After I Picked up a Notebook Filled With Intense Emotions, the Girls Started Acting Strange - Chapter 2

It’s almost certain that the notebook belongs to Sena-san.

The initials match, and her expression earlier was proof enough, along with what she said.

I still can’t believe what I saw. Just remembering it makes me shiver a little.

Anyway, all that’s left now is to find the right moment to give the notebook back to her quietly. I’m relieved it turned up so soon. This cursed notebook must be happy to return to its owner finally.

While I kept waiting for the right timing, lunchtime came before I knew it.

I still haven’t returned the notebook, but there’s no need to rush. Maybe because I already know who owns it, I feel oddly calm now.

I’ll go buy something from the school store.

Just as I stepped into the hallway, a girl ran past me and rushed into the classroom, and was out of breath.

“Hah… hah… hah… so hot…”

Her breathing and uniform were both messy. With one hand on her knee and the other holding her school bag, she brushed back her shiny blond hair and fanned herself.

“Oh, Yukina-chan!”

“That’s so like you for showing up this late.”

“Ugh, I know. I overslept. The worst.”

She laughed and joined her group of friends. That girl, Orihara Yukina-san, is my classmate. She always wears her uniform loose, has piercings, nail polish, and makeup. She’s basically the perfect example of a flashy gal.

She’s beautiful, stylish, and always up to date with trends. She’s one of the most popular girls in the whole grade, the type everyone notices.

“Why did you oversleep?”

“Actually, I lost my notebook yesterday. I was searching all over the house, got tired, and fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already this late.”

“Notebook?”

Notebook, when I heard that word, I stopped walking and turned around.

“Yeah. It’s a really important notebook… but it’s not here either… No way…! This can’t be happening…!”

While talking, Yukina-san checked her desk, but the notebook wasn’t there either. Her face looked completely hopeless.

“It’s that important?”

“Oh, maybe it’s full of love poems or something?”

“N-no, it’s not!”

“Ohhh~ that reaction!”

“Totally suspicious~”

“It’s not like that! I’m just hungry, so I’m going to the store!”

Her obvious reaction made the others giggle.

Yukina-san was blushing as she hurried out of the classroom right toward me.

Because I’d been watching everything, our eyes met the moment she stepped into the hall.

“What?”

“Um, you lost your notebook─”

“Wait! You know about it!?”

“H-huh!?”

She suddenly stepped close, so close our faces were almost touching. I froze.

Her eyes, maybe colored contacts, were a light blue that locked onto mine and wouldn’t let go.

A soft, citrus scent tickled my nose. It was probably her perfume.

…What should I even say?

That notebook should belong to Sena-san without a doubt.

So Yukina-san’s missing notebook must be something else. Just a coincidence. That’s what I told myself, but I couldn’t shake off this uneasy feeling.

Would someone like her, who never pays attention in class, really care that much about a single notebook?

Don’t tell me… It’s another ethics notebook?

“…By the way, what kind of notebook is it?”

“Uh… it’s, um… e-ethics…?”

Ethics again.

Why ethics? We don’t even take that class!

What the hell is going on here!?

“I’m sorry… I don’t know anything about it.”

I actually did know of one notebook that fit, but the words slipped out before I could stop myself.

“Oh, I see… I’m sorry for asking out of nowhere.”

Her shoulders slumped in a way that made me feel a bit guilty.

“If you ever find it, please tell me!”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

“You have to! Promise! You… absolutely, absolutely, absolutely can’t open it, though!”

“…What happens if I do?”

“You’ll die.”

Eh, is this a Death Note or something?

But she looked dead serious. I didn’t dare ask who exactly would die. Her eyes had lost their light, and it honestly scared me.

…This is getting creepy.

“Anyway, I’m sorry for holding you up!”

Yukina-san’s cheerful tone returned as she hurried away.

“…What the hell.”

So that notebook wasn’t Sena-san’s after all?

Orihara Yukina-san. Her name didn’t even have an “S” in it.

“…Guess I’ll just have to wait and see.”

If I gave it to the wrong person, things could get really bad.

That notebook is definitely dangerous.

◆

By the time I reached the school store, Yukina-san was already gone.

I’d spent too much time thinking about the notebook, so I was late, and the bread I liked was sold out.

With no other choice, I bought a plain roll and a carton of coffee, then headed back to the classroom.

“Sensei. Has anyone turned in a lost notebook?”

I froze when I heard that voice in the hallway.

A girl’s calm, almost cold tone came from just around the corner, right in front of the teachers’ office.

…A notebook?

Feeling both suspicious and curious, I quietly leaned over and peeked from behind the wall. Yeah, it looked super shady, but after hearing “notebook” again, I couldn’t just ignore it.

Standing there was our homeroom teacher, Gozen-sensei, a big man built like a bear. 

Despite his size, he’s surprisingly easy to talk to and well-liked by students.

Behind his large frame, I caught a glimpse of beautiful silver hair swaying slightly.

There’s only one person I know with hair like that.

“A notebook? Hmm, I haven’t heard about any lost ones.”

He shifted a bit, and the girl standing in front of him became clearly visible.

It was my classmate and the girl who sat right next to me, Kuroe Rei-san.

…Just as I thought.

Rei is one of the most striking girls in the whole school. Being half-Japanese, she has stunning looks that easily draw attention.

She’s just as beautiful as Sena-san or Yukina-san, maybe even more. The guys all admire her.

But unlike them, Rei-san keeps her distance from everyone. She’s cool, quiet, and always looks a bit annoyed and almost intimidating.

She’s been like that since our first year. She turns down every invitation, no matter who it’s from.

That’s why it shocked me to see her showing emotion now.

“Did you really search properly?”

She stepped closer.

“Uh, no… it hasn’t been turned into the office.”

“Did you check on top of your desk or inside the drawers?”

“…N-not yet.”

“So you didn’t. Then how can you say no one turned it in?”

Her voice cut like ice. It was calm but filled with pressure.

“I-I mean…”

“That notebook is very important to me. Please, can you look for it?”

I held my breath.

Kuroe Rei-san never showed emotion, and she was desperately pleading now. There was something almost obsessive in her tone.

S-scary.

She’s the one who lost the notebook, but seeing her like that, I couldn’t really blame her. On the other hand, Gozen-sensei just looked overwhelmed.

“F-fine! I’ll look for it! I promise I’ll look!”

“Please do. It’s a notebook labeled Ethics.”

“Huh? But Kuroe doesn’t even take the ethics class─”

“Just look for it.”

“Y-yes…”

Gozen-sensei was completely overwhelmed as he shrank his big body and hurried back into the teachers’ office.

Again? Another ethics notebook?

What on earth is going on?

“So. Who’s hiding over there?”

“─Aah!?”

I nearly screamed. My heart almost jumped out of my chest.

She knew I was here!? Cold sweat ran down my back.

After seeing how scary she was just now, I honestly didn’t even want to face her.

“Come out. I’ll go get you myself if you don’t.”

“I-I’m s-sorry!”

With no way to escape, I quickly stepped out from behind the corner.

“I-I’m s-sorry! I didn’t mean to eavesdrop or anything!”

“Then why were you hiding? I was only asking sensei if anyone found a lost notebook.”

“T-that’s…”

There’s no way I could say because her aura was terrifying.

“…Whatever. You haven’t seen an ethics notebook, have you?”

“I-I haven’t.”

“…I see. If you do find it, will you tell me?”

“O-of course.”

“And one more thing, don’t read what’s inside. You know what’ll happen if you do… right?”

“Um.”

“Then, I’m counting on you.”

I nodded desperately without saying another word. She finally seemed satisfied and walked away.

I swear, I almost lost a few years off my life.

She hardly ever talks, but today she was practically chatty.

Hearing her cool, emotionless voice up close like that was terrifying.

And seriously?

“Why is everyone looking for an ethics notebook?”

I couldn’t help but mutter that to myself.