(Un) Fortunately the Yandere is Not After Me

Let's... All go out

"So what are you two doing here?" Those words echoed in Arata's mind. It seemed to be a simple, innocent question that anyone would ask in a situation like this. Plus, he already asked them that, so it was only fair that the other three do the same. However, the tone from Akaki's voice worried him.

Akaki's demeanor seemed to be the same as usual. Perhaps because he was in front of the all the girls, but Arata sensed something to be off. Why? The boy wasn't afraid of the question, yet there was dread within his body as he looked at the boy in front of him.

"The two of us are just hanging out." Akiba answered. She was obvious to the growing tension between the boys in this group. "That's about it. We're just having some fun together."

"Oh, you two ran into each other." Erina assumed that was the case. Not because of any evidence, but because a part of her didn't want to believe the alternative. "Kind of like how we just did."

"Actually..." Arata couldn't lie to them. "We planned this out... Yesterday."

"Yeah, I came over to his house and we ended up agreeing to this plan." Akiba explained, leaving out the reason she was there. If anything, that only fueled the fire even more. He could feel the heat coming from Akaki, and Yuriko seemed to be glaring at him now. "But if you're not busy, perhaps we can all hang out together?" He was surprised that she'd be extending an offer to the three. Of course they were all friends, but this seemed to serve against the purpose of their day trip in the first place.

"Sure." The lack of enthusiasm from someone that has a crush on her worried him. Akaki was a kind boy, but it seemed that even he could have dark feelings within. Arata was certain he understood the problem caused by this misunderstanding. It seemed that now was time to be a little cautious. There was going to be a lot that needed to be cleared up, but he couldn't do it while all these girls were around.

"I'm wondering where you were planning on going if the three of us can join." Yurime crossed her arms as if this was some type of inconvenience to her day. Though try as she might, the girl was indeed happy to be along for the ride.

"We hadn't decided, but I was hoping to suggest the planetarium." Akiba informed them. That did sound like it would interesting, he thought. Arata was full on that plan, but he was surprised that she wanted to go there with him. While the boy couldn't say he was that experience with dates, wasn't that the kind of thing to do as a casual trip for a couple?

"I'm more into geography rather than astrology, but sure."

"Ooh, can I take pictures of the stars while we're there?" Erina asked as the group departed to their destination.

"I don't think they accept flash photography." He answered. The way they walked exposed the slight tension. Akaki was standing on the opposite end from him, with the girls between them. It wasn't just that either though. Arata couldn't help but wonder why Erina had this sort of distance with him. This distance wasn't only physical, but she was the girl farthest from him. Weird since he had always considered them to be best friends, but she always was acting strange. One day the girl was happy to see him, but sometimes she'd realize they'd be too close and physically get away from him. What was wrong with her?

Then there was Akiba who was standing next to him as they walked. Shouldn't she want to be closer to her childhood friend? They knew each other better, but here she was besides him. Perhaps it was because this day was started with the two of them. Or maybe Arata was overthinking their arrangement. He was always prone to being a bit too reflective.

The group entered the planetarium, which was fairly crowded with a lot of people enjoying their days off. He hadn't been in one since he was a young child on a field trip. It felt like a lot had changed in the many years with new exhibits and updated look. The former was thanks to advancements in science.