Short Story 3 : Ichinose Honami SS – Weariness of the Heart

"I'm exhausted."

After splitting up with Asako-chan and the others, I leaned on the wide table in the cafeteria with my upper body. It felt like all the fatigue I had accumulated during the day just faded away. It'd be great if I fell asleep just like this.

I closed my eyes and thought so. No, no. If I fall asleep in a place like this, I'd be inconveniencing the others. But my eyelids are already so heavy. When I tried my best to open them again, Ayanokouji-kun was reflected in my eyes. At a surprisingly close distance.

I abruptly raised my upper body and called out to him. "Ayanokouji-kuuuun yaho~". "You were having a good time." Apparently he's overheard my conversation with Asako-chan and the others. "Girls' chats may or may not be their source of power."

Perhaps I have't been sufficiently charged yet, but I just didn't have the strength and had to use the table as a replacement pillow. Since Ayanokouji-kun had a flabbergasted look on his face, I added. "Ahh, can't I do this?" It may have been too rude an attitude to take when speaking to another person…

"It's normal to do something like that when you're tired." He did seem surprised but he gave his consent. "Sorry—. For making it slightly uncomfortable."

"It's become quite the difficult group, hasn't it?"

"It was difficult until we formed this current group, is perhaps how I should put it. Girls know very well what they like and dislike, or more like, there are more than a few girls who are willing to say they don't like another girl straight to their face. In that regard, when it comes to personal feelings, aren't they a lot of boys who like to muddy the waters?"

Well, I've heard my fair share of quarrels breaking out over the small details though. If I can hear a variety of things from Ayanokouji-kun, then I'd like to collect information. "Ryuuen's openly disliked though."

"It's bad to laugh at that but that really couldn't be helped, could it? But isn't Ryuuen-kun tired too? To be disliked by everyone must be tiring."

It would've been just fine if he had connected with others more in order to get along with them. Even if he turns over a new leaf now, wouldn't it be difficult to make things go well? "Don't get too fired up." Perhaps he was being considerate of me, as Ayanokouji-kun quickly got up from his seat.

Doesn't seem like I'll be able to draw information out of him but that can't be helped. I too, felt like relaxing on my own anyways. "It's fine, it's fine. Being energetic is about the only thing I have going for me. See you later, Ayanokouji-kun."

Besides, either way all I can do when it comes to an exam like this is to tackle it seriously. A special exam where I'll have to join hands with people other than my classmates isn't really one I can do anything about... How should I put it, if I increase the number of things I have to protect I'll end up being unable to keep up with it all. Someone who'd normally be my enemy becomes my ally. Something like that means that someday, my enemy now may end up as my ally.

If something like that were to happen, then sooner or later I might just burst. I thought that while looking at Ayanokouji-kun's back as he went away. "…so they've climbed up to Class C. Even though all I've heard of are Horikita-san's accomplishments..." Ayanokouji-kun, who's always positioned perfectly. Exactly how much influence he exerts is still a complete unknown.

But—there are only a few people who know the fact that I possess a massive sum of points. Did a student from Class B leak it, or could it be…Ayanokouji-kun? I'll have to ascertain that soon enough.

If he happened to be someone superior to Horikita-san then it means that he may be a threat to Class B, which I must protect.