CH 53

Lately, Youta has not been well.

It was Hitomi, seated next to him, who felt this most acutely.

That’s how it’s been since he missed school last week because of a cold.

Lunch break on the day he arrived at school sick, to be exact.

At first Hitomi thought he was not feeling well, but apparently not.

As the week wore on, Youta’s condition did not change.

Whenever she saw him, he seemed to be somewhere up in the air, thinking about something.

Hitomi is worried about him, and when she calls out to him, all she gets is a curt response.

She was worried that if She had confessed to him, she might be doing so, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Something seems to be wrong with the air in class these days.

This made her feel that there was something wrong with Youta’s behavior.

“Do you know anything about it, Suzu chan?”

So Hitomi decided to ask Suzu, a good friend of hers in the class, how the class was going.

“….Well, I don’t know. But it sure is weird. It’s kind of a bad atmosphere. Especially the girls”

“Yeah…..”

That seems to be due to some of the girls in some of the factions.

Those girls are always around Jinguji and his friends a lot these days.

Aoi and Shizuka used to be in this position. But they rarely see them together anymore.

And the girls stay there to take their place.

Somehow, though, the girls were disturbing the air. Hitomi and Suzu both sensed this.

“I wonder if that’s why Ichikawa san isn’t in good spirits. Did she get into a fight with Jinguji kun?”

“……. I wonder about I thought that woman didn’t really care about Jinguji or anything else. I besides…”

“Besides?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Suzu retracts the words that were about to come out.

Hitomi does not know the relationship between Aoi and Youta. So she thinks that Jinguji and Aoi, who were often together before, are good friends, but in fact they are not.

(Rather, it’s that woman and Yota. Did something happen?)

Suzu looked as if the two were avoiding each other at school as well.

“Well, I’ll ask her myself.”

“Eh? Ichikawa san?”

“Yeah. I’ll ask around on the way home.”

“Okay !”

So Suzu decided to ask Aoi directly.

Hitomi and Aoi are not close friends. However, as a classmate, she is naturally concerned if something is wrong. Hitomi has such kindness.

(If I can figure that out, maybe I can learn something about Komiya kun!)

And at the same time, although unconsciously, she also had a calculating mindset.

“But were you that close to Ichikawa san, Suzu chan?

“What? We don’t get along. In fact, I hate her.”

“Eh……”

Hitomi was speechless at the brazen statement of dislike.

“Well, I’ll listen to whatever I want to hear.”

“I-I see.”

However, because it is Suzu, She is not afraid to take on any opponent.

Hitomi, who was timid, envied her a little.

◆

“…….What can I do for you Shinozuka san?

After school, Aoi was about to go home alone when Suzu called out to her.

She had just arrived at the shoe box.

“What’s been going on with you and Youta lately?”

“…… you too, I see.”

Aoi sighed a little and muttered in a voice that Suzu couldn’t hear.

“It’s nothing.”

“I’m sure it’s not nothing. If I knew what was going on between you two, I would know something was wrong.”

“………I wonder what you’re trying to say with that Are you worried about me by any chance?”

“Haa!? Of course not. I-It doesn’t matter to me what happens with you and Yota………it’s more convenient for me!”

“I see. Then I will gladly give it to you. Me and Komiya kun, we’re splitting up.”

“Haa?!”

Suzu was puzzled by the unexpected words. She had thought that they would have had a fight at most.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. You were so hostile to me.”

“I’m the one who said that. I think you should be happy here. his love interest is gone. Now you can officially get engaged or whatever.”

“…… you really mean that?”

For some reason, Aoi’s somewhat throwaway argument made Suzu angry.

Before, She would have kicked her down and thought She was going to take it from her. Now she is like a tiger with its fangs pulled out.

Because of her frustration of losing in a competition, she makes Youta fall in love with her and takes him away from such an opponent.

Then I will take revenge on the person I lost to.

I thought so.

(What is this……..)

Suzu was not happy about winning after being given away like that. Rather, she felt as if she was being made fun of.

“If that’s all you want to talk about. Then…”

“W-Wait !”

Without waiting for Suzu to stop her, Aoi opens her shoe box.

“———-”

“…………?”

However, she quickly closed it. Suzu also tilted her head, not understanding the meaning of Aoi’s actions.

“What? Aren’t you going home?”

“…… it’s nothing. More importantly, didn’t you just call me up and want to say something?”

“I know. Are you really breaking up with him? Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“I said yes. I’ll hate you if you persist too long.”

“You’re not very convincing when you talk like that. If it was just a fight, I suggest you make up quickly.”

Not wanting to let Aoi win and run away in a strange way, Suzu proposes to make up with Youta.

Normally, she would have taken this as an opportunity to take action once she found out that they had broken up, but she didn’t even know why she was saying this.

“Or what? Do you want me to listen to your problems or whatever? Oh, sure, you owe me one.”

She said so proudly. It was the usual Suzu’s plan to take the mount from Aoi.

Suzu wanted to beat Aoi and then take Youta away from her. That was Suzu’s way and pride.

But—

“….sy”

“Eh, what?”

“Noisy !”

“……….”

“Leave me alone! You don’t know what you’re talking about, so don’t stick your neck out for me! You’re making me uncomfortable!”

“Hey….”

Suzu was speechless with so much passion.

And soon the anger boils over on Suzu’s part.

“Oh, yeah! Then you can do whatever you want. Just watch me go out with Youta and get engaged with your fingers in your mouth ! Idiot!”

Saying so, Suzu took out her own loafer without hiding her irritation, put on her shoes, and left.

“Haa…….”

After Suzu runs off, Aoi opens her shoe box once more.

There was a large amount of trash in there, and Aoi’s loafers were filled with it.

Aoi takes out a plastic bag that was just in her bag and puts that garbage in it.

“even put a thumbtack in my pocket. so nasty.”

She puts on her shoes after finishing putting the studs in the soles of her shoes into the bag securely.

She even felt a sickening sensation of wet feet as if she had been drenched in water the moment she put them on.

“It’s really disgusting.”

Tomorrow will be a consecutive holiday. I feel somewhat better thinking that there will be no school for the holidays for a while.