Episode 128 – Support

I was facing Nanase in the pale light of the equipment room. Perhaps being called for by me, Nanase’s expression was a little stiffer than usual.

“I’m sorry for calling you out.”

“No, it’s no problem at all…….”

Nanase seems to be floating somewhere. She looks around the room and doesn’t try to make eye contact with me. Also, she has a slightly odd look on her face as if she is trying to force a smile.

“Did you have any plans?”

“N-no, nothing in particular.”

“? I see.”

Despite that, Nanase looks somewhat restless. It doesn’t seem like she’s lacking in energy, but she’s lacking a little of her usual liveliness. But there’s no use worrying about things that you can’t understand unless you clear your mind, so let’s get down to business.

“Now, about the matter I called you about today….”

“Y-yes. I’m not really prepared for it, but I’ll brace myself !”

“……?”

I wonder what it is, Nanase is proudly standing in front of me and waiting for me to open my mouth, but I feel that the amount of heat is different from usual. No, rather than heat, I wonder if it’s a feeling. I was curious about it, so I decided to ask Nanase a few questions.

“Hey Nanase, what the heck do you think I’m talking about?

“Eh, eeeeehh !? Are you asking me that?”

I was going to ask her, but Nanase’s face was blushing for some reason. Also, it looks like she’s a little embarrassed.

“Well, of course, when boys and girls are out of sight after school, and one of them is being called out…”

“I understand. Enough Nanase.”

Apparently, Nanase seems to be misunderstanding. To avoid leaking information, I called her without telling her anything, so it seems that I made her wonder about various things. Or rather, the cause is mostly me, so I’ll explain as soon as possible.

“Don’t worry, Nanase. It’s not going to turn out like a romantic comedy like you think.”

“……Eh, it’s not?”

“Yeah. It has nothing to do with it at all.”

“…I-I was impatient～”

Nanase slumped to the ground while saying that. Apparently Nanase thinks I summoned her to such a private place to make a confession. Certainly, looking back, it wouldn’t be strange if it was received that way, and it made her worry about various things.

It is rather about Nanase. There must have been several times in the past when she was called out like this for confession. In that sense, I had put unnecessary pressure on her.

“Well, I’m the one who called you out without saying anything. I’m sorry.”

“N-no. I’m the one who misunderstood……”

“Do you get a lot of these?”

“Well…..yes, in their own way.”

It seems I was right. However, it seems better to calm down a little more about the person herself before getting into the main subject. I walk over to Nanase and hold out my hand.

“I thought you said you preferred reading shounen manga, but have you finally gotten into shoujo manga as well?”

“Well, I’ve been reading more and more so-called “seinen manga” lately.”

“Oh, you mean the ones with all the grotesque and erotic elements added at once?”

“I think it’s better to stop that perception because it can turn all writers into enemies.”

I haven’t read the manga much myself, so I’m not qualified to mention that. Nanase grabbed my hand and stood up while saying something a little old-fashioned like “heavy-ho”. It seems that the tension has eased a little.

“I’ll tell Senpai about my recommended manga next time.”

“Well, we’ll see.”

I was not aware of the fact that this random reply would later lead to an unexpected and troublesome incident.

“Then, what do you want me to do, Senpai?”

Nanase must have finally changed her mind, she waited for me to speak with a slightly more serious voice. The first thing I did was to check again that there was no sign of anyone outside the classroom, and then I told Nanase what I had called her about today.

“There’s a girl in your class named Hashimoto Michiko, right? I’m here to talk about her.”

“Hashimoto san?”

When I mentioned the name, Nanase frowned slightly. Apparently Nanase doesn’t want to talk too much. But if I couldn’t get any information out of her, there was nothing I could do.

“Umm, why does Senpai want to know about Hashimoto san?”

“Ah…….”

To get Shinya and the others to hell….I can’t say anything wicked to my junior. On the other hand, I don’t even have the slightest idea that I’m helping people. I try to come up with some random reasons, but none of them are in my character, and they are immediately rejected in a brainstorming session. And the answer I arrived at was…..

“I have some idea why the girl was suspended, and I’m trying to find out why.”

It was about telling the truth.

“……Eh?”

As I said this, Nanase, as expected, looked back at me with a stunned expression on her face. Then there was a brief moment of silence. But it was short-lived, and the next moment, she said in a voice so loud that it shook the atmosphere

“E-eeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhh !? !?”

Surprised at the volume of her voice, which was so loud that it was hard to believe she was a girl, I frowned as my eardrums ached a little from the close proximity of her scream. However, such an appeal was in vain, and Nanase grabbed my shoulders and shook me back and forth.

“W-w-what do you mean, Senpai !”

“C-calm down. I only found out recently……”

“B-but…..but !?”

I forcibly cover her mouth with my left hand to silence the restless Nanase. It wouldn’t be strange if someone came to check on the situation if there was any more noise, and the reason why I went to the trouble of picking a secluded place and summoning her would be gone. This is not a place where people are encouraged to come and go.

“Once again, calm down.”

“Hmph, hmph.”

Even though she was surprised that her mouth was forcibly blocked, she seemed to have barely regained her composure. If people see me, it looks like I’m trying to do whatever I want by forcing Nanase in, but there’s no one and it’s safe.

“I’ll tell you what I know for now.”

I took my left hand away from Nanase’s mouth and told her what had happened, avoiding as much of my past and unnecessary details as possible. Of course, Sakura and Yukihana’s matters are also a secret.

I also told her that a transfer student who had recently arrived might be involved and that even the teachers at the school did not know the details of the situation. I told her a few predictable things, but Nanase listened to me earnestly from beginning to end.

“Okay, I think I’ve got the general gist of it…..maybe.”

“You don’t need to add anything else.”

“No, I understand ! Yes.”

However, Nanase lacks confidence. Well, I think it would be nice if Nanase didn’t understand the truth as it was, and that the student named Shinya was the mastermind behind everything.

“So, I would like to ask Hashimoto san about the situation. If it’s her, she should indeed know what’s happening to herself.

“We thought so and contacted Hashimoto

san several times, but she never responded.”

So, they can send messages to Hashimoto san, but she never replies to the messages. Is the other party not in a position to use electronic devices such as smartphones, or are there other factors at play? The more I think about it, the deeper I read into it.

“Then, has anyone been to Hashimoto san’s house?”

“It looks like there are several of them. But it looks like they were kicked out by Hashimoto san’s parents. Telling them that she’s not in a situation to talk right now.”

“I see.”

It is just like the Records of Ancient Matters. No, the existence of parents who protect Hashimoto san, who is in it, is worse than Records of Ancient Matters. However, after hearing the story, I realized that the probability of being able to contact her was not 0%. That alone would be a pretty big gain.

“I’d like to visit Hashimoto san’s house once myself.”

“Senpai, you seem to be more active than usual. Did something happen?”

“Who knows.”

The only thing I can say is that I’ve solved one of the old ties. But it is also true that only one of them gives me a lot of confidence

“So, even if I visit Hashimoto san’s house for the first time, it’s certain that I’ll be kicked out. Or rather, I don’t know her house in the first place. I’m looking for a guide and someone who can act as a cushion when negotiating with her parents.”

“D-do you think you can handle such a big role? Well, I’ve been to Hashimoto san’s house once, so I know where it is…..”

“There’s no one better suited for the job than you.”

Or rather, in the first place, there is no one to rely on other than Nanase. Sakura, of course, I didn’t want her to get involved in unnecessary matters. That’s why I chose Nanase, who has a certain amount of restraint.

“Then, we better hurry. Let’s get going.

“Right away !”

Saying that, we left the equipment room. Nanase’s expression gives a slightly heavy impression, but it was clearer than when she came here. It seems that Sakura wasn’t the only one who was smoldering about Hashimoto.

“Speaking of which, Senpai.”

“What is it?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Then we left the school together. Nanase, who was walking next to me, glanced at me and for some reason sometimes looked happy. I couldn’t quite understand the reason for this now.

We used to avoid walking together in school because I didn’t want to stand out, but now we stood next to each other and kept in step for the same purpose.