Episode 244: The Goddess Who Softened

This morning’s homeroom was mainly a check regarding the parent visitation day happening this coming Saturday.

The 3rd and 4th periods are the classes open for observation, and at this point, the number of parents attending is still unconfirmed. However, as is typical for this school, they said there’s a high possibility a fair amount will show up, so it looks like we can avoid a situation where only my parents are sticking out like a sore thumb. I’ve heard that generally, not many parents gather for high school class visits. In that sense, this school might be a bit unusual.

「Man, I don’t want them to come.」

「Me neither… I wonder if they’ll just skip it even now.」

Listening to the guys grumbling, it seems quite a few of them are against it.

The girls don’t seem to feel the same way, though…

Truth be told, even I’m on the side of those who’d rather they didn’t come. But since I know Sara-san is looking forward to it, I ultimately end up in the「accepting」camp.

「Kazunari’s mother is coming, right?」

「She is. Or rather, for various reasons, there’s no path forward other than having her come.」

「…Path? What’s that supposed to mean?」

「No, it’s just that Sara-san is looking forward to meeting Okan…」

Hanako-san, who had been listening to my vague phrasing with a curious look, suddenly started giggling as if she’d found something funny.

I wonder which part of that exchange had any elements of humor?

「Kazunari, do you call your Mother ‘Okan’?」

「Eh? Oh, yeah, I do.」

「I see… You really are a boy. That’s cute.」

…Cute?

Apparently, Hanako-san’s funny bone was hit by the fact that I call my mother「Okan.」 I always call her that, so of course I’ve never felt any weirdness about it. I’d probably be laughed at if I called her「Mama,」but as a guy, I think「Okan」is a relatively common way to address them.

「Man, my mother is coming too.」

「It’s so embarrassing having your mother show up.」

「My mother is coming as well, and she said she wanted to say hello if Kazunari’s mother was there. So she told me to ask.」

「「………」」

A greeting between mothers is naturally to be expected.

If it’s a perfectly normal, general greeting like「Thank you for looking after my child,」then it’s zero problem. But since I have a history of having a somewhat complicated conversation with Hanako-san’s mother, there’s a part of me that feels a slight element of unease. If by some miracle the talk turns to the whole sibling thing, it’s plain as day that I’ll be in trouble later, and I can only see a future where I’m grilled by my mother after getting home to confess every detail…

……I-It’ll be okay, right?

「Is, is Hanasaki-san’s mother coming too?」

Before I knew it, Yamakawa had joined our conversation. He’s still giving off a strange air of tension, making it way too obvious that he’s very conscious of Hanako-san. So, even though it’s inappropriate, watching him is a little bit funny.

「She is, but did you need something?」

「N-No, I’m just interested, I guess.」

「?」

I thought Yamakawa had settled down lately, but apparently he still gets nervous when he talks to her one-on-one. The cheerfulness and ease he usually has when talking to us has vanished almost entirely.

「Sigh… that guy really is indecisive.」

「He should just go down in flames already so he can move on.」

It looks like Kawamura and Tanaka had shown up too.

Listening to them now, it seems these two are operating under the assumption that Yamakawa is going to crash and burn completely. I feel a bit bad for him in a way… but then again, looking at Hanako-san, I also find myself thinking it’s probably impossible.

「N-No, it’s nothing! Oh, by the way, lately you’ve been calling Takanashi by his first name…」

「…? Kazunari is special. What have you been trying to say this whole time?」

She seemed to get irritated by Yamakawa’s unclear attitude, and a sharp edge finally bled into Hanako-san’s tone.

Perhaps because he was shown that kind of attitude, Yamakawa’s shoulders slumped in a very obvious way.

「Game over.」

「I mean, Hanasaki-san has Takanashi, so why can’t he just give up already?」

「I have nothing to do with that, right?」

Why does my name, as someone who is neither Hanako-san’s boyfriend nor lover, come up there?

It’s true that as a best friend and as someone who knows the wounds in Hanako-san’s heart, I hope a suitable partner appears for her. And if Yamakawa is serious, I have no intention of meddling in a tactless way.

However, if Hanako-san finds him to be a nuisance, then the story changes regardless of who it is.

「Y-Yeah. True, this is a matter of his own feelings… yeah.」

「Maybe we should be the ones to talk sense into Yamakawa…」

After saying just that, the two of them headed back to their seats while pushing the dejected Yamakawa’s back.

The next period is PE, which I hate.

At this school, boys and girls basically have their lessons in separate locations, and instead, the system is for two classes to have a joint PE session.

It was decided from the start that the girls would be using the gym today, so we were naturally scheduled to have our class on the grounds.

And as for the content of the lesson… if it’s a ball game, I’m totally down. Things like soccer can be enjoyed as a class, so I’d be grateful for that. But the absolute worst would be if it turned into something like a marathon. I really hope she gives me a break on that.

Once we finished changing and headed out to the grounds, the guys from the joint PE class appeared from the school building at about the same time. We ended up running into each other, and one of them hopped out from the group and came jogging over to me. It was Hayato, of course.

「Kazunari, did something happen?」

Hayato seemed to notice something while looking at my face. He asked me that as his opening line. I definitely have something on my mind, so maybe it was actually showing on my face.

「No, we’re on the grounds today, so I was just hoping it wouldn’t be a lesson I hate.」

Since it wasn’t something I needed to hide, I answered honestly, and Hayato gave a small laugh and a nod as if he understood.

「You still hate PE as much as ever, Kazunari.」

「It’s not that I hate it, I’m just bad at it. I’m sure you’re used to it since you’re in a sports club, Hayato.」

Since we’ve been doing PE together all this time, I already know that Hayato is good at sports in general, not just tennis. Even compared to the other guys, it’s clear he’s far and away the best, and as a side note, I don’t even compare.

「Well, I do think it’s easier compared to club practice. If you’re up for it, Kazunari, do you want to exercise with my club after school?」

「No way, I can’t since I have the Student Council. Even if I didn’t, I still couldn’t.」

「That’s a shame. But if you’re ever interested, the offer stands.」

I know for a fact that Hayato is being serious when he says that. I’ve been invited to the tennis club before, and I think it’s genuinely nice to have a best friend invite me like that. But unfortunately, I’m a person who says「no thank you」strictly to sports clubs.

「H-Hey, look, they’re looking this way.」

「N-No way, seriously? Man, I’m getting fired up!」

「Idiot, she’s not looking at you.」

「It’s not like you’re in her sight either, for crying out loud!!」

While talking to Hayato, the guys around us suddenly started making a fuss as if they’d spotted something. Apparently, the noisy bunch are looking toward the school building. Since the commotion was gradually spreading, I got curious about the cause and looked toward the school building as well.

「Kazunari… over there.」

Hayato was the first to spot the cause of the fuss. He’s pointing toward the third floor of the building, so I follow his finger and turn my gaze that way. Apparently, the source of the noise is in the area where the music room and home economics room are. So, when I focused on that area, I noticed a few figures that looked like girls looking out from the window of what I assumed was a classroom.

「Ah.」

I immediately knew that one girl among those few stood out with an overwhelming presence. Even from a distance, there was absolutely no way I could mistake her. Because that was my beloved Goddess. Sara-san seemed to be looking straight this way, and she noticed immediately when I turned my gaze toward her. A beaming smile spread across her face, and she gave me a small wave.

「…Whoa… I’ve never seen Satsukawa-senpai smile like that before.」

「…The rumors that Satsukawa-senpai has softened up lately are true, then.」

「…Ah, I heard that too.」

「…Seriously!? Crap, do I have a chance?」

「…Sigh… I could die happy if someone like that became my girlfriend.」

Sara-san seemed to be trying to tell me something, as she opened her mouth wide and slowly mouthed something word by word.

D… o… y… o… u… r… b… e… s… t…?

I couldn’t read it perfectly, but when I filled in the blanks in my head, isn’t she saying「Do your best」?

Assuming that was it, I waved back at her to signal that I understood. Seeing that, as if happy that our intentions had connected, Sara-san waved back with both hands this time.

「…H-Hey, is that… could it be…」

「…It looks that way to me too… what the…」

「…No, no, it’s just because they’re on the same Student Council, right?」

「…Y-Yeah, that’s right. There’s no deep meaning, right?」

「「「…………」」」

「Alright, gather ’round for warm-ups!!」

I was so absorbed in my long-distance communication that I hadn’t noticed the teacher arriving on the grounds.

The bell hasn’t rung yet, so there should still be a little time left…

That said, since the teacher has already started giving the signal to gather, it’s a shame, but I have no choice but to end my exchange with Sara-san here. As if saying this was the last one, I gave a big, bold wave. Then Sara-san brought her clenched fists up to her chest and showed me a cute, fighting-pose-like gesture. I’m sure this also meant「Please do your best!」That gesture was way too cute and the destructive power was through the roof; I was desperate just to stop myself from dying of sheer bliss.

「You lot, what are you looking at!」

The teacher’s shouting wasn’t just directed at me, it seemed. Looking around, there were several guys dazed while looking at the upper floors of the building just like me.

They were almost certainly entranced by Sara-san, but I felt an impulse to just blurt out that she was just communicating with me and it had nothing to do with them.

Of course I wouldn’t do that here… but as I thought…

「Hah… hah…」

Even though Sara-san’s support had successfully fully charged my motivation…

Bad feelings have a way of coming true, and the lesson content waiting for me today was the worst possible pattern imaginable. I can’t help but think this is exactly what it means to fall from heaven to hell. Faced with such a gap, I even feel a sense of ruthlessness in the way reality balances itself out like this.

So, today’s PE was a literal hell beyond any metaphor: long-distance running.

To make things even more annoying, in this situation where I already have zero breathing room, there are guys who for some reason are talking to me as if it’s some kind of harassment.

「Hah… hah… H-Hey, Takanashi, I heard Satsukawa-senpai has become more approachable lately.」

「Hah… hah… How are things on the Student Council?」

「Hah… hah… True, she might be, but what about it?」

「…So it really is true!! Hell yeah!」

I’m already struggling, so there’s no way I can have a proper conversation in this state.

And as for Sara-san’s approachability, judging by her behavior in the Student Council room, there’s no doubt there’s been some improvement. However, it’s not like there’s been an improvement toward men too. I don’t know what those guys were intending when they celebrated that, but I think it’s at least not good news for them. I can imagine that much easily.

And that was something that reminded me once again of「a certain plan.」

By the time the class period was nearly over, the grounds were a scene of carnage, with me included among the bodies strewn about. Since everyone had been made to run until they hit their limit, I doubt there’s anyone left with the energy to stand up. The demon teacher, who had been looking down at us with satisfaction, announced that he was ending the class early as if he were doing us a huge favor before triumphantly heading back. I was frustrated that I actually felt happy about it, and it seems I wasn’t the only one thinking that. Almost everyone was glaring at the demon’s retreating back with resentment as they watched him leave.

And as I lay on the ground for a while, the only thing that came to mind was

I feel bad for Sara-san for getting my gym suit dirty.

That was my only feeling.