Translator: Lilo
Editor: Ryuubii

Chapter 2: The Girl Beside

Act 1

Once a month, the student council and representatives from each committee have a meeting.

The content of the meeting is instructions from the student council and reports on the activities of the respective committees, and there is rarely any contentious discussion. It’s very practical and straightforward.

We are having that meeting today.

And as one might know, I’m the only member of the library committee this year. Therefore, it’s naturally me who will participate in the meeting.

After classes, I first went to the faculty as usual and borrowed the key to the library.

Then I headed to the library, and upon entering, I took out the “Closed Today” paper that I had prepared and put it on the door of the entrance. Similarly, the paper announcing that the library was closed today had been posted on the counter for about a week, so none of the regulars showed up while I was doing this.

After that, I head for the conference room.

“Makabe-kun.”

As I was walking down the hallway, someone approached from behind.

I turned around and saw a 12th grade female student with tawny eyes and a gentle demeanor.

It was Takajou Miyabi-senpai.

“Good afternoon, Takajou-senpai.”

“Meeting for the committee?”

Takajou-senpai approaches and asks me as we stand side by side. I slowed down my pace a little.

“Yes… Huh? Are you also going to the meeting? But I haven’t seen you go before.”

It was only in April that I became the only member of the library committee after the school year started, but that was only on paper. In fact, I had been attending meetings as a representative since the fall of last school year, when the 12th grade students were busy with entrance exams.

At that time, every committee had an acting representative, but many of them seem to have become representatives as they were the year prior, so the lineup has not changed much. I don’t know which committee Takajou-senpai is on, but I haven’t seen her participate last year and this year.

“I knew you were going to represent the library committee, so this time I asked Lopros to―”

“Lopros?”

“Our chairman.”

Usually, for a committee, you would call them ‘chief’.

“I told the chief and asked him to let me take his place. I wanted to see you, Makabe-kun.”

Is it fine to replace him for such a reason?… Well, I guess Chief Lopros thought it was too much of a pain to have a meeting, so I guess he just said yes.

“I would usually be in the library after school though… By the way, what committee are you in, Takajou-senpai?”

“Public Morals Committee.”

“Bfuu”

I involuntarily choked.

“Judging from that reaction, did you hear something from Takinami-san?”

“I did…”

According to what I have heard, Takajou-senpai uploads explicit selfies on social networking sites, without showing her face. In other words, she’s the person you would last expect to be in the Public Morals Committee.

“Revealing other people’s secrets, this calls for a punishment for Takinami-san. I’ll send explicit selfies to Makabe-kun.”

“Please don’t do that.”

I don’t think she would happily send one to me, but just in case.

“I was the one who asked her. Takinami-senpai was just answering the question. She’s not to blame.”

In addition, if Takajou-senpai had not implied that she had such an account, there would have been no such talk between me and Takinami-senpai.

“I was just kidding.”

Takajou-senpai chuckles.

“I’m more interested in Takinami-san, who decided that it was okay to tell you. Is Takinami-san really interested in you?”

“Who knows? Ask the person herself. That said, I don’t think she would be interested in an ordinary person like me.”

I answered her question while implying that I’m just her underclassman.

“I think you’re not half bad, Makabe-kun.”

“By the way, why were you doing those things? A hobby?”

I asked her a question in order to change the subject.

“Let’s see. I guess it’s a hobby. There are many cute uniforms overseas. But more than that, it’s a stress reliever.”

“Stress reliever?”

“We have a reasonably respectable family, and I was taught very strictly ever since I was a child. So I think it’s a reaction to that. A sense of liberation, or a need for approval.”

Takajou-senpai dispassionately stated.

I see. She’s able to analyze herself. This person must be able to look at herself objectively. As if to show that fact, her teasing tone has gone down a bit.

“Some of the people I’m close to know about it.”

I’m worried. Some may even be pretending to be friendly and reveal it behind her back, or they might have a fight… but I dropped that thought since her friends are also Takinami-senpai’s friends. I saw them several times, but since the center of the group was Takinami Ruika, it seemed unlikely that they would be chatting amiably at the table but kicking each other’s legs underneath.

“They told me to stop doing it. Takinami-san also told me.”

“I bet.”

Any respectable friend would advise you to do so. After all, she’s doing something quite dangerous. If someone with malicious intent were to trace it back to Takajou-senpai, it would result in a bad situation.

“You can’t stop doing it?”

“Rather, I don’t want to.”

Takajou-senpai stated it clearly.

“At first, it was just curiosity. Then, stress led me to really get into it, and now it’s a hobby. I don’t want to deny it, because I made this decision.”

“Is that so?”

That was all I could say to Takajou-senpai, who seemed to be talking about something important.

After all, this person knows herself well. Maybe this is a kind of sincerity.

“Please be careful.”

“I understand. I’m also afraid of being exposed. Thanks to that, I have acquired a lot of knowledge. I’ve learned so much that I could start an IT company right away.”

If that is true, it would be totally unimaginable from her gentle atmosphere. Appearance is indeed deceiving.

“All things considered, this is the first time a boy found out about it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Since it would be a disaster if they ask me to wear this or ask to take a picture.”

Takajou-senpai chuckles.

Before I knew it, she’s expressing her troubles, and the air felt a little heavy.

“I thought of the same thing too.”

“Not even you, Makabe-kun. We don’t do photo sessions.”

When I let out a joke in a light tone, Takajou-senpai laughed in return.

The gentle atmosphere returns.

“Ah, but if it’s you, it’s fine.”

As usual, her calm tone of voice exuded a strange sexual appeal.

“How about me for your cheating partner? I’ll give you an after-school date in your favorite uniform.”

“Oops, I can see the conference room. Everybody might be waiting, let’s hurry.”

I quickened my pace to slip out of her grasp. Behind me, Takajou-senpai was saying, “Oh, come on!”

I hope you will not suggest such a thing to me. It would be a bloodbath.

§§§

The meeting lasted for about an hour as usual.

During the meeting, I just reported on the activities of the library committee. Since I only open the library after school, there was not much to report. When I finished, a 12th grader said to me, “I’m sorry that you’re all alone. But you’ve been really helpful, so I would like to thank you.”

As for the content of the meeting, in my case, it’s easy because I don’t have any committee members to share information with.

The notice that the library will be closed a few days ago seems to have spread, so no one is likely to come to the library if I open it now. I decided to leave without trying to open the library today.

I returned home earlier than usual.

As I got off the train at the Myodani station and exited the ticket gate, I became concerned about one thing.

I do not have a key to the Hasumi residence. If Hasumi-senpai locks the house thinking I will be back at the usual time, I won’t be able to enter the house and will be locked out.

I hope she didn’t go out―as I was thinking about that.

“Shi…”

Suddenly, such a short sound jumped into my ears. Even with just this, I know whose voice this is as I have become completely accustomed to hearing it over the past half month or so.

I turned my head in the voice’s direction and saw Hasumi-senpai peering around.

“Makabe-kun.”

It seems she saw me and tried to call me by name just as she did at home, but she remembered she’s still in front of the station, where she doesn’t know who could be watching, so she called me again.

“Shizuru, what’s wrong? Aren’t you earlier than usual?”

Hasumi-senpai came up to me and asked. This time by my given name.

She’s now wearing long denim pants and a short-sleeved shirt with a cut-and-sew design. She’s also carrying a large eco-bag in her hand, so it seems that she went home once and went out again to buy something.

“I had a committee meeting today. After that, I didn’t open the library, so I just went home.”

As I answered, I took the bag from Hasumi-senpai’s hand.

“T-thanks… I see. I didn’t realize that committees do that too. But good thing we met here.”

“I’m sorry. I should have said so.”

It’s only natural that students not involved in the committee would not know that we have such a meeting once a month. I could have avoided this situation by simply saying something in advance.

I, with my school bag and eco-bag, and Hasumi-senpai, empty-handed, walked side by side in silence.

“…I know it’s late, but I’ll give you the keys when we get back. Keep it.”

Hasumi-senpai eventually said a few words.

“Is it okay?”

“Okay or not, how can a family not have a key to the house? If no one is there, you would be locked out. I can’t be there every time you come over.”

When I asked her back, she wound up speaking rather quickly.

Perhaps it was a reaction to the embarrassment of having to go through this stuff. I could only say, “I see…” and we walked home together in silence.

“Sorry.”

When the bustle in front of the station was getting farther and farther away, Hasumi suddenly opened her mouth.

“When Dad tried to give you the key, you didn’t accept it because I made an ill face, right?”

“……”

I was sure that Hasumi-senpai had a complicated look on her face at that time, although not quite much. Was she aware of it, or did she realize it later?

“I mean, no one would want to leave the key to their house with a complete stranger.”

There’s no point in hiding it, so I answered.

“You’re also being considerate of other things too.”

“I’m sure it’s the same for you, Hasumi-senpai. Since two strangers are going to live together, it’s bound to happen.”

“I suppose.”

Hasumi-senpai chuckles.

Even for her, there are probably times when she feels inconvenienced in some way. Even when she acts the same as usual, and so I should do the same.

“But, well, you’re not an unknown person or a stranger anymore.”

Hasumi-senpai spun her words in such a way that it seems somewhat difficult to say.

I lost my mom in an accident and was left alone, so I’m grateful for those words. It makes my heart warm a little.

“Since you came home early, why not help me prepare dinner? Dad will also be there for dinner, so the three of us will eat together.”

Perhaps embarrassed, Hasumi-senpai turned around and ordered me in a manner that seemed condescending.