Sera Yakumo is a junior student at the same part-time job and school.
She stepped into the classroom without caring if it was a seniors’ classroom.
Then, she walked up and slammed the desk in front of me with a demonic look on her face.
“W-What are you so angry about…?”
“Of course, I’m going to get angry! The other day you said you didn’t have time for a girlfriend! Even though I had thought I would go slow on the attack…!”
I didn’t know what she was talking about.
I do remember answering that, but what problem did my answer give?
If you say I deceived you, you could say I was, but hm…
“… Hey, Yakumo.”
“What is it, Nishino-senpai⁉”
“You really like Haru, don’t you?”
I unintentionally blurted out in response to Masaya’s outlandish question.
Did Yakumo like me?
I didn’t think she disliked me, but I thought she just valued me in general.
To begin with, although she is not as well-known as Tojo-san, she has a pretty face, and I’ve heard rumours that she is popular with the ladies.
She is cheerful, always positive and doesn’t just get depressed when she fails.
Just as Yakumo looks up at me, I look up at her.
But well. I would have to deny it if you asked me if it was love.
“That’s… true, but what about that⁉ Is there something wrong with that?”
“N-No, I didn’t say it was bad, did I?”
“I’ve been crazy about Inamori-senpai, who’s been so dependable since I met him at my part-time job at the convenience store. I’ve been dreaming about dating, sleepovers and… all sorts of things!”
So this is what they call a ‘creepy fantasizing face”, huh?
Seemingly unconcerned that she had already attracted lots of attention, Yakumo forcefully took a step closer to me.
“I thought I’d wait until Senpai had the leeway, and until then, I tried not to be too aggressive…! Don’t I look like a fool waiting for this…?”
“Yakumo…”
The words I had said to Yakumo, that I couldn’t afford it, were never a lie.
There was a major difference between Tojo and Yakumo.
It was the way they thought about leeway.
One who waited until I could afford it, while the other made room for me.
I am sure that if I had become a working person and found a proper job, I would have been able to face Yakumo, but Tojo-san changed my environment drastically.
Of course, I didn’t tell Yakumo in detail about my situation, and there may have already been differences in that area.
But even if I had known, it was definitely not something that an ordinary person would have been able to do.
It may sound like someone else’s problem, but as long as Tojo-san is around, it seems unlikely that a man called Haruyuki Inamori will ever like Sera Yakumo as a love interest.
“… of it.”
“Eh?”
“Because of it, I… don’t approve of it.”
I felt a light, or rather a flame, in Yakumo’s eyes, which had been tear-stained until now.
Thoroughly wiping her tears, she thrust her finger at me as if she was challenging me.
“I don’t care if you have a girlfriend! I’ll definitely make you look back at me!”
The momentum of the situation had pushed me over the edge, and I was speechless.
I didn’t know what to say back.
It’s not so much that my mind was disturbed but that I froze in the first place.
“… What does it matter?”
At that moment, we heard a beautiful sound like the ringing of a bell, but for some reason, it was a voice that resonated in our bellies.
Yakumo, Masaya and I all turned around in a cold sweat.
What was there was Tojo-san with a cute smile on her face.
It’s adorable. It could definitely be called cute.
For some reason, the vision of Hannya was visible and hidden on her back, making my blood run even colder.
[EDN: Hannya is a mask representing a jealous female demon.]
“Tojo… senpai.”
“You are Haruyuki-kun’s junior, Yakumo-san, aren’t you? My Haruyuki-kun is always indebted to you.”
”…!”
Even I, unfamiliar with the female mind, could understand.
Tojo-san was clearly picking a fight with Yakumo.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you personally. I wondered how Haruyuki-kun was doing during his part-time job.”
“Kuu… even though I want to call you by your first name too.”
“Well, that’s his prerogative. Even Haruyuki calls me by my first name… right?”
That’s a lot of pressure.
The only thing I can do at this point is to go along with Tojo-san’s story.
She continued, “We aren’t clearly in a relationship yet, but it’s probably a good idea to act like that on this occasion.”
“Ah, aah. The only person I call by first name is… Fuyuki.”
“~~~~!”
Tojo-san writhed in agony as she hugged her own arms, and then she hugged my arms with a loose expression.
However, Yakumo forcibly pulled her away.
“I don’t approve of it!”
“… Our relationship, you mean?”
“That’s right! Until now, Inamori-senpai has never mentioned Tojo-senpai from his own mouth! There’s definitely something behind this sudden decision to go out with her!”
“…”
What Yakumo was saying was, frankly speaking, about half right.
Tojo-san’s feelings towards me are genuine, and I have feelings for her, but in case you’re wondering, we’re not in a relationship yet.
Obviously, Yakumo herself was screaming in desperation, but honestly, she had hit a sore spot.
In contrast, Tojo’s expression remained the same.
However, there is one thing I have found out since we started living together.
When she doesn’t allow her opponent’s emotions to get the better of her, she hides her expressions to stop them from realizing how upset she is.
So now Tojo-san must be spinning her brain to talk down Yakumo.
Unfortunately, I’m not good at lying, so I was not going to be useful in this scenario.
I’ve never been able to keep my lies from being exposed by others.
“… May I take that attitude of yours as a challenge to me?”
“…! Yes, I will release Inamori-senpai from your clutches…! Absolutely!”
Pushed momentarily by Tojo-san’s pressure, Yakumo showed a slightly frightened expression.
However, she shook off all such fear and closed the distance majestically to Tojo-san.
“Well then. I hereby announce a declaration of war!”
After having said that, Yakumo left the classroom as it was.
The rest of us… especially Masaya and I looked at her back with puckered faces.
“Haruyuki-kun.”
My consciousness returned to reality when Tojo-san, who also looked at her back, spoke to me.
“W-What is it?”
“She’s the type of girl who doesn’t listen much, isn’t she?”
“… Yeah, I think that’s the right perception of her.”
Well. If I had to say it, she’s rather brazen.
Well, that is indeed something that makes her cute, although this time, it’s going into a completely awkward realm altogether.
It would be good if she doesn’t get involved in any way in this case…