3.1
We came outside, but there was a little trouble waiting for us. We heard that the bus was stuck in a traffic jam and would be delayed about 10 minutes. There were many students waiting for the bus, and when I turned around, the front porch was overflowing with people.
“It's cold, but I guess we have no choice but to wait outside.”
Watanabe exhaled a white breath and gloomily looked up at the sky. It was unfortunate that we went outside a little earlier than the other students, but it couldn't be helped. Even if we went all the way back to our rooms, we wouldn't be able to relax for more than five minutes. We, the sixth group, waited under the shelter of the roof for the bus to come.
“Hey, hey, since it's a special occasion, why don't we all build a snowman?”
Amikura suggested to the group, perhaps to make the most of the wait.
“That sounds fun. Why don't we make one with Nishino-san and Yamamura-san?”
“...Well, okay.”
Nishino was expected to refuse this kind of thing, but surprisingly, she easily gave in.
“What about Yamamura-san?”
“No, I'm... Not interested.”
As expected, she declined, albeit somewhat modestly.
The girls moved to a spot out of the way and began to gather up the fallen snow.
Apparently, they had intended not to make a small snowman, but a reasonably large one.
“Hey, Ryūen-kun, why don't you come over here and make a snowman with us? I think it would be fun.”
Knowing that he would never take her up on her suggestion, Kushida ostensibly appealed to his good heart and invited Ryūen to join them. The students around her were also watching the development with concern, perhaps because they couldn’t imagine Ryūen building a snowman with enthusiasm.
This remark was definitely payback for yesterday.
If he made any careless remarks, she was determined to take advantage of the situation.
“I thought that some checks and balances would make her quieter, but I guess I misread her.”
Ryūen muttered to himself.
It was true that Kushida, before her identity became known to her classmates, might’ve tolerated the situation.
He may have felt a strange sense of suspicion, but there was no way he could solve the mystery. I can't pass on information that the rest of the classes don't know, such as what transpired during the Unanimous Vote Special Exam.
Needless to say, there was no way that Ryūen would take up Kushida's offer. He didn’t react to the invitation and turned his head.
On the other hand, there were those who continued to quietly gaze at the snowman as it was being built.
It was Yamamura, who had been gradually distancing herself from us without being noticed.
“Hah...”
While observing the snowman being made by Kushida, she exhaled coldly into her hands.
“Hah!”
Kushida and the others building the snowman were naturally wearing warm gloves.
Looking around, none of the students outside except for Yamamura had bare hands.
It was only natural. In this cold weather, they wouldn’t go bare-handed for an extensive period of time unless they had a special reason to.
I remember Yamamura was wearing gloves before yesterday's skiing lesson.
Even if she could rent ski gloves, why wouldn't she bring gloves with her on the way to the ski resort anyway?
If she forgot them, she could just go back to get them, so maybe there was a reason for their absence.
She looked dazed and stared out, repeatedly exhaling. I was curious about the mountain village, but more and more students were beginning to come out while we waited for the bus.
“It's snowing all over, isn't it?”
The owner of the familiar voice was Sakayanagi Arisu, a member of the fourth group. She should be with Hondō and Onodera from Horikita's class. As I recalled this, students continued to show up, the snow continuing to shock them. Since Sakayanagi couldn't ski, she was probably going to a sightseeing spot.
We didn't get particularly involved with the members of the sixth group, and all of Sakayanagi's group members seemed to be together.
Soon, the bus heading to the city center arrived, before the others heading to the ski resort.
The teacher leading the way gave the order to get on, and the students began boarding one by one.
Sakayanagi walked with her cane on the unfamiliar snow-covered road.
As I watched, I wondered if she was in danger.
Perhaps my prediction came true because Sakayanagi slipped and fell on her buttocks.
Fortunately, she wasn't in pain as the snow seemed to cushion the impact.
“Are you okay...?”
Tokitō, a Class C student assigned to the same Group 4, who was walking slightly behind me, rushed up to her.
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then extended his hand.
“Thank you, Tokitō-kun.”
She grabbed the hand that was being held out to her as she thanked him a little shyly.
It would be easy to forcefully pull the petite Sakayanagi up, but Tokitō did so carefully and slowly.
Despite his stern face, he was surprisingly sensitive and considerate in his help.
“Don't push yourself. You have a bad leg...”
“I'm sorry. Fortunately the snow was soft and it didn't hurt.”
“So there’s no problem...?”
Sakayanagi usually employed relentless strategy as the class leader, but the other classes' group members must’ve felt a vastly different impression.
Grabbing her cane, Sakayanagi got up and thanked him once more.
“Thank you for your help.”
“Nothing, it's... It's..., I mean, I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a big deal.”
Embarrassed, he shifted his gaze, unable to look directly at Sakayanagi.
“I thought Tokitō-kun was a much scarier person.”
“Eh? Me? ...No, I don't know.”
Sakayanagi stopped to talk. It was an exchange that seemed to show the change in their relationship.
“Because you usually seem to walk with a scary look plastered on your face when we pass each other in the hallway.”
“Hey, how do you even know me?”
When asked this, Sakayanagi replied without pause and with a smile on her face.
“Because we are both second-year students. I know Tokitō-kun very well.”
If they were an ordinary boy and girl in an ordinary high school, this would be a scene that would likely cause misunderstandings. However, behind that smile, there was always the possibility that Sakayanagi's wits and tricks were at play.
In some cases, even falling down may have been part of the calculation.
Sakayanagi and Tokitō walked side by side to the bus doorway, where he let Sakayanagi board first. The only other person who might be interested in this exchange was Ryūen, who was staring at them with great curiosity. Whether or not there was an underlying reason behind this, it was clear that those who normally had no contact with each other were gradually beginning to close the distance between them.
The delayed buses to the ski resort also arrived, replacing the buses to the city center.
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