Chapter 34 – Hostility and Demands

“Phew…”

It happened right after the last class ended. He had finished getting ready to head home.

As usual, Ichizu and Miina asked him to walk home together. Right as he stepped out of the classroom ahead of them, someone called out to him.

“Hey, got a second?”

“Hm?”

A faint grimness seeped into Shinta’s expression upon seeing the person who called out to him. The person speaking was a second-year female student. She seemed to be in the same grade, and he recognized her face.

“I’m Shinjo Sayaka from Class 3. I need to talk to you.”

There was no mistaking that face. She was the female student who had been glaring at him when he went out into the hallway before homeroom that morning.

“What are you staring at? Is there something on my face?”

Carrying a somewhat volatile atmosphere, the girl showed off a blatantly displeased expression. At that moment, Ichizu and Miina finished their preparations. They came out into the hallway and joined him.

“Sorry for the wait, Shinta-kun… wait, huh?”

“Hmm~, and who might you be?”

Seeing the composition of Shinta facing off against an unknown girl, the light vanished from the two girls’ eyes. Having seen their faces with eyes entirely devoid of laughter many times, he understood. It was the face they made when they were highly suspicious that this girl was a new rival.

He needed to act before their jumping to conclusions could escalate into something major. He asked the girl who called herself Shinjo what her business was.

“What do you want with me? If my memory serves me right, this is our first time meeting.”

He purposefully emphasized the words “first time meeting” to deter the two girls from going on a rampage. Thanks to that, the color immediately returned to their eyes. Their expressions softened. Paying zero attention to their reaction, Sayaka spoke.

“I have something to discuss with you. So have those girls make themselves scarce.”

(You little… You really did a brilliant job of rubbing these two the wrong way…)

Glancing back to check, he saw that Ichizu and Miina’s expressions had once again snapped into emotionless Noh masks. Well, of course they had. There was no way they would find it acceptable for the man they had feelings for to be left alone with a girl they didn’t know. As expected, the two of them forcefully tried to cut into the conversation.

“Um, sorry for interrupting. What exactly is your relationship with Shinta-kun?”

“I’m a little curious myself~. Shinta said it was your first time meeting, though.”

Due to the possibility of a new rival appearing, their smiles were somewhat dark. However, the other girl remained unfazed by the unique pressure emitting from the two of them. She simply replied with a sigh.

“Unfortunately, my business is with that guy right there. Also, I’ll give you a warning for your own sakes. Don’t let yourselves be fooled by a guy like this.”

Saying that, Sayaka directed a glare filled with even more hostility at Shinta.

“After all, he’s just a delinquent with a rotten core, so you’d be wise to choose carefully who you give your affection to.”

“Huh?”

At a statement that was undeniably an insult toward Shinta, the two girls’ expressions changed in an instant. An aura of rage seeped out from Ichizu and Miina. It overshadowed even Shinta, the very person being disparaged.

“What is the meaning of suddenly hurling such verbal abuse?”

“Yeah, why does someone meeting him for the first time get to badmouth Shinta?”

Up until now, the two had worn Noh-mask-like expressions out of wariness. Now their faces were contorting with anger. Paying no mind whatsoever to their reaction, Sayaka bit further into Shinta.

“Must be nice for you. Surrounding yourself with girls, playing at having a harem? I wonder what kind of nerve it takes to deceive pure girls like them?”

“Hey, that’s enough…”

As if to say she couldn’t take it anymore, Miina took a forceful step forward. However, Shinta stopped her by restraining her with his arm.

“Knock it off. You plan on throwing hands right here?”

He admonished the increasingly agitated Miina and addressed Sayaka. She was still glaring at him aggressively.

“You have business with me, right? Picking a fight with these two and making a mess is just gonna be a pain in the ass, isn’t it?”

“…Right. The only one I want to talk to is you. So could you ask these two to make themselves scarce?”

“You heard her, you two. My bad, but go on ahead and head home together today.”

“But, Shinta-kun…”

“Please. Don’t worry, we’re just going to talk. So… alright…?”

“………”

At first, the two tried to refuse the request. They ultimately caved to Shinta’s strong will. Leaving behind anxious expressions, Ichizu and Miina went on ahead. This left only Shinta and Sayaka alone in the hallway.

“You satisfied now? So, what is it you want to say to me?”

Now that it was one-on-one as she desired, Sayaka declared her intent with a sharp glint in her eyes.

“There’s only one thing I want to say. I want you to never go near Kaoru-senpai ever again.”

Saying that, she pointed her finger directly at him and continued.

“She is not someone a piece of trash like you should be approaching. So swear it right here. Swear that for the rest of your school life, you will have absolutely nothing to do with her.”