I’m editing the old chs of this series, so for now, I’m prioritizing that over releasing new ch, after I’m done with it, I’ll release this at a better pace (Perhaps)…
48. Entangle with class prez
Now that the results for the end-of-term exams were announced, all that was left was to wait for the lunch break. I was getting excited waiting for it.
…Still, do I really need to report these grades to my parents…? Since I got good results last time, and I was bragging about it, but now…
…Yeah, Let’s keep quiet about it if possible.
Finally, lunch break arrived.
Today, I rarely enough bought a lunch box. Natsukawa and Ashida both told me to eat something better after all.
What’s wrong with sweet bun?… It’s cheap and delicious. Also, it’s not that bad for the body either.
After returning from the toilet, I headed to the center of the classroom──where Natsukawa sat. Before, when I went to meet Airi-chan, I happened to agree to her request in the heat of the moment. So, not like I was forced to go or anything.
───The day after I made that promise.
『”Huh? Sajo-chi, where are you going?”』
『”Hmm?”』
I bought some food at the convenience store, so I was about to head to the same usual bench in the courtyard, but then Ashida grabbed my arm, even though she was making her way towards Natsukawa’s seat. When I looked at her with a face saying, ‘What do you want?’, she just silently pointed over at Natsukawa. I looked over at her myself, and,
『”Ah──…….”』
Our eyes met. However, she averted them right away. An awkward mood filled the air.
At that time, I remembered right away that I said something before. To think I would actually forget something related to Natsukawa, I hated myself for that. Met with this deep regret, I couldn’t help but grit my teeth.
『“……Ah?”』
『“Aahahaー, Aichi really is popular.”』
『“……”』
Shirai-san and some other girls were sitting on the empty seats nearby Natsukawa, there── Sasaki came to talk with Natsukawa. Watching that, I really could tell that he liked her. I didn’t even need to think about this dead and cold feeling inside my chest in order to understand it. Becoming aware of that, I thought that the fact I could disappear from there was actually better for both of us.
『”Come on! You promised, right?! Sajo-chi!”』
『“Are your heads linked to her or something? How do you know about that…”』
Whenever I say something or do something to Natsukawa, there’s a big chance that Ashida learns of this as well. Well, they’re friends after all, so they probably exchange this kind of information very frequently. Seems like Natsukawa fully trusts in Ashida. Damn it, I never wanted to be a girl more than I do now…Isn’t Ashida more of an enemy than I am, Sasaki?
Either way, the two of us joined in on that group.
Ever since that day I visited Natsukawa’s place, I would sometimes and sometimes not eat with them.
Well, If I’m going there every day the others may assume, ‘Ah, he‘s clinging to her again’, I don’t want them to start avoiding Natsukawa again.
───With that being the case, I had my balanced food in my hand, and headed over to the center of the classroom. Seeing Koga and Murata showed disgusted faces in the corner of the classroom at the courtyard’s window side, I smiled satisfactorily on the inside, and sat on the outer end of the group.
So Natsukawa’s time has come huh… this means, I can’t approach her or Ashida that much, they’re just too popular.
“Ah, Sajou-kun.”
“Yo”
Iihoshi-san, She’s the class president, but, well… She’s just a normal girl. Personally, I will score her high. She has a straightforward personality to immediately cut off people who say vulgar stuff, she likes to take initiative to talk with others and gently creates an atmosphere for everyone else to join in, which just shows that she has the talent as a class president. As of late, I really started to realize that.
But, well, she’s not necessarily cute or especially beautiful. She can control the mood of the conversation, not giving a chance of going out of control to girls like Murata or Koga. You can get the chills that she will get rid of the obstacles in the ways she wants to do. According to a rumor I heard, there’s a message group established by the class rep, and you only get allowed inside if you’re a girl she accepts, I don’t know if it’s true but….. Well, it’s truly terrifying.
“Hmm… what a large household this is.”
“Yeah, I mean, it’s the Airi-chan boom now.”
“Eh?”
“The second group is, today after all.”
They’re gonna spoil and dote Airi-chan again, huh. That means that Sasaki was part of the first group. Fufufu, the truth is, ladies, you’re the third group. Did you know that the second group had gone there? It’s me, the VIP! VIP!
“Well, I’m going too. If I can meet Airi-chan, then I definitely want to.”
“Eh, really?”
“Because it’s that “Natsukawa’s younger sister”, a lot of people got interested in her, which is why there’s now more who want to befriend with her.”
“Marvelous.”
Sounds like some journalist’s analysis. Is she some kind of manager?… I’ve never thought that someone, other than me, was doing the Great Proposal of Natsukawas’s 100 friends ── Hmm? Is that the name of my plan?── Anyway, she planned to do it all on her own? Well, I figure that for Iihoshi-san’s case, it’s not just Natsukawa’s friendships alone.
“You’re trying to create a comfortable atmosphere in the class?”
“It’s not that big of a deal. I just didn’t want her to be the center of attention and be uncomfortable.”
“……”
Her smile had a mysterious scary vibe to it. Me, who relentlessly approached Natsukawa like a clown, and Me, who talked normally with Murata and Koga, at the end, “which side I am on?”…..
……Yup, let’s stop thinking too deeply about it. It’s bad for my heart.
“What about you, Sajou-kun? Lately, you sometimes and sometimes not talk to Natsukawa-san, so…”
Isn’t that pretty normal? What’s wrong with two acquaintances talking whenever they feel like it? I understand that it’s not like my normal self, I somewhat know what she’s trying to say, but sorry, me no speak Japanese, speak Engrish.
“Hahhaha, how can I break apart this kind of atmosphere? So, yeah, it’s just that it’s become harder for me to approach her, that’s it?”
“That’s a lie, something must have happened, right? Everyone feels the same way.”
“Are you serious”
Well, I guess that makes sense. I’ve been that clingy after all. If anything, I’m shocked nobody asked me until now. Maybe they’re being suspicious of me…. Using the reason of being ‘rejected’ as a premise… And then, what? It has become a matter of the police, you say? No way, Isn’t this bad?
“I’m innocent.”
“What are you talking about?”
I definitely did not dye my hands in any shady color. Trust me. I did dye my hair though. Oh yeah, this black hair of mine apparently was a big hit. I got many likes when I posted it on SNS. And comments like, I looked less flirtatious now. Well, They didn’t say that “It’s gone completely” though. Perhaps, I really did look that way from the start?…
…But, you may say I’m quite a single-minded person. Anyway, isn’t brown hair popular in high school nowadays? So, it should be okay, right?
Nah, forget about that, Natsukawa is more important. So, it’s finally time for her to show her true talent?… To think things would end up like this just because I stopped clinging to her. As of late, Natsukawa looks brighter and in a much better mood, and it feels like she’s speeding ahead of me. This must be her real strength as the goddess… How fearsome!
“But, Dad is happy.”
“Eh?”
This is good, yeah, this distance really is the best. I don’t understand a woman’s heart after all, be it Natsukawa or Ashida, no matter how much I try and figure out how to interact with them, they still get angry at me. So, supporting them from afar like this really is the most peaceful. Ah, that smile was cute.
“It’s good that you can have fun after classes. For both Natsukawa, and class prez as well.”
“Eh? Y-Yeah. Well, truth is, I’m looking forward to it. I heard about Airi-chan’s cuteness to no end from Shirai-san and Okamoto-san.”
“Right. But, she’s not just cute, she also has a lot of endur── Anyway, yeah, she’s really cute. That’s it, yep.”
── That was close…I almost said something unnecessary. Natsukawa gets very serious when it comes to her younger sister after all. I shouldn’t be leaking too much information like that. Not like anybody would understand, even if I told them that part of her younger sister. She only jumped at me after all.
Surprisingly, Iihoshi-san was quite a talkative girl.
◆
“A game… karaoke…”
The conversation grew more heated, conversing about karaoke, games, etc… Well, in a heated situation, sometimes when you realized it, you felt the urge to head to the toilet. So, slowly, went out of the room. It was pretty hard to go out without being detected by Iihoshi-san.
“…Hm?”
As I was walking down the hallway, I saw three girls walking towards me. Normally, I wouldn’t care about that too much, but one of them was so distinctive and stood out so much that I couldn’t help but stare. Once they had approached me a bit further, I saw the girls who walked at the most front had familiar flashy blonde hair. Seeing that, she reminded me of the one who was peeking inside the student council room before.
…Isn’t she Yuuki-senpai’s, the student council president’s, fianceé?
“As expected, here really feels plebeian. Like I’m living in the countryside, somehow they’re much noisier than us.”
“It can’t be helped, the students here belong to the ‘common families’ after all.”
They probably didn’t care about me at all, as they just walked past me, distancing themselves.
That direction…are they heading towards my class? Well, whatever. Right now, the toilet is calling for me. If I got hit in the gut now, I’d definitely fidgeting in instant, so let me get this done first.
TN: Join my discord channel if you want.
Thank you for the chapter !