"Tropes." I don't know the dictionary definition, but for a high schooler like me who loves manga and games, it basically means "the classics." There are certain procedures or settings that get used so often they feel stale, but some evolve into a "perfected package"—a kind of formal beauty, for better or worse.
When you see that happening in reality, you have no choice but to believe in fate. The guy who suggests a game of rock-paper-scissors always ends up losing; the one who gets cocky before a match is destined for defeat; if you tell someone not to push, they're going to push; and Hosei gets slapped at the end of every year.
The things you always have are never there when you actually need them, and conversely, you only get the things you used to want right when you no longer need them.
──In that same vein, you always seem to run into people right when you're trying your hardest to avoid them.
"Wait...!? Natsukawa-san is right in front of Sajou-kun!? Talk about luck!"
"I thought you guys were separated for a bit, but man, Sajou, your persistence is insane!"
Don't make it sound so creepy. What the hell are you saying, Aibe, Matsuda?
Well, I guess that’s just how it looks. To people who haven't really interacted with us and don't know the circumstances, it probably seems that way... Is it really fate? Between the joy and the awkwardness, I had no idea how to feel.
".........Um, nice to meet you."
"Y-Yeah..."
The result of the lottery: I was moving to the window side by the Central Courtyard, second seat from the back. I brushed off Ashida—who was faking a crying fit because she’d been placed right in the middle of the classroom—and headed to my new spot. Natsukawa was already sitting there, radiating a brilliance like a diamond peeking out from a wall of charcoal gray. My apologies to the "charcoal" surrounding her.
The people around us were getting hyped up on their own. Not long ago, I would have found that hype comfortable, but now I could only offer a forced, polite smile in return.
I sat down and checked my surroundings. Despite her "Nooo, I don't want this!" act, Ashida was already socializing with the people around her in the middle of the room. I envied people who could naturally pivot like that. I could do it too, but only with people I was close enough to be stupid with, throwing shame and reputation to the wind. Well, I suppose that’s normal.
Looking around further, I saw Ichinose-san sitting in the second seat from the back on the corridor side. That was a good seat; it looked like a perfect spot for Ichinose-san to read her books. However, she was already being talked to and looked completely flustered. It was Ichinose-san's own fault for getting cuter and more approachable. Yeah. Being cute was a crime.
".........Hey."
"! ......Yeah, what's up?"
I heard a whisper from the seat in front of me. I almost missed it, but there was no way I'd miss Natsukawa's voice. I felt a tiny spark of pride knowing immediately that she was talking to me based on her tone alone. Look at me, I'm actually acquainted with such a beautiful girl.
"That thing from earlier......... did you read it?"
".........No, not yet. Ashida kept trying to peek."
"Now that you mention it, she was doing that..."
Oh no, she saw us. Ashida's old seat had been right behind Natsukawa's current one. If someone was making a scene in the corner of your eye, of course you'd notice. And yet, here I was feeling happy about it... God, I'm pathetic.
"Well......... w-why don't you read it?"
"......You won't peek?"
"I—I won't peek! ...Honestly."
".........Alright."
Well, Goddess Natsukawa would never do something like that. I knew she was too serious for that. Besides, reading it near Ashida would have been a disaster. Even if this was "that kind of content," I felt like I'd end up taking it too lightly if I didn't read it with a serious expression, the way Natsukawa looked right now.
"In that case──"
"Nice to meet you too, Sajou-kun~"
"Guh!?"
"Eh, what?"
Just as I was about to quietly pull out the item in question, Okamo-chan, who was now in the seat in front of me, suddenly spun around. She had been busy saying "Nice to meet you" to everyone around her until just now. I ended up punching my desk with the hand I'd been stuffing into my inner jacket pocket, letting out a weird grunt.
"Oh, no, uh, yeah, it's nothing. Nice to meet you, yeah."
"Nice to meet you too. Oh, it's Natsukawa-san! It's great you guys are close again, Sajou-kun."
"Ugh...... yeah, I guess........."
Ah, this is no good, I thought. The fact that I liked Natsukawa had become such common knowledge that everyone just said it with a straight face, without any malice. Right in front of Natsukawa. Yes, right in front of her. I absolutely could not turn around right now. I thought I'd die of awkwardness.
"I wanted to be near Mina-chan, too, but Nonoka-chan took that spot."
"......? Oh, Shirai-san. Wait, Nonoka-chan isn't even sitting next to or right by Ichinose-san, is she?"
Even now, Shirai-san wasn't going over to fuss over Ichinose-san; she was just talking to those around her like Okamo-chan was. She gave the impression of someone being mature and reading the room.
"In these situations, being close is what matters, you know?"
"Is there a winner or loser for this?"
"Maybe it's just the vibe?"
Is there a "vibe" between Nonoka-chan and Okamo-chan? That word didn't quite seem to fit them. Since they both had a similar fluffy, airy impression, saying they shared a certain "atmosphere" would probably be more accurate. I'd love to join a study group with those two before an exam. I felt like I could actually focus and study seriously for some reason.
"It must be nice for you to be so relaxed, Sajou-kun. I mean, Ichinose-san seems really attached to you."
"Oh, uh... well, yeah, jealous?"
"Oh, what's with that?"
I couldn't exactly explain that she was my junior at work right here in front of Natsukawa. Well, since Ichinose-san and I—who never used to talk—had started speaking, people had probably figured it out for the most part, but that didn't mean I was the one who should be saying it...
"──Ahem! Ahem!"
"!"
Wait, that was...
I cautiously turned my head back. Natsukawa was frozen in a posture as if she had just cleared her throat. Was this... that? Was she telling me to hurry up and read that thing? But even if I did, the only thing I could really tell her was whether it was "that kind of content" or not.
"Um..."
"Ah, Natsukawa-san. It's not like Sajou-kun is being a nuisance or anything."
"Eh?"
"Wait, Okamo-chan, what kind of report is that?"
As if I was normally a nuisance... well, I mean, if I looked at our relationship as a whole since we met, I'd pretty much done nothing but cause trouble for Natsukawa. What, did everyone around here think I was some kind of troublemaker? Hadn't they seen how quiet I'd been lately? Though I guess it was Summer Vacation until recently.
"Um... is that so?"
It was.
Natsukawa's response filled me with a mix of joy, a strange itch, and a sense of apology. I didn't really get it, but at least to Okamo-chan, Natsukawa and I were "something that could be grouped together." Simply put, like a mischievous brat and his guardian. Who's the mischievous brat here?
Regardless, I could sense that "treatment" from Okamo-chan's words.
"Ehehe, I'm looking forward to seeing 'Sajou-kun and Natsukawa-san' up close~"
"......"
"......"
......How was I supposed to react? This was genuinely awkward. Was I supposed to put on a "performance" by hitting on Natsukawa familiarly again? Of course not. Natsukawa had clearly told me many times before that it was a "nuisance." Doing it now would only make me feel miserable.
I needed a way of behaving that was for the "sake" of both of us──the perfect balance in attitude. I had to read the room, stop pretending to be something I wasn't, and ensure nothing got broken. I should be able to do that now. At the end of spring, I had told her as much, responding to Natsukawa's wishes. Yesterday, I had made my position even clearer. Natsukawa should already know where I was headed.
So──
"I might not be able to live up to those expectations, though. Right, Natsukawa?"
"──Ah...... um......... y-yeah."
There was no need to hold back with Natsukawa. Natsukawa herself would probably prefer this so things didn't get weirdly awkward. Since we'd already "ended," there was no way things would turn out the way Okamo-chan expected. We were just friends; we could just leave it as, "That kind of thing happened in the past." I just needed to push my feelings deep down inside. Because if I did that, everything would work out fine.
"Eh... oh? Come to think of it, lately, you haven't been using her first name or............ ah."
A rumor only lasts seventy-five days. Just as a one-hit wonder is forgotten with the changing of the seasons, our──my──self-centered farce, which never should have been possible in the first place, was fading the same way.
"O-Oh, I see......"
"Yeah, sorry about that."
Okamo-chan gave a slightly disappointed smile and turned back to face the front.