2
The meeting smoothly jumps into motion but gets nowhere.
The community center where I was meeting with Isshiki was fairly close to our school, and I got there in only a few minutes by bike.
I’d never actually gone inside the community center before, but I’d seen it many times just passing by, so I didn’t have trouble finding it.
It was right by the station, on the same street as a large mall, the Marinpia (nickname: Maripin), and a lot of neighborhood housewives were there in the evening. There were also kids mixed in here and there among them. The Maripin in the area made it the perfect place for high school kids to stop by and hang out after school—I myself would occasionally stop by the bookstore, arcade, or batting center.
Upon arriving at the community center, I parked my bike in the bicycle lot.
I looked around the area a bit, but I didn’t see Isshiki. Well, it wasn’t like we had specified a clear time to meet.
If I’d known it’d be like this, maybe it’d have been better to come together…
But in order to avoid Yukinoshita and Yuigahama suspecting I was helping Isshiki on my own, we had to meet away from the school. Right now, it would be cruel to take a student council–related request in front of Yukinoshita. But still, it would be irresponsible for me to not help Isshiki at all. There was also the option of excluding Yukinoshita only, but that would seem like a cruel betrayal, too. Considering the way things were with the Service Club at the moment, the optimal decision would be for me to operate individually in this matter.
Mentally summarizing the conclusions I’d come to once again, I sat down at the entrance of the community center by the stairs.
As I stared off into space, Isshiki came out of the convenience store on the other side of the street. She was carrying a heavy-looking bag in one hand. Noticing me, she trotted over.
“Sorry to make you wait! I was just doing a little shopping…” The convenience store bag must have been heavy, as she exhaled a little tired breath.
“…No, it’s fine,” I replied as I reached a hand out to her.
For some reason, she avoided my hand, staring at me. She tilted her head, as if she didn’t get my meaning. “What?”
“Why’re you glaring at me? Weren’t you playing up how heavy your stuff was ’cause you wanted me to carry it?” I asked.
Isshiki stroked her hair and looked away. Out of surprise or confusion, her face was pink. “Agh… Oh no, it really was just heavy…”
Oh, is that right? I got the impression she’d see most guys as heavy lifters and nothing more, so I’d read too deep and assumed that was the message. You know, since Tobe had been running errands for her automatically.
Isshiki was frozen for a while, but then a thought seemed to hit her, and she suddenly stiffened and took a step away from me. “Ah! Ah! Wait, wereyoujusttryingtoputthemovesonmeI’msorryitalmostgottomeforasecond,butI’vegotmyheadonstraightnowandnoway.”
“Oh, uh-huh…”
How many times does she have to reject me…? Denying it is just a pain in the ass, at this point…
But if her heart will start pattering over something that meaningless, she’d better watch out, or she’ll be a whole bundle of nerves when she’s traveling. Is your heart gonna pound every time the flight attendant lifts your luggage? It won’t, right? …Ah, mine would (revised for flight attendants). Wait, hold on. Even if it’s not an FA, if it’s a blue-collar sort of lady, I’d feel some butterflies… A woman who supports herself really is great! (Revised for aspiring househusbands.)
“Well, whatever.” Completely ignoring everything she said and did, I yoinked the bag from her hands.
“Ah… Thank you…” Isshiki squeezed the sleeves of her cardigan and offered a vigorous bow. It meant I couldn’t see her face, but her surprisingly honest thanks embarrassed me.
“…It’s nothing. Just a part of the job.”
If you have to say thanks for every little thing, it winds up turning into like what Komachi always says: Thank you! I love you, Big Bro! I’d meant to indirectly tell her not to worry about it, but I instantly wound up regretting my statement.
“Wow! You’re so reliable! Then I’ll ask you to handle it next time, too. ” She squeezed her hands in front of her chest with a beamingly bright smile.
Ahhh, suddenly this bag feels heavier… What’s in here anyway?
The unexpected weight of the bag made me peek inside to see various snacks and juice. Well, I guess it was what you’d call tea snacks, or catering, the sort of thing that’s typical for these types of meetings.
Whenever you don’t know what to say, you eat these snacks and drink tea to fill the silence. It’s like how when you burst out with an insincere-sounding Ha-ha! in conversation, then you suddenly pop a mint. Whenever someone does that, you realize, Oh, this person feels awkward talking to me…
By the way, if they ask, Do you want a mint? even when you’re not talking, that’s an indirect way of saying Your breath stinks! So be careful! You might actually be sick! Wait, that’s what you’re supposed to be careful about?
But anyway, picking out snacks of this nature is difficult. Anything that makes too much noise or smells too strong will just be a bother. Curious as to what sort of things Isshiki had bought, I took a little peek in the bag.
Hmm. Mild-flavored chocolates, fruit-flavored hard candies, and soft crackers… Yeah, these aren’t bad choices. I’d give her points for the fact that all of them were individually wrapped. Then there’s no need to set out plates and whatnot, and you won’t get your hands dirty. It’s not a hassle to take them home after, either.
“Huh, you’re being surprisingly considerate,” I said, a little appreciative, and Isshiki puffed up with a pout as if that was quite unfair for me to say.
“What do you mean, surprisingly? I’m a pretty considerate person, you know! Well, the other school will be bringing some stuff, too.”
“Oh. Then isn’t this unnecessary? Since this is in their budget anyway. You should just eat all their snacks.”
“We can’t do that…,” Isshiki replied, stiff-faced.
Huh, she really is thoughtful about certain things. She had to mean we couldn’t come empty-handed every time when the other school was bringing things.
If they were entertaining us and we were totally guests, that sort of consideration would actually be unnecessary, but we were going to be jointly hosting this event, and since we would be equal participants in this, it would probably be best to maintain that equality, even concerning something as minor as snacks.
Dealing with another school is a pretty big hassle. When I thought about how this was bound to affect matters when we actually got to the task at hand, the bag in my hand felt quite a bit heavier.
Isshiki brought me along through the community center.
I’d never really been there before—what do you do in a place like that? Does it have a doo, doo, doo-da-loo BGM that has a recovery effect on the community? No, that’s a PokéCenter…
The interior was kind of like a government office, with a cold and tranquil air flowing through. It felt like one of those places where you couldn’t talk too loudly. Maybe that was because there was a library on the first floor.
I followed Isshiki up to the second floor, and there, the look of it changed a little. I could hear people’s chattering and the sound of music coming from somewhere.
The stairs continued upward. I ascertained the music was coming from the third floor.
When I looked up the stairs, wondering what they were doing up there, Isshiki’s eyes followed mine. “There’s a big hall on the third floor. We’ll be doing the Christmas event there.”
“Oh…”
I could hear faint thumping; maybe there was a dance club in session or something.
Hmm…so it’s basically like a type of citizens’ public hall. It’s like a facility for people of the region to gather and hold various activities. So then how is it different from a normal public hall? Does it just feel bigger?
Being not very familiar with this sort of facility, I was goggling all around while Isshiki walked ahead of me and stopped directly in front of a room.
Over the door, a sign read LECTURE ROOM. It seemed this was where they were holding the meetings.
Isshiki knocked on the door.
“Yes, come in!” A voice came from within, and Isshiki took a breath before she put her hand on the door.
A wave of chatter flowed out from the opened door. It looked like a school classroom inside, with desks and chairs.
“Hiii, guys!” Greeting them all in a cutesy manner, Isshiki went in first. When I followed her, there wasn’t any particular sign of the chatter settling down—no one was even looking at me. It seemed they were all caught up in their own conversations and not paying attention to me.
But they did notice Isshiki, and a voice called out above the commotion. Looking over, I saw a boy wearing the Kaihin High School uniform raising his hand. “Iroha, over here, over here.”
“Oh, hellooo!” Waving her hand, Isshiki headed for that group. Naturally, I wound up following after her. Unsurprisingly, they were capable of perceiving me when at close range; the guy who had called out to Isshiki gave me a questioning look before he whispered into her ear to ask, “Who’s that?”
“Oh, he’s my helper!”
That’s a pretty sloppy explanation to give with such a broad smile, Isshiki.
But that must have been enough to satisfy him. He offered an appreciative “Ohhh” before turning to me. “I’m Tamanawa. I’m the student council president of Kaihin High School. Good to meet you!”
“…Uh-huh, likewise.” Struck by his particularly brisk self-introduction, I was wondering if I should say my own name or not.
But Tamanawa wasn’t at all bothered by things of that nature. “Oh, it’s so great to be able to plan together with Soubu High!” he said. “I’m hoping we can cultivate a robust, respect-driven partnership to enable the most synergistic effect possible.”
…That’s a real punch to throw right at the beginning. Half of it was gibberish to me, so I had no idea what he was saying, but anyway, it seemed Tamanawa was the one who’d arranged for this Christmas event. That much was clear from every word he said.
Since he was Kaihin’s student council president, when he started talking, those nearby all shuffled over. He introduced everyone to me as they came, but frankly, I couldn’t remember them all. Well, I doubted I’d ever see them again once this event was done, so it wasn’t like I had to commit their names and faces to memory.
Just meeting so many people was exhausting, drawing a sigh from me. Leaving it to Isshiki to handle that situation, I took a seat a little ways away and watched her and the others.
Then, my gaze landed on someone among the masses who was staring at me in surprise. She was blinking, apparently shocked to see me here. Then she stood up and came over to me. “…Wait, Hikigaya?”
“…Hey.” Hearing this unexpected someone say my name had startled me, too, and it took me a moment to reply. I started sweating in spite of myself.
She wore the uniform of Kaihin High School in a slightly casual manner, while her hands combed through her wavy, artfully messy black hair.
Kaori Orimoto.
She had been in my class in middle school and was also the girl I had confessed my feelings to long ago. I’d had another unexpected encounter with her recently and gotten her involved in an unexpected situation, too. Both the distant and more recent past between us had not made for very pleasant memories.
Now that I think about it, Orimoto goes to Kaihin. If she’s here, does that mean she’s on their student council…?
It seemed she was wondering the same about me. “Huh?” she said in surprise. “You’re a part of Soubu’s student council, Hikigaya?”
“Not really…,” I replied.
Orimoto nodded as if that made sense to her. “Oh, really? Then you’re in the same spot as me. I’m here ’cause a friend invited me.” As she spoke, she was peeking behind me and glancing all around. Was she searching for something? “You’re alone, Hikigaya?” she asked.
“Yeah, I generally am,” I answered, and Orimoto sputtered, then held her stomach as she burst into laughter.
“What the heck? You’re such a riot.”
“Uh, that wasn’t a joke…” There was nothing to laugh about there, was there…? I can’t be the butt of the joke when there’s no joke… But if there was one, would that make the joke the seme and me the uke? I’m neither, though!
But thanks to Orimoto, I had learned a bit about this group. Though this was going to be a joint event between the Soubu and Kaihin student councils, it seemed there were some volunteers participating, too.
“It kinda seem like there aren’t many kids from your school, doesn’t it?” Orimoto asked. “Or is it just that we have lots?”
“I dunno…” This was only my first day, so I didn’t know much about the interior workings of things. But when I looked around, I saw more than ten kids from Kaihin. By comparison, on the Soubu side…
Wait, huh? Our student council is… Oh, there they are. They were all clumped in the corner. Aside from Isshiki and me, in our school’s uniform there were one, two…four, huh. What’s more, compared with the kids from Kaihin, they were kind of shrinking away. It was like they felt inferior.
“True, there aren’t many of us…”
“I mean, you can tell just by looking, right? Well, not like it matters,” Orimoto said, and then she seemed to lose interest, gliding away from me and back to her seat.
As if switching places with her, Isshiki returned. She gave Orimoto a once-over, then muttered, “Is that someone you know?”
Your tone suggests the idea of my having acquaintances is what’s in question here, so please lay off, Irohasu. Also, hey, you’ve seen her once already, okay? Well, that had been from a distance, so maybe she didn’t remember. That meant I wasn’t quite sure how to explain the situation, but in the end, I decided to go with the usual explanation.
“Yeah. Well, she was in my class in middle school.”
“Huh…” Though Isshiki had been the one to ask, she didn’t seem very interested in the answer. She sat down in a nearby chair and started opening the snacks and stuff she’d bought. Once the Kaihin students took notice, they started setting out their own drinks and snacks, too.
It seemed the meeting was going to start soon.
Everyone headed for their designated seats at desks that were arranged in the shape of a blocky U.
Now then, which corner shall I occupy…? Hey, protecting one of the four corners actually makes me feel like one of the four holy beasts, I was thinking when I felt a little tug on my sleeve.
“Heeey, come over here.”
“Oh, I’m fine in the corner, though…,” I said, but Isshiki would not let go. I tried tugging back to escape her grip, but it remained firm. Why’s she so strong? She’s holding on to it in a cute way, but I totally can’t shake her off…
“Come onnn, come onnn, it’s gonna get started.”
Then she tugged me again.
“I get it! You’re gonna stretch my shirt.”
Well, no matter where I sat, I wasn’t going to be saying anything during this meeting anyway, so it’d all be the same. So I can at least sit in a spot close to the snacks. Reluctantly, I gave in and sat next to Isshiki.
Though the desks were arranged in a U shape, sitting right at the head, in what you would call the seat of honor, was the student council president of Kaihin High School, Tamanawa. We were in the corner on the right side.
Looking around again, I saw that just as Orimoto had said earlier, there were more people from Kaihin. Numbers-wise, they had about twice as many bodies present, but the difference felt bigger than the number itself. The biggest reason for that had to be the noise level. The Kaihin side was quite lively, with boys and girls mixed together, but the Soubu kids were very markedly quiet.
Well, Kaihin had been the ones to come up with the idea, so it was no wonder they were more enthusiastic about it. They were like the organizer, or the sponsor or whatever. Our seating placement expressed that even further.
Inferring the power balance from this situation, it seemed Kaihin was in charge of various affairs, while our school’s position was…more often devoted to support, if I had to put a name to it.
After confirming that everyone had taken their seats, the Kaihin student council president, Tamanawa, clapped his hands. “Right, then—let’s begin the meeting! I’m glad to be working with you all today,” he said as if he was used to this sort of thing, and everyone bobbed their heads casually in response.
Finally, the meeting had begun.
Tamanawa called out to one of the Kaihin kids and had them go to the whiteboard. Watching the pen squeaking out the characters out of the corner of his eyes, Tamanawa announced, “Let’s begin with a thought shower, like the last time.”
Huh? What’s that cool-sounding thing? That’s not in my moveset.
Or so I wondered for a moment, but it was actually nothing, just brainstorming. There are various more minute definitions, but basically, it means for a group to freely present ideas.
“The topic of discussion will be, continuing from last time, cogitating on the content and presentation of concepts for the event…”
As Tamanawa moved things along, the Kaihin students raised their hands here and there, and they began to present the ideas each of them had come up with.
I watched in silence for a little while. I mean, like, jumping in when you don’t really understand the situation causes trouble for others! I wasn’t cutting corners and slacking. I was being considerate!
Someone from Kaihin said, “Considering the market demands of us high school students, we really must actualize innovation based on youth-minded values…”
Hmm, I see. They have a point.
Yet another person from Kaihin chimed in, “So then, of course, expediting a win-win relationship between us and the community is a prerequisite.”
Y-yeah. Well, I get it.
A different Kaihin student added, “This may necessitate strategic thinking on matters of cost performance. And then pursuing collaborative consensus…”
Uh—uh-huh… That’s right.
After listening in silence to their meeting thus far, it hit me.
…What the hell is this meeting?
Not only did I have no idea what they were doing, I didn’t really get what they were talking about, either. Am I stupid or something?
Feeling uneasy, I looked over at Isshiki beside me to see her nodding and making appreciative sounds like “Oooh” and “Ahhh.” Did you know, Raiden?
It would have been awkward if I fell too far behind when I’d come to help, so I stealthily checked with Isshiki. “Isshiki, what are they saying right now?” I asked her quietly.
She turned her head slightly toward me. Her head was tilted cutely. “Huh? Uh…” And then she made a vague sort of exhale with a shrug.
What’s that supposed to mean? That sounds like the noises Ai-chan makes when she plays table tennis.
She was reacting with all those oohs even when she didn’t understand things? I gave her an exasperated look, but she didn’t seem bothered. She was smiling casually as if to say, Don’t worry about it!
“Well, they’re proposing lots of stuff.”
“Uh-huh…” I guess if they’re saying they’ll come up with ideas, then we have to be the one to carry out their plans… Well, I think I could cover that well enough on my own.
I don’t hate simple labor. Repetitive mechanical tasks are acerbating to the spirit, but the acerbating of my spirit has long been thoroughly exacerbated to the point of reprobation. If you don’t have to act with care or use your head, that’s easy in its own way.
I figured, eh, I’d make sure to be good and listen to precisely what it was we would be doing. But the discussion didn’t seem to have much substance…
Tamanawa, who was in charge of proceedings, also appeared to realize that.
“Everyone, I think there may be something more important here…,” he declared in a weighty tone, and tension ran through the assembled crowd. As expected of a student council president, he had a certain amount of gravity. Attention gathered on him, everyone wondering what he would say next.
He swept his gaze over the whole lecture room, and then with a slightly exaggerated gesture like spinning a pottery wheel, he began.
“We should think logically, utilizing the rational formation of ideas.”
Isn’t that saying the same thing? How many times are you going to think?
“We should take the customer’s view, fostering a client-side perspective.”
Like I said, aren’t you saying the same thing? How many times are you going to become the customer?
I think I had a slightly strained smile on my face. But everyone else was in awe, staring at Tamanawa with sparkles in their eyes.
…This is no good. It looks like the president is the same as all the rest of them…
More likely, similar sorts of people had come together here—had been gathered here.
After all that, the meeting continued along the same lines.
“So then we should consider outsourcing…”
“But that methodology would be a nonoptimal strategy.”
“I see. So then we should account for possible re-sche, going forward.”
What the heck is re-sche, a restaurant with great beef tongue? Why are these guys all using nothing but technobabble? What is this, Mahouka?
This sort of discussion continued, like, “Game-changing innovation!” “Dialoguing and collaborative negotiation!” “The solution is results-oriented!” This was beyond the sort of added English in modern hip-hop music—I think they might have been some hip-hop hiiighly intelligent individuals.
Whaaa…? They’re so intellectual and socially conscious… I feel like all this big brain energy is gonna cause me to lose consciousness, here…
Where do we come from, and where do we go?
It was the sort of meeting where such thoughts would cross your mind. Just where had this meeting come from, and where was it going?
Before I knew it, the meeting had ended without anything resembling a proper conclusion.
But brainstorming is often like that. It’s about trying to get as great a variety of ideas presented as possible. It’s done with the sole goal of creating ideas. So then perhaps this meeting had not necessarily been entirely useless.
However, I was bothered a little by the fact that nearly all the ideas had come from the Kaihin side. Though the Soubu students had been there, they’d hardly said anything. Well, after that barrage of highbrow lingo from earlier, it was no wonder those of us from Soubu shrank away. Not even Isshiki, the president, would feel like she could voice her own ideas in an atmosphere like that.
She was currently in an animated conversation with the Kaihin student council.
There was nothing in particular for me to do, so I kept to myself across the room, zoning out as I watched Isshiki. When she noticed me, she found an appropriate moment to finish her chat and then came over to me.
“Hey, did you get the gist of it?”
“Nope…I didn’t understand anything.”
Isshiki was probably asking me if I had recognized the point of this meeting or not. Of course I got that much, but unfortunately, with all the business speak flying back and forth, I wasn’t sure it would be accurate to say I comprehended what was said.
Isshiki must have picked that up from my expression. She breathed a short sigh. “Yeah, it all sounded kinda difficult, huh?”
Well, it wasn’t so much that the words used were difficult, but rather their vagueness rendered the ideas they were conveying incomprehensible. A trivial distinction to Isshiki, I guess, as she put on a charming and cutesy smile.
“But they really like it when I go, Wooow! Or I’ve got to work hard at this, too! For the rest, all I have to do is respond to the lingo, and we’re good.”
“You’re gonna get stabbed one day…”
Even if that method worked now, I worried that eventually, she’d face severe retaliation. Seriously, omega males will fall for that so easily; it causes so many tragedies… These types can be weirdly pure, single-minded, wholehearted, and earnest, so they misunderstand easily. Damn, when you really think about it, these types are really great guys! Why don’t girls like them?! How bizarre!
As I was pondering this, Isshiki mused out loud, “Hmm…but you’re sometimes like that, too. It’s sorta like you’re overcompensating for something…” She almost laughed. I swear I heard a lol added after that comment…
“Don’t assume I’m like them. I’m not overcompensating. I’m overly self-conscious.”
An overcompensating type is basically someone who wants to emphasize their strong ambition for personal growth. They’re mildly cringey kids who try to present themselves as competent and different from other people, and they throw around cool-sounding business and economics terms in a pseudo-intellectual manner. It’s not that different from M-2 syndrome.
Meanwhile, the overly self-conscious types are basically mildly cringey kids. It’s not that different from M-2 syndrome.
“Aaagh, I don’t really get it,” Isshiki muttered, exasperated.
Well, neither do I. But regardless, I’m sure both groups are cringey to others around them.
“Anyway, I’ve worked out what it is we’re doing, so let’s get on that.” Isshiki pulled out a handful of papers.
Oh, so her conversation with them wasn’t just chitchat. Was she asking about what roles those of us from Soubu would be filling, since that didn’t come up in the meeting?
Meetings are often pointless. I think it’s more common for the important things not to be decided in meetings but in private discussions between VIPs. Isshiki’s rather shrewd in that regard. And perhaps because she’s a cute first-year girl, they’ve been treating her well, too.
“You’re getting along with them pretty well, huh?”
“Hmm. Well, I suppose so.” Isshiki put her pointer finger to her chin and tilted her head in thought before letting out a laugh. “…Wait, aren’t you the one who taught me that it’s cute when a younger girl wants to learn things from you?”
“I didn’t teach you anything like that…” I mean, yes, I did suggest the merits of skillfully using that position. But I didn’t recall saying anything so specific. Wait, maybe this is what happens if you interpret something in the Isshiki manner… Oh dear, have I unknowingly created a monster? This sort of thing is bound to tear the soccer club apart…
“But, well, given the way things are going, can’t we let them handle everything? You don’t need me,” I said.
Isshiki looked at her shoes, struggling to reply to that. “Ahhh, um, I guess so…”
I assumed there had to be something she was worried about, so I waited for her to continue.
But I didn’t get to hear that because someone rapped on our desk. “Hey, Iroha-chan. Can I ask you to handle this, too? We went and handled the bigger part, after all.”
Tamanawa, the student council president of Kaihin High School, had appeared. It seemed he had an addendum to his recent discussion with Isshiki, as he handed her a few more papers.
“Oh, sure!” She accepted them smoothly. No trace of her earlier gloom could be seen on her face.
“Thanks. If there’s anything you’re confused about, feel free to ask. I’ll be sure to fill you in.” Tamanawa gave a charming smile and waved before leaving. Isshiki returned the gesture as she watched him go.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Turning back to me, she gathered up the extra printouts she’d been given and started passing them out to the other members of the Soubu student council. “So that’s the deal. It looks like our job will be writing up the record of proceedings. Right, then—I’ll be counting on you all to handle that,” she said, allotting work to each member. Their reactions were quite lacking. They seemed far less motivated than the other student council, which was harmonious and happy.
Well, it’d be weirder to be fully enthusiastic about work. Real weird.
But I could understand our student council not hopping to work when their responsibility was merely to carry out what the other school had planned. They probably didn’t want to be treated as an afterthought.
I accepted the records from Isshiki, too. Aside from that, there was also the schedule for future meetings and the task checklist. It seemed our job for now was to brush these up.
We carried out this work in silence.
Then one of the student council members suddenly stood to hand the printouts to Isshiki. “Is this all right, President?”
“Ah, I’ll check over it.” Upon accepting them, Isshiki’s expression stiffened.
The boy facing her opened his mouth, too, as if he wanted to say something. “Oh, about this…”
“Yes…?”
“No, actually, never mind…” The boy, who looked like a student council executive, swallowed the rest of what he was going to say and looked away. “Thanks,” he said quietly, then returned to his seat.
When I followed him with my eyes, thinking, Haven’t I seen him before? Isshiki noticed and explained in a whisper, “That’s the vice president.”
I suddenly realized. Oh, that guy from second year… I didn’t know his name, but I’d kind of seen him around on the same floor at school. So he was our vice president, huh? Well, even if I knew the president, it wasn’t as if anyone else would be that well-known.
He’s in the same year as me, huh? That would explain why Isshiki was speaking politely to him.
Hmm. This is rather complicated.
It’s difficult to have an underling who is older than you, and it can also be a little disconcerting to have a superior who’s younger than you. When I had that convenience store job, it was really hard to get along with this new employee who was older… When they’re learning about the job from you, they act diffident, almost tiptoeing around you.
It seemed even Isshiki, who was used to being cosseted by her elders, knew that struggle.
“Seems like you’re having a rough time,” I commented.
“Yeah… I don’t think he likes me very much. But that’s how things are, at first.” Isshiki’s face clouded for an instant. But then with her usual, somehow provocative smile, she quickly added, “He’ll get used to me eventually.”
Well, it’s true that it’s hard to get along perfectly as best friends from the very start. There will be some disputes, disagreements, and differences of opinions.
But there’s potential there. If something has just begun, it can change in any number of ways. At the very least, it’s not like a certain room that’s now closed.
“Hey…”
Hearing her call me, I jerked my head up, and there was Isshiki’s face with a questioning expression. It seemed my hands had stopped working. To fill the awkward silence, I started talking as I wrote. “Anyway, how long should we keep doing this?”
“Yeah…it’s almost time to wind down for the day.”
Following Isshiki’s gaze, I looked at the clock hanging by the entrance. It was already quite late. Most clubs would have called it a day by now.
Then the door underneath the clock opened.
“Oh, you’re here.” The one who appeared was a woman in a suit and a white coat: my homeroom teacher. She walked over to us, long black hair fluttering and high heels clicking.
“Miss Hiratsuka.”
Why is she here…? I thought, confused.
She sighed in dissatisfaction. “It seems this is being added to my workload, basically… Good grief. Us young underlings are constantly being loaded with more work; it’s awful.”
Of course, you’re one of the young ones… I found myself giving her a gentle look.
But she looked back into my eyes—and her gaze wasn’t so different from mine. “…You’re alone, Hikigaya? What happened to Yukinoshita and Yuigahama?”
From the way she spoke, she seemed to take it for granted that I would be there, but she’d also figured the other members of the Service Club would be present, too. Oh, now that I think of it, Isshiki said the one who told her to do this joint event was Miss Hiratsuka, huh?
In other words, she had to have sent Isshiki’s request to be accepted by the Service Club. And indeed, in the past, maybe we would have accepted this request as a club.
But things were different now.
“Oh, no, I’m just helping as an individual.” I shifted my gaze to the printouts in my hands.
“Hmm…” Miss Hiratsuka watched me steadily as I worked, saying nothing for a while. I didn’t explain any further, either, focusing on moving my hands and copying out sentences and words that meant nothing to me.
“…Well, all right, then.” With a short sigh, Miss Hiratsuka looked at Isshiki, then back at me again. “Hikigaya and Isshiki, huh…? An interesting combination.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I didn’t find it amusing to be paired up with her. Isshiki seemed to feel the same way. I could almost hear the extreme displeasure on her face: eugh.
That’s a little mean, Irohasu…
Seeing our expressions, Miss Hiratsuka gave a bemused smile. “Well, it’s a little… Anyway, it’s getting late. Go home now and do the rest another time. It looks like that’s what the other kids are planning to do.”
Now that she mentioned it, some of the Kaihin people were starting to get ready to leave.
“Yeah, then I guess we’ll go, too,” Isshiki announced to the rest of the student council, and they all started tidying their things.
Then Isshiki lowered her voice—she must have been trying to keep Miss Hiratsuka from hearing—and whispered in my ear, “I’m gonna go eat with their student council before I go home, so you can go ahead and leave first.”
Inviting me isn’t even an option, is it…? I’m thankful that she really gets it. “Then I’m going,” I said.
“Roger. Well then, I’ll see you again tomorrow.” Isshiki gave me a joking salute, and I replied with a casually raised hand before heading to the door.
That was when I remembered something I’d forgotten to ask. “Oh yeah. Can I take it we’re starting at about the same time tomorrow, too?”
“Yeah, that’s generally right.”
“Roger, got it.”
The start time was probably later in the day because the Kaihin students needed a little more time to arrive at this location. For us, that meant there was some time before the meetings started.
As I wondered about how I should spend that narrow slice of time, I left the community center.
What is happiness?
It is a kotatsu.
“Oh, Big Bro! Welcome home.”
When I finished the long day and returned home, Komachi was in the living room. Her eyes were half-closed. She was looking pretty sleepy. The cause of her sleepiness was probably the kotatsu, a heater that uses a heavy blanket underneath a tabletop, which I hadn’t even noticed had been brought out into the living room.
So at last, it’s returned…this devilish machine. A kotatsu is a machine for the production of useless people. In my opinion, if you sent a bunch of kotatsu to an enemy nation in the winter, you could invade it easily.
“Komachi, don’t study under the kotatsu. It’ll make you sleepy, and if you fall asleep there, you’ll catch a cold. Those things ruin people,” I scolded her, but she shot me an unamused look. Oh dearie me, is this girl in a rebellious stage…?
“Uh, that’s funny coming from someone snuggling into it himself…”
Ha-ha-ha, what are you talking about, dear Komachi? I’m not in the kota… Ahhh! I slid under the kotatsu without even realizing it?!
While putting on this very stupid act, I really was already inside the kotatsu.
…Iz so warm, meow…
After a long day and the return along the cold road at night, the infrared rays felt so nice. I stretched out my legs lazily, and they touched something soft.
And then that soft thing came to wrap around my leg. A soft something that moves… Is it Komachi’s leg? I thought, looking over at her, and when her eyes met mine, she grinned.
To think she’d flirt with me by twining her leg around mine in the kotatsu… Recently, my sister has been unusual… Actually, oh man, what the heck, this is really embarrassing! …That needy little brat.
I kicked my leg out as if to say, Cut that out, and that soft sensation moved away.
And then something crawled out of the kotatsu. It was the cat, Kamakura. What had been twining around my leg had been not Komachi but him. Why do cats immediately make human legs their pillows?
After leaving the warmth, Kamakura stretched out long and exhaled a hmf.
C’mon, are you like a middle-aged man coming out of the sauna?
Kamakura snorted when he saw my face, disgruntled about having been kicked out. Or was it that my feet smelled…? Don’t act like that. It makes me anxious…
“Bro, why’re you glaring at Kaa like that?”
“No reason…”
He had left the kotatsu, but Kamakura must have been a little cold after all. He leaped onto Komachi’s lap, and this time he curled up to nap there with his paws tucked in. I’m sure he slept plenty in the afternoon, but he’s still gonna sleep?
Must be nice to be a cat. I’d like to live that kind of lifestyle, too.
Komachi started petting Kamakura on her lap. Ahhh, if you do that, he’s never gonna leave…
Oh yeah. Watching her, I remembered something. “Hey, Komachi. What’s this?” I pulled out the letter that was still in the chest pocket of my uniform.
Taking care not to move Kamakura, Komachi leaned over to examine it. “Huh?” she said calmly. “It’s exactly what it looks like.”
“Uh-huh…” Does she seriously want household appliances…? What the heck is with this girl? If I do say so of my own sister…
But Komachi wasn’t interested in explaining further and just petted Kamakura while humming.
…Well, I didn’t want to make things awkward by pressing her and bringing up her message at the end. I decided to take that list as a reference, while I carefully considered something else to get her.
Neither of us really talked, just passing the time in mindless silence.
Suddenly, Kamakura twitched and stood up. He scratched his ears with his back leg, and then with a crisp expression on his face, he left the living room. It looked like he was heading for the door.
That meant our mother had come home. What’s amazing about Kamakura is the way he goes to greet Mom and Komachi. By the way, he never comes to greet me or Dad.
After a while, there was the clack of the front door opening, followed by the tmp-tmp of footsteps going up the stairs, and then Mom appeared in the living room. Kamakura was following behind her.
“I’m home. Agh, I’m tired.” She threw her bag down where she stood and tossed back the coffee she must have bought at a café on the way back. Seeing how tired she looked, Komachi and I offered her some appreciation.
“Welcome home, Mom!”
“Yeah, bet it was a long day. Where’s Dad?” I asked, thinking that if he was home, I’d pester him for money to buy Komachi a present.
But Mom tilted her head, gave me a blank look, and replied with a vague noise.
“Huh?”
Hey, hey, Mom? You can speak words, right? You can communicate with your husband? Or are you just not interested in him at all?
“The schedule is packed at this time of year, so I doubt he can come back so easily. I’ve brought home work, too,” Mom said naturally, without any particular attempt to hide it. It seemed less that she was uninterested and more that to her, something so obvious wasn’t even worth trying to hide. Huh, I’m sure it depends on the industry, but employees at this time of year sure are busy. I wouldn’t be able to take still having to work even when it was this close to Christmas, come on. I want to become the sort of adult who makes sure to spend the Christmas season with family. I’m absolutely not going to get a job.
As I was cultivating an unwavering spirit of unemployment, my mom opened her mouth as if something had suddenly struck her. “Oh yeah, Hachiman. You’re not doing anything, are you? Reserve us a tub of chicken pieces. And a cake, too.”
“Hmm?” I replied. Why me? And wait, you don’t necessarily know that I’ve got nothing to do, right? Or Hmm? for short. Wait, that’s not a great abbreviation, is it?
“I’ve always asked Komachi to do it, but this year, she’s a little busy…”
“Oh, it’s fine. Gimme money.” I wasn’t unwilling to do it if that was the reason. I’d never really thought much about it before, but when I’d been studying for exams, I’m sure Komachi did lots of stuff for me, too. Plus, she does most of the chores, normally. I should do it at times like these, at least.
When Komachi heard my reply, she jumped in. “Komachi can do that much, at least.”
But for some reason, my mother waved her hand, almost laughing. “It’s fine, it’s fine, we’re already placing a burden on you as it is, Komachi, because of our work. You should make your brother do things sometimes.”
Hey, that’s not how it is. It’s not. I do actually have the intention to do chores. But once I decide in my heart that I’m gonna do the chores, the deed’s already been done! (By Komachi.)
I was about to make an excuse, like, It’s helpful to have a competent little sister, but also tough! But my mother was completely ignoring my reaction, pulling her wallet out of her bag. “Oh, I forgot to withdraw some cash. You mind waiting until next time?”
“Sure.” After that brief reply from me, my mother gave a thank you and yawned, then cracked her shoulders and left the living room.
Watching our exhausted mother go, Komachi muttered, “She doesn’t have to worry about Komachi.”
“Well, that’s parental affection for you. Don’t worry about it. Just study hard,” I said.
Komachi frowned for a moment, then tried to cover it with a somewhat cynical smile. “Hmm, I can’t say I like hearing people say that…”
“Oh, sorry. I couldn’t think of any other way to say it.” I’d told her to study hard on instinct. But someone studying for entrance exams hears that so often, they get sick of it. Besides, my dumb little sister can’t be slacking on her studies.
I don’t think you should tell someone who is already working hard to work hard. And really, when you hear that from someone who isn’t working hard, it only comes across as annoying.
So then how should I support her? Mmmgh…
As I groaned to myself, Komachi smiled. “Bro, at times like these, I love you works.”
“Is that right? I love you, Komachi.”
“Komachi doesn’t love you back, but thanks, Bro!”
“So cruel…” Tears welled in my eyes. Big Brother put quite a lot of heart into saying that. I’ll even flash my brake lights five times for you!
After a stint of gleeful laughter, Komachi stood up. She was probably going back to her room to study. “Okay, that was a nice break.”
“That’s good…”
“It’s important for you to have breaks, too, Bro. Like, if you’re worrying too much about things, doing something else will distract you, right?”
“Well…I guess, yeah, that’s right.” I had been about to say, Isn’t that an excuse for running away?
But then I remembered a certain someone who was also averting his eyes, and I couldn’t bring myself to give Komachi a hard time anymore.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login