Chapter 72: The Angel of Affection and Elegance is in Trouble

TL: lime
ED: Spynine01

Golden Week wasn’t anything special…

Our extended holidays ended with a trip to Shiori and the outlet park.

If I had planned things better, it wouldn’t have come to this…

But dwelling on it now won’t change anything. Let’s make plans to spend the summer break a bit more wisely.

However, we students don’t have the luxury of saying such things so leisurely.

Looming ahead were our midterms, which were going to occur in May.

Well… honestly, for someone like me who doesn’t neglect their daily studies, it shouldn’t really be a big deal.

However…

“Waaah! Isshiki-kun!!”

In the morning, just as I was about to sit at my desk, the Angel of Affection and Elegance came to my seat in tears.

“What’s wrong… this early in the morning…”

“What’s wrong? Everything is wrong! I forgot to wear my socks!”

“No… you… seriously… your sense of humor…”

I glanced down at Shijo’s feet.

“You’re seriously not wearing your socks!”

“I just said that, didn’t I?”

“No, no, no. Is there actually a high school girl who forgets to wear their socks?!”

“That part doesn’t matter.”

“If you’re okay with it… Though what’s wrong?”

She finally got to the main point.

“It’s midterms! The midterms are coming!”

“Yeah…”

I nodded thoughtfully and sat down.

“It’s not the time for that kind of leisurely attitude, like an old man sipping kelp tea! At this rate, it’s going to be a disaster!”

“A disaster?”

Shijo nodded dramatically and explained.

“At this rate, my summer break will be ruined!”

A crow cawed in the distance outside the window at her words.

“Well, don’t worry. You can attend summer classes for free. Lucky!”

I gave her a peace sign and took out my smartphone to check.

“Cookies, not monjayaki!¹ Its a reference from the theme song of an anime called ‘lucky man’”

“You do know that’s a very outdated reference? And you’re deliberately bringing that up… Well, some people can’t attend summer classes, okay? Why not aim to improve your grades this summer?”

Ignoring her and saying something random, Shijo made a displeased face.

“Hehehe… Is it really okay to have such an attitude towards me?”

“You’re a good kid at heart, so you can’t really be that mean. However, fine. Let’s hear it.”

“Your fiancée will be sad, you know… If she can’t play with me in the summer then… Are you really okay with that?”

“That’s――!!”

For a moment, I felt flustered, but then I regained my composure.

“Yeah. Your way of threatening lacks proper impact.”

“Tch. It didn’t work.”

After deliberately clicking her tongue, Shijo clapped her hands together.

“Please! Help me study for them!”

She came straight to the point.

I had imagined something like helping with cheating during the midterms.

“What… just that? If that’s the case, you should have said so from the beginning.”

“Haha. I was a little embarrassed.”

“Well, considering you forgot to wear your socks too… Huh? But, you know, that’s something even Touma and—”

As I was about to say more, Shijo wore a wry smile.

“We’re on the same level.”

“Yeah, right.”

I smiled wryly too and added, “Well, if Shijo is fine with me,” just to be clear.

“Is it okay to invite Shiori-chan too?”

“Hmm? Yeah, sure.”

“And, and… Is it okay to invite Touma-kun?”

Her words overflowed with a smile.

“Is that your goal?”

“Haha, who knows?”

“Well, whatever… What about the place?”

I asked, and Shijo pointed at me.

“How about Isshiki-kun’s house?”

I made a bitter face.

“Uh, my house…”

“Yeah! You live alone, right? I’m really curious about the house of someone who’s at the same age as me and lives alone.”

“It’s nothing grand, you know. How about the club room or something?”

“It’s off-limits to go there during the test period,”

“Then—”

I said, and Shijo looked at her phone.

“It seems like ‘I’ll go to Kojiro’s house.‘”

“When did you—”

“Haha. I prepared that in advance during our previous conversation.”

“You’re amazing for a high school girl… You’re top-notch in using your smartphone… Seriously though, my house?”

“Is there an issue? Are you hiding any erotic magazines or something?”

“No way. In this era? Everything’s all available on smartphones these days.”

Saying that, Shijo looked at me with a sly gaze.

“I wonder how Shiori-chan would react if she heard that…”

“Oh, seriously, don’t say that…”

“What should I do? If you let me into your house, I’ll keep my mouth shut. But until you let me in, I’ll keep blabbering. My mouth will be blabbering, blabbering—”

“You little devilish angel!”

“A fallen angel?”

“You fallen angel!”

“Why do you keep correcting yourself… Well then, today after school, the three of us will head there, okay?”

“Huh!? Today!? No, that’s—”

Before I could finish my sentence, the morning bell rang.

“Then, let’s meet after school, okay?”

Leaving those words behind, Shijo returned to her seat.

This is bad… This is a flag that will expose that Shiori and I live in the same house together. I have to do something about it…

As I was thinking of a plan, our homeroom teacher—no, the student guidance counselor, Yasu-san, not Minami-sensei, entered the classroom.

Walking with his shoulders slouched, the rough-looking Yasu-san placed the attendance book on the teacher’s desk and started talking in his usual rough manner.

“Ah, about Minami-sensei… I’m here to replace her today because her condition isn’t great. So, today I’m gonna be taking attendance for today’s class instead. Listen up… Minami-sensei ain’t here today, but if you guys aren’t feeling well or anything, tell the teachers or any of your classmates. No one knows what’s going on inside you besides yourself. Alright, now, attendance. Isshiki-kun.”

“Yes.”

“Iwatani.”

“Yeah.”

So… Minami-sensei is absent, huh… She did seem like she wasn’t in good shape lately. I hope she feels better.