CH 222

After a strange weekend, Monday arrives.

Three days later, it was Wednesday.

Tomorrow was the mid-term exam, and all the students were busy with their studies.

The students seemed to be more serious than usual in their attitude toward class.

However, in such a situation … she was not facing the blackboard, after all.

(I guess Shiho really doesn’t want to study.)

She was next to me a while ago, but now she has moved to the front row. Although I missed it, it was quite fun to observe her from the back.

She tends to be basically absentminded during class.

Today, she tried a little harder to concentrate on the class, but it seemed to be impossible, and now she is looking at the clock and waiting for the time to pass.

(Staring at the clock doesn’t make the time go faster, though…)

Such a gesture is so adorable that I can’t help but relax my cheeks.

Shiho is cute as always. I’d like to be next to her if I could, but … it’s going to take a little more time.

(Kurumizawa-san, are you off today?)

I can’t help but have her stuck in the corner of my mind.

I would be lying if I said that I am not concerned about her, who has been absent all week.

t’s not that I like her or am interested in her or anything.

But I can’t be indifferent to Kurumizawa-san.

She told me she likes me, hugged me, and even kissed me. If that is the case, I have to give an answer.

Otherwise, I can’t break it off.

I feel bad about thinking about the opposite gender in front of Shiho, a girl so attractive that she is too good for me.

So, until the relationship between… and me and Kurumizawa-san is settled, things will never be the same.

Although my heart is a little better than last week thanks to the new week, my heart is still heavy.

I was feeling sorry that I hadn’t been able to talk to Shiho, too…, and it was just at that time.

(Huh? Shiho is not here…)

The third period class started, but she was not there.

She was nowhere to be found in the classroom. This somehow made me worry.

(Maybe she felt unwell and went to the infirmary?)

If so, … what should I do, I’m getting restless.

Although she has finally recovered, she may not be in perfect physical condition yet. I couldn’t stay still thinking about what would happen if she got sick again and her symptoms worsened, so I raised my hand.

“I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well, so I’m going to the infirmary.”

The teacher in charge immediately agreed, so I left the classroom and headed for the infirmary.

I thought for sure she would be there too.

(Huh? She’s not here…)

When I looked into the infirmary, no one was there.

I wondered if she might have left urgently because she wasn’t feeling well, so I decided to ask the nurse about it.

“Suddenly sick female student? I know no such girl, but … are you skipping school? There’s no bed for a healthy person, so get back to it.”

Shiho was not there.

After a short lecture from the infirmary teacher, I headed for the entrance.

I was first relieved that she wasn’t sick.

I also had an idea where she might be.

(Probably behind the school building.)

She hates studying, so she skipped class because she was sick of it.

The back of the school building is a perfect place for skipping class. But it’s the middle of winter, so I think it’s cold. … Maybe she hated studying so much that she didn’t care.

(I could go back to my classroom and let her borrow my jacket.)

I just want to make sure she’s there and feel at ease.

So I was on my way to the back of the school building.

“Oops. You’re off-limits from here, okay? Kotaro’s turn will come a little later.”

On the way to the back of the school building.

The one who was crouching in the shadows was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, beautiful girl.

I gasped when I saw her face.

I was surprised by the unexpected reunion.

“Mary-san?”

Yes, there she was, the girl who was supposed to be on leave.

“Hey there. The defeated heroine, who was supposed to have left the stage, has come back. I’m sorry, I feel like my heart is about to burst with apology for showing you an unsightly heroine.”

“…Hee.”

I couldn’t help but let out a gasp at the same old roundabout line delivery.

I made a disgusted face, but Mary was still aloof.

“Huh? You think it is because my b*****s are too big that they get torn? HAHAHA! I’m also an amorous person, so leave it to me in that area.”

“…Why are you here?”

I ask directly.

When you are having a conversation with this person, it is important not to let the pace drift.

Otherwise, the conversation will be unnecessarily long.

“As usual, Kotaro is so unselfish. A high school boy of your age should be more willing to look down his nose at me.”

“Enough. Move aside.”

“Oh, will you take it easy? I want you to calm down,… because right now there is an event happening between the main heroine-chan and the subheroine-chan.”

“…”

With that statement, I guessed.

“Shiho and Kurumizawa-san are there?”

The two of them are in the back of the school building.

The moment I caught wind of it, I couldn’t stay put and walked past her.

“Kotaro, please don’t let them find out, okay? If Kotaro gets found out now, it’s going to hinder the story.”

I was alerted by the story-addicted weirdo and, for the moment, I held my breath.

I sneak a peek behind the school building from the corner of the corridor … and there they are, after all.

(Shiho and Kurumizawa-san… Why are you here!?)

I cannot tell what they are talking about. There is a bit of distance between them, and they both have muffled voices, so I can’t hear them clearly.

But I could tell from a distance that it wasn’t a very good atmosphere…