"Something personal? What personal business could there be... between us? This coffee really is good, though. It doesn't give me heartburn."
Tatsuya Sakuya set down his coffee cup and looked at Kushida Kikyou across from him, asking with some puzzlement.
In the classroom, they only ever had ordinary conversations. They hardly spoke in private, and when they did, it was usually about class matters.
"Well... here's the thing."
Kushida Kikyou lowered her head a little bashfully, cupping her coffee in both hands as she spoke quietly.
"After school yesterday, a boy in our class suddenly stopped me... and confessed his feelings."
"He confessed to you?"
Tatsuya Sakuya paused, then said,
"Isn't that perfectly normal? You're really popular in class, and with your looks, it makes sense that some boys would like you!"
"That's not what I mean..."
Kushida Kikyou sighed in distress, clearly troubled.
"I won't tell you who it was, for his sake... The point is, I turned him down."
"You can't force someone to return your feelings. Isn't it normal for someone confessing to be prepared for rejection?"
"And then he acted really strange in class all day."
Kushida Kikyou bit her lower lip, her expression deeply conflicted.
"More importantly... he seems to be deliberately avoiding me. Whenever I walk past his seat, he turns his head away."
Tatsuya Sakuya leaned back in his chair and roughly played out the scene in his head.
XXX: [Kikyo-chan, do you have a boyfriend?]
Kushida Kikyou: [No, I don't.]
XXX: [Hey, hey, Kikyo-chan, since you don't have a boyfriend yet, why don't you go out with me?]
There were probably a few possible responses.
Kushida Kikyou: [Ahaha, I don't have a boyfriend yet... but someone like me isn't all that popular.]
Kushida Kikyou: [You're a nice guy... We're all good friends.]