The first period passed without much to report.
If I had to pick out one thing, it would be that Yamakawa—who was usually a notorious slacker—actually volunteered to answer a question. He wrote what he thought was the answer on the blackboard, then glanced over at us as if trying to show off. Unfortunately for him, Hanako-san wasn't looking his way at all.
I knew this because she was currently staring a hole into the side of my head from right next to me. I felt like if our eyes met, we’d end up talking even in the middle of class, so I did my best to pretend I didn't notice and kept my eyes fixed on the front of the room.
"If you're going to volunteer, at least study a little. Everything you wrote is wrong," the teacher remarked.
Ignored by Hanako-san and suffering the double blow of public embarrassment, Yamakawa slumped his shoulders and slunk back to his seat.
He really must have taken a liking to Hanako-san...
Once the first period ended without further incident, a crowd descended on us the moment the teacher closed the classroom door. It had been the girls this morning, but now it was the boys' turn. I was swallowed up by the crowd once again, and since it was all guys this time, the atmosphere was distinctly stuffy.
"N-Nice to meet you! I'm Yamakawa!"
"I'm Shimatani!"
"I'm Miyashita, nice to meet you!"
A chaotic rush of self-introductions followed, everyone trying to cut in line. Naturally, there was no way Hanako-san could handle them all. And this time, I couldn't just back off. I couldn't leave a lop-eared rabbit alone in a pack of beasts. It definitely wasn't because I was afraid she might say something unnecessary, I told myself.
"……"
Whoosh.
" " " " " Wh-What!!??? " " " " "
I had to admire Hanako-san's ability to completely subvert my expectations. Of course, my internal composure was likely to be short-lived.
Just when I thought she was maintaining a stony silence in the face of the boys' introductions, she suddenly hid behind my back.
"T-Takanashi, you bastard! What's your relationship with Hanasaki-san!?"
"You're in the Student Council, but you're already weirdly close with Satsukawa-senpai. Just what is up with your social life!?"
"…Nah, there's no way he actually has anything going on with Satsukawa-senpai."
"…They're just Student Council colleagues, right? Still, it's insanely enviable."
Well, I suppose nobody would believe a guy like me could be with the Goddess.
However, it wouldn't be surprising if they thought my life was like a manga, given my specific connections to both the Goddess and a beautiful transfer student.
"Hmm? Is the stuff about your wife not public knowledge yet?"
"Wait—!?"
She just dropped a massive bomb!
I had completely forgotten with everything that had been happening lately, but there were still so many things I needed to discuss with Sara-san!
"…Wife?"
"…Wife?"
"…What is she talking about?"
Thankfully, the connection didn't seem to click for them.
Anyway, Hanako-san, do you want to hide or do you want to stand out? Which is it?
"H-Hanako-san?"
"Oops. My mistake."
At my call, she emerged normally from behind me. However, she made no effort to move away from my side. Seriously, what was her deal?
"H-Hanasaki-san, I'm actually a friend of Takanashi-kun's."
"Ah, you too!?"
"Right, right, I'm close with Takanashi too!"
Apparently, they had switched to a strategy of using me as a buffer to get close to Hanako-san.
Oh boy, look at all these friends I have. As if I'd ever be that delusional.
Still, watching Hanako-san's behavior... perhaps she actually hated this situation?
I considered Hanako-san a friend, but that didn't mean I knew everything about her. It wasn't that she was unable to talk to men, but maybe she just disliked being swarmed and crowded like this?
"The nickname Hanako-san is so cute! I'll call you Hanako-san too—"
"Absolutely not."
" " " " " …… " " " " "
Not only was Yamakawa met with a flat-out rejection after being ignored this whole time, but the other guys who were likely thinking the same thing were also left in shock.
However, it seemed Hanako-san felt she had spoken a bit too sharply.
"…I went too far. But I don't like people acting overly familiar. I especially dislike it from boys."
Peeking out from behind my back, Hanako-san expressed her feelings bluntly.
It seemed she was perfectly capable of speaking her mind when pushed.
Still, disliking overfamiliarity, huh?
I wasn't sure if she had always been like that or if the incident with Yamasaki had influenced her... but at least when she was with us, Hanako-san had never said anything of the sort.
Personally, I thought we got along quite well, and I felt like she’d opened up enough to joke about being my "big sister."
Then again, the line about not wanting people who weren't even her friends to act like they were was very typical of her.
Come to think of it, when we first met, she had seemed quite avoidant toward Hayato. It might have been because of his flashy looks, but looking back now, it was probably her lingering disgust for Yamasaki talking.
Since she wasn't like that anymore, I assumed she was fine once she actually befriended someone.
"Hanako-san says she doesn't like it, so back off, you guys. You're getting all worked up on your own, but it's only your first meeting. Especially you, Yamakawa."
Since I also felt their behavior was becoming a bit much, I decided to offer a small word of caution.
"U-Understood. Sorry for getting ahead of myself! Hanasaki-san."
"S-Sorry! Hanasaki-san!"
"My bad!"
Whether it was the fear of being hated or something else, the group offered their apologies with surprising haste. Hanako-san didn't reply immediately, but she listened in silence.
"As long as you understand," she finally said once the apologies died down.
"Hey, hey, Hanasaki-san! What's your relationship with Takanashi-kun?"
The female classmates had joined the circle at some point. And as if that question was a representative inquiry for the entire class, everyone fell silent. Some even had look of desperate intensity on their faces.
"Our relationship? …Hmm… A precious person (younger brother)?"
" " " " " No way!!??? " " " " "
" " " " " Kyaaa!! " " " " "
The reactions were split right down the middle.
The former came from the boys, the latter from the girls.
Wait, a precious person!? Since when had Hanako-san and I reached that level?
"A big sister has to protect her little brother."
"…Big sister?"
"…Little brother?"
"…Wait, what does that..."
"…They're lovers, right?"
...Wait, it really seemed like she perceived me as her younger brother.
The bell saved me, and I managed to escape the situation for the moment, but things looked like they would be just as difficult during the next break.
For the time being, the classmates seemed to be divided into those who misunderstood our relationship as being romantic, and a portion of the boys who found salvation in her "older sister" comment.
Furthermore, they were now split between those who saw me as a romantic rival and those who saw me as a "stepping stone" to be used to reach Hanako-san.
It had been peaceful for a while, but things were rapidly devolving into chaos.
During the next period, Hanako-san didn't have her textbook yet, so we pushed our desks together to share mine.
I didn't dare look around, but I could feel gazes flying our way from every corner of the room. It was incredibly uncomfortable. I particularly felt the envious stares of some of the boys, though of course, they were totally off base.
One thing this had made clear was that if a transfer student like Hanako-san caused this much of a stir, then if I ever announced my relationship with Sara-san... I didn't even want to think about what would happen to me.
As I was vaguely pondering that, I suddenly felt something poking into my right cheek. Startled, I glanced to the side and met Hanako-san's eyes; she was looking at me instead of the textbook.
"I know you're happy to have your big sister next to you, but focus on the lesson," she whispered.
I felt the pressure from our surroundings swell into something truly ominous... this was terrifying.
Clatter...
"Excuse us."
"Excuse us."
Those two voices, which I'd become quite familiar with lately, belonged to Todo-san and Hayato. It was unusual for them to visit before lunch break... though I suppose they only had one goal in mind.
"Whoa, Hanako-san really is here!!"
"Yeah. I'd heard the rumors, but seeing it for myself is still a shock."
From their reactions, it seemed they'd come here knowing Hanako-san had transferred into my class. Had the rumors already spread to other years? Was it really that big of a story?
"Hanako-san looks so cute in our uniform!!"
Todo-san gave Hanako-san a light hug, and Hanako-san accepted it with a wry smile.
"Yeah. Seeing a collaboration between two different types of beauties is a wonderful sight."
"Well, I can't argue with that."
I found myself nodding along with Hayato's sentiment, and the boys in the class who overheard seemed to agree as well.
Then, Hanako-san's expression soured into a scowl. Did she dislike being talked about that way?
"Mr. Handsome Guy, you should realize that saying flirty things like that to people other than your main interest is why your feelings never get across."
"Guh... That's harsh..."
Ah, right—Hanako-san knew that Hayato liked Todo-san. Still, that was a brutal blow.
"Hanako-san, was what Yokokawa-kun just said flirty?"
"Well, do you think Kazuna... Takanashi-kun would ever say that to anyone other than his wife?"
"Ah, you're right, he wouldn't!"
"Uugh..."
Hayato was taking critical damage now.
Personally, I thought it was more that I wasn't the type of person who could pull off those kinds of lines, but Hanako-san made it sound much more dignified than it was.
"Hmm, but Yokokawa-kun isn't the type of person who says that to just anyone. He said it because he really thought so, right? It's a little embarrassing, though..."
An angel... there was an angel here.
If Sara-san was a Goddess, then Todo-san was surely an angel.
Todo-san returned a smile to Hayato's delighted face.
"Sigh... another stupid couple to deal with."
I couldn't help but wryly smile at Hanako-san's exasperation.
"Um... you all seem to be very close..."
" " " " !? " " " "
"Hey, hey, how do you all know each other!?"
"I've been wondering—you guys seem really tight."
"Is Hanasaki-san actually the sharp-tongued type?"
We had completely forgotten we were in a classroom and slipped into our usual group dynamic. Looking around, the entire class was staring at us, and a group of curious girls had finally worked up the courage to speak.
"…She said 'wife' again, didn't she?"
"…H-Hayato-kun looks so happy."
"…Those two are calling her Hanako-san, too."
"…What kind of group is that?"
"Sorry, Kazunari. I didn't consider where we were."
"Takanashi-kun, Hanako-san, sorry!"
"I don't really mind..."
"No, it's fine..."
That said, we had definitely just dialed the classmates' curiosity up to eleven.
I was becoming increasingly worried about how the rest of the school year was going to go.