Episode 69: The Same Person?

「There we go~ it’s an airplane~」

「Kyahahahaha!!」

Holding Mio-chan sideways, I moved her back and forth.

After playing for a while, I gave her a shoulder ride and took a little walk.

Though, since it’s a small shrine, it was over in no time.

Todo-san had been acting like she was on guard against me, but since she played with us halfway through, I guess she’s started to trust me a bit?

「Oh my, I thought Mio-chan was here, but it’s been a while, Takanashi-san.」

Sachie-san had apparently arrived without me noticing, and I only realized it when she called out to me.

「Sachie-san, sorry it’s been so long.」

「It’s fine, I’ve heard all about it from Sara-chan. Thank you for getting along with her.」

Apparently, she’s heard a fair amount about me from Sara-senpai.

More importantly, she knew Mio-chan.

By the way, Mio-chan had fallen asleep while being held by me.

「You’re going to be helping Sara-chan in the student council, right? She told me about it, looking quite happy.」

I see, if it made her happy, then it was worth accepting the offer.

「Marina-chan was with you too. Oh, come to think of it, both Takanashi-san and Marina-chan are first-years, aren’t you? Are you friends at school too?」

Eh?

We’re the same age? Or rather, are we at the same school?

「If you’re in the student council with Satsukawa-senpai, does that mean you’re at the same school?」

「It looks that way. If we’re in different classes, we’d hardly ever see each other, so it’s only natural we wouldn’t know each other.」

Especially in my case, since I don’t exactly lead a school life where I interact with many people, it’s even more likely I wouldn’t know her.

「I suppose… oh, I have to go, Kazumi-san will be worried if I don’t get back soon. Takanashi-kun, give Mio-chan to me.」

Todo-san spoke up as if she’d suddenly remembered, but she was right, it was getting to be a time where a child like Mio-chan shouldn’t be out playing.

I carefully handed Mio-chan over, making sure not to wake her.

「Oh my. Mio-chan is still asleep, so I’ll just have to carry her.」

「I’m used to it, so it’s fine. Well, we’ll be going now. Takanashi-kun, see you at school if there’s a chance.」

With that, she went off at a light run.

If I see her at school, I guess it’d be okay to at least talk to her.

If she’s Mio-chan’s cousin, there might be other chances to run into her like this.

「Takanashi-san, I wonder how Sara-chan has been lately? She seems to have brightened up a bit, or rather, it seems like school has become fun for her.」

After that, I stayed to chat with Sachie-san about Sara-senpai while having some tea.

Takanashi Kazunari.

I doubted whether the Takanashi-kun I met today for the first time was the same person as that「Takanashi Kazunari」, but I think he’s a different person after all.

I took the entrance exam for my current school to match my move, so I wasn’t originally a resident of this town.

At the middle school I attended in the town where I used to live, a male student named「Takanashi Kazunari」was famous.

That said, we were in different classes and I never actually met him, so I don’t know his face directly.

I suppose I could just look at the graduation album… but in that class, there was Sasagawa Yuzuha and another guy whose name I don’t even want to remember.

Basically, there are many people in that class whose faces I never want to see again, so naturally, I don’t want to look at the pages either. That’s why I still haven’t looked at it.

Personally, nothing happened to me directly, but when I think about my friends, I still can’t forgive them.

And Takanashi Kazunari was said to be Sasagawa Yuzuha’s childhood friend, an eccentric who had been following her around since forever… to put it nicely.

Mio-chan, with her very cute sleeping face, is asleep in my arms.

I remember him playing with her at the shrine.

At first, I was surprised, and since he was a guy, I was on my guard.

And when I heard his name, I couldn’t let my guard down even more.

Because if he’s the same person I know, there’s no doubt he’s a dangerous person.

But seeing him play with Mio-chan, I thought he might be different.

The two of them looked like they were having so much fun that I felt like an idiot for being the only one frozen and on guard.

In the end, I joined in and played with them… even with that impression, I still think it’s a case of mistaken identity.

In the first place, I heard the unbelievable story that he’s close with that Satsukawa-senpai, and if that’s true, there’s no way a dangerous person could become close with Satsukawa-senpai.

Let alone someone who’s in the student council…

Come to think of it, there was a rumor that a boy close to Satsukawa-senpai had appeared, so that was probably him too.

Anyway, it seems certain that he’s a different person, so maybe I should apologize for my bad attitude at the start the next time we meet.

Because even I think I was pretty blatant about it.

Ah, I forgot to ask which class he’s in…

But I’ll probably run into him sooner or later.