After spending several uneventful days, time came to Sunday.
Murakami Yuu had a rare sleep-in, and after washing up, he ate an apple. He left the house at ten o'clock.
Arriving at the previously agreed-upon family restaurant, Iizuka Takeya and Torizuka Reita had already secured seats and were waiting there.
"Have you ordered yet?"
Murakami Yuu sat down in front of them, and a server poured him a glass of lemon water.
"Not yet, we were waiting for you."
Torizuka Reita picked up a menu from the side and waved it.
"I won't be polite then."
Murakami Yuu smiled and waved his hand, indicating he should go ahead, then glanced at the time on his wristwatch.
"Yuu, do you have other plans later?"
Iizuka Takeya noticed his action.
"Yeah, Setsuna asked me to go to karaoke this afternoon. We're meeting around two."
Murakami Yuu answered and took a sip of water.
"That's nice..."
Torizuka Reita sighed wistfully, then glanced at Iizuka Takeya with some disdain.
"You get to go on a date with our school's top-ranked unattainable flower this afternoon, while I can only go play pool with some guy with terrible skills. In comparison, it feels somewhat bitter."
"That certain guy changed his mind. I'm dating Rimi-chan this afternoon. After eating, you can go home alone and look at the big sisters in the photo books you newly bought."
Iizuka Takeya responded with a grin, showing a set of white, even teeth.
"Iizuka Takeya, are you even human? Yuu is one thing, but you're also abandoning me, a lonely bachelor?"
"Wasn't it you who first complained about my poor pool skills?"
"Your terrible pool skills are just a fact! You actually hit our table's balls onto the neighboring table and broke someone's glass.
And they happened to be yakuza members with exposed tattoos looking fierce as hell. If Yuu hadn't come over to help us pay and smooth things over, we definitely would have ended up at the bottom of Tokyo Bay that time!"
"It wouldn't be that extreme. Even yakuza wouldn't go that far in modern society."
Iizuka Takeya confirmed his meal choices and passed the menu to Murakami Yuu.
Murakami Yuu called over a server to place their order. While waiting for the food to arrive, he spoke to Iizuka Takeya:
"Speaking of which, I just helped you connect with Ozawa Rimi the day before yesterday, and you're already calling her by her first name after just two days? Your relationship is progressing quite fast."
"I think he only calls her that privately. If he were actually facing Ozawa Rimi, he probably wouldn't dare call her that."
Torizuka Reita rested his cheek on his hand, poking the ice in his glass with a straw.
Ozawa Rimi—a cute-type girl with sweet looks and a coquettish voice, Murakami Yuu's classmate.
Iizuka Takeya had encountered her when he visited Murakami Yuu's classroom before.
Then she was targeted by a certain playboy, and with Murakami Yuu's deliberate matchmaking the day before yesterday, he successfully helped Iizuka Takeya make a connection.
This was a key moment of role reversal—from main to wingman.
"Rimi-chan isn't that introverted type to begin with, so this is normal."
As if to convince them of the truth of his words, Iizuka Takeya took out his phone and tapped away, then placed it flat on the table, showing what looked like a public blog display interface.
"Her personal homepage is almost all various selfies—selfies with cats and dogs, selfies with cakes and food, selfies with clothes and bags.
Such a girl full of exhibitionism who likes to have fun—forget calling her by name after two days, I actually established a relationship with her after school on the day we met."
Iizuka Takeya's mouth curved in a teasing smile as he looked at Torizuka Reita with great satisfaction.
Neither of them had particularly good academic performance, but there was always a hierarchy. Perhaps because most of their time was spent on interactions with women, Iizuka Takeya's grades were often worse than those of the perpetually single Torizuka Reita.
Then when grade rankings came out, Torizuka Reita would always show off to Iizuka Takeya, and Iizuka Takeya would always strike back in other areas.
Like now, when discussing women.
"Established a relationship..."
Torizuka Reita's eyes went somewhat vacant, jealousy distorting his features.
"This relationship you're talking about—is it the kind of relationship I'm thinking of?"
"No, just surface-level interpersonal relations. Haven't gone deep yet."
Iizuka Takeya lightly touched his lips with his finger, then quickly separated.
"Only to this extent for now. To really reach home base will probably take about a week. After all, we're not completely familiar yet—there needs to be a gradual process of mutual understanding."
"A week is enough..."
Murakami Yuu was somewhat impressed by this speed, but thinking about it, from meeting Tachibana Rui to having relations with her had only taken a few hours.
His previous feelings of admiration dissipated instantly.
Yeah, I'm still braver...
"Are you serious this time?"
Murakami Yuu asked.
"Obviously impossible, right?"
Torizuka Reita glanced at Iizuka Takeya and answered for him.
"This guy's real target is someone else, isn't it?"
A girl's image appeared in Murakami Yuu's mind as he looked at Iizuka Takeya with a knowing smile.
The server brought their food at this moment, ending the topic.
Three steaks with pasta, fruit salad, sausage platter, seafood baked rice, and a pizza—a colorful, Western-style lunch spread across the table.
"Takeya, do you know of any reliable part-time jobs? The restaurant where I was working hired full-time staff and told me I don't need to come starting next week."
Torizuka Reita cut his steak.
"If I don't find a part-time job quickly, I won't have money to buy next month's photo collections and Jump."
"Hmm... since you're suddenly asking, I can't give you an immediate answer. Let me ask my friends when I get back."
The friends Iizuka Takeya referred to were his ex-girlfriends. In less than two years of high school, he had dated double digits of women, both from their school and elsewhere.
Most didn't maintain good relationships with Iizuka Takeya after breaking up, but there were always a few exceptions.
One such exception had a family that ran an agency company, and among their services was providing job positions for those seeking employment.
Someone like Torizuka Reita who only needed temporary work wasn't the agency's target demographic, but given their connection, if Iizuka Takeya asked for help, a professional company's database would definitely be more reliable than him searching for part-time work alone.
"Thanks. I'll treat you to a meal if it works out."
"Great, I want Kobe beef."
"Ha, dream on."
...
The two bickered.
But Murakami Yuu's attention wasn't on them.
His gaze was fixed outside the window, across the street—one man and three women.
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