CH 229

As I proceeded toward the intended destination, the number of people increased.

Not only was I approaching the main gate, but it was easy to guess from the gazes and expressions of the people around me that some kind of special situation was taking place.

Why do people show such interests themselves just because they are not involved?

People can sometimes be ruthless just because there is no potential risk, no relationship.

No, it is because they are unaware that they can be ruthless.

We are unconcerned, but we cannot overcome our curiosity.

I thought about this as I moved forward against the flow of people.

Under the tent of the student council, which was set up in front of the tent of the executive committee, there was no sign of the two people who were supposed to be there.

I wondered if the two had sensed the situation around the tent, which was different from the bustling crowd, and went to take a look at Shiraishi.

For a moment, I stopped walking and looked around.

Normally it would have been easy to find them, but they were nowhere to be seen.

I walked for sometime and then stopped to search for them.

The eyes that are usually so much on them are concentrating on the trouble that appeared at that moment.

Then there might be the possibility of those two people being there at the end of those gazes.

After navigating through the crowd, occasionally bumping shoulders and bowing my head in apology, the executive committee’s HQ finally came into view.

Even from a distance, I could see that the spectators had gathered in a circle, standing still, as if avoiding a single point of view.

Some of them were pointing their smartphone cameras at them.

The act itself was probably not malicious.

In addition to the festivities, if it’s an unrelated tussle, let’s keep a record of it. …In today’s age of dramatically popular social networking sites, that unawareness can put a blade to the throat of the action.

If you’re an outsider, you have to be discreet in your calls and actions, but you can intercept a person if you’re in uniform so I forcefully cover the camera with my palm which was pointing somewhere.

“What?”

I held out my arm to emphasize the armband to the student who frowned and turned back to me in a super grumpy manner.

“The student council, …would appreciate it if you would refrain from filming it, as it could get you into trouble.”

When I told her without making eye contact, the female student still turned the camera to avoid the hand that was blocking her.

…Young people these days don’t listen very well.

I was a young person too, I agree.

In fact, I’m a very bad listener myself, so it makes even more sense.

However, I would like them to stop filming, as I am about to go to the place where the camera is pointed…

I let out a deep sigh, which I’m sure she couldn’t hear over the clamor, and as I was pondering, a student put their hand on the shoulder of the female student.

She must have thought it was my hand, and turned around in the opposite direction as if to shake it off strongly.

“You can’t take pictures of people without permission.

“Ah…”

The place she turned around, there stood the prince of the school, Yuuto Ogiwara.

He gently covered the hand that should have shaken his off and told her in a calm tone of voice, making the female students blush.

…Where did this prince come from?

Or rather, which shoujo manga is it?

The reaction is too much cliche, and she turns to Yuuto with an expression that expresses her dismay without hiding it.

The two in front of them look like they are shining like a scene from a manga.

Or rather, the eyes of the female students seem to be 20% more sparkly.

This, School prince effect …is terrifying.

Unlike my turn the girl easily lowered the camera and hung it up with a blush of embarrassment.

“Am I being helpful?”

“Sarcasm…?”

With a cold look, we exchange a light conversation as we used to do in the past.

It is a nostalgic feeling that I have not felt for a long time.

But it is surprising that Yuuto also came to this place.

As I was about to move on, thinking that it would have been rather nice if this guy was with me, Yuuto asked me.

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

“…”

His words were an indication that he was not going forward with me, and he seemed to be trying to resolve the situation in a different manner.

Perhaps it was he who was more unsure of the distance than I was.

With a moment’s hesitation, I gave a small nod to my friend who was smiling at me.

“Have the students around you stop filming, it’s going to be a hassle to put out the fire later on…”

“Gotcha.”

I was relieved to see him respond by raising his hand as I headed straight for the center.

I checked my surroundings as I ran, and as I expected, I saw a few students holding their phones in their hands as well as the girls, but it isn’t much to worry about.

I put aside the unnecessary and unwarranted concerns, and as I approached the center till the voice of a junior student reached my ears.

“So, we will return the money you gave us…”

As I slipped through the crowd that surrounded Shiraishi and the others like the final wall, I saw Shiraishi bowing along with a student in an apron.

The young man standing ahead of them was watching the scene with a wicked smile on his mouth.

The president has forced me into a troublesome role, huh…

He said it was a complaint, but I thought that if it was a normal problem, a proper apology would do the trick, but this was a different case.

It was immediately obvious from the expressions on the faces of Shizuku and Kirasaka, who were standing behind Shiraishi.

They were looking at them sharply, coldly, and even with disgust.

“Just by giving my money back, do you think this will all be under the bridge?”

Among them, a man with painfully blond hair and jingling accessories who told this Shiraishi.

Judging from the yakisoba noodles in his hand, this was probably a food-related complaint.

The man’s words made Shiraishi raise her gaze to say something back, by that time I unnaturally interrupted her to exchange glances with the other party.

“…Something amiss?”

Standing in front of the men to position myself in the middle, I remove the green armband from my arm before their gazes turn to the armband on my arm.

I crumple it into a fist, but this is a distraction.

I silently offer the armband to Shiraishi, whose eyes widen in surprise at my sudden arrival, and turn my attention to the pocket of her uniform.

Sensing the detailed action, which is not even conveyed, Shiraishi hides the armband in her own uniform.

“Who are you…?”

“I got a call that there’s some trouble here …so what’s up?”

It was not an answer to the other party’s question, but the men smiled with a goofy, cliched evil smile at the topic of conversation, which they proceeded to discuss without letting my words get in the way.

“I’m not sure how they can just refund your money when you have to wait, the portions are not worth the money, the food doesn’t taste good, and there’s even hair in it.”

The man said these words, which are classic and, above all, difficult to prove true.

The food he actually had in his hand had hair on it as if it had been plainly placed on the top of it.

If it were not for this situation, I would have even responded, ‘Did you put your hair on it?’

But I understood that this was not a situation in which I could make a joke.

“I apologize for that …and will refund your money, so please take your time and visit the other stalls.”

I said, pointing my hand toward the stalls lined up behind me.

It was a mechanical response, not containing any emotion at all.

However, Shiraishi had probably already dealt with this degree of support, and underneath her thin smile, she seemed to have room to spare.

“I’m craving yakisoba, aren’t I?”

The blonde man says, pointing to the yakisoba he has requested to return.

The other young man standing next to him also burst out laughing like someone watching bullying from the sidelines.

I wonder if it’s really fun doing these things…

At least, I hope the feeling of fun I am searching for is not as cheap as theirs.

“We sell it for 100 yen at the shop, so please go there.”

I pointed to the school building as they seemed to be enjoying the situation.

They were surprised at what I said, perhaps not expecting it.

“What do you think we’re coming all the way out here for?”

Their eyes narrowed and their voices carried a hint of anger.

Their reaction, as if they were doing the right thing, was conversely beginning to look ridiculous.

Minato-kun’s acting ability, which is comparable to that of the drama club’s ace, changes his expression as if playing dumb.

“Did you wish to enroll …then the staff will be handing out materials at the main entrance in the back.”

“…Do you think the customers are idiots?”

“This is not a restaurant, it’s a high school, and the school rules don’t say that customers are gods, so I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

As one would expect, saying words that provoke so much will lower anyone’s boiling point.

Flushing with anger like Hino-kun’s hair color, the guy takes a step forward.

At that moment, I catch out of the corner of my eye that Shizuku and Kirasaka at the back shook their bodies to break in.

But it’s unnecessary.

He raises his hand and gestures that it is unnecessary.

“…”

If either me or the blonde takes a step forward, our eyesight will intersect and we will be close enough that our bodies touch.

In truth, it would be great if I could choose a solution that is smart and beautiful for everyone to see, but I don’t have the speaking ability or the charisma to do so.

Then, I need to say something that will surely shut them up within the limited number of options available to me.

The student standing next to me is an ordinary male student, and there are two of them.

Looking for something that would make them shut up, I shifted my gaze and looked around a little, and saw the perfect candidate.

“If you were in a class where the only students in the athletic department were strict about the length and color of their hair, and a bright colored foreign object was mixed in, would you be willing to be refunded?”

I pointed to the tray with the clear lid and again made a deliberate confirmation of the claims these men were making.

Turning around as if to ask for agreement, I approached the boys in their aprons.

“As I recall, the boys’ job was to put the food in the trays and tighten the lids with rubber bands…”

“Huh? …Ah, yes! Yes.”

The boy nodded after a delay in rhythm.

In my heart, I turned my body to the front again while being relieved that at least I wasn’t denied there.

Besides, it helped that the man in front of me took the trouble to point to his hair for emphasis.

The word “short hair” carries more weight.

I wondered where the spare smile had gone, and what was different from a moment ago was that the men’s faces had gone pale.

The words I just said are appropriate and baseless.

I uttered them as they came to me, as the boy with short hair on his head was trotting behind the guy.

These people just get a sense of superiority from standing in a situation where they have the upper hand and unilaterally striking someone who is in a weaker position.

They probably have no recollection of the circumstances or environment at the time the goods were handed over to them.

Even if they make up a suitable excuse on the spot, once they have created a situation in which they have the upper hand, people would become fragile and vulnerable.

A person like Shiraishi, with a serious and easy-to-understand personality, would have become a good target.

The two men flinched and looked at each other.

The two men flinch and look at each other. They continue to speak to each other, not giving each other time to recall the scene in their memories.

“I’d like to see the goods if you don’t mind. …Don’t worry, I won’t damage the evidence.”

“…”

I made the best fake smile I could while saying that.

One step forward, one step backward, the blonde retreating in the opposite direction.

Already not caring about the eyes of those around me or the cameras, which had been so depressing just a moment ago.

Slowly, I reach out my hand to catch it, and the other person wriggles as if to reject it.

“…Just a refund is fine.”

His eyes change to look at me as if he was looking at a creepy creature, and I stop my advancing steps to make sure I’ve told him in detail.

I turned on my heel and proceeded next to the boys and muttered in their ears.

“…Don’t take those guys to the front of the store, just give them the money from the executive committee for the price.”

“Y-yes…”

After hearing my words to the end, the boy ran over to the committee member’s tent, which was just around the corner.

The executive committee who was watching the situation immediately handed over the change, and the male student carried it to the guys.

“I-I’m sorry about that, too”

“…”

Grabbing the money offered roughly, the duo clicks their heels and leaves the school through the front gate and out of sight.

Waving her until they were out of sight, Shiraishi looked up at me with a difficult expression on her face.

“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth… a lie for a lie.”

I’m not a saint enough to tell the truth about everything to someone who shows malice and confronts me.

Since my point has been somewhat understood, I say it louder to convey it to Shizuku and the others in the back.

Shiraishi probably didn’t think those two guys were telling the truth either, so she didn’t say anything back.

The appearance of her looking down coincided with my sister’s dejected mood, so I went up to her in that crowd and ruffled up her hair.

Despite the coldness of his surroundings, the fact that troubles disappear as soon as we find a solution seems to represent an indescribable human nature.

Among them, I called out to one man who was standing alone with a grin on his face before returning.

“…Yuuto, if you’re not busy, help out with the student council.”

“Is that an order…?”

I have nothing more to say to my friend, who smiles somewhat happily while letting out a sigh.

There was just a little distance between our shoulders, which had not been together for a long time, but I am sure that the slight discomfort will shorten in the near future.