CH 7

Did my brother really just go out to buy ice cream on a whim?

My doubts and anxieties grew in an instant. Because since then, my brother has repeatedly gone out late at night and asked me to eat ice cream together.

While working for reading session preparation at school, I glanced at my brother. My brother used a ruler to draw a picture so that it would appear to pop out. At the teacher’s desk, Nojima-sensei pinned my surprise card on the blackboard and said, “Let’s all do our best!” while smiling.

Since then, most of student council meetings have been devoted to produce picture-story shows. Although the public order in present time is not safe and we can’t stay late after school, Nojima-sensei still finding many excuses to make us do more work. This time, she said, “let’s focus on creating the best trick art and paper cut-out!”

In addition, probably because my surprise card became the example, the quality required is extremely high. My card is just a postcard size, but the story drawn into pictures was made from two drawing papers. The production time supposedly much longer, but for some reason Nojima-sensei heard that I took only one day to finish my surprise card and was enthusiastic that it would be finished sooner if everyone did it.

I think this situation is the worst. It’s already been less than two weeks before the reading session, and the atmosphere is getting worse. At first, my brother was trying to improve the mood, but lately he was just trying to work with a tired face.

“Say, do you really think we will have a reading session?”

As I painted the background of the picture-story, Iwai asked from the side. He approached me while confirming that Nojima-sensei is helping the second grader’s paint.

“My mom kept asking, the criminal hasn’t been caught yet, what does the school thinking keeping the school open.”

“Mine too.”

My parents are also worried about the reading session. Even though the one I worry the most is my brother, there is still no sign of finding the criminal of the serial murders that are happening around here.

The crimes themselves seem to be concentrated in the evenings and nights. It’s not like I was told every day that, “it’s still on news broadcast, so going to reading session is dangerous!” but I’m more worried if it’s okay as it is.

It wasn’t told in the manga, but I have an unpleasant role to be the messed-up corpse by my brother next year. And my brother has the worst role as the person who held the death game for his classmate.

That’s why I don’t think I’ll die by then… But recently my brother pretended to be an ice-loving glutton, saying, “I want to eat ice cream,” and went out in the middle of the night doing strange things.

“Hey, over there, don’t chit chat. And Mai-chan, if Mai-chan doesn’t do her best, sensei will feel troubled.”

“Huh…?”

“Well, Mai-chan is so good at making cards, but you won’t continue working. Even though sensei thought Mai-chan could do better that this…”

Nojima-sensei dropped her shoulder in disappointment. Even if she said that, it’s still troublesome. I’m not an art craftsman.

I want to do a reading session properly, but there is a death game. The lives of about 40 classmates are at stake, and the life of the family involved with those 40 students are still in the hands of my brother. Even if I was told with that enthusiasm, the death game is still the biggest problem…

But even if I say it here, sensei will not be convinced and there is no choice but to nod.

“Oh, that’s right. What if Mai-chan do this instead of coloring? Because coloring is too easy you are getting bored, right?”

With that said, Nojima-sensei offered me pieces of drawing papers that had been painted. It’s paper cut-out. It’s not just one sheet, but about ten sheets of drawing papers were placed on my desk while saying, “here, these too”. What the…?

“Mai-chan should do cutting and clipping instead of coloring. Right, Iwai-kun, can you do the coloring instead?”

“Eh, me?”

“Yes, Iwai-kun seems to have fun in coloring, so I thought you really want to do it.”

Nojima-sensei laughs casually. The amount of paper needs to be cut is not much, but it’s likely won’t be finished on time unless I stay up all night. I glanced to my brother, and he gave me a troubled face. But his eyes are still pitch black.

“Iwai, what percentage of your desire to do a reading session now?”

“Not even a millimeter.”

We sighed. But it was seen by Nojima-sensei and in the end, we have to listen to sensei’s ‘pitiful’ speech until the end of the council meeting.

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