My Awkward Senpai (不器用な先輩。)

Before... you said you wanted to be friends, but...

My feelings for you...

are not just friendship.

What?

Y-You're right!

Even though we're friends now, I'm still your mentor.

A superior.

So of course we're not just friends... um...

Senpai, I...

Kamegawa-kun!

We want the birthday people to do a little closing statement.

Is now a bad time?

No, it's okay.

I'll be right there.

Are you okay, Senpai?

Kannawa-senpai?

Senpai? Hey.

S-Senpai!

Pull yourself together!

I...

Huh?

I need booze.

"I Really Thought About It, Ya Know?!"

Now, that...

sounds like a confession.

B-But he didn't exactly say that it was.

I feel like I can finally say this now.

His feelings for you have been obvious for ages now.

They have?

Like, "I'm in love with Kannawa-senpai!"

What?!

Kankaiji-senpai and I wished he would just hurry up and ask you out.

But I think Kamegawa just blurted that out today on an impulse.

Getting a present from you got him all excited.

This gift from you makes me especially happy.

Which is why I think he'll make a comeback and properly ask you out.

What?

Who knows? Maybe he'll call you right now.

It's a toll-free number.

Are you not happy about this?

Huh?

Being asked out by Kamegawa.

It's not that... I just...

AZUSA KANNAWA-SENPAI

So? Did you ask her out?

No, I didn't...

It's more like I planted the idea of it.

Was it because someone interrupted in the middle?

No. It was my fault.

Well, I suppose.

You were aiming low by suggesting being friends in the first place.

Tell me, Kamegawa-kun. What's your type?

M-My type?

I like people like Kannawa.

They make me feel competitive or something.

Competitive?

Kind of like how you want to climb a wall more the higher it is.

But in the end, I couldn't quite get along with Kannawa.

What? Really?

Let's go outside for a bit.

Sure.

Looks like it stopped snowing.

Yeah.

It was only recently that Kannawa started talking normally.

But a certain someone didn't seem to realize that and got all jealous.

You know how Kannawa doesn't try to make others like her?

That's why she doesn't bother getting closer to others.

She doesn't believe that anyone could ever like her.

Look at all those windows.

Each one is lit up.

Inside them, so many people could be living wonderful lives that I don't know about.

Since you're under Kannawa's direct supervision,

there was no way for her to avoid interacting with you.

It was probably a good thing that you and Kannawa met as mentor and mentee.

Yeah.

Th-There's still no way to be sure that was a confession, anyway.

You're still going on about that?

Weren't you happy that Kamegawa asked you out?

Or is it that...

you don't want to be involved in an office romance?

Or that you're not exactly against it, but it's a bit bothersome?

No... I-It's...

I-It's not... bothersome.

Oh?

Wh-What?

Then...

if he were to say what he said to you

to another girl, how would you feel?

I'd hate it...

Senpai!

Tomorrow's our day off!

Let's drink to our hearts' content tonight!

And then we'll have a strategy meeting!

S-Strategy meeting?

To be honest...

I bet you're lacking in romantic experience, right?

It's hard to believe.

You're super pretty, Senpai. You'd be so popular.

But that's the good thing about you.

O-Okay...

Which is why I've been thinking.

Uh, yeah?

Instead of going out immediately...

Uh-huh...

I don't feel rested at all.

In the end, Kamegawa never reached out to me.

Not that I'd know what to say if he did...

No!

I've thought this through in my own way!

Whether that was a confession or not...

I'm mentally prepared for either situation!

I'm ready!

Now go!

Good morning.

G...

Gewd myorn... ing...

Later!

Huh? Um...

Can I borrow you for a sec, Kannawa-san?

Of course.

Kannawa-san seems different, don't you think?

Really?

Isn't she always like that?

I think Kamegawa-kun's the one acting different.

He seems down. I'm worried.

Hey, you three chatterboxes.

Get back to work.

Okay.

Good luck out there.

Stare...

Th-This is awkward.

I think I took too much damage from failing my first encounter with him.

Um...

Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What?

Y-Y-Y-Y-You must be worried about what happened the other day.

I-I'm so sorry.

I said something weird to you without thinking it through.

You don't need to worry about it right now.

O-Okay.

F-For now!

Um...

I'm going to go buy something to drink.

Something... weird?

Weird?

That was... "weird"?

To Kamegawa, it was weird?

As in, somethin' I don't need to worry about?

I even got advice from Hotta about this...

Over the weekend, I...

really thought about it, ya know!

What am I doing?

Huh?

Huh?!

What do ya mean, "weird"?

What do ya mean, "don't worry"?!

Um, Senpai...

I'm sorry about before.

Um, I also couldn't really...

You...

You said I was special!

That it wasn't just friendship!

You kept sayin' stuff that made no sense!

I lost sleep this weekend 'cuz I couldn't stop thinkin' 'bout what ya said!

"Don't worry about it"?

Of course I'm gonna worry!

Of course I'll worry about it!

So I...

just kept thinkin' 'bout ya!

I can't even work.

And it's affecting my daily life!

So I wanna do somethin' 'bout this!