CH 121

–After school.

Unusually, I didn’t have part-time work, so I was alone in the classroom waiting for Rin.

Usually there are a lot of people in the classroom, talking about their love lives and enjoying their conversations, but not today.

Instead, from the next classroom, there was some kind of joyful laughter.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to talk in the presence of someone I don’t really know, would I?”

I sighed and started to work on today’s assignment, which is my quota.

When Rin arrives, I’ll have a confirmation test on this subject … today.

I have to put a lot of effort into it because the tests Rin makes are harder than the ones made by the teacher.

Even so, studying in the classroom after school… it’s surprisingly progressing ~.

The quietness of the empty classroom made me feel as if I had a large study room all to myself.

About 30 minutes after I began studying in this manner, the entrance on the blackboard side opened with a bang.

“Ta-no-mo~!”

“Hey, wait a minute. Sayaka … if you enter so violently …”

The sudden intruders unintentionally drew their gaze on me.

Our eyes met as they entered the classroom, and I involuntarily lowered my head in awkwardness.

As if caught in the act, the taller female student next to Ainoya-san bowed her head apologetically.

Incidentally, … Ainoya-san had a smug look on her face for some reason.

Next to Ainoya-san is … surely.

I organized the class information that Kenichi had given me.

——I remembered.

Her name is Kanami Yokomura.

She is half-Japanese and has light colored hair, almost silver. Her hair fell to her shoulders, and she was tall and slender overall.

She is a quiet student in class, but she seems to get along well with Ainoya-san and they are often together.

I always think that they have opposite personalities.

Well, but I feel like she is a good stopper for Ainoya-san, who tends to run wild, so maybe they are actually a good duo.

…I guess it doesn’t matter now.

I stopped studying right away.

I then put my notebook and pens in my bag and proceeded to get ready to leave.

If I stay here, I’ll be in the way and I can’t study if I get bothered, so let’s move to a different place.

I need to contact Rin.

She might get worried if I suddenly disappear.

As I thought about this, I reached out to open the door on the side not by the blackboard, but I was interrupted.

“Hey, wait a minute~!”

What is …, huh?

Ainoya-san, weren’t you on the blackboard side just now?

When did you … get here?

I was surprised and my face was drawn back in shock when Ainoya-san came so close to me that our bodies bumped into each other.

“Hey, hey, hey! Tokki! It’s terrible of you to try to leave just as soon as we arrived!”

“Tokki…?”

When I tilted my head and frowned, Ainoya-san pointed her index finger at me.

“Tokiwagi-kun, so it’s “Tokki”! I won’t accept any objections!”

“I don’t care what you call me, but … see you later.”

“Don’t leave!!”

“Guh… Don’t pull my collar, you’ll strangle me.”

Ouch, strangling force…

Is this school full of basic high specs!?

It’s seriously painful…but.

I tapped her arm to indicate my surrender.

Ainoya-san, who seemed to be huffing and puffing at that, hurriedly let go of me and put her hands on top of each other in front of her face and bowed her head.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I just overdid it~”

“I’ll die if I’m not careful…”

“But~. It’s bad that Tokki tries to leave right away… Icha!?!?”

Yokomura-san’s punch entered her side, and Ainoya-san let out a short scream.

She crouched down on the spot, tears in her eyes.

She must have been in a lot of pain.

She turned her disapproving gaze on Yokomura-san as she mouthed the words, “Oww…”

“Sayaka, don’t bother. You always say … that you’d want to run away if you were suddenly involved in a situation with that kind of tension …, right?”

“Ehhh… But, Kanamin! Everyone is always fine with it, okay?”

“”That’s just giving up.”

“But~”

“But…”

“Sorry.”

Oh…!

That Ainoya-san is obeying meekly.

What is this?

It reminds me of the combination of a dog and its owner…

Or rather, it looks like that.

Ainoya-san looked downcast and dejected, like a dog really.

“I’m sorry, Tokiwagi-kun.”

“It’s okay. When I see a cheerful person, it cheers me up too.”

“That’s right~”

“Hey. Don’t get carried away so easily.”

“Stop it, Kanamin! Your attacks only hit me where it hurts!!”

“That’s what I’m aiming for.”

“Was it so!?!?”

The two of them were smiling at each other’s comic banter, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

But I wonder if it’s bad to keep them talking any longer.

It’s going to be hard to get out of that one if I don’t offer a timing for the cut-off.

“You two seem to be getting along well. Well, now that the party is over, I’ll…”

“That’s why I didn’t want to go home right away! I’m here for Tokki, you know.”

“Guh!?”

Don’t pull my collar from behind!

I looked at her to protest, and she shoved something like a cloth in my face.

“Eh, what…?”

“What is this? It’s my class F T-shirt~!”

“Giving to me…?”

“Yeah! You didn’t get it yet, did you? Tokki leaves right away. That’s why Tokki didn’t receive it.”

“Oh, I see. Sorry about that… But why the number 100?”

“Fufufufu~! That’s where our taste shines!”

“Oh, maybe it’s because I’m unranked or something, like ‘you don’t have a number’?”

“You’re too mean!”

No, I’m greatly surprised.

I know I deserve it, but it’s the fact that I actually get it.

“I understand! Even if you say, “As expected.” I can’t help but react.”

“No, Tokiwagi-kun. It’s just from your name. It’s ‘Towa’ so it’s like ‘ten and a circle’.”

“I see.”

“Wait a minute, Kanamin! I was going to explain it to him!”

“Because if it’s Sayaka, the conversation won’t progress… And there’s also the main subject, right?”

“Oh, that’s right!”

For some reason, Ainoya-san’s face blushed.

If you look at it, it’s the “before confession” situation … I’m talking about a lot of speculation in this one’s case.

But I don’t want her to act weird, because it will cause misunderstandings when people see her…

‘Tokki is Rin-Rin’s boyfriend, right?’

“No, but…”

“So you’re saying that Rin-Rin’s…”

“”That’s not true!””

I nodded.

It’s true that we haven’t even gotten to the point of dating yet.

They cowered at my reaction and looked at me as if they were looking at someone in disappointment.

“So… you’re not dating after all that?”

“Hey~. From my point of view, you guys are as close as a married couple.

“Well, we are close, that’s for sure.”

“I see~. Oh, that’s right, Tokki. Do you know anything about Rin-Rin’s weaknesses? I really want to win at the sports festival!”

“Weaknesses… Ah, I see…”

To win the class title at the sports festival, it is essential for the girls to score well, right?

No matter how hard the boys try, it will be hard to beat Rin’s class.

Besides, Ainoya-san is rumored to be just as athletic as Rin…

If people at the same level were to compete, it would be luck…, and smarts that would make the difference between winning and losing.

If that’s the case, Ainoya-san has no chance to win, right?

“Um, Tokiwagi-kun, I think you can understand somehow…”

“If you go into it without thinking, you’ll lose… Sports are also said to be about strategy.”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean … If I knew something, I would have taken measures to win at least once.”

“But unfortunately, Rin doesn’t have any weaknesses that can be considered shortcomings. If I had to say, she’s stubborn…?”

“Eh, that’s not a weakness!”

“No, seriously, that’s the only thing I can think of.”

“Oh no~ …. Please, Tokki! Try your best to find out!　For the victory of the class!”

“Oh, hey…, don’t shake me like that.”

“Sayaka, it’s annoying to ask out of the blue. Tokiwagi-kun will be troubled too.”

Oh man… I’m getting sick from being shaken too much …

Even the stopper, Yokomura-san, can’t seem to stop Ainoya-san in her out-of-control mode.

As I was turning my eyes around, the door opened and a familiar figure appeared.

“I’m sorry, Towa-kun! I’m sorry I’m late. Did you call me to pick you up …?”

Rin froze at the entrance…

The situation is really bad, isn’t it?

The two girls shook me by the shoulders, and depending on how you look at it, it might seem like they are playing with me.

Well, but Rin would instantly grasp the situation and understand…

Oh, no.

She doesn’t understand this…

Because she’s got a big smile on her face like she’s stuck on it… I’ll have to explain this later.

Despite my concern, Ainoya-san was so happy to see Rin’s appearance that she was jumping up and down like a fan who gets excited when an idol appears on the stage.

…So carefree.

I put my hand on my forehead and sighed loudly.

“Oh, it’s Rin-Rin~!”

“Um… Hello.”

“Sorry, I borrowed Tokki! It’s like you’re here to pick him up, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right, but…”

“Yeah, yeah. If that’s the case, I guess we’re getting out of the way!”

She tapped me on the shoulder and winked.

‘Now’s your chance. Go!’ She gestured that …

“Then, Tokki. Please take care of what I said before! So, bye-bye!”

“Oh, wait, Sayaka. I’m sorry for the trouble We’ve caused you.  See you later, Tokiwagi-kun.”

“Oh, oh.”

The storm passed and silence covered the classroom.

In the middle of it, me and Rin look at each other silently … and laugh at each other.

“Then Rin, let’s go home.”

“Fufu. That’s right. Ah, but…”

“Yes?”

“Because I have some questions I want to ask you later, okay?”

“Ugh…”

Rin’s atmosphere pressured me into such a cry…