Chapter 31: Embarrassment lasts longer than you think (3)

Aya and Mizuki. Two quintessential Takamari Academy young ladies. Yet, they frequented the convenience store often enough that it felt like a regular part of their routine.

Mizuki, without hesitation, made a beeline for the chocolate aisle. Aya, as usual, headed towards the drinks, contemplating the iced tea and milk tea options. Today, she chose milk tea.

‘What should I get?’ I paused before the pudding display.

‘It was delicious last time.’

And… the indirect kiss…

‘Uwaaaaa…!’ I inwardly cringed, my face burning.

Mizuki, sensing my hesitation, nudged my shoulder playfully. “Oh~ pudding again?”

“Aaaaah! J-Just… yeah, pudding sounds good! Ahaha…” I quickly grabbed a Jersey Milk Pudding, avoiding eye contact.

Aya walked over, a faint smile on her face. “You got pudding last time too, didn’t you?”

“W-Well…” I stammered, and Mizuki, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, interjected, “Nice. So today is Rina’s pudding day~? Aya-ring, are you good with that?”

“Yes, milk tea is enough for me.”

“Okay, let’s go pay.” Mizuki grinned and headed towards the cashier.

Just then, Aya glanced at me.

Ah, those beautiful, clear blue eyes… but unlike last time, she was only holding a bottle of milk tea.

“Huh… you’re not getting pudding this time, Aya?”

“Mizuki bought a big box of chocolates.”

“Oh… I see.” I looked at the box of chocolates in Mizuki’s hand. It was a larger box of Pocky than last time. So, Aya and Mizuki would be sharing the chocolates today.

I clutched my pudding and walked towards the cashier, but I could feel Aya’s gaze lingering on me.

‘…Aya, what are you thinking?’

Her attention made me feel strangely self-conscious, my heart fluttering.

****

After leaving the convenience store, we headed to the nearby park. The same park owned by the Takamari Foundation, essentially Asakura property. We sat on the familiar bench, enjoying the peaceful afternoon.

The cherry blossoms had faded, replaced by fresh green buds on the branches. A warm breeze rustled the leaves, a sign that spring was coming to an end.

“Dessert time~!” Mizuki announced cheerfully, tearing open the box of Pocky.

Aya quietly opened her milk tea and took a sip. I carefully peeled back the pudding lid and picked up the small plastic spoon.

But then… Aya glanced at me.

“…?” I was puzzled. Her expression was unreadable, as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.

And… I knew what that expression meant.

‘…Is she… eyeing my pudding?’

But Aya quickly looked away and spoke in her usual calm voice. “Rina, about what you said earlier at the student council meeting, about using social media for promotion…”

“Yes?”

“Do you really think it’ll be effective?”

I nodded, pausing before taking a spoonful of pudding. “Yes, it will definitely be effective. These days, companies value viral marketing more than traditional flyers.”

“Hmm…” Aya’s fingers tapped against each other thoughtfully. “So, specifically, how are you planning to do this?”

This time, Mizuki took the lead. She popped a Pocky stick into her mouth and said, her voice slightly muffled, “…First, we need to create an official festival account, right?”

“Exactly!” I agreed, nodding enthusiastically. “The Takamari Academy festival is a long-standing tradition. An official account would make it easier for students to participate and for companies to access information.”

“So, who will manage the account?” Mizuki asked playfully.

“The student council, of course. But it would be too much for us to handle everything, so maybe the public relations officer can take the lead, and we can encourage students to contribute content.”

“So, that’s my job? Rina~ are you pushing work onto me~?”

“I-I’ll help too!”

Making Mizuki, who’d given up the treasurer position for me, do all the work… I felt terrible. I had to offer to help. It was my responsibility.

“Contribute content, like what, for example?” Aya asked, her eyes shining with interest.

“We can post pictures and videos of the festival preparations and give sneak peeks of some events. Like, ‘A special performance will be held at this location on this day!’ That kind of teaser,” I explained.

“Oh~!” Mizuki clapped her hands in admiration. “Rina, you’re so good at this! You should have been in charge of planning!”

“I-It’s not that big of a deal…! Aya is much better at this…!” I waved my hands dismissively, blushing.

But then, my eyes met Aya’s. Or rather, I realized her gaze was fixed on my pudding.

“…” I was momentarily flustered.

Aya continued to sip her milk tea quietly, but her eyes kept darting towards my pudding…

‘…Does she… want some?’

Her behavior was strangely distracting. I tightened my grip on the spoon, then hesitated, finally speaking softly, “Aya… do you want to try some?”

In that instant, Aya’s eyes flickered.

“…Huh?”

“Ah…” I realized what I’d just said.

‘This is… my pudding…’
‘This is… an indirect kiss…’
“N-No, that’s not what I meant!” I quickly backtracked, but it was too late.

Aya, hiding a smile, asked softly, “…Are you sure?”

“Y-Yes…!” My face burned, but my hand, betraying my will, scooped a spoonful of pudding and held it out to her.

“Aw~ Rina, you’re so sweet! Aya-ring, you’re so lucky~”

“Thanks!” Aya took the spoon and ate the pudding.

A brief but palpable silence followed. I froze, holding my breath, and Aya, chewing slowly, smiled faintly.

“It’s delicious. I should have gotten pudding too.”

“Ugh…!” I couldn’t say anything, lowering my head, my heart pounding in my chest.

‘I’m… done for.’ My face burned, and my mind went blank.

‘Aya ate my pudding… with my spoon… uwaaaa!!!’ I felt like steam was coming out of my ears.

While I sat there, defeated, Mizuki, oblivious to my inner turmoil, began brainstorming ideas for the SNS account. Aya watched me quietly.

“Rina, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Her gentle voice brought me back to reality.

“Y-Yeah… I’m fine…” I mumbled, waving my hand dismissively.

“Really?” Aya tilted her head, then calmly changed the subject. “Tachibana-senpai asked for a concrete plan.”

“Oh, right!” Mizuki clapped her hands. “So, influencers and celebrities are a must, right?”

I listened to their conversation, still in a daze.

Perhaps it was the prestige of Takamari Academy, but most students who used social media had a large following. And among them, Kasumi Reira, one of Takamari’s Four Beauties and a popular idol known as the “Sapphire Diva,” had over two million followers.

“Kasumi-san is a must, right?” Aya asked.

“Of course! Kasumi-chan is essential~ I’ll contact her tomorrow,” Mizuki replied confidently, popping a chocolate into Aya’s mouth and scrolling through her phone, searching for potential candidates. “And for our next candidates…”

She listed a few names. Still in a daze, I pulled out my phone and searched for them on social media.

‘Wow…’ Each name had a following of at least ten thousand. I hadn’t realized there were so many influential students at Takamari.

Mizuki, despite seeming to have few friends outside our group, had an extensive network. She seemed to know all the influential figures in the academy.

‘Is this… what it’s like to be part of the elite…?’ I stared at my phone, lost in thought. This wasn’t just a school; it was a different world.

Among the names Mizuki had mentioned was the “Violet Knight,” the senpai who had confessed to me. He had over 120,000 followers. Wow. He was even a utaite. And the news of his failed confession had spread…

“Is this enough?” Aya asked, jotting down the names on a notepad.

“Yeah! I’ll start contacting them tomorrow morning! Rina, can you help~?” Mizuki asked, her eyes shining with enthusiasm.

I finally snapped out of my daze. “Ah… yeah! And I’ll report to Tachibana-senpai.”

“Great! Aya-ring is busy with the main planning, so let’s all do our best!” Mizuki said, pumping her fist.