Chapter 2 Part IV

"In various ways, it's been a disaster".

Even as my initial schedule changed partly, I was able to overcome this long half day and it finally seems like I'd be able to successfully return to the dorm. During winter vacation, an outing seems to have danger attached to it as well. First Sakayanagi and Kamuro, then the dispute with Ibuki. I passed by Ishizaki and the others as well.

Checking the time on my phone, it seems like it's almost 3 PM.

"Ahaha. You can say that again---".

As I was walking through Keyaki Mall in order to head back to the dorm, I saw a group of three girls turn the corner and start walking slightly ahead of me. Satou, Shinohara and also Matsushita. All three were students of Class D. They were walking while having a friendly conversation with each other. Since I have plans to meet with Satou the day after tomorrow, my gaze was unconsciously stolen away by her.

I hid my presence so as to not be noticed and kept at a distance where I could pick up their voices. Because if there's any information that could be useful to me I could acquire here, I'd consider it lucky.

"In the end, up until Christmas we couldn't get ourselves boyfriends at all---".

Matsushita said that while looking at the couples surrounding them and sighing.

"Even though if you thought about getting yourself one, you could get yourself one right away. Because you're cute".

Shinohara naughtily chuckles while poking Matsushita's armpit.

"I don't want to date someone so badly to the point I have to compromise".

"That's true too~. But, on second thought, I want a boyfriend".

"Then do you have a boyfriend candidate in mind?".

Towards Shinohara, Matsushita asks that, but Shinohara crossed her arms together and made a complicated face.

"Not at all. First of all our class is catastrophic".

"The one and only ultimate prize has been taken away by Karuizawa-san after all---".

Of course by prize, they mean Hirata.

"Since we've been fighting against other classes all the time during the exams, we barely had any time to make friends. Since it's come to this, I wonder if it'll be better to just go out with a senior student---is what I'm thinking. Really, a university student would be better though".

Matsushita said that her school year is of the question.

"Senior student, huh---. I might be the opposite, I wouldn't want someone older than me. If I'm going to be getting into romance, it'd be with someone my age I suppose".

On the other hand, Shinohara seems to prefer someone from her school year.

"What about you, Satou-san?".

"Ehh? Me? That's right---. Like Shinohara-san, I'd prefer one of my classmates".

"No, no. No one said anything about classmates".

Shinohara immediately denies it. It seems in regards to that, she feels the need to deny it.

"Speaking of which, Satou-san haven't.....you been talking to Ayanokouji-kun?".

Suddenly, my name was uttered. If I suddenly turn to look then it'll be an out with just that. I turned my eyes towards a bookstore beside me, towards a corner of it facing the aisle.

Giving up immediately on following them, I made a change. To increase my distance from Satou and her group too, I decided to kill time here for a while.

"This year's fashionable goods ranking, huh".

From daily necessities to consumer electronics, it seems it's a ranking that includes a variety of familiar things like that. Whether or not this manufacturer's detergent is good or bad, details like that seem to be written down.

Since I has caught my interest slightly, I took it into my hands and decided to look through it.

".....it might be a good idea to just buy it and go back".

The best cars merchandise summary in the appendix is unnecessary but since it's a bonus I'll just leave it be.

Since I wasn't familiar with the consumer electronics section, it could be useful as reference when I have to buy such goods. For the time being, feeling like Satou and her group have left, I raised my head.

However, for some reason, in my line of sight, Shinohara was standing around alone. It seems the other two have gone to the restroom since Shinohara seems like she's standing by alone in that spot.

For a while longer, it seems like I'll have to rummage through the book. Since I've already taken the goods ranking book into my hands for purchase, I'll look through the other ones as well.

There were quite a bit of customers in the bookstore but, I spotted someone who wasn't fitting in. Indeed, an individual whose behavior makes it seem as though he were about to do something bad. It was Ryuuen Kakeru.

He's looking over at the academic books corner. Since I could not see anything except his back, I could not see his expression.

"It doesn't suit him....".

He didn't have his entourage with him, and looking at his figure standing around alone, somehow it felt lonely. However, despite the fact that just yesterday, he was broken on that rooftop by my hands, for him to boldly go out like this on the very next day, I suppose it's as expected of him.

It's worth it just by being able to confirm that Ryuuen is now going out like this. Even if he notices me, our relationship is not one where we can stand around and chat so for now I decided to not approach him.

"Hey, you, you're a 1st year right?".

"Ehh?".

"Weren't you looking at us just now with a glare?".

"N-No. I've never.....I never meant to do that at all.....".

As I was reading through the other books, I heard Shinohara's bewildered voice. As I raised my face from the magazine page, for some reason, a boy and girl pair that looked like they were senior students were glaring at Shinohara as though to box her in. I don't recall the girl but I remember the boy. He's a student from 3rd year Class D and right after enrollment, through the negotations I brought to the table, he was the student who sold us the answers to the past tests. I had heard that from amongst the 2nd year and 3rd year students, there have been quite a bit of expulsions but even as he ate a set meal of vegetables, he has continued on while avoiding expulsion up until today.

The two senior students were wearing matching couple clothes. Casual clothes with polka dot stripes on them.

On top of that, they were also standing at a distance where their arms were almost touching. There's almost no mistaking that they were lovers.

"You were totally glaring at us. What's wrong is that you weren't looking forward when walking, isn't it?".

"That's enough let's go already.....don't mind her".

The boy doesn't seem to care much about it but his girlfriend seems to be pretty angry.

"I cannot forgive this. For a mere 1st year, you're also Class D aren't you?".

"That is, umm---true but.....but I, wasn't glaring...".

"Don't you lie to me. Even though you were the one who bumped into us and got angry".

Judging from the situation, it seems either one of them had not been paying attention to their front and their shoulders had bumped into each other, something along the lines of that.

From the fact that neither of them had injuries or had fallen over, it was clear that their contact had not been such a strong one.

"In the first place, you know~. Despite bumping into a senior student, what's with that attitude? Apologize".

"B-but the one who wasn't looking ahead was.....".

"Huh? By any chance, are you trying to say it's my fault?".

Shinohara had been trying to assert her legitimacy, but it seems like she wasn't able to withstand the pressure from a senior student as she reluctantly bowed.

"...no. I'm very sorry".

However, that reluctant attitude of hers was conveyed not only to me but to the senior student as well. The female senior student's fuse had already been lit but it ended up turning into an inferno.

"Huh. Even if you apologize after taking an attitude like that, I can't feel any sincerity from you at all".

"S-Sincerity...but the one who wasn't looking ahead was, I think, you senpai".

It seems from Shinohara's perspective, before having glared at them or not, it was they who bumped into her.

"Don't fuck around. You were the one who wasn't looking ahead, right?".

"But that's".

It seems from the claims of the senior student, the one who wasn't looking ahead when walking was Shinohara, or that's what she wants to say. It's contradicting Shinohara's own complaints.

But what really happened would be known only to the people concerned as well as witnesses. It may be a situation where it's difficult for Shinohara to reach a resolution on her own.

Perhaps it would be good of me to lend a helping hand. But since it's not like I also saw the moment of collision, it's not like I could judge the truth either...well it'll work out somehow.

Right after I had thought that and thought to return the book to the shelf, the figure of a certain student could be seen. It seems he's noticed Shinohara being caught up in a problem as he approached her.

Just in case, as I thought that and watched over them, that student called out to Shinohara.

"What are you doing, Shinohara?".

Ignoring the senior students, a classmate boy, Ike Kanji, called out to her like that.

"Ahh.....Ike-kun.....ummm".

It wasn't an 'I'm saved' reaction. If I had to say, it seems like while she's in the midst of waiting for the storm to pass, yet another storm had come to her, Shinohara shows such a bewildered expression.

Normally, Ike is the one bringing the trouble so it's understandable.

"Who are you? Don't get in the way".

Towards the sudden interruption, the female senior student snaps.

"Ahh, no I'm sorry senpai. But, she's my classmate. Did she do something?".

From her tone, it seems Ike has also grasped the situation. He may have been watching the situation from afar, just like me.

"What, you mean? She bumped into us. And on top of that, she held a grudge and glared at us".

"Ahh~ I get it, I get it. I get glared at often by her too".

Giddily laughing, Ike points a finger at Shinohara. Shinohara must have been dissatisfied at that, but it seems she was unable to understand Ike's actions as she looked dumbfounded.

"But, she always has this unpleasant look in her eyes so it makes it look like she's usually always glaring. She doesn't have the courage to glare at senpai, or more like, she was probably just born this way".

Just like that, while mixing in Shinohara's bad traits, he tried to urge the seniors to bury the hatchet. He didn't touch on the matter with the collision, in other words, who was in the wrong.

"And besides, I think it's better not to clumsily cause a ruckus. A teacher was here earlier".

If they're found, trouble will spread like a fire. Like that, Ike cleverly made them listen. Above all else, the biggest point here is that he directed those words not to the girl, but to the boy.

'You understand right?' is what he's saying with his gaze to the boyfriend's side and it looks like it's been effective.

"...let's go already".

Just when Christmas Eve is around the corner, and so he refrained. From the boy's side too, he would probably want to avoid further quarrel. From the perspective of the boyfriend who was against the dispute, it may have seemed like a chance to conclude this. The girl still seemed to be slightly dissatisfied but even so, it seems like her anger has more or less dissipated.

"Hmmph".

Breathing out of his nose like that, the boy starts walking. Somehow they got through this, huh. After the two seniors had left, Shinohara too, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you.....".

I had thought he would rejoice at having been thanked, but unexpectedly he took a cold attitude.

"No need.....it's no big deal".

He only replied with such short words to her.

"But earlier, you said too much. It's not like I'm always glaring".

"That was a just a way for me to help you".

"Wasn't there a better way for that?".

"I don't know, I'm telling you".

".....well, umm...t-thank---".

"S-See you. Enjoy your Christmas without a boyfriend!".

"H-Huh!? Even if you had ten thousand years, you still wouldn't be able to find a girlfriend too!".

For some reason, Ike decided to leave that verbal slip behind as parting words and tried to leave the place.

It's probably because he spotted Satou and Matsushita returning from the restroom. However, naturally his departure would end up being seen by those two. Upon meeting back up with Shinohara, the two of them made a dubious face.

"Hmm? That was Ike-kun just now, wasn't it? What happened?".

"Did he bother you again? Why is our class filled to the brim with idiots?".

"N-No, that's not it. You know".

I had thought she would direct her anger towards those two but it seems Shinohara did not make a move to tell them about the incident. And then, quietly, Shinohara looked at the back of the leaving Ike. It seems the problem did not escalate, I should go back too. It doesn't seem like I would be able to pick up any information on Satou here.