I couldn't stop staring at the new contact saved on my phone.
Niina.
"Hehe." A grin slowly spread across my face.
This... This was youth. Back in middle school, girls barely talked to me unless they absolutely had to. High school wasn't much better. The closest I'd ever gotten to exchanging contact information with a girl was being added to the class group chat.
But now? A cute girl had smiled at me. Called me kind. Said I was funny. Then she asked for my phone number. Nobody could convince me this wasn't the greatest achievement of my eighteen year old life.
I proudly puffed out my chest. I've finally become popular. I had won at life.
Then a cough interrupted my celebration. Joseph scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Princess Niina."
Both of us slowly turned to look at him.
I blinked.
Princess...? Since when did he start talking like that? This idiot had developed a crush in less than five minutes. That had to be a new world record.
Even Niina looked slightly startled.
Joseph took a deep breath before scratching the back of his head. "W-Would... Would you exchange phone numbers with me too?"
Niina hesitated. "Sorry, but... We just met."
"I know," Joseph said with an awkward smile. "But... Kaoru can be pretty clumsy. She might leave her phone in her dorm or forget to reply."
I frowned. "I don't do that often."
"So if you ever can't reach her..." Joseph rubbed the back of his neck. "You can just call or text me."
Niina blinked in surprise before glancing at me.
It was almost as if she was silently asking,'Is it okay?'
I gave her a small nod.
She smiled politely. "If you're Kaoru's friend, then I don't mind."
Joseph's eyes lit up. "R-Really?"
A moment later, the two of them exchanged contact information.
I glanced at Joseph. Wow, smooth bastard.
Joseph looked down at his phone with the biggest grin I'd ever seen.
Not long afterward, Niina glanced at the cafeteria clock.
"Oh! I have class in five minutes." She quickly stood up with her tray before smiling at both of us. "It was nice talking to you." Then she looked at me. "Thank you again, Kaoru. I'll message you later."
"O-Oh." I tried my best to sound calm. "Sure."
"See you." She waved cheerfully before jogging toward the cafeteria exit.
I kept waving until she disappeared behind the doors.
I slowly turned toward Joseph. He was staring at his phone still smiling.
"Josh."
No response.
"Josh."
Still nothing.
I snapped my fingers in front of his face. "Earth to Josh."
"Huh?" He finally looked up.
I sighed. "Control yourself."
He hugged his phone against his chest. "Kaoru."
"What?"
"Do you realize how beautiful she is?"
I frowned. "Who? Me?"
He looked at me as if I'd just asked whether water was wet. "Niina!"
"Oh." I nodded. "Yeah. She's cute."
"Cute?" He looked personally offended. "Cute?! She's goddess level!"
I immediately shoved my palm against his face. "Calm down."
"Mmph!"
"You only got her number because she knows me."
He pulled my hand away before letting out a dreamy sigh. "I know. But... She smiled at me."
"She smiles at everyone." I pinched the bridge of my nose.
He suddenly pointed at me accusingly. "How dare you gatekeep her from me?"
I blinked. "Gatekeep?"
"You should've introduced me sooner!"
I proudly crossed my arms. "You only got her number because I'm your friend." I puffed out my chest. "So show some gratitude, weakling."
Joseph groaned before letting out a defeated sigh. "Fine... You win."
Feeling victorious, I picked up my tray and headed toward the return counter.
As I walked, I instinctively glanced down at my phone.
Niina.
Joseph.
Mom.
Dad.
"Huh?" Something suddenly crossed my mind.
I looked up. Just a few steps away, Kazuha was quietly returning her tray after finishing lunch.
Right, I still didn't have Kazuha's number. This was my chance. Without another thought, I hurried over with my tray. "Kazuha!"
She glanced over her shoulder before looking at me with her usual calm expression. "Oh, Kaoru. What is it?"
"Nothing." I flashed her my brightest smile. "I just wanted to say hi since we happened to meet."
She tilted her head slightly. "I see."
There was a brief silence. My heart suddenly started beating a little faster. Rejection was inevitable anyway. Whether it happened now or ten minutes later didn't really matter. At least this way, I'd die with no regrets.
"Kazuha..."
"Hm?"
"Could we exchange phone nu—"
"No." She rejected me before I could even finish my sentence without hesitation.
My shoulders slumped. "That was fast."
"You were going to ask for my number."
"Yeah."
"So I answered first."
I couldn't even argue with that logic. Still... I wasn't about to give up that easily.
I dramatically placed a hand over my chest. "After everything we've been through together... My tragic fever... and how you took care of me." I lowered my head, deliberately putting on my saddest voice before continuing. "You even helped me buy sanitary pads. I thought... our bond had become stronger."
Kazuha quietly closed her eyes and let out a quiet sigh. "Kaoru."
"Yes?"
"Stop it. Before someone misunderstands."
I froze.
Only then did I notice several nearby students glancing in our direction. Right... That definitely sounded suspicious without any context.
As I opened my mouth to apologize, Kazuha had already turned around. Without waiting for my reply, she simply walked away toward the cafeteria exit, leaving me standing there by myself.
I slowly lowered the hand that was still dramatically pressed against my chest. Another rejection, huh...