Episode 11: Passing Each Other

Friday…

Even though it was a day where I just had to make it through to get to the weekend, something happened that totally weighed me down.

It all started when the teacher told me to carry some materials for the afternoon class back to the classroom. Since I was on duty today, I was picked along with two other guys whose seats were near mine.

They obviously had a problem with it from the start. They were looking at me with eyes that practically screamed「This is your fault,」even though it was totally unfair.

I didn’t want to waste a single second of my lunch break, so I lost my patience with these guys who were just dragging their feet.

「Lunch is getting shorter, so let’s hurry up.」

I just said it. Since I’m isolated anyway, I didn’t really care what they thought of me.

But it seems that because they already thought this whole task was my fault, being told that by me set them off.

Suddenly, I was shoved from behind, and I ended up scattering all the materials across the hallway. When I turned around in anger, one of them grabbed me by the collar.

「Don’t get cocky, you piece of trash.」

He spat the words out. I shook him off, and we ended up in a standoff.

「…What are you doing?」

Senpai was there.

It wasn’t the Senpai who was always with me; it was the cold, strict version of her, looking at us with a freezing gaze. How long had she been there? Did she just arrive?

「We were trying our best to carry these, but this guy intentionally stopped to get in our way!」

「And then he started harassing us, telling us to hurry up!」

They spun their lies one after another like it was as natural as breathing, and I was too slow to react.

「Is this true?」

I was… crushed. After hearing their story, Senpai didn’t even hesitate to interrogate me. Plus, that sharp gaze… she was looking at me like she already doubted me and was pressing for a confession.

I thought Senpai understood that I wasn’t the kind of person who would do something like that. I thought that from our time together, at the very least, she didn’t think badly of me.

The flower beds… Sachie-san… I know the kind side of Senpai that no one else does. And I thought she was looking at me properly, unlike all the others…

…Or was that just me being delusional?

But the Senpai I’m looking at now is staring at me with those cold eyes, like everything we’ve done meant nothing… just like how she looks at everyone else.

I guess there really isn’t anyone who actually looks at the real me.

It might sound childish to say I was sulking, but honestly, I stopped caring about what anyone thought of me.

「I’m sorry. Sorry for the scene. It was my fault.」

I knelt down, picked up the materials I’d dropped, and left the scene.

「Ah…」

I thought I heard Senpai mutter something, but I just kept going toward the classroom. I felt like those guys were laughing at me, but I didn’t care about any of it anymore.

Scatter, rustle.

I heard the sound of something spilling out in the hallway. Feeling concerned, I went up the stairs and saw three male students in a standoff on the landing.

I immediately recognized Takanashi-san, but since I didn’t know the situation, I decided to ask first.

「What are you doing?」

I felt a surge of disgust toward the two male students who were just standing there smirking, so I accidentally let a bit of a glare slip into my eyes.

「We were trying our best to carry these, but this guy intentionally stopped to get in our way!」

「And then he started harassing us, telling us to hurry up!」

The two of them immediately gave me their reason, but I didn’t believe them for a second. In the first place, I don’t believe Takanashi-san is the type of person who would do that, so I had already half-concluded that this was a made-up story.

But since I hadn’t witnessed the scene myself, I couldn’t just say that. Other students were watching, and it would be strange to deny it without any clear evidence.

And… as the Student Council Vice President, I have to be fair to all students.

Regardless of whether it was a lie or not, once I’d heard that accusation, I had no choice but to question Takanashi-san. Even though I didn’t want to do it, I decided to treat Takanashi-san with the same attitude I’d use for any other student.

「Is this true?」

I hated myself for taking that tone with Takanashi-san. But I believed that Takanashi-san would immediately tell me it wasn’t true. I thought that if I could hear him say that, I could listen to the details and maybe come up with a way to fix the situation.

But… then… Takanashi-san’s expression… it sent a shock through me.

I have never seen Takanashi-san make such a sad face before… And then, his expression shifted into one of total resignation… and he hurried away.

「Man, what a pain to get dragged into this!」

I didn’t care at all about what those frivolous guys were saying.

「Go back to your class immediately.」

After saying only that, I hurried toward the flower beds. I hoped Takanashi-san would be there, but as I expected, he wasn’t.

And then…

I went to check again after school, but Takanashi-san never showed up.