Intermission: His and Her Lack of Circumstances

Intermission: His and Her Lack of Circumstances

Intermission:

His and Her Lack of Circumstances

“I -I’M GONNA RUN TO THE RESTROOM REAL QUICK.”

Nukumizu fled from the karaoke booth like a bat out of hell. Only Tiara and Yakishio remained. Together with the silence.

Yakishio took a sip of her oolong tea, then hopped over next to Tiara. “Hey, Ba-chan.”

“B-Ba? Is that me?”

Yakishio nodded, and so she was Ba. She thrust the mic out to her. “A question for the lady. Are you and Nukkun dating?”

“What?! Wh-what in the world gave you that impression?!” The mic squealed in protest to her squealing protests.

Yakishio only forced the microphone closer. “Come on, I’m not dumb. I saw how cozy you two looked when I came in. That didn’t look like ‘just studying.’”

“W-well, I…!” Tiara snatched the mic. “We only had the one workbook, okay?! So what?! I’m not allowed to study with a boy?! Is there a problem?! Do we have a problem here?!”

Shoulders heaving, she shoved the mic back to Yakishio.

“N-nope. Not with me.” She switched it off.

Tiara downed some cold tea and found her bearings again. “We’ve just gotten to talking more lately and happened to be studying together. Frankly, I’m more curious as to what you are to him.”

“Me? We’re clubmates. I got asked to come here, so…” Yakishio frowned all of a sudden. “Wait, was I?”

“What? He didn’t invite you? Then why are you here?”

Yakishio crossed her arms and worked her brain. “Come to think of it, I don’t think anyone told me to come here. Not outright, anyway. It just kinda…happened.”

“I see.” Tiara nodded in understanding. “A common bride scamming trick.”

“A whuh?”

“The scammer tries to talk around absolutes. Things that could lead directly back to them. Instead of ‘I want to marry you,’ it’s ‘I can’t marry you, because I’m in debt.’ Now, say you wanted to marry this person. What would you do?”

“Well, debt’s no joke. I’d do what I could to help pay i—” Yakishio clapped her hands together as the realization hit.

“See? They lead you to think like that. Make you the one who comes up with the idea of sending money under the false assumption that you’ll have a bride after. Nukumizu-san was using these exact tactics against you. And to think he’s only a high school student.”

“Was he, though? I didn’t even talk to him. It was Yana-chan.”

“Whoever this ‘Yana-chan’ is, they’re clearly a catfish being used in his stead. Another common tactic.” Tiara stared daggers at the door Nukumizu had left through just moments prior.

Yakishio didn’t share her enthusiasm. “I dunno, that doesn’t sound like Nukkun. He’s usually just kinda oblivious. A sorta go-with-the-flow kinda dude. I don’t see him masterminding much of anything.”

“True. He’s not at all that attentive, which would be a fatal flaw for any scammer. God, you’re right. What was I thinking? Insensitive little…” She poured some tea from her bottle, grumbling under her breath.

“He do something?”

“More a lack thereof. Look, I know how things are between us, but I’m still a girl, you know? I put in effort.”

“Oh, uh, sure,” Yakishio half-heartedly agreed.

“Not that I necessarily wanted him to comment on anything. It’s just his general lack of appreciation or sense for the kinds of things girls care about. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, I feel you there. That’s totally his problem. I feel sorry for the girl who ends up falling for him.”

“Agreed. He’s an enemy to women everywhere.”

“Yeah, screw Nukkun.”

The girls looked at each other and giggled.

Just then, Nukumizu timidly poked his head inside. “What? Why’s everyone staring at me?”

“That right there,” Yakishio said.

“That right there,” chanted Tiara.

More girlish giggles. Nukumizu could only sigh.