Maehara Maki and Amami Yuu. The two people who were completely unrelated to each other were having a conversation. This fact made the previously lively atmosphere turn silent in an instant.
âEh? Uhh⌠Me?â
She specifically mentioned my name, so of course she was calling me out, but I was freaking out, I couldnât help but blurted that question out.
Now I gathered the curious gazes of the whole class.
I doubt anyone wouldâve expected the cutest girl in the grade to call out to the most disliked person in the class. The other classmates probably found this to be a scandalous development and were loving it. I, on the other hand, hated that this may start some stupid rumors that would continue to fuel their conversations.
âMhm. It wonât take long, I just want to talk to you about⌠last Friday⌠Do you⌠Mind?â
âNo, I donât mind⌠butâŚâ
While the other classmates started whispering to each other, I glanced at Asanagi.
I didnât know what Asanagi and Amami-san talked about, but maybe she told Amami-san to at least apologize to me quickly since our last meeting was pretty much an unpleasant one.
Asanagi gestured an apology with her hands⌠I guess this meant that even Asanagi didnât see this coming.
âIâm sorry I made you mad last time. I didnât know anything about you, Maehara-kun, I thought it would be fun if we were to hang out together, but I was too insensitive to notice your feelingsâŚâ
âN-no, itâs fine, Amami-san, you donât need to apologize. I should be the one to apologize. I was the one who was insensitive, so please, raise your head.â
I didnât even need to question her sincerity. Her face looked so gloomy, it was obvious that she was serious about this.
It wasnât a forced apology she was giving me. It was a serious, heartfelt one.
Even though it would be fine if she were to ignore someone like me.
I knew this already, but Amami-san was really kind.
âSo, will you forgive me? You arenât angry at me anymore?â
âMhm. Iâm not angry anymore. I have to apologize for what I did too, so, Iâm sorry.â
âNo, no, I should be the one whoâs apologizing.â
Just as we both bowed our heads at the same time, the bell rang, announcing the time for the homeroom.
I gotta say, the bell had good timing. If it didnât ring at that moment, we would be stuck in the endless apology loop.
âAlright ~ everyone, take your seat⌠Huh, itâs so quiet, whatâs wrong?â
Yagisawa-sensei, our homeroom teacher, came into the classroom and sent us a gaze filled with suspicion.
âWell⌠Letâs just say that weâre even.â
âSure, Iâm fine with that.â
âThank you, Maehara-kun. But, I want to talk with you a little more⌠Do you have time today?â
âEh? Yeah, I do, butâŚâ
The weekends were no go, but today was Monday, I didnât make any plans for Monday, or any other days, for that matter.
âItâs settled then! Iâll let you know the details later⌠I gave you my phone number the other day, you saved it, right?â
âEh?â
âHuh?â
The moment those words slipped out of Amami-sanâs mouth, the class filled with whispers.
âOi, did you hear that?â
âHow did he get Amami-sanâs phone number?â
âThis isnât the first time they talked?â
âOi oi, Iâm so jealousâŚâ
They didnât even try to hide it, their conversations reached my ears.
âHuh? Eh? Did I say something wrongâŚ?â
âAmami-san⌠That was supposed to be a secret, noâŚ?â
ââŚAh!â
The first time we talked was not at the arcade, but a while back, under the shadows of the bicycles in the parking lot.
It was when we hid and watched Asanagiâs confession together.
Iâve already apologized to Asanagi about it, but I kept the fact that Amami-san was with me a secret.
This is why it isnât the classâ murmuring that Iâm afraid of.
âUmm⌠Uhh⌠See you later.â
âY-yeahâŚâ
The moment Amami-san walked back to her seat with her small steps, the phone in my pocket vibrated.
I didnât even have to look to know who messaged me.
It was the same person who took her textbook out and stared intently at the blackboard.
[We need to talk.]
As soon as I saw her message, I let out a small yelp.
Will a simple apology be enough for her to forgive me? Should I resolve myself and do a dogeza? (T/N: If you donât know, dogeza is the prostrate apology.)