Episode 294: The Stuck-up Girl’s True Colors

「Phew… honestly. Kusuhara-san is quite a handful.」

「Nishikawa-san, do you know anything about that stuck… about her?」

Judging by the way they were acting, it was easy to tell they weren’t on friendly terms. Between her attitude and the way she treats Sara-san, there are just too many things I don’t get.

I’d love to just ignore her as someone who doesn’t matter, but I can’t really say that when she’s the one constantly picking fights.

「I wouldn’t say I know her well, but she’s been like that since I was still at this school. I don’t know the reason since we didn’t have a direct relationship, but for some reason, she seemed to hold some kind of hostility toward Sara. Though Sara herself didn’t even notice her, so she was just spinning her wheels on her own.」

「I see…」

I can kind of imagine that, but the information isn’t much different from what I felt during the last incident. Ultimately, what is it that she doesn’t like about Sara-san that makes her constantly interfere?

She isn’t friendly toward Nishikawa-san, she was rude to Hanako-san when they first met, and she has this weird obsession with the Miss Contest. If I put all that together…

Maybe she just hates anyone who might look better than her?

「Did you notice something?」

「Eh?」

Nishikawa-san, who had been staring at my face for a while, suddenly asked me that.

Don’t tell me Nishikawa-san can read my thoughts now, too?

「Fufu… don’t make a face like that. I’m not Sara. I don’t have the skill to read your mind, Takanashi-san. I only knew because it was written all over your face.」

「Ah… I, I see… that’s…」

Right, I guess I was just being self-conscious. Wait?

Up until now, I’ve been making fun of that stuck-up girl for being self-absorbed.

Doesn’t that mean I’m just as bad?

Wow, this is embarrassing.

I wish I could find a hole to crawl into!

「…It’s probably things like that that make Sara and Hanako-san think you’re cute.」

「…Nishikawa-san?」

「No, no, it’s nothing. More importantly, you noticed something, didn’t you?」

Nishikawa-san stared into my eyes as if trying to pry into my thoughts.

I definitely noticed something, but I wasn’t sure if I was right.

Now then, what should I do?

This is just my own guess, and there’s a good chance I’m wrong.

But it might not be a bad idea to mention it as a possibility.

「This is just based on what I think, okay?」

「Yes. That is perfectly fine. I am curious about her attitude as well.」

「Understood.」

Well, if she says it’s fine, then it’s fine.

I feel like I’m probably in the right ballpark, anyway.

「First, as a prerequisite, as far as I know, her attitude only changes around Sara-san, Nishikawa-san, and Hanako-san. And there’s no doubt her hostility toward Sara-san is the strongest.」

「Is that so? I can agree with the part about her hostility toward Sara. I felt that myself.」

「Yeah. Also, she seems to have this weird obsession with the Miss Contest. In other words, she’s probably very confident in herself… especially regarding her looks.」

「An obsession with the Miss Contest… I see. Certainly, given her appearance.」

「So if I think about all those things together, I wonder if she just doesn’t like anyone who’s prettier or cuter than her. That’s what I thought.」

「…Huh?」

Nishikawa-san let out a blank-sounding sound and stared at me.

I know it’s a guess with plenty of holes, but I didn’t think I said anything that strange.

「Like I said, people who are prettier or cuter than her…」

「Wait, please. I understand, I understand!!」

For some reason, Nishikawa-san suddenly looked flustered.

What is wrong with her?

「Is, is that… how you personally feel, Takanashi-san?」

「Personally feel?」

「That I am… prettier than Kusuhara-san…」

「Eh… ah, yeah. Anyway, I think it’s certain she’s confident in her looks, so it wouldn’t be strange for her to see people like Sara-san or Nishikawa-san, who are prettier than her, as enemies. And Hanako-san in the sense of being cute… wait, Nishikawa-san?」

Nishikawa-san’s stunned expression didn’t change, but now her face seemed to be turning a bit red.

Hmm… Nishikawa-san has been acting strange for a while now.

「Um, Nishikawa-san?」

「Wha!? I, it’s nothing!? ……If you say it so naturally like that, it’s like you’re saying it’s not just flattery.」

「What?」

「Fu, fufu, it’s nothing. It’s really nothing, so don’t worry about it. I’m fine. But just one thing…」

「One thing?」

「Please only say things like that to Sara, okay?」

「I, I see…?」

Nishikawa-san said something I didn’t quite understand with a somewhat mischievous look.

I was just talking about my analysis of the stuck-up girl, so how did it turn into a conversation like that?

「Ahem! Back to the subject. I’ve been thinking about what you said too, Takanashi-san. I think it’s not so much that she’s comparing herself to others, but rather she feels extreme hostility toward other women who possess elements she doesn’t like. It could be looks, or it could be fame. Then there’s reputation among men… especially in Sara’s case, she has everything. Looks, grades, fame, and popularity.」

「I see… so that’s why she’s especially hostile toward Sara-san. That makes sense.」

It’s true, Nishikawa-san might be right.

In this school, the person who has the most of those elements is definitely Sara-san. If Rena is a stuck-up girl who’s confident in herself, it would only make it worse. That’s a very sharp observation.

And Hanako-san is called an「Angel」by some, even if it’s usually alongside Todo-san. If Rena didn’t like that and went after Hanako-san back then, it all fits.

Yeah, that seems to be it.

「Also, this was just a rumor, so I don’t know if it’s true… but I have heard that she is the type to work behind the scenes.」

「Work behind the scenes?」

「Yes. This school is essentially operated through funding from Saba, and using that…」

「Wait, wait a minute. Does that mean she’s related to Saba!?」

That’s the first I’ve heard of it!

If she’s related to Sawa, then that man who said he was a Sales Manager must have a decent position at Sawa too. Wait?

But earlier, the stuck-up girl said「our company.」

「Ah, I’m sorry, I should have explained that part first. To put it simply, she is the daughter of the president of a company that was acquired by Saba in the last few years. So she and her father’s company are, technically, part of the Saba Group.」

「Oh, I see. That explains her attitude…」

「Ahahaha. She definitely seems to hide behind her status. Including her strangely overconfident nature, I suspect it stems from that. But let’s set that aside for now. Anyway, she is a member of the company that provides the largest funding for this school. Even if it’s just one of the group companies, being the president’s daughter means…」

「In other words, it wouldn’t be strange for the school to grant her certain favors?」

「That’s how it goes. My classmates back then talked about those rumors too. They said it was better not to cause trouble with her or defy her… well, it’s not certain if she actually used her influence, but because she acts the way she does, the rumors became more believable.」

I see.

Judging by that aggressive attitude, it wouldn’t be strange to think that. But in that sense, we have Masaomi-san and Mayumi-san. It sounds bad to put it this way, but compared to the president of a subsidiary…

…Actually, what is the power balance there?

「Nishikawa-san, even if her father is the president of that company, compared to Masaomi-san, who is the Executive Director of the main company…」

「Well, it’s not just about his title. In terms of their actual positions, Masaomi-san is far above him. So even if something were to happen at this school, the advantage would undoubtedly belong to you and Sara, Takanashi-san.」

I thought so. Hearing that is a relief for now.

It would be no joke if she was picking fights and the school was backing her up because she could do whatever she wanted. Wait!?

Could it be that the reason our homeroom teacher is so cooperative with us is because of that?

「…I see. So that’s part of the reason why she’s so openly hostile toward Sara. But if that’s the case, she should know that being hostile in the first place is dangerous…」

「Nishikawa-san?」

「Ah, sorry. Anyway, I don’t know her true intentions, but that’s about all I know. To begin with, she never said a word to me when I was at this school.」

「Ah, I can understand that. If she’s someone who cares that much about status and power, you would have been nothing but a source of fear for her, Nishikawa-san.」

「…Normally, that would be true. But that makes me wonder even more why she goes after Sara…」

Nishikawa-san started muttering to herself as if she were deep in thought again.

Is there something bothering her, or something she noticed?

「Well, we won’t find the answer no matter how much we think about it here. Anyway, there’s a good chance she’ll keep bothering Sara in the future, so please be careful, Takanashi-san. I gave her a warning myself, but she’ll probably just ignore it.」

「…Understood.」

I see. That meaningful comment from earlier was meant for us.

Between her consideration in that situation and what happened the other day, I’ve been relying on her a lot lately. I’ll have to thank her properly later.

「Now then, let’s get to the main topic. If we stay too long, we might cause trouble for Uesaka-san.」

「True. But by ‘main topic,’ you mean that thing, right?」

I’m sure she isn’t trying to be mysterious, but there’s only one thing that comes to mind that would require us to speak alone like this.

「Yes. Please do a final check of the case and everything else. The ring itself is the same as the one we saw before, so there shouldn’t be any problems, but the case is a matter of personal taste. I checked it myself to make sure there were no mistakes.」

Saying that, Nishikawa-san pulled a box from her pouch. It was, of course, the ring for Sara-san that I had bought that day.

The reason Nishikawa-san has it is because Sara-san completely manages our home.

In other words, if I brought the ring home, even if I hid it somewhere, there’s an extremely high chance Sara-san would find it.

So I had the shop keep it until the last minute, and for now, Nishikawa-san is temporarily looking after it.

「Thank you. Sorry for all the trouble.」

「No, I don’t mind at all. Though… it must be hard not being able to hide a single thing in your own home.」

「Ahahaha… it’s a bit pathetic, but I’ve left all the housework to Sara-san. Sara-san never compromises when it comes to cleaning, so even if I hide it…」

Sara-san knows more about the house than I do. She’s thorough with cleaning and maintenance down to the smallest detail. So she’d definitely notice if something was out of place. Plus, since she can「read」me, I doubt I’d be able to hide the ring until the very end anyway.

「Haa… Sara really is like a housewife. It’s hard to believe she used to cut down every man who approached her without a second thought…」

「Ahahaha, Natsumi-senpai tells me that often too.」

「That is only natural. You wouldn’t know, Takanashi-san, but for those of us who knew Sara back then, the current Sara is like a completely different person or someone with a split personality.」

A split personality… that’s a harsh way to put it.

But I guess it just shows how intense Sara-san was back then.

Knowing her fierce reaction to any man other than me… especially flashy or stupid guys… I can easily imagine it.

「But if you think of her being incredibly sweet to you as the flip side of her intense hatred for men, it makes sense. Wait, we’ve gotten off track again. Anyway, please check this.」

「Understood.」

I took the box Nishikawa-san held out and did a quick scan of the whole thing.

The box itself was a simple one with no decorations. A typical ring storage box I’d chosen from the samples at the shop. I’d picked red to make it stand out, but since it was a complimentary item, the design was neither here nor there.

And as for the important ring…

It was small and a bit hard to see, but our initials were firmly engraved on the inside.

I could clearly see the letters representing a gift from me to Sara-san. The date engraved was definitely tomorrow’s date.

Alright, it’s perfect.

With this, the ring has officially become Sara-san’s ring.

Thinking that made me feel even more attached to it. I want to see the happy look on her face when I give it to her!

「Fufu, it seems you are satisfied.」

「Yes. I want to give it to her as soon as possible.」

It seems my thoughts were written on my face again. But I can’t help it this time. I really am happy.

「I can truly picture Sara being overjoyed. To think she’s already being proposed to… proposed… proposal?」

Ah, this might be bad.

Nishikawa-san’s gaze began to wander as if she were looking at something elsewhere.

That’s the sign she’s about to fall into her dark mode(?), so it might be better to end the ring talk here.

「Nishikawa-san, thank you for the ring. I’m sorry to ask, but could you keep it for one more day?」

「Ah, yes. Of course. It would be self-defeating if Sara found it here. I shall keep it safe.」

It looks like she managed to snap back before she fell too far.

She immediately wore her usual smile and put the ring box back into her bag.

Now all that was left was to wait for「that moment」tomorrow.

「I’m counting on you. Well then, shall we head back?」

「Yes. I said it would only be for a moment. If we take any longer, I will feel bad for Uesaka-san.」

It was a bit late for that. I felt like too much time had passed for it to be called「a moment.」

People might get the wrong idea. No, if I have time to think about that, I should just get back.

「W-Welcome back, you two.」

When we returned to the tent, a restless-looking Uesaka-san greeted us.

No one else seemed to have returned yet. He looked a bit lonely sitting there all by himself.

「Sorry to keep you waiting.」

「Uesaka-san, my apologies. We took longer than expected.」

「Eh!? N-No, not at all! I’m perfectly fine, so please don’t let it concern you!」

As usual, Uesaka-san was acting extremely suspicious. He must be nervous around Nishikawa-san.

Nishikawa-san herself was giving a wry smile as she watched him. Uesaka-san isn’t usually like this, though.

But if Nishikawa-san ever noticed that, I wonder if she could still act the same way?

「B-By the way… um, what was the talk about…?」

「Fufu, it’s a secret. Right, Takanashi-san?」

「Eh? Ah, y-yeah.」

Even if the ring is a secret, saying it like that with such a happy smile is just going to raise unnecessary suspicions about me…

「Secret… secret…」

Too late. Uesaka-san’s gaze had already turned completely suspicious.

Even if Nishikawa-san meant it as a little joke, for a guy who has feelings for her… wait, she still hasn’t noticed that, has she.

「Nishikawa-san, what are your plans now?」

「Let’s see. Everyone else doesn’t seem to be back yet. Would it be alright if I waited here for a while?」

「Underst…」

「Y-You’re very welcome!」

「…What he said.」

Uesaka-san was practically radiating joy. He was being way too obvious.

But I guess this gives him a chance to talk to Nishikawa-san, so I can’t really blame him.

「Thank you.」

Watching Uesaka-san, Nishikawa-san gave another wry smile. She took an empty chair and placed it right next to mine.

Seeing that, Uesaka-san gave me another complicated look.

Hmm…

「By the way, what happened to those two?」

I knew they weren’t around anymore, but I asked because I was curious about what happened after we left.

Of course, it was also just a way to start a conversation.

「Oh, those two left immediately after that. The man looked like he’d just swallowed a bitter bug, though. B-By the way, Nishikawa-san, that man…」

「Ah, it seems we’ve been introduced before. I don’t remember him, though.」

「I, I see. That’s good… I mean… to be that overconfident just because you were introduced once is quite impressive, in a way.」

That’s exactly like the stuck-up girl. Maybe overconfidence just runs in that family. I don’t know the parents, but if they attend Saba parties, I might have a chance to see them at the year-end party.

「Yes. Unfortunately, there are quite a few people like that around me. So it isn’t particularly strange or rare.」

Nishikawa-san gave a self-deprecating smile. I guess if you’re the daughter of a major corporation’s president, you have to deal with people like that whether you like it or not.

「Fufu, sorry. I didn’t mean to bring down the mood. Let’s stop talking about this.」

「Y-Yeah.」

Even so, it’s not easy to just switch gears after seeing an expression like that.

I’m curious too, and if Uesaka-san weren’t here, I might have been able to dig a little deeper. But now isn’t the time.

「Now then, it was a bit brief earlier, so let me say it again. Uesaka-san, it’s been a long time. Thank you for all your help back then.」

「Ah, y-yes. Thank you for everything as well. Especially with the flowerbed, I couldn’t really back you up…」

「No, Sara took over caring for them. And…」

「And?」

Nishikawa-san glanced at me and gave a small smile.

What is she going to say now?

「Because Sara took it over personally, it seems that flowerbed ended up acting as a cupid to bring my best friends together.」

「…You’re right. If I think about how that flowerbed maintenance I started on my own eventually led to me getting close to Sara-san, I have to thank you again, Nishikawa-san.」

I didn’t intend to cut in, but I couldn’t stay quiet after being told something so nice.

Just as Nishikawa-san said, if that flowerbed was the reason Sara-san and I got close… then it wouldn’t be wrong to say Nishikawa-san was our cupid too, would it?

「No, no. It might have been a trigger, but it’s impossible to get close to that Sara with just that. Normally, she would have just flat-out refused and that would have been the end of it.」

「Yeah, if it was Satsukawa-san, she’d usually just end it there. In fact, there were countless times I tried to help with student council work and was rejected without a second thought… so.」

「That’s true. Especially back then, Sara was carrying a lot in her heart, and she had a tendency to stubbornly try to do everything alone. That’s why she was called ‘lonely,’ but that wasn’t a virtue or anything. And yet… she accepted you naturally, didn’t she, Takanashi-san?」

「…Yeah. Sara-san let me help her like it was nothing.」

In my case, Sara-san was the one who suggested splitting the work. She even prepared tea for me. I felt like she welcomed me right from the start.

「Is, is that so? That Satsukawa-san, right from the start?」

「In other words, at that point, Takanashi-san was already someone special to Sara. So the flowerbed was just the trigger.」

「I, I see.」

When she puts it that way, everything Nishikawa-san says makes sense. I was the only one who was special right from the start… that makes me happy.

「Hmm… how should I put it. It makes sense why Satsukawa-san is so devoted to you, Takanashi-kun. To her, you’re just too special and too precious, aren’t you?」

「Too special and too precious… that’s a good way to put it. As expected of you, Uesaka-san.」

「No, no, it’s because Nishikawa-san’s story was so lovely.」

Wait… what is this?

By using us as a conversation topic, these two are actually getting along pretty well.

Before I knew it, Uesaka-san seemed to have regained his usual composure too.

Well, I don’t really mind, I guess.