Chapter 7: Havin’ A Blast (1)

[16:01]

What's taking those two so long? I glanced at my phone. Thirty minutes had passed, and I still hadn't seen them. I didn't mind waiting—it felt nice outside—but waiting this long was starting to get aggravating.

"Amane!"

Finally. I turned to look at Itsuki, who had Yuta following right behind him, along with another person. A woman? Uh... I didn't mind, but why was she coming with us?

The girl in question, Irido Yume, had a beaming smile that complemented her blend of plain yet captivating features. Her long, brown hair paired well with her expressive eyes. That didn't really matter, though.

The trio got closer, and I had to ask, "Is she coming with us?"

Sure, it was an obvious question with an obvious answer, but I still had to make sure.

Yuta nodded and explained, "Yeah, she overheard us talking about this, and she wanted to come since some friends of hers from another school will be there. Both of them are actually older by a year, so don't get surprised."

"Why would I?"

"Huh? Itsuki told me you're a virgin, so..."

"..." I shot Itsuki a death glare.

"Whoops~" Of course, he playfully shrugged it off and acted like nothing happened.

I focused on Yume. "We planned on going out to eat first. Did you just want to invite your friends? We can all meet up there."

"T-That would be preferable."

"Is everything okay?" She looked nervous, but I couldn't figure out why. I mean, she was the one who wanted to come.

"Yes! It's just... you act so much different than you do in the classroom!"

"W-Well, that typically happens. I just want to go home when I get there."

"Hehe, you sound like my little brother."

"Little? Are you talking about your brother, the other Irido?" Yuta chimed in. Surprisingly, the conversation was going smoothly—way smoother than I'd thought originally. I thought I'd have to walk on eggshells!

Taking a second, I looked down at my phone.

[16:11]

"Hey, we should get going. Irido-san, go ahead and message your friends that we'll meet up at the McDonald's inside the mall."

"Okay! Also, feel free to call me Yume. I don't want it to be confusing for everyone."

Itsuki and Yuta shrugged, so I matched their energy. I handed my phone to Yume, and with a completely neutral face, I asked, "Then, Yume, can I get your number in case we need it?"

"Huh?! Oh, yeah, of course—that's smart." Her face turned a little pink, and yes, I understood why: a member of the opposite sex was asking for her number. Quite the thrilling experience, I know... not really. Let's just hurry up and get to the food!

"Here!" She handed me back my phone. Giving a nod, I started heading toward our destination. I didn't even look back to see if they were following—I really just wanted some food right now!

----

"Nanami! Sawako!"

We arrived at our destination in just under an hour. It was quite far from school, and I had decided to walk the whole way to avoid any risk of Yume being groped or harassed. Unfortunately, those incidents are far too common, and the societal norm of minding one's own business only makes things worse.

Anyway.

"Hey, Yume!" One of the girls, with long brown hair tied into a ponytail and golden-brown eyes, rushed toward us, particularly Yume. The other girl didn't quite rush but hurriedly walked, her long, flowing jet-black hair moving side to side rapidly, and her dark-brown eyes nervously glancing between us (the guys) and her friends.

Are we that scary? I didn't feel like it, but maybe she was one of the shy types. However, I couldn't help but feel I'd seen both of these girls before. That was impossible for the original Amane, but maybe I'd come across them in an anime or manga from my world.

I put the thought to the back of my mind and introduced myself. "Nice to meet you two. My name is Fujimiya Amane. Honestly, just feel free to call me Amane. Oh, same for you, Yume—I was too hungry to tell you earlier."

"Can I call you Amane, Fujimiya-san?"

"Huh? Of course, Yuta. I don't know why you didn't do so earlier."

"Normally, it's rude, you know?"

"I'm not normal, so forget it!"

"Pfft!"

"What's so funny, Itsuki?"

"Why are you so proud of being weird?"

"Because I'm truly strong, so I stand proud."

"...Dude, I thought that was over when the game ended."

"How could glazing my two kings ever end?!"

"Y-You're talking about Sukuna, right? From Jujutsu Kaisen?"

The girl with black hair joined in. Itsuki and I focused on her, and we got even more sidetracked.

"You know about Jujutsu Kaisen?" Itsuki couldn't believe it, and neither could I.

"Y-Yeah! I love it. All of the characters and the world are cool."

"You understand! People on the internet just don't appreciate the greatness that is JJK! All they do is hate and compare, failing to understand the gift we were blessed with."

"You're right, Amane! It's definitely not everyone on social media, but that set of people is awful and has nothing better to do with their lives!"

"You're right! Why can't we all just enjoy a series without all the complaining?"

"You're right... uh, what's your name?" I just realized we never finished introductions. I had a fifty-fifty shot, though, since Yume said their names earlier. I could gamble if I wanted to.

"Ah. U-Um, it's Kuronuma... Sawa..."

I couldn't hear her as her voice got drowned out by the surroundings. I got closer and bent down a little, putting my right ear closer.

"Sorry, once again."

"Kuronuma Sawako. F-F-Feel free to call me Sawako."

"Sure! Once again, feel free to call me Amane. But, back on topic, I couldn't agree more with you!"

"I second that. Miss?"

"It's Kuronuma Sawako, Itsuki. She said feel free to call her Sawako, though!"

"Cool! The name's Akazawa Itsuki. Just call me Itsuki. That dude over there—yeah, that pretty boy—just call him Yuta."

"He's right. You can call me by my first name as well!"

"Ahem!" Yume broke into our conversation.

"Aren't you boys forgetting us over here?"

Me, Yuta, and Itsuki glanced at each other.

Yuta: "Not really, no."

Itsuki: "Yeah, it's strange. It's like our other members vanished somewhere... Amane, call Yume. I think she got lost!"

Me: "Yeah, you're right."

Yume: "H-Hey! That's so mean!"

Yume stomped her foot playfully on the ground, and the other girl with the ponytail looked amused. She interjected soon enough, introducing herself.

"Aoyama Nanami. Feel free to call me Nanami." She gave a light bow, leaving Yume to defend herself alone.

"Nanami, aren't you supposed to help?!"

"Nah, I'd win."

Sawako, Yuta, Itsuki, and I: "Oh."

"What? I've watched and read JJK too!"

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AN: I know this chapter might not be liked but I find chapters like these necessary. Ofc you guys might actually like it and I'm just overthinking...