It was now Monday and Asamiya-san entered the classroom, cheerfully greeting the whole class.
Thank goodness, looks like she isn’t forcing herself to be cheerful anymore.
She is now the usual Asamiya-san; no, in fact, she’s actually shining even more than usual today.
As I breathed a sigh of relief in my heart―
Suddenly, Asamiya-san walked straight towards me in my seat.
She then bent down in front of my desk and met my eyes with a big smile on her face.
“Sudou-kun, thank you so much! I was so surprised when you took me to such a wonderful house!”
She then cheerfully said those words to me.
You also surprised me just now, you know?
Of course, everyone around me was in a stir seeing the school idol (a real idol) come all the way to the desk of a gloomy otaku like me, just to have a conversation with me.
What’s more, she even said that she’d “gone to my house.”
“Sorry for even going so far as to borrow your shower! It was really exhausting as expected, so I sweated a ton! Plus, now that I’ve got a duplicate key to the house, I’ll be able to come to the house whenever, so I hope you’ll be ready to have me come sometime!”
Asamiya-san continued to say such things with a smile on her face without even the slightest hint of ill intent behind her words.
This is bad. Especially what she’s saying.
Just like when I spoke with Shiina, this time Asamiya-san has created a tremendous misunderstanding.
I can’t believe Shiorin’s adorable air-headed trait would come into play in a situation like this.
The gazes from my classmates stabbed at me from behind Asamiya-san.
“So―Sudou-kun, what kind of relationship do you have with Rinka-san?”
All of a sudden, Asamiya questioned me with a bone-chilling tone that sent shivers down my spine.
I told her about my relationship with Rinka, which she had told me about on the way home yesterday.
“W-We’re less than friends…”
“I see, that’s great ♪! Alright, see you later!”
Asamiya-san then cheerfully made her way to Hasumi, who was sitting beside me.
“O-Oi! What on earth was all that? Why did Asamiya-san do that?!”
“A-And she’s even suspecting him of cheating on her with ‘Rinka’?! By ‘Rinka’, does she mean the gang leader of that group of cute girls, that Hikage-san?!”
She just had her eye on me as a person of the opposite gender who associates himself with Rinka.
Well, in reality, Rinka and I are actually in a “guardian caring for a child” sort-of relationship rather than an actual “male and female relationship.”
“Hey, Kitarou! What was all that about?! Why is Asamiya-san talking with someone like yo―”
Just as one of the boys was about to yell at me, Asamiya-san turned around and glared at the boy.
“Hey! Calling Sudou-kun ‘Kitarou’ is insulting! It’s rude to not address others by their real name! Right? Sudou-kun?”
“…Yes. That’s. Right.”
Asamiya-san wholeheartedly believes that my surname is “Sudou”.
Ah, I can’t anymore.
I can’t go back to being “Suda”.
I’m sorry Akane; will you still see me as your older brother even if our surnames are different…?
Probably not.
“Good grief! …Ah! Hasumi-san, I’d also like to thank you so much for all the books and stuff you gave us! Is it okay if I call you ‘Hasumin’? Also, if you don’t mind, let’s have our lunch together!”
Asamiya-san went back to Hasumi’s seat and said those words to her.
Hasumi briefly glanced at me before replying to Asamiya-san, shyly covering her face with a book.
“Sorry, I already have a friend to eat lunch with. B-But, it’d be my pleasure to have you call me ‘Hasumin!’ Also… Asamiya-san, you should call Sudou-kun ‘Ritsuki’. I think he wants you to call him that. I’ll try to call you by your first name too from now on.”
Hasumi suddenly brought up this proposal to Asamiya-san.
The latter smiled and nodded in response.
“Is that so? I understand! Ritsuki, huh~. Ehehe, it’s kind of embarrassing calling a boy by his first name, huh? Oh yeah, you should call me ‘Shiorin’ too now!”
“Umm… So, ‘Shiorin’?”
“Yes! Hasumin!”
Hasumi… you…
Hearing Hasumi’s admirable reply almost made me want to cry.
No, in fact, I actually started crying in my heart.
She chose to turn down an opportune invitation from a top-class riajuu like Asamiya-san, faithfully keeping her promise to eat together with Shiina…
Furthermore, by telling her to use my first name instead, she managed to resolve the problem of Asamiya-san calling me by my surname incorrectly…
Hasumi, I swear I’ll help you out in the store again sometime soon.
“Ehehe, Ritsuki~. Sorry for using you, Shiorin…”
Hasumi was muttering something to herself as she hid her face with her book, happily saying my name over and over again.
―Of course, it goes without saying that when Asamiya-san started calling me by my first name, the stares of my classmates pierced into me even deeper.