A rumor that a first-year girl has been suspended from school quickly spread throughout the school without anyone’s oiling the rumor. Moreover, since the reason for the suspension was made public, curious adolescent high school students were all discussing their ideas out of the teacher’s sight. And my class was no exception.
“Lewd act, seriously?”
“I didn’t know such a thing could happen in this school.”
“Well, I’m jealous. I’d love to be involved in a situation like that.”
“I usually turn it down. Eh? Did they do that in school?”
“And got suspended for it. They’ve gone to extreme lewd behavior, haven’t they?”
Speculations that would have been impossible under normal circumstances were flying around, and even heartless words were heard among them. I don’t know what’s going on in the class where the suspended student is enrolled, but I’m sure that there are students who feel uncomfortable. However, such feelings would be ignored by the masses of students, and they would surely be identified by name and class in no time.
“E-everyone. The teacher told us not to make a fuss, so let’s stop, okay? Look, the next class is about to start !”
Kisaragi, the class president, was always trying to put out the fire, but even so, it had no effect at all. She has the qualities of a class president, but she seems to be helpless in this kind of situation. I looked at Yukihana next to me and saw that she had been dozing with her eyes down since this morning.
(But don’t do anything rash.)
This rumor has already spread throughout the school. Even if the suspension of the female student is lifted, by the time she goes back to this school again, there will be rumors flying around her. No matter how strong-minded the student is, the word “expulsion” is likely to pop up in her mind, not only because she’s not attending the school, but also because she has been suspended. The rumors are so dire that it would not be surprising if she took her own lives.
“……Hm?”
The phone in my bag vibrated, so I took it out to check. A message had arrived from a chat application. The sender was……
(Nanase?)
In the process of exchanging contact information with Hisui, I had also registered her account in case I might be able to use it for something. However, I did not expect the message to arrive at such an opportune moment.
I opened the chat app, making sure no one was watching me.
[Please help me. My class is in trouble.]
Only that sentence appeared in the chat.
“…….”
It seemed that this incident was having a bigger impact on the school than I had thought.
———–
Time goes back a bit and it’s morning homeroom, and the members of Year 1 class 2 are having a normal morning, but then the shock hits.
“Hashimoto has been suspended !?”
I don’t know who said that as if shouting. It took everyone in the class a few seconds to understand what the homeroom teacher had said. And the reason was so hard to believe.
“Sensei, are you sure there isn’t some kind of mistake?”
“That’s right ! Michiko chan would never do such a thing !”
“She taught us how to study and was very kind to us, you know? That’s impossible !”
Many students protested to their homeroom teacher, but the fact and the decision were never reversed. The decision to suspend the students had already been made at a staff meeting, and there was no way the classmates, who were not even involved, could intervene.
“It’s a lie, right?”
Nanase was no exception to the upset and blanked out. Hisui, seated next to her, was still on the cooler side, but even so, his expression had fallen and he was unable to hide his surprise at all.
“I understand how everyone feels. But this punishment has already been decided. If anyone here knows anything about Hashimoto that day, please come forward right away. That might change something. I feel the same way as everyone else.”
The homeroom teacher could not shake off his discomfort about the matter. He knew that Hashimoto Michiko would never do such a thing, because he was her homeroom teacher as well.
“H-Hisui ! Can’t you do something about it !?”
“……Why are you asking me?”
“……Right. I was an idiot to ask you.”
“Shall I punch you in the face?”
The two of them managed to calm themselves down by having the usual conversation. The other students around them, however, were not so happy and continued to protest. The class can’t even start with this.
“….Oh yeah, if it’s Senpai.”
The other day, Nanase remembered the person with whom she had exchanged contact information. She thought that he might give her something to overcome this situation.
“Don’t do it. It’s no use talking to that guy.”
“I don’t know about that. Even Hisui knows he’s a great guy.”
“……”
Seeing that Jade didn’t say anything back, Nanase opens the chat and gives her minimal demands. Apparently, this is being discussed in all classes as a reminder, and they will soon figure it out. The problem is now in the classroom.
“This is getting out of hand, isn’t it?”
“….Like I know.”
There is no end to the number of students in the classroom asking their homeroom teachers about the situation. The only thing that mattered was that Hashimoto Michiko was trusted by everyone. However, Hisui was not concerned and fell asleep on his desk. Apparently, he has no intention of getting involved in this mess. Nanase, although she may have had her own feelings about it, she had decided that it was wise not to do anything about it at the moment.
“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it either.”
Nanase Natsume and Yukihana Hisui. The two of them are not high in the class caste. Rather, in the beginning, Hisui was shunned by the class due to his family circumstances. And Nanase was not well-liked mainly by the girls. The last sports festival helped a little, but it was difficult for the two of them to lead the class.
“Anyway, as I said before, if anyone knows anything, please tell me. It doesn’t matter if it’s during recess or after school. I have class, so I’ll be there. You guys should be ready for first period class.”
In the end, the homeroom teacher managed to quiet the class and the class settled down for a time. But it was only temporary, and the girls, especially those who were close to Hashimoto, seemed to be frustrated. For now, Nanase begins to consider joining them and raising her voice. But ……
“Ah.”
Nanase had forgotten that she was clutching her phone in the commotion earlier, but a single vibration suddenly reminded her of it. And in terms of timing, this notification is from…..
(It’s from Senpai, after all)
Nanase checks to see if anyone is watching her and looks through her phone in secret, hoping to read it before her first period teacher arrives. And the message that was sent to her is……
[Don’t do anything.]
“Eh?”
Just as I was about to take action, that one word. Could it be that he read through everything that was going on in this class right now and then said those words Or……
(Did he tell me not to take any action because I’m careless?)
If so, what and to what extent does that senior see what is happening? It may be an exaggeration with just one message, but Nanase knows that the person Shiina Kanata is a mysterious person. He is stronger than Hisui……
“……Phew.”
I understand. Nanase muttered that in her mind. Because of that senior’s words, she decided that she should try to follow those instructions for now. Certainly, I don’t know what would happen if I acted strangely here and got my teacher’s attention. Even just because I stand out.
“……”
And then Hisui, who looked at her with a sideways glance. Even Hisui, who was calmer than others, didn’t know what was happening around him now.
