Chapter 80Her True Identity
The Sasaki-san I knew, didn't show much excitement and always had a graceful image. Sometimes she does make me feel excited to the point of showing my flirtatious mood, but I guess it's just a "vibe" and she's not the type to jump out and play around like an innocent girl.
And that's the excitement for me... I felt so honored, I wanted to serve her for the rest of my life. I thought she was older than me, so I could make jokes about her looking mature and so on, but who would have thought that Sasaki-san, who is at such a high level, would turn out to be a middle school student... ...I can't say anything hilarious anymore...
Sasaki-san who came over to me. She reminds me of a pet dog reuniting with its master for the first time in a long time. If she sits there helplessly, I'm afraid she'll lick me. Even though that wasn't the case, I felt that it wasn't appropriate for me to accept the humiliation of my dignity from the two people beside me, so I stood up and greeted Sasaki-san.
"U-Um... ...I'm surprised that you're still in middle school. I didn't ask you specifically about your age, though. So I thought you were more like an adult."
"Gosh, that's why I told you. I was just a kid until recently — No, maybe I'm still a kid compared to you, Sajou-san..."
"No, that's not it. I misunderstood you. I didn't realize that you were a junior high school student at all, because you seem too mature."
"Fufu... ...is that so?"
Uh... ...When I mistakenly thought that she was indeed an adult girl, Sasaki-san suddenly looked like a middle school student. I felt a gap in those feminine movements, but instead, it meant she was appropriate for her age... ...Wow, I feel happy, and sad at the same time. I thought she was older than me, and because I thought I was just a high school boy to her, so I casually threw out lines to tease her. Isn't that terrible?
"Since you came here, does that mean you're going to take an exam to get in here, Sasaki-san?"
"Yeah, Kōetsu High School has a good reputation, among the safest in the city. It was also the high school recommended by Dad. Besides that..."
"Besides that?"
"—Besides that, Sajou-san has taught me many good things."
"..."
Am I going to die today?
Have I set an example for her? Seriously, I don't remember doing anything good, except for Kouta-kun's case. How many second-hand books did I sell her? I don't know when I taught her..., but I'm glad that you find me interesting.
"Uh, ..., if possible, I'd be happier if I were guided by Sajou-san..."
"Do you want to go around the whole place again?"
"I guess I wouldn't mind going around the whole place again..."
It was already getting dark. Sasaki's overprotective family must have imposed an early curfew on her. So, there's no way I'm taking her around the high school right now, right?
"How does Kōetsu High School? Are you interested?"
"Yeah. After walking around today, I've made up my mind that I will go to this high school. I'll make sure to pass the exam...!"
"So, Sasaki-san will be my kouhai, then... ...It doesn't feel right, does it? I thought we might be the same age with a low age difference."
I think of her more as a college student, rather than a girl younger than me.
"Eh? Is that so? In that case, I should practice while I still can."
"Eh, practice...?"
Sasaki-san seemed surprised by my words, she clenched her fists enthusiastically and looked at me as if she had a bad idea. For some reason, I have a good feeling about this, please don't cut my luck any further..., ...How will I fare in the rest of this school year? Will I get hit by a car or something?
"—Please take care of me in the future, Sajou-'senpai'."
"Guhh..."
I felt like crying.
"Senpai"...huh? That word sounds fresh. When I was in middle school, I didn't have a kouhai who called me "Senpai". I was a bit moved. There is no more beautiful way to call someone older than the word "Senpai". When you have a kouhai who looks up to you, then take good care of her. If she depends on me, I will do my best to respond.
"Yeah, please take care of me too. Sasaki-san."
"Ugh, it's not like that, Senpai."
"Eh?"
"'Oh, please take care of me too. Fuuka!', that should be it!"
"...Have you ever read a romance novel before?"
"Of course —Oh!? I-I've been caught, huh!"
Don't be silly, miss.
Calling a girl at this level by her nickname out of the blue is pretty high, even for a kouhai. The fact that I'm calling Natsukawa by her family name and not her nickname isn't just because I'm not her boyfriend... ...it's also because she's 'extraordinary'. If Sasaki-san weren't a student at a girls-only middle school, she would probably make most of her male classmates misunderstand...
"Um, so Sajou-san... I mean Senpai. Who are those people?"
"Oops, oh, yeah."
I was also waiting for the right opportunity to introduce them, but the timing was never right and I was drenched in cold sweat. Did I sweat too much today? Why am I hanging out with girls at a time like this? It's okay, are you sure that I don't stink?
Okay, be confident, me. It doesn't matter if I mess up, I'm not supposed to be around a lot of girls like this. So take it easy. Let's treat it lightly. Don't be afraid of being hated by them! After all, Ashida and Natsukawa are already used to seeing my acts.—
"Hieh..."
I glanced at Natsukawa and the other one, then my shoulders went up and down. Ashida looked at me as if he was looking at a rare animal, and Natsukawa looked at me rather awkwardly. Whatever it was, they both looked like they had something to say. Their gazes were painful and piercing like needles.
"U-Um... ...These two are my classmates."
'Oh! She's over there-!!!'
"...Oh!"
Just as I was about to introduce the two of them in an awkward atmosphere, I was interrupted by a loud voice coming from the entrance. As soon as I stopped talking, Sasaki-san put her hand over her mouth, as if she was remembering something. I looked toward the source of the voice and saw three girls in Mishirohama Girls-Only Middle School uniforms running toward us.
No, Sasaki-san does look mature. Compared to her, those three girls looked like typical middle school girls. Those girls. They just looked normal. I know that I'm not being polite at all. I'm an adult now... ...and I miss the days when I was in middle school...
"Oh my! We were looking for you because you suddenly disappeared!"
"I-I'm sorry! I thought I heard Sajou-san's voice...!"
"Eh!? Sajou-san. 'That' Sajou-san?"
Eh, which Sajou-san are you referring to?
Are you talking about me with your friends at your school, Sasaki-san? Seriously? I suddenly felt embarrassed. I'm just a know-it-all boy, that's an exaggeration. Wait...? Could it be that I'm being laughed at behind my back...? I don't like that. I'm going to stay at home for two days, I'm serious.
"Sajou-san taught Fuuka-chan, who's not good with words, how to speak politely?"
"Sajou-san who taught reality to Fuuka-chan, who likes to fantasize in the world of shoujo manga!?"
"Sajou-san who taught common sense to the innocent Fuuka-chan!?"
—Which Sajou-san is that?
Eh, is that me...? It was true that she looked rather innocent, but she seemed like a very graceful girl. She was polite the whole time and didn't give off the impression of not saying much from beginning to end... ...but she does indeed seem to like fantasizing about the world of shoujo manga.
"No, that's not true! I'm neither fantasizing nor innocent!"
E-Eh, Sasaki-san...? Isn't the current atmosphere a bit different?
Is this... ...Isn't Sasaki-san deliberately using a polite tone of speech only when she talked to me? No, yeah, female middle school students usually try to use greeting words when they talk to male high school students. I still can't believe that she's in middle school. I'm still trying hard to deny the truth of that fact, but it's starting to sink in now.
...Hieh, they all looked at me at once.
"H-He's... ...a brown-haired boy."
"Your hair is brown too, Miwa-chan..."
"It's true, his hair is brown..."
I have brown hair... ...Eh...? My hair is brown? I dyed it black a few days ago and the color has faded a bit, huh? Does it look brown in the sunlight? My hair is a bit brownish, but...
"Oh, um..."
"Oh, yeah."
"Are you Sajou-san... Sajou-senpai, huh!?"
"Yeah, that's true, but..."
In the same way as Sasaki-san, the three of them were mesmerized. But it seems that it worked, the three of them seemed somewhat frightened by my brown hair but looked at each other as if they were somewhat disappointed. However, I was quite happy to be called "Senpai".
"That... is an honor."
"You're so humble, Miwa-chan..."
"Although, you have brown hair..."
Does it matter? You're a bit prejudiced against brown-haired people, aren't you? I know it's not something that middle schoolers have to deal with. Although, I thought all brown-haired people were punks until I enrolled in high school.
"You three...! It's almost twilight, how about we all go home? Isn't that right, Sajou-san?"
"Eh? Hmm, yeah... That's right. Your parents might be worried if you come home late. It's better to get home before the sky gets dark."
"That's right! That's right! Sajou-san said so too! Excuse us for today, come on you three!"
"Eh? Eh-? W-Wait, Fuuka-chan!?"
"What the heck~!"
"Ah!? W-Wait a minute, you three!"
Sasaki-san pushed two of the three of them back frantically. They bowed their heads at us and moved away towards the school gate. It might have been a noisier time than we expected, but the area suddenly became quiet after Sasaki-san and co. left. I didn't look back. I'm convinced that I'm the most awkward guy in the world right now.
My right hand felt cold. The plastic bottle soaked in water dripped and got soaked, making a stain on the red brick ground. I wasn't thirsty, but I let the sound of the bottle cap opening accentuate the scene, and I gulped the bottled iced tea down my throat.
Is there anything that doesn't taste like this?
Author's Note: Of course!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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