On Saturday, Wakana woke up early, washed his face, brushed his teeth, tidied himself up, and then put on his seemingly ageless work clothes, starting his work with renewed vigor.
After working for a while, he remembered the task Akira had given him earlier.
He needed to talk to Kitagawa-san about Murakami-san, and then ask Kitagawa-san to find out Sugaya-san's feelings.
Under normal circumstances, this matter should have been completed a few days ago, as the original plan was for Murakami to confess this weekend.
If he could roughly understand Sugaya-san's feelings before the weekend, Murakami's chances of success would be even greater.
However, Wakana once again encountered an obstacle when he should have acted.
This time, what prevented him from telling Kitagawa-san about Murakami-san's situation was no longer the proactive Marin, but himself, the hesitant Wakana.
After several hints from Akira, Wakana had already understood his feelings for Kitagawa-san.
Therefore, when it came to helping Murakami-san, Wakana, who felt he roughly understood Murakami-san's secret crush, was very willing to help Murakami-san achieve his wish.
However, he always felt that when he mentioned Murakami-san's liking for Sugaya-san, it would inevitably make Kitagawa-san overthink.
What if Kitagawa-san over-associated Murakami-san's situation with his own feelings for Kitagawa-san?
And if Kitagawa-san only had a friendly affection for him, would he be rejected directly without even confessing?
But, Kitagawa-san, she should still have a romantic interest in him, right?
Wakana was incredibly conflicted, and this conflict lasted until Saturday.
After temporarily finishing some of his work, Wakana picked up his phone, hesitated, and then sent a message to Marin.
『Wakana: Kitagawa-san, are you free today?』
『Wakana: I need to buy some fabric for clothes today, want to come along?』
After sending these two messages, Wakana hesitated, thought for a moment, and then edited again.
『Wakana: There are also some things I need to tell you, I hope Kitagawa-san can agree.』
Saying that would be too difficult for someone.
Wakana suddenly felt his statement was a bit inappropriate, just as he saw the "read" sign appear on his sent message, and Marin's reply came immediately.
『Marin: Okay, okay!』
『Marin: I'm super excited to see the fabric for Black Mountain Terrier's clothes too!』
『Marin: Excited.jpg』
『Marin: Happy.jpg』
So Kitagawa-san didn't care about such things at all.
Wakana breathed a sigh of relief.
『Wakana: Then when is Kitagawa-san free?』
『Marin: How about this afternoon?』
So the two agreed on a meeting time for the afternoon, deciding to meet near the fabric store, and then consider what to do after purchasing the fabric.
Wakana finished his morning tasks, reviewed the knowledge he had learned this semester at his desk, and then left his room.
Thanks to Akira-kun's study group, Wakana was now increasingly confident in his grades.
Speaking of which, Akira-kun also asked him to tutor Kitagawa-san in his spare time.
After today's shopping trip, he would take the opportunity to tutor Kitagawa-san on the key knowledge points for the final exam.
Although his own level was still quite far from Akira-kun's, it should be more than enough to teach Kitagawa-san.
After all, Kitagawa-san was always the type to cram at the last minute...
After having lunch with his grandfather, Wakana told his grandfather about his plans for the afternoon.
"I'm going out with a classmate this afternoon to buy some things, so Grandpa will have to look after the shop by himself."
"Is it Marin?"
Gojo Kaoru asked curiously.
"Yes."
Wakana touched his neck, still feeling a little shy.
"Do you have enough money? Do you need me to give you some more?"
"Eh, no, no, Grandpa, I have enough money."
But Gojo Kaoru acted as if he hadn't heard, stood up from the floor, walked into his room, and came out holding several banknotes.
"Wakana, when you go out, don't always think about splitting the cost with Marin; remember to treat a girl to something to eat."
Gojo Kaoru said meaningfully.
After all, his grandson had few friends since childhood, let alone female friends.
Marin should have a good impression of Wakana, but what kind of relationship they develop still depends on their joint efforts.
"Eh, uh, oh."
"Okay, thank you, Grandpa."
Wakana stammered in agreement.
He felt as if his grandfather was also hinting at something, even though before it was only Akira-kun.
It was like a new door of perception had opened; he felt as if everyone around him was pushing him forward.
Wakana didn't realize it yet, but his current experience was like some girls opening a new world, feeling like everyone had a hint of being XX.
After all, the saying "those with a fujoshi's eyes see everyone as gay" is widely spread for a reason.
However, compared to his past shyness, inferiority, and avoidance, Wakana now had a more definite understanding of his feelings.
"Then, Grandpa, I'm going out."
"Be careful."
His grandfather's caring voice appeared in his ears as expected.
Wakana tidied his clothes and left the house.
A few soft white clouds drifted in the clear, sky-blue sky, with the bright sun at its center.
Although it was a clear day, the weather wasn't extremely hot, so one wouldn't feel sweaty or sticky.
Wakana walked slowly down the street, observing scenes he usually didn't pay much attention to.
Since it was Saturday, there were noticeably more pedestrians than usual, most of them strolling leisurely in the shade along both sides of the road, a stark contrast to the chaotic rush of suit-clad workers during weekdays.
He boarded the train, which, as usual, wasn't crowded, so he didn't need to worry about maintaining the integrity of his attire in a packed car. Wakana couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
Arriving at his stop and getting off the train, Wakana, hands in his pockets, scanned his surroundings, looking for Marin, with whom he had agreed to meet here.
Not far ahead were several beautifully dressed young girls, seemingly enjoying shopping, with several clothing bags hanging from their arms. They chattered amongst themselves, occasionally teasing each other, appearing very happy.
Wakana smiled enviously. Just as he was about to pull out his phone to confirm the meeting time,
A lively and pleasant voice came from his right.
The voice was so joyful and captivating that Wakana's movement to turn his head seemed stiff.
"Gojo-kun!"
"Gojo-kun!"
What met his eyes was Kitagawa-san, dressed in casual clothes, running towards him.
Wakana felt his throat move.