To Aika, the girl blinking before her was as cute as a small animal. Even to another girl, looking at her objectively, she undoubtedly stirred a protective instinct—an urge to shield and care for her. However, in this particular moment, Aika felt she couldn't reach out to her unless she consciously summoned every ounce of her own goodwill. Having a younger sister herself, she knew she had a meddlesome streak, which made her current hesitation all the more confusing.
"Are you okay, Ichinose-san?"
"Y-Yes... I'm sorry..."
It was a well-known fact that Ichinose was timid. It seemed difficult for Sasaki—whom she rarely spoke to and who was much larger than her—to carry on a smooth conversation. Aika took over for him, and after receiving a nod from her, Sasaki psyching himself up and headed for the classroom. Good luck to him.
"U-Um... Natsukawa-san."
"Yeah? What is it?"
There was no way Aika could feel even a shred of ill will toward that desperate, tiny voice. True to her busybody nature, Aika questioned the girl, even leaning down slightly to match her height. Her instincts as an older sister shifted up a gear.
"───Do you know where Sajou-kun is?"
"............Um."
Mindset: neutral.
Aika didn't know why, but she froze with a smile still plastered on her face. She quickly regained her composure, filling the silence with a strained interjection. Apparently, the girl before her—clutching her smartphone tightly with both hands, sweating slightly as she hurried along—was devotedly and wholeheartedly searching for the boy named Sajou.
"Did... something happen with Wataru?"
"W-Well... I can't find him... and even when I message him, there's no reply..."
As she spoke, the girl looked down at her screen and then glanced around. At that point, Aika realized this lack of composure wasn't just due to her shy personality; she was genuinely panicking.
"Wasn't he doing the classroom cleanup?"
"I... I haven't seen him..."
"You haven't...?"
It was strange for him not to be seen in a limited space like a classroom. Sajou Wataru was heavily involved with the Cultural Festival Executive Committee, so it wouldn't have been unusual for him to be in the meeting room Aika had just left. If that weren't the case, then...
"Maybe the Student Council, or the Disciplinary Committee...?"
"Eh...?"
"His older sister is in the Student Council. Did you know?"
"..."
The girl wore a perplexed expression. It seemed she hadn't known that the school's Vice President was Sajou Wataru's sister. Aika felt a small, strange sense of satisfaction. It was a late realization, but he really was the younger brother of someone incredible; Aika reaffirmed to herself that Wataru's position was anything but ordinary.
"As for the Disciplinary Committee───"
"...?"
"The Disciplinary Committee is... well, how should I put it?"
Large, round, downturned eyes looked up at Aika curiously.
The Disciplinary Committee President, Shinomiya Rin, was a senior characterized by a dignified presence that matched her name, making her an object of admiration for the girls at this school. Aika's best friend, Kei Ashida, was no exception; she often stared at the President from afar with sparkling eyes and a goofy grin.
For some reason, Wataru was frequently involved with that President, and he had even mentioned they occasionally had lunch together. If it were just a connection through his sister’s friend, Aika could understand, but sometimes he would return to the classroom after being doted on by Shinomiya without his sister even being involved. Even Wataru had seemed puzzled by it.
"He'll probably be back soon," Aika said.
"Mm..."
In any case, Aika had the impression that Wataru was constantly being jerked around by older girls. She concluded that he was likely stuck with some other matter this time as well, working away somewhere with distant eyes.
"Shall we go, Ichinose-san?"
"Y-Yes..."
The Executive Committee had disbanded, so all that was left was to go home. If they stayed away from the classroom any longer, they might stand out. Watching the girl stare anxiously at her phone, Aika smiled, the corners of her eyebrows lowering in sympathy.
"..."
Daily life had returned to the classroom, which was now filled with students indulging in their own conversations. Aika sat in the very back seat by the window, staring at the empty desk in front of her. That was none other than the seat belonging to Sajou Wataru, the boy the girl from earlier had been looking for. His wooden chair had been stacked upside down on the desk with his bag on top of it, so Aika had taken them down and hung the bag on the hook at the side.
"That Sajocchi, skipping the cleanup...!"
"Kei."
Her best friend approached with a dissatisfied expression. Kei wore her blazer over a yellow hoodie, and as she walked, she clasped her hands behind her head and pouted. When Aika called out, Kei sat down in Wataru's seat.
"I don't know what he got called away for, but isn't it wrong to skip all the class stuff?"
"That... is true."
"He's not replying to my messages, either. I wonder which girl he's out seducing now."
"No, 'seducing' is a bit much..."
"It started with the tsundere classmate, then the older sister, the mascot, the younger-older sister, and Sasakichi's brocon younger sister! What's next!? A gyaru!?"
"What is that lineup...? Even his sister is in there───Wait, who are you calling a tsundere!?"
"Nishishi! Sorry, sorry!"
"Honestly...!"
While complaining about Kei's casual assumptions, Aika felt a prick of concern at one part of the conversation. Just like the girl who had been looking for Wataru earlier, Kei also couldn't get in touch with him.
"Did you message him multiple times?"
"Yeah, I did. What about you, Aichi?"
"I'm about to..."
"Even Aichi doesn't know... In that case, I'll just drop it in the group chat!"
Aika pulled up her phone and opened her private chat with Wataru, which she didn't open very often. The last time they had messaged each other was the night before the Cultural Festival. After they had parted ways on the walk home, they talked a little about going around together today, and then ended with "goodnight" to each other at a time that was a bit early for bed.
[Where are you? We're about to be dismissed.]
Sent. She waited five seconds. The "Read" mark didn't appear.
While she was staring at the screen, Kei fired off a message to the class group.
[Sajocchi skipped the class cleanup. He's treating us to the after-party.]
"Ah, the after-party..."
"Yep! We're having an after-party! Keep it a secret from Ohtsuki-chan!"
"T-The teacher..."
[Sajou has to do karaoke on scoring mode.]
[Key +3.]
Piling onto Kei's message, other students in the class vented their grievances toward Wataru. It seemed the sin of skipping the cleanup was greater than expected. Incidentally, Kei's first comment carried the most weight.
"............No reply, huh."
"I wonder what he's doing..."
The "Read" mark still hadn't appeared on the private chat screen. It seemed to be the same for Kei. Worrying that he might have been caught up in some kind of trouble, the two of them looked at each other.
"I'll call him."
"Yeah, good idea."
"Let's see..."
Since Aika had actually never initiated a call to him before, she had to search for the icon on the screen. Finally finding it, the display switched to the outgoing call, and she held the phone to her ear. She was worried, yes, but she also found her heart racing at this first-time endeavor.
"...Um."
"Not picking up?"
"No, just a little longer───"
"Excuse me!"
Suddenly, a bright voice that seemed to drown out the surrounding chatter echoed through the classroom. Aika and Kei both turned toward the sound to see a female student wearing a third-year tie running into the back of the room.
"Hey, hey, is this Class C? It is Class C, right?"
"Y-Yes, it is."
The senior had wavy black hair. Based on her tone and behavior, she didn't give the impression of being a particularly serious student. The classroom was filled with a different kind of buzz at the sudden visitor. Naturally, Aika and Kei looked at each other again.
This girl, who fit the description of someone Wataru might be "seducing," paid no mind to the gazes around her as she scanned the back of the classroom.
"Hey, where's Little Brother───where's Sajou-kun's seat?"
"...Eh."
"Wha?"
Suddenly, Wataru's name was uttered by the person at the center of the commotion, causing Aika and Kei to let out dumbfounded sounds. Once the wavy-haired senior found out where Wataru's seat was from a nearby boy, she looked over to where Aika and Kei were.
"Eeeh...?"
"Ah, it's... here."
"Oh, you were sitting there."
"Yes... Ah, wait!"
Kei stood up from Wataru's seat to make room. The senior came to the side of the desk and, without a word, grabbed Wataru's bag and tried to walk off with it. It was simply too much to ignore, so the two of them called out to stop her.
"What? I'm in a hurry right now."
"W-Wait, um, what's going───"
"He’s heading to the hospital now. He won't be coming back today."
"Eh..."
"Like I said, I'm in a hurry! Thanks!"
"Ah...!"
Before they could ask for details, the senior with the wavy black hair left with the same bright tone. A beat late, Aika and Kei reached out their hands, but there was nothing to grasp as they reached into empty air. The classroom fell silent at the reason for Wataru's absence.
"...What? Did Sajou collapse again?" a male student muttered.
Using that as a spark, a louder buzz enveloped the room. There were more than a few voices of concern at the fact that a senior had specifically come to collect his things. In the corner where students had little connection to Wataru, even some malicious speculation began to fly.
Aika and Kei froze on the spot, unable to process what they had just heard. By the window on the opposite side of the classroom, Ichinose had turned pale, falling into a similar state of shock.