Episode 3: Meeting Again

The classroom was the same as usual today, with the idiots being loud and obnoxious.

Right now, the class was completely split between those who decided to ignore the idiots and the group of followers who hung around them.

Even the people who ignored them weren’t exactly loners.

They formed their own small groups or hung out with other quiet people.

Basically, I was the only one who was completely isolated, not talking to anyone.

The chime for lunch break rang.

I grabbed the onigiri I’d bought at a convenience store on my way to school and left the classroom.

Now, where should I eat…

I couldn’t really think of anywhere, so I ended up heading to the flower beds behind the school building where I usually do the watering.

There was a bench nearby, and since there was basically never anyone there, I figured it was perfect.

I finished my lunch, but I didn’t have anything else to do.

I thought about just killing time on my phone, but since I was already here, I figured I might as well water the flowers now so I wouldn’t have to come back after school.

I started by pulling out the obvious weeds, then I hooked up the spray nozzle to the hose and started watering.

That’s when I noticed someone walking up.

「…Oh? You’re early today, aren’t you?」

「Satsukawa-senpai…」

I couldn’t believe it. It was the Goddess herself.

The Goddess looked at me, then shifted her gaze to the flower bed. She looked at the pile of pulled weeds and then looked back at me.

「I always see you here after school, but this is the first time I’ve seen you at lunch.」

「No, I mean, I knew someone else was taking care of the flower beds, but I never thought it was you, Satsukawa-senpai. I figured it was a teacher.」

I had assumed it was just one of the faculty members.

「I always come at this time. I’ve often seen you looking after them after school.」

「Is that right…」

I had no idea the Goddess had been watching me…

But more than that, I was shocked to find out that the person helping with the flowers was her.

One thing that caught my attention was that she didn’t seem to have that same「strictness」or「harshness」I felt when we met on the rooftop yesterday.

Since I had the chance, I decided to try and keep the conversation going a little longer.

「Sorry about yesterday…」

「Don’t be. The student council got a report that people were on the roof, so I just went to check it out. Though… it seemed like you were just caught up with those idiotic, childish elementary school wannabes.」

This person is incredibly beautiful, but her words are sharp. Still, she really did hear everything that went down.

To be honest, the combination of feeling pathetic and embarrassed that she’d seen all that made me want to get out of there fast.

「…Uh…」

But Satsukawa-senpai looked like she was about to say something else to me, though she seemed to be struggling to find the words… Oh, wait, maybe…

「Sorry, I realize I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Takanashi Kazunari. I’m a first year…」

「Vice President! Sorry, about these documents…」

A girl who looked like a student council member came running up, calling her by her title.

「It’s the paperwork from yesterday…」

In an instant… the Goddess’s expression changed. It was different from how it had been just a second ago. What was this…?

「Can that not wait until the student council meeting after school?」

The atmosphere from when she was talking to me vanished, replaced by a sudden, stinging tension.

The words she shot back were harsh enough to remind me exactly how strict she’d been yesterday.

If someone talked to me like that, I’d probably be too scared to even keep the conversation going…

「Huh? No, well, the thing is…」

「Is it something that must be checked right here, right now, or you won’t make the deadline?」

「…Sorry, after school is fine.」

「Then wait until after school.」

As if she had no further use for the girl, Satsukawa-senpai turned her back on her.

Which meant she was facing me again…

「Sorry, we were in the middle of talking…」

「No, sorry, I’m actually out of time, so I’ve gotta go!」

「Ah…」

I was reminded all over again of how pathetic I must have looked on the rooftop. I just wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore.