'Italic': Notebook
It was the weekend, and it was early in the morning. I was walking around the campus by myself. I didn't have anything to do.
I decided to check the school's pool.
Heading inside, I heard splashing. Was someone already here? I was curious about who would be here early.
I checked out to see who was swimming and found a tan girl. She was moving at impressive speeds.
"Oh! Ah... Umm... Kagurazaka-kun?"
This better not turn into a misunderstanding that I'm some creep.
I think her name is Onodera Kayano.
I nodded.
"What brings you here?" She asked while getting out of the pool.
It gave me a chance to look at her toned body... Alright, that's enough.
'I was checking out the pool.'
"Were you perhaps trying to catch a glimpse of a girl in a school swimsuit?" Onodera teased.
I shook my head as Onodera chuckled, patting my shoulder, "I'm teasing you."
Onodera removed her hand, "Are you perhaps here to join the swimming club?"
I shook my head.
"Bummer..."
"Oh, it looks like the others are here," I glanced in my peripheral vision, and a bunch of girls came to the pool.
'Are they all part of the swimming club?'
"Some of them are part of the swimming club. The rest is part of the volleyball club. Occasionally, they come here to play water volleyball with us. Guess it's your lucky day, huh?" She lightly elbowed me.
I don't feel lucky.
I don't want to be labeled as a creep like Ike and Yamauchi.
The two clubs are staring at me. I should make my escape before it's too late.
Before I even got a chance to leave, Onodera jumped on my back.
"Oh, come on. You don't seem like a guy that ogles at other girls' bodies."
Is she blind or something? There's no way she didn't catch me checking her out.
Besides, she was making this more difficult.
"Woah! Your abs are super hard, and you feel muscular!" I was being molested.
If a guy were to do this, then it would be a different story.
"Now, I must convince you to join the swimming club!" She announced.
Please don't.
She got off me, "Ah, I need to grab the volleyball net. Care to give me a hand?" She asked.
I shrugged.
"That's a good enough answer for me," Onodere said, grabbing my wrist.
She pulled me over to the shed and showed me inside, letting go of my wrist, "The net is on the top shelf."
I walked over and stretched my arms, grabbing the net. I turned around, walked over to her, and passed her the net.
"Thanks!"
We both walked out of the shed together. We only took a couple of steps until...
"Watch out!"
My arm shot, blocking the volleyball as it made contact with my arm and flew into the air. It stayed there for a few seconds before returning and landing in my hands.
Well, that hurt a little bit. Luckily, I saved Onodera's face from becoming a pancake.
It was silent all of a sudden. Everyone was looking around at me. I was feeling uncomfortable.
"Amazing!" Someone shouted.
"Thanks..." Onodera said, "I'm going to help them set up the net."
She rushed away quickly.
"That was a nice save," I heard a feminine voice say.
A girl with considerable assets and short hair walked over to me.
I stared at her and handed the volleyball to her.
"Thanks, I'm Andou Sayo from Class 1-B," she said.
'Kagurazaka Norogumi from Class 1-D.'
"Oh, you're the quiet type."
She looked me up and down, "Besides looking like you got out of bed and messy hair. You seem like a guy that can get a girlfriend."
My feelings hurt, and the compliment didn't make me feel better.
"So, Kagurazaka-kun, may I ask why a guy like yourself is visiting the pool while a bunch of girls is here?" Andou smirked slyly.
'It's just a coincidence... I wanted to check the pool.'
"Is that the only reason?" She doesn't seem convinced.
I nodded.
"Whatever you say..."
"Sayo-san, the net is up," a girl with purple hair stated.
"Okay, Minamikata-san. I'll be over soon," Andou said.
We walked over to the wall and sat against it.
"Want to join the volleyball club?" She asked.
I shook my head, watching the two clubs play water volleyball.
"It was worth a shot."
Even though the volleyball club was dominating against the swimming club, it looked like everyone was enjoying themselves.
"You seem to be paying close attention," Andou said teasingly.
I roll my eyes, causing her to giggle.
It didn't take long for Andou to get bored of trying to talk to me and join the girls.
I continued to watch the water volleyball game.
~Timeskip~
It had already been a week as I watched my classmates, and I corrected my assumption with the students in here getting put into Class D.
It wasn't visible in the classroom's corner, but I saw a red dot. A hidden camera was placed there. I can see why Chabashira-sensei doesn't reprimand anyone; she can check the cameras to see who is acting up.
Today was a particular day since we would have a swimming class. I think many male students were excited to see the girls in swimsuits.
The guys were taking a bet on who had the most enormous breasts, and I was invited to join.
I refrained from joining them as I noticed the disgusted looks the girls were giving them.
I wasn't in the mood to swim as I waited outside the locker room.
I glanced over at the observation deck and saw Hasabe sitting by herself. It didn't take long before more girls decided to sit out. Sakura was also up there.
Hasabe and Sakura must be self-conscious girls. Furthermore, they must be sensitive to the boys' curiosity. Hasabe didn't seem amused, while Sakura looked nervous.
Ike, who came out wearing swimming trunks, shouted after seeing the 50-meter pool.
The water looked crystal-clear and wasn't disturbed because it was an indoor pool. What an excellent facility.
"Where are the girls? Are they not here yet?"
Ike looked for the girls, sniffing the air like a dog.
The other guys came out of the locker room.
"They take a while to change, after all."
"Hey, what would happen if I suddenly entered the girl's locker room?"
Sudou hit Ike over the head, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Ike rubbed his head, "You didn't have to hit me..."
"Wow~ this pool doesn't even compare to my middle school one~."
A girl's voice could be heard a few minutes after the boys finished changing.
"Did, did they finally come!?"
Ike was on guard, waiting. If you're that obvious, it's obvious they'd hate you.
An unexpected turn of events betrayed everyone's expectations.
"Hasebe's not here! What, what is this!? Doctor!"
The flustered Doctor looked all around from the observation deck on the second floor. Ike and co. also looked around, expecting the girls to come out anytime.
If you look carefully at the observation deck, the girls are glaring at you.
"Doctor, b-behind you!" Ike pointed his finger with a shout, clearly noticing who was in the observation deck.
Ike buried his face in his hands and collapsed from the unbelievable turn of events, "I thought I would get to see big breasts~!"
I think that's the least of your worries.
Contemplating suicide, Ike shouted in agony in earshot of Hasebe. Murmurs spread among the girls. It looks like the girls hate you.
"Ike, this isn't a time to be sad. There are a lot of other girls!"
"Y-yeah. Anyone's fine. This isn't a time to feel down!"
"Yeah!"
Yamauchi and Ike affirmed their friendship and clasped each other's hands.
"You two, what are you doing? Looks fun."
"Kushida-chan?"
Kushida interrupted the two boys.
Wearing the school swimsuit, Kushida's curvy body line was on display.
In less than a second, all the boys stared at Kushida.
Her breasts are about D or E cup. The size doesn't mean much to me. Her butt was also much more significant than expected. However, I immediately averted my eyes.
I looked away.
"So, this is where you were," I turned and saw Horikita.
I inspected Horikita's figure in the swimsuit. She had a nice figure.
Horikita noticed my stare and glared, "What are you looking at?"
I pointed at her.
"I know that! Aren't you inspecting me too much?" She fumed.
'You look good in a swimsuit.'
"Pervert."
With swiftness, Horikita jabbed my side.
I rubbed my side.
"Why are you still wearing your school uniform?" She asked, changing the topic, but the glare never left.
'I don't feel like swimming.'
"Horikita-san, are you good at swimming?"
Horikita quietly responded to Kushida despite having a peculiar expression on her face, "I'm not particularly good or bad."
"In middle school, I was terrible at swimming. I practiced hard, and now I'm a lot better!"
"I see," Horikita responded with disinterest and distanced herself from Kushida, effectively ending the conversation.
"Alright, everyone... Gather around..." This is where I take my leave.
~Timeskip~
It was after school, and I was prepared to leave, but Hirata wanted to talk to me.
"Kagurazaka-kun, want to come with us to the mall?" He asked.
He was inviting me out of goodwill, but I think he was inviting me because he was uncomfortable being the only guy many girls accompanied.
I nodded.
Keyaki Mall
I was invited to my usual group at the club fair. We were heading toward a mall called Keyaki Mall. It seemed large and had many facilities, but the store we would be visiting was a clothing store.
I could understand why Hirata invited me.
The group walked and talked while Matsushita and I walked slightly behind them. Onodera was with us, too.
"Anything you want to buy, Kagurazaka-kun?" Matsushita asked.
I shook my head.
"Why did you come along?" Onodera joined in.
'Hirata seemed uncomfortable being surrounded by multiple girls.'
He would have a hard time saying no.
"Maybe it's because Matsushita-san was coming," Onodera teased with a grin.
Matsushita's cheeks were turning red out of embarrassment or frustration.
'Maybe I came because of you.'
A hint of red appeared on her cheeks, but her grin didn't disappear, "Aren't you a smooth talker?"
"Kagurazaka-kun, are you saying that you're used to being surrounded by girls?" Matsushita asked.
'I guess you could say that. Being with my aunt and step-mom felt like fifty girls surrounded me.'
We arrived, and everyone went their separate ways.
It wouldn't hurt to look around. Maybe I will find something to wear.
"Kagurazaka-kun, try this on," Matsushita held a pair of casual jeans and a simple T-shirt.
'Why?'
"I'm confident in my fashion sense and want to see you in this outfit."
I grabbed her clothes and noticed they were the suitable sizes. I was slightly surprised that she got them right.
We went to the changing area, and it looked like a few people were there: Kushida, Hirata, and Onodera.
"Matsushita-san is with him. Do you pick out his clothes?" Onodera teased.
"I did," Matsushita admitted.
"Oh my," Onodera giggled.
I went into the changing room and noticed the others arrived. I took my time getting changed before stepping out. Nobody said a word.
"Those clothes suit you, Kagurazaka-kun," Hirata gave me a thumbs-up.
"Hey, what's with the necklace?" Karuizawa asked.
I hid my necklaces, but this was the first time they had seen it. I was wearing a necklace with a Maine Coon on it.
'It's my mother's necklace. This was her favorite animal.'
My aunt often talked about my mother, but I don't recall her. I suffered an accident, and I suffered amnesia.
The mood became somber before I stepped back into the changing room. I changed out of my clothes and put my school uniform back on.
I didn't buy the clothes, but a few girls got some outfits. Karuizawa suggested that they should go to Pallet Cafe.
I wasn't surprised how carefree they were while spending their money. They bought a lot, and I noticed that the clothes they got weren't cheap.
We made it to Cafe Pallet and found a table. I ordered a chocolate milkshake, and the others also ordered something. They talked to each other while waiting.
"Kagurazaka-kun, where do you eat lunch?" Hirata asked.
'I make my bento and find somewhere to eat.'
"Eh? You know how to cook?" Karuizawa asked, cutting into our conversation.
I nodded.
"Do you not like the cafeteria food?" Hirata asked.
'I have tried the cafeteria food, and it's good. I want to save my points.'
"Why would you save your points when we can have 100k monthly?!" Karuizawa was slightly loud.
'Karuizawa, who told you we would get 100k monthly?'
"Didn't Chabashira-sensei say...?"
I decided to interrupt Karuizawa.
'Your points will be automatically credited on the first day of every month. It's important to note that each user already has 100,000 points on their card... Those were Chabashira-sensei's words.'
There were a few shocked expressions.
"You're making a good point, Kagurazaka-kun," Hirata said.
"I should ask the Senpais from the football club for information," he said.
I shook my head, 'I wouldn't recommend it. You won't be getting an answer from them.'
"What do you mean?" Hirata asked, slightly worried.
'I don't think our Senpais are allowed to give out information.'
'Tomorrow during class... You should pay attention to your classmates and Chabashira-sensei.'
Our orders arrived.
Kagurazaka's private points: 89,410
~Timeskip~
Next day
"Huh? Kagurazaka-kun?"
I wasn't expecting someone to get here before me.
"What are you doing here early?" The girl that asked was Mori Nene.
She's usual with Karuizawa, Sato, and Matsushita. Seeing her alone is slightly strange to me.
'I sometimes come at this time.'
"Ah, is that so?" She lets out an awkward giggle.
'What are you doing here?'
"Don't mind me. Just pretend I don't exist," she said before turning away and working on something.
I was curious about what she was doing and decided to check it out. I see numbers spread out on the paper.
'A budget plan?'
"I'm surprised you could tell," she said, shocked.
My eyes slightly narrowed, 'What's that supposed to mean?'
"I mean, I'm not calling you stupid... I'm just... I'm just surprised you know what a budget plan is...! I mean... ugh! Please ignore me..."
'Are you interested in finance?'
She seemed to perk up, "Yeah, when I get interested in something, I know a lot about it. I dedicate my time to learning about it. Sometimes, I forget to eat," a nervous chuckle escaped Mori's lips.
'You should be more careful and not skip your meals.'
"Aww, are you worried about me? That's so sweet!" She smiled brightly.
~Timeskip~
Hirata's POV
Kagurazaka's words kept ringing in my head. For some reason, I feel like what he said was true. I paid attention to my classmates and noticed their behavior. Some were on their phone, reading manga, or even sleeping.
The weirdest thing was that our teacher didn't reprimand any of the students. It was like she was ignoring them.
The bell rang, signaling that it was lunch. Sensei was about to leave, so I stood up and approached her. She noticed me and stopped.
"Sensei, can I ask you a question?" I asked in a severe tone.
"That's a surprise, Hirata. What is it?" She asked.
Only a few notable students remained in the classroom after some classmates left—specifically, Kagurazaka, Horikita, Kushida, and the others from our group.
"Sensei, do you notice that some of us don't notice you while you teach?" I asked.
"Yeah, so what?" She said indifferently.
"Why are you ignoring them? Aren't you going to call them out on their behavior?"
Sensei's voice turned cold, "I have noticed that many of you do not pay attention to me during homeroom. However, I don't see the point in correcting your attitude since listening to your teacher is common sense. You are all high school students and should be expected to when your teachers speak."
I couldn't deny the facts pointed out before me.
"I'm still somewhat happy that not all of you are idiots," she exited the room.
Kagurazaka's POV
After the interaction between Chabashira-sensei and Hirata, I left the classroom. The students seemed surprised and thrown around after the revelation.
I went to the cafeteria and found an empty table to sit at. As I was enjoying my lunch, someone called out to me.
"I hope you don't mind if we join you, Kagurazaka-kun," I turned my head and saw Andou and a purple-haired girl.
I shook my head.
"You're the guy from the pool... I'm Minamikata Kozue," a girl with purple hair tied in buns introduces herself.
'It's nice to meet you.'
"So, how have you been?" Andou asked.
'I've been okay.'
"Just okay?" Andou raised a brow.
I nodded.
'What's Class B like?'
"Hmm, it's a nice class. It might get a bit loud at times, but it's fun. It helps that everyone is weird in their way," Andou answered.
'That includes both of you.'
"No one's perfect after all. I am amidst the one with the biggest personalities around here," Andou winked.
I stopped eating as I stared blankly at Andou. I looked at Minamikita with a look that said, "Is she being serious right now?"
Minamikata suppressed her giggle and nodded.
She calmed down and changed the topic: "Hey, you should join us on our morning jogs."
'Why?'
"You seem like a chill person," Minamikata shrugged.
"You are athletic," Andou poked my body.
First, Onodera felt me up, and now Andou was poking my body with fascination.
"Onodera-san wasn't kidding... Your abs are super hard," Andou muttered.
Alright, that's enough.
I grabbed Andou's hand and stopped her.
'I will think about it.'
"Let's exchange numbers," Minamikata said.
After exchanging numbers with both of them, I continued eating my food as they made small talk with each other and tried to get me to contribute to their conversation.
After lunch and bidding them farewell, I returned to the classroom and noticed it felt slightly tense. Hirata saw me and got up, making his way toward the podium.
He didn't need to wait for me.
"Can you hear me out?" Hirata spoke loudly for everyone to hear.
The others only look at him, signaling for him to continue.
"I realize some of you may not have been present during the earlier incident, so I will briefly explain it. We still have some time before homeroom begins, but I kindly ask that we all pay attention during this time. This means refraining from using your phones, reading, or sleeping."
Some students, specifically Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudou, voiced their opinions. It was expected, though.
~Timeskip~
After leaving school, I headed straight for the dorms. Kushida left earlier with a friend, waiting for someone while leaning against the wall. Noticing me, she looked at me with a smile on her face.
"That's good. I was waiting for Kagurazaka-kun. I have something to talk about. Do you have time?"
I nodded.
We started walking together.
Have you ever seen Horikita smile even once?" She asked.
I shook my head.
"You know... I want to become friends with Horikita-san."
I figured.
"You seem to know her pretty well."
'I don't think I know her that well.'
"Can you... help me?" She asked.
'Okay, I will help, but you owe me one.'
"Really!? Thank you!" After I agreed to help her, Kushida had a delighted smile on her face.
'What are we doing exactly?'
"Hmm... The first step is to make Horikita smile."
It looks like we are going to fail.
'Do you have any ideas on how to make her smile?'
"Um... We could think about it together," she giggled.
Oh yeah, we are done for...
'I will invite her to Pallet.'
"If you two went into Pallet, ordered, then 'unexpectedly' ran into me, I could have a few friends help me out."
This plan... was doomed to fail, but we will go with it.
"Okay, I expect a lot, Kagurazaka-kun!"
If Kushida were to invite her, she would reject her.
~Timeskip~
It was after school. All the students went off on their own fun after-school life as they talked about where to go. I looked at Kushida and signaled that I was starting the plan.
Horikita, the target, had started her usual routine of getting ready to go home.
'Horikita, let's hang out.'
"I don't have any time to spare. I have to go back to the dorms and prepare for tomorrow."
'Please.'
"What are you trying to do?"
"Do you think I'm inviting you with a particular goal?"
'Yes, my goal is to hang out with you.'
'You know how there's a cafe on campus? There are too many girls, so I don't dare to go in myself. It feels like boys are being excluded.'
"Certainly, the proportion of girls is high, but can't boys go in too?"
'Yes, but no boy goes in alone. They always go in with other girls. Only those kinds of boys go to the cafe.'
I can go in alone.
Horikita tried to recall information about Pallet as she pondered over it.
"That does sound correct. It's unusual for Kagurazaka-kun to have a reasonable opinion."
"You have no one else to invite, right? What I refuse?"
'You can refuse. I'm not going to stop you.'
"Understood. What you said seems to be true. I can't spend too much time, though. Is that fine?"
I nodded.
After leaving together, we finally arrived at the cafe, Pallet, on the first floor of the school building.
After ordering, we got our drinks.
Kagurazaka's private points: 88,780
Having noticed two girls get up from their seats, I quickly secured the table. I let Horikita pass to the far side of the table. Putting my bag down on the ground, I sat.
'If someone looked at us from afar, we would look like a couple.'
Horikita didn't seem amused by my joke, as her face was expressionless and frigid.
And immediately after, another person sat right down. It was Kushida.
"Ah, Horikita-san. What a coincidence! Kagurazaka-kun, too!"
This plan sucks.
"Did Kagurazaka-kun and Horikita-san come with each other?"
"I'm going home," Horikita said.
I wasn't planning on stopping her.
She looked at me and Kushida with a cold look.
"I don't like this. What are you planning?"
"N-no, it's only a coincidence!"
"When we were sitting down, the two girls before us were from class D. And then, the two next to us were also from class D. Is that only a coincidence?"
"Wow, you noticed that—I didn't notice at all."
"Also, we came straight over here as soon as it was after school. No matter how quickly the other girls rushed over here, they might've been here maybe 1 or 2 minutes at the most. It's a bit too early to be returning home. Am I wrong?"
Horikita is an observant person.
Not only did she remember her classmates' faces, but she also understood what was happening nearly instantly.
"Um..." Feeling bewildered, Kushida looked at me for help.
I don't know what she wants me to do. This plan failed.
Horikita noticed her look at me.
"Sorry, Horikita. We arranged this," Kushida apologized.
"I thought so. The situation made me think something was suspicious."
"Horikita-san. Please be my friend!"
No longer trying to hide anything, Kushida asked her directly.
"I've already said it many times, but leave me alone. I have no intention of becoming a bother to the class. Is that not allowed?"
"Always spending time alone will lead to a lonely and sad school life. I want to get along with everyone in the class."
"I'm not trying to deny your wishes. However, it's wrong to involve other people against their will. I don't feel sad from being alone."
"B-but..."
"Also, for argument's sake, do you think I would be happy if you forced me to get along with you? Do you think any friendships or trust will come from a forced relationship?"
Horikita believes that making friends is unnecessary, while Kushida disagrees.
"This time, it was my fault for not telling you. So I will not blame you. However, if you try again, I will not forgive you next time."
She grabbed her untouched cafe latte and stood up before leaving.
"I couldn't become friends with her. I'm sorry, but Horikita-san might hate you because you helped me."
I waved a dismissive hand.
There's a likely chance that I will get stabbed with a compass or jabbed in the side.
"Kagurazaka-kun, do you have any friends outside of this school?"
I lift my hand and hold up two fingers.
"Oh, who are they?"
'Nanase Tsubasa and Matsuo Eiichirou.'
"Are you upset that you can't contact them?"
'Yeah, but Eiichirou wanted to attend this school, but he seemed to change his mind.'
"It would have been nice to meet him."
Yeah... I wonder what he's doing right now.
'Why are you obsessing about wanting Horikita to be your friend?'
"I wanted to be friends with everybody... It's not only class D, but all the other classes. However, if I can't get along with one girl in the class, I've already failed..."
'You're not going to make friends with everyone. There will be others that will dislike you, and there's nothing wrong with that.'
"I see. Thank you for the advice," Kushida's eyes sparkled.
~Timeskip~
I was taking a walk around the school campus when I spotted someone. It was a young girl with pink hair who wore no glasses.
I made my way over to her as she was too focused on her camera. Tapping on her shoulder, she squeaked and fumbled with her camera. She turned quickly with a blush.
"P-please don't scare me like that..." She muttered.
'What are you doing, Sakura?'
"T-taking pictures..."
'Of yourself?'
She didn't say anything, but she nodded.
"P-please don't t-tell anyone..."
'Okay... Oh, you look better without your glasses.'
Sakura's face turned beet red as she looked away. I could imagine steam coming out of her eyes.
I continued my walk.