Chapter 27

After the break, a new week began, and several days passed. Since then, I hadn’t heard a word from Yuki. Even the occasional LINE messages had completely stopped.

In my normal school life, I had no direct connection with her. We were in different classes, and even in different grades. There wasn’t a single shared activity or grouping that brought us together.

Maybe I’d run into her by chance in the hallway, but the probability was low. And if she’d decided not to acknowledge me even when she did see me, the chances dropped even further.

Meanwhile, on my end, I had leveled up from being a slightly cheeky first-year to a studious, overly serious first-year.

I avoided any interaction with the obvious delinquent-types. Even when they tried to provoke me, I didn’t engage.

The issue with the fire extinguisher was still casting a shadow, and some were still whispering behind my back, but I ignored it all.

No matter what they said at the moment, I knew I’d win in the long run. Ultimately, I’ll be the winner in life.

That day, I was called to the staff room during lunch. The person waiting for me was Masuda, the year supervisor.

He said he wanted to talk to me as part of monitoring my progress.

Apparently, Kaneko, the second-year I’d had trouble with, had been skipping school frequently.

When asked directly, Kaneko insisted “it’s nothing” and wouldn’t elaborate. Because of that, Masuda had started asking people around him for more information.

Sitting at his desk with his arms crossed, Masuda cast me a suspicious glare.

“You didn’t do anything, did you? Like taking out your frustration by ambushing him?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“The last time I spoke with Kaneko, he seemed unusually worn out. Like, he just had no energy.”

“Oh yeah, I noticed that too. People sure can change, huh?”

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

“I’m telling you it’s not me.”

For some reason, Masuda seemed determined to doubt me.

Not that I was hiding some suspense drama twist where another personality inside me had acted out on its own or anything like that.

“Man, one problem after another…”

“Sensei, you have a nice old man smell today too.”

“Thanks to you it’s getting stronger and stronger.”

And so, I continued to flatter the teacher and maintained the appearance of a compliant, cooperative student.

Besides, if I badmouthed anyone, the tables could turn, and I might end up being bullied. While I wasn’t afraid of losing to those guys, retaliating would be utterly meaningless. Worst case, it might even get me expelled for real this time. I’d already decided it wasn’t worth the risk.

With plenty of flattery thrown around, I managed to leave the faculty office without incident.

On the way back to class, I stopped in the corridor connecting the buildings.

I opened one of the windows midway down the hallway, taking in a breath of fresh air while leaning against the sill.

This was the same spot where I’d once gazed out alone after school. From here, one had a full view of the courtyard.

As usual, the garden table in the center was occupied by a group of extroverts. That was nothing new.

If you leaned slightly out of this window, right at the bottom edge of your vision to the right, you could just barely see that spot.

The place where Yuki and I had eaten lunch together that one time.

Right now, I could see the head of a female student sitting there alone. 

She had her lunchbox resting on her lap and was eating lazily. That distinctive way of placing her drink—it had to be her.  

—I guess I got dumped, huh…

“It’s kinda extreme…”  

It wasn’t like I was dumped or I dumped someone—it wasn’t that kind of situation. But maintaining an ideal distance was proving to be tricky. Then again, if I’d managed that, she probably wouldn’t be in her current state.  

Even if someone’s mental fortitude seems strong, there’s no guarantee it’ll hold up forever. She might just be putting on a brave face; maybe even she doesn’t fully understand her own emotions.  

But, since I’m the one who turned her away, it’s probably not my place to say anything now.  

“Waaa”  

A sudden voice in my ear made me flinch.  

My back went rigid, and my heart nearly stopped. It didn’t help that the voice sounded remarkably similar to the one that should’ve been down there.  

I spun around to find three female students walking down the hallway.  

One of them turned to wave at me with a bright smile. It was Miki.  

She must have spotted me in passing and decided to call out.  

I couldn’t help watching their retreating figures as they walked away, talking about something.  

Among the three, Miki stood out effortlessly. Her aura, her figure, even the size of her face—everything was on a different level. It wasn’t hard to imagine some poor guy falling for her immediately if caught off guard.  

I thought Miki’s opinion of me had plummeted after everything that happened, but judging by her reaction just now, maybe that wasn’t the case.  

Even after the whole near sleepover fiasco, she never directly confronted me about it. Maybe she and Yuki had sorted things out behind the scenes.  

Still… I see now. Miki, huh.  

That could work.