Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 249: A Chaotic Classroom.

A Chaotic Classroom.

The classroom, still thick with the strange tension born of the boys’ earlier earth-shaking screams, saw the arrival of a figure who strolled in at her own leisurely pace, utterly unfazed by the atmosphere.

“I just couldn’t rest easy unless I saw it with my own eyes, you know? I’ve been so worried my hopeless son might get dumped…”

As usual, the moment she opens her mouth, it’s to take a jab at me.

Of course, I don’t actually think Mom truly means to tear me down from the bottom of her heart. Still… couldn’t she at least try to hold back a little? Especially when there’s someone like Mayumi-san—beautiful, gentle, the very picture of domestic perfection—right here. Honestly, I wish she’d try to emulate her at least a little.

…Well, I suppose expecting even half of Mayumi-san from Mom is impossible.

“Mother-in-law!!!”

But that’s just when it comes to me. Her attitude toward Sara-san is the polar opposite—so much so that I can’t help but wonder where she’s been hiding all that warmth until now.

“Sara-chan, it’s been so long! You’ve gotten even prettier since the last time I saw you!”

“Oh, no… that’s not true.”

Sara-san, for her part, clearly adores my mom. Seeing them reunite, her face lit with happiness, I can’t help but feel that maybe this parent–teacher visit won’t be a total loss, even if it’s otherwise nothing but trouble for me.

“But I’m glad you seem well. Has my idiot been giving you any trouble?”

“Come on now, Mother-in-law. Kazunari-san is—”

“Haha, I know, I know. My son’s truly a lucky man.”

…Yeah, you don’t have to tell me that.

While speaking with Sara-san, Mom is in the best mood I’ve ever seen from her—completely ignoring me, of course. At this point, I’m starting to think she’d be better off attending Sara-san’s class observation instead of mine… provided it wouldn’t cause Sara-san any trouble.

“Sara seems to be getting along well with Fuyumi-san, so Kazunari-kun, why don’t you spend some time with me instead?”

Apparently regaining her usual composure once Sara’s probing questions ended, Mayumi-san gives me her characteristic gentle smile—the kind Mom could never match—and begins to step toward me. Naturally, Sara-san is not the type to allow that. She quickly slips in between us before Mayumi-san can get close, firmly pulling me into her arms and shifting our positions so she stands protectively in front of me.

“““Ooooooaaaaooooaaaoooooaaaaooooaaaaa!!!!!!”””

The boys erupt again, this time with groans and howls that surpass their earlier “swallowed screams” in weight, heat, and sheer unpleasantness. Where in the world do they find voices like that?

“Honestly… we can’t even have a proper conversation here. I should just take you away.”

Releasing me—but giving me a discreet, tight squeeze in the moment she lets go—Sara-san strides toward Mayumi-san, seizes her right hand without hesitation, and tugs her along.

“Ah—wait, Sara-chan!? O-okay, I get it…”

Perhaps realizing resistance is futile, Mayumi-san obediently follows.

“Mother-in-law, I must apologize, but please excuse us for now. I’ll greet you properly later.”

“There’s no need to make such a fuss, you know~”

“No, greeting you properly is very important to me. Kazunari-san, I’ll come pick you up after school.”

“Got it.”

“Ah, wait a moment, Sara-chan! Fuyumi-san, I’m so sorry.”

“No, no, let’s chat at leisure later.”

With that exchange confirmed, Sara-san briskly pulls Mayumi-san out of the classroom, bowing politely as she closes the door. Even in a hurry, she never forgets her manners—so very Sara-san.

Once the two of them leave, the classroom falls into…

“““Takanashiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!”””

…No, not silence. Another perfectly unified scream shakes the air, and then the boys surge toward me like a human tsunami.

…I knew it. There’s no way it would end quietly. If only they’d stayed frozen like statues…

Of course, that’s impossible. They’re definitely going to demand explanations—and with Mom having shown up, now there’s the added mess of two “mothers” to interrogate me about.

…Actually, why should I have to explain anything? This is my personal business.

“O-oi, you! What’s going on with Satsukawa-senpai!?”

“What the hell was that just now!?”

“Explain! Explain everything!!!”

“You bastard! You’ve got Hanasaki-san, and yet—!!!”

“Who was that woman just now!?”

“And why does Satsukawa-senpai call your mom ‘Mother-in-law’!?”

“Wait, hold on, you guys—”

Pressed in from all sides, I’m completely surrounded, my personal space utterly invaded. They’re so hyped up they’re not even looking at each other, just yelling whatever they want at the top of their lungs.

On the other side of the room, for some reason, the girls have swarmed Hanako-san. She’s just as bad at handling this kind of chaos as I am, floundering while they barrage her with who-knows-what. I can’t hear through the racket, but it’s obvious she’s caught in the crossfire because of me.

“You sure are popular with the boys, huh?”

And there’s Mom, blissfully ignorant—or pretending to be—commenting on the chaos as if she were an outside observer.

The classroom is in total anarchy, and the guys don’t even bother listening to my answers, just hurling accusations in their confusion.

Rattle—

“What’s all this noise!? I could hear you from the hallway!”

The booming voice of the teacher cuts through the uproar, freezing everyone instantly. The timing is punctuated by the chime signaling the start of fourth period.

“Class is starting! Everyone, back to your seats!”

Reluctantly, my interrogators retreat, all of them wearing the same “You’d better explain later” look. The girls, though… for some reason a bunch of them are glaring at me, which makes no sense at all.

But what’s even stranger than that is the fact that, for some reason, a number of girls are glaring at me.
Of course, it’s not everyone—those who are generally friendly toward me seem more bewildered than hostile.
I could understand the guys’ reactions, but the girls’? That, I truly couldn’t make sense of…

…

…

…

During class.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the feeling of those eyes on me, and focusing on the lesson proved difficult.

I moved my head or shoulders just enough to seem natural, subtly scanning the room—only to confirm my suspicions.

Some met my eyes, others quickly looked away, but either way, I was drawing far more attention than anyone should during class.

And then, glancing to my side, I caught sight of Hanako, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

 I’d dragged her into this mess completely… I’d have to apologize to her later.

…

…

…

I had expected to be confronted the moment class ended, but instead, our homeroom teacher walked in right after the previous instructor left, moving us straight into the closing homeroom session.

Even the teacher seemed puzzled by the tense atmosphere in the room, tilting his head slightly before apparently deciding it wasn’t harmful and proceeding with the day’s announcements.

“After a short break, we’ll be holding a social gathering. If you’ll be participating, please remain here for a while.”

He finished with a message for the parents, but there was no mention of how long the gathering would last.

Since it didn’t include lunch, I assumed it wouldn’t take much time. So, sticking to the plan and waiting in the student council room should be fine.

But the moment our homeroom teacher finished the farewell greeting and stepped out of the room—

Boys and girls alike surged toward me like a dam bursting, surrounding my desk in an instant. Of course, Hanako, sitting beside me, was swept up into it as well.

“Ta–Ta–Takanashi!! Explain yourself!!!”

“What was with Satsukawa-senpai just now!?”

“H-how could you… with my Satsukawa-senpai, no less!?”

“What was that!? Who was that!?”

“This is a prank, right!? Just say it is!!!!”

“Takanashi-kun, don’t you think you owe Hanasaki-san an apology!?”

“Seriously! I was rooting for you two because you seemed like such a great match!!!”

“Wait—don’t tell me you’re two-timing!? Or cheating!?”

“Unbelievable! I can’t even look at you!!”

The barrage of questions and accusations was so fierce that even Prince Shōtoku couldn’t have made sense of them all.

Neither Hanako nor I had the space to answer, much less defend ourselves.

How was I supposed to respond in a situation like this?

And why, of all things, was I being accused by girls of cheating or two-timing?

Hanako wasn’t my girlfriend, so how did this even become a topic?

“W–wait! You can’t just all shout at once!!”

Even when I managed to squeeze out a shout in the brief gaps, they completely ignored it.

“Just hurry up and explain already!!!”

“What’s your relationship with Satsukawa-senpai!?”

“Ahhh—just remembering it makes me jealous!!”

“Was that her mother!?”

“Hanasaki-san!! You should be mad at him!!”

“Yeah! How could he do that right in front of his girlfriend!!”

“Girlfriend!!???”

This time it was Hanako and I who reacted in shock, blurting it out in perfect unison.

What on earth was going on? Were they saying I had a girlfriend named Sara, and yet was being overly familiar with Hanako?
If that was the case, it was less a misunderstanding and more baseless gossip from people who didn’t know the full story.

Sure, my relationship with Hanako was… unconventional, but to be condemned without anyone knowing the facts? Ridiculous.

“Hold on—that’s something I can’t just let slide…”

“And what exactly is going on here?”

Before my irritation could boil over—or the noise could escalate further—a calm, commanding voice cut clean through the chaos.

It wasn’t even particularly loud, just clear and resonant enough to instantly create a vacuum of silence in the room.

“For now… step aside.”

Something in her tone brooked no defiance, no argument.

Like the parting of the Red Sea, the crowd split down the middle.

And there she was—Sara—wearing an expression of sternness she had never once shown me.

The way she strode forward through the parted crowd was the very picture of dignified authority.

Reactions varied—some students were overwhelmed by her presence, others stared in awe, while some were simply confused by the situation.

“Kazunari, would you mind explaining what exactly is going on?”

Hearing her return to her usual gentle tone when speaking to me was oddly comforting.

“Well… I’m being cornered with questions—and accused of a few things, I guess.”

“Accused? Of what?”

“S-Satsukawa-senpai!!!”

While the guys kept shouting, the girls’ energy shifted. The scolding that had been directed at me moments earlier seemed now aimed toward Sara instead— but no glare could hold against her. Anyone who tried found themselves looking away under the weight of her presence.

“…Is there something you wish to say?”

“Uh—”

The girl who had been about to speak faltered under Sara’s sharp gaze. She clearly didn’t know the full situation but had already decided I was in the wrong, and her pressure only increased. Some girls even took an involuntary step back.

“Takanashi-kun already has Hanasaki-san!!”

“…What?”

Sara’s baffled tone matched my own reaction perfectly. It was the kind of statement that begged for an immediate “And so what?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

Speaking as though voicing my own thoughts, Sara shot the question straight back. Hanako, too, was nodding firmly in agreement.

But that one comment seemed to unlock the girls’ tongues, and soon another volley of accusations flew:

“We’re saying—Takanashi-kun already has Hanasaki-san as his girlfriend!”

“Stay away from him! Hanasaki-san’s the one being hurt here!”

“Maybe you don’t know, Satsukawa-senpai, but it’s true!!”

“Takanashi-kun, you’re the worst!!”

“Takanashi!! You’ve been two-timing!?”

“So Satsukawa-senpai’s been deceived all this time!?”

“As a fellow guy, I can’t forgive you!!”

“You guys need to—”

“Silence!!!”

Sara’s voice, sharp with anger, tore through the room. Every voice died instantly. Even the air in the classroom seemed to still.

“Hanako, did you explain properly?”

“I did. And Sis told them too. You did, right?”

Hanako turned to the girls she’d spoken to before, but they only exchanged uneasy glances. I’d heard it too—there was no mistake.

“W-well, yeah, but…”

“We thought that meant you two were roleplaying, like, as a couple pretending to be siblings…”

“No one ever said that. I’m not his girlfriend. Stop making up stories.”

…

“Eeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhh!?”

This time, the collective scream came from all the girls at once.

I was honestly stunned too. I had thought the misunderstanding was long since cleared up, but apparently it had twisted into something even stranger.

A “couple” enjoying a brother-sister act? How could anyone arrive at that bizarre conclusion— and, worse, actually believe it?

I didn’t even want to imagine how we’d been seen until now.