Chapter 40
Young Girl Who Grow Up
"Sajou-kun, what did you eat?"
"Well, just some sweet bread I bought at the convenience store..."
"Come on, you need to eat something healthier!"
"Oh, yeah."
I sat next to Shinomiya-senpai and started talking to the three senpai-s.
Hmm...? This fragrant smell that tickled my nose was different from the smell of food. I could feel my luck over the past few years steadily dwindling. I was very worried about the amount left, but I was also very happy...
Leaving that ugly side aside, this situation is quite confusing. Less than a few days ago, I clearly complained about this petite girl... ...Yeah, even though she has a petite body, she is still my senpai.
By the way, what's going on? ...What made her this cheerful? She was in high spirits like me as soon as I saw Natsukawa in the corner of my eye... ...Oh! D-Don't tell me...?!
"Boyfriend─."
"As if."
"M-M-M-My ear...?! It's coming off, that's right it's coming off!"
You're too fast, Senpai. Didn't my ears get longer? How could I, I don't want to be an elf with only one long ear!!!
When my ear felt like it was being pulled, I met eyes with Senpai who was sitting next to Inatomi-senpai.
"─That's how it is."
"I-I see, I already understand, though..."
It feels like they both love Inatomi-senpai more than I expected. I didn't think I would get this much hostility from the adult Senpai I met for the first time. In fact, she was wary of me from the start. Yeah, this type of person does exist, but, this person also seems to be in a 'troublesome relationship' with Inatomi-senpai.
"Oh, Sajou-kun... ...this is your first time meeting Aya-chan, isn't it? Her full name is Mita Ayano-chan! She's my childhood friend!"
"She is my talented kouhai who managed to raise Yuyu to such an extent. She's also a fellow member of the Disciplinary Committee."
"Huh, nice to meet you."
"...Me too."
What a cold attitude. Maybe she hates me for the fact that Inatomi-senpai suddenly became friendly to others. I mean, her important childhood friend who had a hard time dealing with boys, suddenly being nice to boys, of course she would think, 'Who are you, though?', right? If I were in her shoes, I would immediately pull that boy to the back of the school.
"Hey, Aya-chan! You're too cold, you know!"
"Th-That's not true!"
"Ehー, but you sound really cold, you knowー"
Inatomi-senpai threw a light complaint at Mita-senpai.
There was something wrong there. It looked like a sad high school girl after being reprimanded by a young girl. Yeah, the first part was correct.
As these two childhood friends were busy talking between the two of them, I quietly called out to Shinomiya-senpai.
"Um... ...Isn't Inatomi-senpai bad at interacting with boys?"
"Indeed she is. Even now, she still is. But... ...I think you're special."
"Huh? Sp-Special...? Me?"
"─Come on, Aya-chan! One more time!"
As we whispered between the two of us, Inatomi-senpai grabbed Mita-senpai's arm, forcibly making her face face me again.
Wow, what a forced wide smile! The corners of her mouth are twitching! That's amazing! I'll definitely get beaten up for this laterー!
"I-I'm Mita Ayano! Nice to meet you...!"
"You really don't need to force yourself or anything..."
"This is for Yuyu's sake! I'm not saying this for your sake!"
"Aya-chan!"
"Ugh..."
"Inatomi-senpai, it's okay... I don't really care about it."
I've been called disgusting right to my face. So, this Goddess-level diatribe wasn't harsh enough. However! Thanks to that! There may or may not be times when I actually start to feel better because of it! I hope there won't be such moments!
"Yuyu! Listen to me! Boys are all perverts who look at cute girls like you with their eyes! You should be more careful with them!"
"S-Sajou-kun is not that kind of person!"
"That's right, Sajou is a sucker."
"Excuse me? Can you not say something sharp like that suddenly when I'm sitting in front of you?"
That came as a shock to me. It felt like I was pushed off a rock cliff very suddenly. I mean, I never thought that Shinomiya-senpai would hide such a sharp knife inside herself...
What exactly is that boy...? Yeah, the three senpai-s were having a heated discussion about it in front of me, a boy. For some reason, I felt embarrassed that only Inatomi-senpai kept talking about me. It wasn't like we had known each other for a long time...
This uncomfortable time continued, and by the time we decided to break up, I felt scared in many ways. Girls, when they talk about boys it's really scary... I felt like I was going to end up with gynophobia.
(TL Note: Gynophobia is an excessive phobia of women.)
I saw the three of them still talking as they left to return the food tray. In many ways, I felt like they had grown up. It was almost like I was getting a glimpse into the world of office women. I didn't think that with just one or two years, someone could be so different like that.
As I looked at them in a daze, Shinomiya-senpai turned back to me, and grinned.
"...What's wrong?"
"How do you feel, seeing Yuyu's development like that?"
"This is really mysterious. Did you guys make her play some VR game aimed at girls?"
"What? That kind of method... ...No, no, no, I won't allow it. Yuyu is my partner."
"What about Mita-senpai?"
"She's her mother."
"How so?"
I remember, she said something like Inatomi-senpai was raised by her. However, another kouhai became the mother of her partner, Inatomi-senpai, huh... ...I never thought that she would connect it like that. No wonder she has such a boing-boing (chest)... ...No, wait, first of all you're not her partner! Don't be stupid!... By the way, if you want to make out, please do it in front of me!
While still thinking about the strange relationship they had, I asked Shinomiya-senpai an honest question, thinking that now was the best time.
"...So you didn't tell Inatomi-senpai."
"Hmm... ...About what you told me before? Do I need to tell her?"
"Not really... However, you should understand that I don't respect Inatomi-senpai. I think if it were you, Senpai, you wouldn't let that a male kouhai get close to her anymore."
"It's impossible for me to do that. Not to mention─"
Perhaps because I decided not to remember what I saw at that time, I couldn't remember Shinomiya-senpai's troubled expression at that time. However, I don't need to do that either, because in front of me right now, Senpai was smiling gently as if she had no worries in this world.
"You're the philanthropist who changed Yuyu. I will definitely not underestimate you."
"...Huh? Philanthropist?"
Philanthropist? Why am I such a big influence? I don't remember that I ever did anything for Inatomi-senpai, I just avoided anything that annoyed me with vague responses. But, a philanthropist...?
"As you said, in Yuyu's opinion there might be a bit of arrogance. But, Sajou... ...what is needed is not truth or rationality. It is an existence that accepts it.... ...Yuyu needs a guide that will make him start to think that even boys who are difficult for her to handle, have good parts in them."
"A guide, huh..."
"These words and nods you gave Yuyu before might seem like that... ...But you see, in the long run, it will give Yuyu confidence. From then on, she lets herself go as if she's starting to climb the ladder to become a better human being. I don't know how this sounds, but for someone who is very quiet, this kind of action might be suitable for her who wants to become a better human being."
"..."
"Putting aside the process... ...The person who led her to start like this is none other than you, Sajou."
"That, is just pure coincidence."
"I don't care. After all, without your unnecessary interference, this wouldn't have happened in the first place."
"..."
A boy who was not good at talking at all, calling a girl out in a place where there was no one else around would only frighten her. That thinking won't change until now, so I won't do the same thing anymore. If I see a girl walking around carrying something heavy, as long as I don't know her personally, I'll probably ignore her.
"I don't think I'll be calling her out anymore, you know?"
"That doesn't matter. It doesn't mean bad things will happen either. In this case, it's leading her in a better direction."
"Yeah... ...the result is good, I guess."
She's afraid of boys... ...In the worst case scenario, she'll call a teacher, and I'll be the one to suffer. Perhaps, rather than Inatomi-senpai, I'm actually the lucky one.
"Believe in yourself, Sajou. You not only helped Yuyu, but also helped me solve my problem."
"What did I do?"
"As you suggested, I just patted the shoulder of my kouhai, who looked troubled, with a 'Don't worry about it'. Well then, put it this way... ...Yuyu... ...Yuyu smiled happily as she leaned against me... Seriously, though, she's just too... ...Oh...!"
"..."
I can imagine Senpai rubbing the head of the girl wearing the red ribbon. Just because of that alone, I can feel a nosebleed coming on... ...Sorry to interrupt your speech, but may I tilt my head for a moment?
"...But still, what an extraordinary event."
"I thought that phrase belonged to a television drama (historical television drama) that aired a long time ago."
"Yeah, anyway, I would never have imagined you to be Kaede's little bro. I was surprised to hear that directly from her."
"...! I knew it, you know Big Sis, huh."
"We've known each other since our first-year days. You see, I had a lot of bad experiences with her back then."
Big Sis, two years ago, huh... ...it was indeed her high school debut, she dyed her hair blonde right after she enrolled high school.
Oh, when did Big Sis decide to debut as a 'gyaru'? Yeah, I know that I'm not a talkative person, but I really thought that Big Sis was crazy back then.
"Oh... ...back then, huh."
"That's right, you must know about it, considering you're her little bro. I couldn't keep quiet when I saw it... ...I can't remember how much time, blood, tears, and sweat I spent correcting it."
"Don't want to hear about it. Shut up!"
"Hehe..."
Although hearing about Big Sis' dark past might help me understand her weaknesses, I would rather not hear about it.
Because when I noticed, I had a pretty strong reaction to her. I covered my ears, averted my eyes, and tried to leave. However, Shinomiya-senpai's mocking laughter echoed in my head.
"See you again, Wataru!"
Stop it! Don't suddenly close the distance between our hearts like that! Oh, I'm going to explode! The final explosion!
(TL Note: Dragon Ball reference.)
Even though you suddenly told me to be confident, I don't know what to do. I mean, I didn't lose my confidence either, I just broke my overconfidence. So don't misunderstand me, Rin-senpai!
(TL Note: Well, the MC got caught using nicknames.)
...Oh, my heart is drawn towards her!? (*Girly voice)
As I expected, a woman who acts mature is indeed very scary.
Author's Note: But you like them (*girls who grow up.)
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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