V1 - Chapter 10

Volume 1 - The Abandoned Kitten, Her, and Me.

Chapter 10

I could have gone back together with Minamino, but since I did not want to draw too much attention, I had her return to the classroom first, before I returned the key to the staff room, and then headed back to the classroom myself. While I had brought my bag, I realized I had forgotten a book in my desk.

Minamino had mentioned that she was going shopping with friends on her way home, so since she couldn't come today, I wanted to read at home during the time before my part-time job.

Even though it was after school, the task took only about 20 minutes, and there were still plenty of students around.

"―――"

Just as I was thinking of quickly grabbing my book and heading home, I heard my name from the classroom. I stopped in my tracks just before entering.

"Ah, too bad. If it were the real Satou-kun instead of 'number two,' I would have been happy to go. Sorry, Chinatsu, I never thought you would be the one to take my place instead."

"Huh? It's fine, it's fine, but wait... didn't you say you had club activities, Masami?"

Horikita-san, who was supposed to do the class duties with me but switched with another because of her club activities, was in the classroom with three other girls. Minamino, who had returned to pick up her belongings, was there as well, engaging in a conversation.

I probably should have just entered the classroom without worrying about it. However, for some reason, I found myself stopping in my tracks.

"Well, today is a day for self-practice, so I thought I could wait a bit longer. You know, I didn't want to get injured doing cleaning right before practice, and I've never talked to 'number two' before, so it would be awkward."

"....Sigh, well, it's fine. Also, it's Satou-kun, okay? He doesn't really like that way of addressing him. He's a good person, you know? He's also very gentle."

"There it is. Chinatsu and her 'good person' talk again. You always say it, but you don't really fall for anyone. But yeah, I might have worded it poorly. It's not like I think badly of 'numbe–,' I mean, Satou-kun from our class, though."

"Still, if you compare him with Class D's Satou, the latter is literally quite the catch. Not only is he good-looking, the ace of the basketball team, he also excels in studies. He's like a real-life superman."

"Right?"

The surrounding girls followed along as well. Well, I suppose that can't be helped. But I missed the timing to enter, and as I was about to move away from the classroom door, the continuation of their conversation caught my attention, and I stopped again.

"Still, Minamino is really kind, huh? But being kind to a plain guy like 'number two' might make him fall for you, you know? I bet the task was boring for you, right? Did you manage to avoid being ogled at?"

It was Ishizawa. He was trying to join the girls' conversation at just the right moment. Wasn't he supposed to be heading to his club activities?

"It's not 'number two,' it's Satou-kun. And I don't think that's the case at all. We were talking just now, and it was fun, and he seemed like a gentleman."

Minamino cut off Ishizawa, her expression invisible, but I could tell she wasn't smiling. Ishizawa was the type to often make fun of people he thought were beneath him.

"Now, now, I'm telling you all guys are like that; taciturn. Plus, didn't 'number two' acknowledge it himself too? He played basketball since middle school, but he quit and joined the go-home club when Satou from Class D joined. Sure enough, when Satou became the freshman's ace, he chose to step back and settled with being the number two."

And then, perhaps feeling awkward about his failed attempt at humor or frustrated by how I, who he considered beneath him, was being supported by Minamino, he began to speak in that manner. While I momentarily considered retorting with a sharp comment, more striking to me than his choice of words was Minamino's unexpectedly icy reply directed at Ishizawa.

"Hmm, so? Did Satou-kun himself say that?"

Even without seeing her expression, I could tell Minamino was angry.

"Huh? Well, no, he didn't, but..."

Trying to somehow bridge the conversation, Ishizawa seemed to have intended it as a light-hearted topic of laughter. However, he appeared somewhat intimidated by the drastic change in Minamino's atmosphere.

"Then what? Is Ishizawa an esper or something, able to receive Satou-kun's inner thoughts? Is that what you're saying?"

"Well, no, I don't have any special powers like that. But you know, 'number two' was pretty good at basketball in middle school, even though he was in a different school, he was on the basketball team, so I knew him. It's just hard to believe that a guy like that wouldn't join the basketball team here. I mean, losing in looks or academics is one thing, but losing even in his strong suit, basketball, would be too much for his pride to handle, right? It's like that concept of circumstantial evidence, you know?"

He still managed to say it with a grin, whether due to lack of imagination or inability to read the atmosphere. But either way, in this situation, it was an unwise move against Minamino.

"I see, I get it. But you know, there could be other reasons for him quitting, right? Maybe it was due to an injury, or family circumstances, who knows. Well, I don't know much about it either, but I had fun talking to Satou-kun normally. It's just a bit uncomfortable to hear someone badmouth someone you were just with a moment ago, you know?"

Minamino replied as such.

"...Well, I might not have much say in this matter considering I skipped the class duties, I still think you might have gone too far with that." 

As Minamino's attitude shifted, the atmosphere in the room began to lean towards thinking that Ishizawa had gone a bit too far. Following suit, Horikita also joined in, and Ishizawa left his seat with an awkward expression.

I rushed into the boys' restroom, trying to avoid running into anyone coming out, and looked up at the ceiling.

Minamino was being an idiot.

She should have just ignored it.

She didn't need to put the position she had built at risk for someone like me.

I muttered those thoughts to myself.

"I bet her hate control slipped up earlier."

But despite saying those words, I couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sense of happiness.