"Had an argument with that person?"
The sharp Itsuki seemed to have noticed a strange distance between Amane and Mahiru, for he asked this question during lunchtime.
On a side note, Chitose and Mahiru did not join them. Three boys were eating together.
"Eh, you had an argument, Fujimiya?"
"No, not really...erm, well, sorta."
"Why are you making it so vague?"
"...Anyway, something happened. She's a little wary of me."
After all, there was no way he could say that they slept together on the same night and he knocked her down on the second day.
Amane thus explained the situation without specifying matters, and felt a dumbfounded stare from Itsuki.
"Seriously, how long are you going to chicken out?"
"...Shut up."
"Hm, seeing how cautious Fujimiya is, I don't think he'll pursue her without reliable proof."
"That's called being a chicken."
Both of them stated bluntly, and their words stabbed at his heart.
Amane always realized that he was overly cautious. As Kadowaki said, he would not confess until he was sure Mahiru liked him.
Also, while Amane wanted to date Mahiru, he was terrified of the surrounding grudges, and dared note act aggressively. This was a downside to the person he liked being popular.
"...Well, I'll think about it once I can measure up to her."
"Truth be told Fujimiya, you're good in many ways. You're just being too down on yourself."
"You're saying that when you're elite in everything, Kadowaki?"
Amane would not be suffering this much if he had the looks, smarts and athleticism Kadowaki had.
People would be jealous of Kadowaki if he dated Mahiru, but ultimately, they would agree that these two were too unattainable, that they would be a good match.
On the contrary, if everyone did not expect an ordinary boy to snag Mahiru, they would be blaming him. He was no different from everyone else, yet he got this unattainable flower. Surely the envy would be off the charts.
"Hm, I don't mean to be jealous, but I think if I can be like you Kadowaki, I probably cna be a little more confident."
"Just go on with the confidence."
"I'm trying. I can't just muster confidence as and when I can."
Amane was working hard on his studies. At this point, he hoped to remain in the top 10.
Luckily, his memory and studying skills were decent, and he probably did not need to put in much effort maintaining his grades. All he had to do was to increase his standards.
The problem was his athleticism.
It would be great if Amane had Kadowaki's athleticism, but in fact, his was average. His abilities were more academic inclined, and he could not expect to perform in sports.
If he were any better, he could at least perform during the sports festival the next month.
"I'll try to work hard at my own pace. Stop pushing me."
"I'm fine with you saying this, Fujimiya...but seriously, the people looking are the stressed ones."
"Yeah. The 'kick Amane in the back' group will have another meeting then."
"Seriously, what are you two up to?"
Amane's face twitched. He did not expect them to come up with this group, and Kadowaki shrugged with an awkward smile, "Look we're cheering you on..."
---