The Not-So-Kind Operator

As summer vacation approached, the bizarre things I encountered became more and more prevalent as well.

"—set, go!"

The shrill sound of the whistle kicked off the race, and Yakishio shot forward, leaving her competition in the dust. I was standing behind a knee-high fence that barely qualified as an obstacle. I could easily vault over it and give her a little kick to throw her off track if I felt like it—not that I actually would. Too much hassle.

"What are you thinking about, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Yanami casually popped a golden stick of food into her mouth—was it French fries?

"Nothing special."

She followed my gaze, then grinned. 

"Were you eyeing my fries? Geez, if you wanted some, you could've just said so."

"I'm not—"

Before I could answer, she held one out to me.

Well, I was curious, so I took a bite of it directly from her hand.

'Ckrik!'

"What are you doing?"

Even though I already knew the answer, I asked anyway.

"Heh," Yanami grinned smugly. "Well, well, Ayanokouji-kun. You just look cute when you eat it, so I couldn't resist taking a picture."

"What are you gonna do with it?"

Yanami sighed, exasperated. "I mean, we're like friends, right? Think of it as a memory—so stop looking at me like I'm plotting something diabolical."

"Hey, Kouji-kun! Anna-chan!" 

Yakishio called, jogging over to us with a wide grin on her face. She didn't seem that tired even after the race.

"I just broke another record! Isn't that awesome?"

"Of course! Congratulations, Lemon-chan. I think Ayanokouji-kun here should celebrate it by treating us."

"Unfortunately, I don't have the money to treat you—and maybe you should consider skipping a meal once in a while."

Yanami shook her head while clicking her tongue repeatedly. "Ayanokouji-kun doesn't understand women, I see."

"I'd never bother to understand them if all were like you."

"What do you—?"

Anyway, the mission to make Yakishio heartbroken—or, in the wildly optimistic case, become Ayano's girlfriend—had begun.

Watching her go after someone with as much social awareness as an oblivious bystander to a fire is like watching a train approach a car stuck on the tracks, so it's an interesting thing to watch.

Yakishio's goal is simple; she wants Ayano Mitsuki to see her as more than a friend. 

But I had to wonder if she'd thought through the possible outcomes if things didn't go her way. Even if Ayano isn't dating Asagumo, there's a chance he wouldn't reciprocate her feelings. And if he 'is' with Asagumo, then she's headed straight for heartbreak.

"How about we follow Asagumo-san and Ayano-kun on Saturday?"

The suggestion came just as we reached a café about five minutes from school—a spot I'd been to a few times. 

Nothing extraordinary about the place, but it was close to the school, and the coffee was decent enough, so it was my go-to when I wanted something simple and was lazy to go for another spot.

Yanami's suggestion earned a hesitant look from Yakishio—well, obviously. Yakishio was reasonable enough to question the idea.

"For what?" she asked hesitantly.

"To find out if they're really dating or not, of course!"

"That sounds..."

Yakishio seemed uncertain.

"Summer break starts next week, right?" I said, cutting in. "Just try asking Ayano when he's free. Once you've done and get a promise, let us know, and we'll do what we can to support you then."

For now, nothing too complicated needed to be done. For all I knew, this could all play out uneventfully. 

From what I'd observed, a few things were likely to get messy, even if I wasn't entirely sure just how chaotic this situation could become. I didn't know much about what was happening between them that deeply, so any plans would have to be flexible, but one thing was certain—'Yakishio's persistence, optimism, and relentless hopefulness could be a double-edged sword for herself.'

"R-Right, got it," Yakishio nodded, mostly convinced. There was still a hint of nerves, though. "Uh, so, what else should we talk about now?"

"Why not talk about Ayano? Getting to know more about him might help me plan better."

"T-Talk about Mitsuki? Um... okay, I guess?"

"Ayanokouji-kun, you seem to have forgotten 'me' in this whole 'planning' thing."

"You don't have to force it if you're not comfortable, Yakishio."

"Don't ignore me," Yanami complained, exasperated.

Ignoring her entirely, Yakishio and I went on discussing Ayano.

***

"Sigh..."

On the way home, I couldn't help but let my thoughts wandered back to the situation with Yakishio.

She was bound to get hurt in all this, no doubt, but I guess that's why this whole situation caught my attention in the first place. 

If this were anyone else, I'd let them walk straight into whatever fate awaited them without a second thought. But Yakishio's outlook was, to put it nicely, unique, so it piqued my interest.

While Yanami seemed intent on setting her up with Ayano, my goals were a little different.

Yakishio was invested—wholly and fervently—in the belief that persistence and timing would eventually pay off. In this way, she and Yanami were much alike. But while Yakishio clung tightly to her "plan," Ayano's attention could be drift to everything but her, and she was only heading toward a one-sided pursuit.

This would be a matter of managing expectations.

This could mean chipping away at her optimism slowly—and when she has a small, nagging doubt, I'll give her some advice that's realistic enough to stick, getting her to view all this from a more sensible perspective. Right now, Yakishio still firmly and consciously believes that she'll win, and hope can be the most painful poison.

Of course, there's no guarantee she'll listen. She might ignore my advice altogether, choosing to take the plunge headfirst without any reservations. But if I play this well, I'll be there to steer her when she realizes it might not work out as planned.

—or, I could subtly encourage Yakishio to build up her courage, allowing her hope to blind her decision. All the things she's afraid to make too obvious up until now—I'll nudge her toward them. Then when she thinks they did something, I'll let her face the honest result. It could be painful or delightful, as for example, knowing Ayano and Asagumo's relationship. I assumed they were already in a relationship, but I'd have to confirm for myself what their status was. I'll arrange it so she discovers it herself—ideally in a way that makes it undeniable—and preferably when her expectations are at their peak.

She might break over it, but it would spare her the burden of holding onto feelings for someone who could never see her the same way. If she can't handle that... well, she'll figure out what moving on feels like.

It's clear that Yakishio's resilience—and naivety—wouldn't yield to a simple warning. She'd keep hoping until she couldn't anymore.

"Ayanokouji-kun, what do you want to eat now?"

I stopped my monologue and glanced at the girl beside me. Yanami.

"What I want, huh?" I thought for a moment and then said, "Something that isn't too filling, if possible."

"That means we're going to Sato's Grill House, then!"

Despite the vague answer, she seemed to know instantly where to go.

'Speaking of childhood friend crushes, what is Yanami's view on it?'

I know she's vexed about Hakamada and Himemiya's relationship, but has she fully moved on? Honestly, I can't tell.

"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun."

"What?"

"Do you have any suggestions on how to ruin someone's romantic relationship and make the loser fall for me after that?"

I exhaled. Seems like I didn't need to ask her for the answer. "Even if I have, I wouldn't tell you."

"What? You'd tell Lemon-chan, but not me?"

"Yakishio has no intention of ruining other people's relationships."

"Don't lie! You know Ayano-kun and Asagumo-san are together."

How surprising—that Yanami can think that far ahead.

"I don't know what you're talking about, and if that's what you really think, why don't you just say it to her?"

She stammered. "W-Well, she seems pretty confident that she has a chance, and I don't want to ruin that."

"That's the same as lying to her, you know?"

"I-I didn't—"

I was suddenly reminded of Hakamada's actions just this morning. 

He subtly pushed me to fill in Yanami's 'wounds', which was quite insensitive of him, because he didn't really have the right to do that. Should I tell Yanami about that?

As I thought about that, we arrived at Sato's Grill House, tucked away in a narrow alley that wasn't marked on any map or listed online. At this point, I knew that it was the kind of place that wouldn't typically come up on internet.

Dim lighting and a faint smell of charcoal greeted us as we stepped inside, giving the place a cozy atmosphere. Wooden tables and chairs were arranged casually, each corner of the room casting shadows that gave the place a kind of charm you couldn't recreate in a chain restaurant.

The handwritten menu pasted on a large chalkboard behind the counter and featured a variety of small plates: skewers, grilled vegetables, and specialty dishes like smoked fish and tamagoyaki. It was more of a snack bar than a full restaurant, though—I had to admit, Yanami had done a pretty good job picking the place.

I glanced around, noticing a couple of old posters and some retro decorations on the walls.

"How did you find this place?" I asked.

She shrugged. 

"It's just one of those places that only the locals know about. But, well, my cousin told me it's good for a low-key bite after school."

"Seems quaint, huh?"

As we found a table near the back, an older woman approached us with a casual but warm greeting, setting down a glass of ice water in front of each of us.

"Anything catch your eye?" Yanami asked, scanning the menu and leaning back.

I scanned the board myself.

"I'll go with a few yakitori skewers and maybe some tamagoyaki---something light, like I said."

"I think I'll go for the grilled vegetables and maybe a few skewers, too," she said, her finger tracing the edges of the board. "Oh, and some of the smoked fish sounds good."

I nodded, glancing at the woman behind the counter, who had already started to move to prepare our order.

As the silence lingered between us, Yanami broke it with a curious question. "Ayanokouji-kun, why don't you ever show any expression? You always seem so... I don't know, neutral?"

"I'm just not the type to show much, I guess."

"But don't you think it's weird?"

"It's just how I am."

Yanami gave me a skeptical look. "If that's what you think..."

I guess others will found my lack of expression unsettling, but I didn't particularly care if anyone understood what was going on inside my head. It didn't matter.

"Well, people have different ways of expressing themselves," I said, keeping my tone neutral.

Yanami was quiet, but I know that she's staring at me with a somewhat neutral expression. I don't know what she's thinking about, though.

Then, out of nowhere, she chuckled.

Before I could ask her for the reason, she continued, "I guess that's one of the things they were right about you, Ayanokouji-kun."

"What do you mean by that?"

She grinned teasingly.

"Who knows?"