School Day
Even though it was summer vacation, there was still a school day, so Minato had to attend.
With the fireworks display and the swimming pool, Minato was inwardly scared that a rumor would circulate that he had gotten close to Airi and that she would get into trouble. However, no one seemed to be questioning Minato, so it didn't seem to be that big of a deal.
Perhaps no one he knew had seen him at the pool. Because if they had, it would have been a much bigger story.
However, the fireworks display was not only known by Amamiya, but also by Airi's classmates who were with him.
The people who found out about that time seemed to have changed their perception of Minato from "an acquaintance through Momose" to "the man closest to Airi", and Minato received several looks of disapproval.
Although he had no regrets about his actions at that time and there was still no direct harm done so far, he might as well be prepared for something to happen.
Even now, he was getting stares after homeroom, and questions from classmates who were the second most likely to talk to him after Kazuma.
It was probably a good thing that the other classmates didn't question him.
"So, I heard you protected Ninomiya-san from Amemiya?"
The one who said this and smiled calmly was Takumi Uemura, who was in the same second year class as Minato.
He was a different type of gentleman from Kazuma, and he had a nice face. At any rate, there was no need to compare him to Minato.
"I guess I had to protect her from being picked up, I mean, you know Amamiya, right?"
"Well, yeah, he's famous for a lot of things."
"A lot of things, like what?"
"If he sees a pretty girl, he picks her up immediately, using his good looks and money to catch them. Besides that, there are other reasons as well."
"…Well, that would definitely make someone famous."
Minato let out a sigh as he thought that Amamiya would surely be famous if he was that womanizing along with what he had heard from Airi.
Takumi was very good at listening to people because of his calm appearance, so he got information from many people.
When he was with Minato, he didn't take an active role in the conversation, so it was a 50/50 split between listening and talking, but that seemed to be fine, and Minato didn't seem to mind.
However, he would only occasionally talk to Minato during breaks. They never worked together, nor did they have each other's contact information.
Rather than friends, they were more like classmates.
Of course, there were many people for him to talk to other than Minato, so often they would just say hello to each other throughout the day.
Suddenly, Minato wondered if there were any rumors about him floating around, Takumi might already have heard something.
"By the way, have you heard anything about me?
"You don't have to ask so worriedly. For now, you're the one who protected Ninomiya-san from being picked up. And with Amamiya as the opponent, I suppose Minato's reputation has risen even higher."
"…What do you mean even higher?"
The way Takumi said it, it sounded like Minato had a good reputation from the start.
When Minato wondered why he was highly regarded when he didn't get involved with many other people, he was given a gentle smile.
"You're one of the top ten smartest students in our grade, but you never belittle others, and you always tell us when we ask. There are people who think you're a surprisingly good guy, you know? Though you only talk to me and Kazuma, so you probably didn't know."
"What the hell, it's only common sense to answer questions properly."
Many people knew that Minato was smart because the test results were posted on the school board, and during the test period, some people would ask him questions.
There was no reason not to answer, so Minato did, but he tilted his head and wondered if it was so strange.
"There are a few people who say it sarcastically, though. …Back to the topic at hand, even if things are good now, you'd better be careful in the future. You are now in a position where you're the closest person to Ninomiya-san, and people who don't know you well won't care about all that."
"I got it. Thanks for the advice."
Minato thanked Takumi, who gave him a look of concern, and left the classroom.
There were a few stares on Minato, and although he didn't know what was going to happen next, he thought this much was fine for Airi's sake and headed home.
"Minato-san, did everything go okay at school?"
When he got home, Airi immediately asked about it. In the morning, she had looked at Minato with worry several times, but when he smiled at her and told her not to worry, she quieted down.
However, she must have still been worried. Her blue eyes were slightly moist as she looked at Minato, showing how much she cared for him.
"Yeah, for now. How's Airi doing?"
"..."
At Minato's words, Airi froze like a broken machine. She had probably heard quite a bit about it as the party involved. This time, Minato was also a party to the incident, but then again, he was not the victim. Though it might also be about something else, not about the pickup.
But the fact that Airi was behaving this way meant that she didn't want to be asked. However, he should at least check a little.
"You don't have to tell me everything, you know. Is Airi okay?"
"…Yes, I'm fine."
"That's good then. I was going to pat you on the head if you were feeling tired, but I guess that won't be necessary."
"No, no, I'm tired! I'm exhausted!"
"O-Oh, I see…"
Although he could pat her on the head at any time, he thought it would be wrong to do so without any particular purpose, but Airi denied it in a biting manner.
Minato let out a sigh of exasperation as he didn't expect her to take it that far.
"With all that said, please go ahead!"
Airi sat down and waited for Minato like a frolicking puppy as if his reluctant attitude didn't bother her at all. If she had a tail, she would probably be wagging it.
The stroking was something that Minato had suggested and wanted, but he hadn't expected such a blatant expression of joy.
"Alright, alright. Here I go."
"Yes."
Since she gave her approval, he stroked her smooth silver hair without hesitation.
He thought their distance was getting a little out of control lately, but it was probably for the best since Airi seemed to be feeling really comfortable.
Her debaucherous smile was bad for Minato's heart, but he couldn't betray Airi's trust, nor did he intend to hurt her.
Besides, the fact that stroking her head would soothe the girl he loved filled his heart with joy.
"Speaking of which, that guy seems to be in trouble. I guess he deserves it."
Suddenly, Airi said something out of context with a pleased expression.
For a moment, he didn't know who she was talking about, but it immediately came to mind as there was only one person she wouldn't dare call by name.
"That guy? …Oh, Amamiya. What happened to him?"
Come to think of it, he hadn't asked Takumi what happened to Amamiya after that.
Takumi probably knew about it, but he might not have mentioned it because he was too preoccupied with Minato himself.
"He's the enemy of all the girls because he's the one who lashed out at me. Although it also helps that he has always had a bad attitude, this time it seems to have been decisive."
"I guess he had it coming."
" Fufu , that's right. It doesn't matter how good-looking and rich he is. Right, Minato-san?"
Airi was probably trying to say that money and looks were not the decisive factors for people's approval.
To be honest, Minato felt reassured hearing her say so. However, there were still many beautiful men and women around him, so it didn't change the fact that he felt self-conscious.
"Unfortunately, my appearance doesn't change."
"… Baka ."
Airi did the dexterous thing of cursing him while being pleasantly stroked.
Thinking that she was probably in a bad mood, Minato tried his best to appease her.