"Mooom~ Hey, Mooom~"
It was about a week into summer vacation.
I was looking for my mom, who I knew was somewhere in the house. Well, "calling for her" might be more accurate. There was no need to search every nook and cranny; if I just called out from the living room, she'd eventually come to me.
When I was little, I was such a crybaby. I'd bawl my eyes out over the smallest things—being home alone, not making friends at my new kindergarten, or getting separated from my parents while we were out shopping. Back then, my kind mom and dad would always come running to hug me.
"We're sorry, you must have been so lonely," they'd say, holding me close to comfort me. They never showed the slightest hint of annoyance and always let me be as spoiled as I wanted.
I loved that.
As I grew older and made good friends, my crybaby tendencies faded, but my spoiled side never really went away. So sometimes, when I'm at home, I still act like a selfish little princess. My best friend calls me a 'princess,' and she's not entirely wrong.
"What is it, Yuu? You're quite dressed up. Are you going on a date?"
"Would you have preferred that? Too bad. I'm going out with Nina-chi. We're just buying a birthday present… though we'll probably mess around a bit, too."
"I'm sure you will. …Don't tell me you need money."
"Ehehe~"
The Amami family doesn't do monthly allowances, but if Mom thinks it's necessary, she'll give me what I need. Of course, she gets mad if I overspend, so I try my best to avoid any useless purchases.
…As much as possible, anyway.
"Whose birthday is it? Umi-chan's is in April, and I think Nitta-san's isn't for a while…"
"Oh, it's for Maki-kun. His birthday is on our next school day, so I figured I'd pick something out early."
"Oh, that boy. …What are you doing on the day of? If you're planning on using the living room like you did for Umi-chan's party, I'll need to prepare."
"Ah, no. We all promised to go to karaoke that day, so we're celebrating there."
Honestly, I wanted to have a big party with a cake like we did for Umi and me, but the birthday boy himself requested that the 'first party' just be us having fun at karaoke.
And a 'first party' naturally implies a 'second party'… but only Maki-kun and his girlfriend, Umi, know the details of that one. Just the two of them. In other words, the rest of us are left out.
…Well, even someone as inexperienced as me can guess what they'll be up to.
My cheeks flushed hot as I imagined the scene that would unfold that night.
"? What's wrong, Yuu? Your face is bright red… Should I get you something cold to drink?"
"Ah, um… I'm okay, thanks."
Thanks to that ridiculously lovey-dovey couple, I've become quite worldly myself. I'm already a second-year in high school, so maybe it's normal… but when the catalyst is my own best friend, it feels a little too real, and my feelings get complicated.
What if I got a boyfriend I liked and we became a couple… No, I should stop letting my imagination run wild. I don't want to make Mom worry.
I managed to talk my way out of it and got some money from her, then met up with Nina-chi and headed to our usual spot downtown. This time, however, we were shopping for a guy, so our route was a little different.
"Hey Nina-chi, what kind of stuff do boys like for their birthday? This is my first time, so I have no idea."
"Hmm… I don't have much experience either. I mean, can't you just get him anything? …Oh, look, how about that 500-yen T-shirt? The Class Rep's fashion sense is a disaster, after all."
"Ehh, I don't think 500 yen is going to do much to help his fashion sense…"
Still, clothes weren't a bad idea. A guy can never have too many T-shirts, and as long as I avoided the bargain bin, the price would be just right. Even though she said "anything is fine," it looked like Nina-chi was also trying to pick something that would actually suit Maki-kun.
I actually find this kind of shopping pretty fun.
"Nina-chi, I'm going to go look over there."
"Mhm. Alright, let's meet up when we've decided."
We split up and started browsing the floor, which was lined with all sorts of brands.
"I wonder what kind of designs Maki-kun likes… hmm~"
Presents are all about the thought, so I could just get him something I think is cute. But if possible, I want to find something that suits him and would make him happy. It would've been helpful if Umi were here, but she went off shopping by herself today to find a gift for her precious boyfriend.
"A present? I've already decided what to buy. …It's a secret, though."
That's what Umi told me when I called her yesterday. I wonder what on earth she got him. I'm sure I won't find out until much later.
Thinking about that, a sudden wave of loneliness washed over me.
"W-Well, no use worrying about it. I'll just pick something out quickly, yeah."
As if to shake off the strange feeling pricking at my heart, I stepped into a particular store. A quick glance revealed that many of their products featured designs from anime, manga, and games. The small space was packed with collab T-shirts, jerseys, wallets, watches, and shoes—all of them pop and cute.
"…Come to think of it, Maki-kun likes manga and games, right?"
My intuition told me this was the place. I immediately started asking the clerk about their best-sellers while searching for the perfect item. I don't know much about games, but from a fashion perspective, these kinds of items aren't bad. Just one piece that's different from his usual style can change his whole look. Today was for Maki-kun's present, but maybe I'd come back another day for myself. Umi seems to wear baggy men's T-shirts as everyday wear… maybe it'd be nice to get matching ones with my best friend.
"! Ah, this is…"
As I was browsing the shelves, still planning on getting a T-shirt, a certain character design caught my eye. It was just a small one-point design on the chest, but there was no mistaking it.
It was the teddy bear from the stuffed animal that Maki-kun and Umi had given me.
"Fufu, fancy meeting you here… Hey, are you actually really popular?"
The bear, staring back with what looked like a sullen expression, didn't answer, of course. But the moment I saw it, I was hugging the shirt to my chest. The price was… a little more than I expected, which made me hesitate, but if I cut back on my personal spending later, I could afford it.
It'll definitely suit Maki-kun──the thought entered my mind, and suddenly, I couldn't see anything else.
After paying, I met up with Nina-chi, who seemed to have just finished her shopping as well. She'd said a bargain item would be fine, but it looked like she'd ended up choosing something from a standard brand.
"This was the cheapest one. …Among this brand's T-shirts."
Her phrasing was so typically Nina-chi that I couldn't help but laugh.
It's not just his girlfriend, Umi, but also me and Nina-chi celebrating with him… If it were any other boy, it definitely wouldn't be like this. Come to think of it, maybe Maki-kun is surprisingly popular with girls.
"By the way, what did you buy, Yuu-chin? Is it a T-shirt, like mine?"
"Ehehe~ yeah, but you'll have to wait until his birthday to see it. I personally think it was the best choice."
"Ohh, what is it? Tell me, I'll show you mine, too."
"Ehh, what should I do~?"
I'd never say it out loud, but I was confident my choice was better than Nina-chi's. Something a little different from the standard would suit Maki-kun better.
Suddenly, I pictured it.
Maki-kun, scratching his cheek in embarrassment as he checks the T-shirt's design, glancing around self-consciously. He's standing there all alone, looking lonely, when he spots me arriving a little late. His expression breaks into one of relief as he runs over to──
"──Huh?"
At that moment, a strange sense of unease washed over me.
Why did I just imagine meeting Maki-kun all by myself?
If it were 'us,' I wouldn't have thought twice. Me, Umi, Nina-chi, Seki-kun… But in that vision, it was just me and Maki-kun. And the 'me' in my imagination was all dressed up… or so it felt.
Yes, just like a da── for two.
"…Yuu-chin, what's wrong?"
"──Eh…!? N-No, it's nothing…"
Feeling as if she'd seen right through me, I instinctively hid the bag behind my back.
Why did I think of something like that?
Maki-kun is an important friend, but we should never, ever go out alone together. He's not just my 'friend'; he's my precious 'best friend's' 'boyfriend.' The two of them are as close as ever, and my only role is to watch over them from the sidelines.
Even if it was just in my imagination, why did I make Umi disappear from his side?
"…Nina-chi, I'm sorry. I'm going to go return this."
"Huh? Why? Didn't you love it? You looked so happy just a second ago."
"Yeah. I still like the shirt itself, but… I just don't think it's an appropriate present for Maki-kun."
Nina-chi was understandably confused, but I was even more shaken. On the surface, there was nothing wrong with the T-shirt. But the intention with which I'd chosen it… for me, that was the biggest problem.
"Y-Yuu-chin, let's just calm down for a sec, okay? You don't have to show me, you can keep it a secret forever… Oh, look, let's go to that café over there and cool down."
"…Um, okay, Nina-chi. Sorry, I think the heat was getting to me."
"S-See? I knew it. It's crazy hot today. We have to take breaks, even when we're shopping. Right?"
"…Yeah, you're right. You're absolutely right, Nina-chi."
Thanks to Nina-chi's quick thinking, I managed to calm down and ended up taking the T-shirt home with me. But…
Am I really okay with giving this to Maki-kun?
After parting with Nina-chi, I went home and lay on my bed, recalling a conversation between Umi and Nina-chi I'd overheard the other day.
"If I fall in love with him, we're over, huh."
At the time, the words had sounded vague, but Umi's tone had been colder and more ruthless than anything I had ever heard from her before.
"Hey, Mr. Bear. What should I do? How can I make sure we can all keep smiling like we are now?"
The stuffed bear stared back at me with its sullen expression, offering no answers.
Mr. Bear──or rather, my treasure, secretly named 'Class Rep.'