Chapter 7Inappropriate Speculation
"Look, isn't this a nice place?"
"Ugh, yeah... ...I guess so..."
Wasn't there no one in this place at all?
It was a small hut behind the trees behind the school building. Even for me, this was the first time I knew that there was a place like that in this high school.
It looks nice and sunny, but this is a place where a boy and a girl can't just come together, right? This is too much.
"I-It's a nice place. Th-The sunlight is filtering through the trees..."
"Right, right! I always eat here!"
No one knows about this place, hey. Very unpopular for the 'No one will know what we're doing here' level. ...This girl, how could she take a random boy she just met to this kind of place?
Wait, calm down, this must be a trap. Maybe it's a plan for a prank, and Aizawa's friends are lurking around this area with a smartphone in one hand! It must be true, because I'm the one who thought of it!
"..."
"?? What's wrongー?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing."
I narrowed my eyes while looking around, but I couldn't sense anyone around us. Yeah, if she had that goal, she would have done a thorough investigation on me beforehand, and if she did that, she would have known that, "I'm the standout boy in class". So, from Aizawa's point of view, turning me into her enemy would be risky.
There's no reason for her to do this if she knows that it might be dangerous... ...Oh, that's right, by the way.
"You always eat here, huh? Not alone, right?"
"Hmm, why did you ask that? Are you jealous or something?"
"What the heck are you talking about?"
It's only been a few hours since we met. Normally, I wouldn't have that kind of feeling, but unfortunately, a normal boy would start to develop the feeling of "I'm his girlfriend"... ...But the moment she saw me, her eyes told me "Boys are that kind of creature", and as long as I understood that, I definitely wouldn't fall into her trap.
"We want to talk about manga, don't we?"
"Eh? Isn't it ー too sudden?"
"If you can't talk about it anytime, anywhere, you're not a real fan...!"
"Wh-What the...!? Then, may I ask you! Who is your favorite character!?"
"The owner's daughter!"
"Eh!? That girl, is the type that likes to act cute and helpless, right!? I guessed it, boys like that type of girl─."
Aizawa Rena. She may seem cheerful, energetic, and stupid, but I often feel that she knows what boys like and makes herself look cute in front of boys. A girl like that, if I had to guess, must be the type who likes to hang out with boys. Of course, I never thought that Aizawa would be interested in me and relate to me like this. Because a development like this kind of rom-com shouldn't happen without a trigger.
Besides, we were in the hut behind the school building. It's not a place where girls who like to hang out with others, come just to eat. If she'd used this place before, she'd probably have spent time with some other boys. Because if the other friends were girls, they would have broken off their relationship with Aizawa by now.
If Aizawa has some kind of scheme to call me to this place, I should find out her relationship with other boys first.
For now, let's see what this girl who acted cute and helpless has in mind.
"─Hey, let's eat together here tomorrow!"
"In other words, because the girl who acted that cute, so ─ Eh? Tomorrow too!?"
"Yep! Tomorrow too!"
I'm going to have lunch with that cute girl again tomorrow? Yep, I don't care if she acts cute or not anymore... ...Maybe I should use this opportunity to deepen my friendship with Aizawa...? Seriously, though, even if she deceives me, I can't help but forgive her.
♦
For some reason, I also left school with Aizawa that day. After all, she had come all the way to my class and called me loudly. Thanks to that, my surroundings teased me that I was cheating, and the girls in my class looked at me with cold eyes. It might be good that they lost interest in me, but being disliked and getting negative judgment from others, I guessed, left a lot more damage than I expected...
Undoubtedly, Aizawa is starting to negatively affect my peaceful school life. I must deal with this immediately...! Ugh... ...although she is cute, but what a pity!
"...Hmm."
"What's wrongー? Is something bothering you?"
Even though I was worried about that, I came to the same place as Aizawa the next day.
Is this a reward for something I've done? I guessed it, God is watching what I've been doing lately, and decided that I'm a good boy ─ Huh, wait a minute, there are so many, didn't I just chase after Natsukawa?
Anyway, I can't tell Aizawa, "I got into trouble because of you." I don't know how to deceive her.
"Well, Aizawa... ...It's not that big, huh?"
"...Big? What ─ Hey, you're the worst! Where are you looking?"
"The shape."
"Don't look!"
The only topic that came up out of the blue was something that a b*stard would normally say. N-No, it's nothing! If Aizawa gets carried away with that, I'll get carried away with that intention too. If she's approaching me for a purpose, I just have to do everything! And, Aizawa has no choice but to accept sexual harassment in order to achieve her goal that even I don't know about... ...Well, this is something that cannot be avoided!
In this unpopular hut, there were only two of us, and the affection that was created despite my sexual harassment. I realized that Aizawa's eyes seriously said, "Disgusting", to me, so without hesitation, there must be something behind all this.
If all she wanted was to tease me, she would have done more body touching... ...Ugh!
But still, I couldn't find Aizawa's purpose.
♦
My relationship with Aizawa continued for a few days. For some reason, I felt good about what happened, so I didn't mind to "wait and see".
There was a girl who made me think of forgiving her even though I had been deceived by her. That's scary.
But still, isn't Aizawa in too much of a hurry...? ...I mean, lately, I feel like the frequency with which she visits me is decreasing...
Maybe Aizawa's goal has been achieved...? I'm also ready to pay you, so please come again...
"─H-Hey... Do you have time?"
"....Hmm?"
A few days had passed since I was slapped by reality, and on days when Aizawa didn't come to me, I would eat in the cafeteria or schoolyard. Because it would be very awkward to be next to Natsukawa...
That day, as usual, I ate lunch on a bench in the schoolyard and returned to the classroom. However, as I was getting ready for the fifth class, Natsukawa, who was sitting next to me, rarely called out to me out of the blue.
This was very rare indeed. My Goddess, what do you want from this ordinary me?
"Y-You... ...Do you have lunch with Aizawa-san every day?"
"No, not every day, though... ...But, we do, most of the time."
"You guys had lunch outside, didn't you? There was someone who saw you when you two were going somewhere..."
"Well, that's true. That's not wrong."
"...I see."
As I answered truthfully, Natsukawa put her hands on her lap with downcast eyes. There seemed to be something she wanted to tell me.
Right now, come to think of it, the boy who had been approaching her was waving his tail at another girl... ...Wouldn't that make her angry?
...No, wait, Natsukawa is pretty. I mean, she's a "girl". As long as she's a girl, she must have a network of information that's about 38 times more than a normal boy like me (*MC's Prejudice). If I want to know more about Aizawa, I think it would be best to utilize Natsukawa.
"Um... ...Natsukawa. Did you know Aizawa beforehand?"
"Eh...!? Eh, ah, yeah, that's right? So, what about it, huh?"
"I want to know more, about Aizawa."
"...Look, I can't talk about that! You idiot! Just make sure to chase that girl naturally!"
"Oh, wait..."
She got angry when I answered the reason why I asked about Aizawa.
...Oh, did she think I was hitting on Aizawa? But, really? It was really a mistake. I wonder if she'll forgive me if I buy fan merchandise from her... Seriously, if she really sells them, I'll buy three for gifts, missionary purposes, and daily use ─ Daily use?
As I asked and answered myself, I felt a shadow approaching me.
"You have a 'good' status, Sajocchi."
[TL Note: '-chi' here is a kind of honorific that gyaru girls like to put behind someone's name to make it sound cuter, it can be used for both girls and boys.]
"What's wrong, Ashida?"
"You're asking me? I just want to say hello to the enemy of girls?"
"The enemy of girls...?"
While I was watching Natsukawa get angry and walk out of class, Natsukawa's best friend Ashida was talking to me with a face that seemed to have a hidden meaning. Maybe it was because she was tall and joined the Volleyball Club? Even though Ashida was just a girl, she looked very strong because I saw her sitting down.
"Does Sajocchi no longer like Aichi?"
"Yeah, because it has evolved from "like" to "love"."
"I'm asking you very seriously, you know... ...but out of all people, why should you choose Aizawa-san, huh...?"
"I'm always serious ─ Hmm? Of all people, uh what...?"
I heard some interesting words from Ashida's mouth. It was as if she already knew Aizawa in detail.
Is this a bad rumor? It's okay... ...I'll listen to it even if it's a rumor that only exists among girls and even if it's hard to talk about with boys. (*Excited)
"Did something happen?"
"Nothing happened, it's just that that girl has been clinging to her boyfriend since she came to this school, walking with him in the corridors every day! There's hardly anyone who doesn't know about it! Ugh, it makes me so jealous!"
"Clinging... ...to her boyfriend? ...Since enrolling in this school?"
"Oh, what? Are you jealous of that girl's ex-boyfriend who's attached... ...Rumor has it that they've been dating since she was in the first-year of middle school."
"Eh? Since that long...?"
The girls' information network is amazing!! And also, it's very scary!
But with this, I understand one thing about Aizawa Rena. She still had a boyfriend until recently. If it's true that she's been dating since the first-year of middle school, she must be very sad. It's hard to imagine that she forgot about her ex-boyfriend and came straight to me after their breakup.
Well... ...I feel like I'm starting to find my purpose.
Author's Note: That girl's information network exceeds the internet.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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