Free Web NovelAozawa pinched his throat and said, "This humble concubine thanks Your Majesty for your grace."
"Hahaha."
Ayatsuki Ayaka couldn't hold it in and burst into a hearty laugh, then, like a butterfly flying freely, she just flitted off.
She turned around and headed toward the classroom building, planning to discuss Halloween costumes with her friends in the courtyard.
Aozawa entered the club building.
He walked through the familiar corridor, went up to the second floor, and found Hojo Shouko waiting at the stairway.
"Shouko, are you waiting for me here?"
Aozawa's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that she also wanted to ask him out somewhere tonight?
Hopefully in Shibuya.
If it was Shibuya, he could still recreate Maggie and the class rep's date.
These thoughts flashed through his mind.
Hojo Shouko said softly, "Aozawa-senpai, since today is Halloween, how about we go out and have some fun after school?
On holidays you should go to an amusement park, ride roller coasters and the Ferris wheel and stuff. I'll invite Summer Flower too, so she doesn't complain about being lonely there."
Aozawa let out a sigh of relief; the times didn't clash.
What he feared most was being asked out at the same time to different places.
If that really happened, he'd have to use his fate-weaving Ability to cause trouble at one of the date locations, then seal it off so outsiders couldn't easily enter.
Then he could take the chance to change the date spot.
Luckily, things hadn't come to that, and he didn't need to do any of it. "Sure, no problem at all."
Hojo Shouko also secretly sighed in relief. She still didn't know that Aozawa already knew the truth, and she felt a bit guilty, thinking it wasn't very good of her to deceive Aozawa-senpai.
But if she wanted to help Summer Flower from the sidelines, this was the only way.
In a bit she still had to put on makeup to make her face look deathly pale, so that at noon she could reinforce the impression that she was feeling unwell, making it easier to fool Aozawa-senpai after school.
Afraid that saying more would lead to slipups, Hojo Shouko hurried down the stairs and returned to the Guzheng Club once they'd settled on a time.
...
The door slid open.
Natsuka Yanagimachi rushed over at once, her expression a bit tense. "Did Shouko manage to fix a time with Aozawa-senpai?"
"We've set it. Right after school this afternoon, we'll head to Tokyo Dome City together."
Hojo Shouko's answer made Natsuka Yanagimachi exhale in relief. Step one of the plan had been taken.
Next was step two, and step three.
Thinking about what came after, Natsuka Yanagimachi couldn't help getting jittery.
Before actually doing it, she'd felt the future was bright and full of possibilities. freёwebnovel.com
But now that it was time to act, it felt like a sheer cliff right in front of her, and one step forward would smash her to pieces.
"Shouko, you think we'll be okay, right?"
"Natsuka, it's way too late for you to chicken out now."
Hojo Shouko knew Natsuka Yanagimachi's personality very well. She looked fearless, but deep down she was really lacking in confidence.
Whatever she did, she needed someone standing behind her to give her a hard shove.
Natsuka Yanagimachi was the type who, once she found a tree, would just stand underneath it and hide.
Only when the rain was pouring and that tree could no longer shield her from the storm would she choose to move on to the next big tree, and so on, over and over.
Without some irresistible external force, it was very hard to get Natsuka Yanagimachi to take action.
"I've already sent out the invitation. At this point, whether you want to or not, you're going!"
Hojo Shouko grabbed Natsuka Yanagimachi's hand, and the delicate brows and eyes that were usually so quiet now showed a steely determination.
Seeing this, Natsuka Yanagimachi flicked off her hand with dramatic bravado and shouted, "Shouko, don't insult my courage with that weird nonsense!
From start to finish I haven't said I was scared even once.
There's nothing scary about this kind of thing at all. It's just riding a roller coaster and then pretending to be scared, right?
My acting skills can handle anything!"
By the end of her speech, even Natsuka Yanagimachi herself believed it a little, and her heart filled with fighting spirit again.
Hojo Shouko knew her friend's temperament very well.
In the passage of time, this fired-up state would slowly leak away bit by bit.
What she had to do was make sure that energy didn't all drain out before the afternoon, before Natsuka Yanagimachi saw Aozawa-senpai.
As long as she could push the duck onto the rack, Natsuka Yanagimachi wouldn't think about backing out anymore, but would instead have that "well, I'm here anyway, might as well give it my all" resolve.
"I believe in you."
Hojo Shouko had no choice but to force herself to say this, going against her true feelings, ripples stirring on her usually calm face.
She didn't believe it at all!
Natsuka Yanagimachi ranted inwardly, a flicker of irritation rising as well.
Back then, if she hadn't been the one scheming for Hojo Shouko, how could this girl have had any chance with Aozawa?
Never mind whether her strategies were actually effective.
Anyway, she'd done what she could.
And now Shouko was looking down on her? That was something Natsuka Yanagimachi absolutely couldn't tolerate.
She had to rise up! She had to fight!
...
I really wanna go home...
When the bell rang after school, Natsuka Yanagimachi felt the urge to retreat.
She saw the teacher off, then started putting her textbooks into her bag, moving so slowly that by the time Hojo Shouko came up to her, the book in her hand still wasn't in the bag.
"Let me help."
Hojo Shouko, completely unlike her usual self, firmly gripped the back of her hand and shoved the book into the bag for her.
Natsuka Yanagimachi turned her head, seeing her friend's unusually forceful attitude, and really wanted to make some snarky comment.
Because of the makeup Hojo Shouko had deliberately put on, her face was so pale it looked sickly, not healthy at all.
Matched with those calm yet shadowy eyes, she looked just like Sadako crawling out of a horror movie.
Natsuka Yanagimachi imagined her crawling out of a TV screen, her lips twitching upward, but when she came back to reality, she found herself under pressure again.
"Shouko, isn't it kind of bad to go on a date in our school uniforms?"
She first threw out this question, then swore up and down, "It'd be better if we set it for Sunday. We'd have more time to get ready and show our prettiest selves."
"Nothing looks better than a girl's high school uniform. That's what you used to say, Natsuka."
Hojo Shouko replied firmly.
She knew very well that if they backed down now, this Sunday would turn into next Sunday, then the Sunday after that.
Eventually it would evolve into a Sunday that would never arrive.
"Didn't you say you weren't scared at all?"
"Haha, I just don't want to fight a battle I'm not sure of. I wanna stockpile more chances, that's all."
Natsuka Yanagimachi kept up the tough front.
She was scared.
If they followed the plan to the letter and the other side had no reaction at all, wouldn't she just be a Clown dancing alone on the street?
"It's not like I'm as pretty as you, where just a uniform is enough to hold you up."
"Natsuka, you're very pretty. You just lack a bit of confidence."
Hojo Shouko grabbed her shoulders, her face serious. "I've always thought you look really beautiful when you smile.
Even when you go crazy for no reason at all at some random time.
That abnormal burst of youthful energy is your strong point. I believe you can capture Aozawa-senpai's heart."
Looking at Shouko, seeing no trace of a lie on that face, Natsuka Yanagimachi finally steeled herself.
"Okay! Let's go!"
...
The two of them left the classroom together.
At the school gate, Hojo Shouko deliberately clutched her stomach and said to Aozawa, who was standing in front of them, "Sorry, Aozawa-senpai, I'm not feeling very well.
You and Natsuka go to Tokyo Dome City in my place."
"Are you sure you're okay?"
Aozawa looked concerned. He knew Hojo Shouko was just acting.
But since Hojo Shouko didn't know that he knew she was acting, he, of course, had to act like he cared.
Acting cold would only hurt Shouko's feelings.
"I can stay and look after you. We can go to the amusement park another day, no problem."
When Hojo Shouko heard that, she hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no need, this happens a few days every month.
It's a rare Halloween. I don't want to ruin your fun because of me.
I'd feel really guilty."
"Yeah, Aozawa-senpai, we'll carry the regret of Shouko not being able to go and have an extra great time for her sake."
Natsuka Yanagimachi stepped in to smooth things over.
Seeing this, Aozawa pretended to be persuaded and nodded. "All right then."
Natsuka Yanagimachi took a deep breath.
They'd already taken step two; next was step three.
Come on, me!
Come on, Summer Flower!
Hojo Shouko also silently cheered her friend on in her heart. She even wanted to tail them the whole time, but was afraid Aozawa would notice, so she could only wait for Natsuka's good news.
