Volume 3 - CH 6

Volume 3, Chapter 6: Going to School Together

→ Chase after

Don't chase

It was decided I would go together with Hareyama to school, so we had plenty of time to relaxedly talk with each other as we walked.

We arrived at the nearest station and hopped on the train. The inside was relatively empty, perhaps because it was so early in the day.

"Should we sit down?"

"Yeah."

I rarely got to take a seat on my way to school. If I wanted to, I could just leave early.

Although, it was the closest station to school at just a few stops away, so it wasn't too motivating.

But if I had a beautiful girl who sat next to me, then that was a different story.

I could smell something nice since a while ago, and we bumped shoulders from time to time which was a delightful experience.

"It's nice to head to school by train."

"Personally, I would rather walk or take a bike instead."

I thought both had their own advantages to them, but the occasional packed trains...I just couldn't get used to them.

"―― Eh? W-why are you two together?!"

A startled voice came from nearby.

When I turned my eyes towards the source to see who it was, I saw Azumi Reika with a look of surprise on her face.

"Oh Azumi, morning."

"M-morning...wait no, Hanae, you don't use the train to go to school, right?"

"Y-yeah. It's...just for today."

"W-what's with that reply...it can't be, you guys?!"

I didn't know what she misunderstood, but Azumi looked even more surprised than before.

A friend of hers who didn't normally commute by train was on one with a guy while carrying a large bag, and when she questioned her, the other reacted in embarrassment.

Yeah, it was that. I stayed over at my boyfriend's house~...that kind of thing.

It looked like it was going to get troublesome, so I should change the topic here.

"Azumi, you're using the ribbon? It suits you."

"T-thanks...no, that's not the point."

Azumi had her hair up in a side-tail, tied with a ribbon.

She might have always worn it straight at school, but in my opinion, a side-tail was better for Azumi.

"...Hey, Reika-chan. What ribbon?"

"W-what, you say...I got it, from Jimichi."

"...Hm~m. So, you two knew each other."

"I didn't even know you guys had...that kind of relationship."

The topic didn't change. Rather, I felt that the atmosphere had become slightly worse than before.

Maybe I needed permission to be friends with their friends, something like that?

"Hey, don't tell me you guys are dating...?"

"T-that's not it! Jimichi-kun just picked me up!"

"Picked up...? What does that even mean?"

"Um, a lot of things happened..."

"M-more importantly, you aren't dating each other?"

When Hareyama answered her question, Azumi looked a bit confused.

She then started asking Hareyama what happened.

While she sat next to me.

"So, what do you mean by a lot of stuff?"

"Y-yeah, um...I couldn’t go home yesterday, you know?"

"Couldn't go home? What, you had a fight with your parents?"

"Hm~m...not too far from the truth?"

"I'm not understanding...and then?"

"That...I-I got picked up."

Please don't talk with me in between.

Hareyama was on my right, and Azumi was on my left. I could only listen to the conversation and I felt like a decorative figure.

But were they aware of the situation?

"Like I said, what do you mean by picked up?"

"I-I had nowhere else to go, so he picked me up."

Azumi's right hand was on my shoulder, and Hareyama's left hand was on my lap.

Azumi, aggressively questioning the other, was pressing on my shoulders as if to say I was in the way.

Hareyama, the one being questioned, put her hand on my knee, as if she wanted me to protect her if anything went wrong.

"Can't go home, nowhere to go, picked up... You, did you go to Jimichi's place?"

"Y-yeah...he let me stay."

"I-I see...hmm? But didn't Jimichi live alone? Was Akane-san there?"

"Akane-san...? That person...wasn't there."

...Hmm? The grip on my shoulder was getting a bit more forceful. Her nails were digging in and it hurt.

The hand on my knee also suddenly started shaking. It felt like the one on my right tried to hide herself in my shadow.

"...Then, what? You mean to say you were alone with Jimichi yesterday?"

"N-no...somehow, I think there was another person..."

No there wasn't, what was up with that horror episode.

I told Hareyama about my father when she was cleaning up, so was she talking about him?

If that's the case, I don't like it. Hurry up and rest in peace already.

(What do you mean you don't like it…)

Anyway, there was only two people, no doubt about that. Nothing weird happened, so I had to make it clear.

"...I didn't anything to Hanae."

"Hm~m, I don't know about that?"

"W-what the hell?! What does that mean?!"

"No look, maybe he did something while I was asleep?"

I didn't do anything, and I wasn't about to do something so cowardly.

Well, it seemed like Hareyama wouldn't wake up even if you played a prank on her...but no, I still had to quickly deny this.

"Hareyama, don't say weird things. I'm a man of morality."

"I know~. But it was a fun sleepover.”

Hareyama said that with a smirk, but wasn't this situation a bit different from a sleepover?

That was how I saw girls. We didn't do anything remarkable, aside maybe from the study sessions.

I was about to make a sarcastic remark about how she was crushed by studying too much...when Azumi said something strange.

"I-I think...I'll stay over next, too."

"Huh? Why all of a sudden?"

"N-no, that! I wanted to see Akane-san."

"It isn’t every day that Koudzuki-san stayed over."

When I told her this, she pouted her cheeks in displeasure and glared at me like a kid.

I didn't know how obsessed she was with Koudzuki-san. You seemed like you both exchanged contacts with each other, so I hoped you weren't saying anything bad about me, were you?

After that, the two of them continued to talk with me in between.

The time since then was relatively short, but I was fed with the topic of conversation.

When I got off the train, our walking formation remained the same. From the side, it looked like I took them with me.

The two people in question, who didn't seem concerned about being sent odd looks their way, were sticking too close to me, maybe because they wanted to hear the other's voice.

Should we be walking side by side like this... While I thought that, we arrived at the school entrance.

"―― Hanae! Reika!"

It was right after we passed the gate.

I thought I heard a guy's voice, somewhat angry in tone, and I turned around to see a familiar face staring back at me.