Episode 77 – Person who Arase kun likes

Although Fujibayashi asked me to do so, I don’t think it would be a good idea to go all the way to the classroom to ask Suika about her problems.
Although Suika and I certainly talk when we meet, and we have even played basketball together,……, I don’t even know her contact information like her line.

That said, I cannot ignore Fujibayashi’s request.
This is by no means to say that I listened to Fujibayashi’s request, but simply because I was concerned about Suika’s lack of energy.

That is why, when I arrived at school, I went to a certain person’s seat in the classroom instead of Sosuke and the others with whom I usually talk.
That person had been reading alone since this morning, and his appearance was quite intelligent.
As I approached, he seemed to sense my presence and snapped his book shut.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt your reading, Nakashiro. Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Yeah, no problem.”
“Sorry.”
“Why don’t you sit down, since you’re not standing around talking right? that person hasn’t come yet”

The person sitting in front of Nakashiro – Kurase – did not seem to have arrived yet. Probably, she go to school together with Asagiri.
After the injury to my hand was healed, they started going to school together again.

I decided to borrow Kurase’s seat, just as Nakashiro said.

“So what’s the story?”

Nakashiro cut in, smiling.
I used to think he was cool, but now I get the impression he’s quite different.

“Uh, it’s about Suika’s …… Takimoto”
“Takimoto’s?”
“Yes. I’m not sure what to say, but she seems to be a little out of sorts. I was wondering if you know anything about her since you are in the same basketball club.”
“Ah that? Didn’t I tell you about it the other day?”
“Last time, you mean the tournament, right? You said that was different.”
“Oh, right. Then I don’t get it.”

Nakashiro cowered his shoulders without changing his expression.

“That wasn’t something you were sure of, was it?”
“Certainty? I don’t have any certainty. I just said that I thought it might be so.”
“You know….”

I sigh at Nakashiro, who has a more random personality than I expected.

“Haha, don’t be so angry. That was just a hypothetical.”
“So you’re saying I’m just jumping to conclusions.”
“That’s what I meant. But that’s good, isn’t it?”
“…… what?”
“Because we’ve narrowed it down a little bit. At least she’s not bothered by it.”

Nakashiro has a good point. There is no doubt that the information was dancing around, but it could have been useful.
However, I feel like I’m being teased.

“Um, Ito-kun. That……”

Suddenly, a voice called out to me.
Kurase was beside me, looking at me with a curious face.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Kurase. I was borrowing your seat.”
“No. It’s okay. But, Ito-kun, you are good friends with Nakashiro-kun, weren’t you?”
“What? ah, well, …… a little bit. Sorry, I’m going”
“It’s okay! I’m going to go talk to Yuri, too! Can I borrow your seat instead?”
“Oh, no problem.”
“Thanks! I’ll just put my bag on the side.”

Kurase said that much and went to my seat.
Then she talks to Yuri about something.
She glanced at me once, but quickly looked away and started talking to Kurase again.

“So, have you heard anything from the person herself?”

Nakashiro waited silently for our exchange, and as soon as Kurase went, he returned to the conversation.

“If I had, I wouldn’t have asked Nakashiro. I don’t even know her contact information.”
“I see. If you don’t know her contact information, I can give it to you. I know just the right person”
“Are you sure?”
“Well even though it’s Okai’s. If it’s Okai, she won’t mind if I tell you out of the blue.”
“Okai ……?”
“The girl from the basketball team who is the closest friend of Takimoto’s.”

…… Speaking of which, that’s the girl who used to come to the cafe with her.
She was teasing Suika one way or another.

“If you want to ask about Takimoto, Okai is the best person to ask about her. Besides, I’m afraid I don’t know Takimoto’s.”
“…… then, that’s all I ask.”

I felt bad asking him to give me the contact information without permission, but if Nakashiro says it’s okay, then it must be okay.
I’ve only talked to her a little, but I have a feeling she’ll forgive me if she feels that way.
If I have made her feel bad, I will do my best to apologize then.
If I knew the future in these things, I wouldn’t have to worry about this stuff.

So I took out my phone and Nakashiro gave me Okai-san’s line.
I feel like I’m kind of going the long way through people’s lines, but I guess it can’t be helped.

“Even so, that’s surprising.”
“Surprising? what?”

I tilted my head, not understanding what Nakashiro was saying.

“Wel~l, Ito must really like Takimoto,”
“Ha…?”

I was frozen in place when Nakashiro said something out of the blue.

I like Suika ……? What are you talking about?

“You don’t?”
“Hey. It’s not that I…”
“Oh, as a friend, of course.”
“…………”

Nakashiro is smiling the whole time.
He’s definitely poking fun at me.

“So, you like her? As a friend. I like her.”
“…Haa. I like her”

I feel like I was forced to say something. He grinned at me.

“What, are you satisfied with this?”

I’m telling you, this is just a friendship, just like I said.
I have no romantic feelings for her.
Even so, when we say we like someone of the opposite gender, we tend to imagine a romantic element.

This guy is having fun with that little bit of embarrassing feeling.
I am convinced by the information I was given before and by our current exchange that this guy has a black heart.

“Ahaha, I’m sorry, sorry. I got a little carried away. But good luck. I’m rooting for you.”
“……Yeahs. Thanks. Later Then.”
“Yeah, later.”

I got up from Kurase’s seat and was about to return to my own when he called out to me again from behind.

“Is there anything more?”
“Just buy me lunch next time and you can thank me.”
“…, you’ve got a great personality, really.”
“You’re welcome.”

He was a man of discretion.
For some reason, as I returned to my own seat, Yuri turned away and Kurase hurriedly returned to her own seat.

What…..?

◆

A few minutes ago.
Nanami went to school with Yuri and felt uncomfortable when she entered the classroom.

“Huh…..?”
“What’s wrong, Nanami?”

Entering through the back door, Yuri’s seat can be seen first.
Nanami’s seat is in the front

Usually, after getting to Yuri’s seat, she says goodbye and goes to her own seat.
But today, when She looked in that direction, She noticed someone else sitting in her seat.

And She knew immediately that it was Arase.

“Arase?”
“Yes. It looks like he’s talking to Nakashiro-kun.”
“That’s unusual.”
“I wonder what he’s talking about.”
“I’m curious……. Why don’t you ask him while you put your bag down?”
“Yeah, I’ll do that!”

Yuri urged Nanami to go to her seat.
When she approached the table, she could see that Arase and Nakashiro were talking seriously about something, but she could not understand what they were talking about.

Then they talked about renting or borrowing seats and returned to seating in Arase’s

“What were they talking about?”
“I’m sorry, I know they were talking about something serious, but I don’t know …… .”
“No need to apologize. Serious, right? I’m still curious about it. Nakashiro is kind of a shady character, isn’t he?”
“Eh? Is that soo?. I mean, Yuri, have you ever talked to Nakashiro kun before?”
“No, I haven’t. What is it? It’s just a hunch.”
“intuition…Yuri chan..”
“Because Arase tends to get into a lot of trouble, right? I’m not saying this as the one who got him into trouble before, but…. If this Arase is talking to someone he doesn’t normally talk to, I’m curious, even if I don’t like it!”
“That has nothing to do with Nakashiro-kun’s suspiciousness right……?”
“Anyway! I’m not going to let anything happen to Arase again! I’m going to go and ask him.”
“Eh, in person?!”
“I’m just going to go into the conversation and get a feel for it. And if it’s something you don’t want to be heard, you wouldn’t be doing it in the classroom, would you?”
“That’s true, but ……”
“Nanami, do you want to come?”
“Eeeh!? That’s …….”

It is true, Nanami thought, that Yuri has a point.
It was the same with Yuri’s previous injury, and also with the case of Yuyuko just a couple of days ago. Even though he was not injured, he was noticed by the teacher.

So she can understand why Yuri is worried.
Nanami herself was also worried about Arase.

“Okay. I’ll go with you.”

The decision she made was that she would go with her.

“It’s decided, then. let’s go.”
“……yeah”

And just as the two of them were about to head for Arase…

“—…….. Ito must really like Takimoto…”

( !?!)
(……!!!)

These words were heard from Arase and Nakashiro.
And unintentionally, both of them froze in place.

The two of them froze in place, in the middle of Yuri’s seat and Nanami’s seat, where they had just been.
They were frozen in an unnatural position, but Arase did not notice.

“Yu, Yuri chan, ……”
“W-what did he say ……?”

The two’s voices are slightly trembling.

(Calm down. That was just something Nakashiro said.)
(That’s right, Ito-kun didn’t say that.)

Yuri and Nanami said the same thing to themselves, as if their hearts were in tune with each other.

And once again, they tried to take a step forward.

“…..Haa. I like her.”
“”───?!””

This time, it was Arase’s voice that was heard.
Once again, time stopped for the two of them.

“─ ─ Well, I’m going.”

But there was no time to freeze. The two, sensing that the conversation between Arase and Nakashiro was coming to an end, hurriedly returned to their original seats.

When Arase returned, they could not see each other.

(A-Arase..)
(I-Ito-kun…)
((like Takimoto san……?))

Arase does not know.
A strange misunderstanding had developed between the two of them.

(TL/N : Ahaha really interesting)