““T-this is way too trivial…””
The three girls—Ayaka, Chiharu, and Amaka—said in unison.
The cause of the fight was trivial, and the way it played out was just as trivial.
They all felt like they’d wasted their time taking it seriously.
“T-trivial!? I-I’m being serious!!”
Arisa protested desperately, but Ayaka just shrugged.
“Just get the shot in winter. Problem solved.”
“I told you I don’t want to!”
At Arisa’s insistence, Chiharu tilted her head.
“Are you, like, anti-vaccine or something, Arisa-san?”
“N-no, it’s not like that…”
Then Amaka asked:
“Then what do you dislike about it?”
“W-well… i-it hurts…”
All three of them expected that answer.
They themselves didn’t love injections either, even if they could handle them.
They understood that some people were just bad with them.
“Well, it’s not like you’ll die if you don’t get it, and it’s not like you’re guaranteed not to get sick if you do. Whether to get it or not is your choice, Arisa-chan… but did Yuzuru force you?”
The way Arisa described it made it sound like he had pressured her.
But from what Ayaka knew as his childhood friend, Yuzuru wasn’t that kind of person.
He might try to sneakily grope Arisa’s chest—but forcing her to get a shot? That didn’t sound like him.
…Though, to be fair, Ayaka only thought that because she herself kind of wanted to grope them.
“N-no… it wasn’t like that either…”
“Then what happened?”
Chiharu asked, puzzled.
“He sighed and said, ‘If you don’t want to, then don’t get it.’ And… I don’t know, it just felt… off somehow…”
“Ahh… yeah, that would annoy me a bit.”
Amaka nodded in agreement.
It wasn’t that he understood her fear—
He just gave up on her.
That kind of attitude would definitely sting.
…Though honestly, Amaka still didn’t really understand getting into a fight over being scared of a shot.
“When I said I was scared of the dark, he stayed and slept next to me…”
“You’re casually bragging now, huh?”
Chiharu sighed at the sudden lovey-dovey comment.
If you’re that close, just make up already, she thought.
“We get how you feel, Arisa-chan. But I don’t think Yuzuru gets it.”
“…Do you think he really doesn’t understand?”
“He’s a guy. If you don’t say it out loud, assume only about ten percent gets through.”
Ayaka shrugged.
Arisa, meanwhile, lowered her shoulders.
“T-then… what should I do…?”
“You’ll have to tell him, won’t you?”
Amaka said simply.
But Arisa shook her head.
“I-it’s too late… I can’t.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘too late.’ If you don’t say it, he won’t understand. I think you should tell him…”
“…What if he thinks I’m a troublesome girl?”
You already are.
The three of them thought it—but didn’t say it.
Not everything needed to be said out loud in relationships.
Still, sometimes things are understood even without words—
“…I really am troublesome, aren’t I?”
“““……”””
They said nothing.
Their silence was confirmation.
Arisa let out a small sigh—
And at that moment, her phone chimed.
“Not now—ah!”
She let out a startled sound.
When the others asked what was wrong, Arisa silently showed them her screen, her face stiff.
I want to talk after school today.—
It was a message from Yuzuru.
“See? That’s good, Arisa-chan. He’s probably going to apologise.”
Ayaka said, recalling that Soichiro and Hijiri were with him.
There was a high chance they’d figured things out and nudged him.
“D-do you think so…?”
“What else would it be?”
Amaka asked.
Arisa hesitated, then spoke with visible anxiety.
“…It could also be… a breakup.”
“Highly unlikely. But if you don’t want that, you should hear him out. You should reply quickly.”
“Ah—y-yes!”
Chiharu’s advice snapped Arisa back to reality.
With trembling hands, she typed a reply—
Deleted it—
Typed again—
Over and over.
And finally—
Understood.
“D-do you think this is okay…?”
“Looks fine.”
“Th-then I’ll send it…?”
“Just send it.”
“Should I write a bit more…?”
“Wouldn’t replying quickly matter more? Unless you’re fine being seen as leaving him on read…”
“I-I’ll send it!!”
And with that—
Arisa sent her reply to Yuzuru.
