Three days had passed since the Aizawa Incident—also known as my Proselytizing Activity. From the day after that event, Aizawa stopped showing up, and while it felt a little lonely, those days that were kind to my heart had finally returned.
Now, I wasn’t sure what kind of karma was at work, but starting the morning after that day, my homemade lunch had been replaced by a single five-hundred-yen coin. Mother, did you perhaps witness the whole ordeal?
I knew exactly what that meant. It seemed I was now forced to head onto the battlefield.
"───Nnnghhhhhh...!"
I wasn't the only one. A horde of brave men—beasts, really—were using their massive frames to shove their way toward the front. I, Sajou Wataru, was currently playing the part of the fox borrowing the tiger’s stature, shoving against the backs of these absolute units with everything I had. My, what a large back you have. Hello, I’m trash.
After an ordeal where I felt like I might actually see blood, I managed to secure a butter roll that no one else even glanced at and a carton of plain milk. No matter how you looked at it, this school store wasn't built for the liberal arts crowd. If you weren't careful, you could leave with a broken bone. But it was fine; I got to keep the change, Mom.
As I made my way back to the classroom, I heard a commotion coming from inside. It was a voice I recognized all too well, but I hoped I was just imagining it. What should I do? I really didn't want to go back in there.
"───No, no, please take it! This is an apology for all the trouble I caused!"
"I’m telling you, it’s fine! It’s not like anything really happened to me!"
"Just give up and take it, Aichi."
"Kei, why are you on her side?!"
Peeking slowly into the room, I saw a light-brown-haired girl with a "yurufuwa" vibe—someone I’d seen far too much of lately—pressing in on Natsukawa. From the sounds of it, they weren't exactly fighting. However, I knew that if I stepped in, things would only get more complicated.
"Geez! Aika-sama, I'm just going to leave it right here, okay!"
"Ah! Wa-Wait a minute!"
"Bye-bye, Rena-chi~"
As I lurked by the doorframe, Aizawa—the girl I’d spent the last few days in a repetitive cycle of flirting and not flirting with (mostly not)—burst out into the hallway. I caught a glimpse of her face as she passed; she was beaming with happiness. She headed in the opposite direction, scurrying up the stairs toward the upperclassmen's wing. At least she was in high spirits.
I truly had no idea what was going on, so I feigned composure and walked into the classroom. As I approached my seat, Natsukawa, who sat to my left, naturally noticed me. Usually, she’d glare just for being in her line of sight, but today, she greeted me with a look of pure exasperation. Thank you, I’ll take as much of that as you can give.
"...Aizawa-san was just here."
"She was incredibly energetic, and she was being all formal for some reason... Sajocchi, what did you do?"
"Nothing much... I just spent an eternity lecturing her on the majesty of Natsukawa Aika."
"Hey!! What on earth were you telling her?!"
"Ehh... You were eating lunch with a cute girl like that and you just talked about Aichi the whole time? That is so Sajocchi."
Proselytizing about Natsukawa Aika was, indeed, the essence of Sajocchi. It was a profound truth. As her number one fan, I intended to quote that line frequently from now on. But wasn't Natsukawa being a bit too much of a devotee herself? Why was Aika-sama holding a cream puff from the store—one of only twenty limited-edition units? How on earth did Aizawa secure that in a war zone where people literally risked their lives to survive...?
As I stared at the cream puff, I made eye contact with Natsukawa, who was stroking her chest as if the tension had finally left her.
"Oh, this? She said her boyfriend gave it to her."
"It's great that they’re back together, isn't it?"
"Wait, for real?"
Beside Ashida, who was chirping "For real, for real~," Natsukawa nodded to confirm it. Since it seemed like her feelings for Arimura-senpai hadn't quite faded, I had tried to facilitate a reconciliation to settle the whole mess, but I hadn't expected them to actually get back together so quickly. My lecture on the low standards of high school boys must have been more effective than I thought.
"She seemed happy because they found a common hobby or something."
Ho, a common hobby. I wondered if they’d found it after she stopped hanging out with me. I found it hard to believe they didn't know each other's hobbies when they were dating before, but then again...
“I like... the first-year Natsukawa.”
───Ah.
"Too bad for you, Sajocchi~! Poor little guy, getting dumped by Rena-chi!"
"Hmph, I don't mind. I had a good run."
"Hah...?! What do you mean by 'good run'?!"
"Rena-chi has a boyfriend! You're the absolute worst!"
Judging by their expressions, Ashida and Natsukawa were letting their imaginations run wild in a scandalous direction, but unfortunately, it wasn't like that. For any guy, someone like Aizawa—who looked like a delinquent with her dyed hair but was actually a perfect blend of friendliness and charm—was a precious existence. Just being able to monopolize her time was a reward in itself. I was perfectly content with butter rolls for the rest of my life. Sorry, actually, that was a lie.
When I tried to explain this kind of male happiness, Natsukawa and Ashida just looked at me like I was a complete moron.
"In the end, things settled where they were supposed to, so what’s the problem?"
I felt like they were dismissing the simple, worldly things men value, so I snapped back reflexively. For a guy who wasn't popular, just having the chance to talk to a cute girl was enough to give him hope for the day.
"Hmph. So you're fine with Aizawa-san hating you now?"
"Well, obviously I’d prefer not to be hated... but I don't have any expectations. Besides, the moment a girl that cute suddenly starts acting friendly toward me, I get suspicious. Aizawa approached me because she was plotting something. I just played along with her plot so I could have a conversation with a pretty girl. It's a high-level technique for a man of caliber."
"......Are you just being desperate now?"
"No, no, I’m just showing the composure of a man who───"
"No, that’s not what I mean."
"......?"
Sensing a shift in the atmosphere, I tilted my head. Why did Natsukawa suddenly look so serious, fixing me with those sharp eyes? Not understanding, I looked toward Ashida, but she was also staring at me with a skeptical frown.
"W-Wait a second. What’s with the sudden heavy mood? What do you want from me?"
"I'm not saying anything~. It’s not like I think it’s gross that Sajocchi was constantly yelling about how much he loved Aichi only to go and obsess over another girl~."
"Gross..."
Ashida's words, usually so playful, had a real bite to them. They pierced my heart, but if I were told to "fix" it, I wouldn't know how. Now that I was looking at my own appearance and status realistically, being told to seriously pursue Natsukawa when I knew she was out of my league felt like being told to run a marathon with no finish line.
"I wouldn't have gotten involved if she hadn't approached me. But for an unpopular guy like me, just being able to talk to her was a happy time. Isn't it fine? Like I said, things settled where they were supposed to."
"I don't think I'll ever understand you."
"Well, yeah. You wouldn't understand, Natsukawa."
"..."
When I pushed back, Natsukawa glared at me with renewed intensity. Well, excuse me for being realistic! You’re popular... I know you’re constantly being asked for your contact info by all those sporty types in the hallway! I’m the one handling the screening process here, so show some respect!
When I heard Aizawa's story, I felt like she was projecting impossible ideals onto Arimura-senpai. That's why I had explained so passionately that men—Arimura included—are far more vulgar, base creatures. I’d also made sure to mention how much of a Goddess Natsukawa is (that was the main point, of course).
Aizawa had broken up with Arimura-senpai once, but she couldn't erase the feelings she still had for him. That was likely why, even after hearing my cynical take, she was willing to return to him, showing she could accept even the uglier parts of men. At the very least, Arimura-senpai had "something" strong enough to pull Aizawa back.
But I was different. Natsukawa didn't have any special feelings for me, and even if she did, they would vanish in an instant. That was because I lacked that "something" needed to keep her by my side.
"W-Wait a minute, Sajocchi! You just called Aichi 'Natsukawa' again...!"
"I-It’s fine! Just leave it!"
"What?! Isn't it a bit late to start that?!"
"T-This way, people won't misunderstand anymore! It's a relief!"
"W-Wait, Aichi...!"
Well, since she’d explicitly asked for it, that was what I was going to do. It was a matter between the two of us, so Ashida didn't really have a say in it.
I had moved things in the direction Natsukawa wanted. It was a win-win relationship. And yet, why did Natsukawa seem so dissatisfied with my approach?
The answer was simple. The world Natsukawa lived in and the way she saw things were fundamentally different from my own. That discrepancy created a gap in our values. It was only natural that we could never truly understand each other...
"Whoa, what’s this, Sajou?! Did Natsukawa finally get sick of you?!"
Yamazaki, having returned from the cafeteria, noticed us and started teasing with an amused grin. The students around us turned to watch, their curiosity piqued. We had been lacking in "Natsukawa and Sajou" material lately, so they probably didn't want to let this moment pass.
Actually, this might be the perfect opportunity. I could say something to boost Natsukawa’s reputation, but after everything that had happened, praising her out of nowhere would just seem forced... Okay, let's try this.
"Yamazaki... stay out of this. We’re in the middle of divorce mediation."
"W-Who is in a what with you───?!"
"Gyahahaha!! What kind of line is that?!"
"I’m suing the 'other man,' Yamazaki, for two point five million yen...!"
"Huh? Wait, what?"
"Yamazaki-kun, you're the absolute worst!!"
"Whaaaaaaaaat!!?"
At this point, I didn't care if people understood me. When you got right down to it, Natsukawa and I lived in different worlds. Even if our perspectives and values were irreconcilable, I could still care about her from afar. If getting too close would only end up making her uncomfortable───
"Natsukawa-san, are you okay?!"
"Eh...?! I-I'm fine...!"
Watching from a distance was just about right.