Cupid's Game : Plan A

Yesterday was an enchanting opportunity for Jin and me to share a romantic moment, without anyone bothering!! Today, the stage is set for orchestrating romance between Ayumi and Kimura. Nevertheless, there's a lingering uncertainty about whether success in this endeavor might yield a fresh dream. Regardless, I'm determined to give it my all. If our plan proves fruitful, it could become the perfect occasion to reveal my feelings to Jin.

Bright and early, Ayano, Haruhi, Jin, and I convened at the lover's garden, the rendezvous point for our endeavor.

"HEY, JIN!" Ayano's voice carried, her hand waving perilously close to Jin's face.

"Why are you yelling? I'm right in front of you," he responded, gently lowering her hand.

"Hope you haven't forgotten yesterday!" Ayano's arms crossed, irritation evident in her tone.

"What of yesterday?"

She huffed, averting her gaze. "Accusing us!"

"Hahaha..." I giggled.

They exchanged puzzled glances in response to my early morning enthusiasm. Ayano's inquiry came first, "What's your deal so early in the morning?"

"Did you see another dream?" Haruhi chimed in.

I grinned and shook my head, "Nope, nothing. Just excited."

Both Jin and Haruhi mirrored my smile, while Ayano responded with a nonchalant shrug, accompanied by an eye roll—clearly, she wasn't in the best mood.

A moment of silence appeared until Ayano's outburst reverberated, her fists clenched up high. "Let's get this over with! We can't let Yun-Yun lose motivation! She's our bait!"

"Yeah~!" Haruhi joined in, raising her fists.

"Yeah!" I followed suit, my fist aloft.

We awaited Jin's inclusion, and upon his nod, we synchronized our determined gestures.

Ayano mumbled under her breath, deeming Jin a "party popper."

Until the school bell signaled the commencement of classes, our discussions revolved around devising methods to engineer romantic 'accidental' encounters between Ayumi and Kimura. We devised four plans; plans A, B, C, and a backup plan.

"Even if the first three plans won't work out, our backup plan will work!" Ayano added at the end of our meeting.

Jin's role remained as the background supporter. His involvement was somewhat limited due to his less-than-amicable relationship with Kimura.

Plan A involved Ayumi and Kimura bumping into each other near the staircase during lunch. We pinpointed Tuesdays as the opportune day since that's when Kimura frequented the cafeteria for lunch. We also realized that Ayumi tended to follow his lead. It was the best chance for us to make it 'accidental'. So, we decided to wait till Tuesday to begin Plan A.

. . .

As the school bell rang, Kimura headed to the cafeteria. Jin informed us that he often preferred the leftmost staircase from the three staircases. Jin and I trailed Kimura's path, while Ayano followed him to the cafeteria. Haruhi was to watch Ayumi's movements and keep her busy until Ayano signals to us when Kimura returned.

Taking our positions, Jin and I hid behind the wall of the upper stairs while waiting for Kimura to appear from beneath.

This is how it went;

Ayano signaled thru message Kimura's arrival but from the middle staircase. Forced to adapt on the fly, I swiftly descended the stairs, the urgency to redirect Kimura driving my actions. My objective: to guide him towards the left staircase as originally planned.

Bounding down the steps, I scanned the area left and right, seeking Kimura as Ayano had indicated. Eventually, my gaze locked onto Ayano, who gestured frantically to my left, her unspoken command urging, "Hurry!"

"Ki-Kimura kun!"I called out, my breaths coming in ragged gasps as I closed the distance.

He came to a halt and turned around, "Hey! What's the matter?" a flicker of surprise mingled with delight danced in his eyes. because it was the first time I'd initiated a conversation.

"Uhh... I-I have something t-to show...tell you!" I stammered, pointing upward as a ruse. Seizing his wrist, I ushered him along, guiding him to the intended left staircase.

Simultaneously, with my spare hand, I discreetly dispatched a message to Haruhi, prompting her into action. Guiding Kimura up the staircase, I couldn't resist sneaking a glance at him. To my astonishment, his face had flushed, and his mouth hung slightly agape. 'Maybe I shouldn't have been forceful.' Reacting swiftly, I released his hand midway, causing him to teeter perilously, almost losing his balance.

"S-sorry!" I blurted out in a shout, quickly seizing his arm and averting his impending tumble.

"I-It's ok!" he replied, his voice tinged with shyness.

Having steadied him, I released my grip, gesturing for him to follow. Progressing onward, we ascended to the second floor. Ayumi was en route, her gaze cast downward. Seizing the opportunity, I positioned Kimura in front of me and steered him to face Ayumi, our paths converging just in time.

"What did you want to tell me?" Kimura queried.

"What I wanted to tell you was..." I began, pushing him abruptly toward Ayumi.

*Tud* The both of the bumped into each other. Unfortunately, Ayumi appeared far from receptive to any romantic gestures, her mood appearing considerably soured. Seemingly preoccupied with something that had roused her ire, she forcefully shoved Kimura aside, her destination the nearest wall.

Her voice lashed out, laden with anger, "Watch where you're going! Idiot!" and marched downstairs, Marching away, she offered neither a glance our way nor a hint of acknowledgment toward Kimura.

From afar, Haruhi sprinted toward us, her frantic waving signaling her impending arrival. "Guys! I messed up!"

Jin came out from hiding, tinged with a blush—though, it wasn't from embarrassment.

After Haruhi caught up, we left Kimura dumbfounded in his position and met with Ayano to discuss the details. Settling within the ivy-adorned hut, Haruhi recounted her side of the story. "I went to Ayumi's desk and saw that she was doing her math work. I asked her if I could help and then she allowed me to. I guided her with the methods and let her solve them. In five minutes we finished. That was when I got Ayano's signal. I knew it would take some time to redirect Kimura and I had nothing to say as she was trying to leave so, I asked her about Kimura. She said that she only saw him as a friend. I knew she was lying and I asked her again if she was sure because Kimura would confess to Yun-Yun and she might accept him. By the fifth time I asked her she was redder than a tomato and suddenly snapped saying that she doesn't care and doesn't want anyone prying into her love life and then she marched out of the classroom and you guys came to that situation."

After listening to Haruhi, Ayano slammed her fist onto the table, "What kind of an idiot doesn't know when to shut her mouth?!"

Collectively, Jin offered his input, "It's better off it ended that way. Let's continue with plan B."