"The crowds here are still pretty insane."
Mio walked into yet another clothing store with Megumi's arm in hers. If she remembered correctly, this was one of the shops Yumiko frequented. She'd been here before, back when they'd gone clothes shopping together.
Just as Mio was wondering how things were going between Yumiko and Hayama, she spotted a very familiar figure.
Short golden hair. An easygoing smile. The kind of guy who drew female attention just by standing in a store.
Hayama Hayato.
The moment Mio noticed Hayama, he spotted her too.
What piqued Hayama's curiosity, though, was the girl at Mio's side. She looked vaguely familiar—like he'd seen her somewhere before—but he couldn't place the name.
Setting that thought aside, Hayama walked over to Mio with a smile. "Yo, didn't expect to run into you here, Shirai."
"That's supposed to be my line. What's Hayama-kun doing in a women's clothing store? Don't tell me you've got some kind of secret hobby." Mio's exaggerated surprise shifted seamlessly into a deadpan expression. "Don't worry—I won't tell Tobe and the others about your cross-dressing thing!"
Of course Mio knew Hayama was here because he was with Yumiko. In fact, she'd spotted Yumiko the same moment she noticed Hayama. Yumiko was standing in line for the fitting room—but for some reason, after seeing Mio, her expression seemed... a little off.
Hayama chuckled wryly. "Come on, Shirai, quit messing with me. I'm here with Yumiko."
"Just the two of you? So you're on a date?"
"No, Yumiko just wanted someone to go shopping with." Clearly not eager to keep discussing the "date" angle, Hayama turned to Megumi. "And who's this?"
"Pfft—you can't even recognize your own classmate?"
That jogged Hayama's memory, though he still wasn't entirely sure. "Katou... Megumi-san?"
"That's me." Even face-to-face with a guy as good-looking as Hayama, Megumi's expression and emotions stayed perfectly level. She just gave him a calm nod.
"Sorry about that—I blanked for a second there." Hayama scratched the back of his head, visibly embarrassed. He really hadn't expected to forget a classmate's name. Normally, even for people he didn't interact with much, he should've been able to recall their names.
Also—since when were Mio and Megumi this close? He'd never noticed them interact at school.
"It's fine. I'm used to it." Megumi said, then glanced over at Mio beside her.
Even in front of people they knew, Mio still hadn't let go of her arm. Did she seriously not worry about people getting the wrong idea?
Right around then, Yumiko—who'd been deliberating in the fitting room line—decided to give up her spot and head over toward Mio.
By the time she reached Mio's side, she'd already schooled her emotions back to normal. Same as always, she said: "Mio. And Katou-san. What a coincidence, running into you two here."
"There's a sale going on, so we figured we'd check it out."
"Ah, I see." As she spoke, Yumiko made absolutely no effort to hide where her gaze landed—right on Megumi's arm, the one Mio was clinging to.
Most people would've let go upon noticing Yumiko staring. But Mio was different. She had a task to complete. Even knowing that not letting go could cause misunderstandings, she had no choice.
"Since we bumped into each other, want me to help you pick out some clothes? Just like last time."
Megumi, who'd been browsing nearby, seemed to sense something. She turned around—and immediately locked eyes with Yumiko, who was looking at her with a complicated expression.
That was weird. She hadn't done anything wrong. Why was Yumiko looking at her like that? It felt like she'd stolen something from her.
Something clicked, and Megumi silently glanced at Mio.
She was starting to wonder—could the reason Yumiko was eyeing her like that... be because of Mio?
But that didn't make sense either. Everyone and their dog knew that Yumiko liked Hayama. Even students in other classes knew that. So what was the deal with the weird stare?
"Not right now. It's way too packed in here—I'd have to wait in line forever just to try on one outfit. I'll come back when it's less crowded."
"Alright then." Mio had already said as much, so she couldn't exactly push it.
But Yumiko was still intensely curious about what exactly was going on between Mio and Megumi. With both Hayama and Megumi right here, though, she couldn't exactly pull Mio aside and interrogate her.
Just then, Yumiko felt her phone buzz. It was a message from Mio, asking how things were going with Hayama.
Seeing that message was a splash of cold water. She suddenly remembered—her date today was with Hayama, not Mio. So why was she laser-focused on Mio?
In truth, ever since spotting Mio, Yumiko had tried multiple times to get her head straight. But every time she looked at Mio, her eyes would be drawn to her involuntarily, and her composure would crumble all over again.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Yumiko quickly typed back: "We haven't even gotten started yet. There's nothing to report."
After replying, she instinctively glanced at Hayama to make sure he hadn't noticed. Only after confirming he wasn't paying attention did she quietly exhale.
"Fair point. But I feel like if I stick around much longer, I'll just get in the way of your progress. So I should probably find an excuse to head out."
Yumiko wanted so badly to say that's not necessary. She even had the reply typed out—but she didn't send it.
Because Mio was right. As long as Mio was here, Yumiko's attention would keep drifting toward her whether she wanted it to or not. At this rate, there really wouldn't be any progress between her and Hayama.
What was this inexplicable feeling of being torn?
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