Chapter 194
Unexpected News
The girl who blinked her eyes and whom Aika saw before her eyes, looked cute like a small animal. Objectively speaking, even though they were both girls, Ichinose-san clearly aroused feelings for her and made her want to protect her. However, for the time being, Aika could not understand it to the point that she unconsciously relied on her conscience. Since Aika had a little sis, she realized that she cared deeply about that girl, so she tilted her head sincerely.
"Are you okay? Ichinose-san."
"Y-Yeah. I'm sorry..."
It was no secret that Ichinose-san was shy. It seemed difficult for Sasaki, who rarely talked to her and had a vastly different body size, to continue this conversation smoothly. Aika took over the proceedings, and Sasaki accepted Aika's affirmation and went to class in high spirits. Good luck.
"U-Um..., ...Natsukawa-san."
"Yeah. What's wrong?"
There was no way Aika could hold back that bad feeling in such a small and careless voice. Aika, still showing her caring side, asked the girl in front of her. Aika chose to bend down to make them the same height. Aika's concern as a big sister increased.
"─ Do you know where Sajou-kun is?"
"...Um."
Her concern became neutral.
Aika fell silent with a smile on her face, though she didn't know why. She quickly regained her composure and managed to connect with this question. The girl in front of her was clutching her smartphone tightly with both hands, sweating slightly and striding her feet vigorously, looking for a boy named Sajou, even though he was in good health.
"...Wataru, huh? What's wrong?"
"U-Um... ...I couldn't find him..., so I sent him a message..., ...but he never replied..."
As she was saying this, the girl turned to the screen of her smartphone and then looked around her. At that moment, it was probably because of Aika's lack of leeway, not because of her shy personality, but because she was really in a hurry.
"It's not like he's cleaning up the class, right?"
"I-I didn't see him..."
"You didn't see him...?"
It was strange that the boy was nowhere to be seen in the not-so-spacious classroom. The boy named Sajou Wataru did have a lot to do with the Cultural Festival Executive Committee, so it wouldn't be strange for him to be in the meeting room where Aika had been spending time, just moments ago. If that were the case, but it was not.
"Could it be that he had some business in the Student Council Office or the Disciplinary Committee...?"
"Eh...?"
"His big sis is a Student Council official. Don't you know about it?"
"..."
There was a healthy girl with a puzzled look on her face. Mina did not know that the Student Council Vice President at this high school was Sajou Wataru's big sis, and was often helped by him. That made Mina feel a little better. Aika recalled that Wataru's position was not normal, as he was the little bro of an outstanding girl after all this time.
"If he's in the Disciplinary Committee that means..."
"...?"
"What's wrong with the... ...Disciplinary Committee...?"
Large, round, slanted eyes looked at Aika with curiosity.
The female senpai, Shinomiya Rin, who was also the President of the Disciplinary Committee, was characterized by her dignified behavior, just like her name, and was an object of admiration for the female students of this high school. Aika's best friend, Ashida Kei, is no exception, Kei often gazes at her from afar with twinkling eyes and a crooked smile.
For some reason, Wataru often got involved with the President of the Disciplinary Committee like her, and sometimes they had lunch together. It was understandable that their relationship was only because Rin was his big sis' friend, but sometimes she would return to the classroom to be praised without his big sis' present. Rin also tilted her head.
"Perhaps... ...he'll be back soon."
"Um..."
Whatever the reason, Aika had the impression that Wataru was being pushed around by his big sis in some way. This time too, he probably had other matters on his mind and was working on them with a distant gaze. Aika concluded so.
"Shall we go back to our classroom? Ichinose-san."
"Y-Yeah..."
The Cultural Festival Executive Committee had been disbanded, all they had to do now was return to their respective classrooms. If they left the classrooms any farther than this, they would probably be conspicuous. Seeing the girl anxiously staring at her smartphone, Aika lowered her eyebrows and smiled.
♦
"..."
The classroom returned to its normal routine and the students were busy chatting. Aika sat on the backmost seat near the window and looked at the empty seat in front of hers. It was none other than Sajou Wataru, the person that the girl was looking for earlier. The wooden seat was stacked upside down on the table and a bag was on it, so Aika took it down and hooked the bag onto the hook beside her table.
"Sajocchi, she didn't come to clean up the class~...!"
"Kei."
Aika's best friend came there with a dissatisfied look on her face. She was wearing a blazer under a yellow hoodie and had her hand pads behind her head, and her mouth was pouting as she walked. Aika responded by calling her name and Kei immediately sat down on Wataru's seat.
"I don't know what you're calling me for, but, hey. Doesn't he have to miss all his classes?"
"That's... ...obvious."
"Even though I sent him a message, he hasn't replied back. I wonder which other girl he's playing with."
"No, what do you mean, 'the girls he's playing with'?"
"Starting from his tsundere classmate, his big sis, his senpai, his mascot-like classmate, a big sis who's younger than him, then Sasakichi's brocon little sis! What else after these, huh? A gyaru, huh?!"
"What kind of list is that..., with his big sis included... ...and who is that tsundere classmate of his, huh?!"
"Ihihi, sorry, sorry!"
"Gosh...!"
While complaining about Kei's quick judgment of him, Aika felt stuck in a certain part of the conversation. Just like the girl who was looking for Wataru earlier, Kei was also not getting any replies to the messages sent by her.
"How many times have you tried texting him today?"
"Um, I've already been once. How's Aichi?"
"Just about to start now..."
"I don't know how it would be if Aichi did that..., I'd suggest putting it on our messaging group instead if that's the case!"
Aika turned on her smartphone and opened the screen of her private messages with Wataru, which she rarely opened. The last time the two of them had messaged was the night before the Cultural Festival. After parting ways on the way home, they chatted a bit about what they were going to do together today and closed by wishing each other "good night", even though it was a bit early for bed.
[Where are you now? We'll be disbanded soon.]
She sent the message. Then waited for five seconds. It wasn't marked with two blue ticks, indicating it had been read.
As Aika continued to watch her smartphone screen, Kei sent a message to the class group.
[Sajocchi missed the classroom cleanup. It's time for the disbanding.]
[Oh, the disbanding party, huh...?]
[Tsk! Now it's time for the disbanding party, huh!? Don't tell Ootsuki-chan, okay!?]
[S-Sensei, hey..., you're so rude to her.]
[Only Sajou was suspended during karaoke.]
[Kei +3, huh?]
As if to cover up Kei's messages, the other students in their class vented their hatred of Wataru. It seemed that Wataru's fault for not participating in the classroom cleanup was more than Kei had expected. It was Kei's first statement that was the most powerful.
"...Still no reply, he still hasn't replied."
"I wonder what he's doing..."
The message on Aika's private chat screen was still ticked. Kei seemed to be the same. As expected, they were somewhat worried that he might be involved in some kind of trouble, so they both looked at each other.
"I'll call him, then."
"Yeah, please."
"Um..."
Aika, who had never called Wataru directly, searched for the call symbol on her smartphone screen. Then she finally found it, and the screen switched to the incoming call screen; she put her smartphone to her ear and waited for Wataru to answer. It was true that Aika was worried, but Aika found that her heart was beating faster on her first try.
"...Um."
"Still not picked up?"
"Um, it might be a little while─."
'The number you're dialed cannot be reached, try again later!'
""...!""
Ten seconds after the call. Suddenly, a loud noise echoed throughout the classroom, seemingly dispelling the surrounding silence. Kei and Aika both turned their heads to look at the source of the loud noise, and a female student with a tie in a color that suggested she was a third-year student, running in from the back of the classroom.
"Hey, hey, is this Class 1-C? Class 1-C, right?"
"Y-Yeah, that's right."
A wavy black-haired female senpai asked. Her tone of voice and demeanor did not give the impression that she was a serious student. The sudden visit caused another commotion in the classroom. Of course, Aika and Kei also looked at each other again.
The typical girl, who also seemed to be a potential girl for Wataru to play with, did not pay attention to her surroundings and searched for something at the back of the classroom.
"Look, where is the seat of Little Bro-kun, I mean Sajou-kun's?"
"...Eh?"
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Wataru's name came out of the mouth of the person who was the source of the commotion, causing Aika and Kei to let out astonished sounds. The wavy black-haired female senpai was told by a nearby student where Wataru's seat was, and she turned her attention to where Aika and Kei were sitting.
"Eh... ...um?"
"Oh, so it's here, huh?"
"Yeah, why are you sitting here?"
"Yeah. ...Oh, one moment!"
Kei got up from Wataru's seat to make room for the senpai. The wavy black-haired senpai moved to the side of the seat, she picked up Wataru's bag without saying a word and tried to carry it away. As expected, and without needing to ask, so the two of them called her.
"What's wrong? I'm in a hurry."
"W-Wait, um, what...?"
"He's going to the hospital soon. He won't be coming back to the classroom today."
"Eh...?"
"Like I said before, I'm in a hurry! Thank you!"
"Yeah...!"
Before they could ask for more details, the wavy black-haired senpai left with a cheerful tone. A moment later, Aika and Kei, spread both their hands, and wandered in the air with no destination to reach. The reason for Wataru's absence, which was stated in such a vague manner, caused the entire classroom to become silent.
"Eh... ...Sajou, did he faint again?"
Several boys muttered. This was the beginning of further excitement that enveloped this classroom. There were not a few voices of concern at the fact that a female senpai was willing to come all the way to pick up Wataru's luggage. In a corner of the room that had nothing to do with Wataru, there seemed to be a lot of unspoken speculation brewing.
"..."
"..."
Being told in front of them, Aika and Kei were frozen in place, not knowing what exactly was happening. By the window on the opposite side of the classroom, another healthy girl was also in the same state, and now her face was pale.
TL Note: This chapter is actually the first time the author announced the anime adaptation. But he's removing the message now. If you guys want to watch the anime, you can watch it in Ani-One Asia YouTube Channel for Asian viewers with English and other languages subtitles, and Hi-Dive for North American viewers with English subtitles and dub.
TL: Reeze27
