Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 263: Into Sara-san’s Classroom.

Into Sara-san’s Classroom.

“Takanashi, thanks for everything. I seriously owe you one. And sorry for dragging you into this again today.”

Once the matter had reached its tentative conclusion, Yamakawa turned to me with words of gratitude.

But even as he said he owed me, the truth was I hadn’t really done anything at all.

I suppose I’d listened to him vent, if you could call it that; yet in the end, all I did was convey that Hanako-san wasn’t comfortable with his feelings. If I were being perfectly honest, my actions had far more to do with protecting Hanako-san than helping him.

“…Nah, it’s fine. So, no regrets left on your end?”

I asked the question mostly out of courtesy. Truth be told, I didn’t have the spare mental bandwidth to worry about Yamakawa right now.

Even while we were talking, every corner of my mind was occupied by one person alone: Sara-san.

“Yeah. I got shot down, but I saw it coming. Sorry, I’ll head off first. Hanasaki-san, thank you too.”

“…Mm. Thank you as well, from me.”

Yamakawa flashed one last smile; then, as though suddenly pressed for time, he jogged away.

The expression I glimpsed as we passed each other…

Yeah… of course.

No matter how prepared you think you are, nobody walks away unscathed after being rejected by the person they love.

Seeing that look on his face drove home, once again, just how staggeringly fortunate I am to have met Sara-san.

This is bad.

I desperately, genuinely want to see her right now.

“Kazunari. Talk to your big sister?”

“Hanako-san?”

Her voice pulled me back; only then did I realize she’d been watching me the whole time.

Since when had she been staring?

“If it’s something you can’t tell me, that’s fine. In that case, leave it to your wife. But if it isn’t… won’t you let your big sister help too?”

The way she phrased it made one thing crystal clear: she had already seen straight through me.

I wasn’t particularly surprised; it was far too late for that. Still, I couldn’t help but be impressed. As expected of the ultimate big sister.

“I would never laugh at you, and I would never make fun of you. So anything; absolutely anything you feel you can say, please tell me.”

When she puts it like that, there’s no way I could brush her off with a casual “it’s nothing.”

She’s this worried about me. The least I can do is open up a little.

“Well… watching Yamakawa just now made me think about a few things.”

“I see.”

I hadn’t even touched the surface of the topic, yet Hanako-san nodded as though she already understood everything.

Her gentle smile never wavered as she looked directly into my eyes.

“It stings, I know. But even if I tell you you’ll be all right, it probably won’t help. Right now, the only one who can truly put your heart at ease… is your wife.”

The advice she offered carried an almost suggestive weight.

At this point it wasn’t just the surface; she had grasped the very core of what I was feeling. Was this what they called a big sister’s intuition?

“Why not go see her?”

“Ugh… that was the plan.”

“Mhm. I’m sure your wife will be delighted.”

“You think so?”

“Without a doubt. If it were me, I’d spoil you rotten. Your wife will spoil you even more.”

For some reason, Hanako-san’s words carried an absurd amount of persuasive power.

“But don’t let her spoil you too much.”

“Yeah, that’d be pretty pathetic of me…”

“No, that’s not what I mean. Your wife will lose every last bit of restraint.”

“…”

…Um.

I had no idea how to respond to that.

***

Third period ended. Break time.

In the end, I couldn’t suppress the aching need to see Sara-san for even a moment longer. Before I knew it, my feet had carried me to the second-year floor.

Naturally, everyone I passed was a second-year, and almost without exception they stared openly at me.

Some were probably wondering why a first-year was here; others might simply have recognized the vice president. Either way, one thing was certain: I stuck out like a sore thumb.

And then, just as Sara-san’s classroom came into view, a fatal realization struck me.

…Right. I hadn’t thought at all about what I’d actually do once I got here.

Crashing inside would only trouble her, that much was obvious.

So at the very least, I just wanted to catch a glimpse of her… but how on earth was I supposed to manage that?

Rattle-rattle-rattle…

As if the heavens themselves were mocking my indecision, the classroom door suddenly slid open.

I hurriedly averted my gaze, using only the corner of my eye to identify the emerging figures.

Three girls stepped out. No sign of Sara-san or Natsumi-senpai.

“Oww, oww…”

“You okay, Yuuri?”

“I’m not okay… Hey, is it swollen?”

“It’s not swollen, but it’s bright red. Natsumi-chan really doesn’t hold back, does she?”

“She brought it on herself, though.”

“Self-inflicted, sure, but getting your cheeks pinched and then paraded around like that? What kind of humiliation play is this?”

“Well, it was inside the classroom, not exactly a public parade.”

From the conversation alone, it was instantly clear they were on extremely friendly (…?) terms with Natsumi-senpai.

Now then, what should I do? Wait for them to pass, or take the plunge and speak up?

“Whoa! Takanashi-kun!?”

!

One of the three suddenly whipped around, spotted me, and yelled my name at full volume.

“Uh…”

The abruptness left me at a complete loss for words.

She definitely knew who I was, but…

“Ah, sorry, sorry! First time meeting properly, right? Don’t worry about it. To me you don’t feel like a stranger at all.”

So it really was our first meeting.

It didn’t seem like the cliché where we’d met somewhere before and I’d simply forgotten.

Not that the former loner me had many senpai acquaintances to forget in the first place.

“So what brings you here?”

“Yuuri, you already know the answer and you’re still asking…”

“Sorry, Takanashi-kun. This one’s overly familiar.”

“N-No, I just have a small errand…”

There was no way I could tell complete strangers, “I came to see my fiancée~.”

I frantically racked my brain for a way to escape the situation.

“Oh, I see. Hey, hey, Takanashi-kun; want to hang out sometime, just the two of us? I’m kinda interested in—”

“I’m sorry, I’ll have to decline.”

“Ah…”

“O…”

“Instant rejection…”

What was this person even saying?

Even if it was a joke, there’s no way I’d casually agree to go out with someone I’d just met.

More than anything, I have Sara-san.

“Pfft; she got dumped.”

“Nice one, Yuuri!”

“Grrrr… He didn’t hesitate for even a millisecond… Couldn’t he at least pretend to feel bad about turning me down? My maiden’s pride…”

The one who seemed to be Yuuri-senpai growled in frustration (or maybe resentment?), while her two friends patted her shoulders in consolation.

I’d answered with brutal honesty, but maybe I should have softened the refusal a little…?

No, more importantly;

To be perfectly frank, I didn’t have time to deal with these people right now.

And unfortunately, I still hadn’t figured out how to even glimpse Sara-san.

It was a shame, but I knew that if I just endured one more period I’d see her anyway.

Which meant my only choice was to give up for now and head back to my classroom.

“Sorry, I’ll get going—”

“W-Wait a second!! By the way, mind if I ask why you turned me down?”

Why? Rather, I wanted to ask why she thought I wouldn’t.

“Haa? What are you even asking, Yuuri?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Because he’s on a completely different level from you.”

“Shut up! So it’s the face!? Or maybe the chest!?”

W-What the hell is with this person!?

Shouting something like that at the top of her lungs in the middle of the hallway; what is she thinking!?

“This is your punishment for embarrassing me. Now answer!!”

I didn’t have time to hesitate; break would end soon. I needed to extract myself fast.

“No, it’s just… I already have someone I love.”

“I already know that!!”

“Whaaa…?”

Wow.

This was going to be a pain; no, more precisely, this person was a type I had never encountered in my entire life.

The kind who destroys all atmosphere with pure momentum, a 100% vibe-driven life-form.

Not exactly my forte, but I wouldn’t say I disliked her; she was simply impossible to handle.

…Hold on a second. Did she just say she “already knows” who I love?

“Ah, I just thought of something good. You’ll have to take responsibility with your body♡”

Yuuri-senpai suddenly broke into a wicked, meaningful grin.

A violently bad premonition crawled up my spine. I really should give up and—

“Now then, one customer, right this way~!”

“Wai;!?”

I never stood a chance.

She seized my arm and started dragging me forward with terrifying strength.

And whether deliberate or not, the place she grabbed was catastrophically bad.

If I moved my arm even slightly, I had no idea what kind of accusation would fly.

“If you move your arm even a little… you know what’ll happen, right?”

Ugh, it was absolutely deliberate!?

Now I really couldn’t move.

Worse, we were heading straight for Sara-san’s classroom. I was definitely about to be dragged inside.

“H-Hey, Yuuri, that’s enough!”

“S-Stop, seriously! Messing with Takanashi-kun is not a joke anymore!”

The other two finally intervened, clearly panicking, as though afraid of something.

Rattle-rattle-rattle-rattle!!

“One very important guest, coming through~!”

In the end, the ultimate technique no man can resist was deployed, and I was hauled powerlessly into the classroom.

The moment I stepped inside, every single upperclassman’s gaze locked onto me at once.

Ugh… I had wanted to be discreet, yet somehow I’d stumbled into literally the worst possible scenario.