"Tabata, isn't your cram school schedule pretty brutal? I'll take your place."
Following Sasaki’s offer, Tabata managed a weak "Y-Yeah..." and looked down, seemingly shrinking into himself. It felt like he’d been caught off guard by one of the class’s heavy hitters and had nodded before he knew what hit him. It ticked me off that Ms. Ohtsuki was giving Sasaki those impressed looks, too.
"Oh, are you sure? It would be a big help if you did it, Sasaki-kun... but what about the soccer club?"
"It’s fine. Freshmen don't really have regular spots yet, so I can manage."
Then what was the point of that rock-paper-scissors match? In the blink of an eye, the boys’ representative had been swapped for Sasaki. Now the pair was Sasaki and Natsukawa—the hunk and the Goddess. I couldn't hide my agitation at how bold he was being. That guy really had some serious initiative.
Honestly, it was scary. Since I knew exactly how he felt about Natsukawa, his motives were transparent, but to everyone else, he probably looked like "the handsome guy who thoughtfully took over a troublesome chore for the study bug busy with his lessons." If Sasaki and Tabata were in reversed positions, people would definitely be thinking, What's with this guy suddenly sticking his nose in? What a show-off. This was the gap between the handsome and the ordinary.
"Whoa, Sasakin is seriously such a hunk."
"Hmph... In that case, I shall stand by Natsukawa's side as her aide-de-camp."
"Shut up, Tsukemen."
"Tsukemen."
Was that an insult? It had to be; her eyes told the whole story. If we were in a different setting, I’d probably be catching a high-intensity soccer spike to the gut. Hey, stop it. Don't look at me like you just woke up from a dream. Keep your eyes on reality.
"Tabata, you should at least say thanks," Yasuda cut in.
"Eh... T-Thanks."
"No, I’m the one who brought it up, so don't worry about it. Good luck with your studies."
"Y-Yeah."
Hieee...
Prompted by the aggressive Yasuda for his silence, Tabata timidly thanked Sasaki. In response, Sasaki flashed a cynical smile with a face that looked like it could kill mold. Someone stop this already...
The whole vibe was hard to describe, but it felt incredibly gross. The bad impression Sasaki left when he hesitated despite losing at rock-paper-scissors had completely vanished. Now, he’d successfully painted himself as the hero and Tabata as the pitiful one. It felt like no matter what Tabata did now, his standing in the class would only get worse. The kind of person who gets cornered by this sort of atmosphere... it felt like there were probably more of them at prep schools.
"───I hate this."
"Eh? You don't like Tsukemen, Tsukemen?"
"No, Tsukemen is delicious."
"Hmph, I knew that."
Uh... what was up with this girl? Don't use a delicious B-grade gourmet dish as a metaphor for a third-rate buffoon... Wait, B-grade? Was that it? Huh? That was a surprisingly good analogy. I'd give her a point for that one.
"I'm looking forward to working with you, Natsukawa!"
"Yeah, me too, Sasaki-kun!"
Natsukawa smiled back brightly at Sasaki. Seeing that made my chest sting a little. The reason was obvious. It’s a sad day when your favorite idol gets caught in a scandal. Before the feeling of betrayal even sets in, the thought that "she's becoming the property of some guy I don't know" is what really hurts. Well, I’ve never actually been into idols, but let's just go with that.
I quietly put a lid on the emotions slowly leaking out. I was staying calmer than expected and it seemed like I could switch gears easily, so I decided to just act like those feelings never existed. Setting aside idols, expecting a happiness that couldn't even be bought with money was just a waste of time. Besides, it wasn't like Sasaki and Natsukawa were officially a thing yet. If Natsukawa was happy, then I was fine with it.
"Wow, those two really look like a great match..."
"Oh, yeah, they do."
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
I thought I'd just offered a normal agreement, but Ashida looked at me with an expression of total shock. What was with that reaction? I have a normal sense of things too, you know. Objectively, Natsukawa and Sasaki did look like a good match.
"Sajocchi... how can you stay so normal about this?"
"No... well, you know."
"..."
Well, it wasn't like I didn't understand why Ashida was making such a suspicious face. She had seen my approaches to Natsukawa from the front row. It was probably strange that I wasn't showing any signs of panic. But, a bit of time had passed since I started sorting through my feelings, after all.
Come to think of it, back when I was pursuing Natsukawa, Ashida was the type who supported me with a mix of exasperation and amusement. Back then, my passion was dialed up to eleven. I was blind to a lot of things... though the fact that I still like her hasn't changed.
"I mean, when they're so well-matched you can't even argue against it, all you can do is laugh."
"Hmm, what a loser."
"You brat."
This girl... she said it so flatly. No joke, it was annoying to be looked at like a pathetic case... she could afford to be a bit more considerate. I already recognized myself as a loser, so the damage was huge. Bottling up these hot emotions was actually pretty tough. It was as dangerous as a piping-hot soup dumpling.
"Sigh... ──Huh?"
While I was sighing at the misfortunes of the non-handsome, I felt an intense gaze from the corner of my eye. When I looked, Sasaki was staring at me with a triumphant face───don't look over here. I get it already. Don't thrust your chin out like you're saying "How do you like that?" It just makes you look like you're making a weird face.
It was so blatant it actually turned me off. I wasn't even trying to stop him, so what was with that competitive spirit? Don't get all fired up at an average guy, Mr. Hunk... just go ahead and make your move... why bother taunting me? Was he perhaps trying to motivate me on purpose? What was with that roundabout encouragement... it was totally uncalled for.
This feeling of my fire actually being extinguished... what was it? I should be pissed...
Ah, right. There's no such thing as a bad person among those who have a yandere brocon for a sister. Since I couldn't see a bright future for him, his behavior didn't really get under my skin. I mean, that guy is definitely going to get married late.
Sasaki... stay strong, okay? I'm iffy about the Natsukawa stuff, but I'm rooting for you in everything else. Just be careful not to make any mistakes... Ah, right, I need to send my Periodic Report soon. If I'm late, Sasaki will be in danger. I'll just humor her by saying something like, "Hearing you brag about your brother makes me want to barf sugar." Who am I talking about? Yuki-chan, of course───
"I've been waiting for you, Sajou."
"Ah, I have cram school today, so excuse me—"
"Wait, wait, wait! You're not enrolled in a cram school!"
Just as I was about to head home, Shinomiya-senpai was lying in wait at the shoe lockers. This person has been launching a lot of raids lately. Is she really that interested in me?
I had nothing but a bad feeling, so I tried to mimic Tabata and blend into the crowd with an air of being in a hurry, but she flatly declared "No way" and grabbed my arm. I might have started going to cram school! Don't judge me based on appearances.
"Well, I understand the desire to be cautious, but wait. I didn't come here to forcibly recruit you again. Cease your futile resistance. Consider yourself under arrest."
"I get it, I get it! I won't run, so can you stop making it look like I'm being hauled off to jail!"
The Disciplinary Committee President, Shinomiya-senpai, catching a male student... it looked like nothing but a delinquent being purged. Even when I was taken to the Student Guidance Room before, people were like, "Whoa, what's that about?" Besides, she's tough! My arm wouldn't budge an inch!
When I showed her I'd stopped resisting, she seemed to understand and let go. I looked up at her with resentful eyes for doing something so misleading. Since I was in the position of being recruited, I'd try to act a bit tougher...
"So, what is it this time?"
"It's nothing much. I simply thought I should train a weakling who manages to catch a cold in the middle of summer."
Is this Disciplinary Committee President picking a fight with me?
Eh? How can she make a face like "Isn't this a generous offer?" after calling me a weakling to my face? I didn't know how to respond to that. Besides, what did she mean by "train"? Does this person do martial arts or something? Weight training? Are her abs ripped? I'm scared because they probably actually are.
"Ah. Inatomi-senpai is being harassed."
"Wh-What!!?"
Isn't she a bit too simple?
I wanted no part of any trouble. I'd quickly change my shoes and—gh...!? Of all times, my foot wouldn't go into my loafer properly! Had I spent too much time wearing them like slippers out of laziness!?
"Sajou."
"I'm sorry."
Once I was grabbed by the scruff like a bulldog with saggy back skin, I had no choice but to apologize. Was I going straight to the Student Guidance Room? Using Inatomi-senpai's name to trick her was nothing but poking a hornets' nest. I'm just a weakling who collapses from a mere cold anyway.
"Don't make such a sulky face... Even putting aside the Disciplinary Committee, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth for Kaede's younger brother and—unintentionally—Yuyu's favorite junior to be sickly."
"Well, it's not like I have a weak constitution... and what do you mean by 'unintentionally'?"
Was that it? At her level, did she keep a phantom of Inatomi-senpai in her heart? That girl is cute, after all... I just called a senior a "girl." What are you going to do when you graduate? Are you going to repeat a year? Aren't you going to go crazy from Yuyu-paisen withdrawal?
Defendant Shinomiya grinned as if it were only natural. I really hate handsome people; why does she look so cool even though she's a girl? ...I'm being glared at by the girls around us.
"Well, just trust me and come along. Consider it my meddling."
"Haa..."
Strange. I'm being restrained again. And wait, isn't this basically linking arms? I finally realized why I didn't feel any heart-throbbing excitement with this person. It's because she's in the same category as my sister. I feel a combat power equal to Nee-chan's. No, rather, perhaps the reason Nee-chan's Attack Power has increased these past few years was due to this senior's tutelage.
What am I supposed to do about this?