Translator: Lilo
Editor: Ryuubii

Chapter 4: Ideals, Reality, and Rumors

Act 3

The next day, Naoi was back to his usual self.

At least it appeared that way.

He has a pleasant smile on his face, makes a lot of chatter with his group, and exchanges words with his classmates. This is how everyone wants Kyouhei Naoi to be. His cold behavior during yesterday’s lunch break was just like a lie.

But the only thing that stands out about his attitude is towards me.

Yes, I was trying to stay away from Naoi, and he was also consciously avoiding me. Perhaps that’s why Naoi is able to maintain his sanity.

“Makabe-kun, is something wrong?”

During the morning break, Heshikiri Sakura asked me, who was watching Naoi with a sideways glance.

“Un? Ah, no, I was just thinking what kind of glasses suits you, Heshikiri-san.”

“Eh…?”

Heshikiri-san looked puzzled.

“What do you think, Karube?”

“…The rimless type.”

His response was rather immediate.

Rimless, the type of glasses doesn’t obstruct the face. Surprisingly, Karube thinks that Heshikiri-san would be better off without her glasses.

“I think I like the under-rim type. The design looks stylish.”

“W-Wait, what are we talking about?!”

Heshikiri-san begins to fidget.

“As I said at the beginning, we’re talking about frames that would look good on you, Heshikiri-san. You always wear Wellingtons, so I thought it might be nice to put on something different once in a while.”

“Geez, stop fooling around with someone else’s face.”

“We’re not fooling around. We’re being serious.”

Although her introverted personality and slumped posture hide it, Heshikiri-san has a well-defined profile. I think she could experiment with her choice of glasses more.

“There’s no need to think about it seriously…”

Hashikiri-san said in a fading tone.

“By the way, Karube. What do you think of Naoi these days?”

I decided to end Heshikiri’s remodeling plan for today. Then I asked Karube.

“Do you think I’m interested in Naoi and his cronies?”

“I bet not.”

It was a curt reply, typical of Karube, who hates irrationality.

“Naoi has been consciously trying not to pay attention to you since yesterday morning. You started acting weird during lunch break. You’re being careful to stay out of Naoi’s sight as much as possible.”

“…..”

Unbelievable, how terrifying.

“So you do care about it.”

“I do not. Since he’s acting differently than usual, it just entered my line of sight.”

These are the people who observe people as they breathe.

Then, Heshikiri-san cuts in.

“Oh, really? I thought he was being the same as usual, I didn’t notice it.”

I casually looked at Karube.

I don’t see any particular change either. Is this because I’m not observant enough, or is it because there’s really no change at all?

• • §§

It’s now lunch break.

Five minutes before it, to be exact.

The fourth period on this particular day of the week was Asaba-sensei’s math class, and during the first class of the first semester, he said to us. “I’m going to finish this class five minutes early. Happy, right? But I won’t change the pace of the class.” Since then, this class has ended five minutes earlier than usual in exchange for the high density of the lessons.

The benefits are unexpectedly great. I’m released early from my morning classes and can eat lunch earlier because of it.

There’s probably some favoritism toward this class. But perhaps he also calculated it. He knows that the students are losing concentration because they want the fourth-period class to end early, so it’s a measure against that.

Asaba Seijuro is not to be underestimated. I believe that his disheveled shirt and beard, as well as his moderately loose and carefree attitude, are all calculated to catch you off guard.

“Makabe.”

Amidst the noise of the five minutes early lunch break, Asaba-sensei called me over.

“Ah, yes.”

I replied once and started walking toward the podium. The teacher came a little closer to me.

“I’m sorry, but I need you to open the library during this lunch break. A teacher from 12th grade asked me for a favor. He wants his students to use the library to do research for a class project.”

“Understood.”

“Oh, it can be after you eat your lunch.”

Then Asaba-sensei left the classroom.

***

So, today I started eating my lunch quickly.

When I went to the staff room to borrow the key, the teacher said, “I’m sorry. It’s your lunch break and all.” The teacher thanked me.

Just because it’s lunchtime doesn’t mean there’s anything in particular to do. If you look at the grounds and courtyard, you will see some students playing with a ball, but I was not that active.

I took the key and went to the library. Fortunately, there were no third-year students waiting to use the library. I guessed that they did not want to spend the whole lunch break doing schoolwork, as I did not specify the time.

I go inside and turn on the lights.

Since I’m a member of the library committee, there’s a possibility that some may borrow books from the library. So I also turned on the terminal at the counter where the reading system is installed and the terminal for searching the library collection in the reading area.

As I was getting ready.

“Excuse me.”

I immediately recognized the voice who seemed to be probing if there was anyone present.

When I turned around, standing in the doorway was, as expected, Takinami Ruika and her group. She, Takajou-senpai, and three others, a total of five people.

“Are you the students who wanted to use the library?”

“Yes.”

Takinami-senpai nods with a smile.

“I wanted to research something for a group assignment, and the first thing that popped into my head was your face, Makabe-kun.”

I see. There are only a few who use the library. It’s an impossible thought for anyone other than the students who often come here to use the library.

“Thank goodness for Takinami-san.”

It was Takajou Miyabi-senpai who said so in a calm tone.

“I’d like it if you would thank me for being here. I’ll be doing things as usual, so you can use it as you like. You can also borrow books.”

“Thank you.”

Takinami senpai thanked me on behalf of the others, and the girls headed toward the reading table. First, they placed the notebooks and writing utensils they had brought on the table, then went to the stacks.

I sat at the counter as usual.

Takinami-senpai is the kind of person who has no idea what she’s doing here, but she has a fair amount of knowledge about how to search for books and about the order of books. There probably won’t be a situation where I would be needed or asked for help.

Since I have no helping hands, I will do my usual work for the time being. The first thing I did was make a list of overdue books, books that were due yesterday but have not been returned yet.

“Makabe-kun.”

While I was working like that, Takajou-senpai came up to me.

“Can you open this place for me during lunch if I ask?”

“No, this time is just special. I usually don’t do it.”

Normally, the library should be open during lunch break as well. However, this is only possible if there are enough members of the library committee who are on duty, so the school can’t ask me to do all that since I’m alone.

Perhaps they asked me this time because it was a request from a 12th-grade student who is preparing for an entrance examination.

“I see. What a shame.”

“Is it more convenient to keep it open?”

If there’s a request, you have to raise it to my advisor, not just to me.

“No, I just thought it would be a good place to take my selfies.”

“Pardon?”

My eyes suddenly widened.

“If I posted a selfie with the library in the background, people would say, ‘You’re dressed like that in the library?! What the hell?! I’m sure it would be filled with comments like that.”

“What are you thinking?! Please don’t use the library for that kind of thing.”

I heard that she usually takes selfies with the uniforms of foreign schools she ordered, but if she does that in this library, she would be identified by her school uniform. No, this person would be passionate enough to prepare uniforms for selfies, how terrifying.

“If you can work that out, I’ll let you have one picture as thanks.”

“I don’t need that kind of thing.”

“Oh, Takajou-san, what are you doing?”

“Kyaah”

Takinami-senpai was already standing behind Takajou-senpai before she knew it. She was standing with her arms crossed, and Takajou-senpai let out a small scream.

“I hope you’re not asking Makabe-kun anything strange again.”

“Shame. I already asked to be his cheating partner before and he said no, so I’ve given up.”

“C-Cheating partner?!”

Takinami-senpai exclaims.

“What were you offering him?!”

“Oh? So you don’t deny that you’re the legal wife?”

“M-Me and Makabe-kun are not like that.”

Takinami-senpai responded with her face bright red.

***

About ten minutes before the end of the lunch break, they finished their research and I was able to close the library.

Now I am walking down the hallway with Takinami-senpai and her group.

It’s not that we are going to return the key to the staff room together, but simply our destination is in the same direction.

“Ah, Naoi-kun!”

As we were walking along, one of the seniors spoke up.

Indeed, Naoi was coming toward us, accompanied by Izumikawa and his usual group.

“Naoi-kun, good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, seniors.”

The two groups, each led by Takinami Ruika and Naoi Kyouhei, are no strangers to each other, having eaten together once before in the cafeteria. They stop and greet each other in a friendly manner.

“Yo.”

I also called out to him.

With some kind of hope.

Naoi looked at me. But there was only a look of hostility which was unlike him. Stop. Don’t make that face.

“…….”

However, my wishes were in vain, and Naoi ignored me and started walking again.

“Ah, Naoi-kun…”

One of the seniors called Naoi, as if she wanted to greet and talk to him. But he did not stop.

I had hoped that the disturbance of Naoi’s mind due to jealousy would only be transient, but it seems that was not the case.

“Didn’t Naoi-kun look really angry just now?”

“Un, that was really unlike him…”

The seniors are blinking their eyes. Seeing Naoi Kyouhei, who was usually always smiling refreshingly. With an attitude like that, it’s only natural that they would react in that way.

The seniors looked at each other and then at me.

“Hey, you’re in the same class, right?”

They wanted to know the reason for Naoi’s attitude. The seniors all looked as if they wanted to ask something.

“As you guessed. I was the one who made Naoi angry. I got angry because he was always trying to act cool, so I lunged at him and was met with a good beating.”

I thought for a moment, then shrugged my shoulders and said.

“Of course that will happen.”

“And I wouldn’t say he’s acting cool. He’s actually really cool.”

As a result, they ganged up on me.

The nameless seniors started to walk. I walked slowly so that the distance between us would gradually widen.

Then two seniors lined up with me.

“I’m not impressed with such sloppy solutions.”

Takajou-senpai calmly said, and Takinami-senpai said nothing.

• • §§

I was with Takinami Ruika on my way home that day.

She was waiting for me at the school gate, even though I didn’t show up at the library after school. And when she saw me, she did not smile, but silently joined me.

She walks beside me with a look as if she wants to say something.

“Let me ask you this first, has my reputation as a kind librarian been lost?”

“No, not at all.”

Takinami-senpai shook her head.

“It’s not even talked about.”

“I bet. That’s how it is.”

This is the best I can do at the moment.

“I’m surprisingly selfish, you see. And I impose my ideals of what I want on people.”

I used to think that Hasumi Shion got angry when she was angry, and when she got angry, that was the end of it. I wanted her to be that kind of girl.

Just like now. I hope Naoi Kyouhei will be as fresh as the blue sky. It’s fine if he’s going to look at me with hostility, but he should do that while others are not looking which would result in his reputation lowering..

“Is that also true for me?”

“Of course. I want someone named Takinami Ruika to be beautiful, intelligent, kind to everyone, and ladylike.”

That’s the ideal Takinami Ruika that everyone desires.

“She has a two-sided face, and I want her to only show her true side to me.”

“……”

Takinami-senpai fell silent.

Then, after a while, “Geez,” was the only thing she said.

“If you so desire, Shizuru. I can be a bit of a dirty girl, you know?”

“That’s something I’ve always wanted to get fixed.”

I responded without a pause.