V1 - Chapter 9

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

Chapter 9

About two weeks had passed since I picked up the kitten. 

Even though we spent some time together, my relationship with Minamino at school didn't really change. We continued on as usual, with no real connection to begin with. However, on a certain day, it was a little different.

"Now, that concludes homeroom. I apologize for this, but there's a minor task that needs to be done, it'll take about 30 minutes. Can the two students who's on class duty today, later on, come to the staff room?"

After homeroom, our homeroom teacher, Gondou, said to me and another female student.

Well, it's a bit of a hassle, but if it's just fate playing its part, I guess there's no avoiding it. Today's Friday, and even though I had work at 6 p.m., I still had some time. I nodded in agreement with that thought, and then I noticed the other girl looking at me. It was Horikita Masami, if I remember correctly. I've heard she's on the girls' volleyball team, tall, and people have high hopes for her future. 

"Ah–, sorry, Sensei. I have club activities, so it might be a bit tough for me."

"I see, well, that can't be helped then. But leaving it to just one person is a bit much. Is there anyone else I can ask?"

It's doubtful anyone would volunteer when asked like that, or so I thought as Gondou scanned the entire class. I didn't really have any close friends who would get involved in this kind of situation. While I wasn't sure what the task was, I felt like this was something I could handle on my own if I tried. As I was thinking that—–-.

"Ah, then, since I'm in the go-home club, I can do it."

I heard a familiar voice.

Startled, I looked over and saw Minamino raising her hand.

"Minamino, huh? Well, then, I'll leave it to you two. Can you come to the staff room? I'll give you the key to the reference room. I just want you to clean it up and let some air in."

"Yes, sir."

Saying that, Minamino gave me a quick glance and left.

"Hey, 'number two,' you lucked out. How about it? If it's with Minamino, I wouldn't mind switching places."

As I was about to grab my bag and stand up, a teasing remark came from the front row. It was Ishizawa from the soccer team, who had dyed his hair slightly brown. He often hung out with other sports club members and was frequently seen interacting with Minamino.

Honestly, dealing with him one way or another was a hassle.

"Yeah, that's true. Well, it might be a bit troublesome, but I'll go since it's got its perks."

I shrugged and replied, causing him to make a somewhat dissatisfied expression. Maybe he was expecting the words "Okay, let's switch." Although a week ago, I might have said something like that, I couldn't do that now. That's because my pocket had vibrated twice to indicate incoming messages. I knew without looking. It was Minamino. If Ishizawa went in my place, I don't know what she might tell me later.

Through our exchanges over the past few days, I had come to understand Minamino to some extent.

"What, are you trying to get in on Minamino too? She's got a strong guard, you know."

"It's not like that, but well, I'm also in the go-home club, just so you know. You do your best with your club activities too."

"Tch, being in the go-home club must be nice, you've got plenty of free time."

Although, if he found out that we'd been messaging almost every day and even had dinner together a few times, I wonder what kind of expression would he make? Feeling a slightly dark sense of superiority, I shook my head at myself and left the classroom. As expected, Minamino was waiting for me just outside.

"You're late."

She pouted slightly and muttered softly.

"Haah, I got caught up by a certain someone's fan."

As I answered, just to be sure, I took out my smartphone and checked. As expected, it was a message from the beautiful girl right in front of me.

(Minamino) First Natural Interaction Achieved.

(Minamino) Still not here? I'm waiting, so let's go together. It wouldn't look weird if it's because of a school duty.

"I think it felt unnatural though."

"Huh? No way!?"

"Well, I thought it was natural for either no one to raise their hand, and I do it alone, or someone reluctantly gets chosen. Even your friends were looking at you with that 'Huh?' expression."

While walking down the corridor towards the staff room, Minamino continued to be approached by various people. And as they glanced at me with a hint of curiosity, Minamino would just shrug and say, "We've been called to the staff room for class duties," as they nod in understanding before walking away.

Honestly, it's a short distance that I wouldn't normally encounter anyone if I were alone, yet Minamino's popularity struck me once again. Even from my perspective, knowing the situation, her demeanor seemed incredibly natural.

◇◆

"Ah, the feeling of freedom!"

"No, let's start cleaning."

The reference room was a corner room next to the staff room on the second floor. Quite a few printouts were piled up, and the curtains seemed a bit dusty. Amidst that, Minamino seemed to be having quite a bit of fun. Her tone of voice didn't change, but there was a different vibe about her.

"Hehe, how does it feel to be alone in a closed room with a beautiful girl after school?"

"Yeah, it's probably just as exciting as being alone at home with a beautiful girl."

"Hmm... huh? Wait, then isn't it just the same as usual?"

"...On the contrary, why did you think this would be more exciting? Oh, the shredders are here, there are two, so you can use that one, Minamino. By the way, they know there are shredding services they can hire, right? Instead of asking students, they could just ask a professional. Oh, look at this, it's the misprint from the recent short quiz."

Admittedly, it seemed like a difficult task for one person. However, it appeared that Minamino wasn't pleased with my attitude, and that showed in her behavior— 

"I express my dissatisfaction."

Well, not just her behavior, she stated it clearly.

"Let's finish this quickly and go home."

"Dissatisfied! I'm dissatisfied!"

"Uh, then… what do you want me to do?"

Seeing Minamino puff up her cheeks and appeal to me, I gave in and turned around. Even with that expression, she still looked attractive. It made me feel the difference at a genetic level.

"Geez, you're such a killjoy. Imagine, when a boy and a girl with a hidden connection end up naturally alone together in school, it's like something out of a story, right? You know what I mean?"

"Ah, so what you're saying is, you want to be seen as the beautiful heroine of a story? Yeah, that's right, that's right. Now that I think about it, you've already gone through the 'jealousy event' in our class."

"Y-you've got it wrong, alright? Don't interpret it weirdly! I mean, sure, I put in effort every day, but... wait, 'jealousy event,' what's that?"

After being accused of being a killjoy, I tried to playfully respond based on the light novels that came to mind. Although, the girl named Minamino does fit the description of a popular beautiful girl in our grade. But, well, Minamino seemed more concerned about the "jealousy event," and she looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked.

"Well, Ishizawa sort of tried to find fault and implied to switch places with me, I guess?" 

"Ishizawa, huh? His attention does seem to be directed my way sometimes. I mean, he looks directly at my chest or legs sometimes, and honestly, I'm not really comfortable with it. Even though we talk often due to our positions."

"I see."

I get why people gives her those stares, but when I imagine it happening to me, it does make me a bit uncomfortable. I mean, I don't plan on giving her disrespectful looks or anything, though.

"But you didn't switch, so thanks."

"Well, you know. If I had switched in that situation, wouldn't Minamino have gotten mad?"

"Well, yeah, obviously. I'd be like, 'for what reason did you think I volunteered to replace Masami?'"

"That's what I'm saying."

"Hehe."

As we chatted, we smoothly fed papers into the shredder, and Minamino seemed to be in high spirits. I also found these casual conversations quite enjoyable.