Everyone at the table burst into laughter.
After they had joked around for a while, Ando Sayo remembered something else.
"Oh, right, Kagihara."
She leaned closer. "I also heard that you're not just close to our Honami. You're pretty close to several other girls, too?"
At those words, the laughter around the table paused ever so slightly.
Ichinose Honami's hand froze as she lifted her cup.
Kazehara Tetsu's expression, however, remained unchanged.
"Half of those rumors are true, and half are things other people made up about me. I know quite a few people, but knowing someone isn't the same as being 'close' in the way you're imagining."
"Then tell us which ones are true," Minamikata Kozue pressed.
"For example, Honami and I..."
Kazehara Tetsu turned to glance at Ichinose Honami beside him. "That one's true. As for the rest, if you're really interested, go ask the people involved one by one later. If I tell you myself, it'll sound like I'm bragging."
"Smooth talker."
Kobashi Yume huffed, though she was still smiling. "Still, I believe half of what you said."
"Why only half?"
"Because the way you look at Honami doesn't lie."
Kobashi Yume folded her arms, looking every bit the seasoned expert. "You make it sound so casual, but she was the first person you looked at when you came in. And when you handed over the fruit, you instinctively put it closer to her. Those little gestures don't escape my eyes."
Kazehara Tetsu raised an eyebrow without arguing.
Beside them, Ando Sayo and Minamikata Kozue were still firing off all sorts of questions...
"What do you like about Honami?"
"Everything."
"Where do you usually go on dates?"
"Hmm, nowhere in particular. It depends on how we feel that day."
"Who gives in first when you fight?"
"...That