After I Picked up a Notebook Filled With Intense Emotions, the Girls Started Acting Strange

The letter “S” was written in that old notebook I’d almost forgotten about.

If it wasn’t Sena-san, then who could it be?

I tried to think of anyone in our class whose first name started with “S,” but I couldn’t come up with anyone.

And yet… the name I just heard from her lips.

Setsuna. Written as Yukina, but read as Setsuna?

Then what was that Yukina her friends kept calling her?

I’d thought that was her name, too.

If this notebook really belonged to her…

No, I can’t be sure yet.

There are still parts that don’t make sense.

Like the part that said they’d been apart for a long time.

That fits Sena-san, but not her, because she went to a different middle school than I and Shindou.

And then… this part.

─I changed everything about how I look for him.

If that’s true, then what did she look like before she became a gal?

I can’t help but wonder. And why become a gal, of all things?

The more I think about it, the more curious I get.

Come to think of it, Sena-san looked kind of like a boy back in elementary school, didn’t she?

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

I turned toward the voice. Standing there in her uniform, looking annoyed, was Orihara-san.

After P.E. class, she’d told me to come to the back of the school building. A quiet and empty place where no one would see us.

This kind of thing can only mean two things. A confession or a shakedown.

Probably not a confession. Orihara-san likes Shindou, after all.

A shakedown doesn’t seem likely either, but she might threaten me a bit.

“Sit down.”

She sat on a low concrete ledge and patted the spot next to her. I followed her lead and sat down too.

“Why are you sitting so far away? Come closer.”

“…Yes.”

I’ve never really talked much with gals before, so I don’t really know how close is normal.

Some are scary, others are friendly.

From what I’ve seen, she’s the friendly kind. She doesn’t make fun of people, and she talks to everyone without judging them.

But that’s only if she hasn’t changed.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Um, I was just wondering if you were about to threaten me.”

“O-Of course not! I just… I just wanted to ask you not to tell anyone about that thing!?”

“The tracksuit?”

“…You didn’t have to say it out loud.”

Her face turned red as she looked away.

“A-and for the record! I just did that because I was curious, that’s all! It’s not what you think!?”

“Y-yeah, I get it. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. Not even Shindou.”

“T-that’s fine then.”

“…”

The more she denied it, the more suspicious it sounded.

Still, this silence was awkward. What was with this weird air between us?

Was that it for today’s talk? Maybe I should take my leave now.

…No, I can’t.

This might be my chance. That mysterious notebook, if Sena-san was out of the picture, then the next likely person was her.

I swallowed hard and glanced at the girl beside me.

I should start with what I can ask.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Um, before P.E. today. I heard Miyajima-san call Orihara-san Setsuna─”

“You heard that?”

“—!”

She glared at me with sharp and cold eyes.

The look in her eyes said it all; she really hadn’t wanted anyone to hear that.

“Um, I-I’m sorry.”

“…You don’t have to apologize. My full name is Orihara Setsuna. The Yuki from snow, and the Na from Nachikatsuura. That’s how it’s written.”

“…Nachikatsuura?”

“You don’t know it? Nachi Falls? It’s famous! That’s basic knowledge.”

“I think I’ve heard of it.”

I felt a bit embarrassed…

I know it’s petty, but being called out on basic knowledge by a gal stung a little.

“Anyway, I never really liked that name. That’s why I tell people to call me Yukina instead. I even introduced myself that way.”

“Is there a reason for that? If it’s not something you want to talk about, that’s fine.”

“…Because it sounds super cringe, that’s why.”

“…”

That’s it?

I’d braced myself for something deeper, but it was just that?

“W-what’s with that look!? You think it’s a lame name too!?”

“No, not at all. It’s a good name.”

“Eh.”

“I mean, Yukina’s nice too, but Setsuna’s cool. It really suits you. It’s a beautiful name.”

“~~~~!!”

Her face turned bright red as she quickly looked away.

Maybe that line was a little cheesy. I kind of regretted saying it.

“S-so anyway. There’s something else I wanted to ask. Before, you said you lost your… ethics notebook─”

“You found it!?”

“Eh!?”

“Where is it!? Tell me! Hey, come on!! Hurry!! Give it back!! Now!!”

I messed up. I thought we’d gotten comfortable enough to talk casually.

But I was wrong.

Her eyes went wide, her whole expression changing in an instant, almost like a different person.

That look was the same madness I’d once seen in Sena-san.

This was bad.

“Wait, you didn’t pick it up and read what’s inside… right?”

“N-no… um…”

Her eyes were so sharp I couldn’t bring myself to tell the truth.

This was bad. So that notebook was Orihara-san’s…!

“You did pick it up? Tell me, did you read it?”

“I-I didn’t… pick it up.”

I lied. I had to.

The way she stared at me with those lifeless eyes, I couldn’t speak.

If I told the truth, there might’ve been a mysterious death at school tomorrow. That’s how terrifying her change in expression was.

“Geez, don’t scare me like that! I totally panicked thinking someone found my lost notebook!”

It felt like Orihara-san was back to normal, and my heart finally started beating again.

“A, ahaha… S-so what kind of stuff did you write in there?”

“Eh? That’s… way too embarrassing. I can’t tell you that.”

“T-that’s right.”

My voice came out weird; I was too shaken to sound normal.

Her face went red again as she turned away.

“So why did you even bring that up?”

“W-well, I just wondered if you were still looking for it.”

“Obviously. Without it, I…”

She looked really serious about it. Well, that made sense. If someone read something that personal, it’d be horrifying. And I was the one who actually did read it…

My heart was still racing wildly. I’d barely escaped that one alive, but since I had the chance, I decided to confirm one more thing.

I can’t get the tiger’s cub without entering its den, after all.

“By the way… this isn’t about the notebook. Orihara-san, do you… like Shindou?”

“Y-you can tell?”

“Yeah… kind of.”

I mean, she’d sniffed his gym clothes and swapped stuff with him, of course, I could tell.

“What do you like about him?”

“Eh? You’re really asking that?”

“Y-yeah, but if you don’t want to answer.”

“Well, to be honest, maybe like isn’t the right word. It’s more like… I stan him? He’s just someone I can’t live without! Just thinking about him makes me happy! And first off, he’s so kind! Like, he helps people without even realizing it, which is honestly unfair, right? And he’s a hard worker too! You can tell he puts in effort even when no one’s watching, and he never brags about it! I seriously love that! Oh, and the best part is his scent! Just smelling him makes my whole body tingle! Like, tell me, how could anyone not fall for him!? It’s impossible!”

She said it all in one breath and super fast that her tone grew stranger and stranger.

Could she not hear the contradictions in what she just said?

…And yeah, she really was sniffing him.

This was… dangerous on so many levels.

I guess this counts as another kind of change…

…But still, something about this feels off if she’s talking about Shindou.

“Is that really the kind of feeling you’d have for someone who helped you?”

Her eyes looked distant, like she was staring at something far away and like she was clinging to a memory from the past.

Yeah, this might be one of those feelings I actually have to face.

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