Episode 83: Changing Daily Life

「Morning, Takanashi!」

「Yo!」

The people who called out to me as I entered the classroom were the guys I’d teamed up with for the cavalry battle. It looks like that friendly vibe wasn’t just for the day of the event.

「Good morning.」

「Good morning, Takanashi-kun. Good work at the sports festival.」

「The student council stuff must’ve been rough, right?」

The two from Natsumi-senpai’s fan club called out to me too.

This scene, which would normally be common, was something I hadn’t experienced in a long while. The guys who used to cause a ruckus aren’t making a scene like before, either.

Rattle rattle rattle

「Excuse me~」

Hayato walked into the classroom. He came straight toward me and slapped me on the shoulder.

「Morning, bestie!」

His energy’s pretty high for first thing in the morning… Has this guy’s character changed?

「Morning, Hayato. What’s with you so early?」

「What do you mean? I just came to say hi.」

I heard later that he apparently wanted a「friend」more than I’d imagined. Well, I guess handsome guys have their own struggles…

When I gave a greeting back, he showed me a happy smile.

…If I were a girl, I’d definitely misinterpret that.

And what’s with the girls who keep glancing at us with those delighted looks?

The sports festival was over, and since Monday was a holiday, Tuesday was the first school day back.

And now, people are gathering around my seat. …Is there going to be a sudden downpour later or something?

I started hanging out and chatting with the guys from the cavalry battle… something I think is a first since I entered high school.

「You snapped the other day, right? The vibe changed after that…」

According to what I heard, on the day I lost my temper, those guys made a scene during lunch break complaining about how annoying I was. However, between their incredibly childish behavior and the fact that they even made fun of the two from Natsumi-senpai’s fan club who backed me up, they ended up being treated as enemies, mainly by the girls.

「Now that you mention it, those guys who are usually making a racket aren’t here…」

「It’s been like this lately. Thanks to you, we can relax now, and the classroom’s gotten quieter too.」

It seems my actions resulted in a change in the class situation. So that’s why things have turned more positive…

To be honest, I hadn’t given the class a single thought, and I didn’t care if the atmosphere turned sour, but I’ll keep that to myself…

「Hmm, well, if the result is okay, then isn’t it fine?」

「Yes. To be honest, I was considering having the student council or the public morals committee intervene if no improvement was seen.」

Sara-senpai was thinking of something surprisingly dangerous.

Still, with this, I might finally be able to look forward to a somewhat comfortable school life. That said, I’ll never do anything to change this happy time I have now.

「Now that the sports festival is over, we have to think about exams next…」

Those words Natsumi-senpai muttered gloomily dealt damage to me too, since I’d completely forgotten about the existence of exams. Sara-senpai seemed to notice my expression.

「Takanashi-san? Is something wrong regarding the exams?」

「No… I just totally forgot about them. Well, I’ve been attending all the classes, so I think I’ll be okay.」

I attend class normally and don’t skip. But for me, the wasted time of「studying at home」doesn’t exist.

「Are you studying at home?」

Of course she’d ask…

If it were the old me, I would’ve immediately replied that I was studying, but a lie like that wouldn’t work on the current Sara-senpai.

「…I’m not.」

So I gave an honest, immediate answer. Hearing that, Sara-senpai approached me with a smile for some reason.

「There, you were able to say it honestly.」

She stroked my head.

…I wonder sometimes, does Sara-senpai think of me as a child? At the very least, she might think I’m a handful.

「If I can be of help, please tell me anytime.」

I have a feeling I’ll probably end up asking her…

I finished eating my bento, did my daily watering, and then parted ways with the Senpais.

As I headed to the shoe lockers to change into my indoor shoes, Hayato arrived from the opposite side at the perfect time.

「Hey Kazunari, was today’s bento tasty?」

Hayato knows I eat lunch with the Senpais and also knows about Sara-senpai’s bento. And I’ve already told him that Sara-senpai and I aren’t lovers.

「I’ve never had any thought other than ‘delicious’ when it comes to Sara-senpai’s cooking.」

「Well, well, I’m nothing but envious.」

As Hayato opened his shoe locker while we were talking… several items fell out.

「Good grief, every single day…」

This must be a daily occurrence for him. He started picking up the fallen letters.

「Still as popular as ever, I see.」

I’m not particularly envious… since I only have eyes for Sara-senpai. I opened my shoe locker to change quickly and get back to class when…

Flutter

「………Huh?」

「Oops, looks like we’re matching.」

This thing lying at my feet… it’s a letter, right? Hmm… no matter how much I think about it, I don’t remember triggering any flags. So, the possible explanations are:

1. They want an introduction to Hayato
2. They want an introduction to Sara-senpai
3. They want an introduction to Natsumi-senpai
4. They want to confess to me
5. Other

I wonder which one it is…