“Oi, oi, oi, what are you doing!?”
As soon as we entered the classroom, Masaya came up to us downstairs with a bloodthirsty look on his face.
“Good morning, Nishino-kun. It’s a beautiful day today.”
“Oh, ou… good morning― Hey, Haru, what’s this all about?!”
Masaya’s astonishment is understandable.
I had previously told him I would not reveal my relationship with Tojo-san to the people around me.
Now that we have come to school with our arms proudly crossed, it is not surprising that he’s confused.
“Things have become a bit different… and it’s more convenient for me to be like this.”
“…Well, I ain’t going to go into details, but have you guys noticed the ridiculous stares all around you?”
Yeah, of course, we noticed.
I could see that my classmates were looking at me from a distance because I was talking to Masaya, and they were itching to talk to me.
Or rather, several of them were already approaching us.
They were the girls who loved to gossip.
Now that they have seen us, our relationship will probably spread at an alarming rate.
“Uh— Umm, Tojo-san…?”
See, here they come.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Are you going out with Inamori-kun? Is that why you’re holding your arms…?”
“Yes, we have a cherished relationship.”
Tojo-san’s words were like a spring to them.
She seemed quite happy to be able to talk about her relationship with me.
If I had more confidence in myself, I could have made one of my smug faces here, but I could only keep a modest smile because of my personality.
The girls started to make a merry fuss when they heard Tojo-san’s words.
“Hey, hey! How did you get together?”
“What do you like about Inamori-kun?”
“How far have you gone?”
The girls who often have lunch with Tojo-san took the initiative in asking questions.
All of these questions were quite in-depth, but Tojo-san did not break her expression at all.
“I confessed my feelings for him a few days ago, and that’s how we ended up going out.”
“There are many things I like about Inamori-kun, but if I had to pick one thing in particular, it would be his kindness and caring nature, and I like his sincerity and the fact that he looks you in the eye when he talks to you… I also like how he is more stubborn than I imagined because he is so manly. If we talk about looks, I can’t leave out the eyes and hair; I can look at them forever.”
“We’ve only just started dating, so we haven’t actually progressed much, but… I hope we can eventually connect both physically and mentally- Fufufu.”
… I wonder if the girls could hear her properly since she said it too quickly.
The fact that they were already flabbergasted halfway through probably meant they struggled to understand the second half of the story in their heads.
It is likely that they were partly taken aback by Tojo-san, who is usually quiet, suddenly speaking so eloquently.
Among such frozen girls, only one didn’t stand still and stepped forward in front of Tojo-san and me.
As I recall— Yes, it was Shizuhara-san.
“…Yeah, you’re still cute.”
“Eh?”
“I mean, last time we talked about Inamori, were you already going out with him?”
When I looked in Tojo-san’s direction, not understanding the meaning of her question, she clapped her hands as if she remembered.
“Yes, we were.”
“… Good, it all got resolved before I started being weirdly mindful about you.”
Shizuhara-san tells her that while looking at me.
I don’t know what she meant, but I understood from the tense atmosphere between her and Tojo-san that it was a topic I shouldn’t touch too much.
“Well, class is about to start. I’ll tell you the details later.”
Tojo-san looked at her watch and urged her assembled classmates to take their seats.
Sure enough, it was almost time for the chime to ring.
As everyone returned to their seats, I, too, headed to my seat with Masaya, who still looked like he wanted to talk to me.
During class, I was constantly feeling people’s stares.
The owners of the stares were boys who were boiling with jealousy.
Although they didn’t directly get involved, they were the ones who were angry about the story that Tojo-san and I were dating.
I glanced over at Masaya, and he was directing a sorry look at me.
Aah, do you understand, my friend?
◇◆◇
It was lunchtime, and many girls gathered around Tojo-san.
Around me― fortunately, there were no guys except Masaya.
“It’s getting harder to spend time in your high school life.”
“Well, it can’t be helped, and I can only hope she’ll be a little safer like this.”
I have told Masaya about the situation to some extent.
Of course, I skipped specific details about Tojo-san, but I’m sure he understood she was being targeted by a vicious stalker.
“But, you know, there’s a pattern that the mention of Tojo having a boyfriend will make him even more upset, isn’t there?”
“… I was a little worried too, but according to her and her bodyguard, it’s easier if she shows herself in a passionate way.”
The trouble with stalkers is that they aren’t always seriously taken.
So it is easier to deal with them if they attack you directly.
It is more troublesome if they take their time and look for an opportunity to take a long, deliberate approach and when they come up with an elaborate plan.
Well, all of these statements only come out because there is a person in whom I can place their absolute trust, which is Hino-san.
Realistically speaking, it is always better not to stir things up badly.
“Hm… Well. I don’t want to see you get hurt because of it, okay? I’d miss having someone to hang out with.”
“You’re assuming I’m going to die.”
“I’m really worried about you, man. We never really understand people who do things like that, you know? I mean, they could do anything to you. I mean, really, they could stab you if you’re not careful.”
Masaya’s eyes were more serious than ever.
I understand what he was saying.
I had no intention of making fun of him.
I know human life is fragile, at least more than anyone else in this class.
That’s why, for some reason or other.
I didn’t want to direct too many negative words at Masaya.
It was said that words have a mysterious power, and I feel that a careless remark can become a reality- but I think he is indeed too concerned.
“Thanks, Masaya, for worrying about me.”
“It’s not something you should be thanking me for since I don’t want to be in the way and I feel that more than anyone else.”
As expected, Masaya is a good guy no matter where he goes.
He is good-natured and has many messy parts, but he also has many more good parts.
He’s smart, witty, and never touches anything you don’t want him to.
[EDN: Figuratively.]
From the bottom of my heart, I’m glad he’s my best friend.
“I hope it’ll go peacefully for now. A decent guy wouldn’t touch someone who has a boyfriend, and it might go more smoothly than you think.”
“… Yes, that would be the best thing. The most desirable thing is for that to happen—”
Saying this, I put the lunch Tojo-san made in my mouth.
At the same time, the classroom door suddenly opened with a loud noise.
The next thing I hear is the voice of a familiar junior student.
“Inamori-senpai! Is it true that you’re dating Tojo-senpai?⁉ Wasn’t that just a show-off the other day?”
Ah— Harmless, but a troublesome person came.
“Oi, oi, oi, what are you doing!?”
As soon as we entered the classroom, Masaya came up to us downstairs with a bloodthirsty look on his face.
“Good morning, Nishino-kun. It’s a beautiful day today.”
“Oh, ou… good morning― Hey, Haru, what’s this all about?!”
Masaya’s astonishment is understandable.
I had previously told him I would not reveal my relationship with Tojo-san to the people around me.
Now that we have come to school with our arms proudly crossed, it is not surprising that he’s confused.
“Things have become a bit different… and it’s more convenient for me to be like this.”
“…Well, I ain’t going to go into details, but have you guys noticed the ridiculous stares all around you?”
Yeah, of course, we noticed.
I could see that my classmates were looking at me from a distance because I was talking to Masaya, and they were itching to talk to me.
Or rather, several of them were already approaching us.
They were the girls who loved to gossip.
Now that they have seen us, our relationship will probably spread at an alarming rate.
“Uh— Umm, Tojo-san…?”
See, here they come.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Are you going out with Inamori-kun? Is that why you’re holding your arms…?”
“Yes, we have a cherished relationship.”
Tojo-san’s words were like a spring to them.
She seemed quite happy to be able to talk about her relationship with me.
If I had more confidence in myself, I could have made one of my smug faces here, but I could only keep a modest smile because of my personality.
The girls started to make a merry fuss when they heard Tojo-san’s words.
“Hey, hey! How did you get together?”
“What do you like about Inamori-kun?”
“How far have you gone?”
The girls who often have lunch with Tojo-san took the initiative in asking questions.
All of these questions were quite in-depth, but Tojo-san did not break her expression at all.
“I confessed my feelings for him a few days ago, and that’s how we ended up going out.”
“There are many things I like about Inamori-kun, but if I had to pick one thing in particular, it would be his kindness and caring nature, and I like his sincerity and the fact that he looks you in the eye when he talks to you… I also like how he is more stubborn than I imagined because he is so manly. If we talk about looks, I can’t leave out the eyes and hair; I can look at them forever.”
“We’ve only just started dating, so we haven’t actually progressed much, but… I hope we can eventually connect both physically and mentally- Fufufu.”
… I wonder if the girls could hear her properly since she said it too quickly.
The fact that they were already flabbergasted halfway through probably meant they struggled to understand the second half of the story in their heads.
It is likely that they were partly taken aback by Tojo-san, who is usually quiet, suddenly speaking so eloquently.
Among such frozen girls, only one didn’t stand still and stepped forward in front of Tojo-san and me.
As I recall— Yes, it was Shizuhara-san.
“…Yeah, you’re still cute.”
“Eh?”
“I mean, last time we talked about Inamori, were you already going out with him?”
When I looked in Tojo-san’s direction, not understanding the meaning of her question, she clapped her hands as if she remembered.
“Yes, we were.”
“… Good, it all got resolved before I started being weirdly mindful about you.”
Shizuhara-san tells her that while looking at me.
I don’t know what she meant, but I understood from the tense atmosphere between her and Tojo-san that it was a topic I shouldn’t touch too much.
“Well, class is about to start. I’ll tell you the details later.”
Tojo-san looked at her watch and urged her assembled classmates to take their seats.
Sure enough, it was almost time for the chime to ring.
As everyone returned to their seats, I, too, headed to my seat with Masaya, who still looked like he wanted to talk to me.
During class, I was constantly feeling people’s stares.
The owners of the stares were boys who were boiling with jealousy.
Although they didn’t directly get involved, they were the ones who were angry about the story that Tojo-san and I were dating.
I glanced over at Masaya, and he was directing a sorry look at me.
Aah, do you understand, my friend?
◇◆◇
It was lunchtime, and many girls gathered around Tojo-san.
Around me― fortunately, there were no guys except Masaya.
“It’s getting harder to spend time in your high school life.”
“Well, it can’t be helped, and I can only hope she’ll be a little safer like this.”
I have told Masaya about the situation to some extent.
Of course, I skipped specific details about Tojo-san, but I’m sure he understood she was being targeted by a vicious stalker.
“But, you know, there’s a pattern that the mention of Tojo having a boyfriend will make him even more upset, isn’t there?”
“… I was a little worried too, but according to her and her bodyguard, it’s easier if she shows herself in a passionate way.”
The trouble with stalkers is that they aren’t always seriously taken.
So it is easier to deal with them if they attack you directly.
It is more troublesome if they take their time and look for an opportunity to take a long, deliberate approach and when they come up with an elaborate plan.
Well, all of these statements only come out because there is a person in whom I can place their absolute trust, which is Hino-san.
Realistically speaking, it is always better not to stir things up badly.
“Hm… Well. I don’t want to see you get hurt because of it, okay? I’d miss having someone to hang out with.”
“You’re assuming I’m going to die.”
“I’m really worried about you, man. We never really understand people who do things like that, you know? I mean, they could do anything to you. I mean, really, they could stab you if you’re not careful.”
Masaya’s eyes were more serious than ever.
I understand what he was saying.
I had no intention of making fun of him.
I know human life is fragile, at least more than anyone else in this class.
That’s why, for some reason or other.
I didn’t want to direct too many negative words at Masaya.
It was said that words have a mysterious power, and I feel that a careless remark can become a reality- but I think he is indeed too concerned.
“Thanks, Masaya, for worrying about me.”
“It’s not something you should be thanking me for since I don’t want to be in the way and I feel that more than anyone else.”
As expected, Masaya is a good guy no matter where he goes.
He is good-natured and has many messy parts, but he also has many more good parts.
He’s smart, witty, and never touches anything you don’t want him to.
[EDN: Figuratively.]
From the bottom of my heart, I’m glad he’s my best friend.
“I hope it’ll go peacefully for now. A decent guy wouldn’t touch someone who has a boyfriend, and it might go more smoothly than you think.”
“… Yes, that would be the best thing. The most desirable thing is for that to happen—”
Saying this, I put the lunch Tojo-san made in my mouth.
At the same time, the classroom door suddenly opened with a loud noise.
The next thing I hear is the voice of a familiar junior student.
“Inamori-senpai! Is it true that you’re dating Tojo-senpai?⁉ Wasn’t that just a show-off the other day?”
Ah— Harmless, but a troublesome person came.
