CH 78

—The bus arrived at the Kamisato service area.

The time was just after ten o’clock at night.

I left home in the evening and the meeting at the university was at 7pm.

I was starving because I hadn’t eaten dinner.

But I had one thing to look forward to here.

When I got off the bus, Touko-san was waiting for me.

We were sitting at the back of the bus, whereas she was sitting at the front with Kazumi.

When she sees me, she gives me a smile.

“Then, let’s eat lunch together, shall we?”

“Yes!”

I unintentionally reply excitedly.

I entered the food court in the service area alongside Touko-san.

When we sit down at a table, Touko-san takes out four paper boxes from a paper bag she was carrying.

Two contain sandwiches and the other two contain side dishes such as fried chicken, wieners and fried eggs.

The four sandwiches are egg, tuna, ham and cheese and vegetables.

“You made quite a lot, didn’t you?”

I say, mildly impressed.

“Not really, not that much. Besides, thinking about eating with Yu-kun, it was fun to make it.”

She laughed a little shyly.

I only buy drinks from the vending machine. It’s too much luggage to bring all the way here.

Eating the same lunch box alongside Touko-san.

I’m…… I wouldn’t believe myself if I said …… in high school. …… this kind of thing.

After all, Touko-san is called ‘Shadow Miss Joto University’ and ‘True Miss Campus’ at the university and is treated like a goddess in this circle.

For me, she’s also a ‘senior of high peak’ whom I’ve admired since my high school days.

I ate my sandwich with an indescribably happy feeling.

Occasionally, the circle members who pass by me look at me enviously.

I feel a little superior.

“By the way, is Everything alright? Is Enka causing you any trouble?”

I had just put my hand on my second sandwich when Touko-san asked me that.

“Eh? Oh, I’m fine.”

I’d say it’s a bit noisy, but so far there’s nothing that could cause trouble for Enka.

“Yeah. That’s fine then. It’s quite noisy back there, and I was wondering if maybe she’s giving Yuu-kun some trouble.”

Touko-san said that with a serene expression on her face.

I felt a kind of loneliness in her expression.

Since the night of the Christmas party where I exposed Kamokura and Karen’s affair, Touko-san and I have been in a relationship.

But we have only been on three dates and kissed once.

And then, in front of me and Touko-san, Enka and Meika-chan declared their candidacy to be my girlfriends.

Won’t you mind a little bit being with two people like that, Touko-san?

I’ve been worrying about it all the way on the bus.

“Touko-san, I should probably stay near Touko-san’s seat after all, shouldn’t I?”

Touko-san is sitting with her best friend Kazumi.

But with an auxiliary seat, it would be possible for me to go next to her.

But Touko-san shook her head back and forth.

“It’s fine. More importantly, Yuu-kun, you should stay with Meika and Enka.”

“But…”

“We’re responsible for this matter, aren’t we? That’s why Meika-san and Enka were called out for the convenience of the circle.”

When she said that, I couldn’t retort anything.

As Touko-san said, the two of them are participating in this camp because we asked them to.

Since that’s the case, I shouldn’t make the two of them feel uncomfortable.

“I want the two of them to have as many happy memories, ‘I’m glad I joined the trip’. So, during this camp, you know?”

Touko-san uttered this as a final reminder.

“Can I talk to you soon?”

The ones who came to me saying that were Kazumi-san, and Mina and Manami-san, the circle’s central girls and second-year students like Touko-san.

They had just finished eating their lunches.

“It’s okay.”

I replied, and at the same time, Touko-san nodded with a smile.

“No, I also thought it would be bad if I disturbed the couple’s precious time.”

Saying that, Kazumi-san and the others sat down in front of us.

“It’s quite lively back there.”

Kazumi-san shares the same impression as Touko-san.

“Sorry for being so loud.”

“It’s not Isshiki-kun who’s being so loud. Rather, it’s the boys in the same grade, right?”

It was Mina-san who followed up by saying.

“Those guys, how can they get so excited to the point of being a d*ck just because a high school girl took part in it?”

Manami-san next to her has a rather disgusted tone.

“Enka-san is quite pretty as she is Touko-san’s younger sister, and as you can see, she’s also very lively. Meika-chan is a legitimately cute high school girl. It’s no wonder there are college boys who make a ruckus.”

When I said that, Kazumi-san grinned.

“To be regarded by two such pretty girls, Isshiki-kun has grown up.”

Mina nodded, “Uh-huh.”

“It’s a big difference from when you were pushed around by Karen.”

“Is this also thanks to Touko’s education?”

Manami-san turns the conversation over to Touko-san.

“Hey, what’s with that education? I didn’t really teach anything to Isshiki-kun. ……”

“Don’t hide it, there no need to hide it.”

Mina-san waved her hand up and down.

“Isshiki-kun started changing around October, right? From that time on, the way Touko looked at Isshiki-kun was suspicious. And then the exposure at that Christmas party. It’s obvious that the two of them hooked up, isn’t it?”

To which Manami agrees.

“That’s right~. If you think about it, it’s also strange that Isshiki suddenly joined our circle. It wouldn’t be strange if Touko and Isshiki-kun were secretly in touch with each other since then.”

I sipped my coffee in silence.

I’ve already completed my “X-day revenge”, so I can tell Mina-san and Manami-san, but I’m afraid to say it out loud.

“But you know, what I’m more interested in is the night after that exposure, you know?”

Saying that, Mina-san leans forward.

“Nothing. It was just an ordinary thing that happened in a normal way.”

With a blank face and a pretense of innocence, Touko-san also raises a cup of coffee to her mouth.

But you can see that her hand is slightly tense.

Tonko-san, you are not going to talk about that night, are you?

I think it would be more of a downside to Touko-san if you kept quiet about it.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t say, “Actually, there’s nothing going on.”

“What kind of things are those ‘normal things’? That’s what I want to know~.”

Even Manami-san says something like that.

Unlike Mina-san, I thought this person was someone who wouldn’t get involved, but is she interested in that sort of thing?

“Things between men and women aren’t something you talk about to others easily.”

She stood up and said, “I’m going to the toilet,” and started to walk away.

“Oh, she got away!” Mina-san then stands up and follows her.

“I’ll go too, while I still can!” Manami-san followed.

—I wonder if I should follow her to the toilet and listen to what’s happening now?

As I followed the three of them with my eyes, I suddenly realised that Kazumi was staring at me from the front.

She was in the same resting position on her cheeks from earlier.

When her gaze met mine, Kazumi’s eyes seemed to be smiling subtly.

“Um, what is it?”

Then this time, Kazumi’s eyes form a clear smile.

“No, I was just wondering how far the two of you have gone now.”

I fell silent.

I wonder how much Kazumi-san knows.

I told Ishida the truth. So I thought that Touko-san had confided everything to Kazumi-san too.

“Don’t make that kind of face. I know that nothing happened between you two that night. But I just wondered if there was no progress after that.”

So that’s what you’re saying.

I let out a breath of relief.

“It’s not that weird, but a little bit, we might have made progress.”

Kazumi-san nodded quietly, as if she was satisfied with my answer.

“I see. Well then, I hope this camp will help the two of you make even more progress.”