'...': Writing
'...': Sign language
After homeroom ended, I got up from my seat and started walking toward the exit.
"Sakura-san," Kushida called out to her.
"W-What...?" Sakura hunched back and looked up listlessly.
She was panicking, and it wasn't a good sign at all.
"Do you have time, Sakura-san? I want to ask you something about Sudou-kun's case..."
"S-Sorry, I... have plans, so..."
She averted her eyes, and it landed on me momentarily before she quickly looked away. That's right... I was going to help her out with her photos.
"Can you make some time? I want to talk because this is important. During Sudou-kun's incident, were you nearby by any chance?"
"I don't know... I already said this to Horikita-san, but I don't know anything..." Her words were frail, but she denied it.
I don't think Kushida isn't going to drop it.
Despite her discomfort, Sakura avoided looking at Kushida's face. If it were me, then it would be a completely different outcome. Interacting with Kushida was a completely different experience.
"Can't you give me a few minutes?"
"W-Why? I don't know anything..."
The awkward conversation was gathering more attention as it dragged on and on. It looks like I would have to step in. A sigh escaped my lips as I made my way over.
'She doesn't know anything.'
Underneath those words, I wrote down something else entirely different.
It seemed Kushida understood, nodding her head with a smile, "I'm sorry, Sakura-san. It looks like I got the wrong person."
Ayanokouji's POV
Hmm, that was interesting. I wonder what Kagurazaka wrote down to make Kushida back down. Sakura grabbed her stuff and quickly exited the classroom.
However, she bumped shoulders with Hondou, who wasn't paying attention to his surroundings as he texted his friend on his phone.
"Ah!"
She was holding a digital camera that escaped her grip, clanging onto the floor. Kagurazaka buried his face into his hands in disappointment. It seems that Sakura's camera holds some evidence.
Sakura picked up her camera in a panic, "No... It won't turn on..."
Sakura gasped and covered her mouth. The camera appeared broken from the impact. She repeatedly pressed the power button and attempted to remove and reinsert the batteries, but it remained off.
Sakura quickly left as a sigh escaped Kagurazaka's lips as he left the classroom.
"Why is a gloomy girl like her the witness? How unlucky. She doesn't even want to help," Sudou leaned against the chair and crossed his legs as he sighed in resignation.
"Don't worry; Kagurazaka-kun will talk to her about it," Kushida reassured Sudou.
"What if he doesn't talk to her about it, though? He could've been lying about it," Sudou suggested.
"I think Kagurazaka-kun will talk to Sakura-san," Horikita said, "She should be the witness."
"How do you know?" Sudou asked.
"It's better for her to talk to someone that she is familiar with. It will make it easier for him to convince her," Horikita explained.
Horikita continued, "To answer your second question... She won't testify as your witness. The case will still be your fault. Class D won't escape consequences, but we're fortunate only to lose 87 points, not 100 or 200. You claimed innocence, so the school can't expel you, but we'll be affected more than class C."
"Don't make jokes. I'm innocent. Innocent! I hit them, but it was out of self-defense," Sudou said.
"Self-defence isn't as helpful as you think it is," I should've kept my mouth shut.
"Hey, Ayanokouji-kun."
As I turned around, I noticed Kushida standing very close. I couldn't help but find her cute, and the invasion of my personal space didn't bother me. I wished she would come even closer to me.
"You're Sudou-kun's ally, right?"
"Well... yeah, but why are you asking again?"
"It's looking a bit iffy right now since everyone's willingness to help Sudou-kun is diminishing."
I looked around the classroom.
"Seems like it. They probably think that whatever we do will be useless."
No progress will be made if the critical witness, Sakura, denies it.
"It doesn't seem like a perfect solution will appear. Let's give up, Sudou," Ike mumbled halfheartedly.
"What's wrong with you guys? Didn't you say that you'd help me?"
"Even your friends don't want to help you. That's too bad," The others didn't say anything to deny what Ike and Horikita were saying.
"Why is no one on my side? Man, all of you are useless bastards."
"How interesting, Sudou-kun. Have you noticed that everyone's turning on you?" Horikita said.
Is she trying to provoke him?
"What are you trying to say?"
The class becomes tense often, but today was even worse.
Since Sudou was talking to Horikita, he tried his hardest to hold back.
However, the blade came from an unexpected direction, "Don't you think it's better for us that you're expelled? Your existence isn't a beautiful one. Rather, it's quite ugly, Red hair-kun."
It was the narcissist himself, Koenji, who said those words.
"What did you say? Try saying that again."
"Hmm, it looks like your ears aren't working properly. I understand that you're too dumb to comprehend what I said so that I won't be repeating myself," Koenji didn't even look at Sudou and replied as if he was nothing.
The desk suddenly flew into the air and crashed onto the floor, causing the entire room to freeze. Sudou stood up and walked over to Koenji silently while the students remained hopeful.
"Alright, stop right there. Calm down, you two," Hirata stepped in.
"Sudou-kun. You're part of the problem, but Koenji-kun, you might also be wrong."
"I don't think I've been wrong since I was born. You're mistaken."
"Hah, that's just fine. You better kneel right now, or I'll beat you up and smash your face."
"Stop it," Hirata tried to hold Sudou back by grabbing his arm, but he wasn't showing any signs of stopping.
It seems like he intends to vent all of his frustration by hitting Koenji.
"I'll end this here. Sudou-kun, you should act more like an adult. If you made another big uproar here, the school's impression of you would only worsen. Right?"
Sudou glared at Koenji and left the room. After the door slammed shut, a loud voice rang out from the hallway.
"Koenji-kun. I won't force you to help, but you were wrong to blame him."
"I'm sorry, but I have never been wrong. It would be best if you were thankful that Silent-kun even decided to help. Would you look at the time? It's about time for my date. Please excuse me."
While watching their strange interaction, I realized there was no class unity.
It seemed that Koenji held Kagurazaka in some regard, which made me curious.
Kagurazaka's POV
I was sitting on the couch in Sakura's room as she tried to get her camera to work. With no avail, her camera wasn't working at all.
She turned to me with teary eyes, "K-Kagurazaka-kun..."
I don't know what she wanted me to do about it. I wasn't expecting all of this to happen.
She took her glasses, wiping her eyes before getting up and sitting beside me, "W-What am I going to do...?"
Is she talking about the camera or about being a potential witness?
"W-What should I do?"
'About?'
"I-I can't testify... I-I'm afraid..." Sakura answered.
'I'm not good at giving advice, but you should follow what you believe is right. You decide to help.'
She stared at me without saying a word, which was unnerving.
"I-I see..."
"U-Umm, can you bring me to the electronics store to repair my camera?"
I nodded, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.
I waved goodbye to Sakura and left her room. I started walking down the hallway when I saw a girl leaning against the wall.
"What's up, Kagurazaka-kun?" It was Minamikita.
'Nothing; what are you doing?'
"Waiting for Sayo to hurry up," Minamikita answered, "What are you doing in the girls' dorm?"
'Comforting a friend.'
"Did she go through a breakup?" Minamikita asked.
'Broken camera.'
"The camera must mean a lot to her," I nodded.
'Isn't Sayo supposed to be out here?'
"Yeah, if only she didn't take a thousand years!" Minamikita yelled.
The door opened as Andou stepped out with a strained smile, "It wasn't that long."
"But it felt like forever," Minamikita complained.
"Hey, Kagurazaka-kun, do you want to join us for a walk around the campus?" Andou asked.
I do enjoy a nice walk...
I nodded.
"Great!" Andou beamed.
I walked alongside Minamikita and Andou as we made our way out of the girls' dorm.
"So, what do you like to do in your free time?" Andou asked.
'Going for a walk, reading, napping, cooking.'
"That's nice; I'm usually watching TV or reading something," Andou said.
"I do enjoy a good nap occasionally," Minamikita said.
"Don't let that innocent face fool you. It's a challenge trying to wake her up," Andou commented.
Minamikita playfully rolled her eyes, "I'm not that bad."
"It feels like I have to use a battering ram to wake you up," Andou deadpanned.
"It's not my fault I'm a heavy sleeper," Minamikita shrugged.
Andou's right eye twitched, but she seemed composed, "So, what's Class D like?" She changed topics.
'Problems arising from left to right... Half the class despises me...'
Both girls whipped their heads to look at me with wide eyes.
Was it something I wrote?
"You're lying," Andou stated.
I shook my head.
"What did you do?" Minamikita asked.
I gave them a summary of what happened. The reaction I got wasn't what I was expecting. They both looked genuinely impressed for some reason.
"I'm impressed that you scored a zero on the mock test," Minamikita stated.
"Why am I not surprised," Andou said, "But I'll admit... It's impressive that you can deny the nicest girl in class multiple times."
'Enough about me and Class D... What's Class B like?'
"It's a nice class," Andou answered, "Everyone likes working together."
"It's pretty exhilarating, and it helps that everyone is weird in their way," Minamikita added.
'That includes both of you.'
"Yup!" Minamikita wore a proud smile, "Just don't forget who we are amongst the huge personalities," she winked.
'Are you insisting that you want my attention?'
"Hey, don't twist my words," Minamikita flashed a playful glare.
"Hey, you Minamikita-san! When can I flirt with Kagurazaka-kun?" Andou asked.
"You have to wait in line... Oh!" It seemed Minamikita remembered something, "Let's exchange contact information."
After getting their contact information, I noticed them having smug smiles.
"You seem to have a list of ladies," Andou teased.
"Are you trying to make a harem for yourself?" Minamikita suggested.
Who do I have on my contact list?
Ayanokouji, Horikita, Shiina, Ichinose, Sakayanagi, Sakura... Now, I have Minamikita and Andou...
I have a guy's phone number... That doesn't help my case.
I struggle to make friends with guys.
Minamikita and Andou continued teasing through the entire walk.
I'm getting bullied...
Evening
"Ah, Kagurazaka-kun! Over here!" Ichinose called out to me, waving her hand with a smile.
I wonder why she wants to meet up with me.
She gestured for me to follow her, so I did. We ended up behind the gymnasium. It seemed like an ideal place for a confession... Wait...
It took Ichinose to prepare herself, and she turned around to face me.
I shouldn't think much about it.
"I... I think someone's going to confess to me here."
Ichinose showed me a sweet love letter sealed with a heart sticker. Although it would be rude to look inside, I couldn't resist. The handwriting was pretty and clean, no different from the envelope.
I shouldn't be here if someone is going to confess to her. Ichinose must have seen my intentions because she stopped me.
"Please, help me," she said, "I don't know much about love. I don't know how to respond without hurting their feelings, and I don't know if I can also stay close to them after this. So I want you to help me."
'Sorry, but I don't have any experience in confessing. Couldn't you ask someone else for help?'
"The person that's confessing to me is in Class B. I trust you won't go around spreading rumors."
'Is that the only reason?'
She shook her head, "No, there's something else... Can you please pretend to be my boyfriend?"
...
...
...
Alright, I'm leaving.
"Ah, wait...!" Ichinose seemed to panic.
"K-Kagurazaka-kun..." I heard a shy voice stutter my name.
"Y-You two know each other..." Ichinose's face contorted into horror.
'I barely know Shiranami-san. I only had lunch with her once.'
"I-Is... Kagurazaka-kun..."
I shook my head, making my way over to Shiranami. She was staring at me in horror, like I was going to do something.
'I'm not her boyfriend.'
'I'm a friend, and I was leaving, anyways.'
I turned to face Ichinose, 'You two talk it out.'
I walked away from the awkward scene.
I waited five minutes until a girl ran past me from behind the gymnasium. There were faint traces of tears in her eyes.
Around sunset, Ichinose walked back from behind the gym. She looked awkward at first but quickly regained her composure upon seeing me.
"I made a mistake by trying to avoid hurting her feelings instead of properly responding to them."
'See, you didn't need me.'
"You're right," Ichinose mumbled, "Love is sure difficult..."
"I asked if things could go on as they always have tomorrow, but I wonder if that's possible."
'You'll have to wait and see.'
"Yeah..." She trailed off.
"Thank you for today. Coming with me on such a strange request."
'No problem.'
I walked away.
Gymnasium
Now, where did she go... Ah, I found her.
Shiranami was huddled in a corner, her face buried in her hands. As I approached her, she lifted her head and revealed red, puffy eyes.
"What are you doing here?"
'Checking up on you.'
"Go away," she muttered, burying her face back into her knees.
I didn't listen to her and walked over to her. I sat right beside her.
She lifted her head and attempted to glare at me, "I told you to leave."
I shook my head.
'How are you feeling?'
A depressing laugh escaped her lips, "I feel miserable... It hurts so much."
'A lot of things will hurt you.'
"What... did I do wrong?" She asked.
'Nothing... You were brave enough to confess your feelings. You must have taken a lot of courage to do it.'
'Get some rest. You have been through enough this evening.'
"Could you... stay with me? Just for a few minutes."
I nodded.
We sat in silence together.
Nighttime
I made up my mind to go for another walk at night. I'll be taking a different route this time.
I collided with a girl on my walk... This has been recurring, and I'm getting annoyed by it.
Her books were scattered on the ground. I bent down to help collect her books.
"Oh my goodness, it's a like a cliché!" Another girl appeared out of nowhere, "Nanami-san, you need to brush hands with this attractive guy, and both of you will go doki doki!"
Sorry, but I'm not going to do a cliché. I quickly gathered the books, helped the girl up, and gave the books back to her.
"Aww, you ruined it," the girl crossed her arms and pouted.
"I'm sorry about Saki-san. She's quite eccentric."
"But I'm fun to be around! Yamashita Saki, at your service," she saluted.
"See?"
I see...
'Kagurazaka Norogumi.'
"An attractive male that's mute," Yamashita rubbed her chin, "Interesting..."
"I'm Yabu Nanami," the other girl slightly bowed.
"Nanami-san. Saki-san. Is this guy harassing you?" Another voice calls out.
The three of us turned toward the voice. Two more girls were approaching us. One had a hostile glare, while the other avoided eye contact.
"They were about to confess their love!" I facepalmed.
"Shiho-san! What have I told you about being mean to others?" She reprimanded the girl.
"Tch, whatever..." She didn't seem hostile toward me, but the glare didn't leave.
"Don't worry about her, Kagurazaka-kun. She's what I call a tsundere," Yamashita smirked.
"What the hell did you call me?!" The girl clenched her left fist.
"Kya!" Yamashita let out a fake scream and hid behind me, "Please protect me from the mean bully."
Yamashita giggled while the girl's eye twitched in irritation.
"Saki-san meant to say she's not as bad as she may seem. It takes her a bit to warm up to others," Yabu explained.
"These two are our friends, Manabe Shiho and Morofuji Rika."
'It's nice to meet you. I'm Kagurazaka Norogumi.'
"Yeah, yeah..." She dismissed me like I was nothing and continued to glare at me.
Morofuji refused to make eye contact with me.
I wanted to continue my walk, so I waved the four girls goodbye and started my nightly walk.
~Timeskip~
Ayanokouji's POV
On Sunday before noon, I went to the mall to meet Kushida. Coming here was a little nerve-racking as I usually spent weekends alone in my room.
Kagurazaka was sitting on a bench with me. There was someone else standing to the side.
I wonder if they're waiting in the same situation as I am.
"Good morning!"
Tearing through the clatter of our surroundings, Kushida approached with a wide smile.
"O-oh, good morning."
My heart unintentionally skipped a beat as I fumbled with my words and lightly lifted my hand.
"I'm sorry, have you been waiting long?"
"No, I just got here too."
While we exchanged words that seemed to come from a standard dating template, I unintentionally stared at Kushida's body from head to toe. She was cute, too cute. I couldn't suppress my excitement at seeing Kushida's figure in casual clothes for the first time.
"This is the first time we've met on a day off. What a fresh feeling."
Kushida seemed to share my sense of humor as she chuckled at my remark. Her smile was adorable - it hardly seemed fair!
Have Ike and the others not seen her like this? Could I be the first to reach this point? Kushida interrupted my thoughts, remembering something.
"Were you busy during last week's holiday? You should've come along then as well, Ayanokouji-kun."
Last week? Should've come along? What on earth is she talking about?
"I mean when I went to the cafe with Ike-kun and the others."
This was the first time I had heard of it.
"Maybe..."
"A-Ah, is that so? Well, about that... I haven't heard of it."
I gazed at the sky and regretted my cowardice. Ike and the others weren't wrong for not inviting me; I was to blame.
"You're just attempting to play it cool, aren't you? Sorry, I seem to have said something unnecessary..."
"Don't worry about it; I don't mind at all... Did you guys have a good time, though?"
"The only thing I know is that you seem to mind an awful lot..."
Far from being the first to see Kushida this on a day off, I'm probably the last.
I considered myself lucky that it could be just the two of us, even if it were only for the moment.
Passersby were fascinated by Kushida's figure in everyday clothes. Some girlfriends had to pull their boyfriends away with irritation.
This showed she was so cute that even people in relationships would be charmed by her.
I feel like I'm complimenting Kushida excessively, even though I only speak the truth. As a result, I feel a little embarrassed.
"What's wrong?"
Kushida noticed my stiffness and leaned in, her movements adorable.
"I was just thinking that the weather is nice today," responded with a line that even I thought was cliche.
Calm down. How many times have I said 'cute' today? At this rate, I'll repeat myself 100-200 times daily.
"I was just thinking that I kinda look out of place compared to you, sorry."
I was wearing simple, easy-going clothes. By any standard, I'm certainly not the type of guy who could match up to Kushida.
"That's not true at all. I think those clothes suit you well."
"Should I interpret that as though you're insulting me for being a good fit for plain clothes?"
"Yeah, that's right."
It felt as though a sharp knife was stabbing me. It's alright, though. Don't go digging me a grave or anything else; it was just highly shocking.
"Does Ayanokouji-kun get offended easily? I didn't mean to insult you; I genuinely think it suits you."
It appears that Kushida can quickly diffuse tense situations with playful remarks, even if they were initially insulting toward me.
"So, what about Sakura-san?"
"It doesn't look like she's here yet."
Somebody cleared their throat, catching our attention. We both turned to see Kagurazaka giving us a deadpan look.
Ah, I forgot he was there...
He gestured to the person right beside him.
"H-Hi..."
I had no idea that the person sitting next to Kagurazaka was Sakura. Her presence was so subtle that I almost didn't notice her. She blended into the background like the nameless extras.
"I'm sorry, my presence is thin... Good morning..."
"No, I don't think there's anything fragile about your presence. After all, I noticed your existence."
Kagurazaka facepalmed while Sakura looked away.
Although I hoped she would forgive me for not noticing her, Sakura wore a mask and hat. It would've been hard for even a close friend to recognize her like this. I wonder if she caught a cold.
Sakura took the hat and mask off.
"To repair the camera, we just have to go to the electronics store in the shopping mall, right?"
"If I remember correctly, they should have a repair service."
"I'm sorry... Making you accompany me for something like this..."
Sakura bowed and apologized again, seeming to mean it from the bottom of her heart. Seeing this made me feel a little sorry for myself.
Kagurazaka's POV
There is a retail store on campus belonging to a famous nationwide chain store that partnered with the school. The store mainly sells supplies and electronics that students may need or want.
"If my memory serves me correctly, the repair service can be found at the counter in the rear," Kushida said.
"I wonder if they'll be able to fix it soon..." With an uneasy expression, Sakura tightly gripped the camera in her hands.
"You're fond of that camera."
"Yes... Is that weird?"
"No, not at all. Instead, isn't it a good hobby? Well, that's just me assuming I know what you use the camera for. Nevertheless, I hope they'll be able to fix it quickly."
"Okay!"
"There's where they take care of the repairs."
The store had so much merchandise that it made it difficult to see our surroundings, but Kushida found the repair center in the innermost section.
"Ah..."
Sakura abruptly halted, and her face twisted with disgust. I followed Sakura's line of sight, which was on the receptionist.
"What's wrong? Sakura-san?"
Kushida seemed to find Sakura's behavior strange, so she called out.
"Ah, uh... That..."
Though she seemed to have something to say, she shook her head and deeply breathed.
"It's nothing..."
She smiled earnestly and walked up to the receptionist at the repair center counter.
Kushida and I glanced at each other, but since Sakura said it was nothing, we followed after her.
Kushida spoke to the clerk and commissioned him to repair the digital camera. While that happened, I looked at the nearby electronics. My eyes landed on a display digital camera, and I noticed the red light.
I positioned my arm on the counter to block the camera's view.
However, Kushida's behavior was too aggressive. She spoke to the store clerk, whom she had just met as if they were old friends. Despite being the camera owner and seeking repair service, Sakura only spoke up when asked for consent.
The clerk energetically conversed with Kushida, asking her out to the movies to watch an upcoming female idol concert. He seemed like an exaggerated otaku, skillfully approaching Kushida with various topics.
Kushida showed no annoyance, but he probably thought he could tempt her. I thought he would fail, and she found the situation distasteful. The clerk seemed emotionally excited about being around a cute girl, and the conversation had not progressed.
This was becoming a waste of my time.
As expected, Kushida thought the situation was crude, so she urged Sakura to present the digital camera to the clerk. The clerk checked the camera and found that the drop damaged some parts, preventing the power supply from turning on properly. Fortunately, the camera was under warranty and would be repaired for free.
Sakura stopped just before filling out her personal information.
"Sakura-san?"
Kushida thought something was strange and spoke up. Sakura appeared to be hesitating about something.
My arm was blocking the camera, so I looked at the clerk. He was staring at Sakura, and he had a terrible look in his eye.
Does he know that Sakura is a gravure idol?
"Hold on a second, okay?"
"Eh?"
Ayanokouji stood next to Sakura and motioned for her to hand over the pen she was holding.
Looking uneasy, as she didn't understand what I was doing, she handed the pen to me nonetheless.
"Please contact me when you finish the repairs."
"W-Wait a minute, sir. She's the owner of the digital camera, right? It's kind of..."
"There were no problems verifying the manufacturer's warranty and proving the sale and purchase date, and there shouldn't be any legal issues either. Besides, there shouldn't be any issues if the person filling out the form differs from the original purchaser, right?"
"Or is there a reason why it has to be her?"
"N-No. I understand, sir... There won't be any problems."
After filling out the form, Ayanokouji handed it over along with Sakura's camera without any issues. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, but the camera would take two weeks to repair. Disappointed, she hung her shoulders in frustration.
I'm glad this is over.