cote react to

part 10

I started to worry. Unable to calm down, I began looking uselessly at every corner of my room. Ah, if only he was a cute boy with excellent communication skills. I couldn't help but wish that. We were so quiet that we could hear each other breathing.

"You are handsome, Ayanokoji-kun." Hiyori exclaimed happily. "Do you know that you ranked top 5 in the-" Hiyori didn't finish her sentence as the girls put a hand over her mouth and stopped her.

"Ranked in the top 5 what?" Miyake and the other boys tried to tell the girls to shut up.

Ayanokoji knowing what Hiyori was referring to avoided meeting the eyes of the boys.

"It's getting late. Should I hang up now?" I asked, unable to bear the silence. It was painful to be on the phone with a girl and not say anything.

¿Mmm?"

Kushida broke the silence, but then stopped talking again. Her  hesitation was unusual. This was a far cry from the usual Kushida, who was always trying to brighten up the conversation.

"Y-Yeah... Well... I... I-"

'Perhaps she's trying to open up to Ayanokoji-kun?' Matsushita looked at Kushida analyzing her.

Kushida did nothing but stare at the screen. What can she do? She was exposed not only to her class but also to the other classes, the student council members, and the teachers.

She stopped talking again. Another period of silence followed. Five seconds passed, then ten seconds.

"It's no big deal."

It sure didn't look like anything... However, I lacked the courage to say, "Hey, what's up? Spit it out!" to her, so I let it go. I'm sorry, Kushida. If he was on the battlefield, he would be the sniper, the chicken that would stay away from the fighting. Forgive me.

"Hey?" Inogashira let out a sound.

"Battlefield...?" Ichinose tried to understand his words.

Horikita did nothing more than look at him awkwardly.

"That?" Ayanokoji asked. He got no response from the girl.

"Well, I'll see you the day after tomorrow, Ayanokouji-kun."

With that, Kushida ended the call. I wondered what he had been trying to say. I felt like it was going to be a bad sleepless night.

On Sunday afternoon I went to the mall to meet Kushida and keep my promise. For someone who usually spent Saturdays lounging in his room, this place made me nervous. A person was sitting on a bench up ahead. I was wondering if that person was waiting for someone, like me. After all, most of the students wandered freely on their days off. While I was pondering the matter, I sat down on the other available bench.

I thought we'd go together since we lived in the same dorm, but Kushida was a bit picky when it came to these things. I decided that it would be better if we met at the agreed place.

"Good morning!"

In the hustle and bustle of the surroundings, Kushida walked over, a wide smile on her face.

"O-oh, hello. Good morning."

My heart started to pound. I fumbled for my words and managed to wave awkwardly.

"Sorry. Did you wait long?"

"Oh no, I just got here."

Our back and forth felt like the template for a date. I unintentionally looked at Kushida's entire body. she was cute Kushida was really cute. Seeing Kushida in casual clothes for the first time was so overwhelming that she couldn't look away.