On our way to the courtyard, the students we passed froze in their tracks, their eyes going wide as they turned to look back at Nozomi Himesaki.
Since I was always hanging around the Beautiful Girl Trio, this was a sight I’d grown used to. Still, it reaffirmed that Himesaki truly was in the same league as those three. I had to admit, as Tanaka had so passionately argued before, that Himesaki’s looks were easily a match for Rui’s.
But Rui had more than just looks; she possessed a mature elegance, the refined grace of a Yamato Nadeshiko, and an undeniable charisma. Himesaki, however, was a different story.
I stole a glance at Himesaki’s profile as she walked beside me. This returnee was flawless on the outside, but to be honest, she was a complete mystery beyond that. She’d blackmailed a guy she’d barely met with a photo and ordered me to be her dog, yet her actual commands were underwhelming. And now, of all things, she wanted to eat lunch together.
Above all, she was completely immune to anything suggestive. Even Airi—who hadn't even known what ●●● was back when we were on the bus—would at least react and get embarrassed by a little dirty humor. But Himesaki? She seemed genuinely clueless. She wasn't particularly curvy, yet her ignorance was such that she hadn't even reached the stage of "knowledge of her own ignorance." She was a returnee so pure it would have made Socrates' head spin.
Besides, based on every Western teen movie I’d ever seen, dirty jokes were supposed to be even more extreme overseas. Did she never talk about that stuff with her friends over there?
"Ryouta-senpai, why have you been staring at me like that for a while?"
"Ah... well, you see..."
"Yes?"
"You lived abroad, right, Himesaki? What was it like? Was it more fun than being here?"
I decided to ask her what had been honestly weighing on my mind.
Himesaki stopped abruptly and gazed out the hallway window.
"...It was the same."
"Huh? The same?"
"Exactly the same as it is now. I never really thought of it as fun or anything."
Despite the smile on her face, her voice was strangely flat.
Crap... did I just step on a landmine?
"More importantly, Ryouta-senpai. What’s your favorite side dish for a lunch box?"
"Side dish?! O-Oh—right, you’re talking about food."
"What other kind of side dish would I be talking about? Goodness, you really are a strange person, Ryouta-senpai."
She let out a heavy, exasperated sigh.
Dammit. She really does know how to throw me off my game.