A girl’s face when she’s truly lost it is seriously terrifying. I talked a big game about it, but the last time I’d actually seen a look like that was when I’d pissed off my mom as a kid. Though, back then, she wasn't exactly a "girl."
I used to tremble in fear wondering what I’d do if Nee-chan ever snapped like that, but now that I think about it, she’s the type who vents her frustration the moment it builds up—mostly on me. That’s probably why I’ve never seen her truly, deeply enraged. Wait... if I weren't around to soak up her stress, would Nee-chan actually be a dangerous person...?
「...」
「...」
No, the one in a dangerous spot right now is me. I sat on the hallway floor in front of the empty Music Room, staring up blankly at the most beautiful girl in class, who was, for some reason, absolutely furious. I didn't even know what to say anymore.
「...」
U-Um... could you say something? I have zero grasp of the situation I’m in. Like, why is all this anger being directed at me, or why am I alone with such a beautiful girl? It was about time I did some—wait, why did she just startle—huh? Why is she looking around? Wow, that bitter expression... that’s clearly the face of someone thinking, Oh crap, I messed up.
My back hurt. I was starting to feel incredibly calm.
「Um, Natsukawa...?」
「...! W-What!」
「You get it, right? What I want to say.」
「Ugh...!」
Look, I wasn't even mad. Having her attention focused solely on me was actually kind of nice, and since I had no idea why she’d be angry, I knew for a fact I was being falsely accused. Does being innocent make you feel bolder? Now then, why don’t you tell me the reason for all this, my idol?
Whoa, her shoulders are shaking... wait, isn't this bad? She’s glaring at me so hard... eek.
「...because you...」
「...Eh?」
「It’s because you...」
U-Um? What was that? What did Natsukawa just say? Was I one of those "dense-hearing" protagonists...? No, would a dense protagonist strain their ears this hard to try and catch the words? If you're putting in that much effort and still can't hear, you're not a trope; you just have hearing loss. Go see a doctor.
Perhaps noticing my struggle to hear her, Natsukawa flinched for a moment before glaring down at me again. Please don't glare...
「Natsukawa, sorry, could you say that one mo—」
「It’s because you! It’s because you keep talking to those girls!!」
「Talk—... eh?」
Eh, eh, eh, eh... Oh—Ooooh!!?
Okay, hold on a second. Emergency meeting. Every version of me, assemble.
What did Natsukawa just say? "You"—no, that’s not it. I shouldn't be joking around right now, right? I know that, right?
"Because you talk to those girls." Well, given the situation earlier, she must mean Koga and Murata—plus Yamazaki from the Other-dimensional Squad. Those girls really do live in a different world, with Yamazaki right on the boundary.
The problem is the phrase itself. What was that? No matter how I hear it, it sounds like a girlfriend getting jealous of her boyfriend. I have to destroy the "man" inside me or I won't be able to keep my composure...
No, stay calm. Don't take it at face value. Natsukawa surely didn't mean it that way. Then... then why did she shout such heart-wrenching words? She's so cute, I want to hug her.
「Ah...! W-Wait! Don't get the wrong idea! I didn't mean it like that!」
「I-It’s okay, I get it! I’m thinking about it right now!」
Because I talked to Koga and Murata. That’s why Natsukawa got angry... Wait, why? Why would Natsukawa get angry just because I talked to them? Is there some kind of problem? ...Crap, I don't get it. Even with my current self, I don't get it.
「...I don't get it.」
「You don't get it at all!」
「How could I! If those words weren't jealousy, then what were they! Are you trying to be cute?!」
「I-I’m not being cute! It’s not like that, you idiot!!」
「I know! That’s why I don't get it even more!」
「T-That’s why...! Aaargh, enough already!!!」
「H-Hey, Natsukawa!」
Natsukawa ruffled her hair as if trying to process her own irritation and fled the scene. It seemed she had given up on doing anything to me. Ah... her beautiful hair.
「Phew... hup.」
The sound vanished. In contrast to the previous commotion, the area fell deathly silent, with only the distant roar of the classrooms echoing from further down the hallway.
I stood up and brushed the dust off my butt. Man, I got all dirty.
I was yelled at, shoved, and my back hurt, yet in the end, I still didn't understand anything. Even so, I didn't feel much anger. It surely wasn't just because I like Natsukawa.
Natsukawa had something she wanted to tell me, even if she had to go that far. But she couldn't put it into words properly, so she had no choice but to leave. Yeah, that makes sense. I only understand the very surface of it, but that’s enough.
...But.
"It’s because you! It’s because you keep talking to those girls!!"
Even though I can think that far, why don't I understand the true meaning of those words? If this isn't jealousy, what other possibility is there...?
No, do I even need to understand? Natsukawa grew desperate and gave up, saying "enough already." If Natsukawa is fine with that, then there’s no need for me to try and understand any further, is there?
「...Ouch.」
Still, this really isn't normal. I wasn't angry, but if I’m going to end up in this much pain, I’d rather be in the Student Council Room helping Nee-chan while she insults me. Though I’d actually hate that too.
I returned to the classroom, keeping my presence as faint as possible, but Natsukawa wasn't there. My HP was at 0. I had no energy left, and I fell into a deep sleep during fifth period without decoding a single word of the Classical Japanese cipher. It goes without saying that I was handed a special assignment.
「...」
「...」
Seriously, what is this? I just want to wake up in the morning, go to school normally, spend my day normally, go home normally, fart, and go to sleep. Why do things that draw so much attention keep happening to me...? I should just give up; this must be my "normal" now.
「Do you have some business with me, Student Council President?」
「Stop calling me that... I'd appreciate it if you'd just call me by my name.」
「...Sure.」
After school, the Cool-type Handsome Guy, Yuuki-senpai, came all the way to the classroom to pick me up. Naturally, the surroundings were in an uproar, and stares of "What on earth does he want with that guy?" were focused on me. The girls were letting out squeals of delight, and the eyes of Koga and Murata, who were watching from the hallway, were bloodshot. Super scary.
「Um, I won't take much of your time. Could we step outside for a bit?」
「Well, yeah... I’m just going home anyway. We can take our time.」
「...Is the girl behind you okay?」
「Eh... eh?」
Feeling puzzled, I looked behind me. I blinked repeatedly at what I saw. Standing right there, Natsukawa had her hand half-reached out toward me, staring up at Yuuki-senpai in a daze. I guess her timing was just terrible for everything.
No, rather than timing, seeing Natsukawa trying to reach out to me makes me feel like a dog ready to run around the yard with joy.
「What’s up, Natsukawa? Is it about earlier?」
「Ah...」
Quite a bit of time had passed between lunch and after school. Maybe she’d finally organized what she wanted to say well enough to put it into words. She’d been that angry, so honestly, I’d be lying if I said I wasn't curious.
However, she wouldn't meet my eyes. She had a crazy-level handsome guy like Yuuki-senpai right in front of her; if she was so fixated on him that she couldn't even answer my question, it couldn't be helped.
「...Maybe next time. Let's go, Senpai.」
「Yeah.」
I’ll say it again. Yuuki-senpai is such a handsome guy that it’s almost vulgar—and I mean that as a compliment. A face of this caliber might be good eye candy and make Natsukawa forget the frustration she was carrying. In fact, she looked totally glued to him. Dammit...
As I’ve said before, average guys are ugly creatures to begin with. Seeing the girl you like completely captivated by another man right in front of your eyes is something I just can't stand. Before I knew it, I was leading Yuuki-senpai away to get him away from Natsukawa as quickly as possible.
Then, looking at the senior walking in front of me who was at least 180 centimeters tall, I thought he might as well just grow another 30 centimeters.
210 centimeters.