Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 273: The Peacock.

The Peacock.

The next morning.

Perhaps it was the aftermath of everything that had happened in yesterday’s cooking class, or perhaps it was simply because the class itself had ended, but the atmosphere inside the classroom felt subtly different from the days before.

It was only natural that the topic among my classmates had shifted from the cooking class itself to the costumes for the upcoming event. Yet the biggest source of unease, the one that truly stood the way things had changed, was the fact that the boys weren’t mentioning Sara-senpai’s name at all.

Not once had I heard the usual chorus of “Satsukawa-senpai” that they’d been chanting nonstop until yesterday.

To be more precise, the girls were still talking about her. They kept dropping “Satsukawa-senpai” into conversation while stealing little glances in my direction.

But the boys? If I listened carefully, it was obvious they were deliberately avoiding making her the center of attention.

It’s not like they had to swing that far in the opposite direction…

I just wished they’d treat her normally. She’s not some idol. She’s just a regular senpai.

“No way we’re making costumes for the entire class from scratch.”

“Yeah, but this really saved us.”

“Seriously though, how did they manage to borrow extras from a maid café…?”

“Aren’t the ones from the arcade a little too risqué?”

I wasn’t exactly eavesdropping, but every word about the costumes reached my ears loud and clear.

Somehow—through connections I couldn’t even begin to guess—they’d managed to borrow every single outfit. No sewing, no crafting, just ready-to-wear. Making them all from scratch would have been impossible anyway, both time-wise and quantity-wise. Being able to borrow everything was far more realistic.

For the record, the maid outfits were coming from a real maid café and some arcade’s costume rental stock, while the butler suits were on loan from the drama club. It felt almost too conveniently plot-armored, and part of me wanted to roll my eyes, but… well, they existed. Nothing to be done about it.

“Takanashi-kun, got a minute?”

The one calling out to me was one of the core members of the Natsumi-senpai Fan Club… no, wait, looking closer, there were actually two of them standing together.

These two were practically inseparable—always side by side whether in class or moving between rooms. Though, if we’re talking about this class in particular, Hanako-san and I probably weren’t much different.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing!”

Hanako-san suddenly whipped around, and our eyes accidentally met.

I hadn’t even been thinking anything weird, yet my heart still jumped for a split second…

“Um… Takanashi-kun?”

“Sorry, what did you need?”

“Yeah, there’s something I’d like to confirm, and… something I need to talk to you about.”

“We’re a little short on time—would the next break be okay?”

There was something slightly off about their usual demeanor.

And when they said it was urgent, well… naturally, that made me curious.

I didn’t have any particular plans, so it wasn’t a problem.

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

“Great! It’s just… talking about it in the classroom might be awkward, so could we move somewhere else?”

“We won’t take too much of your time.”

“…Got it.”

When they said it was something that couldn’t be discussed in the classroom, my curiosity only grew.

I had no idea what it could be, but it felt important.

Still, these two had always been kind to me. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t anything malicious. That much I could trust.

“Hey, can I come too?”

Hanako-san, who had been watching us the whole time, cut in the moment the conversation wrapped up.

I wasn’t sure. They’d come to me specifically, so I doubted it directly involved her… but maybe, as my “big sister,” she was worried?

“Uh… um…”

“Am I not allowed?”

At Hanako-san’s question, the two of them exchanged troubled glances and looked to me for the decision.

Were they worried about whether I was okay with it?

“I’m fine with it.”

“Ah, if Takanashi-kun says it’s okay, then we don’t mind at all. Right?”

“Yeah. Besides… hanasaki-san seems to already know everything anyway.”

So that was it.

If Hanako-san already knew everything and it still couldn’t be discussed in the classroom, then whatever they wanted to talk about almost certainly concerned me and Sara-senpai. In that case, I had zero issues with Hanako-san tagging along.

I didn’t know the details yet, but coming from these two, it definitely wasn’t mere gossip.

“Then I’ll come too.”

“Got it. Next break, then.”

“See you later!”

“Yeah.”

Hearing our answers, the pair flashed bright smiles and returned to their seats.

Well… most likely something about me and Sara-senpai, urgent enough that it couldn’t be said in class.

I wonder what on earth this is about.

By the way, Hanako-san kept staring at their retreating backs for a while.

It’s not like those two are the type to worry about… ah, right.

Come to think of it, Hanako-san still didn’t know that they were part of Natsumi-senpai’s fan club, or that they’d been actively cooperating with us.

So of course she’d be worried…

“Hanako-san, those two are fine, you know?”

“I know. They’re decent people, so I’m not worried about that.”

“Then why were you—”

“Yesterday, something bothered me. If it’s about you and your ‘wife,’ it might be related. So I want to hear it too.”

Something bothered her?

Sure, a lot happened yesterday, but from my perspective everything had ended well enough—nothing particularly disastrous.

Well… unless you counted that one screw-up of mine.

Anyway.

“Got it. Let’s all go together next break.”

“Yeah. It’ll be fine. Even if something does happen, your big sister won’t let anything bad come of it.”

She said that with the cutest smile—my big sister… no, Hanako-san.

I wasn’t sure what she was so wary of, but with those two, I really didn’t think there’d be any problems.

***

The moment first period ended and the teacher left the room, I saw the two of them stand up.

They sent a quick glance our way, then slipped out of the classroom together. That was clearly our cue.

“Hanako-san, let’s go.”

“Mm.”

I called out to her and we left the room as well. I could see their backs farther down the hallway, so we simply followed at a distance.

Eventually we arrived at the liberal-arts clubroom block. They disappeared into one of the rooms—our destination, apparently.

Knock, knock…

I knocked politely, then slowly opened the door.

The inside was… unexpectedly cluttered. More like a storage shed than a clubroom. What on earth was this place?

“Sorry for being all mysterious.”

“We just really didn’t want the rest of the class overhearing.”

“Yeah, I figured it was something like that.”

“We’re fine. More importantly, we’re short on time—let’s make this quick.”

“Right.”

“But first, please listen to us for just a moment.”

“Got it.”

We nodded, and the two of them softened their expressions—almost apologetically.

The caution, those faces… whatever they were about to say had me a little tense.

“First, about you and hanasaki-san… we’re really sorry we couldn’t support you properly back then.”

“We didn’t fully grasp the situation, so we didn’t know how to act.”

“Uh… huh?”

Hmm. This was awkward.

I wasn’t sure how to respond.

They were probably talking about the misunderstanding in class—people thinking Hanako-san and I were dating.

But these two had never joined in the teasing or anything, and I didn’t remember them doing anything that warranted an apology.

Well, I’d hear the rest first.

“So, we obviously knew you were close with Satsukawa-senpai, and since she’s Natsumi-senpai’s best friend, the entire fan club agreed she was important to us too—remember?”

“Yeah, you told me before.”

It was practically a rule of the fan club, which was why they’d always been so cooperative with me.

“But we had no idea you and Satsukawa-senpai had actually started dating.”

“That’s why, when everyone thought you were going out with hanasaki-san, it didn’t seem strange to us at all. Anyone could see how close you two were.”

I see. Of course—they’d never been told officially.

Sara-senpai and I only started dating over summer break, and the moment school resumed we got slammed with the Yamazaki incident. There’d never been a good opportunity to announce it. That was unavoidable.

Still, that hardly seemed like something they needed to apologize for…

“I understand. But that’s not why you called me here today, right?”

Hanako-san smoothly moved the conversation forward in my place.

They had started with “first,” so obviously there was a main topic. And considering the time, we needed to hurry.

“Ah, yeah, sorry—I just wanted to get that out first.”

“Anyway, now that we know the truth, we’ll fully support you and Satsukawa-senpai from now on!”

“Thank you.”

They genuinely meant it, so I gratefully accepted.

“And now the real issue…”

“You and Satsukawa-senpai… you’re living together, aren’t you?”

!?

H-how did they—!?

Yesterday had definitely been risky in places, but we never once talked about living together. So how did they find out!?

No, that wasn’t the problem.

If these two knew, and it had come up yesterday somehow… that meant others might have noticed too…

“I see… so it really is true.”

“Hanako-san?”

She nodded calmly, as if she’d seen this coming all along.

“How many people have figured it out?”

“Wai—!?”

And just like that, Hanako-san continued the conversation as though confirming it was fact.

Well… nothing for it now. I’d just have to trust these two and roll with it.

“Only a few seem certain, but it might have spread a bit already…”

“The girls in class are all on the ‘support the couple’ train, but there’s no guarantee it won’t leak to the boys.”

“Exactly. Once it leaves the girls’ network and reaches outside the class, containment is basically impossible.”

The girls had said they’d cheer us on, but whether that would keep the secret safe was another matter entirely.

I was curious how it had gotten out in the first place, but right now that was beside the point.

“We’ve already told everyone we know to keep quiet. Spreading rumors would only trouble you two, and Satsukawa-senpai would be furious if that happened.”

“It’s still just speculation—no one has confirmation from you. But most people are pretty much convinced.”

…So that’s how it was.

Something from yesterday’s conversations had tipped them off about us living together. At this point, figuring out exactly what didn’t matter anymore.

“That’s why, to keep it from becoming ‘official,’ please be more careful about what you say in class from now on.”

“There’s also the chance it spreads to other classes… Ideally we’d share the info within the fan club and coordinate containment, but…”

“The topic is just too explosive. Even among fellow club members, we’re not sure who we can fully trust…”

They had a point.

News of Sara-senpai living with someone would be pure gossip gold for certain types. Add exaggerations and fabrications, and it could spread like wildfire.

“We just really wanted to warn you.”

“Please be careful!”

It was more serious than I’d expected, and honestly, I was grateful.

I needed to thank them properly.

“Both of you—thank you so much. You’ve really helped us.”

“Thank you from me as well.”

I bowed sincerely, and Hanako-san followed suit.

She didn’t have to, but… well, she was my “big sister.” Pointing that out would be tasteless.

“No, no, it’s fine!”

“Of course! Natsumi-senpai’s two best friends getting married? Not supporting that would disgrace the entire fan club!”

“Y-yeah… anyway, thank you.”

Marriage was still a long way off, but… whatever.

Natsumi-senpai’s fan club really was something else. Caring not just about her but her entire circle of friends—that kind of devotion was genuinely impressive.

Unlike the pathetic knock-off fan club in our class that only cared about leering at Sara-senpai.

“Well then, shall we head back?”

I glanced at the clock on the wall. We still had time, but not much.

From now on, I really would have to be more careful.

I guess that responsibility falls on me as the guy… though Sara-senpai’s tendency to accidentally spill secrets is completely natural, and honestly kind of adorable.

***

On the way back from the storage room (?), a rather odd group coming toward us caught my eye.

One girl surrounded by three boys. That alone wasn’t strange, but the way the boys were positioned—perfectly flanking her on both sides and behind, like bodyguards or retainers—was just unnatural.

Almost as if she had attendants…

“Ugh…”

“Damn, worst timing… Guess we just ignore them?”

The two walking with us openly grimaced.

Apparently they knew her—and it clearly wasn’t a friendly relationship.

I’d never seen them before, so I figured we could just walk past—

“My my, if it isn’t the vice president himself?”

…Guess not.

I’d known. She’d been staring at me the whole time we approached.

I’d deliberately avoided eye contact, hoping to slip by, but apparently that wasn’t happening.

What now?

I couldn’t exactly ignore someone addressing me as “vice president,” and personally, I had no reason to be rude to her.

Guess I’d just be civil.

“Um… hello.”

“Hello to you too. Fufufu~ To think you’d greet me without flinching—perhaps you have more nerve than I gave you credit for. Though I suppose anyone who can work alongside that stick-in-the-mud must be a cut above the average boy.”

…Uh.

Never mind, retract that. What was wrong with this person?

I didn’t like speaking ill of strangers, but she was absolutely the troublesome type.

“Don’t you agree?”

“Y-yes, well… anyone who becomes vice president must be quite…”

Her tone was condescending, and the boys around her looked less like friends and more like lackeys.

I barely resisted the urge to ask if she thought she was some kind of celebrity heiress. The smartest move was to extract ourselves from this walking headache as quickly as possible.

“My, what an adorable little thing. I don’t recall seeing such a cute child at this school before~?”

…?

Her voice suddenly turned strangely lascivious when she looked at Hanako-san. And that theatrical way of speaking—what was she, some middle-aged socialite?

“Reina-san, she’s a transfer student. They call her the ‘angel’ of first year—”

“Ah, a transfer student. No wonder I didn’t recognize her. Cute enough, I suppose… but an angel? Fufu.”

“Do you need something? Surely you didn’t stop us just to make boring small talk.”

That crossed the line.

I’m not usually this blunt with someone I just met, but the way she was clearly mocking Hanako-san pissed me off.

She hadn’t said anything overtly insulting yet, but every word dripped with sarcasm I couldn’t stand.

And for just an instant—I was sure of it—she’d looked at Hanako-san with undisguised contempt.

It was the first time in a long while that a stranger had filled me with this much instinctive dislike in such a short exchange.

“…Boring, you say?”

“Hey, first-year, have you ever looked in a mirror? With a face like yours you dare speak to Reina-san—”

“Don’t you dare take that tone with Kazunari, you bootlicking trash.”

“““!?”””

Hanako-san suddenly stepped in front of me, her voice sharp as a blade as she tore into the lackeys… and in that instant, déjà vu hit me hard.

I swear something almost exactly like this had happened before…

But now wasn’t the time for memories!!

The air had turned dangerous. I’d wanted Hanako-san to stay behind me, but…

“Bootlicking trash!?”

“W-what the hell, this girl…”

“H-her eyes…”

“W-well now! For someone they call an angel, you’re quite… quite the—wh-what… what is this child… h-hold on…?”

What was happening?

Not just the lackeys—even that insufferable peacock of a girl was starting to look shaken.

Now I remembered.

This was exactly how the boys with Toudou-san had reacted when they saw Hanako-san.

“Uwah… hanasaki-san is scary…”

“T-that glare…”

I didn’t fully understand what was going on, but the atmosphere was bad. Really bad.

I didn’t care what happened to those idiots, but my instincts were screaming that I couldn’t leave Hanako-san like this.

I had to do something—ignore the lackeys and deal with the girl first.

“Senpai, break is almost over. We should all head back to our classrooms, don’t you think?”

I really wanted to tell her to get lost and stop blocking the hallway, but I didn’t want to make unnecessary enemies.

The last thing I needed was pointless trouble later because of this. I didn’t want anything to do with them at all.

“Eek!? Y-yes… that would indeed be bad. Well then, we’ll be off. Let’s meet again sometime, vice president… Though I could do without ever seeing that terrifying little angel again.”

Muttering something under her breath at the end, the peacock girl scurried away in a half-jog.

“R-Reina-san!?”

“Wait for us!!”

“After her!!”

Her lackeys scrambled after her and vanished down the corridor.

Phew… somehow we’d gotten through that.

Seriously, what was wrong with that bunch… no, with that girl?

“Ugh… still as unpleasant as ever.”

“But I’ve never seen her that rattled before. You two are amazing.”

“It was nothing.”

More importantly, Hanako-san.

From where I’d been standing, I couldn’t see her face, but she definitely hadn’t been her usual self.

“Hanako-san, look at me.”

When I called to her, she slowly turned around.

Her expression was gentle… a perfectly ordinary smile. So much so that I almost felt foolish for worrying.

“…I’m okay, Kazunari.”

She spoke only those words, then gently tugged the sleeve of my uniform downward.

I knew exactly what she wanted.

…Fine. If it helped calm her down, I didn’t mind.

“Good girl… there, there. It’s okay… it’s okay.”

I obediently lowered my head, and Hanako-san slowly stroked my hair.

When she did this, she really did seem like her normal self…

Come to think of it, Sara-senpai once said stroking my head calmed her down too. Did my hair emit some kind of soothing pheromone or something?

“…What was that just now?”

“…Who knows? Anyway, it’s fine. After seeing something like that, it’d be rude to pry.”

“Hanako-san.”

“I’m okay. Because I’m your big sister.”

And there it was—the usual line.

Once she said that, pushing any further would just be tactless.

“Because I’m your big sister.”

Those words were everything. They explained her actions just now.

That’s all there was to it.