CH 40

Main Story 40

After classes had ended, I walked through the halls while thinking of Yoshinoya.

The halls here are always sparkling clean. It must be because the cleaners by trade are the ones doing the cleaning. As one would expect of professionals.

I now have outside and scholarship student friends.

I was so happy when they returned my parting greetings with smiles on their faces. Either to uphold proper decorum or for some other reason, I have always been one to offer greetings. Still, though it might only be by a little, it hurt to have them ignored. Though I do try to not let it bother me.

I think my face might have had a grin permanently plastered on it ever since lunch ended.

Walking through the halls, I watched the drizzling rain through the windows and hoped that the day we go to Yoshinoya would be one where the weather’s sunny. There is only one month left during which I will continue to go to school as such. The flat provided by the academy is near the school and I will be going to school by foot.

I will have plenty of time on my hands then. Though I worry if I will be able to grow accustomed to the big city.

When I had opened my umbrella and stepped out of the school building, Takanashi-sama called out to me.

“Kujouin. Because of you, Fuki-baachan has been admitted to the hospital! Fuki-baachan cried all because you sent those things. She’s been in low spirits since then and ended up being admitted to a hospital yesterday!”

Fuki-san is in the hospital?

Ah, I wonder how her condition is.

Fuki-san, Fuki-san!

The umbrella fell from my hand.

I bowed my head down to Takanashi-sama.

“Your anger is very much justified. But please, please, let me see Fuki-san just once. I beg of you. Please, let me meet her.”

I begged Takanashi-sama without regards as to how it might look to others. This action of mine however seems to have instead further incurred his wrath.

“Screw you! What are you saying when you’re the main cause!”

My shoulder was shoved and I fell down backwards. Still, in such a shameful position, I again begged Takanashi-sama.

“I beg of you. Please let me meet her.”

Still down on the ground, I raised just my upper body and continued begging. The rain only fell down harder.

The students who have seen this strange scene must have thought we had a fight. They appear to have reported it to the student council.

“Kujouin-san! What are you doing!?”

Madenokouji-sama’s voice. Still I kept my head down.

“I beg of you. Please let me meet Fuki-san.”

“As if! How can I let her see someone like you, who had robbed Fuki-baachan of her life!”

Just then, I heard a dull thud. When I looked up, I found Takanashi-sama fallen on his backside.

“Takanshi! You, what are you doing to Rei-chan!”

It was Katsuragi-sama. Katsuragi-sama had punched Takanashi-sama.

“This thing, she’s the bitch who had worked my great-grandma to death. She treated the very kind Fuki-baachan as a slave. She’s absolute trash! You, both the student council president and the vice president, you’re all being deceived this bitch! Fools!”

Katsuragi-sama had a chillingly cold look in his eyes while looking down on Takanashi-sama.

“I believe only what I have seen with my own eyes. The lunchboxes Rei-chan makes are the best. Today’s lunchbox was so too. Though I couldn’t eat much because of Yuu-san. Yuu-san is stingy. To be able to make such cooking, she must have learned cooking for a long time. Rei-chan lives alone. If, let’s say, what you have said is true, would she have been able to live by herself after the slave that is your great-grandmother had gone?”

“That, that is. That bitch is deceiving the people of the Hongou household and has been making them do everything.”

“You must be an idiot. For you to also insult the Hongou household.”

I stood up with Madenokouji-sama’s help.

“Kujouin-san, for now, let’s go to the infirmary. You’ll catch a cold otherwise.”

I shook my head.

“I, I want to meet Fuki-san. I know that I have no right to do so but, she has fallen ill and is now in the hospital. If she was to pass away like Mari-sama did, I will never get to see her again…”

I was crying, and I thought that nobody would notice because of the rain.

Madenokouji-san carried me in his arms and headed to the school building.

“I can’t just stand still watching a girl cry. Also, the student council will be handling this incident. Since the one who has caused this problem is a candidate for a post in the next student council after all.”

“Please, let me down. I, I can walk by myself.”

“I’ll carry you to the infirmary. You’re wounded too. We have been informed that you were pushed by Takanashi and fell because of it.”

Madenokouji-sama’s angered voice was calm and quiet. It was all the more terrifying because of that.

“I, I…!”

“For now, let’s get you a change of clothes and have your wounds looked at in the infirmary.”

When we arrived at the infirmary with Madenokouji-sama still carrying me, Ichijou-sensei spat out his coffee in shock upon seeing my battered form.

“Sensei, that’s dirty. Please prepare a change of clothes for Kujouin-san and take a look at her wounds.”

Sensei hurriedly took a look at my condition.

“There doesn’t seem to be any major injuries, but your body temperature is low. You should take a shower and change your clothes.”

The spare room beside the infirmary has a shower room attached to it. This will be my third time entering this room.

I did as Sensei said, took a shower, and had a change of clothes. I am now borrowing a set of the school uniform again.

I ran a towel through my hair and dried it with a hair dryer.

A hair dryer.

Long ago, I have once received a used hair dryer from the landlady’s son. But when I tried to use it, the fuse blew.

Fufu, Mari-sama was surprised and let out a strange voice, while Fuki-san was flustered and went into a panic.

I had changed the blown out fuse while relying on light from a candle.

How nostalgic.

I have a lot of memories of Mari-sama and Fuki-san. Before Mari-sama passed away, I used to wish for my days of caring for her to end quickly. Everyday was so hard for me back then. So when Mari-sama passed, I felt a sense of relief.

Now though, I have grown sad about it. The days without Mari-sama. The reality that I can no longer meet Mari-sama again is one I have to bear with.

For that reason, I want to see Fuki-san once more no matter what. If she was to pass away, I will definitely regret not meeting here once more.

I finished changing and returned to the infirmary. Whereupon I found Madenokouji-sama and Katsuragi-sama there.

“Rei-chan, you look good with your hair down too!”

“Kaoru, read the room!”

Ichijou-sensei has prepared tea and some sweets. But for some reason they don’t look so appetizing today.

“I am in your debt. Madenokouji-sama, Katsuragi-sama, I am very sorry for causing you trouble.”

I bowed my head.

Katsuragi-sama summarized the stories of the witnesses and Tanakashi-sama himself, asking me for confirmation regarding the truth of the matter.

“So they said that the servant of the pianist from the listening party was Takanashi’s great-grandmother. That pianist, she looks like Rei-chan and was really pretty, wasn’t she! Way too much of a beauty! The photo of her standing still in the grove of trees left the strongest impression on me.”

“Kaoru, be serious.”

Madenokouji-sama nudged Kaoru-sama.

“Well, Takanashi’s saying that that great-grandmother of his has been admitted to a hospital because of Rei-chan. I don’t get it though. Didn’t Rei-chan only send her her own stuff?”

It was indeed as Katsuragi-sama had said, but the stuff I had sent must have been the trigger that made Fuki-san so down.

When I replied as such, Katsuragi-sama took a firm hold of both of my shoulders.

“Rei-chan, cosplaying as the heroine of a tragedy is not a good look! In the first place, what Takanashi’s said was but his own speculations. He just jumped to that conclusion all on his own. Rei-chan, get a hold of yourself!”

Katsuragi-sama shook me so hard that I was starting to feel nauseous. I’m sure I would have vomited if Madenokouji-sama had not stopped him. Katsuragi-sama does not know how to hold back.

There was nothing left for us to discuss so I went home. While I did send the driver Suzuki-san a message while in the infirmary, he must still have been worried.

Madenokouji-sama escorted me to the car.

“Rei-chan, I want you to tell me if there’s anything I can do. We’re Shouwa subculture friends, aren’t we?”

“Thank you. … Huh? Even you are calling me by my given name.”

“Ah, sorry. I was influenced by Kaoru. Was it unpleasant to you?”

I shook my head.

“…… Somehow, I am glad.”

Madenokouji-sama, with his beautiful face, smiled.

I felt shy and looked down.

I had a feeling that the feelings I had completely suppressed were, just by a tiny bit, starting to resurface.