-eyed Mahiru sidled up to Amane as she drank her own oolong tea. She was probably tired, but being at karaoke with a large crowd must have made her uneasy.

"No, really, good work out there. You really took the spotlight this time around, Kido."

Itsuki, who had downed his own cider in one large gulp, plopped down on a chair and nodded happily. Once she was mentioned, Ayaka let out a wry laugh as she sipped her water.

"It's all thanks to the owner of the store. I was surprised that they were generous enough to lend me so many of their costumes, though."

"Let's prepare them an assortment of sweets as a token of gratitude." "Ikkun, it's rare for you to be so serious."

"Woah there, Chi-san. Don't you think you're being a little rude? Even I have times when I get serious."

"Just how often is that?"

"…Once every six months, I guess?" "Not good enough!"

Amane let out a relaxed sigh as he observed the lively atmosphere of those around him. Even if they were all on talking terms, it was hard for him to say much with such a large group, he wasn't a natural like Itsuki was, nor did he have high-spec communication skills. As long as he wasn't brought up, he didn't intend on forcing himself into their conversation.

Mahiru watched with a calm smile as things got livelier. It seemed she wasn't used to lively events, but she didn't seem to hate them, so watching over them may be the most enjoyable thing for her.

"…Why are you watching from the sidelines like it's none of your business?

Amane, stop flirting and come over here."

"I know, I know, so don't stand up so suddenly. It's so cramped."

They secured a room with a decent amount of space, but as expected, a group of eight made for quite a tight fit. He'd get in their way with too much movement and would prefer for them to stay put if possible.

"Come over, Mahirun~ Let's make fun of Ikkun."

"Hey, let's not do that, shall we? …Wait, Shiina-san, are you bad at karaoke?" "N-No, it's not that I'm bad at it…"

As Mahiru fidgeted and shrank back, Chitose seemed to realize something as she turned to look upwards and let out a melodic, "Ohh."

"…Hmm. I think Mahirun's repertoire of songs is why she doesn't want to sing. I heard she usually only plays piano melodies or western songs with lyrics to help her study English."

"How mature… I guess that's Shiina-san for you." "Don't you listen to some songs with Amane?" "I'm just not a music kind of guy, in general."

He kept a splendid musical component in the living room, but it served more as decoration than for usage. There may have been an off-chance it was used to play music, but that was about it. In the first place, Amane spent most of his time with Mahiru and didn't even think of playing any songs in his free time. For him, her voice was much more soothing.

"Makochin," Chitose turned to Makoto. "What about you and the others?" "Well, only the popular stuff…"

"I don't listen to much music, but I've heard my grandmother play the koto before."

"There's something strange about that. …By the way, speaking of music, Yuuta."

Itsuki, who had suddenly changed the subject, directed a look of dissatisfaction toward the smiling Yuuta.

"Why didn't you tell me about the concert? If you'd told me, I would've changed my shift beforehand. You heartless bastard."

Seemingly, Itsuki had complaints about the fact that Yuuta had secretly held a concert at the cultural festival, and slapped the table just hard enough to not spill any drinks. Bothered by the shaking table, Makoto softly muttered, "He probably didn't invite you because you would have made a fuss."

Yuuta flashed an awkward smile at Itsuki's anger-clad face and showed no sign of being apologetic. One could tell that he was used to handling him.

"I didn't tell you because I thought you'd do that. I don't want to show you." "That's so unfair, even though Amane and the others watched."

"It's fine, isn't it? We often go to karaoke together, Itsuki."

"No no, I just wanted to see your big moment. But it can't be helped, I'll forgive you if you do a solo concert here."

"Yes…"

Perplexed, Yuuta made eye contact with Amane after hearing Itsuki's troubling and reckless request. Amane immediately looked away as he felt a bad omen, but sensed Yuuta's smile directed at him from the side.

"Then, let me sacrifice Fujimiya as well." "Why!?"

"Either way, we're here at karaoke, so you have to sing in front of everyone, right? It won't change even if we sing together."

"Oh, we suddenly got some more live singers. It's getting good, keep it up."

Itsuki cheered both of them, thinking that if Amane was joining in, Yuuta would sing for him in high spirits. The afterparty mood must have got to Chitose and Ayaka, too, for they also cheered them on, half-genuine and half in jest. As far as Amane was concerned, the last thing he wanted was to perform a duet with a partner who was a great singer and he shifted his gaze toward Mahiru for help, but—

"I don't think I've ever heard you sing before. This is a good opportunity…"

—With that, she was clearly on Itsuki's side, so Amane's shoulders trembled as he muttered, "Itsuki… Kadowaki… you better remember this later," and in desperation, reached for the microphone lying on the table.

✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧

Everyone must have been in high spirits because of the afterparty, since in the end, Amane was forced to sing a myriad of songs by everyone around him, and by the time the requests were all fulfilled, he was completely spent.

Yuuta, who had been singing alongside him, was calm, so it must have been a difference in their physical endurance.

"Nice work. You were really good."

Mahiru greeted Amane's return with a gentle smile, and her eyes were shining brighter than usual, so she too must have been influenced by the afterparty spirit.

"…You were rather into it, Mahiru."

"B-But… the way you sang looked so charming." "Thanks for that. But now it's your turn."

"Eh?"

"Chitose, I'll lend Mahiru to you, so go sing with her next."

He called out to Chitose and readily offered his girlfriend, who was in a delightful mood, as the next chosen sacrifice. Chitose gave him a look of suspicion, but then she smiled at Amane's offer and replied with a well-humored, "Leave it to me!"

"Eh? Wait!"

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it, Mahirun. I want to hear you sing too." "Th-That's…"

"Mahiru, if it's a song Chitose chooses, I'm sure you'll be able to understand it, so there's no problem."

"I-Isn't there a problem…? Chi-Chitose-saaann."

"Come on, come on, Mahirun, get it together. Either way, everyone's excited and we're all going to sing."

Amane waved them off as Chitose took her by the hand, eager to get up and sing. Mahiru cast him a reproachful gaze, but since the same had happened to Amane, he wished for her to take the stage graciously.

"This is yet another experience," He said with a nod as he watched Mahiru's flustered figure as she was handed a microphone, and he narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. Yuuta, standing beside him, picked at his fries with a wry smile.

"Won't Shiina-san get back at you later?" "At most she'll get a few hits in."

It was a rather cute way of her taking her revenge, and Amane looked forward to seeing her reaction. Yuuta shrugged at Amane's nonchalant attitude, then gazed brightly at Mahiru, who had started to sing despite her flustered appearance. Other than swimming, Mahiru could do pretty much anything, and that included singing.

She sang with a clear voice that was very pleasant to the ears, perhaps aided by the song being of traditional Japanese style. Everyone stopped chatting to listen intently.

Amane's cheeks relaxed at the sound of her singing, feeling as if he would drift off to sleep as if she were singing him a lullaby at night. Chitose was singing in a soft tone that harmonized well with Mahiru's, but she too was rather adept at singing. In fact, since she was more familiar with the song, she was able to better match her voice with the lyrics and was likely better than Mahiru in terms of raw skill. She let out a pleased expression, and Amane had a feeling that Mahiru wouldn't be let free after just one song.

Well, Mahiru seems to be enjoying herself, so it's fine.

Her expression, which had shown hints of dissatisfaction when nominated, was now soft and relaxed, and she was clearly enjoying herself even though she was embarrassed. She had no experience going to karaoke with a large group but seemed to be enjoying the current situation, and seeing this, Amane was satisfied as well.

"…Come to think of it, you two are going home after karaoke, right?"

As Amane gazed at Mahiru, who was holding the microphone with a composed attitude, Yuuta, who had come up next to him, asked in a quiet voice that only he could hear.

"Yeah. The thing is, no matter how much I'm always with her, it's still dangerous to let her walk outside too late, and besides, Mahiru's already prepared our dinner."

"Man, it seriously feels like you two are living together now." "Shut it."

Apart from sleeping, getting dressed, and returning home for a bath, Mahiru was almost at Amane's house all the time. The reason it had become the norm and didn't feel out of place for them was likely because Mahiru was involved so much in Amane's life.

"So you two will be leaving after karaoke, right? Understood. The other girls may get disappointed, but it can't be helped."

"Of course, there are people who'd be disappointed if Mahiru weren't here." "Ahaha. You really don't think about yourself."

Yuuta smiled wryly and prodded him on the shoulder, and Amane poked back at his sides with the assertion that he couldn't be lumped in with the likes of him or Mahiru. Amane wasn't as popular as either of them, even though he had classmates he'd recently opened up to, and even if they were disappointed at him leaving early, the reason was probably that he was a couple with Mahiru. For some reason, his classmates were watching over him warmly, so he felt like that was the cause.

"Well, when it comes to you, Fujimiya, you're treated similarly to Shiina-san.

I'm sure there are a lot of people in the class who like your personality. You're surprisingly easy to get along with once they get to know you, and you're great at taking care of people."

"I'm glad there's someone who feels that way. But I'll still just go home for today."

"Ahaha, if you've already decided on your plans, then it can't be helped. I hope you'll get another chance to socialize with everyone in the class."

"You're right."

Even Amane, who wasn't very good at socializing, felt that he'd deepened his relationships with his classmates through the cultural festival, and he thought that it was a kind of blessing. As he expected, he would be troubled if it was frequent, but it wasn't a bad idea to hang out with his classmates once in a while. That was one of the major benefits that arose from the cultural festival. His understanding that he'd achieved a mentality that wasn't possible for him last year gave him a ticklish feeling, and he returned the smiling Yuuta a calm smile of his own.

✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧

"Hey, Amane."

Finishing his drink, Amane headed for the drink bar wondering what to choose next when Itsuki came over and called out to him in a somewhat stiff tone. Though he was drowned out by the music, for some reason, Amane heard him rather clearly, and his expression naturally tensed up.

"Is something the matter?"

Itsuki seemed different from when he'd been cheerfully setting the mood earlier, so Amane had a vague idea of what he wanted to ask, but even so, he dared to offer the same reply as always.

"Today, did you talk to Dad about something after I left with Chi earlier?" "…It's a little hard to say, but I did talk with him. It's not like he was bad-mouthing you two or anything. He just said hello to my parents and talked to them for a bit."

"I see. I thought Dad might say something weird."

"You don't trust your father, do you? …Well, I don't know what to say, but I don't think there was anything for you to worry about."

As the ice poured into his cup with a clatter, Amane tried to make his voice as soft as possible to not let any unnecessary emotions rise up and get in the way. Even if he was overly considerate, Itsuki would smile and hide everything, so Amane had no choice but to keep a certain distance and mention the details flatly.

He pressed the button for the melon soda to appeal that he didn't seem to be bothered, and his cup swiftly changed color from clear to lime green. The chime of the creaking ice and the light popping sound of the carbonation eased the heavy silence that followed his words. Amane squinted lightly at the drink's refreshing sweetness and the sensation of it spilling down his throat, and smiled at Itsuki standing in front of him silently.

"Well, I don't know about your family situation or the feud between Daiki-san and Chitose… or rather, I don't know why he wouldn't approve of her that much. But I think it's better for the two of you to be together, and it wouldn't feel the same if that wasn't the case… Chitose is the one for you, so I hope it goes well. I can't imagine you two drifting apart."

Unaware of whether the cool sensation of his drink was enough to fool himself, Amane's cheeks grew a little hot once he realized that he was acting out of character with his words of encouragement. Despite that, Amane thought that he had to say it, so he did. Itsuki's face trembled slightly as he listened, as if he were about to cry for a moment, but then immediately covered it up with a mischievous yet embarrassed smile.

"What's wrong?"

"Nah, nothing. It's just a little… Embarrassing, I guess." " And who do you think made me say that, dude?" "Nyahaha, that'd be me. I brought it up, after all."

Amane didn't say anything about the brief change in Itsuki's expression, simply responding as normal, and Itsuki seemed relieved.

Thinking back, Itsuki was probably waiting for Amane to finish his drink and head over to the drink bar, assuming it would be an appropriate place to talk. Itsuki had approached him empty-handed and leaned against the wall of the store. Amane stood next to him, his cup crinkling. The girls would probably be having fun for a while anyway. It would pose no problem if they moved away from the group for a while.

"…One way or another, I get what Dad's trying to say. I get why he doesn't like Chi."

Amane listened to the singing leaking out from adjacent rooms as he waited for him to speak, and Itsuki slowly opened his mouth after a brief period of silence. "Is it okay for you to tell me this?"

"I'm saying it on my own." "I see."

"If that's the case, there's no need to complain," Amane readily accepted, but Itsuki shrugged with a funny smile.

"It's probably my brother's fault. He's partly the reason why my father doesn't approve of Chi."

"Come to think of it, you had an older brother."

Itsuki didn't really want to talk about his own family, but Amane once heard that he had an older brother that was a working adult. He also knew that the siblings weren't on the best of terms.

"Yeah, that's right. He's eight years older than me, and he's already a fine older brother, a working adult even. For better or worse, he doesn't look like me. He was a serious, honest, and sincere son that Dad was proud of."

"…Was?"

"He hit his rebellious phase when he became an adult."

Itsuki announced in a voice that was devoid of emotion, yet he continued to smile, and looked at Amane with a look that said, "You kind of know, don't you, Amane?"

"As you may have guessed, my family is of a fairly good lineage. My father trained me well to not be ashamed of my blood."

"…Judging by the education you received in the past, I'm sure it was the same for him."

"My brother was a much stricter person than I, however. Everyone's expectations were on him inheriting the family, and he was given an education befitting that role. In fact, because of his nature, he didn't seem to have any doubts about it at the time."

After Itsuki murmured from a younger sibling's perspective that his brother had always been a firm and diligent individual, he gave off a faint, cold smile.

"But as he grew up, he went out into society, and one day he realized something. He wondered about why he had to live such a predetermined life, and if there was really nothing that he wanted to do himself."

"That's…"

"I don't think my father's upbringing was all that bad, and he certainly had a lot of love for us in his own way. I think he loved us siblings more than my mother, who was a workaholic with a lot of fundamental flaws in her life."

It was true that Amane had never actually seen Itsuki's mother before, and thinking back, he had never once mentioned his mother in conversation, to begin with. As far as Amane could tell, Daiki was concerned about his son, and he was trying to interact with him.

"Even so, my brother then realized that he was just walking down one of the paths paved by our parents and that he hadn't chosen anything for himself. That's when he went on to meet the woman of his dreams… Well, she's his wife now, but before that, my brother went against Dad for the first time. He faced him and declared, 'This is the woman I will marry! If you say you're against it, I will not inherit the family!'"

"…Could that be why your brother was never at home…?"

Now that he thought about it, Amane had never seen the elder Akazawa when visiting their family household before. That's why he was only aware that he had an older brother from a past conversation, but giving it some thought, it was indeed strange that the elder sibling was never to be seen at his house, especially since he was the family heir.

"Yeah. There were a lot of twists and turns, but my brother did indeed leave the house. That all happened back during my middle school days. And for the time being, my brother is convinced that he's going to inherit the family now, but there's no telling when his mind might change, so Dad's left in a nerve-wracking situation. So, back to the topic at hand, now that the heir of the family could change his mind any time, the burden fell back onto the second son."

The tone of his voice seemed to say it was a pain, but even Amane could predict the events that followed. He belonged to a family line that had been passed down through many generations, and if the eldest son was unable to succeed the family when an heir was needed, it would be natural for that duty to fall onto the second son.

"To begin with, we were disciplined much more than the other families, but after the incident with my brother, the leash got even tighter. I had no choice but to act the part of a perfect honor student, until I met Chi, that is."

"…I can't imagine it."

"I'm completely different now, after all."

He could be lax at times, but Amane knew full well that Itsuki was serious at his core. The Itsuki that Amane got to know was a deliberate change in behavior from his past self. Amane understood that Itsuki could do most things if he tried seriously, and knew he was rather a talented person. However, the people around him would instead see him as reasonable, self-paced, and optimistic in nature. Itsuki preferred the way he was now and didn't wish to change it.

"Well, I met Chi and went through the same rebellious phase, so of course, Dad's going to be flustered if he knew there was no future."

"…If even you disappear, the direct line will be in danger."

"Yeah, that's right. On top of that, well… When Chi came to greet Dad, she was acting the way she acts now. It reminded him of my brother and his wife… so he couldn't accept it."

From Daiki's point of view, she resembled the woman who had strayed from the path and snatched away the eldest son he'd worked so hard to raise with great care. For him, it could have been traumatic.

He could understand why it was hard for Daiki to accept. It wasn't like he could equate them, though.

"Well, that's one of the main reasons Dad can't accept Chi. The other reason is… because I got injured protecting her."

"…Injured?"

"Well, I'm sure Yuuta and the others were careful not to say anything about it. They wouldn't want to make her feel guilty about it, after all. Oh, and don't worry. It wasn't a serious injury or anything."

Itsuki shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly as if saying, "Good grief," as he spoke in a light way that wouldn't leave Amane burdened.

"Well, I'm sure you know about the track and field feuds and the fact that a senior member of the track and field club fell in love with me, but in the end, after we started dating, the senior started targeting Chi again. She laid hands on her again, and I covered for her, saying that I didn't want her to get hurt again, but in the end, I left with more injuries."

Itsuki was still speaking in a lighthearted tone, but Amane couldn't help but feel that he got caught up in something rather outrageous, but for Itsuki, it must have been a thing of the past. His smile said it all.

"It wasn't that bad of an injury, but it happened at school, so it became a much bigger problem and my parents were called in. That's how Dad found out about it, and once he realized that Chi was the spark of the unnecessary situation… his attitude toward Chi grew even more stubborn."

Around the end, Itsuki had a slight bitterness in his voice, but his lighthearted tone remained the same, which was why Amane could tell he was so angry and troubled. The more Itsuki opened up to others, the more he masked his weaknesses.

From what Amane had been told, frankly speaking, he didn't think this was a situation Chitose would do anything about. While it was true that Daiki and Chitose's personalities weren't compatible to begin with, there were other factors that were much more overwhelming. Getting caught in the crossfire in the feud between Daiki, Itsuki's older brother, and his wife, and a senior club member's assault caused by jealousy directed at her—they weren't situations that Chitose had any control over.

Amane wouldn't go as far as to say that Chitose's efforts were completely pointless, but her efforts alone wouldn't be enough to overturn the fundamental factors at the heart of their problem.

"That's why it's not like Chi didn't put in enough effort or anything like that. It's true that Chi couldn't match Dad's expectations, but the root of the problem lies elsewhere, and it's between my Dad and me. Forcing my opinion and views without facing him properly, that's what I've been doing."

"Did you tell Chitose about this?"

"I haven't. This was all just my speculation, but even so, I can't explain it to Chi. Moving away from the problem with my brother and his wife, if we dig up information about the injury, Chi would definitely get hurt. It's my fault… And she doesn't want me to say that."

"…Yeah."

"It's not her fault. That's why I won't accept Dad. It's my fault I got hurt, so it doesn't matter. I was just naive. I just couldn't control my upperclassman. …I won't blame Chi for that."

As if throwing it all out at the end, Itsuki let out what had been bottling up out through his voice, and looked into Amane's eyes, saying, "Don't look so worried," with his usual giddy smile.

"Well, keep this a secret. It's not like you want to cloud Chi's smile, do you, Amane?"

"Of course."

"Yes, yes. That's what makes us best friends."

As Itsuki acted somewhat forcibly cheerful, Amane smiled silently and accepted his words.

"Huh? You're not denying it?" "…You want me to deny it?"

"No, don't say that. I'll gladly accept your affirmation." "I didn't even confirm it."

"Don't raise it up and then drop it, okay!? Hey, best friend!" "Shut up and don't shout in my ear."

"That's harsh~"

Amane noted that Itsuki wouldn't be able to return to his usual demeanor by the time they got back to the room if they kept up such a solemn attitude, and understanding this, Itsuki adjusted the tone of his voice back to normal. It was as if nothing had happened, but their thoughts would remain true.

In the blink of an eye, Itsuki returned back to his normal self, showing no hint of his serious attitude from moments earlier, and Amane rolled his tongue at how fast he changed gears. He then smiled as if everything were as normal, and returned to the room where everyone was making a fuss.

All while not realizing that the carbonation in their drinks had long since disappeared.