CH 33

It seemed to me that Asagiri lacked energy, but I may have been mistaken. Asagiri, who came back after talking to Kurase, at least looked the same as usual.

─ ─ I know the face you were making, I recognize it too.

Somehow, it reminded me of what she said during the trial of courage we went through at the forest school.

In the end, I couldn’t get her to tell me what kind of face it was, but I knew what it looked like myself.

“……Is it my imagination?”

Asagiri was talking happily with Kurase.

“Speaking of which, Arase. What are your plans for Golden Week?”

“Me? I don’t have any particular plans. I’m going to stay at home and sleep.”

“You’re still young, what are you talking about? Stop that and go out and have fun!”

“What’s your dialect?”

“I don’t know. I spoke at random. If you like, let’s go somewhere and have fun, shall we?”

“Oh, Sasazuka-kun. Are you going out with Ito-kun?”

Then Kurase entered the conversation.

“Oh?! Don’t tell me Kurase wants to go with us?!”

“Ah, um, …… if you don’t mind. …….”

Sosuke gave his best gut-punch.

“Ah, but of course, Yuri-chan too! Hey, what do you think, Yuri-chan?”

I’m kind of going through the motions, but I didn’t say anything about going, did I?

In the first place, we haven’t even decided where we’re going.

“I’m sorry. I’m not going to go during Golden Week. If you want, you can just go to Nanami and have fun.”

“Eh!?”

Kurase was also surprised by the unexpected response.

It was unexpected. I thought that where Kurase goes, even if it is to jump into the water in the fire, Asagiri will go too, but I thought …… something is wrong with her, after all?

“What?”

“No, did you eat something?”

“You’re so rude. ……”

She looked at me pointedly.

“Well, is there something?”

“Yeah. My brother is here. So I thought I’d spend Golden Week showing him around town.”

“So that’s what this is all about! Well then, I don’t blame you!…… but if Yuri chan doesn’t want to go, I don’t think I’ll go either. ……”

“T-that’s ……”

“Give it up, Sosuke. If Asagiri isn’t there, Kurase won’t be able to go either. It’s just you and me”

“I’m sorry, I’m the one who asked you. …… Oh, it’s not that I don’t like the two of you or anything!”

Well, I don’t know how Kurase feels. Without Asagiri, it would just be boring I think

“Well, I never said I was going, either. I don’t know where we planned to go in the first place.”

“That’s it. The pool.”

“Rejected. What’s the point of going there during Golden Week?”

You should say those things a little more in a place where there are no girls. Kurase and Asagiri are obviously pulling away.

“Hey, Ito-kun, do you want to see my swimsuit too?”

“Eh? Well, ……”

But surprisingly, Kurase was interested in it.

If you ask me if I want to see it or not, well, of course I do. I’m a guy, too.

“…………”

“You’re growing a nose, pervert.”

“It’s just the way I look. Leave it alone.”

I was imagining it, and Asagiri gave me a cold look.

“Oh, chime ……”

Then the chime rang, and Kurase returned to her seat, regretting her absence.

The teacher walked in, greeted her, and the next class began.

I glanced at Asagiri, but she was as usual.

◆

After school, as I was getting ready to leave, I was approached by a voice.

“Ito-kun. If you like, come home with me?”

Zawari

The classroom became a little noisy. Everyone’s eyes were on Kurase and me.

“There’s actually something I wanted to discuss with you. …….”

A small voice added.

……I see what you mean.

Kurase is popular among the boys in her grade. She has been confessed to countless times. But She have turned them all down.

Kurase asks me, a guy, to go home with her…so it was inevitable that everyone around her would recognize that that was what was going on.

─ ─ Are the two of them dating?

─ ─ That Kurase-san is with a transfer student?

───Gunnu, that transfer student ……!

“……”

I could hear voices like that around me.

I’m sorry to say, but Kurase would never ask me out without any reason. I’m sad to say it myself.

If it weren’t for the “consulting” part, I would have almost mistaken her for someone else.

“……?”

Kurase is tilting her head at her surroundings. It seems as if she doesn’t understand why she has created this kind of atmosphere.

“I understand, ……. You have something to discuss with me. Let’s get out of here for now.”

“Yes!”

I deliberately shouted out loud and left the classroom with Kurase.

From the classroom, I heard voices such as, “What, just a consultation?” “That Ito guy is confusing,” “But I envy him!” and so on.

You guys just misunderstood on your own.

“…………”

“What’s wrong, Ito-kun?”

“No, nothing.”

By the end, Kurase had a question mark floating above her head.

Cute, damn it

◆

I wanted to talk to Ito-kun about something, so I invited him to go home with me.

For some reason, I think the classroom was noisy.

What on earth were people talking about ……?

I don’t think the curious stares stopped after we left the classroom.

And sometimes I heard voices.

─ ─ Is that Kurase?

─ ─ Is she dating a transfer student?

─ ─ I don’t know, right? But I’m jealous when they’re going home together.

“!”

Perhaps it was said in the classroom?

When I realized that, I suddenly felt embarrassed.

……Maybe that’s how people are looking at us………!

I never intended it that way. There was something I wanted to talk to him about, because it was true.

But I wonder what Ito-kun thinks about that? There were rumors with Takimoto-san before, and he seemed annoyed, and I wonder if he doesn’t like it after all. ……?

I-I don’t think he thinks that me asking Ito-kun for advice is just an excuse to go home with him, right?!

“Kurase?”

“I-I’m really here to talk to you!”

“Oh, yeah….”

When I reminded him, Ito-kun replied awkwardly.

H-he misunderstood after all……?

Now that I’m out of school, the stares from the other students have lessened.

Somehow, to get out of the awkward atmosphere, we have to change the subject!

“Oh, by the way, was Sasazuka-kun fine? I thought you always go home together. ……?”

“No, I’m sure he’s fine.”

Ito-kun replies shortly. I had the image of them always going home together, but they seem to be fine.

“Kurase too. Is Asagiri fine?”

That reminds me of my true purpose. I was so excited to get off to school with Ito-kun that I lost sight of my true purpose …….

“Yeah,…… its about Yuri chan, okay?”

Then, after getting back into the swing of things, I got down to business.

“I’ve been feeling strange since this morning,…….”

Yuri-chan has been somewhat strange since she arrived late this morning. She was laughing and getting angry in front of me as usual, but there was something awkward about it.

It was as if we were meeting for the first time.

“Kurase thinks so, too?”

“After all, Ito-kun, do you think so too ……?”

“Ah, in my case it’s just a feeling. I just thought the atmosphere was different from usual.”

I was surprised because I didn’t think even Ito-kun had noticed.

There was someone other than me who could notice the change in Yuri-chan. …………That…… should be a good thing… …my chest is in pain?

But I pretended not to notice it and continued talking with Ito-kun.

“Well, I don’t really know, because it didn’t look like it was going to be the usual way. But if Kurase says so, then I guess it probably is.”

“Yeah…… but I can’t really say what’s so strange about it ……. I’m not sure what to do about it.”

This indescribable, frustrating feeling. For some reason, I had a feeling that Ito-kun would give me an answer. Ito kun who has saved me from danger twice.

“In my case, I have a hunch that there’s something wrong with Asagiri. I think she’s just not feeling well or something like that, but I don’t know what to do but to leave it at that.”

“That’s right. ……”

But he didn’t come back with a concrete solution.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

“T-That’s not true!”

Ito-kun saw right through that and hurriedly denied it. I hate myself again …… for expecting and being disappointed without permission.

“Well…… I guess. It’s only since this morning that things have gone strange. Can you think of anything?”

“Anything that comes to mind……”

That being said, I remember what Yuri chan had said and how we met.

“….. maybe it’s a family thing.”

“Family-related…… did she say …… her brother is here? I don’t mean to pry too much, but is….. Asagiri not living with his brother?”

Ito-kun’s expression is more serious than ever.

“……Yes. Yuri chan is living with her grandmother.

“Why is that again?”

“Well, it’s ……”

The situation at Yuri chan’s house. That is because her parents don’t get along and that is why she lives with her grandmother. The one who knows about it is only me.

But I’ve never heard much about her younger brother.

But I don’t know how much I should tell him. Since I had asked Ito-kun for advice, I should probably provide him with some information. But I still wasn’t sure if it was okay for me to talk about Yuri chan’s personal life.

“I’m sorry. It’s hard to say, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry. ……”

“No, you don’t have to apologize. I understand how you feel.”

I made Ito-kun pay attention to me.

I wondered how Ito-kun could get so much out of the other person’s feelings.

“Well, I don’t know why you asked me for advice, but …… all I can say is that if something really happened, if it were Kurase, then she will tell you. …… So I think it’s best to just watch over her for now.　Especially if it’s a family matter. That’s what best friends are for, right?”

“…… I guess so. That’s right.”

The insecurity that had been building up inside me. It was the thought that I should do something for my best friend, who was always unilaterally protective of me.

However, Ito-kun’s words fell into my heart.

I was glad that I had consulted Ito-kun after all.

“Fufu…But Ito-kun is amazing. I barely noticed the change after being with Yuri-chan for so long, but you can tell right away. I’m kind of jealous.”

“No, no, in my case, it’s really just a feeling. You see, if it was always that, right? If it had been Kurase, she would have been distraught, but she was calm. I guess it was just easier to understand.”

Ito-kun’s desperate excuse was kind of funny and made me smile.

“Speaking of which, though, is Kurase alright?”

“Eh? Me?”

Did I do something wrong? Because I was depressed about Yuri-chan?

“This morning.”

“This morning. ……”

Oh, yeah. Phone contact!

“See, you have …… on your slippers.?”

“Ah, …….”

Ah, so it’s that. Dangerous.

“Anything weird since then?”

“hnn Nothing?”

There probably wasn’t anything weird about it. Come to think of it, my favorite mechanical pencil was missing, but I probably just dropped it somewhere.

But for some reason, Ito-kun looked at me with a worried expression. I was embarrassed to be seen so much.

“If you want, can you give me your contact information?”

“Eh!? My contact information?”

I was distraught at the unexpected suggestion.

W-Why suddenly?

“Yeah, it’s going into Golden Week, and I want to ask you if you have any more questions about Asagiri, and I’m worried about Kurase, too. If you don’t like it, I don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all! Rather, please! Please take it!”

“Y-yeah…..”

I felt a little taken back, but the result was all right!

I finally got to exchange contact information with Ito-kun!

And…..I’ll have to contact him frequently about Yuri-chan to see how she’s doing!

After that, I said goodbye to Ito-kun and went home.

“…………….”

About the time Nanami and Arase separated from each other. Someone was watching them closely. Neither Nanami nor Arase noticed this.