My nervousness transferred from yesterday; no, I was more nervous than I was yesterday. We sat down for a quiet dinner, and I waited for the right moment. Once everyone has finished their meals, I opened my mouth.
“Mother, I apologise for yesterday.”
“…”
I first lowered my head and sincerely apologised. Since my head was lowered, I didn’t know what expression my mom was making. This silence was excruciating. But I wouldn’t give up here.
“What are you… why are you apologising?”
As I lowered my head, mom’s cold words fell down on me. I couldn’t hear any expression in her inflections. Her voice was even; not angry or tired, but without a single emotion in it. That was way too scary.
“I did not know anything. I had not thought of what would happen if I refused to attend Konoe-sama’s party, which had already been planned.”
“…”
She was silent again… but I didn’t mind it and continued speaking my mind.
“I will speak honestly. I do not like being involved with Konoe-sama, so I did not wish to attend his party. However, I carelessly considered your words as a lifeline, mother. I had not thought of the fact that I would destroy the Kujou family’s reputation, that I would cause trouble for the Konoe family, and that I would trouble those who I had invited.”
My mom wasn’t the only one who didn’t say anything; my dad and brother stayed silent too. My voice was the only thing resounding.
“Even if I did not want to go, I had already accepted the invitation. Therefore, I must cooperate and attend Konoe-sama’s party if it is possible for me to do so. I abandoned that and bartered the party away for the simple fact that I wanted to play. That cannot be permitted.”
I had spoken completely honestly. But that wasn’t it. Rather, this was far from the ending; it was a beginning.
“I retract my refusal to attend Konoe-sama’s party from that time when you had told me that I could only choose one. I will! I will attend both! Please let me attend Konoe-sama’s party and my outing with everyone!”
When she asked me to pick one, I should’ve answered that I couldn’t pick any one of them. The Konoe family’s party was already running. I couldn’t say that I wouldn’t attend it now.
No matter what happened, I would absolutely attend my outing with everyone. That day was the only one that I wasn’t available on. The plans I already had weren’t things that I couldn’t postpone. That was why that was the only day. It was the only day that I could think to move my other important plans.
“Lift your head.”
“Yes…”
I cautiously lifted my head. Once I had lifted my head, I saw that my mom’s face was expressionless, almost as if she wasn’t feeling anything. What was mom thinking and pondering? Not a bit of that came through from her expression.
“That is… Had someone told you to reply in such a way?”
My mom’s gaze moved. She was probably looking at Momiji, who was standing diagonally behind me. I didn’t actually know where Momiji was standing right now, but my mom was probably looking at her.
“It is true that various people have given me various hints. However, no one had told me the basic format of what to say. These are all words that I have chosen.”
Momiji had told me. Kaya-san had told me. But neither of them had clearly told me what to say. They had undeniably given me hints. But I could confidently say that the words that I had just said were my own. That was why I looked right at my mom.
“Isn’t it fine already? Alright?”
“*sigh*… You are too soft on Sakuya…”
Dad grinned and said that as mom’s brows furrowed and she sighed. Emotion had finally returned to my mom’s expression and voice.
“I see… then, I shall allow you to go outside for those two matters. However, I will not lift the curfew. I will not lift it even if you say that you wish to go out because of more engagements, so do not try that.”
“Th-Thank you very much!”
Yay! Mom had approved! I still couldn’t go out, but that was the same as before anyway. Anyway, all I did everyday was wander around Touka Academy, lessons, and my house.
“That’s great, Sakuya.”
“Yes!”
My brother also congratulated me.
“Sakuya, you’re a genius for noticing all that by yourself!”
“Dear… Those are the actions of an over-fond parent…”
My mom quipped at my dad’s words. Then, laughter broke out. Oh, when was the last time I had dinner like this? I hadn’t only been permitted to go out… Our domestic relationship seemed to have gotten better too.
I internally thanked Momiji and slept soundly tonight.
～～～～～～～
I was in a very good mood since the morning. It was like everything was shining.
“Greetings, Satsuki-chan.”
“Sakuya-chan, has something good happened to you, perhaps?”
Oh? Satsuki-chan said that instead of greeting me in return. Was I so easy to read that she forgot to greet me?
“Hehe, I’ll tell you what it is at lunch. In the meantime, please look forward to it.”
“You have been given permission to go out, is it? That is good, Sakuya-chan.”
Huh! How’d she know… No way, was Satsuki-chan an esper who could read my thoughts and memories? Or maybe she used some supernatural listening device, so she knew all that had happened last night?
“Um… You are making a face like that, although… as you are announcing this at lunchtime, you would know that it is related to the seven of us, correct? When thinking of something that is related to the seven of us and that would make you this festive, wouldn’t one naturally gravitate to thinking that you have been granted permission to go out?”
“I see…”
Was Satsuki-chan really a first-grader? Was she not the “Brains of a child! Looks of an adult! His name is Detective—“ <sup>1</sup> A Detective Conan reference. guy?
“Well… is this not a good thing? I think that everyone will be happy when you tell them at lunch.”
“That is true. Please look forward to lunch.”
Satsuki-chan and I laughed and headed to our seats. Couldn’t it just be lunch already… Everyone would be happy, right? Just be lunch already… It still wasn’t lunch yet…
“Morning!”
“Azami-chan, morning!”
“Good morning, Azami-sama!”
Azami-chan energetically arrived at school again today. And she went in front of me…
“Sakuya-sama, it seems that something good has happened. Congratulations.”
“Gree-… huh?”
I thought she was going to greet me so I was going to return it, but I stopped midway through what I was saying. Azami-chan’s words were different from what I’d expected.
“Was it that easy to tell?”
“Yes! Additionally! I can tell that something good has happened to you with a single glance!”
With a single glance… was I that easy to understand? Maybe I’d been grinning this whole time? Then, did all the people I had passed on the way to the classroom think that I was grinning…?
“Had I looked strange…?”
I was kinda interested, so I carefully asked her. If she said something like “You were smiling a ton”, then I might not be able to stay in this classroom.
“You looked absolutely beautiful! Almost like an angel… No! It was as if a goddess was smiling!”
Oh… so basically, I was grinning… Azami-chan was careful and had indirectly said it so she wouldn’t hurt my feelings, but that basically meant I was weirdly grinning alone…
Aaaah! That was too embarrassing! I want to pretend that never happened! But this world didn’t have saves or resets! Aghhhhhhhh!
～～～～～～～
I was dying of agony throughout the morning, but it was finally lunchtime. The seven of us had gathered for lunch as usual. And I had an important announcement.
“Everyone… please listen. I have actually…”
“Have you been permitted to go out?”
“Shh! Just listen quietly even if you already know about it.”
Oh… Even though I hadn’t said anything yet, Yuzuriha-chan had inadvertently said that and Renge-chan had interjected and silenced her… how did they know?
“Um… has someone already told you?”
Satsuki-chan was the only one who had immediately found me out this morning. While Satsuki-chan may have been with Azami-chan’s group, they weren’t particularly close. They still maintained their distances and had their guards up. It was hard to imagine them having talked to Satsuki-chan, but…
“Uh… You had been that gloomy and declared that you would try talking to her once more, Sakuya-chan, so one could understand that you had obtained permission to go outside as you are in a very good mood today.”
…was I really that easy to understand? So easy that they knew so much, even though I hadn’t said anything?
“Tsubaki! Lay off it! Then, Sakuya-sama, please tell the news from your own mouth.”
In this atmosphere… In this situation, did I really still need to say it myself? How to say this… was that not pretty cold?
But since Azami-chan had said that, everyone was paying attention to me. Maybe I should just say it myself… it was even harder for us to stay like this…
“Uh, well… as everyone knows, I have obtained permission to change my plans on the day that we are going out. With this, we can finalise the date of our outing. I am sorry for making you wait for me. The scheduled date has now been confirmed.”
“That’s right! Then, I shall absolutely keep this day available! No! My appointment with Sakuya-sama will be the only thing that I have scheduled on this day! I will not have a single other appointment!”
“Yeah~. It’s definitely better to get this plan down in our schedules earlier.”
I did feel kind of embarrassed, but… with this, all seven of us could finally hang out. Now, we had to figure out where.
“We have now confirmed the date; shall we confirm where we would like to go buy goods?”
“Yes! This place has become a subject of…”
“Oh… but I think that this place is better…”
Everyone started saying that “This place is good” or “That place is good” after I had spoken. But there was one girl who hadn’t said much.
“Akane-chan, is there somewhere that you would like to go to?”
“Huh?! Um… I…”
Akane-chan, who I suddenly talked to, looked surprised, so everyone looked at her.
Renge-chan was quiet, so she was somewhat reserved with everyone apart from her particularly close friend Yuzuruha-chan. Even so, she was able to have a normal conversation with me. But Akane-chan still kept her distance from me, or rather kept her guard up when she was talking to me.
She wasn’t acting like I was her enemy. I didn’t feel any malicious intent or hostility from her at all. I guess she didn’t know how close she was to me and was wondering what to do.
“Perhaps you have somewhere you wish to go, Akane-chan?”
“That is…”
Hmm… it seems like Akane-chan did have somewhere that she wanted to go to but she couldn’t say it. After seeing how Akane-chan talked in class and at other places with her classmates, I could tell that she acted differently at this gathering. That was probably because of me. Because that had happened before, she was probably troubled with how to approach me.
“Right? Perhaps you do have somewhere that you wish to go to, Akane-chan? I want you to tell me, okay?.”
I stared at Akane-chan and asked her that while trying to look gentle. But Akane-chan’s face got red and she curled up. My plan had failed… There were people who didn’t like being looked at much; maybe I shouldn’t stare at Akane-chan.
“Akane, I’m jeal… No, Sakuya-sama is asking you, so what about telling her where you wish to go?”
Azami-chan also displayed her leadership and said that. It wasn’t really in a scolding way. She said it gently, in a way that made it easy for Akane-chan to say her thoughts. She couldn’t decline if even the leader Azami-chan said that, so Akane-chan slowly formed a sentence.
“Um… since you have asked, I want to go to… that place that had been built a while ago…”
“That place…”
“A while ago…?”
Everyone thought intently over what place Akane-chan’s words were indicating. But Azami-chan was the only one who knew immediately and clapped her hands.
“Oh. Nyan-chan Land? You like Nyan-chan after all, Akane.”
Nyan-chan was a cat character. Well, you could tell from the name, but… It was a cute cat character, so it was really popular with girls. Lately, Nyan-chan had gotten an amusement park, or rather something like a shop constructed.
“Then, let us go to Nyan-chan Land as well as shopping. Speaking of, there is a place where we can buy goods near Nyan-Chan Land.”
“Huh? Um… but… if we can’t…”
Akane-chan, who turned a little red, hesitantly said that. Was she embarrassed that her love for Nyan-chan had been revealed? That was cute. But she didn’t need to hesitate.
“It is not unreasonable. Everyone here likes Nyan-chan, correct?”
“That is true.”
“Nyan-chan Land’s good too.”
Everyone agreed. Then, we chose to make Nyan-Chan Land the focus of our trip and go to the nearby shops to buy things.
“Everyone… thank you… Sakuya-chan… thank you…”
Akane-chan said that quietly so that no one else would hear, but I heard it. But… maybe everyone else had heard too, but it had slipped their notice.