Date Her Instead Vol. 5

Chapter Thirteen: Sometimes, I...

"Thank you for your patronage!" a girl working the register said as a customer left. Once the person was out the door, a collective sigh of relief was let out by the people inside the classroom. "We did it..." one guy said. "There were so many people..." a girl added. "And we have to do this tomorrow?" another girl said.

The breakfast salon of Iwanai High's cultural festival had successfully complete day one of two. Needless to say, they were all exhausted. Their business had been busier than most other classes or clubs, and there had been several times where they had nearly been overrun. Overall though, they managed to survive.

"Well, now that we're done here, I'm gonna go see if the track club needs my help!" Itsuki said loudly. While sweeping near one of the tables, Jasmine looked up at her. There was something telling her she shouldn't let her go, but the gal had no real reason to stop her. She wanted to ask "Are you sure?" or "Aren't you tired?" but knowing Itsuki, Jasmine knew the girl would say something like "I'm fine," or "I'm full of energy," so Jasmine didn't bother. "Still though..." she thought. "I just feel like she shouldn't leave..."

Earlier, Jasmine had thought that she saw Itsuki not looking too good, but she had decided she had only imagined it. However, the thought had never really left her mind. Now, taking a good look at Itsuki, she couldn't help but think she saw those symptoms even more. Her eyes seemed unfocused, her face looked flushed, and when Itsuki went to leave, Jasmine swore she could see her wobbling in her steps. "I should stop her," she thought. And yet, she didn't.

If there was one thing Jasmine had never been good at, it was making real friends. Sure, there had been people she would talk to or maybe hang out with, but it was never more than superficial interaction. She could hardly say she had cared about any of those relationships.

Her present was different. Jasmine had found herself with real friends beyond just Haruna and Chiyo. Even if it took Chiyo's involvement, Mayu and Itsuki had become Jasmine's friends through her own effort. That made them special to her in their own way, and it made her happy to know that she had managed to form relationships on her own that actually held meaning.

Unfortunately, that was also why she was so hesitant to stop Itsuki. She was afraid that if she said something wrong, she'd end up causing Itsuki to get mad at her. That in and of itself wasn't necessarily a problem, but what if it led to more tension down the road? What if it got so bad that they stopped being friends?

To do what she felt like she should, or risk losing a friend. That was the debate Jasmine was fighting in her head. But, before she could reach a decision, Itsuki was out the door. "...She left," the gal thought. It already felt like part of her had lost. "What was I supposed to do?" she wondered. "It's not like I could've forced her to stay and rest or something..."

Concern bubbled up inside her. With each passing second, Jasmine grew more and more worried. "I just know something's not right with her," Jasmine thought. Maybe it was because of what Mayu had told her, but Jasmine kept thinking that Itsuki was worse for wear based on what she had seen. "Maybe... I should go after her," she thought.

Setting the broom aside, Jasmine went to leave. "Huh? Hiraoka-san, where are you going?" one of the girls asked. "Oh, um," Jasmine said. "I was just going to go get something real quick." "Really? What did you need to get? If it's something heavy, someone can go with you," the girl suggested, but Jasmine just waved her hands. "No, that's alright. It'll only take a minute, so I'll be back soon." And before the girl could inquire any further, Jasmine headed out the door.

"Let's see," she mumbled to herself. "She said she was going to the track club. Pretty sure they're this way." Leaving her own classroom behind, Jasmine began to weave her way through the hallways. "Somewhere near the back, I think..." Making one turn, then another, Jasmine eventually arrived in the area she was looking for. "Perfect. Now, where's...huh?"