Volume 2 - CH 2.3

After his part-time job, Sandai went to pick Shino up, and like usual, sat down at the seat he was guided to and sipped the served boyfriend privilege black tea.

He let out a breath, and then finally, he realized Takasago sitting in front of him sharing the same table. Shino had said that Takasago had come to consult her, but it seemed she had called Takasago here.

“H-Hello.” Seemingly waiting for the right timing to greet him, Takasago bowed her head repeatedly at the same time as Sandai noticed her. After that she timidly looked around. “It’s a v-very stylish cafe… where Yuizaki-san is working… You don’t seem bothered at all, Fujiwara-kun, but are you used to it?”

“Eh? Ah… well… somewhat. I felt completely out of place at first, but as I‘ve been coming here to pick Shino up everyday, I got used to it.”

“Hwah… you pick her up everyday… is that voluntary? Or did Yuizaki-san ask you to?”

“Picking her up is something I do voluntarily, I’d say,” Sandai openly told her the particular, as it wasn’t anything to hide.

Afterwards, Takasago hung her head down, mumbling, “Getting treasured like that… so envious.” Takasago’s murmur was so small that one could think that it was the chirping of a bird.

“I couldn’t really hear it, but… did you say something?”

“Heh? Ah, no, not really…” Takasago flusteredly waved both of her hands, and hung her head once more.

And then silence fell without any murmuring.

For better or worse, Takasago was a girl in another sense different from Shino. She seemed like she would immediately get hurt if not treated carefully, so treading carefully when dealing with her would be necessary.

“By the way Takasago, seems like you consulted Shino for some stuff, huh?”

“Y-Yes. I consulted Yuizaki-san a bit, and then she wanted to have your help, too, and then, umm, she said to just quickly get through the talk with the three of us, umm, it seems Yuizaki-san will be done with her part-time job around this time, and then so she said you will come pick her up at her workplace, so it will be just right, she said…”

“I see.”

“…How much have you heard from Yuizaki-san, Fujiwara-kun?”

“Not a thing, I was only told we’ll talk in detail later.”

“Still not anything…?”

“That’s right. But I can kinda guess,” Sandai said and continued. “About Prez, isn’t it?” Only for Takasago to tightly shut her lips and hang her head down with a bright red face.

How to put this, Takasago did nothing but hung her head down.

“H-How… If you haven’t heard the details, you’re not supposed to know…!”

“I kinda just had the hunch.”

“C-Could it be that it was always showing in my attitude or something?”

“It sure was. It was kinda obvious back then during the school festival.”

“Eeeh… No way…”

“Well at any rate, I’ll hear the details once Shino’s here. It was Shino you came to consult. It’s also just wrong if I start listening while leaving Shino out.”

Sandai rested his chin on one hand, and then Shino showed up. Apparently sensing the subtle mood between Sandai and Takasago, Shino puzzledly looked at the two’s faces alternatingly.

“I’m done with work~… wait, what’s with this mood?”

“Before hearing what it’s about, I somehow figured it was about the Prez and when I asked, I was right. And then after that Takasago got like this.”

“Could it be that you knew Takasago-chan likes the Prez?”

“I noticed during the school festival. It was just that obvious.”

“I didn’t have a single idea until I got consulted, though…”

“You dense.”

“To think that the day I got told that by you would come.”

“Because I’m basically on the side that gets told that. So, I still haven’t heard what the consulting was for, but in the end, how did it end up with my help being necessary?”

Shino looked at Takasago at Sandai’s question.

“…Sorry. Probably I should’ve tried to handle it myself actually, but umm, I just don’t know much about guys.”

“Eh, y-you don’t know much about guys?”

“Yeah. I mean, my first boyfriend is Sandai.”

“…That is surprising.”

“Really?”

“I thought you were experienced, so…”

“That’s not true. Well anyway, that’s how it is, so that’s why I told you I’d like to also have Sandai’s help, a guy. Also, I guess I just don’t really get along with Prez. For reasons.”

Shino had a little beef with the Prez.

When the Prez had tried to approach Sandai with an exaggerated movement, she had had the Prez eat her front kick. And she had done stuff like glaring at the Prez even afterwards.

So asking for Sandai’s help this time, after taking such a past into account… At least Sandai wouldn’t get closer to Prez, but…

At times Sandai would feel that Shino indeed going too far for getting jealous even over a slight interaction of him with the same sex, but he also knew that she wasn’t the type who would easily accept it when having that pointed out.

If he were to, it would instead add fuel to the fire, and she would turn even more hostility to the other party—to Prez in this case.

Nakaoka had said no one would be fit to be Shino’s boyfriend but Sandai, but that was exactly so.

If it weren’t Sandai, he probably would be on a hospital bed with a hole on his stomach about this time.

There were as many guys as there were stars in the sky who would love to be in a relationship with Shino, but even in the off chance one could get to date her, there was a limited number of people who got the capacity to face this kind of heavy love.

“Yuizaki-san, you said you don’t get along with Prez, but does your personality not match with his? Shihouin-kun is… I can say Shihouin-kun is a good person, though.”

“Eh? Ah… well umm, I think Prez is someone with a good personality, but, it’s just that, he did tick me off for some reasons.”

“Did Shihouin-kun do something to you, Yuizaki-san? Umm, in that case I will apologize in his place!”

“You really don’t have to apologize, Takasago-chan~. It was just me having a disagreement. With the Prez.”

Sandai did sense such a strong implicit, I don’t feel like straightening out the disagreement, though, in it, but seemingly to have taken the words literally, Takasago patted down her chest.

“Then I’m glad.”

“Mm-hmm. So, if I remember correctly, the consulting was about wanting me to look up what the Prez likes because you want to give him a birthday present, right?”

“Yes! Shihouin-kun’s birthday is the 15th of December, and I want to give it to him on that day! It seems he’s gotten his long-wished school year first place in the finals as well, and he looked really happy about it, so as a congratulation for that, too!”

“Probably best if we could just go ask directly, but even if we go to ask, Prez is probably gonna run away. Having said that, I don’t really want Sandai to get close either. But, asking directly is not the only way to get information about someone!”

Shino said something weird. Sandai spontaneously asked back.

“Asking directly is not the only way to get information…?”

“Let’s do detective work.”

“…Detective work? Does it mean tailing him?”

“Yeah.”

“You serious?”

“Serious.”

“You sure are a bundle of energy. Rather, is my help needed for that?”

“I mean, there might be something that wouldn’t get noticed if it’s just me, and I don’t know much about guys either. Besides, lots of detectives work in a team of two, right?”

To sum it up, the real truth seemed to be to also drag in Sandai somehow.

Although it was really random, Sandai also knew that Shino just wasn’t the type to think deeply.

Besides, Sandai also had the concern of Shino rushing in recklessly and making a blunder by letting her do it alone. So Sandai replied, “All right.”

To be able to easily go along with Shino like this was precisely because it was Sandai. Takasago wasn’t hiding her puzzlement, but that reaction was normal.

“Eh? Eh? Tailing him…?”

“Shino’s the type who does what she’s decided to do. I suppose she would also reconsider if there’s a reason that would force her to give up, but she’ll carry it out for sure as long as there’s no problem showing up.”

“As expected from you, Sandai. You do understand me!”

“Because it’s my responsibility to understand you. So, how exactly are we even supposed to tail him?”

“Right… Actually before deciding what to do exactly, I personally don’t like how ‘tailing’ sounds because it’s like we’re doing something bad, so let’s just change it to ‘doing detective work’!”

By phrasing it differently, it wouldn’t change the fact that they would take an action that might infringe the Prez’ privacy, nor could it erase the fact that it would be considered as something bad by the general public, but…

Well, if Shino said she would like it so, Sandai would simply comply.

“All right. Then how will we do this detective work exactly?”

“Hmm right so…”

“F-For me tailing is a bit…”

While leaving behind Takasago, the person wanting to consult, Sandai and Shino decided to carry it out on the day when they both would have a day-off from their part-time jobs and continued with the talk.