With the group assignments finalized without a hitch, we set off for our patrol once again.
The areas assigned to our group today were primarily several cultural club locations and a few second-years' classrooms. Although I say "second-years' classrooms," Sara-san's classroom wasn't on the schedule. I’d heard they had already finished that area on the day of our cooking class.
Truth be told, I was secretly relieved...
Since I had messed up in various ways recently, showing my face in Sara-san's classroom would have been a bit awkward. On top of that, I found dealing with Yuri-san a bit of a challenge.
"♪~"
Todo-san was humming a happy little tune... That was right, our group wasn't just the three of us; we were patrolling as a party of four, with Todo-san joining the ranks.
In the flow of the conversation earlier, it had been decided that the three of us would go together. Upon hearing that, Todo-san had pleaded with a sorrowful look.
"I-In that case, I want to go with you, too!"
If a guy had said something like that, we would have just ignored him, but no one could turn down an "Angel" like Todo-san when she looked at you that way.
Sara-san seemed to feel the same way, as she invited Todo-san with a pleasant smile.
"In that case, shall we go as a group of four?"
And that was how we ended up where we were now.
This was just a guess, but Todo-san might have felt a slight sense of alienation from being the only one left out of this particular group. Of course, we had no intention of making her feel that way; it had simply happened because of the flow of the moment.
"Marina... are you really that happy?"
As she watched Todo-san’s behavior, Hanako-san spoke to her with a wry smile. To anyone's eyes, Todo-san seemed to be in high spirits—though I also thought the sight of her was innocent and cute.
...Wait?
By the way, did Hanako-san just call her "Marina"?
Since when... had it always been like that? Had I just not noticed until now?
"Eh?! H-How did you know?!"
"No... what do you mean, 'how'?"
Hanako-san wore a subtle expression and glanced at me as if she wanted to say something.
No, no, this wasn't Todo-san playing the fool or waiting for a retort, okay? I thought it would be better if Hanako-san didn't say anything unnecessary.
"Fufu... walking around the school with such close friends might actually be quite fresh and fun, don't you think?"
Oh, as expected of Sara-san, that was a nice follow-up.
I was sure Todo-san felt it was fun for that reason, and I understood the sentiment well. Besides, the fact that Sara-san thought of Hanako-san and Todo-san like that made me happy in my own way...
"Y-Yes, that's exactly how I feel! Also, it's a bit embarrassing to say this, but... I do have a group I'm close with in my class, but you all are still special to me. It's like I feel at peace... like this is the place where I belong. Ah, that's just what I'm thinking on my own, okay?"
Smiling shyly with a hint of embarrassment, Todo-san shared her feelings with us.
Since I didn't have another close group to compare them to, I couldn't say for sure, but I could still state with pride that everyone here was absolutely special. It was a connection where I felt a deep bond, like the solidarity of having survived "battlefields" together... Honestly, I considered everyone here to be true friends.
Of course, my beloved Sara-san was in a special category as my lover and fiancé.
"You don't have to be embarrassed. I feel the same way, so I understand."
"Mm, thank you, Hanako-san."
"I understand that feeling too. Until now, the only ones I could truly call friends were Natsumi and Eri, but now I consider Todo-san, Hanako-san, and even Yokokawa-san and the others as friends... no, as best friends."
"Ehehe, I'm so happy to hear Satsukawa-senpai say that!"
This surprised me a little. For Sara-san to go that far...
But looking at how happy Todo-san was, I could see why Sara-san had wanted to be honest and share her feelings to make her smile.
"Um... what about Takanashi-kun?"
Ugh... Todo-san was looking at me with a very expectant gaze.
I had always thought everyone was special, and I felt that they were best friends... or rather, "True Friends." It was embarrassing to say it to their faces, but I couldn't be the only one to stay silent here.
"Well, I've thought for a long time that you, Todo-san, and everyone else were precious best friends..."
Just saying it normally was quite embarrassing, but more than that, Todo-san looked so happy—honestly, she was staring at me so intently that it made it even harder to finish my sentence...
"Yeah! I think of you, Takanashi-kun, and everyone else as best friends, too!"
Dazzling! It was as if she had a literal halo...
Jokes aside, being able to say something so straightforwardly during such an embarrassing exchange was just like Todo-san, the one presiding over purity of the Double Angels.
"I-I see. I'm... well, happy to hear that, too."
"Ah, is Takanashi-kun embarrassed too?"
"Fufu... Kazunari-san is a shy person, after all. It's cute♪"
"Mm. Kazunari, cute."
"Aaaaaah, w-we're going now!! We're going to run out of time!!"
What was this? We were supposed to be talking about Todo-san, so why did this turn into my own humiliation play?!
I'm really leaving now!! So everyone, please don't look at me with such kind eyes?!
Although things had been a bit chaotic at the start, the patrol itself proceeded smoothly, and eventually, we headed toward the second-years' classroom.
As expected, we caused a stir at the various places we stopped, but I think it went mostly without issue.
"I always think this, but going to the upperclassmen's classrooms makes me nervous. I feel safe today because Satsukawa-senpai is with us, though."
"If you treat it as just work, it's fine. Besides, even if I say 'the same second-year,' I don't really know most of the people here anyway."
"The Wife probably doesn't remember many people even in her own class. Especially the boys."
"I won't deny that. But isn't it the same for you, Hanako-san?"
"I have some boys I'm at least friends with... or barely acquaintances... maybe? Sort of."
Hmm, she was talking about Yamakawa and the others, right?
Or rather, Yamakawa... no, it was pitiful, but I guess it couldn't be helped. I didn't intend to follow up on that either. However, if he thought that his treatment was at least different compared to the other guys, then maybe that alone could be considered quite an improvement.
"To be honest, I'm a little bad with the boys in my class. I'm happy that they talk to me often and try to be friendly, but they always ask me to go out... and then they fight over who invited me first. Even though I never said a word about going."
Ahhh... that was...
It was so easy to understand it was almost painful; moreover, it was the kind of story I heard quite often from Hayato. He had it rough, too.
"That's why, honestly, I don't feel like going out if the boys are there. It's somehow scary... Ah! Takanashi-kun is fine, okay?"
"Eh? I-I see. Yeah, thanks."
I was happy she gave me special treatment there, but being told that so suddenly left me a bit at a loss for a response. Of course, I knew that since it was Todo-san, she meant it normally without any ulterior motives.
"Mm. Besides, Mio-chan said she wants to see her Big Brother too. So I want you to play with her when you have time, okay?"
"Yeah, things have been busy lately, but it's finally settled down. I want to see Mio-chan after such a long time, too. How about you, Sara-san?"
"Yes, please let me join you. I want to see Mio-chan as well."
Sara-san really doted on Mio-chan.
Come to think of it, Sara-san had said she originally wanted to be a nursery teacher because she liked children so much. When I remembered how she interacted with Mio-chan, it really felt like being a nursery teacher was her true calling...
"Kazunari-san, it's just as I told you before. It's true that I love playing with children, but I can do that even if it's not my job, you know? I want to support you and walk the same path as you, Kazunari-san."
Sara-san easily read what I was vaguely thinking. At this point, I was beyond surprised, but really...
"...Hey, Hanako-san, Takanashi-kun didn't say anything, right?"
"...The Wife has Kazunari-exclusive heart-reading."
"...Eh!?"
"...Well, calling it that might be an exaggeration. By the way, I can read him to some extent, too. But I didn't understand that just now... I'm a bit frustrated."
"...Eh? Eeehh??"
But that was right.
Sara-san considered being with me more important than anything else and had decided on the same future path. It was wrong of me to keep worrying about it, and it was unfair to her.
So, the only thing I could do for Sara-san was to prove that her choice wasn't a mistake. In other words, I had to make her that happy!
For now, I would just gratefully accept Sara-san's feelings.
"...I see, I understand. Then let's play with Mio-chan sometime soon."
"Yes. I believe the last time we met was when we went to report to Grandmother about our relationship. I'm really looking forward to it."
Just as her words suggested, Sara-san wore a truly joyful smile.
I see, I hadn't even been able to see Mio-chan in the mornings lately. In that case, it would be the first time since summer vacation. We really hadn't seen each other for quite a while...
"...Well, the Wife might be saying that while even thinking about things in the far future."
"...H-Hanako-san, that's..."
"...Even Marina understands what that mean—"
"...Uuu~ Hanako-san, you're mean!!"
?
It seemed like Hanako-san and the others were bickering about something?
But we were just talking about playing with Mio-chan, so there was no way we were the cause, right? Well, it didn't feel like they were fighting; if anything, it looked like they were just playing around. It was probably fine.
Everything was peaceful, and that was what mattered.
Knock, knock...
Slide...
"Excuse us."
After knocking just in case, I checked the situation before entering the room. This wasn't my own class, and it was the first time I had entered this classroom.
It seemed they were in the middle of making something large, as various signs were spread out across the floor. If I recalled correctly, this class's exhibit was... what was it again?
"...Hm? Isn't that the Vice President?"
"...You're right. Ah, it's the student council patrol."
"...Come to think of it, they said they were going around everywhere."
The second-years... the upperclassmen who were working looked over and gestured a greeting. For now, it seemed the first impression had ended without a hitch.
"Kazunari, don't stop at the entrance."
"Ah, sorry."
Prompted by Hanako-san from behind, I hurriedly entered the room. Following me, Hanako-san and Todo-san entered the classroom, offering their greetings.
Upon seeing that, the upperclassmen began to buzz.
"...Ohh... lucky."
"...Whoa, it's a lineup of Angels!"
"...Seeing them up close like this is..."
"...S-So cute."
"...Heh, they really are cute."
"...That smaller girl looks like some kind of mascot character."
As expected, the reaction from the boys was greater than that of the girls. In fact, we had repeated the same kind of scene many times before getting here. They attracted attention wherever they went, and Hanako-san and Todo-san were surprisingly famous, too.
But the stir after this was in a class of its own...
"Excuse us."
"""!!!!!!"""
The last one to enter the classroom with a somewhat blunt greeting was Sara-san.
The gazes that had been mainly focused on Hanako-san and Todo-san shifted all at once to Sara-san, accompanied by expressions of shock. Because of that... yeah, Sara-san looked a bit displeased.
"Uooooh, S-Satsukawa-san is here?!"
"F-For real?!"
"I'm glad I didn't skip out on work!!"
"It's been ages since I've been this close!!"
Truly... it was the same reaction wherever we went.
It was no wonder Sara-san would get sick of it. And to be honest, hearing it made me feel bad, too. However, since I had known from the start that it would turn out like this, I was prepared for it to some extent. Originally, if it had been just the two of us patrolling, I had intended to go into the rooms and do the work alone. Of course, Sara-san wouldn't have been satisfied with that, but I had planned to persuade her.
But this time, since we were patrolling as a group of four, if I tried to leave only Sara-san behind, it would have looked like I was excluding her. In that sense, this situation was also unexpected for me.
"...We're from the student council. Are there any troubles or anything you're struggling with?"
Before I could ask, Hanako-san moved the conversation forward.
Even so... her voice was so monotonous I couldn't help but let out a wry smile. Todo-san was also looking at Hanako-san with a look of concern, but it was unavoidable.
"Anyone have anything~?"
"Hmm, not really."
"It's fine~"
"Same here~"
Whether it was because Sara-san and the others were there, or if it was always like this, they responded cooperatively no matter where we went. It was something to be grateful for, but I wondered if they would have responded so smoothly if I had come alone... there was no point in thinking about it, but I was curious nonetheless.
"Th-Thank you very much. Then, please allow us to confirm the contents of your exhibit."
Taking over for Hanako-san, Todo-san began checking the exhibit contents as planned.
If there were no problems, then this class would be finished successfully just like that. Since nothing had happened at this stage so far, it would probably be fine this time, too.
……………
………
…
"...Hey, did you hear that rumor?"
"...Yeah, but I wonder if it's true."
"...I can't believe it, though."
"...So far, I don't see any signs of it."
"Yes, confirmation complete. Thank you for your cooperation."
Without any particular issues, the survey of this class was finished.
As expected, no one was the type to call out to Sara-san in this situation, and the patrol had been proceeding more smoothly than I had thought. To be precise, there were guys who looked like they wanted to talk to her, but they mainly couldn't endure the gazes from me and Hanako-san and would tuck their tails and back away. So, there was no problem.
As for the group that was looking over here strangely... were they perhaps...?
"Well then, sorry for the distur—"
Slide...
"Phew... sorry to keep you waiting. I've just returned... oh?"
Just as I reached my hand toward the door, it opened as if it were automatic. Of course, it was just being opened from the hallway side.
And on the hallway side was a girl... wait, this woman is—?!
"My, Vice President, we meet again. Good work. Is this student council business?"
She didn't even seem to be putting on a fake smile, talking as if nothing had happened this morning. I felt a bit taken aback, but I haven't forgotten that she said those nasty things to Hanako-san.
I knew she was an upperclassman, but to think she was a second-year...