Volume 7 - CH 2.5

Preparing for the various school events is always tough work, but the closer we get to the main thing, the fewer classes we have, so I don’t particularly mind either way. Thanks to that, committee member Ootsuki-chan always says to not leave our textbooks at school with a heaving tone, which lets my bag on the way home be so blissfully light. And since we’re moving closer to the fall season, the air is getting a lot more comfortable and cooler when walking outside. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that this is the best season to study. Spring’s fine and all, but all the flower petals on my clothes and in my hair are something I can live without.

“~~~♪”

“Yo, Sajou. In a good mood, huh?”

“…?!”

I was just enjoying my time humming a bit of a melody, only for a voice to call out to me when I passed through the front gate. And analyzing the gender and octave of that voice, I immediately realized it was someone I knew.

“Good morning, Shinomiya-senpai. You’re here early, aren’t you?”

“Good morning. And of course, this is my duty as a member of the public morals committee.”

Indeed, it was none other than the public morals committee president Shinomiya-senpai. She’s checking the students’ uniforms as they pass through the school gate. As this is a weekly thing, I’m definitely not escaping her either.

“That melody sounds oddly familiar. What song is that?”

“It’s from a beer ad, actually.”

“I suddenly feel the urge to purge you.”

“P-Please don’t? I’m not drinking beer, just enjoying the music.”

“But why would you choose that melody first thing in the morning…isn’t there something else…a bit more youthful to hum?”

“I was in the mood for beer, that’s why.”

“You never learn, do you?”

Oopsies, Shinomiya-senpai’s eyebrows started twitching, tehe! I’d rather not be dragged to the student guidance office for a dumb joke, so I should probably choose my words more carefully when I’m in her presence. Since Shinomiya-senpai knows Big Sis so well and resembles her a whole lot, I just find myself letting loose. Am I…seeing Shinomiya-senpai as Big Sis…? Oh lord, I definitely can’t tell her that. And I’m always being used as a training partner by Big Sis simply because I don’t hold back, too. I guess I really never learn, huh?

“You’re still standing at the frontlines of the committee’s activities, I see. But weren’t you complaining last time we met during lunch? Something about students looking lousy on purpose so that you reprimand them. Maybe you should leave this work to someone else?”

“Fair point…However, the only members of the committee who can give out warnings disregarding the student year are third-years, see. And since I’m responsible for armed suppression, I cannot step down from this position.”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard of that…”

Seriously? So all the other public morals committee members are strong, and not just Shinomiya-senpai? Then there’s also the cold-blooded Sis sitting in the student council. Why are all the people in positions of power such muscle brains? I’m a bit worried about the next public morals committee president after Shinomiya-senpai. After a bit more idle talk we shared, she reacted like she spotted something and looked behind me.

“Hmh…Kaede!”

“Ack…Seriously?”

Since Big Sis usually is pretty lenient and takes her time getting ready in the morning, it’s common for her to leave the house way after me. It’s like those smartphone games where you collect goods while running away from the monster chasing you. If she catches up, it’s game over but with no retries.

“~~♪ Rin, you bullying my brother?”

“You’ve got guts greeting me with a whistle like that, Kaede. And what song was that, even?”

“The one the Vanilla truck1 always plays.”

“You siblings are just…!”

“What’s the problem? Just a bit of whistling hasn’t hurt a soul.” Big Sis grumbled.

“It’s not just that! You’re not even working as part of the student council, and yet you rolled up your sleeves! We’re not wearing our summer uniform anymore! And properly close up the front of your blazer!”

“Do it for me~”

“Gaaaah…! Stay still, then!”

Big Sis opened her arms and went on standby mode, as Shinomiya-senpai rushed to button up her blazer. I’m glad they’re still getting along as much as always. Though, since the other girls around us were watching this unfold in awe, I figured it’d be better if I didn’t stay around for too long. I should use this opening to escape from Shinomiya-senpai’s grasp.

*

When I entered the classroom, my eyes immediately wandered toward the lockers in the back, where Natsukawa was currently crouching down to organize her belongings. Hmm, the way she pushes down her skirt while doing so is truly the craft of a master. I’d love to keep watching her like that, but I can’t be acting like such a pervert first thing in the morning. Hence, I decided to just walk past her with a brief greeting.

“Morning, Natsukawa.”

“Ah…Wataru!”

“…Y-Yeah?”

She stood up and turned towards me, almost like she had been waiting for me to get here. That reaction of hers caught me by surprise, as I stuttered over my words.

“Erm…Did you need something from me?”

“Huh?! N-No, not really…Just…” Natsukawa lowered her head.

If she doesn’t, then…I guess I just caught her during a bad time? Maybe she was working on something that would fail as long as I simply passed by her? Girls got a lot of stuff to worry about, after all……Hm? The direction of Natsukawa’s gaze suddenly changed, pointing at…my necktie? Ah.

I see, I see. Is she checking me out to see if my appearance is lousy again? A few days ago, Natsukawa was kind enough to fix my crooked necktie, but I’ve been careful since then. Of course, I’ve got not a single strain of hair rebelling either! There should be no more reason for Natsukawa to lay her hands on me! So how’s this?! Perfect, right?

“…”

“Natsukawa…?”

I opened up my arms and stood tall like a king talking to the peasants, but Natsukawa showed no reaction whatsoever. That’s not what I expected to happen. I was betting my money on her showing another angelic smile while she says “Much better.” Now that I think about it, I was practically acting like a child wanting to be praised by its mother…Gah, so embarrassing. I was lamenting in my shame, only for Natsukawa’s head to suddenly shoot up, followed by her approaching me.

“M-Morning.”

“…Wha?”

TAP, Natsukawa placed her palm on my left chest. Met with this sudden sexual harassment, my brain went into overdrive. Even Ashida, who couldn’t be more assertive when it comes to physical contact, only chose my shoulder, arm, or back so far.

“…Lewd Natsukawa.”

“Wha…?!”

I couldn’t help but grin as I turned my back toward her in an attempt to hide my chest, when she started panicking. Her face grew as red as a tomato and she burst out in anger.

“Geez…Just put away your stuff and get to your seat!”

“Don’t be so angry. You’re the one who touched my boobies.”

“Enough!” She began fuming as she pushed me all the way to my seat.

It seems like Natsukawa’s pretty weak when it comes to teasing like this. Now I sort of understand why people would be teasing their crushes. Ahh, so cute.

“Aaaaaaiiiii—”

“Hm?”

I suddenly heard another voice. And if I had to guess…Ashida, huh? The door swung open, and I saw Ashida dashing inside the classroom in a posture already in half mid-air to leap at Natsukawa, as she always would. Good thing Natsukawa is standing between the two of us. But, always gotta be prepared for the next attack!

“—Chiiii!”

“Eeek?!”

“Oof…?!”

Suddenly, a blunt impact collided with my back. And at the same time, two arms appeared in front of me. Since I was prepared for something to happen, I got off with a bit of pain running down my back, but that’s about it…Huh? But, something’s off about this.

“Hmmm…?”

“Wha…What…?!”

I twisted my upper body to look behind me, immediately spotting Natsukawa with an utterly baffled expression. She stood there freely without being restrained by Ashida. It appears as if she finally became able to evade Ashida’s leaping attack. But…that means the person clinging to me right now is—

“Wha…Huh?! Ashida?!”

“W-Wait a second…You’re Sajocchi?”

Since this situation wasn’t anything I could have anticipated, I was now the one panicking like a cat with a bucket over its head, and Natsukawa wasn’t doing much better than me either. It didn’t take much detective work to realize that Ashida was currently clinging to me.

“What are you doing…”

“I mean, Aichi just dodged me out of nowhere.”

“Why are you making this my fault?!”

Now that we’ve analyzed the situation, it’s time to resolve everything. Then again, Ashida is probably just gonna leap at Natsukawa again once she lets go of me—

“…”

“Kei…?”

Or so I thought, but Ashida suddenly grew silent and didn’t move at all. Natsukawa seemed just as confused as I was, as she called out to her. What’s going on now…?

“…S-Sajocchi, your back is…a lot bigger than I thought.”

“Wat…?”

“S-So different from Aichi…”

“~~~?!”

Her arms were still wrapped around me, paired with a faint voice I had never heard from Ashida. Now hold on, is she actually…

“—Y-You can’t!”

“Waaaah?!”

Ashida got peeled off me like the skin of an onion. With her warmth gone, I felt a chilly breeze running along my back. That’s probably why I regretted this loss a bit more than I normally would have.

“Y-You can’t do this kind of thing with a boy!”

“Ah, right…Sorry.”

“You should do that when you…when you two are in that kind of relationship!” Natsukawa pressed this while practically screaming at this point.

As a result of that, she instantly gathered the attention of most of our classmates. And Ashida just returned a bewildered reaction, as if she didn’t even know what was going on.

“…”

Amidst all of that, my attention drifted towards a single fact.

‘Y-You can’t do this kind of thing with a boy!’

I…I have a faint recollection of her doing the same. And the moment I realized that, my gaze wandered towards her. However, Natsukawa was so busy being embarrassed at all of this sudden attention that she didn’t even think about that. Well, I guess she wouldn’t give it much thought since she just tripped…

“—It’s…”

At the same time, Natsukawa grew even more flustered after she realized that everybody was looking at her.

“…only mine…”

Because of all the noise around us, I could not pick up what she just muttered with a meak voice.