Chapter 48Tangled with the Class Rep
Now that the End of Term Exam results have been announced, all that's left is to wait for the lunch break. I'm getting excited waiting for that time.
...But still, do I really need to report these grades to my parents...? Because I got good results last time, and I did brag about it, but this time...
...Yeah, let's just keep quiet about it if possible.
Finally, the lunch break arrived.
Today, I rarely bought bento lunches. Natsukawa and Ashida both told me to eat something more delicious.
What is it about sweet bread? ...It's cheap and delicious. And also, it's not too bad for the body.
After returning from the toilet, I headed to the center of the class─ ─the position of Natsukawa's seat. Previously, when I stopped by to meet Airi-chan, I happened to agree to her request during the summer. So, it's not like I was forced to come or anything.
─The day after I made that promise.
'Huh? Sajocchi, where are you going?'
'Hmm?'
I bought some food at the convenience store, so I was about to head to the same ordinary bench in the schoolyard, but then Ashida pulled my arm, even though she was walking towards Natsukawa's seat. As I looked at her with a face that said, 'What do you want?', she silently pointed at Natsukawa. I looked at her myself, and,
'Oh─...'
Our eyes met. However, she immediately avoided it. An awkward atmosphere filled this atmosphere.
At that moment, I immediately remembered that I said something before. To think that I would really forget something related to Natsukawa, I hated myself for that. Meeting with this deep regret, I couldn't help but grit my teeth.
'...Oh?'
'Ahahaー, Aichi is really popular, huh.'
'...'
Shirai-san and some other girls were sitting on an empty seat near Natsukawa's, there─ Sasaki came to talk to Natsukawa. Seeing that, I really know that Sasaki likes Natsukawa. I don't even need to think about this dead and cold feeling inside my chest to understand it. Realizing that, I think the fact that I can disappear from there is actually better for both of us.
'Come on! You promised, didn't you?! Sajocchi!'
'Is your head connected to her or something? How did you know about that...?'
Whenever I say something or do something to Natsukawa, there's a good chance Ashida will find out about it too. Yeah, they are friends, so they probably exchange this kind of information very often. It seems that Natsukawa completely trusts Ashida. D*mn it, I never wanted to be a girl more than I do right now... ...Isn't Ashida more like your enemy than me, Sasaki?
With that, we both joined the group.
Since that day where I visited Natsukawa's house, I would probably not eat with them sometimes.
Yeah, if I go there every day, the others might think, 'Oh, she's sticking to Natsukawa again', I don't want them to start avoiding Natsukawa again.
─With that thought, I carried the balanced meal in my hand, and headed to the center of the class. Seeing Koga and Murata showing disgusted faces in the corner of the classroom beside the courtyard window, I smiled contentedly inside, and sat at the outer end of the group.
So Natsukawa's time has come, huh...? ...This means, I can't get too close to her or Ashida, they're too popular.
"Oh, Sajou-kun."
"Hey."
She's Iihoshi-san, the Class Rep, but, yeah... ...She's just an ordinary girl. Personally, I would consider her to be tall. She has a straightforward personality to immediately cut off people who say vulgar things, she likes to take suggestions to talk to others and gently create an atmosphere for friends to join in, which shows that she does have a talent as Class Rep. Lately, I've really started to realize that.
But, yeah, she can't be categorized as cute or pretty yet. She can control the mood of the conversation, not giving girls like Murata or Koga a chance to get out of hand. You can get goosebumps when she gets rid of obstacles the way she wants to. According to the rumors I heard, there is a messaging group created by the Class Rep, and you can only enter if you are a girl he can accept, I don't know if it's true or not, but... ...Yeah, it's really scary.
"Hmm... ...how big this group is."
"Yeah, I mean, Airi-chan is currently on the rise."
"Eh?"
"That second batch, today."
They will pamper and love Airi-chan again, huh. That means Sasaki was part of the first batch. Fufufafa, actually, ladies and gentlemen, you're the third batch. Did you know that the second group already went there? It's just me, the VIP! VIP!
"Yeah, I'm going too. If I can meet up with Airi-chan, then I will."
"Eh, really?"
"Because it's Natsukawa-san's "little sis", many people are interested in her, that's why more and more people want to be friends with her now."
"Amazing."
Sounds like some journalist's analysis. Is she some kind of manager...? I never thought that someone, other than me, is doing the Great Proposal of Natsukawa's 100 Friends─ Hmm? Is that the name of my plan? ─After all, she's planning to do everything by herself? Yeah, I think for Iihoshi-san's case, not just Natsukawa's friendship.
"You're trying to create a comfortable atmosphere in class?"
"It's not a big deal. I just don't want her to be the center of attention and feel uncomfortable."
"..."
Her smile had a mysterious eerie vibe. I, who was relentlessly approaching Natsukawa like a clown, and I too, who was talking normally with Murata and Koga, in the end, "which side am I on?"...
...Yep, let's just stop thinking about it so deeply. It's bad for my heart.
"What about you, Sajou-kun? Lately, you sometimes don't talk to Natsukawa-san, so..."
Isn't that perfectly normal? What's wrong with two acquaintances talking whenever they want? I understand that it's not like my usual self, I kind of understand what she wants to say, but sorry, I don't understand Japanese, please use English.
"Hahahaha, how can I break the atmosphere like this? So, yeah, it's just getting harder and harder for me to get close to her, isn't it?"
"That's a lie, there must be something going on, right? My friends feel the same way."
"Are you serious?"
Yeah, I think that makes sense. I'm very clingy after all. In fact, I'm surprised no one has asked me until now. Maybe they were suspicious of me... ...using the 'rejected' excuse as a premise... ...Then, what? It's already a police matter, you say? How can that be, isn't it bad?
"I'm innocent."
"What the heck are you talking about?"
I definitely didn't dye my hands a shade color. Trust me. Though I did color my hair. Oh yeah, my black hair is apparently a hit. I get a lot of likes when I post it on social media. And comments like, I look less flirty now. Well, they didn't say that it's "gone completely", though. Maybe, I really looked like that from the beginning...?
...However, you might say that I'm a single-minded person. After all, isn't brown hair popular in high school nowadays? So, it should be okay, right?
No, never mind, Natsukawa is much more important. So, it's time for her to show her true talent...? I didn't expect things to end like this just because I stopped depending on her. Lately, Natsukawa seems more cheerful and in a much better mood, and it feels like she's speeding ahead of me. This must be her true power as the Goddess... ...How scary!
"But, Papa is happy."
"Eh?"
This is good, right, this distance is really the best. After all, I don't understand a woman's heart, be it Natsukawa or Ashida, no matter how hard I try and find ways to interact with them, they will still get angry with me. So, supporting them from afar like this is the most peaceful. Oh, that smile is sweet.
"It's good that you can have fun after class. For Natsukawa, and the Class Rep too."
"Eh? Yeah. Actually, I'm looking forward to it. I heard about Airi-chan's endless cuteness from Shirai-san and Okamoto-san."
"That's right. But, she's not just cute, she also has a lot of endurance─ ─After all, yeah, she is indeed very cute. That's all, huh."
─Almost... ...I almost said something unnecessary. Natsukawa is so serious when it comes to her little sis. I shouldn't divulge too much information like that. It's not like anyone would understand, even if I told them part of her little sis. She just jumped at me.
Surprisingly, Iihoshi-san is a girl who talks a lot.
♦
"Game... ...karaoke..."
The conversation was getting heated, they were talking about karaoke, games, etc... ...Yeah, in a heated situation, sometimes when you are aware of it, you feel the urge to go to the toilet. So, slowly, out of the classroom. It was quite difficult to get out without being detected by Iihoshi-san.
"...Hmm?"
As I walked down the corridor, I found three girls walking towards me. Normally, I wouldn't have paid much attention to them, but one of them was so distinctive and stood out so much that I couldn't help but stare. Once they approached me a bit further, I saw that the girl walking in front had familiar striking blonde hair. Seeing that, she reminded me of the person who peeked into the Student Council Office before.
...Isn't she the fiancée of Yuuki-senpai, the Student Council President?
"As I expected, it really does feel shabby here. It's like I live in the countryside, somehow they're much noisier than us."
"No matter what, the students here are from 'ordinary families'."
They probably didn't care about me at all, because they just walked past me, and distanced themselves.
That direction... ...Are they heading to my class? Yeah, whatever. Right now, the toilet is calling me. If my stomach were to overturn at this time, I would definitely be agitated in an instant, so let me finish this business first.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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