Asakura tilted her head, a trace of confusion crossing her face. She pondered for a few seconds but still couldn't quite grasp the abstract concept.
"Explain in detail."
Setting down her teacup, she leaned forward slightly, adopting a posture of attentive listening.
"Well—"
Amaori Renako's words began to spill out faster without her realizing, her eyes sparkling with excitement as her hands gestured along with her speech.
"We spend one month sometimes acting like lovers, and other times switching back to friend mode! We'll prove to Mai through actions that being friends is more relaxed and fun than being lovers!"
"After a month like that, she'll definitely give up on the idea of becoming my girlfriend on her own!"
"Then I won't have to struggle with how to reject her without hurting her feelings or making things awkward! Isn't it a fantastic plan?!"
She grew more and more animated as she spoke, her cheeks flushing pink, completely unaware that in her excitement, she had blurted out Oozuka Mai's name directly, instantly exposing the very person she had been so carefully trying to keep secret.
Asakura was silent for two seconds, then lifted her gaze, looking at her calmly. Her tone was mild, yet it precisely pierced through that thin layer of pretense.
"So, the person who confessed to Amaori-san really was Oozuka-san, wasn't it."
"Huh?!"
Amaori Renako jolted to a halt, the excitement on her face freezing instantly, as if someone had hit a pause button.
She blinked blankly, belatedly processing what she had just said.
Her expression shifted to one of flustered dismay, like a puppy that had accidentally knocked over its bowl and had no idea what it did wrong.
"D-did I say that?"
Her voice grew faint, tinged with a sliver of hope.
Asakura watched her like this, a wave of helplessness rising inside, yet she could only manage a look of utter 'what am I going to do with you' resignation on her face. She let out a soft sigh.
"You did. But… well, to be honest, I'd pretty much guessed it already…"
She picked up her teacup and took another sip, trying to mask the complicated, fangirl-like emotions churning within her now that she had the confirmed answer.
"Then, then—"
Amaori Renako seemed to quickly accept reality, or perhaps selectively ignored the problem of her exposure, more concerned with the feasibility of her 'brilliant plan.'
She leaned forward again, her eyes filled with anticipatory hope seeking validation.
"What does Mio-chan think of my idea? Is it workable?"
What do I think… Well, who knows how Oozuka Mai will take it, but wouldn't this kind of mixed signal attitude make the other person think it's deliberate playing hard to get?
It's just like one of those flirtatious games between couples.
And she asks what I think… There's a high chance you'll end up blurring the lines between friend and lover modes during this month!
She looked into those eyes filled with trust, anticipation, and utter innocence, and all the complaints rising to her lips were forcefully swallowed back down.
This approach was undoubtedly establishing a 'special relationship' between the two of them.
A relationship that was neither as pure as ordinary friends, nor maintained the clear boundary that typically existed between the confessor and the confessed-to.
If they were friends, they shouldn't deliberately do those ambiguous things that blurred the lines.
And if it was simply a matter of confession and acceptance or rejection, then the decision rested solely on the will of the confessed-to—that is, whether Amaori Renako held the same kind of feelings for Oozuka Mai.
If you like them, you accept; if you don't, you refuse. Usually, it was that straightforward.
But Amaori Renako's 'plan' undoubtedly carved out a third path—while she wasn't accepting Oozuka Mai as a lover now, she was actively giving the other girl a buffer period and hope to 'win her over'!
For someone who claimed to only want to be friends, this was absolutely detrimental.
She, Asakura, should be offering clear, rational advice right now…
But… so what!
This plan perfectly aligned with Asakura's own expectations for the kind of entangled, ambiguous, push-and-pull romance that could only exist between beautiful girls!
It was exactly like a classic plot twist straight out of her favorite light novels and yuri manga! She'd be a fool to stop a real-life version from playing out!
Anyway, it was Amaori Renako who came up with this path for herself.
She couldn't expect her 'Friend Support Squad' to be perfectly calculating and rational about everything!
Besides, it was all just her speculation. What if… just what if Amaori Renako's plan actually worked by some fluke?
After a fierce internal battle, Asakura Mio managed to squeeze out what could be considered an 'encouraging' smile onto her face, even though the corners of her mouth felt a bit stiff.
"Mhmm," she nodded, trying her best to sound sincere, "It's a very well-considered plan!"
—Like hell it is!
"See! See!" Amaori Renako immediately beamed, as if she'd received immense affirmation, a hint of smugness even making her sway slightly, completely oblivious to the potential 'pitfalls' hidden beneath Asakura's words. "I thought so too!"
She'd called Asakura over specifically to discuss this plan's feasibility. Now that Asakura hadn't voiced any objections, she had already unilaterally decided to proceed in this direction!
"However—" Asakura's tone shifted, deciding she should still fulfill a bit of her 'friend' duty.
She set down her teacup, folded her hands on the table, and her expression became slightly more serious.
"Amaori-san, are you sure you know what friends usually do? Or rather, what exactly the difference is between that and what lovers do?"
She remembered clearly this person once saying something as dangerous as 'there's not much difference between friends and lovers anyway.'
She seriously doubted whether Amaori Renako, with her lack of friendship experience in middle school, could accurately grasp that subtle sense of proportion.
What if this dummy goes overboard without realizing it, getting all close and touchy like she did when we went out yesterday?
She'd probably get devoured in no time by the far more experienced Oozuka Mai.
No matter how much she wanted to watch the drama unfold, and no matter how irresponsible she felt, this basic bit of 'safety education' was necessary.
"Eh—?" Amaori Renako was stumped by the question.
Her eyes drifted evasively as she struggled to think. "It's probably… like the things Mio-chan and I have been doing these past couple of days, right?"
With that, she started counting on her fingers: "Normal chatting, getting to know each other's likes and dislikes, walking home together, coming over to play games and drink tea, going shopping together, picking out things for each other, going to…"
As she continued listing, her voice gradually trailed off.
Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and her gaze grew shifty, unable to meet Asakura's eyes.
She was clearly remembering that heart-stopping moment yesterday at the glasses shop, where they had almost kissed.
--+--