16: You’re Telling Me She’s a High-Quality Woman?

"Am I bothering you?"

"Since you know, just ignore me. At what time do you think I went to bed last night?"

"What time?"

"... I'm telling you, Suzumiya, if you keep being annoying, don't blame me if you end up with a bloody nose."

"Got it. But at least keep the window slightly closed; it's a bit chilly in the morning. I won't bother you anymore. Good night, Touma-san."

"..."

Touma Kazusa didn't hide her impatience.

But even so, she allowed Suzumiya Chisato to close the window.

After their conversation ended, she went back to lying on her desk, hiding her face between her arms.

It's a shame—she's so beautiful, and sleeping like that is such a waste.

Chisato sighed at the thought and returned to his seat.

"Ah, too bad, Suzumiya, you got turned away." A boy in the front row, who had witnessed the scene, turned around and spoke softly to Suzumiya Chisato with no ill intent.

Seeing this, Suzumiya Chisato tilted his head in confusion and replied, "Um… who are you?"

Touma Kazusa, who was lying on her desk, shivered slightly.

[Touma Kazusa is feeling happy. Favorability +1.]

Suzumiya Chisato looked to his left, feeling resigned.

It might be true about what they say, her being a music prodigy—her hearing is so sharp, she overheard their conversation even though they were trying to be quiet.

"It's troubling. Even after two weeks of class changes, you still haven't remembered my name. That's really a shame."

The short boy with light brown hair didn't mind and smiled happily.

"I'm Fukube Satoshi. Nice to meet you."

Suzumiya Chisato's face broke into a bright smile.

"Seriously, Fukube , you really gave a formal introduction. I was just joking earlier. Didn't you catch that?"

"..." Satoshi showed curiosity and a confused smile.

 Suzumiya Chisato looked at him and, after a moment of silence, said.

"Fukube , even if you keep looking at me like that, it won't change the fact that I'm interested in the opposite sex."

"... cough."

Satoshi couldn't hold it in.

"No, I didn't mean that at all. I just thought today's Suzumiya felt different from usual."

Suzumiya Chisato acted confused even though he understood perfectly.

"Really? I don't think I've changed that much."

"Well, if you say so, maybe it's just my impression. But it's good. The previous Suzumiya seemed hard to approach, but now you seem much friendlier."

Satoshi extended his hand. "In any case, if you need anything, just ask me. I'm not bragging, but I pretty much know everything happening around the school."

Wow! Just like those soul-supporting characters in dating sims who usually don't have a presence but appear exactly when needed to give crucial information—like Watson to Sherlock Holmes.

If he's as capable as he claims, there's no reason not to take advantage of this support.

Suzumiya Chisato shook his hand.

"If I have any questions, I'll ask you. Please look after me from now on."

"No need to be so formal. Let's have lunch together during the break."

"Sure."

The morning classes were overall quite normal, with nothing particularly noteworthy.

Suzumiya Chisato paid close attention and took notes of the important content from the board.

During the lunch break, Satoshi took out his lunchbox, and Suzumiya Chisato pulled out a rice ball from his backpack.

There were two in the fridge at the apartment. He had one in the morning and was having the other for lunch. The taste wasn't great, but it shouldn't go to waste.

The two of them chatted casually while eating.

At one point, Suzumiya Chisato glanced over at Touma Kazusa. The noisy classroom didn't seem to affect her peaceful sleep at all.

It's a shame her face is hidden in her arms; otherwise, he'd really like to see what she looks like when she's asleep.

"Although it might be a bit discouraging, I suggest you'd better give up, Suzumiya."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Satoshi smiled and quickly finished his lunch.

He stood up and signaled for Chisato to follow him outside.

In the hallway, the two walked side by side.

"What I'm about to say is not malicious gossip about Touma-san but rather something that actually happened, and it's not really a secret in school. I just want to make that clear first."

"What do you want to say?"

"You know we have a special music class at our school, right?"

"Yeah, the students in that class always look down on the normal academic students. Honestly, it's a bit annoying."

"Haha, that's a fair assessment. Did you know that Touma Kazusa was originally a student in music class?"

"Oh? I didn't know that."

"Do you want to know why she was moved to the normal academic class?"

Although Suzumiya Chisato had some information about Touma Kazusa from his previous life, many details had faded over time, and he only remembered the general idea.

So Suzumiya Chisato shook his head and showed an attentive expression.

"It's because she broke the rules. Touma-san kicked a student in the music class who was persistently bothering her."

Satoshi demonstrated the kicking action with a laugh, though his short legs couldn't make the motion look very graceful.

"Like this, she decisively knocked that guy down, making him roll around on the floor holding his groin." 

"And then, as if to get rid of the unpleasant sensation left on her foot, she threw a tantrum and overturned all the desks and chairs around her. It was quite a terrifying scene."

"... You saw all this in such detail?"

"Yeah, I happened to be passing by the music class with a friend at that time. 

"I watched the whole thing with great interest. In the end, the guy couldn't even stand up and was carried to the infirmary by a teacher who arrived."

"Oh, I didn't know that happened. What about after that? Did Touma-san face any punishment?"

"Of course not. Do you know who her mother is?" 

"She's a world-famous musician—Touma Youko—who sponsored a large amount of funds and an extremely expensive piano for our school!"

"There's no need to recite her name so excitedly. I know she's impressive. So, under her influence, the matter was dropped?"

"Well, not exactly. Although the school didn't pursue the issue, the person who was kicked had some prestige in the music class."

"After that, everyone in the music class showed the same attitude toward Touma-san."

Satoshi didn't provide specific details, but based on what he said, Suzumiya Chisato could easily draw a conclusion.

"I see. So that's why she ended up in our class."

Satoshi nodded.

As they continued their conversation, they unknowingly reached the end of the hallway.

At the corner of the wall, there were two vending machines side by side—one selling drinks and the other selling snacks like bread and rice balls.

Suzumiya Chisato took out his wallet and bought two cans of drink from the vending machine.

He picked them up, put one in each pocket of his jacket, and turned around.

But when he looked back, he saw Satoshi's awkward expression and the sudden withdrawal of his right hand.

Oh… he thought one of the cans was for him…

An awkward atmosphere spread between them.

But Suzumiya Chisato quickly reacted,

"Thanks, Fukube . As a token of my appreciation for the information you provided, I'll show you a magic trick."

Without waiting for Satoshi's reaction, Chisato immediately continued, "Tell me right now! What drink do you want?"

"Huh?"

"Quick, quick, quick!"

"Uh… Cola, please!"

"Here you go!"

Suzumiya Chisato took out the drink from his left pocket and handed it to Satoshi.

Satoshi looked at the cold tea in his hand, unsure of what expression to make.

"It's a shame. I'm still a bit inexperienced. I almost succeeded. I'll practice more and find another chance to show you."

"Pfft… Hahaha, Suzumiya, you're really an interesting person."

"Even if you say that, my answer is still the same. My liking for the opposite sex won't change because of that."

"Please don't, or I won't be able to relax sitting in front of you."

The slight awkwardness between the boys was quickly dissolved by their casual joking.

They opened their drinks and took a sip.

"By the way, Fukube , I'm curious about why you specifically called me out to talk about this."

"Oh, there's no special purpose. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. 

"It's fine to try to get closer to Touma-san, but remember to protect yourself and avoid ending up like that guy from the music class."

Satoshi said this half-jokingly, but then his tone became slightly serious,

"Also, it's been two weeks since the new term started, and I haven't seen Touma-san talk to anyone in the class for more than three sentences." 

"In a way, you're the first person to break her silence." 

"While her previous behavior was somewhat inappropriate, it's a bit too much for the music class to collectively exclude her just because of that."

"I haven't experienced the same situation as Touma-san, but I can understand the pain of being excluded."

"So, I thought that in this new term and new class, even if we can't make her forget the past, we shouldn't make her relive that painful experience."

Suzumiya Chisato listened quietly and, after a moment of contemplation, spoke up, "Hey, Fukube ."

"Yeah?"

"You must be quite popular with the girls, right?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Your level of empathy is off the charts."

"It's just part of my responsibilities."

"Responsibilities?"

Satoshi suddenly had a confused expression on his face.

"...On the day the class committee members were decided, I was elected class president with 27 votes and have since led three class meetings. Didn't you notice that, Suzumiya?"

A familiar bright smile appeared on Suzumiya Chisato's face.

"Hahaha, Fukube -senpai, you're really amusing. Aren't you used to my joking style yet?"

At that moment, someone passed by and called out to Satoshi.

"A friend is calling me. See you later."

"Yeah, see you later."

After watching him leave, Suzumiya Chisato's smile faded.