Chapter 17: 17

Chapter 17: Meeting Outside the Restaurant

A Friday in June.

“The new student council president is Raimon-san. That wasn’t particularly surprising.”

On the way back to the classroom with many students after the morning school assembly.

Natsuki was somewhat bored with his thoughts.

“You sound dissatisfied.”

“I’m not complaining. I just thought it wasn’t unexpected.”

“Only you would expect anything unexpected in a student council election.”

I understand what NATSUKI was trying to say.

Raimon Shiori.

She was the top student in his class. She was trusted by teachers, as she excelled in both academics and sports. Although she was too good at sports and academics, she was not always approachable.

If Sawada was the prince of second-year students, Raimon would be the queen of second-year students…or something like that.

She was on the student council last year, and everyone was certain that she would be president this year.

It was like looking at the sky on a day when you were told that there was a one hundred percent chance of sunshine tomorrow and the weather actually turned out to be fine.

“The people around me have been changing a little bit recently. I was hoping that the student council election would be a bit of drama.”

“What do you mean, ‘things have changed a little bit,’ like……?”

“Kouta has been thinking more and more.”

“I don’t think it’s enough to make you expect a stir in the student council elections.”

And to tell you the truth, there was a disturbance for me personally in relation to this student council.

Tsujikawa Kotomi, my stepsister, and the newest member of my family was a member of the student council.

I didn’t ask her why. I didn’t even think to ask her. It wasn’t my place to ask.

“There are others, you know? Like Kazemiya-san.”

“Kazemiya?”

When the name was unexpectedly mentioned in the classroom, my heart beat jumped with nervousness.

Sweat was beading as if someone had touched on a secret that I had been hiding.

“Kazemiya-san has softened up a bit lately.”

“…is that so?”

“Yes. She used to be more difficult to approach and……intimidating.”

Following Natsuki’s gaze, Kazemiya was sitting alone in his seat today, killing time listening to music.

Her cool, elegant profile shines in the soft morning light.

If it were just this, Kazemiya Kohaku would be the same as last month, but no—

“Isn’t that Kazemiya from Class D? She’s so beautiful. Is she a model or something?”

“Especially lately, she’s getting more and more beautiful…….maybe I should just confess my feelings to her.”

“I heard that Tanioka of class A is after her, and Sawada of class D is also interested in her.”

“Wow. Tanioka is the ace of the baseball team, right? And Sawada……it seems like we don’t have a chance.”

I could hear the voices of the other students in the class. There was not a single bad comment, and all I heard was praise for Kazemiya.

(…it’s too late now)

What a thing to think about. Is this relative favoritism as a friend?

“The current Kazemiya-san feels like a ‘flower on a high peak.’”

“The end result is that she is still hard to get close to, isn’t she?”

“But I think it’s much better than before. At least, she’s started to clear up misunderstandings, and her bad reputation has calmed down.”

As Natsuki said, Kazemiya’s notoriety had gradually subsided in recent days.

And once the notoriety was gone, Kazemiya Kohaku would be an untouchable gem of a girl.

Natsuki’s assessment was correct. As it is now, even my ears were beginning to hear from boys who were interested in Kazemiya Kohaku.

In addition, Sawada, who had been talking to Kazemiya since she had a bad reputation, raised his position.

The prince who sees what’s inside and is not fooled by rumors is wonderful! …that’s what it seems.

“…..?”

As I was lamenting the unreasonableness of the world, I received a notification on my phone.

It was a message from Kazemiya.

[Are you ready yet?]

A simple sentence, typical of Kazemiya.

(A flower on a high peak, huh……)

It was a strange feeling to be exchanging messages with such a girl.

“…..”

When I casually looked at her, my eyes met those of Kazemiya, who was holding the phone to which she had just used to send a message. Her mouth was slightly relaxed.

I looked away as if to get away from her expression and quickly typed a message.

[No problem.]

Sent. The moment I sent it, it was immediately read.

“Kouta, you look really tired.”

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“…I’m under a heavy mental load.”

“That must be hard.”

“It’s somebody else’s business.”

“Somebody else’s business. Besides, it doesn’t seem so bad.”

Is that so? It was certainly not a bad thing. In fact, it might be a good thing for some people. However, I still feel nervous.

(I never thought that……Kazemiya would come to my house…….)

***

After coming back from that day’s—class gathering party just the two of us, it was so awkward and difficult. Mom tried to force me to laugh, and Tsujikawa looked at me as if to say, “I can’t believe it,” even though she didn’t say it in words.

I was to report to Kazemiya on Monday, the day after the break, that I had tried to use the excuse “class gathering party,” but the effect was only as good as the stone that was burned…….

Although I had not intended to tell her this, I had no choice but to answer if Kazemiya herself asked me about it.

“Then I’ll apologize.”

“Why would you do that?”

“No. Originally. I was the one who made you worry.”

“I wasn’t worried about you…….”

“That’s not possible.”

The Kazemiya who said it with a snap silenced me unintentionally.

“I’ve been giving Narumi a lot of trouble, like with my mom…you are always helping me. Please let me do something too.”

It was hard for me to say no when she said that much to me.

It was also true that the air in my house had become a little heavier again since then, and I was having trouble.

At this point, it might be effective to rely on the power of Kazemiya, who had changed the atmosphere of my house at that time.

“…..I understand. Then I’ll be relying on you.”

“Mhm. Feel free to rely on me.”

“But what exactly are you going to do? Do you want to make another phone call?”

“I’m going to apologize this time, so a phone call won’t do. I have to show my sincerity.”

“? Then what are you going to do?”

“It’s obvious.”

Kazemiya smiled mischievously.

“I will go to Narumi’s house and apologize in person.”

“…..Huh??”

What. What is Kazemiya saying?

“Wait. What are you talking about?”

“I can’t apologize using a phone call.”

“That’s true, but……”

“I was also interested in Narumi’s room.”

“Is that what you really want?”

“I really want to apologize. That’s just a bonus.”

—Thus, suddenly it became a big event for high school boys [invite a girl from their class over to their house].

But I couldn’t just invite her over, and my mom was busy with work these days.

Above all, I had to prepare my mind and my room, and there was also the first semester’s mid-term exam in between. As a result of coordinating these various schedules, Kazemiya’s home visit to the Narumi family (or more precisely, the Tsujikawa family) was postponed until June.

I still didn’t have a part-time job on Friday, so I was free after school today.

Kazemiya and I decided to go home from school at different times.

Although we were in an alliance to kill time together at the family restaurant, we tried to be strangers in the school.

When we first formed this alliance, it was also out of concern for Kazemiya’s protection. Above all, we had no relationship beyond being regular customers at the same restaurant, and we were not the kind of friends who enjoyed chatting in the classroom.

…But. Now Kazemiya was able to break her own notoriety and partially solve the problem through self-defense.

I wonder if there was any point in going to the trouble of shifting the timing of my departure from school in this way.

With this thought in my mind, I headed for the usual family restaurant.

Kazemiya, who had arrived before me, was waiting for me to arrive, leaning her back against the wall and looking at her phone.

On one hand, she was holding a paper bag, which I had not seen when I was at school.

…Well. Now comes the real part.

I will prepare my breathing under control, and go in with the mind of a samurai ready to challenge a duel.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Kazemiya.”

“I haven’t been waiting long. Let’s go.”

“…yeah.”

Today, the two of us walk together in the light of day along the path I usually took after walking Kazemiya home.

—The people around me have been changing a little bit recently. I was hoping that the student council election would be a bit of drama.

Suddenly, Natsuki’s words come back to my mind.

Things had been changing little by little. ……That’s for sure.

I and Kazemiya were walking together on this road. That alone was a small change.

I nodded deeply in my heart at Natsuki’s words this morning, even after all this time.

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