After seeing Narika off, Hinako spoke up.
"Do you... like that kind of look?"
"Huh?"
I wasn't quite sure what she meant, so I took a moment to think before answering.
"It's not that I 'like' it, exactly... but since I used to go to a normal school, that kind of casual style feels more familiar to me."
"...I see."
The students at Kikou Academy kept their uniforms buttoned up perfectly to the very top. It was a sight I'd rarely seen back at my old high school.
As I was reminiscing about my former student life—
"...Next time, I'll do it too."
"Eh?"
I wasn't sure what had prompted it, but Hinako muttered the words under her breath.
I had a feeling Kegon-san would be furious... but a part of me was curious to see it.
After that, we headed to our own classroom and attended first period.
The bell rang just as I finished copying the teacher's notes from the blackboard.
(Break time... I should go check on Narika.)
When I looked over at Hinako, our eyes met.
We stepped out into the hallway and casually made our way to Class B to peek inside.
As for Narika...
"...Wait, she's not here?"
I scanned the room, but Narika was nowhere to be found.
With no other choice, I decided to ask a nearby student.
"Excuse me. Is Miyakojima-san around?"
"Miyakojima-san is, um, well... she was called to the Student Guidance Office."
"...The Student Guidance Office?"
I had a bad feeling about this.
We immediately hurried over.
Just as we were debating whether or not to knock, the door suddenly swung open.
Narika emerged from the other side.
"N-Narika. What happened to you...?"
Her appearance was subtly different from when she'd left the changing room.
Her hair was a wild mess, and her shirt was covered in wrinkles.
On top of that... she had scrapes on her arms and knees. When had those happened? They certainly hadn't been there when we parted ways.
"...After I left you two, I got so nervous on the way to the classroom that I tripped and fell. I didn't realize it at the time... but apparently, my appearance got disheveled without me noticing. This is the result."
I realized then that the injuries were just from her fall.
(She looks like a delinquent coming home from a gang war...)
Maybe I should have watched her until the very moment she entered the classroom.
I pressed a hand to my forehead.
Looking like this, it wasn't surprising the teachers had hauled her in.
"Just now, the teacher... asked me who I'd been fighting with," Narika said, her eyes welling up with tears.
"He told me that in this country, intimidation and extortion are crimes."
"..."
"He asked what kind of injuries I'd inflicted because he wanted to estimate the medical expenses for the other party."
"..."
"Even if I admit I was in a fight... why is the possibility that I was the one who lost never even considered...?"
Well, that's probably because no one can imagine you losing...
"...Let's move on to the next one."
Operation Phase Two: Failure.
◆
The next morning.
We gathered again before homeroom.
"Operation Phase Three: Project a 'commoner' vibe to appeal to people with your approachability."
We held our meeting in a shaded, inconspicuous corner of the schoolyard.
"In short, let's show everyone that Narika is normal, too. Right now, her image as a 'fighter' or someone 'cool' is all anyone sees."
"But we haven't decided on the specifics of this operation yet, have we...?"
"That's true. Anyway, I just want to soften the rigid impression Narika gives off..."
Unlike Phases One and Two, we hadn't fully fleshed out the plan for Phase Three.
I tried to think of something.
This time, I wanted to change Narika's atmosphere through her actions rather than just her look.
"I want something that communicates it at a glance. Like reading manga in front of everyone, or talking about a TV show you saw yesterday..."
"...I don't really watch much TV or read manga."
In that case, we should probably go with something else.
If you pretend to be someone you're not just to make friends, maintaining those connections only becomes a burden later on.
"...Sweets."
Hinako's voice was barely a whisper.
"How about eating some sweets? I think that would make her seem approachable."
"...I see."
That was a great idea.
Eating a snack wouldn't make her look like a slacker, but it would likely take the edge off the stern aura Narika currently projected.
"Itsuki, a brilliant idea has struck me!"
Narika suddenly announced.
"A brilliant idea?"
"Dagashi!"
Narika spoke with newfound confidence.
"I think I mentioned this before, but even after Itsuki and I were separated, I kept going to dagashi shops! Thanks to that, I'm confident I know more about dagashi than anyone else!"
Narika was full of motivation.
I had to respect her tenacity—still willing to pick herself up and try again even after two consecutive failures.
"...Come to think of it, there was a dagashi shop near the Academy."
I remembered the shop I'd spotted while commuting the other day.
I figured their target demographic was the students from the nearby elementary school rather than Kikou Academy students, but it was perfect for our purposes.
"How about I try eating dagashi on the way home today? If I do that, someone might strike up a conversation with me!"
"I don't think just eating dagashi is enough to get people to talk to you..."
I started to doubt the plan, but after a moment's thought, I changed my mind.
"No... if there's someone else with similar tastes, they might call out to you."
A Kikou Academy student eating dagashi would be a rare sight. However, there might be at least one person who shared the hobby.
Because it was such a rare interest in this social circle, the bond between people who shared it would likely be strong.
(Well, even if no one talks to her, it'll at least create a more casual image than before.)
If things went well, she might find a kindred spirit.
Even if they didn't go perfectly, her image would start to shift.
It was worth a try.
"Alright, let's do it."
"Yeah! Let's meet up after school!"
As if to say "this time for sure," Narika headed toward the school building in high spirits.
"Hinako, thanks for coming up with a good idea."
"...Mm."
Hinako gave a small, firm nod.
Come to think of it, this might be the first time I'd done something like this with Hinako in her 'Young Lady' mode. Usually, she would try to head back to the manor to laze around at every possible opportunity.
"Sorry for making you help out with all this. Like I said before, you don't have to tag along if you don't want to, Hinako."
"...It's fine. I want to help, too."
This time, Hinako shook her head.
"It's relaxing being with Itsuki, and besides..."
"...And besides?"
I prodded when she trailed off.
"...Itsuki, you're surprisingly indiscreet. I have to keep a close watch on you."
"Eh?"
I felt like I was being strangely misunderstood.
However, Hinako offered no further explanation.
After that, we attended our classes as usual... and soon enough, the school day came to an end.
"T-The operation finally begins," Narika said, her expression tense.
"We'll be watching from over here."
"I-I understand....I'm off!"
Narika headed toward the dagashi shop with the stiff, synchronized movements of a nervous person. Since both Narika and we had told our households we'd be home late, we had about an hour to spare. I hoped we could achieve some kind of result in that time...
Having purchased some dagashi with practiced ease, Narika immediately began eating it by the roadside.
(This is a bit surreal...)
A high school girl eating dagashi alone after school.
I had been worried she might look like a delinquent, but Narika held a snack stick—an Unmai-bo—with both hands and nibbled on it like a hamster. No one would mistake those gestures for a hoodlum's.
Steadily, other Kikou Academy students began to notice her.
Almost all students were picked up and dropped off by car, but space for cars to stop near the gates was limited. Since Hinako, Tennoji-san, and Narika came from families that were particularly high-ranking, their cars could park right next to the school gate. Other students apparently exercised restraint and often met their drivers a short distance away....On the surface, I was one of them.
Those students would walk a bit along the school route.
Narika was definitely being watched. However...
"No one... is talking to her," Hinako observed.
"Yeah."
Just as she said, no one approached her.
As expected, simply eating dagashi in silence wasn't enough to bridge the gap.
That said, I didn't find this result all that disappointing.
(If the goal is just to change her image, it's fine even if no one talks to her. Just being seen like this is a win, isn't it?)
To the students who knew her, the sight of Narika eating dagashi on the way home must have seemed more than a little unusual.
If things like this kept piling up, her reputation would surely soften little by little.
If that was the case, there was no need to rush.
(Is that a Chupa Chupa Chups?...I haven't had one of those in a while.)
Having grown tired of the snack sticks, Narika was now licking a lollipop. Holding the white stick protruding from her mouth with her fingers, Narika waited restlessly for someone to talk to her.
Let's watch over her for a bit longer.
Just as I thought that—
"M-Miyakojima-san...?"
A female student on her way home saw Narika and dropped her bag to the ground with a heavy thud.
Narika turned around at the sound of her name, looking puzzled.
For some reason, the other girl looked utterly terrified.
"Is that... a c-cigarette...?"
"Huh?"
The student pointed at the white stick extending from Narika's mouth.
"W-Wait! You're wrong! This isn't a cigarette!"
Narika hurriedly pulled the candy out of her mouth to show her.
"This is a Chupa Chupa Chups!"
"I-I don't know what that brand is...!"
"No, I'm telling you, it's not a cigarette!!"
"Not a cigarette...? Then, d-don't tell me... are those drugs!?"
Her imagination was way too vivid.
I felt like escaping from reality, struck by the realization that Kikou Academy was home to all sorts of sheltered young ladies.
"This is candy!"
"Candy... Is that some kind of street slang? I-I haven't heard anything, I swear!"
"Ah!? Wait!!"
The female student turned tail and bolted.
(Come to think of it, there was that rumor about Narika coming from a yakuza family...)
That rumor was definitely fueling the fire.
In any case—this was bad.
At this rate, Narika was going to be branded a drug dealer selling illicit substances under the code name "candy."
"...I'll go clear this up."
I immediately chased after the fleeing student.
Since she was running, I had to run too, which only made her think she was being hunted down, causing her to flee at full speed.
After somehow managing to catch her, get her to listen, and successfully clearing up the misunderstanding...
When I returned to the dagashi shop, Narika was sitting on the ground in a dejected huddle.
"......................Is this my fault?"
I didn't know how to answer that.
"...To be honest, I underestimated the situation too," I said, catching my breath.
"I didn't think Narika's image was this bad..."
"Don't say it... please..."
Narika clutched her head.
This... was going to be even harder than I'd imagined.
◆
Since we had caused quite a stir, we decided to move.
After returning to the Academy, we sat down to talk in a heavy atmosphere.
"So, all three operations ended in failure..." I said with a sigh.
"...What now?"
Seriously, what now?
It wasn't that we were out of ideas, but the results so far were more disastrous than expected.
I was at a loss for words.
"I'm the one being helped here, so it might sound odd coming from me... but please don't let it get to you. I'm not that bothered by it."
I blinked at Narika.
"...You're surprisingly resilient."
"Hmph, I'm used to failing. Heh... hehehe."
It was obvious she was putting on a brave face.
"On a serious note, if this were a problem that could be solved in just a few days, I wouldn't have been this troubled in the first place. So while I'm disappointed, this much is within my expectations."
I see. That was how she was keeping her chin up.
"...If Narika isn't giving up, then I don't need to be depressed either."
As long as she was still motivated, there was no reason for me to mope around.
"Today's Friday, so let's all brainstorm some new ideas next Monday. We'll make sure to learn from these failures."
Narika and Hinako both nodded.
"By the way, Itsuki. When should I teach the two of you tennis?"
"Well, whenever you have time is fine, but..."
I glanced at Hinako.
She nodded silently. This was the conclusion we had reached after discussing it between ourselves.
However, Narika didn't let it go.
"I'd like to start returning the favor soon."
"Returning the favor... but we haven't produced any results yet."
"No, I wouldn't have been able to even start without you. You two have already helped me more than enough."
Narika offered a happy smile.
...I really wished she could show that face to people other than us.
It was such a waste.
Narika was such a pure person.
"Are you free tomorrow, over the weekend? If it's alright with you both, I can teach you then."
At Narika's question, I exchanged a look with Hinako.
Hinako didn't have anything scheduled for tomorrow.
"In that case, can we count on you?"
"Yeah!"
Narika puffed out her chest with pride.
"Now it's my turn to shine! You can expect great things from me!!"