The next several weeks passed with relative normality as we all got back into the swing of things. Saki continued to come to school and do homework with me and Hiromasa. She would still involve us in her deviant activities weekly, but at least she hadn't felt the need to break in anywhere else or take us back to her father's house.

We were all sitting outside, eating at lunch period like we normally did, when a girl with her brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail approached our group. Kataoka Naru. I was pretty sure I let her borrow my umbrella sometime the previous year.

"Nagase?" she said, with her hands folded behind her back. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure." I stood up and brushed my pants off.

I followed her along the walkway until we were out of earshot, then she turned and smiled at me. "This is kind of embarrassing. Do you remember me?"

I nodded. "Kataoka, right?"

Her smile widened and she nodded hastily. "That's right. I still remember that day you let me borrow your umbrella and had to run all the way home in the rain."

I laughed. "Yeah, I got drenched that day. That's alright, though. Like I said, I didn't really mind."

"I meant to talk to you before summer break, but then I saw you were always hanging around Higoshi and I figured you two must be dating." She paused to fiddle with a strand of hair that came loose from her ponytail. "I finally got up my courage to ask her, and she assures me you aren't."

She probably said it without any hesitation either. It's not as though I would have expected her to answer differently, but the truth still hurts when you hear it out loud sometimes.

"Anyway," she continued. "I...I just wanted you to know that I like you...and...and I wondered if you wanted to go out sometime." She said the last part in a rush and then bowed her head so I couldn't see her face.

The amount of courage it takes to confess your feelings to someone never fails to impress me. I can't fathom the mental torment that must exist in those seemingly endless seconds that occur between the moment the confession leaves your lips and the time it takes for the other person to respond. Will they return your feelings? Will they prolong your agony by saying they need time to think? Will they say no?

I have never been able to refuse anyone before. Not because I especially like them, not in that way, but because I'm always hoping that I will eventually. Besides that, I don't know that I could turn someone down in good conscience. If I were to spend my days dwelling about whether or not someone I liked thought about me the same way, to hear a no after I finally put myself out there would probably rip me apart.

"Sure," I said. "When are you free?"

"Really?" Her head snapped up.

"Of course." I smiled and nodded.

"Today?" She took a step forward and grasped both my hands in hers. "Uh...I mean." She stepped back and pressed her index fingers together nervously. "I'm free today, if you want to do something."

"I'll have to check," I said. "I usually hang out with Hiromasa and Saki on the weekdays."

"We can all hang out." She smiled.

"Huh? Really?" I asked.

She nodded. "Sure. I wouldn't want you to break your plans. Plus, I think I might feel kind of nervous if it was just me and you." She looked to the side and blushed.

I chuckled. "That's fine with me. In that case, it's only fair you pick the place. Where do you want to go?"

"Do you like karaoke?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I've never tried it."

She gasped. "You've never tried karaoke?"

"Nope." I laughed and shook my head. "I hear it's fun though."

She nodded eagerly. "It's lots of fun. That settles it then. Karaoke it is."

I nodded in agreement and we returned to where Hiromasa and Saki were sitting.

"So, I guess you already know Saki," I said. "That weird looking guy over there is Shiganori Hiromasa." I gestured at him.

He glared at me.

Kataoka bowed. "Pleased to meet you."

I laughed. "You don't have to be so formal."

"Right." She blushed. "Sorry. I'm just nervous."

Hiromasa grinned. "You don't have to be nervous around me."

She nodded. "Thanks."

"How do you guys feel about karaoke today?" I asked.

Hiromasa smiled and nodded. "I've only been a couple of times before, but it was a lot of fun."

"Pass." Saki said unapologetically.

"Oh," Kataoka said. Her expression turned worried. "Is it because of me?"

"I just don't really want to crash someone's date," Saki said.

Kataoka blushed at the word. I think she might have been worse than Hiromasa.

"Kataoka said she wanted to go as a group," I said.

Saki looked away remaining silent.

"Maybe it's not such a good idea after all," Kataoka said sadly and looked at the ground.

"Don't pay any attention to Saki." I pulled out my phone and started typing away. "We're still trying to civilize her. Do you still want to go as a group?" I glanced at Kataoka.

She nodded shyly and twirled the end of her ponytail with her finger.

"Will this work?" I held the phone out to her, letting her see the karaoke place I had pulled up.

She smiled and nodded. "I've been there. That one's really good."

I retracted the phone and tapped on it a few more times until I found what I wanted. I held the phone out to Saki this time.

"You don't have to go, Saki, but you'll be missing out." I wiggled the phone back and forth at her.

She glanced over at it and subconsciously licked her lips at the gigantic strawberry and vanilla ice cream parfait displayed on the screen. "Well, maybe just for a little while."

I smiled and pulled back the phone. Me: 1 Saki: 238...or something.

Kataoka clapped. "Great. Well, I had better be getting back to my friends. Lunch period is almost over."

Kataoka and I exchanged numbers. She gave me a final smile before waving to all of us and running off. Hiromasa gave me a weird look as we walked back inside.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said. "I just can't figure you out sometimes."

Join the club. I'm the founder and number one member. Know what you should do when you're pining for someone? Invite her and the girl you just started dating out together. Don't forget to add your best friend who also likes your love interest. Oh, yes. Only good things could come of this. The masochist thing was starting to look more and more likely all the time.

After school, the four of us met up and set out on our awkward and nearly silent train ride downtown. The awkwardness continued as we walked down the busy sidewalks surrounded by heavy traffic and tall buildings. Hiromasa finally spoke up when the neon red and blue sign of the karaoke place came into view.

"It's nice that all of us could come out like this. It's kind of like a double date. Right, Saki?" Hiromasa grinned at her.

She shrugged. "I guess."

He looked back at me and smiled.

Asshole. Not that I had any room to judge him. What right did I have to be jealous about someone who wasn't even mine to begin with? Especially while I was walking beside the girl I was supposed to be paying attention to.

The karaoke place offered some pretty fancy rooms, but we just chose a basic one for a two hour period. The woman at the counter gave us a room assignment and Kataoka giddily led us down a hallway lit with blue lights to our private room. I had never done karaoke before, but it looked about how I'd expect. There was booth style seating with a small table that the microphones, a menu, and a small touch screen sat on. A large TV was mounted on the wall with some more blue lighting behind it.

Kataoka picked the touch screen off the table and held it up so I could see it. "You pick your song from here by title, artist, or even lyrics. See?"

I nodded. "That's pretty cool, but I've got to warn you. I'm not a very good singer."

She smiled. "That's ok. Hardly anyone who comes to these things is. It's all about having fun."

"Well, if you can manage to have fun with someone who sounds like a dying cat I guess we'll be alright," I said.

She giggled. "I'm sure you're not that bad."

Hiromasa walked around the table and picked up the menu. Saki peered over his shoulder.

"Hey, Saki, do you want to split a plate of fries with me?" He pointed to the menu.

She nodded. "As long as I get my parfait too."

"Do you think you can eat all that?" he asked.

She smirked. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that was a dumb question."

We ended up getting two plates of fries, drinks all around, and of course, Saki's parfait, which was probably good for Hiromasa. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had a chance with those fries. For the first time in a while, I was forced to sit across from Saki instead of beside her. That seat went to Hiromasa instead. As expected, Kataoka sat next to me.

We encouraged Kataoka to go first, since she was the expert. She chose a sad and slow song I didn't recognize, but she wasn't half bad at singing it. She sat down and was so red you could almost feel the heat come off her face. We all clapped and she held her hands against her cheeks.

"Someone else please go now," she said.

"One of you go." I passed the touch screen to Hiromasa.

"You want to do a duet with me?" he asked Saki.

"Sure." She stuck a spoon full of ice cream with a strawberry piece on top in her mouth and chewed carefully.

Hiromasa scrolled through some songs and smiled. "What about this one?" He flipped the screen so Saki could see.

She nodded with her spoon still hanging out of her mouth. Hiromasa made the selection, and Saki put spoon back in her parfait glass as they both got up to sing. It was a simple upbeat duet. An animated video of a pink rabbit with long ears walking towards a distant city played on the TV along with the lyrics while they sang. They even added a few of their own improvised dance moves as they went. Kataoka laughed and swayed along in her seat while they sang. I hadn't noticed what good chemistry those two had before.

Kataoka clapped as they sat down. "You guys were so good."

Hiromasa grinned. "Thanks."

Saki just shrugged and ate some more of her parfait.

"That looks good. Let me try some." Hiromasa made a reach for Saki's desert.

"No." Saki pulled the glass away and rapped Hiromasa's knuckles with her spoon. "Mine."

"Ow." He snatched his hand back and shook it a few times. "Sorry I asked."

Kataoka started laughing. "Your friends are really funny."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I love it when she hits him too."

Hiromasa threw a fry at me. "Dick."

I dunked it in ketchup and ate it. "Thanks."

He glared.

"You're next." Kataoka passed the touch screen to me.

I handed it back to her. "You pick me something."

"You sure?" she asked.

I nodded. "Something easy, please." I pressed my palms together.

She giggled. "Alright. I'll see what I can find."

She picked me something slow and short, which I still managed to screw up and sing in the wrong key.

"Wow," Saki said, as I sat down. "I didn't think it was possible to be that tone deaf."

"Harsh," I said.

"That's mean, Higoshi," Kataoka said. "I think he did fine."

Saki took another bite of her parfait and then pointed the spoon at Kataoka. "In that case, you're just as deaf as he is."

Kataoka tensed up beside me.

"Saki, play nice," I said.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll ask a nice question then. What is it you like about Kaito, since it's obviously not his music capabilities?"

"Saki, come on," I said sternly.

"That's ok. I'll answer," Kataoka said. "I like him because he's always so nice without anyone asking him to be."

"The umbrella thing?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Not just that. You helped the theater club put up all the props for their play because you saw them struggling, and you're not even a part of that club. You looked longer than anyone when Emi lost her phone on a school trip, and didn't give up until you found it. You even carried Rinji to the nurse's office when he hurt his ankle in gym class." She looked down and scrunched her hands up in her lap. "So, that's why."

I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck. "I almost forgot about Rinji. That was pretty awkward for both of us."

"I think sometimes people don't approach you because you look so serious all the time, but I think they're really missing out," Kataoka said, still looking down.

"Kataoka..." I wasn't sure what to say.

I might have really screwed up this time. Kataoka was a really sweet girl and I was just going to disappoint her like I did all the others.

Saki smiled and nodded. "I agree."

"Huh? You agree?" Kataoka looked up.

Saki nodded again. "He is nice. It's one of his best qualities."

Why did everyone keep saying that?

"Well, thanks, but can we change the subject now?" I asked. "This is getting really embarrassing."

Hiromasa propped his elbow up on the table and sunk the side of his cheek into his hand, then threw a fry at me again.

"What was that for?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I felt like it."

The singing continued with us alternating turns. Kataoka stuck to her slow and sad songs. Hiromasa usually picked something upbeat, and when he didn't, he would exaggerate the singing to serious songs, always with dance moves, which kept us laughing. Saki made it her mission to find the angriest sounding songs they had, but she did look like she was having a lot of fun belting them out. Kataoka kept picking my songs, which I continued to suck at.

Saki and Hiromasa polished off their entire plate of fries before Kataoka and I even managed to get through half of ours. The two of them would make a great competitive eating team. When Saki wasn't singing, she was usually joking around with Hiromasa. She smiled and laughed most of the time, which I was glad of, but I kind of wished she was smiling at me instead. Kataoka's energy seemed to fade out through the session, and before I knew it, our two hours were up.

As we left the karaoke place, Kataoka hung back.

"Something wrong?" I asked, glancing back at her.

"Can I talk to you a second?" she asked.

"Sure." I nodded. "Go on ahead, guys." I waved them on.

"Ok," Hiromasa said. "We'll meet you at the train station."

Hiromasa waved as he and Saki disappeared into the crowd. Kataoka pulled me to the side, out of the way of the foot traffic.

"What's up?" I asked.

She clutched her school bag in front of her and looked down. This was never a good sign.

"Why did you agree to go out with me?" she asked, finally, looking up at me.

"Because you asked," I said softly.

She nodded as tears started to fill her eyes. "You love her, don't you?"

I opened my mouth and tried to come up with a good reply. I didn't have one. "I'm sorry, Kataoka." I had to look away from her.

"I can tell," she said, her voice shaking. "It's the way you look at her."

I grimaced.

"You know, I thought you were a nice guy, but I think instead, you're just a jerk," she said accusingly.

I didn't have a good reply for that either. She turned and walked away without another word.

An afternoon. I think that's a record for me.

What's worse than saying no to a confession? Accepting one dishonestly. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and drug my feet all the way to the train station. You know, I think Kataoka was right? Because for the nice guy I was supposed to be, I sure was an insensitive jackass sometimes. I never meant to hurt anyone, but I was an idiot to think that the way I was behaving was sparing anyone but me.