A Case in Which My House Is a Gathering Place for Girls - Chapter 11: I Became Famous After Jumping Into the Fountain

The next day. Before morning homeroom. I sat at my desk as I was holding my head in my hands.

Just yesterday as I entered high school, I reunited with my childhood friend who I hadn’t seen in over a year. While I wasn’t too concerned about how she looked, I was relieved to find that she hadn’t changed on the inside. I felt good about it, but I never imagined we’d end up jumping into a fountain together.

“It looks like you were quite the star yesterday, Itsuki.”

Wada immediately spoke to me with a grin. Judging from his expression and manner of speaking, it seems that the story is spreading.

“…What exactly are you talking about? I have no idea.”

I decided to play dumb, just in case I was overthinking things, though there was the slightest chance I might not be imagining things.

“It’s no use pretending you don’t know. You jumped into the fountain with Hanazono Kanna yesterday, right? It’s already been rumored all over the school.”

“…Is that so?”

The strange looks from around me and the whispers I could hear confirmed it wasn’t just my imagination. I can’t believe I’m already popular on my second day at school.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask yesterday, but have Itsuki and Hanazono Kanna known each other for a long time? Are you childhood friends?”

“Not by chance, we were childhood friends. The last time I saw her was more than ten years ago.”

“It’s a touching reunion, you know. It would’ve been perfect if only you hadn’t jumped into the fountain.”

Wada says that and laughs again and pats me on the shoulder. His persistent teasing was annoying, but maybe he was just trying to show concern in his own way. To be honest, I preferred this kind of playful approach rather than being ignored.

“Well, I’m relieved that she’s still the same as she used to be.”

“Have you been doing things like jumping the fountain without hesitation for more than ten years? That’s a surprising new fact.”

“I was surprised that dragging her with me hadn’t changed her either.”

“No doubt about that. So, where’s the important childhood friend? Did she not come to school with you today?”

Wada glanced toward Kanna’s seat, but there was no sign of her, not even her bag.

“The homeroom is about to start. She’s not late because she overslept on the second day, is she? Or is she helping someone else somewhere else?”

“I was about to say that, but I got a message from her first thing in the morning. She said she’s going to take a day off because of work.”

I had invited Kanna, who was drenched from the fountain, to my house and let her take a bath. Things went well at first, but she got a bit too forward after that, so I sent her home as soon as her uniform dried.

Like a little villain, she had left saying, “Prepare yourself,” but I never expected her to skip school. That definitely was unexpected. She wouldn’t skip school to do something shady, would she?

“I heard that Hanazono Kanna is the president and travels all over the country for work. So things like that happen.”

“Come to think of it, I forgot to ask what Kanna’s company was doing. What does she do, Wada?”

“Of course. I mean, you didn’t read the article I showed you yesterday. Everything was written there. So you need to read it in your spare time.”

Wada said this with a smug look on his face. I felt a little irritated at his pride over something he wasn’t even directly involved in, but I’d check it out later.

“Good morning, everyone―!”

As I was lost in such thoughts, the bell rang. At the same time, the classroom door swung open with force, and the homeroom teacher, Misuta-sensei came.

“Did everyone sleep well last night? Did anyone stay up late because they were so excited? By the way, I’ve been up all night!”

Misuta-sensei stood at the front of the classroom with a cheerful laugh. My former teacher’s habit in junior high school was “I’m tired of teaching, so I’d like to quit teaching at once,” so I guess this teacher is pretty energetic. There’s also the theory that my former teacher was just unprofessional.

“Someone’s absent today for personal reasons, but today is the start of your real high school life. Hanazono-san is the only one who is absent, right? Sasazuki-san is here, isn’t she?”

“…Sensei, I’m here.”

A female student raised her hand and expressed her presence in a clear glassy voice. Everyone in the classroom, including Misuta-sensei, focuses on her. I think that’s Sasazuki Mika who Wada was talking about yesterday. It’s kind of unfortunate that she wasn’t recognized despite sitting right in front of the teacher.

“Yes, as long as you’re here!”

I couldn’t help but think to myself, Is that really enough of a response? But the other students acted as if nothing unusual had happened. Perhaps, just like with Kanna, it was a common occurrence for people at this school not to recognize Sasazuki’s presence.

“Then let’s get started! As for today’s schedule─”

Compared to the countryside, the city is full of all sorts of people. In a way, it’s kind of scary. I thought to myself while listening to Misuta-sensei’’s chatter.