Hayashi Megumi’s Preparations

After chatting with Akari for a while, the time came for our phone call with Ota and Ito.

We opened Akari’s laptop, using its camera to start the call.

“Whoa, Hayashi-chan and Akari, you guys are together?”

“Yeah. I’m staying over at her place tonight.”

“Ugh, so jealous! Next time, let me crash at your place too, Akari, just like Hayashi-chan!”

“Sure, sounds good!”

With smiles all around, our casual chatter kicked off.

…Come to think of it, Ota and Ito call me by my last name, but they use Akari’s first name.

Back in high school, I never noticed, but it seems like they feel closer to Akari than to me.

Well, that doesn’t matter right now.

“Thanks for today, you two.”

First, I thanked them both for taking time out to help with my speech.

By the way, I’d already thanked Akari before the call started. She’d been grinning ear to ear.

“Huh?”

“N-No, it’s fine! I wanted to help you out, Hayashi-chan. Same goes for Icchan, right?”

“Yeah, totally! It’s no trouble at all!”

“Still, I’m sorry for taking up your precious day off.”

I was just being honest with my thanks and apology, but somehow, the vibe over the laptop turned awkward.

…Why?

Clap! Akari slapped her hands together.

“Alright, let’s get started!”

With Akari’s cue, we began working on my speech.

That said, none of us had ever been to a wedding—not just a friend’s, but any wedding. I’ve heard more people are opting for small family ceremonies or skipping weddings altogether these days. That’s just the way things are for us.

Honestly, it feels like the world’s gotten so harsh.

Weddings are supposed to be every girl’s dream. I wish we didn’t live in an era where that dream feels out of reach.

Even I, though it might not suit me, was one of those little girls who dreamed of her wedding day.

…That said, now that I’m an independent adult, I kind of get why some people think weddings are just an expensive hassle.

Anyway, our speech-writing hit a wall right from the start.

Like I mentioned, none of us had ever been to a wedding.

What exactly do you say in a best friend’s speech?

We all just froze.

“But, like, isn’t it wild? I never would’ve guessed Icchan would be the first of us to get married.”

“Really? I kinda figured she would. Icchan was super popular with the guys, so I thought she’d be the first.”

Okay, I lied about freezing.

The two on the laptop had already forgotten about the speech and were deep in gossip mode.

And Akari’s been glued to her phone this whole time… Ugh, this is bad.

The old me would’ve snapped at everyone out of frustration, but I know now I’m not in a position to do that.

…Maybe I should just give up on this and ask Yamamoto for help.

“Meg?”

“Hm?”

“It says here that for a best friend’s speech, you should focus on praising the person.”

…God, I’m such an idiot.

Always relying on others instead of figuring things out myself.

I think this bad habit of mine started back in high school.

If I raised my voice or glared, people would usually go along with what I wanted. Of course, I’d handle禁止

System: handle things on my own.

But anything I couldn’t handle, I’d give up on too quickly and turn to others for help.

At some point, that became a bad habit of mine.

Akari, who’d been quietly fiddling with her phone, had apparently been searching online for tips on what to say in a best friend’s wedding speech.

And she shared her thoughts from reading a few articles, all for my sake.

…I can’t just give up because I don’t know how.

Instead of throwing in the towel, I should’ve pushed forward like Akari did.

Instead of acting like the two on the call were the problem, I should’ve thought about how to get them to cooperate.

That’s probably what it means to take responsibility for the task you’ve been given.

…Come to think of it, why did Icchan ask me to give the speech?

Akari’s kinder, quicker on her feet, and more responsible—she’d be way better suited for this.

“Thanks, Akari.”

“No prob. This article seems like it could be helpful.”

“Lemme see?”

I grabbed my glasses from my bag and peeked at her phone.

“…Meg?”

“What?”

“Can I borrow your phone for a sec?”

“Why?”

“I wanna snap a pic of you in those glasses.”

“Huh?”

“…Sorry.”

Guilt hit me hard.

She’s been helping me out so much, and here I am getting annoyed over a single photo? What a jerk I am.

“Fine, do whatever.”

“Oh my gosh, this is too good!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Pfft! That look you’re giving me through those glasses? Absolute perfection!”

“…You’re such an idiot.”

For a while, my impromptu photo session dragged on.