"Good morning, Tomoki. How was your day— Whoa, you okay?" — Ryuichi asked, looking at me surprised.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just slept late, that's all."
"How's your new house?"
"Huge, of course. I'd been living alone with my mom until now, but now… an big family."
"I see. You getting along with everyone?"
"Yeah, they're all good people. Well… except my little sister. She doesn't really like me. Guess it's what you'd call the rebellious phase."
"I see… so she acts like that with everyone, right?"
"No… only with me."
"Uhmm… well, it happens… hahaha… ha..." — Ryuichi laughed awkwardly, trying to console me.
Truth is, I'm more concerned about my older sister, Erina-nee-san, and her boyfriend. But I don't know if I should talk to my friends about it. I don't want to risk spreading her situation.
"Good morning, Satou-san! Tomoki-kun!" — Ayame-san greeted us.
"Good morning, Edomae-san." — Ryuichi replied.
"Morning, Ayame-san." — I added.
"Tomoki-kun? Are you okay?" — Ayame-san's expression was full of concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, that's all."
"Uhmmm… if things get tough, tell me, okay?"
"Thanks, Ayame-san."
"By the way, Tomoki-kun, I noticed you're wearing a wristwatch. It looks good on you."
"Thanks. My older sister gave it to me."
"Seems like your sister likes to spoil you."
"A bit too much, in my opinion."
"Fufu~ I would do the same."
"What—"
Ding dong, ding dong.
♦♦♦
Once classes ended for the day, everyone made their way to their clubs.
"Well, I'm heading to the literature club. See you later." — Ryuichi said, leaving.
I should head to the student council room.
"Ayame-san, I'm heading to the student council."
"Me too. Let's go together."
When we arrived, we were greeted by the vice president.
"Morikawa-san and Edomae-san, right? I'm the current vice president, Kirishima Kanae. Morikawa-san, it's been a while."
I remembered her — she was the mediator at the last discussion in the auditorium.
"Kirishima-san, it's been a while. I hope I can be of help." — I replied.
"No need to feel pressured." — Then she turns to Ayame-san. — "Edomae-san, it's an honor to meet and work with you."
"The honor's all mine, Kirishima-san."
"Today the president had to leave early. She told me about you two. We don't have much work today, so feel free to rest here."
We sat on the sofa and made small talk, until someone knocked on the door.
"Excuse me, can we get some advice?"
"Wait a minute." — Kirishima-san said as she opened the door. — "Of course! Feel free to come in."
"Thank you!"
Two girls entered… and I recognized them.
"Excuse me, but where's the president?" — one of them, the tomboy girl asked.
"She had to leave early. If it's okay, I can help you." — Kirishima-san offered.
"Actually, it's a personal matter. If you don't mind, we— Morikawa-san!?"
"Hello, I'm Morikawa Tomoki. I'm a member of the student council."
"And I'm Edomae Ayame. Like Tomoki-kun, I'm also a member." — Ayame-san stepped in.
"Edomae-san too!? Well… I guess we'll come later. Sorry for bothering."
"Wait… if it's okay, can we talk to Morikawa-san alone?" — the girl with glasses asked.
"Well… Morikawa-san is here to talk with male students, so—" — Kirishima-san said.
"It's fine. Listening to students is part of our job." — I interrupted.
"Tomoki-kun…" — Ayame-san looked worried.
"We'll be right outside. Morikawa-san, if you need help, don't hesitate to call us." — Kirishima-san said.
Ayame-san and Kirishima-san stepped out, leaving me with the two girls.
"So, how can I help you?"
"Morikawa-san, we want to know how to get a boy's attention." — the girl with glasses blurted out.
"Hey! Why so blunt? You're usually calmer." — the tomboy girl said.
"I know… sorry, maybe that was rude."
I knew these two — they were the girlfriends of the senpai. I'd overheard them talking with Ryuichi before.
"That's okay. But I'll need some context, otherwise it's hard to give advice." — I said, though I already knew the situation.
"We have a boyfriend, and he's wonderful… but lately, he hasn't been talking to us much. We were hoping you could help."
"Have you tried talking to him about it?" — I asked, even though I knew they had.
"Yes. He apologizes and says he'll pay more attention… but then forgets again." — the girl with glasses replied.
To me, he seemed like a playboy who just liked hanging around cute girls. But I can't just tell them to dump him — especially since polygamy is common here. Besides, they're asking for ways to get his attention back.
But If talking didn't work, what else could they do?
[Father, how did you manage to calm Mom down? I thought she'd kill you when she thought you had a lover.]
[I'm being accused of something I didn't do! She's just a coworker, and I never laid a finger on her, I swear. But yeah… to your mother, those are just empty words, and I understand her side. That's why, to prove myself to her, I made the ultimate move.]
[And that is…?]
[Traveling back in time!]
Yeah… worth a try.
"There's something you can do that might work."
"!? There is!?" — they said together.
"Try to replicate the things you did when you first started dating him—something memorable for both of you, and the exact reason he fell in love with you in the first place."
"This is… hey! We can try that again!" — the girl with glasses said, excited.
"You're right! Oh my god, why didn't we think of this sooner?" — the tomboy girl added.
"Thank you, Morikawa-san, for listening." —the girl with glasses said.
"Yeah, thanks a lot! No wonder some people worship you." — the tomboy girl added.
"Glad I could help… wait, what?"
So both of them bowed to me and rushed off to start planning how to conquer his heart.
Well, I hope they succeed.
But is senpai a wonderful person? Maybe, he just personally hates me, that's all. Aside from that, I guess he's a good guy. Let's just not make the wrong assumption.
"Looks like you did an amazing job, Morikawa-san. Thanks for your work." — Kirishima-san praised.
"Tomoki-kun really is amazing, right? You should've seen how happy they were." — Ayame-san said.
"I just hope my advice works for them."
"Well, it's getting late. You're all dismissed."
"Yes! Thank you for your hard work!" — Ayame-san and I said in unison.
As we walked down the corridor, Ayame-san asked,
"Tomoki-kun, what did they want to ask you?"
"Just love advice. They wanted to get their boyfriend's attention again."
"Tomoki-kun, you seem to have a lot of experience with this."
"Actually, it's all thanks to my parents that I came up with the idea."
"Oh, so that's how. I guess I made the wrong assumption."
"Wrong assumption?"
"Nothing."
And just like that, the school day ended. As usual, Mom came to pick me up and drive me to my new home.
"I'm home!" — I called out.
"Welcome home, Tomoki." — Natsumi-chan replied.
"How is she?"
Natsumi-chan just shook her head. That was answer enough.
I went upstairs, spotting an untouched lunch tray outside of the door.
I knocked.
"Erina-nee-san, can I talk to you?"
"..."