Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 202: A Classroom Where Flowers Bloomed.

A Classroom Where Flowers Bloomed.

First period passed without incident.

If I had to point out something unusual, it would be that Yamakawa, who never participates in class, actually raised his hand to answer one of the teacher’s questions. He walked up to the blackboard and wrote down what he thought was the answer, and when he finished, he shot a glance towards us as if seeking approval. Unfortunately for him, Hanako wasn’t looking at Yamakawa at all.

How do I know that? Because at this very moment, Hanako is staring straight at me from right beside me. If our eyes met, we would probably end up talking during class, so I pretended not to notice and focused desperately on the front.

“If you’re going to answer questions, at least study a bit. You got everything wrong.”

Receiving not only Hanako’s complete disregard but also earning himself some unnecessary embarrassment, Yamakawa slumped his shoulders and trudged back to his seat.

…That guy really has taken a liking to Hanako, hasn’t he?

With first period safely (or perhaps not so safely) over, the moment the teacher closed the classroom door, people began flocking towards us once again. Since it was the girls in the morning, this time it was the boys. And as expected, it was just as suffocating to be surrounded by them.

“N-Nice to meet you!! I’m Yamakawa!!” 

“I’m Shimatani!” 

“Miyashita here, looking forward to knowing you!”

One after another, they rushed to introduce themselves as if in a competition. Of course, Hanako couldn’t possibly respond to all of them. And this time, I couldn’t just quietly step back. There was no way I could leave a droopy-eared rabbit alone in the middle of a pack of wolves. …Not that I was afraid they’d say something unnecessary or anything like that.

“…………”

Slide.

“““““Huh!!!???”””””

Just when I thought Hanako was silently enduring the barrage of introductions, she suddenly hid behind my back. I had expected her to react somehow, but she always manages to exceed my expectations in unexpected ways.

“T-Takanashi, what’s your relationship with Hanasaki-san!?”

“You’re both in the student council, but you’re also weirdly close to Satsukawa-senpai. Just what kind of connections do you have!?”

“…No way, Satsukawa-senpai is definitely out of his league.”

“Yeah, they’re probably just in the same student council… though I’m still insanely jealous.”

…Well, I guess no one would believe that someone like me would be close to a goddess.

Still, it’s not unreasonable if they think, “What is this, a manga? Being connected to both a goddess and a beautiful transfer student…”

“Hm? They still don’t know about my husband?”

“Wait, what!?”

She just dropped a bombshell out of nowhere. I had completely forgotten, but there were still matters I needed to discuss with Sara-san…

“…Husband?”

“…Husband?”

“…What’s she talking about?”

No one seemed to catch on to what she meant. Honestly, Hanako, do you want to hide or stand out? Make up your mind.

“H-Hanako-san?”

“Oops, my mistake.”

Hearing my voice, she peeked out from behind my back, though she still stayed close without moving away. Seriously, what is this girl thinking?

“H-Hanasaki-san, I’m friends with Takanashi, okay?”

“Hey, you—!”

“Yeah, me too! Takanashi and I are pretty close!”

It seemed they had decided to use me as a buffer to get closer to Hanako. Wow, so many friends I have… or not.

But seeing Hanako like this, I began to wonder – was she actually uncomfortable with this situation? I considered her a friend, but that didn’t mean I knew everything about her. She could talk to boys just fine, but maybe being surrounded and crowded like this was something she really hated.

“Hanako-san is such a cute nickname! Can I call you that too?”

“Absolutely not.”

“““““………………”””””

Having been ignored this entire time, and now rejected so bluntly, Yamakawa froze in shock, as did the other boys who were probably thinking the same thing.

But Hanako seemed to realise she may have been too harsh.

“…I went too far. But I don’t like people acting overly familiar with me. Especially boys.”

She spoke her feelings honestly, peeking out from behind my back. It seemed she could at least voice what she wanted to say.

Still… she hates people being overly familiar, huh. I don’t know if that’s just how she’s always been, or if Yamasaki’s incident influenced her. At least, when she’s with us, she’s never said anything like that. I’d like to think we get along well enough that she jokes about being my “big sister.”

But it is just like her to not want to be treated familiarly by someone who’s neither a friend nor anything else yet.

Come to think of it, back when we first met, she was somewhat distant, especially towards Hayato. I thought it was because of his appearance, but perhaps her disgust towards Yamasaki influenced that as well. Now that we’ve become friends, she seems completely fine.

“She said she doesn’t like it, so back off, guys. You’re getting all excited, but you’ve just met her today. Especially you, Yamakawa.”

Even I couldn’t stand watching how overly familiar they were being with Hanako, so I spoke up.

“U-Understood. Sorry for getting carried away, Hanasaki-san.”

“S-Sorry, Hanasaki-san!”

“Yeah, sorry!”

Perhaps because they didn’t want to be hated, they apologised so quickly it was almost anticlimactic. Hanako didn’t respond, but she quietly listened.

“As long as you understand.”

Once the apologies died down, she finally spoke up with a small nod.

“Hey, Hanasaki-san! What’s your relationship with Takanashi-kun?”

At some point, the girls had joined the circle too. And with that question, the entire class fell silent, as if waiting for her answer. Some looked desperate.

“Relationship? Hmm… he’s someone important to me. (My little brother.)”

“““““No wayyy!?”””””
“““““Kyaaa!!”””””

The reactions split neatly in two. The shocked cries were from the boys, and the squeals were from the girls.

Wait. Someone important to her!? Since when did our relationship reach that level!?

“Big sisters protect their little brothers.”

“…Big sister?”

“…Little brother?”

“…Wait, what does that mean…?”

“…Aren’t they dating…?”

…Huh. So she really does see me as her little brother after all.

The bell rang, saving me from further chaos, but at this rate, the next break time was going to be just as troublesome.

For now, my classmates seemed divided: some believed we were lovers or at least something close, while a few boys clung to the hope provided by her “little brother” remark. Additionally, they split into groups that either saw me as a romantic rival or as a stepping stone to reach Hanako.

Things had been peaceful for a while, but it was starting to get chaotic again…

At present, during class, Hanako, who didn’t have her textbook, had pushed her desk against mine so we could share. Even without looking around completely, I could feel countless stares coming from all directions, making it impossible to relax.

Especially from some of the boys – I could feel their jealous glares piercing me. Not that they’re right about anything, though.

What I realised through this recent incident was that even Hanako, despite having the “transfer student” factor on her side, ends up in situations like this. If I were ever to make my relationship with Sara public… what on earth would happen to me then?

As I was thinking vaguely about such things, I suddenly felt something press into my right cheek. Startled, I shifted my eyes sideways without turning my head, only to find Hanako staring at me instead of the textbook.

“I know you’re happy to have your big sister next to you, but focus on class.”

She whispered her warning quietly.

And then, from all around us, I felt an inexplicable swelling presence… Terrifying.

Rattle rattle…

“Excuse us.”

“Pardon the interruption.”

These two voices, now completely familiar to me, of course belonged to Toudou and Hayato. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet. That was unusual… but I could guess their purpose.

“Whoa, Hanako-san’s really here!!”

“Yeah. I’d heard about her, but seeing her in person really is surprising.”

Judging by their reactions, it seemed they already knew Hanako was in this classroom and had come specifically to see her. To think that rumours had spread to other classes already… was she really becoming such a topic of conversation?

“Hanako-san looks so cute in her uniform!!”

Toudou hugged Hanako lightly, and Hanako accepted it with a faint wry smile.

“Yeah, seeing two beautiful girls with completely different vibes side by side… it’s truly wonderful.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

…Mm-hm, mm-hm.

I found myself nodding in agreement to Hayato’s comment, and looking around, so were all the other guys in class.

Hanako, however, seemed slightly displeased, her expression twisting into a frown.

Wait, could it be she doesn’t like being complimented like that?

“Listen, pretty boy. You’re never going to get your feelings across if you keep saying cheesy things like that to everyone.”

“Guh… harsh as always…”

Ah, so Hanako knows Hayato likes Toudou. But yeah… that was pretty cutting.

“Hanako-san, were Yokokawa-kun’s words just now cheesy?”

“Then let me ask you, Kazuna… do you think Takanashi-kun would ever say something like that to anyone other than his wife?”

“Ah, true, he wouldn’t!”

“Uhhjh…”

Hayato looked deeply wounded.

Not that I could say such things even if I wanted to… it’s just not in my nature.

“Mm… but Yokokawa-kun isn’t the type to say things like that to just anyone. He said it because he truly meant it, right? It’s a little embarrassing, but…”

An angel… there is an angel here…

If Sara-dsan is a goddess, then Toudou is definitely an angel.

Seeing Hayato’s elated face, Toudou gave him a bright, gentle smile in return.

“Sigh… another stupid couple has been born…”

Hanako let out a small sigh, sounding slightly exasperated, which made me chuckle softly.

“Um… you all seem so close…”

““““!?””””

“Hey hey, what’s your connection with each other?”

“I’m curious – you all seem super close.”

“Hanasaki-san, are you secretly the sharp-tongued type?”

We had completely forgotten we were still in class and had slipped into our usual banter. Looking around, I realised our classmates were all staring at us intently, and some of the girls, their eyes sparkling with curiosity, had started questioning us.

“…She called him her husband again, didn’t she?”

“…And Hayato-kun looked so happy…”

“…Those two also called her Hanako-san.”

“…What kind of group are they…?”

“Sorry, Kazunari, I wasn’t thinking about the place.”

“Takanashi-kun, Hanako-san, sorry!”

“I don’t really mind…”

“No, it’s fine…”

Even so, it probably just fuelled our classmates’ curiosity even further.

Thinking about what might happen next made me feel increasingly anxious…