Chapter 181The Fate of the Two of Them
Usually by mid-October, I realized that it was already spring. I didn't understand this until I was in the first-year of middle school, when I was still walking around with my goosebumps and arm hair standing on end caressing the air without changing into my uniform. An elementary school student who was a member of the Dodgeball Club who came to school every day in short sleeves and shorts in the middle of winter would have understood this by now.
"Oh, Sajou. Did you come empty-handed?"
"Because I don't need anything, though."
"I think it feels good to be a member of the Go-Home Club."
"Shut up."
As I entered the classroom, staring at black uniforms, a welcome change from the warmer weather, I got a punch in the face. I had left my luggage at school amidst the hustle and bustle of this event.
As I looked at my watch, I wondered if I was taking too much time, but I arrived at this school later than usual. Well, it was still the Cultural Festival, and it didn't matter if I didn't arrive on time, even if it was at the last minute. It was kind of fun to walk in the cool morning without any luggage.
"Hey! Hey!"
"Oh, it's you, Sajocchi. What's wrong?"
"Are you going to school?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"?"
We came to school in the morning and were about to head to our classroom. What was the reason that made me question her natural process like that?
I looked back at her while thinking about that, but Ashida was already nodding her head as if she understood, then she turned her face to its original position. It felt as if I had been touched by her words and gaze. Who the heck is this girl? This girl can finally do yokya moves from a distance? This girl seemed to have about one more stage of growth left.
"...G-Good morning."
"Well. Oh, good morning..."
Sure enough, I turned my head towards Natsukawa who was in front of Ashida, and she greeted me in the most awkward way. My words also became weak. What's going on here? Is this a sign that she wants to say "Don't think that you can talk to me face to face normally right now"? I feel like I could fly out of that window right now.
—It's impossible. There's no way the gentle Natsukawa would think like that. Most likely, it's because of her physical condition, lack of sleep, feminine reasons, or maybe something sensitive. The right thing for me to do is to pretend not to notice this and treat her as usual. That's who I am, so I'll be sensitive from today on!
"..."
"...Yeah?"
E-Eh? Could it be? Is this not the case?
To the people around her, Natsukawa seems to be upset and restless at the moment. However, if you ask me, she's just being indifferent to me. This classroom will turn into a higher stage once we start walking around. Am I the one who's acting weird...?
"Where should we stop first?"
"Stall! Sweets!"
"Since this morning?"
"Since this morning!"
As I asked the two of them while looking through the Cultural Festival pamphlet that I took out of my pocket, Ashida raised her hand and expressed what she wanted while jumping up and down. Apparently, there were promising hopes from the Volleyball Club members and she wasn't afraid of gaining weight. I felt that "She's still very young", even though we were all high school students. Even though I am a boy, I had to be vigilant. It's because I'm a member of the Go-Home Club, after all.
"Is Natsukawa okay with that?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"Did you cut your hair?"
"Eh? I haven't cut my hair yet, though..."
"You just said that randomly."
First of all, how could my senses miss the changes in Natsukawa. I knew from the start that she hadn't cut her hair. Well, what if my senses start to dull? I don't want to miss Natsukawa's new charm, right? Just in case? No, that doesn't mean my senses are dulling, right?
"W-Was there something strange about me?"
"That's right..."
"No, why are you looking for it while looking at me at this time?"
This is a chance for me to legitimately look at Natsukawa. I couldn't miss this.
Lately, I've been unable to keep looking straight ahead, probably because our seat positions have changed to back and forth. No, it's not that I'm not happy to be sitting near Natsukawa, but it's just that I'm getting used to sitting near her now. It's just that given my habits towards her in the past until now... ...I know myself that it's too creepy for me.
When I make eye contact with Natsukawa, who always frowns when she speaks, she turns her face away from me, as if she's running away. I think, my eyes have an effect that unintentionally causes continuous damage to me just by looking at her. Stop it, I feel like crying, you know.
"...Hmm?"
"Eh?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing, though."
"Eh, what the heck? I'm curious, you know...?"
"No, no, it's nothing."
Suddenly, I felt a glow coming from Natsukawa's mouth. When I noticed, her lips were much more moisturized than usual. I'm sure she must have started using lip balm. Just realizing that made me feel a bit weird, so what if I said, "Oh, you're using lip balm starting today, huh?" to her?
"Eek...!?" I felt like I was about to be scolded.
"Th-There's nothing strange about me, is there?"
"Eh? There's nothing strange about you, though."
"..."
"No, I'm sorry. It's okay, you also look cute today, though."
"....Ugh... ...What the heck are you saying...?"
Natsukawa, who had rechecked her face using the folding handheld mirror and Ashida's eyes, looked at me with an annoyed look. Maybe teasing them was a bad idea.
I thought so and complimented her, but she complained and turned away from me. I said that sentence in a strange way and probably sounded like a frivolous boy... ...But, I wasn't lying, though.
"—Then, first of all, let's start by taking a picture while holding a sweet with one hand."
"Eh? Will Sajocchi be in it too?"
"You can disguise me by putting black lines in my eyes."
"Are you a criminal!?"
Among the three of us, Ashida was the one who was relatively more engrossed in her social media. She had 90% of the followers in our school year, and I think I was already banned from her timeline. Honestly, I also think that it's not too much to exclude a boy's presence in that kind of thing among pretty girls. I'm sorry, leave the camera work to me. I know I'll be photographing you guys from the belly button.
I had crepes with Ichinose-san and Sasaki-san yesterday, and today I want to eat another sweet today. Yuki-chan? Who is that girl? I don't know her, though.
I don't know why, rather than wheat flour food wrapped in paper, and I prefer food that I can hold in a cup. I'm okay with fried food. I've also been banned from Ashida's timeline, anyway.
As my gaze wandered to the list of stalls in the Cultural Festival pamphlet, I realized that Ashida was looking at me. What's with that meaningful gaze she gives me from time to time?
"...What's wrong, though?"
"No, I thought you seemed to be having a lot of fun today. In fact, you had fun with Ichinose-chan and the others yesterday, didn't you?"
"Eh? Isn't it okay if I have fun today too?"
"Oh, yeah... ...That's right."
"Wait a minute, Kei..."
"...?"
What's wrong...? Not only Ashida, but Natsukawa also seemed to notice something on my skin... ...Maybe there's something wrong with my face? Even though I was sure that my nose hairs were fine. I checked it every morning when I washed my face. So, could it be because of the shape of my face? They were very rude to me.
"D*mn... ...It's nothing, though."
"Eh?"
When I looked up at her, I found Natsukawa laughing while covering her mouth with her hand. She seemed to find the way I was groping my face strange. Was it a form of revenge? Come to think of it, I'm acting like a fool... ...What's the point of me doing this? It won't make me a handsome boy either. I'm starting to feel embarrassed....
'—S-Saitou-san.'
"!"
A voice coming from somewhere in the crowded classroom made my body stiffen involuntarily. Normally, I hated that voice so much that I didn't even want to hear it, but for some reason, I tried to catch that voice so hard that my attention was focused on my ears. If only this was in a manga, my ears would probably be one size larger than usual. I'm sure Sasaki must be worried about drawing attention to the incident with Saitou-san. I'm sure he'd complain to me later if he knew, so I'll try not to be too visible to them here.
'Sasaki-kun...'
'Well... ...Do you have free time today...?'
The window glass that covered the bright outside scenery did not reflect much of the inside of the classroom. However, my eyes exerted a force comparable to when I looked at Natsukawa. My brain filled the dimly lit classroom scene with — D*mn...! Natsukawa's figure reflected in the foreground was breathtaking! My eyes became attracted to that!
'Yeah, it's okay... ...forever.'
'Eh...?'
'Anytime... ...It's fine, though...'
'S-Saitou-san...'
I felt like I could not turn away from this scene in any other sense.
If I were to stare directly at the two of them right now, my eyes and heart would probably burn. If I were to hold the chocolate in my hand here, it would probably melt instantly.
However, Saitou-san may not have the luxury of time like that. From the perspective of outsiders around her, the atmosphere did seem sweet, but since dhe had not received a clear answer to her confession, it was easy to tell that she was in a state of great anxiety. The taste must be bitter like a burnt baked potato. That analogy is a bit too harsh..., ...It's probably because I'm hungry...
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about where the two of them would end up. In the beginning, I was willing to let Sasaki take care of her love life on her own, but right now I'm already involved, even though it's out of my choice... ...I don't know why he keeps blabbering about embarrassing things like that.
I don't know if I'm going to interfere or support Saitou-san's love relationship? I only have two choices: getting kicked by a horse or getting kicked by Yuki-chan. It's weird... ...it's like their romance has me in a bind...
The culprit must be Sasaki because he dragged me into this. If that's the case, I'll peek into everything and tease him later. Although it's not too late now, I'm still not satisfied until Sasaki embarrasses himself just one more time. Right now, show me, the master of romance, the blue-colored spring...!
'...Then—'
"I'm sorry, just for a moment..., ...Eh, why are you guys standing there in silence?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Eh... ...What's wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that!? Why are you all sighing at me!? Even Natsukawa-san too!?"
I looked at Matsuda, who was full of question marks and uneasy at the three of us. Unfortunately, this was the room where many bags were placed... ...Matsuda didn't do anything wrong here. Rather, it was more like the three of us were at fault for hanging out here. Ashida took a step back and her face looked pale. Matsuda is... ...looking into Natsukawa's eyes is priceless. (Propaganda.)
...Hmm, wait a minute? Do the two of them know about Sasaki and Saitou-san too? Natsukawa might have gotten a glimpse of the two of them before she went home yesterday....
Girls are very fast at getting information... ...Although Sasaki didn't tell anyone but me, is there a possibility that the information also spread from Saitou-san's side? But she doesn't seem to be too open about it... ...Kuwabara, kuwabara.*
(TL Note: Kuwabara: a chant to protect oneself from lightning strikes.)
TL Note: This is the first chapter of the eighth part/volume of the Web Novel version.
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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