Translator: Lilo
Editor: Ryuubii

Chapter 4: Ideals, Reality, and Rumors

Act 2

Naoi Kyouhei probably likes Hasumi Shion.

How would he feel if his classmate and the one he likes are siblings, and living under one roof? It’s no wonder he would not be at peace.

I feel like things are getting quite bad.

I underestimated Hasumi-senpai’s openness. I guess she doesn’t want to lie as much as possible, especially to those close to her. As a result, her cute junior and my classmate, fortunately, or unfortunately, got involved.

Hasumi-senpai had no bad intentions. In fact, she even treated Naoi as someone to whom she could reveal her secrets. However, I’m sure Naoi didn’t take it nicely.

***

It’s now lunch break.

Since I was in a hurry in the morning, of course I didn’t have a lunch box. To get lunch, I had no choice but to go to the school cafeteria.

“It’s just right. I’ll try that.”

After the class, I stood and quickly put away my textbooks.

“Naoi.”

In the liberating atmosphere of lunch break, everyone is beginning to move in their own way, some are spreading out their lunch boxes with their close classmates, and others hurrying to the cafeteria. I caught Naoi Kyouhei who was leaving with his group.

“What?”

When he turned around, his voice was clearly firmer than usual. There was no that fresh smile of his.

“I don’t have my lunch today. Can I come with you?”

“I refuse. Find someone else.”

Naoi’s response was almost immediate.

His words were cold, an attitude far cry from his usual self. The members of the group and nearby classmates who heard it were startled.

Then he bit his lip slightly, seemingly also surprised himself.

“My bad. I want to eat with my good friends. Maybe next time.”

He turned on his feet and headed for the classroom doorway.

“He said that you and he are not necessarily close.”

Izumikawa chuckled as if to insult me. He then went after Naoi.

“Kyouhei, now that’s something you don’t see every day.”

He has been in the same class with Naoi since the first grade and is also in the same club as him. His name is Murodo.

“Sorry, but give it up.”

He said it condescendingly as if to pity me, and then he too followed Naoi out.

Was my bad prediction right? Naoi seems to have mixed feelings about this.

***

I went to the cafeteria too.

It’s lonely to eat by myself, so I’ll ask someone to eat with me. Although not as much as Karube or Heshikiri-san, I’ll probably find someone I’m close to. That said, I don’t think they’re in the “good friends” category. It’s probably because of our good compatibility rather than friendship.

“Oh, here you are.”

When I went to the cafeteria, Hasumi-senpai was waiting for me at the entrance for some reason.

“What’s wrong? Did you forget your wallet?”

“You…”

Hasumi-senpai’s mouth twitches. Then she suppresses the tone of her voice andー

“That’s not it. Because of me, we don’t have a lunch box, so I thought why not eat together?”

“I don’t want to.”

I ate here before with Takinami Ruika, but at that time she had a pretense of thanking the library committee member for helping her. However, on the surface, there’s no contact between me and Hasumi-senpai. If we eat together in public, people would pry into it.

What’s more, Naoi is inside the cafeteria.

“What? You don’t want to eat with me that badly?”

“That’s not it, but we can’t right now.”

An unexpectedly strong tone of voice came out which surprised even me. It was just like Naoi’s earlier. I wonder if he was in this kind of mood.

“…Alright.”

Hasumi-senpai let out a sigh.

“I’m sorry…”

I apologize. But for what? For refusing the invitation, or for speaking out loud?

Hasumi-senpai gently places her hands on my shoulders.

And then,

“Eh…?”

She turned my body around.

“Takinami-san, please take care of this for me.”

She said and pushed me as hard as she could.

The direction was into Takinami Ruika’s figure. At this rate, we would collide. At that moment, I tried to hold on and almost lost my balance. Even so, I managed to kill the momentum and it became a “contact” rather than a “collision.”

“Uwahp…”

“Hyaa?!”

My face hit something soft. I rush to raise myself up.

“I-I’m sorry, Takinami-senpai. Ah, um…!”

“I-I’m fine. I was just a little surprised. It’s not like we collided into each other.”

Takinami-senpai replied with a red face and looked at Hasumi-senpai.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?!”

“Actually, Makabe-kun and I forgot to bring our lunch box. Takinami-san, I’m sorry but can you please eat with him?”

If you listen carefully, that sentence is a mess, but Takinami-senpai seemed to have guessed that there must be a reason for it, and she agreed with a sigh of dismay.

“Hasumi-senpai, Naoi is in there.”

“Ah, really? Then, I’ll join themー”

After saying this, Hasumi-senpai disappeared into the cafeteria.

“Hyu~dorodordoro~” [T/N: What?][E/N: She’s basically making an SFX or something. Something like “Hm~ Hohoho” or something.]

It was Takajou Miyabi who let out some mysterious sounds from her mouth.

She snuggled to my back and placed her hands and chin on my shoulders. Could this be the classic ghost imitation?

“I’m from the public morals committee. I sensed a disturbance in public morals… How did Takanami-san’s breasts feel?”

“I wonder what you’re talking about? We didn’t bump into each other.”

Public morals? Look who’s talking…

“More than that, it’s bumping into me.”

“I’m making it so~”

“Get away from him this instant!”

Takinami-senpai pulled Takajou-senpai away from me by force.

***

“Hasumi-san overslept?”

A few minutes later, Takinami and I were having a meal across from each other.

When I explained why I didn’t bring my lunch, she widened her eyes in surprise.

“Now that’s rare.”

“I suppose.”

From my point of view as someone who lives with her, Hasumi-senpai is a punctual person. Every morning when I woke up, she had already prepared breakfast and was reading the newspaper in the living room. That impression I get from her is probably the same for everyone else.

“It seems that she didn’t actually oversleep, but simply had a dead battery in her alarm, so this time it was more like an accident. “

“I see. Then, I suppose that would be easier for you, Makabe-kun.”

Then Takinami-senpai changed the tone of her voice to a slightly more serious one.

“So, what’s wrong? Did you get into a fight with Hasumi-san?”

“No, that’s not really…”

“I bet. It didn’t look that way.”

Takinami-senpai asked me with her eyes, “Then, what is it?”

“Nothing happened between me and her directly. Since there are also some other people involved in this, I can’t tell, even to you.”

“I have a tight lip, if I do say so myself… Alright, but let me know if something happens. I’ll hear you out.”

“Thank you very much.”

Having said that, it’s not the kind of thing I can ask for help from Takinami-senpai. This is a matter of Naoi’s emotions, so even if she knew, it’s not something that she can help solve.

Still, I would like to do something about it if possible. Because no one would want that kind of uncharacteristic attitude from Naoi Kyouhei. [E/N: I personally do not care. I guess that is why I will never be a protagonist]