Episode 118 – Silent Thrust

I was still spending my holiday as I had been since the conversation with Yukihana, but Monday morning arrived without anything special happening. I was so determined to hunt down Shinya and the others in my own way that I no longer kept in touch with Yukihana, let alone align myself with her.

This was my own battle to begin with. Even if someone else is suffering somewhere, there is no reason for me to help them, and I’m a scum who takes advantage of even that situation. People may call someone like me a bastard, but I’m neither a friend of justice nor a trendy dark hero.

“So, Yukihana, you can either save yourself or be defeated without my knowledge.”

I did everything I could to make that happen, which I didn’t originally need to do. I’m not going to get involved any further with that guy for now.

“……Well, the problem is that we’re sitting next to each other.”

I wonder if it’s time for a full-fledged seat-switching event to occur? When I was in elementary school, I had an image of it quite often, but after entering middle school, I get the impression that such events have become less common. I wish they would at least hold such events before the long vacation.

“Hah, maybe I should have gone to a correspondence high school after all?”

But that would have ended without any clue about Shinya, and I let out a long sigh, knowing that in the end, this is what had to be done. While I was having such a dull morning, I heard my sister calling out to me. As usual, she wants to have breakfast with me. Even if we had breakfast together, it wouldn’t change the potential of the cooking.

“She’s going to get mad at me, so I better get going.”

So I put on my uniform and go downstairs where my sister is waiting for me. I finished my breakfast as usual and left the house a few minutes after she left. She might have asked me if I wanted to go to school with her, but I didn’t say anything to her. It was a natural thing to do without either of us having to say anything.

“Why am I thinking about that all morning?”

Well, the reason was obvious. The fact that I had told Yukihana about my past still stirred up my mind here. While feeling an unusual foreign feeling on my skin, I forcibly cut it off and left the house.

“……On the other hand, it would be easier if she hated me.”

I was walking around thinking about that, and before I knew it, I had arrived in front of the school’s shoe box. I changed my shoes and went inside the classroom, where a classroom that was relatively quieter than the other day greeted me.

(……Until recently, there had been a lot of commotion over the suspensions.)

Before that, there had been a lot of talk about the mysterious rabbit-faced man (me) who showed up at the sports festival, but now things seem to have calmed down and life has returned to the way it was before that. I guess the story about the suspensions didn’t last that long because it happened in another class.

Then I took my seat. Next to me was Yukihana, who had already arrived at school and seemed to be reading a book as usual. However, the book she was reading was not the usual light novel, but something that looked difficult. I’m glad that she’s not going to say anything to me while she’s engrossed in her book.

(Well, let’s get on with today’s quota for now.)

I plopped my face down on the desk and waited for the teacher to come, feeling unnatural that the rumors had almost disappeared. For the time being, I intend to lead an ordinary life as a normal high school student. But when the time comes, I will make my move. I had this thought in my mind.

“Okay, please take your seats.

Um, who is absent…..”

The teacher began the day with homeroom, and time passed slowly through the first and second periods. The atmosphere in the classroom is relaxed as it used to be when the lunch break arrives, and it seems as if the ordinary days are back.

(Well, as expected, let’s change the place)

I usually eat lunch in the classroom, but it is somewhat awkward to have a silent Yukihana next to me, so I decided to change the place for a while from today. And so, I went to the equipment room, I made sure no one was there and bit into a piece of bread I bought at a convenience store.

“……It doesn’t taste very good.”

The egg sandwich I bought today was a letdown. The eggs are sticky and the mayonnaise, which is probably the secret ingredient, is too strong. I decided not to buy this product again.

“I mean, what do the online reviews say about it?”

With a not-so-good egg sandwich in my hand, I looked up the ratings of this bread on my smartphone. And sure enough, there were a lot of terrible reviews and opinions. Let’s see, this egg sandwich has 5 out of 5 stars……

–Brrrt…brrrrt !

As I was about to check the number of stars on the food log, my phone screen changed and my phone suddenly started vibrating. Apparently, a phone call came in at this time. My heart skipped a beat because there was no sound because I had it on silent mode.

“……Yukihana?”

Apparently, Yukihana called me at this timing. If there’s something she wants to say, she can say it directly in the classroom, but I can’t help but avoid her, so I can’t talk about it.

(Should I answer or not?).

I decided to answer the phone since I knew I would get stared at in the classroom anyway if I ignored the call. I reluctantly tap the call button and hold the phone to my ear.

“……What.”

[………….]

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up.”

[I want to talk. Preferably in person.]

“Huh?”

I frowned at the unexpected invitation. Just as I was about to avoid further interference, then this happened. I feel a headache-like pain has spread to my head.

“Say it over the phone. You’re talking on the phone when no one’s around, aren’t you?”

[….Are you watching?]

“I can tell by the sound.”

There is no other voice on the phone except Yukihana’s. And since her voice is not muffled, I assume that she is probably talking outside.

“So, what can I do for you?”

[After school, come to the rooftop. We’ll talk there.]

“Hey, if you want to talk, talk now.”

[…..I refuse. I don’t want to talk to you unless it’s in person.]

Yukihana was even more stubborn than usual. I was about to decide in my mind to back out of the meeting because it honestly didn’t seem to benefit me in any way, when the speaker on my phone shook again and I heard the following words

[……Please. This is probably the last time.]

At the end of the conversation, the call ended abruptly. I frowned at her one-sidedness. I guess it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t go. It would have been stupid of me to jump in there myself.

“….So stupid.”

I left the equipment room while cleaning up the remains of my lunch. And when I returned to the classroom, Yukihana, who must have returned first, was reading the same book as she had in the morning with a nonchalant look on her face. But I felt her reading speed was slower than usual. I wondered if she was feeling guilty about what she had just said.

(……You can expect it on your own.)

While saying this, I was thinking about my after-school plans.