27. The back of someone I’ve had enough
It was lunch break.
Recently, it had become common for me to eat with the girls around me. It was much better than eating with ‘That guy’ (Wataru) who always unilaterally emphasizing my so called ‘goodness’. Because of him, I knew the best angle for taking my photo. It..it’s not like I feel grateful for it! Not at all!
Then the topic of the talk became about my sister ─── Airi. I was told to show her picture and they keep asking like, ‘I want to see, let me see-’… so I felt bad if I didn’t show them even a bit, I decided to open the folder in my smartphone and handed over it to them. When I was proudly showing it, I noticed that a lot of people gathered around me…
Hmm… huh, wait… isn’t it a little… too many? Why are a lot of you gathering here?
I was handing over my smartphone… it was in a state which they were waiting in line for it.
Ah, even boys… but it’s a bit…! You guys don’t you dare to touch anything strange! Only the Airi folder is allowed!
When I looked at everyone who kept saying, ‘She is cute-’ or ‘So cute-’, Shirai-san came to me saying, ‘I couldn’t stand it anymore.’
“Your sister is cute… I’m so jealous…. Natsukawa-san, can’t I go to visit her?”
“Eh, Eeeeeehh !? You-you want to…. my home…!?”
I was surprised and unintentionally asked back in a loud voice. Only Kei and other volleyball players were the one who had ever visited my house. I didn’t even think of bringing the kids who I had just started talking to my home.
I didn’t know what to do so I looked for Kei to get her help.
Oh, hmm…? Kei? Where is she? She was her until a moment ago───
Aika seeing around her
Kei, where do you take my smartphone… Hmm? Wataru …?
Kei and Wataru approached me after exchanging a word or two. I could see that he was really curious about what it was. It might be the first time I saw such an ordinary side of that guy.
“You see.. just now, We were all talking about going to Ai-chi’ house in the near future!”
“Seriously? My level is not enough to go there yet.”
“Oi, Natsukawa-san’s house is not a dungeon…”
Yeah, seriously… what do you think of my house?! Even that calm Sasaki-kun give you a ‘tsukomi’… As expected, this guy isn’t normal.
Then I looked around, and I noticed something. Everyone was around me… Kei was there………even Wataru too.
“… a………”
I found that the back of my chest became very warm. I was surrounded by everyone now. It was very comfortable, I wondered if that kind of life will continue every day…… I hoped that was the case, and if so, I was sure that my school life would be much more fun from now…
… And, when I thought about what would happens in the future, somehow it made me feel excited.
“Is it okay for a large number of people like this to go?”
“Hmm…! I can’t let my sister get close to something like ‘you’! I can’t let bad influence come near to Airi! “
As usual… when I talked to Wataru with that in mind, everyone around me was laughing as if they wanted me to say it again.
Hey… don’t look us like seeing a couple ‘manzai’! we’re not like that …! [TN: ‘Manzai’ is a kind of Japanese stand-up where it performed by two people, a funny man and a straight man.]
Perhaps Wataru also thinking something similar, he laughed a little when he saw everyone’s appearance… That’s right, this is like a greeting for us ───
“Ha ha, as expected…”
“Eh?…”
……e?
I was surprised.
Why……? Why can you accept my words as a matter of course …? That wasn’t the case until now.
For a moment, Wataru turned his back naturally while still laughing and went back to his seat.
Please, wait.
I was involuntarily reaching out.
My smartphone was given back me when I stood up. Kei and Kawai-san, a member of the volleyball club, said, ‘It’s okay! I saw that the boys didn’t touch anything strange!’, they were watching everyone for me.
When I saw the image of Airi on the screen, I suddenly returned to myself.
I was stunned… and when I noticed, the next class had begun.
◆
During class, I noticed that a new group was being created in the messaging app. I was also invited.
[The strongest girls of Class-C (` ・ ω ・´)]
Th-the strongest …? Is it okay to think this as a normal group of this class? I’m sure it’s a girls-only group because it’s named girls. But surely there wasn’t such a group before, right? Um…wait?
There was no name like Murata-san who is in the basketball club or Koga-san who is in the tennis club… If you look closely, aren’t there no girls who are in the athletic club? No, wait, but Kei is in the group… What kind of member composition is it …?
[No vulgar child was added]
Um… it was from the class president, Iiboshi-san… what a pretty strict words… Certainly, the girls who aren’t in the group usually speaks aloud, so they’re not very girlish. Sure, it’s certainly unpleasant, but… well, if Iiboshi-san, the chairman, says so, I guess nothing can be done.
Messages continued to flow even during class. Since the vibration of the smartphone continued for a long time, I hurriedly turned off the setting.
Tell me first, everyone… I don’t want the teacher to notice it.
[Um… Natsukawa-san, is it okay?]
Yeah, I’m ok── huh? what?
When I looked up, many students were looking at me.
I hurriedly looked down at the group message, and I saw that some girls, including Shirai-san saying that they wanted to go see Airi.
Ah… it was a continuation of the previous story.
Some of the girls said they have club activities after school. So, only the one who were free who would come to my house, including Shirai-san.
Um… Oh, Kei said that there will be no volleyball club activities tomorrow morning? So, she can come. I wonder if there are four people in total… Yeah, I don’t think Airi would be afraid if it’s only that many.
[Yes, it ’s okay] [I will quit from my club, so is it okay for me to go too…?]
Eh, quit? For such a thing? Do you want to meet Airi so much?
[Calm down, everyone] [……… Yeah(´ ；ω； ｀)]
Saitos-san… she is in the tea ceremony club… but, I wonder why she put a tearing emoticon.
When I actually looked up at her, she was looking at me with very moist eyes and Kei was shooting her… What happened to her?… What a beautiful tea… I men, a beautiful Japanese girl.
[Um… I’m sorry. Sasaki wants to go too. It seems that the soccer club have no club activities too tomorrow …]
eh.?
Sa,sasaki-kun …? Aahh, that Sasaki-kun… Well, he’s a decent boy from my point of view, so I think it’s okay. Besides, there are four other girls, so there should be nothing dangerous. Also, He’s a calm person, so I think, even Airi will look at him as if a gentle older brother.
Right… like a gentle older brother …
“………”
The front seat on the corridor side, it was at the edge of the field of view. I could see a boy who was so quiet that it almost as if became a part of the landscape.
……That guy…I wonder if he will come.
He was so clinging to me… so… maybe the truth is that he really wanted to come…?
That guy used to sit right next to me, so I hadn’t seen him properly. Even if that wasn’t the case, I could only look away because I felt that it would be something troublesome if I were to to stare at the guy who kept approaching me vigorously.
…… Why are you looking down on? Why your face looked like you have some trouble, huh? What on earth are you thinking? Normally, You’re not like that!… Maybe because I said that you’re disgusting …? The reason you stopped talking to me lately is because giving up one me, who said something like that to you…?
……What? You always stick to me without permission… and go away without permission… No matter how much it is, aren’t you being too selfish right now? That kind of man only bothers me… Playing around another people’s feeling… I’m sure nothing good will happen to that kind of person…
◆
‘Annoyed and frustrated’, That kind of feeling continued until after school. Now I feel like I could say anything without being afraid.
Right after the class ended, I went to Wataru, who was about to return early, and stopped.
“H-Hey …”
“Hmm? … what?”
Wataru turned back. When I looked at his face, it completely changed from the difficult face I saw earlier. I was relieved when I saw that face with soft eyes and a bright voice… Wait, w-what is with that face…? You had never made a face like that before!
“Um, Natsukawa? What’s wrong? Why are you in a hurry?”
“N-no, I’m not in a hurry!”
“I see…”
I was frightened by the reaction that looked like all of his spirit and passion had cooled. The feeling that I could say anything up to now suddenly gone.
…. Pu-pull yourself together! If you want to see my sister, please say it clearly…!
“Y, you… are you really not going to come?”
Uugh… I can’t say it at all! This sounds like I want Wataru to come, what should I do?! What if this guy gets carried away?!
“Come…? Hmm? What Are you tal───”
“Oh, so your class was over too?”
“What…?”
I tried to rephrase it, but suddenly, the door of the classroom opened, and Shinomiya-senpai appeared from there. When I was surprised at the sudden visit of someone like her, Kei who was nearby had shining eyes. However, Wataru was looking at the appearing Shinomiya-senpai with a calm face.
“Hello, everyone. I know the long day just over, but can I rent Sajou for a while?”
“S-s-s-su-sure! You could boil him, or fried him, or even post his picture on SNS!”
“Oi, oi, Ashida!!”
Shinomiya-senpai said she had something to do with Wataru…
Huh? She purposely come to ask? Even more after school? But, looking at the situation, it does not seem that the Shinomiya-senpai, the chairman of disciplinary committee, came to scold him… Ma-Maybe they have a special relationship…?! That Wataru!? With that Shinomiya-senpai…?!
“Oh, my bad Natsukawa. What was it again?”
“N-no, nothing! It’s nothing, so just go already!”
“Huh? Okay, I understand!”
Hey, are you a military officer?!
Why you answer like that! Look, even Shinomiya-senpai is looking at us with strange eyes! What if she gets it wrong?! Hey, why are you look so happy??!
Wataru ran out as if I had kicked his ass and settled down on the side of Shinomiya-senpai. Starting with the words ‘Let’s change the place.’
By Shinomiya-senpai, Wataru went somewhere.
27. The back of someone I’ve had enough
It was lunch break.
Recently, it had become common for me to eat with the girls around me. It was much better than eating with ‘That guy’ (Wataru) who always unilaterally emphasizing my so called ‘goodness’. Because of him, I knew the best angle for taking my photo. It..it’s not like I feel grateful for it! Not at all!
Then the topic of the talk became about my sister ─── Airi. I was told to show her picture and they keep asking like, ‘I want to see, let me see-’… so I felt bad if I didn’t show them even a bit, I decided to open the folder in my smartphone and handed over it to them. When I was proudly showing it, I noticed that a lot of people gathered around me…
Hmm… huh, wait… isn’t it a little… too many? Why are a lot of you gathering here?
I was handing over my smartphone… it was in a state which they were waiting in line for it.
Ah, even boys… but it’s a bit…! You guys don’t you dare to touch anything strange! Only the Airi folder is allowed!
When I looked at everyone who kept saying, ‘She is cute-’ or ‘So cute-’, Shirai-san came to me saying, ‘I couldn’t stand it anymore.’
“Your sister is cute… I’m so jealous…. Natsukawa-san, can’t I go to visit her?”
“Eh, Eeeeeehh !? You-you want to…. my home…!?”
I was surprised and unintentionally asked back in a loud voice. Only Kei and other volleyball players were the one who had ever visited my house. I didn’t even think of bringing the kids who I had just started talking to my home.
I didn’t know what to do so I looked for Kei to get her help.
Oh, hmm…? Kei? Where is she? She was her until a moment ago───
Aika seeing around her
Kei, where do you take my smartphone… Hmm? Wataru …?
Kei and Wataru approached me after exchanging a word or two. I could see that he was really curious about what it was. It might be the first time I saw such an ordinary side of that guy.
“You see.. just now, We were all talking about going to Ai-chi’ house in the near future!”
“Seriously? My level is not enough to go there yet.”
“Oi, Natsukawa-san’s house is not a dungeon…”
Yeah, seriously… what do you think of my house?! Even that calm Sasaki-kun give you a ‘tsukomi’… As expected, this guy isn’t normal.
Then I looked around, and I noticed something. Everyone was around me… Kei was there………even Wataru too.
“… a………”
I found that the back of my chest became very warm. I was surrounded by everyone now. It was very comfortable, I wondered if that kind of life will continue every day…… I hoped that was the case, and if so, I was sure that my school life would be much more fun from now…
… And, when I thought about what would happens in the future, somehow it made me feel excited.
“Is it okay for a large number of people like this to go?”
“Hmm…! I can’t let my sister get close to something like ‘you’! I can’t let bad influence come near to Airi! “
As usual… when I talked to Wataru with that in mind, everyone around me was laughing as if they wanted me to say it again.
Hey… don’t look us like seeing a couple ‘manzai’! we’re not like that …! [TN: ‘Manzai’ is a kind of Japanese stand-up where it performed by two people, a funny man and a straight man.]
Perhaps Wataru also thinking something similar, he laughed a little when he saw everyone’s appearance… That’s right, this is like a greeting for us ───
“Ha ha, as expected…”
“Eh?…”
……e?
I was surprised.
Why……? Why can you accept my words as a matter of course …? That wasn’t the case until now.
For a moment, Wataru turned his back naturally while still laughing and went back to his seat.
Please, wait.
I was involuntarily reaching out.
My smartphone was given back me when I stood up. Kei and Kawai-san, a member of the volleyball club, said, ‘It’s okay! I saw that the boys didn’t touch anything strange!’, they were watching everyone for me.
When I saw the image of Airi on the screen, I suddenly returned to myself.
I was stunned… and when I noticed, the next class had begun.
◆
During class, I noticed that a new group was being created in the messaging app. I was also invited.
[The strongest girls of Class-C (` ・ ω ・´)]
Th-the strongest …? Is it okay to think this as a normal group of this class? I’m sure it’s a girls-only group because it’s named girls. But surely there wasn’t such a group before, right? Um…wait?
There was no name like Murata-san who is in the basketball club or Koga-san who is in the tennis club… If you look closely, aren’t there no girls who are in the athletic club? No, wait, but Kei is in the group… What kind of member composition is it …?
[No vulgar child was added]
Um… it was from the class president, Iiboshi-san… what a pretty strict words… Certainly, the girls who aren’t in the group usually speaks aloud, so they’re not very girlish. Sure, it’s certainly unpleasant, but… well, if Iiboshi-san, the chairman, says so, I guess nothing can be done.
Messages continued to flow even during class. Since the vibration of the smartphone continued for a long time, I hurriedly turned off the setting.
Tell me first, everyone… I don’t want the teacher to notice it.
[Um… Natsukawa-san, is it okay?]
Yeah, I’m ok── huh? what?
When I looked up, many students were looking at me.
I hurriedly looked down at the group message, and I saw that some girls, including Shirai-san saying that they wanted to go see Airi.
Ah… it was a continuation of the previous story.
Some of the girls said they have club activities after school. So, only the one who were free who would come to my house, including Shirai-san.
Um… Oh, Kei said that there will be no volleyball club activities tomorrow morning? So, she can come. I wonder if there are four people in total… Yeah, I don’t think Airi would be afraid if it’s only that many.
[Yes, it ’s okay] [I will quit from my club, so is it okay for me to go too…?]
Eh, quit? For such a thing? Do you want to meet Airi so much?
[Calm down, everyone] [……… Yeah(´ ；ω； ｀)]
Saitos-san… she is in the tea ceremony club… but, I wonder why she put a tearing emoticon.
When I actually looked up at her, she was looking at me with very moist eyes and Kei was shooting her… What happened to her?… What a beautiful tea… I men, a beautiful Japanese girl.
[Um… I’m sorry. Sasaki wants to go too. It seems that the soccer club have no club activities too tomorrow …]
eh.?
Sa,sasaki-kun …? Aahh, that Sasaki-kun… Well, he’s a decent boy from my point of view, so I think it’s okay. Besides, there are four other girls, so there should be nothing dangerous. Also, He’s a calm person, so I think, even Airi will look at him as if a gentle older brother.
Right… like a gentle older brother …
“………”
The front seat on the corridor side, it was at the edge of the field of view. I could see a boy who was so quiet that it almost as if became a part of the landscape.
……That guy…I wonder if he will come.
He was so clinging to me… so… maybe the truth is that he really wanted to come…?
That guy used to sit right next to me, so I hadn’t seen him properly. Even if that wasn’t the case, I could only look away because I felt that it would be something troublesome if I were to to stare at the guy who kept approaching me vigorously.
…… Why are you looking down on? Why your face looked like you have some trouble, huh? What on earth are you thinking? Normally, You’re not like that!… Maybe because I said that you’re disgusting …? The reason you stopped talking to me lately is because giving up one me, who said something like that to you…?
……What? You always stick to me without permission… and go away without permission… No matter how much it is, aren’t you being too selfish right now? That kind of man only bothers me… Playing around another people’s feeling… I’m sure nothing good will happen to that kind of person…
◆
‘Annoyed and frustrated’, That kind of feeling continued until after school. Now I feel like I could say anything without being afraid.
Right after the class ended, I went to Wataru, who was about to return early, and stopped.
“H-Hey …”
“Hmm? … what?”
Wataru turned back. When I looked at his face, it completely changed from the difficult face I saw earlier. I was relieved when I saw that face with soft eyes and a bright voice… Wait, w-what is with that face…? You had never made a face like that before!
“Um, Natsukawa? What’s wrong? Why are you in a hurry?”
“N-no, I’m not in a hurry!”
“I see…”
I was frightened by the reaction that looked like all of his spirit and passion had cooled. The feeling that I could say anything up to now suddenly gone.
…. Pu-pull yourself together! If you want to see my sister, please say it clearly…!
“Y, you… are you really not going to come?”
Uugh… I can’t say it at all! This sounds like I want Wataru to come, what should I do?! What if this guy gets carried away?!
“Come…? Hmm? What Are you tal───”
“Oh, so your class was over too?”
“What…?”
I tried to rephrase it, but suddenly, the door of the classroom opened, and Shinomiya-senpai appeared from there. When I was surprised at the sudden visit of someone like her, Kei who was nearby had shining eyes. However, Wataru was looking at the appearing Shinomiya-senpai with a calm face.
“Hello, everyone. I know the long day just over, but can I rent Sajou for a while?”
“S-s-s-su-sure! You could boil him, or fried him, or even post his picture on SNS!”
“Oi, oi, Ashida!!”
Shinomiya-senpai said she had something to do with Wataru…
Huh? She purposely come to ask? Even more after school? But, looking at the situation, it does not seem that the Shinomiya-senpai, the chairman of disciplinary committee, came to scold him… Ma-Maybe they have a special relationship…?! That Wataru!? With that Shinomiya-senpai…?!
“Oh, my bad Natsukawa. What was it again?”
“N-no, nothing! It’s nothing, so just go already!”
“Huh? Okay, I understand!”
Hey, are you a military officer?!
Why you answer like that! Look, even Shinomiya-senpai is looking at us with strange eyes! What if she gets it wrong?! Hey, why are you look so happy??!
Wataru ran out as if I had kicked his ass and settled down on the side of Shinomiya-senpai. Starting with the words ‘Let’s change the place.’
By Shinomiya-senpai, Wataru went somewhere.
