Chapter 204
I Couldn't Just Let Him Go Alone Like That, Part 4
There were two postcards that I confiscated from Wataru. One of them had an illustration of my best friend, who was quite a character but depicted with a crazy sense of fashion. The fact that she's wearing clothes that she can't possibly wear, yet drawn in such a way, shows the greatness of Shirai-san's talent in drawing.
"I mean, what should I do with these postcards...? Return them...? To whom?"
"Aichi? What's wrong?"
"!? Um..."
By the classroom window. One of the illustration models on the postcards appeared in front of me, frowning at the very back of the classroom. I hurriedly put the postcards under the desk, sat down on my seat, took out my smartphone, and pretended to play with it.
"M-Mom asked me to go shopping..."
"Oh, it must be really hard, huh? It's great that even Aichi can put on a disgusted face, huh?"
"Ahaha..."
"Yeah, that's right! You could have asked Sajocchi to carry your shopping bags for you... but he's not available right now, is he...?"
"I-I wouldn't ask him to do that even if his hand wasn't injured, ...because it's my family's business."
As usual, Kei was still treating Wataru harshly. Wataru, who was treated by her in such a blatant manner, was still swearing at her, but he did not seem to mind. In other words, this was the usual kind of communication. Indeed, I don't feel bad when I see them like that, so there probably won't be any problems.
"It will hurt if you use your left hand a lot. I used to run without realizing that I was spraining my foot."
"Eh...?"
Kei, who was sitting leaning against Wataru's seat, said so, not in a mocking tone, but in a caring tone. It was an unexpected reaction considering the relationship between the two of them that didn't get along.
"So I screamed in a strange voice and the people around me laughed at me."
"Has that happened to you too, Kei?"
"Yeah, of course, I've been injured. And everyone who has been injured in the Sports Club must have experienced the same thing, right?"
"..."
Kei's words made my blood run cold. I wonder how many times I complained bitterly to Wataru? I think I've said a lot of heartless words to the point where they've piled up. Perhaps it was something Wataru could no longer bear, but...
"─But still, Sajocchi is a very careless guy, huh!"
"...Eh?"
"How many screams have you heard in the past few days? He should have learned a lot so it won't happen again, right? Perhaps he won't pass the next exam!"
"Eh...?"
Kei was really happy to talk about Wataru's failure. As expected, Wataru and Kei were poking and prodding each other. And it was usually so bad that he couldn't sympathize with Wataru who was injured. I guess I wasn't wrong that Kei said that, but I wondered if... my regret that I might have said too much wasn't wrong.
"I worried too much, maybe it's true..."
"I don't think so. How many dozens of times would I have had to listen to his screams if it wasn't for Aichi's worry and concern?"
"N-Not to that extent, you know...!?"
And dozens of times is too many! I don't think Wataru should be that careless, no matter how many times he complains. ...He's not a careless guy, is he? He's just too relaxed and confident...
"Oh. So, Ms. D*mmy is here, huh."
"What the heck, you're just coming over, but suddenly you're saying that? You want to pick a fight, don't you? Come here if you dare?"
Wataru, who had left the classroom, had already returned. Wataru, who suddenly came to greet her with bad words, looked at Kei with a furrowed forehead. It could be called a "cynical look". I don't think it's the right face to show a girl, but...
"...!"
Suddenly, my eyes met Wataru's. Wataru, who looked awkward while chuckling, shrugged his shoulders and his hands became shorter. The postcards from earlier must still be in his mind. I will never return those two postcards. Indeed, it was Shirai-san who drew them first. I'm not sure if it was a good idea to ask her to make new illustrations. Well, I hope you're grateful that I didn't take the card with my illustration. What you want to do with that postcard is up to you..., but...
"H-Hey, Ashida, move aside. That's my seat, you know."
"I don't want to."
"Why not?"
"Anyway, I don't want to."
"'I don't want to' your *ss?"
"I don't want to."
"What do you want, then? ...Come on, Kei."
"Huh—, imitating Airi-chan like that."
"They don't look alike, you know?"
"You guys sound so cold."
Kei, who had been mistreated by Wataru and also by me, left Wataru's seat with a pouty mouth. I mean, I don't think hugging the back of a boy's seat too much is a good thing. Or, you know, you'll be misunderstood. ...I don't think that would happen to Wataru, but I don't think that's just because I care about Wataru...
"Where have you been?"
"I was washing my hands and changing the bandages. I had to go to a toilet that had no one in it."
"Oh..."
"Ugh, that's so troublesome. I wouldn't have to go to all that trouble if I hadn't been careless and stuck my hand into an exposed sharp object."
"...Yeah. That's for sure."
"...?"
I was curious. There was a sense of tension that seemed to be somewhat different from when he was with Kei. He seemed depressed. I wondered if he still felt pain and soreness after his injury was wrapped in bandages again. However, even so, he still used his left hand carelessly, and then...
"Huh, ...I also want a body that is as strong as steel and invulnerable. Like Big Sis."
"Who said I have a body of steel?"
"Whoa!?"
"!"
A languid and somewhat threatening voice suddenly interrupted us. Unlike me and Kei who were surprised, Wataru was even more surprised, going so far as to shrug his shoulders. I also cringed at his reaction, which reverberated to his left hand...
I turned my head toward the source of the voice. There stood the Vice President of the Student Council of this high school — Wataru's Big Sis.
"Wh-Why are you in this classroom? ...Why did you come all the way here."
"Whose marvelous body are you talking about?"
"Of course, your awesome body..."
"Shut up! and don't look at me!"
"You're so unreasonable..."
His Big Sis who came to Class 1-C's room ignorantly treated Wataru from the start. As someone very hard on Wataru, I don't know how to say it, but I think she treated Wataru too much like an injured person. Perhaps I, a stranger, am not in a position to say anything about these siblings...
"...It's been bandaged, huh, it seems you've bandaged it properly."
"What's wrong? I always do everything right."
"You say that because you know that what you do every day is not done properly, Big Sis."
Next to Kei, there was a conversation between Wataru and his Big Sis. Wataru, who was also being harshly criticized, seemed like it would be a disaster. But, judging from the way the Big Sis was looking at him, it could be taken as if she was worried about her little bro. That's what a big sis and a little bro are for, and this was rather reassuring to see.
"Um, ...are you worried about Wataru?"
"Huh?"
"Oh, um..."
"...I also have other business here."
"...Printouts?"
Kei received a packet of printouts that Wataru's Big Sis had handed to her. Wataru and I peered into Kei's hands as she read them quickly.
''Announcement about 'Recruitment of Student Council Officials Candidates'...?''
"Here, please share this with your classmates!"
"Oh, hei...!"
"Don't bother Natsukawa-san and her friends by constantly being careless with your left hand."
"Ugh...!"
The big sis quickly left the classroom as if to say that the task was done. Yeah, she did look a bit cool... she did not deny Wataru's concerns, and she came to see how her little bro was doing while delivering those leaflets...
"Student Council members recruitment! Why don't you run for the president, Aichi?"
"Oh, don't say that so easily."
"In that case, should I nominate myself as Student Council President...?"
"...Isn't that impossible?"
"Oh! Aichi thinks I'm an idiot!"
"I-I'm not mocking you. It's just that... ...it's kinda, oh, forget it."
"You can also be very blatant and it's cheating!"
You said about the Student Council President, after all, it's not like he's an educated, well-behaved person... ...educated, well-behaved and if we're just limited to this high school, while the figure in question is a mature person with a wealthy family, in other words... compared to the current Student Council President, we are nothing...
"Wh-What do you think Wataru? ...Wataru?"
"Student Council member..., huh?"
As I approached him to change the subject, Wataru silently stared at the printed announcement letter. I was a bit surprised because I didn't expect that he wouldn't be interested in it, even though his Big Sis was now part of the Student Council as the Vice President. I-It was unexpected...
"Eh. Sajocchi, are you going to run for that position...?"
"Impossible. Impossible. ...It's too much trouble."
"That's right..."
"Don't share these letters."
"I-I'll share them no matter what."
"Then, I'll share these to the corridor."
Two letters were placed on the table for me and Wataru, and Kei and I distributed half of the remaining letters. Wataru took on that role without saying anything else.
Wataru rejected his nomination verbally. However, his attention remained on the printout of this notification letter. There shouldn't have been any strange contents in it, but he had such a serious expression on his face, that I became curious, and his troubled expression seemed to leave a strange impression in his memory.
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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