CH 18

“……….”

“Fufu”

“…..hmph”

“Heee….!”

“….Haa”

Since then, our group, including Fujibayashi, had been in a hellish atmosphere.

Before Asagiri could stop her, Kurase went to talk to Fujibayashi, who was walking alone behind the three members of the group.

I know I’m leaving it to others, but I’m glad Kurase has that kind of personality.

If it didn’t work out, that homeroom teacher would have an excuse.

I tried my best, but it was not enough.

Surprisingly, however, Fujibayashi, who had initially shown refusal, agreed to go with Kurase as soon as she saw me coming up from behind him.

For me, it didn’t matter either way. ……

“…..”

Fujibayashi walks a little behind me in silence. She is far away from the other members.

She looks like a borrowed cat.

……What am I supposed to do with this air?

In this case, it might have been better to be rejected after all.

“F-Fujibayashi san? What kind of man is your type?”

And then, perhaps unable to bear this atmosphere any longer, Sosuke turned back to Fujibayashi and waved his hand to talk to her.

Okay, good! I wanted to say but I immediately felt disappointed because the question was always the same Sosuke.

Moreover, he was unaware that the girls were giving him cold stares.

And the wrong person to ask that question.

“Tch”

“Hiiii, S-Sorry…!!”

What came back was a light tongue lashing.

Sosuke was freaked out by it. He hid right behind me.

“What are you doing?”

“No, that’s scary! I mean, why did you agree to let Fujibayashi join the group?”

“That’s because… I thought it would make Sosuke happy.”

“T-That’s for sure! Fujibayashi is a beautiful woman, …… but still, scary things are scary! Oh, but if I ask her, she might give me my first ……”

“You ……”

The whispering continues, although I’m amazed at Sosuke’s quickness to think that way.

“More importantly, what are you going to do about this air!”

“Why are you asking me?”

“No, Fujibayashi is sticking behind you for some reason, and …… means you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Right! Thank goodness …… our friendship was preserved.”

“You know what? What’s up with that? You’re whispering.”

“Hee! T-That’s because Arase!”

Fujibayashi was staring at me, perhaps because I was whispering too much to him.

Mainly not me, but Sosuke.

I mean, you shouldn’t sell out your friends the moment you talk about friendship.

“No, I’m sorry. He didn’t mean no offense.”

“I see.”

It’s a far cry from the last time the two of us played together. It was hard to get into that groove then and there, but this is a lot harder.

Where’s that lighthearted flirtation we had then? I thought rumors were keeping people away from Fujibayashi, but it seems the opposite is true.

“Haa. My feet hurt. Worst. If it was going to be like this, I shouldn’t have come.”

Fujibayashi was spouting her frustrations one after the other. She was probably talking to herself, but we could hear it.

I’m not a big fan of events myself, but I guess one person like this can’t make the rest of the team members feel good.

I know I have a sore foot, and I can understand why I feel like this, but what am I going to do about it? Can’t someone help me?

“Well, well, Sana-chan? You don’t usually climb mountains, so it must be tough.”

Then the goddess came to the rescue.

It is Kurase. She spreads kindness to everyone equally. I guess an angel is someone like her.

Don’t ask me if she is a goddess or an angel.

“I’ve always wanted to be friends with Sana-chan! So if you want, let’s talk together and work our way to the checkpoint, okay?”

“Ha? So noisy”

However, Fujibayashi, a gal who is a bit of a wild goose, cut the goddess’s kindness down to two strikes.

The air froze again.

……Please stop

“Or rather, what was that? Nanami took the trouble to put you in the group, but you don’t behave like that, do you? Isn’t that why you’re not popular with everyone around you?”

“…… Haa? What, suddenly? I didn’t ask you to do it. I mean, I don’t want you to tell me that.”

Oh, here comes Asagiri, the mad dog of our class!

A blowout.

The atmosphere became even more chaotic.

I tried to do a little play-by-play, but it wasn’t enough.

I was escaping from reality.

Anyway, ……, it’s getting awkward.

It’s really getting out of control. What should I do?

“Well, well, well, everyone get along! We’re climbing a mountain after all. Let’s hug to make up for it. Come on, I’ll show you how it’s done. Come on…”

“”Haa?””

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ……!”

Sosuke made the air even more chaotic.

No one is better at doing the wrong thing.

Sosuke was shivering behind me again.

“I’m scared of women. ……”

“It’s your fault.””

But I generally agree with Sosuke.

I don’t think I’m going to be able to intervene here. I knew it was going to be a hassle. ……

I knew it, Sensei. It was too much for me. ……

“You’d be all alone without her.”

“I don’t care. As long as Nanami is there, I’m fine. What are you doing by sticking with him? For someone with a flashy appearance, you chose a very plain one.”

Their argument intensifies.

It’s hard to tell, but that guy is me.

Asagiri’s …… stop dissing me so casually while fighting.

And Fujibayashi too. I’m not sure if I’m a parsley. Am I parsley or ……?

Besides, even parsley doesn’t taste bad.

Oh, a follow-up? I don’t know if I should be happy about that. It’s parsley. ……

“I don’t like parsley. It tastes weird.”

Hey, hey. That’s enough. Who said it tastes funny?

I’m getting tired of listening to this. In more ways than one.

“Hey, you two, cut it.”

“Whose side are you on, Arase? You’re not taking her side, are you?”

“N-no, I’m not taking sides.”

I really don’t want to fight with you. I want you to pick a fight where I’m not.

If anything, I’d like to take Fujibayashi’s side, but I have a problem with her attitude as well.

And I haven’t forgotten how she treated me like parsley.

“Hmmm? It doesn’t matter if you’re on the side of the delinquents there. But you should be careful, too. You just transferred to a new school and you might not know it, but that girl seems to be having a lot of fun.”

“───!”

Fujibayashi’s face changed color at that word.

“She’s always changing men. So you’ll end up being played with and discarded as well.”

“Hey, that’s a bit much. ……”

I was about to say

“I see. Then, do as you please!”

Fujibayashi snapped at Asagiri’s remark. Then one of them went off the road and away.

Oh, damn it. Bothersome …….

“Hmph!”

“Yuri chan…….”

Fujibayashi, who had moved away from us, showed her displeasure to Asagiri here as well.

Kurase quieted them with a complicated face.

When I noticed, that Fujibayashi was out of sight.

After all, Fujibayashi seemed to be alone again.

“I’m going to go after Sana-chan and talk to her again!”

Kurase said while I was thinking about what to do.

Kurase’s devotion was admirable, but I felt that even her sincerity had the opposite effect on Fujibayashi.

In the first place, Fujibayashi has no desire to be friends with anyone. Kurase’s pursuit of the opposite of the impudent Fujibayashi is bound to have the opposite effect.

“Just leave it alone ……”

“Yuri chan!”

“───”

…… I think this may be the first time I’ve ever seen Kurase angry. But the effect seems to have been enormous. Asagiri looks as if she is about to start crying when Kurase gets mad at her.

……Something about this one is getting awkward this way, too.

“Haaa….. I’m going”

I’m not motivated, but I have no choice.

This is a mountain path. Even though the school uses this mountain every year, I still felt uneasy walking alone. Besides, as Kurase almost slipped earlier, there are muddy areas in some places.

I was the one who was asked by the homeroom teacher. It’s no wonder it’s a hassle. It’s not that I’m worried or anything. I just don’t want it to be my responsibility later.

It’s not that I don’t like the awkward atmosphere.

“And, Asagiri also said too much. When I bring her back, at least apologize.”

“What is …… it? I’m not ……”

“Asagiri.”

“…I understand.”

“…… Haa. Okay, I’m going.”

“Oh, Ito-kun.”

Leaving Asagiri, who had become a bit more demure, and Kurase, who looked like he wanted to say something, next to her, I went after Fujibayashi.