Chapter 123In A New Position
"Template". I don't know what the actual meaning of the word is, but for a high school student like me who likes manga and games, it's a word that means something like "standard". Some products might get stuck in a rut with the same procedures and settings and be used over and over again, but others evolve into a "complete package", and have an aesthetic, whether it's good or bad.
When we see that as reality, we have no choice but to believe in what is called "fate". The one who gives advice will lose in the rock-paper-scissors game, the one who gets carried away will lose before the fight, the one who pushes will be pushed, and the honest one will be slapped at the end of the year.
What we usually get will sometimes only be available when we need it, and what we wanted until recently will only be available when we no longer need it.
─In the same way, we will only meet other people except when we don't want to meet them anymore.
"Eh...!? Did Natsukawa-san get the seat behind Sajou-kun? That's great!"
"I thought Natsukawa had abandoned him before, but it turns out Sajou's persistence is amazing~!"
You guys are too loud in front of others, aren't you? What are you guys saying about me, Aibe and Matsuda?
Yeah, I think you guys have a point... ...That's how a boy who hasn't been involved with the girl and doesn't know what's going on feels... ...So, is this fate? I didn't know what to do anymore, I felt both excited and embarrassed.
"...Um, please take care of me!"
"Y-Yeah..."
This was the result of the lottery. I ended up being moved to the second row from the back, near the window of the courtyard. I thought to myself, "Okay, I did it!". I ignored the crying voice of Ashida, who moved to the middle row of the classroom, and after I moved it turned out that there, sitting behind me while peering through the coal-colored stone wall, was Natsukawa, who was shining like a diamond. Sorry, just an ordinary stone wall around her.
My surroundings were filled with excitement. A moment ago, I felt very comfortable, but now I could only return her smile that appeared unexpectedly with a friendly smile.
After I sat down in my seat, I checked my surroundings. Ashida was in her seat in the middle row of the classroom, and although she had said earlier that she didn't want to move, she was currently enjoying the company of her classmates around her. I envied her for being in such a mood. It's nothing I can't do too, but it's limited to people who put aside their shyness and reputation and I can laugh with. Yeah, that's not unusual.
When I looked around me one more time, I found Ichinose-san sitting in her seat position in the second row from the back near the corridor. I liked that seat position too, Ichinose-san seemed very comfortable reading a book there. But as soon as I heard people start talking to her, she felt nervous. It's my fault because Ichinose-san is getting cute and easy to talk to, huh? So getting cute is bad.
"...H-Hey!"
"! ...Hmm, what's wrong?"
Hmm, I realized that someone was talking to me from behind. I almost missed it, but I can't miss Natsukawa's voice. I was a bit proud because I could already tell from the way she was talking to me that she was the one talking to me. , I already knew it was this beauty.
"Did you... ...try to read it before?"
"...No, I haven't. After all, Ashida keeps trying to peek at me."
"Hmm, if I look around just now, she did it..."
Oh, no, she was watching me. The person who originally sat behind me was Ashida. If we were playing around with each other at the right edge of her field of vision, of course, we would be seen by her. But I was very happy about it because I could see how feminine she was...
"Well... ...Wh-Why don't you look at it?"
"...Aren't you going to peek at me reading it?"
"I-I won't peek at you..."
"...Understood."
Yeah, how could Goddess Natsukawa do such a thing? She knows how serious Sajou-kun is about that kind of thing. I probably wouldn't feel comfortable if I was still around Ashida. Although it's just "that kind of content", she might feel amused if she managed to peek at me with a serious face, unlike Natsukawa.
"Alright, then—"
"Sajou-kun, please take care of me!"
"Duh!?"
"Eh? Do you want to take something out?"
Just as I was quietly about to take that thing out, Okamocchan, who was sitting on the seat in front of me, suddenly turned her body towards me. It seemed that she had just said "Please take care of me~!" to the classmates sitting in front of and beside her. I shouted something strange while hitting my desk with my hand, which I was about to put into my uniform pocket.
"Oh, no, um, it's nothing! Please take care of me, okay!"
"Please take care of me too. Oh, Natsukawa-san is here too! I'm glad that I can sit near you, Sajou-kun."
"Ugh... ...I see..."
I thought, "Oh, I guess this isn't good.". My love for Natsukawa had become such a well-known fact among my classmates that they mentioned it with a calm face without any malicious. I'm now sitting in front of Natsukawa. Yeah, I'm now sitting in front of Natsukawa. I will never look back anymore from now on. I think if I did, I would die of embarrassment.
"I wish I could also sit closer to Mina-chan, but Nonoka-chan already took her away from me."
"...? Oh, you mean Shirai-san, huh? No, isn't Shirai-san not sitting beside or in front of Ichinose-san?"
Even now, I couldn't escape the topic of Ichinose-san just like that because it had attracted their attention, to the point that I was talked to by her surrounding classmates like Okamocchan. I also got the impression that she was able to read the atmosphere and keep me behaving calmly.
"In that case, the closer you get to her, the more you win, right?"
"Is there such a thing as winning or losing in this case?"
"I wonder if there is a vibe around us?"
Is there some kind of "vibe" between Shirai-san and Okamocchan? That's not the right word to describe both of them. They both look good together and give off a soft and subtle impression, so I think it would be better to call it an "atmosphere". I want to join a study group with the two of them before the exam. I felt that I could study seriously.
"Lucky you, Sajou-kun because she's so attached to you. I don't know, it seems like Ichinose-san will miss you."
"Oh, um... ...Yeah, it's okay."
"Oh, what is it?"
It's impossible for me to possibly explain to Natsukawa that "she's my kouhai at my part-time job.". Well, since Ichinose-san and I didn't talk much until a while ago, and now that we've started talking to each other, I'm sure she'll find out the answer, ten to ten, but that doesn't mean I can't tell her...
"—Hmm, hmm!"
"!"
H-Hmm...? Eh, just then...?
I turned my body towards the back in trepidation. Natsukawa froze and cleared her throat. Does this... ...mean that? Does that mean I should read it as soon as possible? No, but even if I had finished reading it, I could only say to her whether "that kind of content" or not.
"That's..."
"Oh, Natsukawa-san. It's not like Sajou-kun is bothering me, though!"
"Eh?"
"Wait, Okamocchan, what kind of report is that?"
As if I'm the one who usually causes trouble... ...No, come to think of it, ever since I met Natsukawa, I've been bothering her almost all the time. What? Does that mean the classmates around here think that I'm a troublemaker? Haven't you guys seen how mature I've become lately? Come to think of it, we were still on summer vacation until recently, huh?
"Um... ...Is that so?"
That's right!
I felt happy, strangely itchy, and sorry for Natsukawa's answer. I don't understand, but at least for Okamocchan, it seems that I and Natsukawa are like "two people who can be put together". To put it simply, we are like a bad boy and his guardian. Who is a bad boy anyway?
Anyway, from Okamocchan's words, I can feel that she "treats us like that".
"Ehehe, I can't wait to witness "Sajou-kun and Natsukawa-san" up close~"
"..."
"..."
...How should I react? This is awkward. Should I approach Natsukawa again in a friendly manner and put on a "performance" for her? Of course not, that wouldn't make any sense, Natsukawa had repeatedly told me clearly that I was a "nuisance" before. I'll only feel miserable if I do it one more time from now on.
How should I "behave" in the interest of each other — in a correct and balanced manner? I know, I should read the atmosphere, not make things weird, not break anything. I can do that from now on. At the end of spring, I told Natsukawa that I would comply with her wishes. I made my position clear yesterday. Natsukawa should already know where I'm headed.
Hence—
"We might not be able to meet your expectations, though. Though right? Natsukawa."
"—Oh... ...um... ...Y-Yeah."
Natsukawa didn't need to hold herself back. It was even better for Natsukawa too, so she didn't have to feel awkward like that. There was no way things would go the way Okamocchan expected since our relationship was already "over". As my friend, it's better for her to just say, "That happened a long time ago, now we're not like that anymore!", all she has to do is push my feelings far back. Because if we do that, all of her expectations will disappear perfectly.
"Eh... ...Eh? Come to think of it, lately, you guys haven't called each other by nicknames... Ah."
The rumor about a person only lasted for 75 days. Just like a one-hit-wonder that can be forgotten as the seasons change. So is the rumor about us— the joke about our impossible relationship will probably be forgotten in the same way.
"Th-That's right..."
"Oh, I'm sorry, huh?"
Okamocchan looked a little disappointed, smiled faintly, and turned forward.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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