Episode 92: An Anxious Pair

「Sara-senpai, please hang out with me after school today.」

I cut to the chase before we even finished our morning greetings.

Based on how she was yesterday, Sara-senpai is definitely agonizing over something.

I’d left things to Natsumi-senpai, but Senpai’s forced smile stuck in my head, and I got a little impatient to talk to her.

Maybe my choice of words was a bit too pushy…

「Y, yes. I understand. I shall accompany you.」

Senpai showed a bit of a surprised reaction.

Yeah, I definitely might have been too forceful…

I wonder what this business could be…

Takanashi-san’s atmosphere felt different from usual.

To be honest… I am anxious.

「Sara, you’re thinking about unnecessary things again, aren’t you?」

「Natsumi… no, not really.」

「That’s a lie. Your head was in the clouds during class. Do you even remember what we covered?」

Ugh…

Now that she mentions it, I cannot remember the content of the lesson at all…

「Tell me the truth. You mustn’t bottle things up.」

Natsumi pressed me with a serious expression.

Since we talked so much yesterday, it is a bit late to start hiding things now.

「Actually…」

Since Natsumi was not with us this morning, I explained that I had been called by Takanashi-san for after school.

「I see… uh-huh. Sara, if Takanashi-kun asks you something, tell him the truth. You have to tell him everything you’re thinking without hiding anything, okay?」

「Everything… is it? Um, Natsumi, do you know what Takanashi-san’s business is? If you know, please tell me…」

Natsumi has an atmosphere as if she understands everything.

Of course, there is a possibility that it is something happy or a fun story, but based on Takanashi-san’s appearance this morning, it does not seem like that kind of business.

Assuming it is a talk, what if someone as jealous as me… yes, I know. This is jealousy, is it not. Now I understand how the heroine of a novel feels.

To think it is this painful… but, I am surely even more jealous than such a heroine.

What a hateful woman I am…

To think I am harboring such feelings, there is no way I could tell Takanashi-san…

It happened during PE class.

Sigh… I’m so nervous.

Even though I’d decided to talk after school, I still don’t quite understand what Sara-senpai is worrying about.

The Sara-senpai until now wouldn’t have blatantly hidden something she wanted to say or was concerned about, which means she’s holding onto something that’s hard to talk about…

In that instant, I felt a floating sensation, or rather, the sense that the ground had suddenly vanished.

It was because I was too absorbed in my thoughts, but now wasn’t the time for that!

Before I knew it, I’d slammed my butt hard and twisted my wrist as I hit the ground.

「Owwwww!」

「Takanashi!?」

「Kazunari!?」

Following the PE teacher, Hayato, who was in the joint class, also rushed over.

Even though I hadn’t hit my chest, I couldn’t breathe properly and panicked, but after a bit, I was able to breathe and felt relieved, only for the pain to hit…

「Can you make it to the nurse’s office?」

「I’ll take him.」

Hayato volunteered.

「Sorry, Hayato…」

「It’s fine, let’s just get to the nurse’s office.」

I moved to the nurse’s office while being supported by Hayato.

Naturally, the pain didn’t go away even if I rubbed my wrist.

The pain in my wrist might be bad…

「Looks like you’ve been lost in thought all day… It’s probably about Satsukawa-senpai, but doing that during PE is dangerous, you know.」

Apparently, I was brooding enough that it was obvious.

Hayato scolded me a little.

「…I guess I was overthinking things a bit.」

「If you’re in trouble, I’ll listen, but for now let’s just get you to the nurse’s office.」

When we arrived, Hayato explained the situation to the school nurse for me.

Because I’d experienced a very brief moment of difficulty breathing, I was told to stay and rest until lunch break was over.

This is a problem…

「I’ll take over from here, so Yokogawa-kun, please head back to class. Good job.」

「Then I’ll head back. I’ll let the Senpais know for you. I’ll bring your phone later!」

「Thanks, Hayato. I’m counting on you.」

「Now then, Takanashi-kun, please lie down. I want to look at that wrist too.」

I have that talk with Sara-senpai after school today; what am I going to do if they tell me to go home early…?

Huh? Yokogawa-kun?

Just as Sara and I stepped into the hallway after morning classes ended, I saw Yokogawa-kun heading toward us.

「It’s good that you two are here.」

Does he have business with us?

I feel like he’s a bit frantic, though.

「What’s wrong? You seem like you’re in a hurry.」

Sara probably wouldn’t be the one to speak up herself.

Even though he’s Takanashi-kun’s friend, she likely has almost no personal acquaintance with him.

「Kazunari fell during PE class just now and is in the nur…」

Sara had already started running. So fast!?

「Sorry, thanks! I’ll go check too.」

Good grief, he shouldn’t be giving Sara extra things to worry about right now.

「Takanashi-kun, I’m going to talk to your homeroom teacher, so please stay and rest.」

「Yes, sorry for the trou…」

Rattle rattle rattle

「Takanashi-san!!」

That voice is Sara-senpai.

It seems she burst into the nurse’s office with quite some momentum, as the teacher looks surprised too.

Well, I’m surprised as well…