Chapter 25 - The Mob Heroine Didn’t Show Up
At last, September 1st had arrived. Summer vacation was over, and time was moving on to a new season.
Although the lingering heat still kept the temperature high, in another month the air would surely change into that of autumn.
Time really does fly. Summer vacation had gone by in the blink of an eye. For me, it had been a dream-like time. The precious time I'd spent with Mobuko-chan—with Mogami-san—was something I'd never forget for the rest of my life. I'd tuck this memory away in my heart, like a precious, precious treasure.
And now, it was time to watch how things turn out.
(I wonder what’ll happen to Mogami-san…)
That morning, I arrived at school earlier than usual and was walking toward Class A, the one Mogami-san and Sanada were in. I wanted to be there and witness the beginning of the story with my own eyes.
It was thirty minutes before class started, and since it was the first day back from summer break, the number of students was fewer than I’d expected. Among them, neither Mogami-san nor Sanada were present. Good. That meant I could watch their first meeting properly.
As the one who helped Mogami-san with her glow up, no, as the mastermind who encouraged her transformation, my role was to see this through to the end.
Just like how a trip isn’t over until you’re back home, this story wouldn’t be complete until the two of them met and the rom-com finally began.
And so, I was loitering in the hallway, lost in my own sentimental thoughts as I peeked into Class A. But... no matter how long I waited, Mogami-san just didn't show up.
(Sanada’s already here. So what’s keeping her?)
When I checked the time, there were only five minutes left before the classes began. If she showed up now, their big meeting would be rushed and anticlimactic.
No... even that worry turned out to be pointless. To put it bluntly, Mogami-san... didn't come to school at all.
—Why isn't she here?
(There's still no reply... That's strange, she usually responds right away.)
During class, I had my phone hidden in my desk drawer, checking my messages over and over. I'd sent her a message a little while ago... but there was no reply from her at all.
(She didn't come in this morning. She wasn't here during the break after the first period, either... What's going on?)
Yesterday, when she showed me her uniform at her house, she didn't say a single word about skipping school. Of course, she hadn't said anything to even hint at it, so this was a total bolt from the blue.
(She's really not here…)
The second break after the second period started, I went to Class A, but she still wasn't there. Is she taking the whole day off? If so, did she catch a cold or something... I just don't know.
(Could it be that I pushed her too hard, and now she doesn’t want to come to school…? That possibility isn’t completely off either.)
Over this summer vacation, Mogami-san has changed a lot. Of course, in a good way. But, it's a fact that she's different compared to before summer break. She's definitely going to draw a lot of attention. What if she got so worried about that... she just skipped school? If that was the case… then it was my fault.
(...I guess I'll go.)
And with that thought, I made my decision. I still had classes left, but I didn't care. I was going to leave school and head to her house. She still wasn't replying, and I was starting to get a bad feeling. Why didn't she come to school? Was it because I'd overdone it?
…If it turned out that she actually hated me and was ignoring me, that would still be better. Well, it's not good, but if I'm the only one who gets hurt and she's fine, I can live with that. If that's the case, I can just promise to stay away from her, and that'll be the end of it. But to find out, I knew it'd be faster to just see her in person.
And so, I headed straight for Mogami-san's house.
Ding-dong.
My finger pressing the intercom trembled slightly compared to last time.
Not like me at all. I was nervous… I haven't been this shaky since my new-hire training, when they forced us to do no-appointment, cold-call sales. No, calm down. This wasn’t some sales drill. I just have to forget that awful 'power harassment' training—the one where they'd dump us in an office building, make us stop at every single floor on the elevator, and literally wouldn't let us leave the building until we'd handed out a business card... Wait, why am I reliving my old work trauma? That has nothing to do with this.
I was really shaken. I just couldn't help it, I was just that worried about Mogami-san. How was she going to react when she saw me? As I stood there waiting for a response, I finally heard a familiar voice.
“Yes, yes! Sorry to keep you waiting… Oh my, if it isn't Sato-kun!"
“Ah, mom, sorry to drop by unannounced. Is your daughter, Fuko-san, home?”
“She’s here. She’s fast asleep—wait. Why are you in your school uniform, Sato-kun?"
“Eh? Because… we have school today?”
“What are you talking about? It’s still the thirty-first of August.”
“No, it’s already the first day of September, though?.”
“…Oh my. Is that right? Well, that's a problem—I completely forgot to wake Fuko up."
And just as mom muttered that in a carefree tone—
“Uwaaaah!! I-I’m lateeeee!!”
A bloodcurling scream echoed throughout the Mogami household.
