After Distancing Myself From the Childhood Friend Couple Who Looked Down on Me, I Started Interacting With a Small Animal-Like Beautiful Girl - Chapter 10

Monday after the weekend.

When I arrived at school, there were more students without their blazers than last week.

Entering early summer, the warm weather continues.

I used my day off to finish reading the first volume of “It’s Me” and headed to Kubo’s seat. Kubo usually comes over to me, so it felt kind of refreshing.

It seemed that Kubo figured out I brought the manga just by looking at me, and with a beaming smile, he took out the second volume from his green backpack.

“I always carry it with me so I can lend it out anytime.”

I can’t help but smirk at Kubo as he is crossing his arms with a smug look. How much does he want to spread the word?

After that, Kubo and I talked about the scenes that left an impression on us and the parts we could relate to from Chapters 2 to 8 of Volume 1 of “It’s Me.”

Thanks to the enjoyment of the discussion meeting with Kubo, I might be able to read Volume 2 a little faster.

“Good morning.”

“Ah, good morning.”

After chatting with Kubo about “It’s Me” for a while and returning to my seat, I exchanged greetings with Saitou-san as she had just arrived at school. I managed to avoid being as awkward as last time.

I’m still not used to the gazes of those around me.

“…That.”

“Huh?”

Saitou-san points to the second volume that I borrowed from Kubo earlier.

This morning, it didn’t end with just a greeting.

“Weren’t you also carrying it when we first talked?”

“Yeah. That one was Volume 1, and this is Volume 2. Kubo lent it to me.”

“Kubo? …Ah, that bedhead glasses?”

“Bedhead glasses.”

I unintentionally repeated her words.

It’s such a powerful word, no, such a powerful name.

Even Saitou-san, whose name didn’t come to mind immediately, could recognize Kubo’s head right away. It was that impactful.

Well, even if I muster up the courage to talk to her, she just says, “Who?” It’s better than being called that by Saitou-san’s fans.

…Huh? Then, why did Saitou-san know my name?

Since the first time we talked, I was just called by my name.

It’s almost strange that it hasn’t come up until now.

If I know even a little about a person named Saitou Ino, it’s a question that everyone would inevitably have at least once.

I stared at Saitou-san as she had already lost interest in the manga and buried her face in her slender arms.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“There’s just a little over a week left, but are you preparing for the test?”

The math teacher said that for the second period, laughed and left the classroom, saying, “Do your best!”

A seemingly casual remark suddenly brought the students back to reality.

The first regular exam since entering high school is approaching.

The classroom gradually began to buzz with that fact.

“God of Great Effort, please teach me how to study…”

“Teach me too!”

“Unlike Kouhei, Serika should be fine even if I don’t teach her, right?”

“Hey, let’s have a study session together. I also have things I want to learn from Ootomo.”

“Cheers for Nanako-san!”

While the classmates’ faces clouded over, the childhood friend couples were chatting cheerfully.

Being able to have fun even during exam periods might be a characteristic of extroverts.

I wasn’t exactly calm when I was told there was about a week left until the test.

I had been reasonably diligent with memorization that could earn points, such as remembering English vocabulary and the names of historical figures from Japanese history. I’ve also gone through the workbooks for other subjects at least once.

The test isn’t easy enough to overcome like that, and I know that only those with talent can do it effortlessly, so I can’t feel at ease at all.

“Test…”

Saitou-san mutters softly while propping herself up.

It was evident from her voice that she thought it was “troublesome.”

It seems that just hearing those words can make anyone feel heavy.

But I didn’t think Saitou-san would have trouble with the test.

Her attitude in class is hard to describe as serious, but when the teacher asked her the answer to a textbook question during the second period today, she answered smoothly. The other day, she lent her notes to a student from the neighboring class, so it doesn’t seem like she’s not taking notes at all. He might be summarizing the class content in her own way later.

The reason she doesn’t seem to be in a hurry is because she thinks everything will work out somehow.

It’s a story about taking care of her own worries before worrying about others.

Since the weekend is coming up before the test, there’s still time.

Moreover, since the schedule for the three days of the actual test allows me to go home by noon, it’s not all that depressing. Once the final day is over, I will be completely free.

Once I get through the regular exams, I will head home right away and spend some leisurely time with Maru. Yeah, I should do that.

While planning in my head what to do after the test, I finished preparing for the class and headed to the restroom.