Chapter 55: A Little Rocky Event For The Angel Of Affection And Elegance

TL: lime
ED: Spynine01

I was able to give the gift back to Shiori without incident, but I wonder if the timing was right… I thought I’d give it to her when she was relaxing at home and see her reaction when she saw what was inside directly, but well…

“Kojiro.”

After school, I heard a voice calling me from behind and I turned around to see Shiori.

“I’m going home first.”

“Ah, okay…”

With that, Shiori walked out of the classroom.

“――Well, it looks like the cool-headed and peerless angel is in a good mood.”

After Shiori left the classroom, Touma stood up and said to me.

That’s right. She always leaves without saying a word, but today she said a few words before she left.

“Did that pat on the head you gave her work?”

“――Blegh!”

I blurt out and choke at his words.

“――W-…Were you watching?”

“From the club room. I’ve got good eyesight.”

His glasses shine as he quirks them at me.

Leave out the incomprehensible statement that you have good eyesight when you’re wearing glasses…

“S-Starting at?”

“It’s from around the time that the cool-headed and peerless angel was given a suspicious package.”

“You were watching from the start…”

When I spat out a sorrowful line, Touma smiled and said “Youth, huh,” like an elderly man.

“W-What about you? Did you return it properly?”

“Gufu!”

Touma’s reaction was unusually different, as he quirked about with his glasses.

“Hmm? Touma-chan? Haven’t you returned your gift yet? Haven’t you returned it to all three girls yet?”

“S-Shut up!”

“Bwahaha! Maybe you should hurry up and return them as soon as possible.”

“S-hut up! Shut up!”

Touma’s verbal skills are severely impaired when he’s teased, so it is honestly amusing to make fun of him at such times.

“O-Oh? Kojiro. That thing you’re holding in your hand, isn’t that what Nanasegawa-san gave you?”

Touma tried to change the subject at a rapid pace.

He’s going to get angry if I keep teasing him like this, so I’ll just let it slide.

“Yes, that’s right. It was given to me by Shiori for some reason. It would be too much for her to give it back to the person who gave it to her, so I thought I’d give it back to him… I don’t know who it is, but I’m going to look for him now.”

“Fumu… It looks familiar.”

“Eh?”

“What did I just say? I was watching. I know exactly who it is. ――I’ll give it back for you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. No problem.”

Oh. He doesn’t want to be messed with, so he’s acting nice.

“Then be my guest.”

I took his word for it and handed the package over to Touma.

“Then, please.”

“Umu.”

♢

After school, I thought I would set out on a journey to find the person who gave Shiori an incomprehensible gift, but surprisingly, Touma saved me a lot of trouble and so I had a lot more free time.

As I walked out of the school gate, I felt my phone shaking in my pocket and took it out to find a rare message from Shiori.

『I’m on my way home, can you buy me some miso?』

I looked at the simply written message and muttered, “Miso…”

The distance from the school to the house was close, but there was no supermarket on the way home. In other words, I would have to take the long way around.

If that’s the case, why don’t I stretch my legs a bit and go in front of the station… I think I’ll go to an arcade for once…

I went to the large game center in front of the station.

The local game center is a bit desolate, but this one is clean and has a wide variety of games in store.

At the entrance and exit of the arcade, I overheard a conversation between two young men as they left with a wry smile on their faces.

“That Evosly’s¹ エボスリ a mess.”

“In more ways than one… But she was so cute.”

“Evo-nee-chan――right.”

“It’s boring me to death.”

I heard such a story, so I decided to go to the mountain pass² Initial D? for the first time in a while.

When I went to the racing game corner, I saw a lot of people passing by, stopping, looking at someone, and then leaving with a look of admiration on their faces.

What is it? Is there someone good at playing this game?

That’s what I thought in my mind, and my onlooker’s spirit was stimulated, so I went to take a glance.

“――Turn! Turn! My Evosley!”

It was a high school girl wearing our school uniform who was driving while shouting extremely loudly.

I was stunned when I saw her.

The high school girl who stood up after the game was over smiled bitterly when her eyes met mine.

“Ah, y-yahoo… Isshiki-kun.”

“Shijo… What are you doing…?”

♢

“No… I’ve been seen in an embarrassing place…”

There is a small rest area near the entrance of a game center. At the vending machine there, Shijo bought two cans of juice and offered me one of them.

“Please, keep this to yourself.”

“Like a bribe?”

“That’s right.”

“I wouldn’t bother telling anyone even if I didn’t have one… Well, I’ll take it anyway.”

I took the can without hesitation, and as I opened the pull tab, “――So?” Shijo asked.

“Did you return the valentine’s gift properly?”

“Eh? You know about it?”

“Of course I do. This Shijo Sumire knows everything.”

She sticks out her big breasts and says “Eh?” in a pompous manner.

“W-Well…”

When I answered while sipping my juice, she looked at me with compassion, like a goddess.

“Great, great.”

I felt a bit embarrassed, so I changed the subject.

“What about Shijo? Why are you slacking off at the arcade, acting like a yankee³gangster, delinquent would a long time ago?”

When I said that, she smiled bitterly and said, “A-Ahaha…,” and then looked sad.

“I know I have to go to school because I’m busy with club activities… But if I go to school today, I’ll just feel empty… I just can’t keep up with my mind.”

“I strongly agree with taking a break when your mind catches a cold. There’s no need to push yourself when that happens.――But why did your mind catch a cold? I’d like to know why――if you don’t mind?”

When I asked gently, Shijo froze, holding the can of juice in both hands.

“Dare I say… disparity――maybe?

“Is that what you get in return?”

Shijo gave a small nod.

“Even if I give him my true love, he won’t notice me. It’s not me he’s looking at.”

So Shijo knows who Touma likes and realizes that it’s not her…

“If the other person doesn’t look at you, just move on――it’s easier if you can do that… But love is not that simple and easy…”

When I didn’t know what to say, Shijo gave a cute yell,”――ahhh!”

“――So I decided to take the day off from school to feel the wind today.”

“Feeling the wind――at the arcade?”

When I said this with a laugh, Shijo laughed too and said, “No,” and pulled a key out of her pocket.

“I came here with this.”

“――A car?”

“Ahaha. You have to be at least 18 years old to get a driver’s license for a car.”

“――A motorcycle perhaps?”

“Good answer.”

So Shijo says, “Come look at my motorcycle,” and walks off, and so I follow her, curious about her ride.

There were bicycles, mopeds, and big American scooters parked in the parking lot of the game center.

I pointed to one of them, “Dio⁴ Honda Dio , Useless!” I laughed and said, “What’s wrong?” She said and gave me a look of concern, I coughed to cover it up.

“――Is that… perhaps… Maje⁵ Yamaha Majesty I think?”

Shijo stops in front of the Big Scooter Majesty, and I squeal in surprise.

“You know a lot about motorcycles, don’t you, Isshiki-kun?”

“No, not really, but… I know that. ――Wait! Eh? A Mid-level license!?”

“Yeah. That’s right…?”

“――Sigh…..”

What an unexpected combination.

Our school rules are pretty lax, allowing for part-time jobs and licenses and the such, but … I didn’t expect that the Angel of Affection and Elegance would be riding a big scooter. It’s not what I had expected at all.

“Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed, I ask Majesty to heal me.”

Shijo looked happy as she stroked Maje.

“Do you like motorcycles?”

“Hmm… At first I didn’t… I just wanted a way to get to my part-time job.”

“Why don’t you just get a moped then?”

“I wanted to learn one properly. You know, if you take the test for a moped and pass, you can take a short course and that’s it. I thought that was a little dangerous.”

“Hee~. So, that’s how to get a moped license.”

“Yes. That’s why I wanted to take my time.――And when I bought the bike, I was hooked.”

“It’s a good hobby.”

“Yeah.”

She took out her helmet and put it on, and then climbed on the Majesty.

“It’s not a good idea to ride in uniform, is it?”

“Ahaha. That’s right. Now that I’ve mounted this, Isshiki-kun, I’m going to leave.”

With a voice that showed no sense of danger or anything else within, Shijo changed her direction and started the engine.

“Isshiki-kun. ――Thank you for today. I felt better after talking to you.”

“If you’re okay with me, you can always use me as a diversion.”

“You’re right. You’re the one who knows my secret. I’m going to have to take advantage of that.”

“I-In moderation please.”

Shijo smiles adorably.

“I don’t know about that, but I might use it to jerk around together with your fiancée.”

After saying that, Shijo roared her engine, merged into the roadway and was gone in a flash.

The back of the motorcycle looked cool, but it also looked somewhat sad.

A/N:

On a personal note… I bought my first motorcycle when I was in high school, a Honda Dio.

Then I got tired of mopeds (poor, poor), got my secondary school license when I was a sophomore in high school, bought a used Balios, and the clutch broke… That’s what I call poor maintenance…

I remember pushing the bike home in tears later that year lol.

Not that it was traumatic in any means… but a college student at my part-time job gave me a Forza and I rode it around until I graduated from college. I remember the engine died on the day before my graduation.

Now it’s a small 125cc bike, but I still want to ride a big bike…

I’m sorry this is so long. I don’t know much about motorcycles, and I can’t modify them at all, but I do like to ride them.