Volume 1 - CH 1.2

3

Come afternoon, Shino resumed her poking attacks.

As for the reason for doing it again… Sandai wasn’t really sure, but anyway, his hostility towards Shino was fading, and he was wavering whether this time he should respond or not.

However, it didn’t mean that he got a change of heart enough to proactively try to get involved with her just because his hostility was fading, so he still continued the plan to ignore her. In terms of original standing within school, it was a natural relationship where neither side would get involved in the first place, and he also got a strong feeling that it should return to such a normal condition.

Though, surprisingly without even getting sick of it the next time, Shino continued to poke Sanda’s back the next day and the day after that when she saw an opening, contrary to the thought of Sandai.

About the time marks seemed to start forming on his back, Sandai finally looked back, judging that she wouldn’t seem to stop unless he faced her and talked.

Then he found Shino making a lonely-looking face. Sandai also couldn’t help but at a loss for words at the expression he hadn’t expected.

“W-What’s with that face…”

“…I’m waiting, you know?”

“Waiting? For what?”

“Hmph.” Shino then suddenly looked away. “Even though I put a memo in there…”

The mutter from Shino was so tiny that Sandai couldn’t hear it clearly.

However, it was clear that it was some kind of words expressing a change of feelings, and Shino stopped the poking attack ever since, no longer trying to get involved.

And then as if to match that, the gazes and interests towards Sandai from the surroundings was beginning to calm down, albeit little by little.

Although it had gone slightly differently from expected, Sandai should rightfully be happy as this was the end he had hoped for… that said, welling up in Sandai’s heart wasn’t joy, but a fuzzy, vague feeling.

That never leaving, unpleasant feeling clinging to his heart continued to remain even after a day and two had passed.

Why was Shino making a lonely-looking face? Although he certainly had gone all the way with giving zero reactions, he hadn’t said any cruel things, or threatened her or anything…

When Sandai noticed it, he had only been thinking about it around the clock, and today as well, he continued to mull over it until after school.

He understood that he couldn’t continue being like this. It would come up as a hindrance to his daily life if prolonged, so he would have to do well to regulate his own heart.

The solution Sandai took after much worrying was a very simple one: ‘forget it’ and ‘pretend to have never seen it.’

“…Alright.”

Sandai slapped both his own cheeks, and attempted to go about his business as usual while being aware of his subconsciousness.

After going back to his apartment, taking an early bath, checking new releases of mangas and light novels, he began studying.

Time went by in the blink of an eye.

Next thing he knew it was a little after nine at night.

In order to take some break, Sandai went to make a coffee and turned on the TV. It was either dramas or news programs being played at around this time, but he had no particular interest in drama so he chose the news program.

‘A typhoon is rapidly approaching. The Meteorological Agency has issued a warning that the typhoon will hit in two hours and that people should refrain from going outside unnecessarily. Also, in response to the typhoon, the train service has been suspended for the day with the last train departing earlier at 20:28.’

He went to check the outside through the window, and saw strong pouring of rain and raging wind. He hadn’t noticed it as he’d been immersed in studying, but the typhoon seemed to be approaching unnoticed to him.

“Looks like I can’t go outside… Well, not like I have nothing to do outside, though,” Sandai murmured, and the doorbell rang. “…Who is it? Home delivery or something? Nah nope, I don’t remember having asked for package night delivery… Actually, they wouldn’t have come in the midst of all this mess about a typhoon coming even if I’d asked for one. Don’t tell me it’s not new religion recruitment, is it? And going like ‘This typhoon is the wrath god~’.”

Sandai turned on the intercom’s speaking function and video, and then froze. He found Shino there.

“So-Sorry. I was done with my part-time and about to go home, but then the train stopped because of the typhoon. S-So, can I spend the night today?”

He understood it wasn’t package night delivery nor new religion recruitment. Though, what would be the correct way to respond to this?

Bewildered, nevertheless, unable to leave Shino alone sneezing, going “Achoo!” Sandai hurried down to the entrance.

“Yuizaki…”

“Yahoo.”

“…I’ll prepare the bath, so come on in for now.”

“Eh? You sure?”

“You’re just gonna catch a cold like that.”

“…Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Having pulled Shino into his home, Sandai refilled the hot water in the bathroom, and tossed his night clothes to change into and a bath towel into the changing room and had Shino hold it.

“Wawah! …Geez~ you’re so rough. You’ve gotta be more gentlemanly or you won’t be popular, you know?”

“It’s not like I live my life to get popular,” Sandai said, mixed with a sigh.

Shino puffed up her cheeks and pouted. “‘Cause you’re always just so cold… Aah no, not that…” Shino was mumbling something. “You really don’t seem to be thinking weird things, so I guess I got interested, too.”

Though, it was too tiny of a voice for Sandai to hear, so with his hand placed on his ear, “Yeah? You just mumbled something where, what’s wrong?” he asked back. “You’ve got some complaint or something?”

“Not really.” Shino stuck out her tongue and turned away.

I’m curious about what she’s saying, but it feels like I wouldn’t get an answer even if I were to forcefully get her to tell me. Probably not saying anything important anyway, Sandai gave up doing it, and closed the door to the changing room.

Shinos’s silhouette visible through the changing room’s frosted glass let out a sigh and began to undress. As the black shadow put its hand on the underwear, Sandai suddenly thought, Come to think of it… mangas and light novels often have this kind of situation where it would develop into a lucky pervert peeping.

Given that a lot of naughty stuff was stored in his PC, it didn’t mean Sanda got no interest in perverted developments—though, as expected, there is a clear line between reality and creative works.

In fiction, girls would easily forgive perverseness, but it isn’t the case in reality. That is an obvious thing, or rather, he got a high amount of fear of causing emotional scars. Shino in particular—that risk seemed likely on her.

Shino had told her friends: ‘I’m not good with guys.’

It was just something Sandai had happened to hear, but Sanda remembered it.

Shino’s tone of voice hadn’t sounded like telling a lie, so it was probably true, and besides, Sandai had something popped up in his mind.

At the very beginning—when talking to Shino who had been down in the ditch, she’d taken a slightly curt attitude. Only after he actually had lent her a shower had her demeanor softened a bit.

If Sandai didn’t like Shino, then a harassment suicide attack disguised as an incident would be a brief amusement, but it wasn’t as though he didn’t like Shino that much. The ignoring was purely because he thought there should be segregation.

So Sandai just went back to the living room and quietly waited for Shino to finish bathing.

The second hand on the wall clock cycled around, and the minute hand moved.

Again and again that went on repeat, moving the clock’s hands forward, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes.

Different from Sandai who would take a quick bath, it seemed it was a long bath for Shino.

“Well, I also hear girls’ baths are longer and all.”

Sandai gazed outside through the window, and fixedly watched the even stronger downpour and gale. He checked the clock again after some time had passed and found that it was almost one hour.

Shortly after, Shino came out along with the trail of the oversized night clothes’ hem.

“Hauuh~.”

Shino’s face looked pleasantly happy, perhaps because her body had warmed up.

She was awfully carefree despite throwing his conditions and feelings out of order in many ways—though, it was nothing more than a matter of Sandai’s personal way of thinking and perceiving things, and Shino wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Sandai could also come to an objective view or so, thus without even expressively exposing what was in his mind, he normally spoke to Shino who was squashing the sofa’s cushion with her butt. “…You were in the bath for pretty long there.”

“Girls just take time.”

“I’d be done with it in ten minutes here.”

“So quick… Are guys like that?”

“I’ve got no friends so I don’t know, but probably other guys are also like me… By the way, I’ve got one thing I wanna ask.”

“…Something you wanna ask? What is it?”

“I think you said it will take an hour by train to get home, didn’t you? I know it’s not a walking home distance, but…”

“But?”

“Is it really okay for you to stay here? I’m a man, and there’s no one but me in here. Are they parents who allow that kind of thing?”

“Ah… I might get scolded if they found out, but… well it’s fine. I’ve already told them I’m staying at a female friend’s house.”

Sandai was left with his jaw dropped. Glancing at such Sandai, Shino chuckled.

“I’m happy you’re worried… but it’s really fine, you know? I’ve never lied like this before, so I’m pretty trusted by my parents. No worries.”

“So it means the first lie? I’ve got a feeling it’s not fine, though…”

“You know, from time to time you are getting back with funny replies.”

“I’m just saying things at random. More importantly, wouldn’t you normally think of staying at a female friend’s house instead of going out of your way to come to my place and all? You could find some friends living around here if you try, right? Around here is close to school, and I think there are a lot of them deciding their high school with a reason like ‘cuz the commute to school is easy.’”

“There’s certainly girls living nearby, but… suddenly saying ‘let me say’ is gonna inconvenience them, right?”

“So you’re saying it’s fine to inconvenience me.”

“Tha-That’s not what I… It’s just, here was the place that suddenly popped up in my mind.”

Shino made puppy eyes, and poked her fingers together, poke poke.

Sandai was taken aback by that fully apparent apologetic gesture, and lost all motivation to ask in detail about the reason for visiting.

“So, well… You chose my place, and that was already in the past, and there’s also no point saying this and that.”

“Right, right.”

“I sure do envy you for being able to act as you felt, Yuizaki.”

“It sure is getting me embarrassed when you compliment me.”

“It’s not like I’m complimenting you… So, what are you gonna do with your uniform? It will smell if you let it dry out straight from soaking up the rain, right?”

“Aah, about that… with this typhoon… dry cleaner’s probably won’t open, even the one operating 24-hours a day, right?”

“I guess it’s gonna be closed temporarily.”

“Thought so. Can’t help it. Guess I’m doing it myself. Lend me laundry detergent and a bucket if you have any.”

Sandai made a dumb, “Eh?” sound at Shino’s request.

…A gyaru who doesn’t seem to have a clue about housework doing laundry? Actually, can uniforms be washed by yourself in the first place?

Although he couldn’t hide his many confusions, for now he lent them to her as requested as he got a detergent and a bucket.

And then Shino rolled up the sleeves and the hem of the nightclothes and began to deftly hand-wash her uniform in the bathroom.

“…I’ve got a washing machine, you know?”

“This one gotta be hand-washed. Have you seen the label on the uniform?”

“Label?”

“Look, here.” Shino showed him the inner part of her uniform in the middle of washing. There was a label with a picture of what looked like a hand dipped in a bucket. “This illustration means that you should hand-wash it when you do it yourself, so no washing machine.”

“I’ve never checked this stuff before… Actually, you’re a gyaru, but you know this domestic stuff, huh?”

“That’s just prejudice that gyarus don’t know houseworks~”

That was correct. It is certainly simply a prejudice to arbitrarily decide to categorize people and assume they are like so and so.

“…My bad for assuming.”

When clearly in the wrong like this, the more excuses made, the deeper the damage will be. It is better to apologize upright as the wound will be superficial.