The shopping trip was an ordeal. The mindless banter of high school boys had never been more high-spirited. Unlike Iwata, Yasuda—who was also in the baseball club but possessed a serious, unexplained sense of leadership—finally snapped, which triggered a full-on sprint. Honestly, if not for that, we wouldn't have made it back in time. Thanks, Yasuda. I used to find you unapproachable because you acted like the king of the hill, but I’ll keep cheering for you from a distance. (Wait, you're actually kind of scary.)
"Phew, it’s hot… Huh, Ichinose-san, what are you writing?"
"Ah—um, Sajou-kun. Well, I was thinking of… some quiz questions…"
Wiping the sweat away with a towel as I returned to the classroom, I found Ichinose-san sitting by the wall, brainstorming quiz content. She seemed to have already come up with a few, as she was listing them out on loose-leaf paper. Ichinose-san reads a lot, so I figured she could come up with some high-level questions… Let's see.
[Question: Name the Edo-period agricultural administrator and philosopher who, just before the Great Tenpo Famine, realized it would be a cold summer because the pre-summer eggplants he bit into tasted like autumn, and thus prevented a famine in his village by having the villagers plant barnyard millet, which is resistant to cold-weather damage.]
"The wording of this question is a bit much."
It wasn't even a quiz anymore. Well, technically it was, but still.
That wasn't the point, though. This was the kind of thing a Tokyo University grad would answer on a quiz show. My brain had stalled out by the second line. Our target audience was supposed to be middle schoolers and families… We needed something fluffier, the kind of content where you didn't really gain any actual knowledge even if you got it right. If we put this out there, we’d just attract the Higher Idles who haunt secondhand bookstores.
"Is… is it… no good…?"
"I think probably nobody would be able to answer it…"
"Auuu…"
"Aah! Sajou-kun is bullying Mina-chan!"
"Get away! Get away, man!"
"Wait, 'man'?"
What was with the sudden feminism? What were those two to Ichinose-san? Why was she being treated like the Princess of the Otaku Circle by her own female classmates?
As Shirai-san pushed me by the back to drive me away, I looked back to see Mina-chan giggling and giving me a small, shy wave. I died right then and there.
◆
During lunch break, I left the classroom to handle Cultural Festival Executive Committee business. Normal committee members like Natsukawa and Sasaki were off. Honestly, what kind of sweatshop forces people to give up their lunch breaks and after-school time every single day? Just when Natsukawa had finally started talking to everyone in class, it was a tragedy that they had to be separated again. Natsukawa should be having fun with the other girls. Show me Natsukawa’s true power!
"Eh…?"
"Ah, Natsukawa. Anyone can use this seat."
"Eh, ah—"
I picked up the bag containing my laptop. The weight, heavier than usual, boosted my motivation.
This task, which I was doing in shifts with Gou-senpai, was basically organizational housekeeping. Even this morning, the External Collaborators from Hanawa-senpai's team should have been moving the work along. I needed to use this lunch break to make sure everyone on the school side could immediately check the progress after school. I couldn't let them waste time on verification.
I was relieved that Gou-senpai wasn't around the committee room. If I ran into him unexpectedly, the sunlight reflecting off his wax-hardened hair might actually blind me. I wish he'd use something softer; that stuff could probably incinerate a fly.
I headed toward the open-air corridor where the three of us—Yuuki-senpai, Gou-senpai, and I—had met last time. According to Gou-senpai, the Wi-Fi signal linked to this laptop reached there. It was near an entrance to the building, so a constant, pleasant breeze flowed through. Plus, it was always in the shade, so the concrete felt nice and chilly when I sat down.
"Now then…"
I crossed my legs slightly, rested the laptop on top, and booted it up. After confirming the internet connection, I opened the folder linked to Hanawa-senpai's team server. Going into the folder named with today's date, I saw a long list of files prefixed with "Completed." Seeing all those things that used to take so much manual labor being finished in bulk felt pretty good.
I opened the files one by one to check that all items were filled. I moved the finished ones from that folder to the "Verified" folder—over and over. The more "Completed" files there were, the more work it was, but it was undoubtedly a happy problem to have. More than anything, I liked the fact that I was the one moving files edited by actual working professionals. A mysterious sense of superiority welled up inside me.
"—W-Why are you grinning…?"
"Eh, seriously? Was I grinning? Isn't it creepy to grin while working?"
No, that wasn't it. Since I had to do it anyway, wasn't it better for my motivation to find some fun in it rather than doing it mechanically? I-It’s not like I was looking at an adult site or anything! Besides, if I connected to a site like that on the school network, I’d be finished instantly! Forget Gou-senpai, Nee-chan would skin me alive! —Wait,
"……Eh? N-Natsukawa? Why are you here?"
"Ah, e-err……"
"……?"
This was a place where no one else should have been. Normally, other students would be concentrated in their classrooms, the Cafeteria, or the School Store. Natsukawa didn't have committee work at lunch, so she should have been having her bento with Ashida and the others right about now. I was bewildered to see someone who shouldn't have been there standing before me.
Wait, did she misunderstand and think there was a committee meeting today too?
"Umm…… I think it’s only after school today."
"I-I know! I know that!"
"O-Oh…… I see."
"……"
"……"
Uh……
What was this vibe? What was I supposed to say? More importantly, why was she here? Calm down, me! Assess the situation calmly; you can do this. How many years do you think you’ve been interacting with Natsukawa? If there were a Natsukawa Test, I should be able to at least get a Level 2 certificate. Question: When is Natsukawa Aika's birthday? The answer is Halloween. Trick or treat me.
I happened to look at Natsukawa’s hands and realized something.
"Since you’re holding your bento bag… are you on your way to meet someone?"
"Eh!? Ah, t-this is…… well, no, that’s not it……"
"?"
Natsukawa quickly hid the bento bag behind her back. My eyes almost got stolen by her skirt as it fluttered in that moment, but I held back. Mostly.
"—I-I thought you might be working…… and that I should, too……"
"Work……? You mean the committee work? No, like I said, that’s after school—"
"Not that! I thought you might be working since…… you were carrying your bag."
"……Well, I am."
I actually was sitting here with my laptop open and connected to the net. She wasn't wrong. She wasn't wrong, but even so, it was strange for Natsukawa to be here. There was no rule saying that if I was working, Natsukawa had to as well. If such a rule existed, I’d make Sasaki do it first thing.
"I thought you’d be in the committee classroom…… but you weren't. When I looked around a bit, I found you right nearby……"
"Well, yeah…… they probably wouldn't lend me the key just for myself. No, but…… even if I’m working, there’s no need for you to do it too, Natsukawa."
"B-But…… you’re not even supposed to be doing this originally……"
"That’s true, but…… it’s something I decided for myself. You don't have to worry about anything, Natsukawa. If anything, I’m more on the Student Council’s side of things."
"I suppose, but……"
"……"
Natsukawa Aika. This was a side of the "Goddess" I knew. Among her many qualities, her sense of responsibility to fulfill her assigned role was particularly strong. While I work part-time now just because I want spending money, my motivation when I first started working back in middle school was because I wanted to become a person worthy of Natsukawa. It was for the sake of self-improvement.
Even so, I eventually realized that what was necessary to stand beside her was, in the end, something you were born with. Appearance, talent, academics, and sports. I didn't actually think Natsukawa was born with all of those things; I’m sure she’s put in a lot of effort. However, something inside me had snapped. Because I felt that continuing that level of effort was impossible for me. Because I felt that continuing to chase her was just too painful.
"Um…… Wataru, what about lunch?"
"……Eh? Ah, I’ll just have something random after this is done……"
"What do you mean 'random'……? Didn't you prepare anything?"
"No? Look, I’ve got this."
I pulled a plastic bag out of my bag. It was sweet bread I’d bought at a convenience store this morning. You couldn't see it, but since I’d stuffed it in with my laptop, it was probably about half-crushed.
"That again…… You used to have a bento right after we started school. Why did that change?"
"Ah, ahh…… well, you know, there were a lot of green peppers and stuff lately? My Mom got mad because I kept leaving them behind."
Well, rather than getting mad, she just gave me an endless amount of snark. I didn't have a comeback for her. On top of that, Nee-chan treated me like a brat, so it was insult to injury. I just had to take the insults and the injuries.
"……"
"Ah…… um, Natsukawa-san?"
Natsukawa had looked concerned until just a moment ago, but when I explained how my lunch had turned into store-bought bread, she suddenly went quiet, lowered her eyebrows, and looked at me. Oh, her demeanor has shifted…… I feel like I might have stepped on a landmine. Come to think of it, Natsukawa is an older sister; she probably goes through all sorts of trial and error to get Airi-chan to eat her green peppers. I’ve really opened a can of worms.
"Um—"
"So you…… hate green peppers?"
"Ah, yes."
"I see…… Why?"
"Because they’re bitter……"
"Then…… bitter gourd too?"
"Ah, yeah……"
"……"
"……"
……Hmm? What was this feeling? She’d become a bit gentle and timid, somehow. Was there anything in that conversation to cause this? I thought I’d either be scolded or met with exasperation. She was so cute. Right now, I felt like I could even eat the filling of a stuffed green pepper.
That was because she was—