Chastity Reversed: Part-Time Life by the All-Girls High School - Chapter 73: Homeroom

“Take care on your way home.”

“Thank you so much!!”

“You didn’t have to see me off to the station.”

“It’s fine; I had something to do at that convenience store anyway.”

It was 6 PM.

Perhaps because the season was shifting towards autumn, the sunset painted the sky vividly.

“Well then, thanks again for today.”

“Okay! Good luck on the test!”

With a wave of my hand, I said goodbye to the two at the ticket gate.

From there, it was a three-minute walk back for me. At this hour, the convenience store was relatively empty—scratch that, it was dead.

…Well, that’s why I came now. If I showed up during rush hour, I’d just end up bothering her.

“Welcome! Oh, it’s you!”

“Hello, Takanashi-san. Good work today.”

“Hmm?” Sniff, sniff.

“Yes?”

“Did you… do it?”

“…No comment.”

Could you not hit me with that out of the blue? What is it? My smell? Do I stink or something?

“You’re practically radiating erotic energy… I’m going to die.”

“Well then, shall I let you touch me secretly?”

“My life… holds no regrets—!”

If she’s on the verge of death, maybe I should let her.  

That thought crossed my mind, but—

“Hey! Cut that out!”

“Ah.”

“Oops.”

“That was close…”

“Darn.”

“Come on, Takanashi-san, if you’ve got nothing to do, start cleaning!”

“Yeah, yeah…”

With that, Takanashi-san disappeared into the back. I decided to ignore the sound of her clicking her tongue.

“So… what brings you here, Sato-kun?”

“I just dropped by ‘in passing.’ Thought I’d help out a bit with sales.”

“Oh! Thanks so much!”

“Any recommendations?”

“Hmm… how about this?”

She dashed over and grabbed something from the shelves.

…from the energy drink section. Wait, what are you trying to make me drink?

“This one’s good!”

“Uh… ‘Sleep Beverage Ver.3,’ huh?”

Can you even sell this? Is this legal? It looks shady as heck!

“It helps you sleep soundly. Results may vary by person!”

“Haha. So, basically the opposite of an energy drink, huh?”

“Exactly! …By the way, you’ve got something tomorrow, right?”

“Well, yeah. It’s Monday after all.”

“I see… Hmm.”

“?”

She seemed to be thinking about something, then spoke after a moment.

“Tomorrow, after school… ask me for anything!”

“Huh?”

“If you work hard, you deserve a reward, right?”

“I don’t really need one.”

“No, it’s fine. Anything in the store, I’ll let you have it. So, think about it, okay?”

She’s overprotective… but I can’t deny how happy that makes me feel.

…Anything, huh.

“Got it. I’ll stop by quickly and head home then.”

“Alright!”

“Well, please ring this up for me.”

“Sure!”

With the purchase completed, I left the convenience store, its lights fading into the background as I returned home.

I downed the anti-energy drink—let’s call it an anti-drink—in one gulp.

“…Get it together, Sora Sato.”

I closed my eyes.

****

Morning.

The weather wasn’t particularly sunny or rainy; it was in that awkward in-between state.

“I’m off!”

The train ride was uneventful. I was lucky enough to get a seat, and the trip lasted a few dozen minutes. It hadn’t even been a week, but everything already felt oddly nostalgic.

Blending into the crowd of students, I made my way along the usual route. Since there was a test today, some students were walking with textbooks in hand. Watch where you’re going!

“…”

After a brief “detour,” I arrived at the classroom door.

Voices of my classmates could be heard from beyond the door.

Slide.

As I opened it—

“…!”

The entire class turned to look at me.

…Ugh, awkward. Fortunately, they didn’t stare for long, and soon enough, everyone returned to their test prep.

Thank goodness today was the academic test day. The subjects being tested were only five, which meant five straight hours of exams from first period to fifth.

On the bright side, we’d get to go home after the fifth period. Normally, there’s a sixth period, but today was an exception.

Not that it made me like tests any more than usual, though.

“…”

Every time I walked past, people would fall silent. At this point, their behavior was so blatant that it almost made things easier.

“!”

Ah, I just made eye contact with Natsuki. Awkward.

“…Phew.”

“!”

Taking my seat, I sighed, only to notice Kumagawa-san stealing glances at me from time to time. Sorry. I know you have a test to focus on today.

But I was desperate too. I flipped open the test notes Yuka had summarized for me.

[…You’ll be fine. If it’s making female friends, you’re a natural.]

[If I had a friend like you back in high school, Sato-san…]

Those words from Yuka and the others echoed in my mind. Because of that, I’d stopped by the staff room earlier.

My real battle wouldn’t be during the tests, but rather after, during homeroom.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

I whispered to myself as I cracked open my book and got to work.

***

Ding dong.

“…It’s finally over…”

I was spent. Who said the real fight was after homeroom? The “summer homework” tests might sound better in theory, but they actually covered nearly all of the first semester’s material!

“Yay, it’s done!”  

“They’re cruel for scheduling this right after summer break.”  

“What’s the plan for after school?”  

The classroom erupted into chatter, but the door soon opened, and our teacher walked in.

“Alright, everyone. Good work. Take your seats!”

“Hurry up, teacher!”  

“Come on, we’re exhausted!”  

Our homeroom teacher was the laid-back, approachable type. We’d passed each other earlier in the staff room. He’d been clearly surprised, but after our talk, he had smoothly agreed to “that.”

“Well, there’s not much to say—”

“What?! Then let us go home already!”  

Definitely a tough crowd. But I’d expected this much.

“And now, Sato has something he’d like to say to everyone.”

“Huh?”

The classroom fell silent, as if time itself had stopped.

“Thank you, sir. Then…”

Pushing my chair back, I slowly stood up.

Every gaze in the room turned towards me. I walked to the front, the place where teachers would normally stand.

The sight from here was… nerve-wracking. But there was no running away now.

“From here on, I’d like to talk about ‘me.’”