Chapter 02: Because you’re a baby

(Well, as long as Sakurazaki is doing fine, that’s all that matters. The fact that she’s managing well at this school—I know that well enough.)

Daikichi Sakoda, while resenting himself for not coming up with a better plan, also didn’t really want to stand out on campus; so from now on, he resolved to cut back even further on checking up on Sakurazaki.

Daikichi Sakoda curled up with his knees drawn to his chest, waiting for Sakurazaki and the others to leave.

However, it seemed his hiding spot was too poor—since a bit of his body was visible, one of Sakurazaki’s friends noticed him.

――That’s… Sakurazaki’s beloved Daikichi-chan Senpai, isn’t it?

――Eh!? Ah, you’re right.

――Let’s leave you alone with Sakī. Go on, be all lovey and call out, “Daikichi-chan Senpai～♥”.

――But I was the one who came up with calling you Daikichi-chan Senpai, so only I should use it… Don’t use it.

――Sakurazaki, unlike the others, I’m purely rooting for you.

――…Thank you.

――Alright then, bye-bye.

――Don’t hold me!

Daikichi, who had been mulling things over alone, finally became aware of the situation when he heard Sakurazaki’s footsteps—nudged on by his friend.

“Oh, no…!”

Daikichi stood up, intending to run, but it was already too late. His decision to hide in a recess had been a mistake. With walls behind and on either side, his only escape was straight ahead—and there stood a blushing Sakurazaki.

Realizing there was no way out, Daikichi resigned himself. For now, he decided to try to create an opportunity for escape by talking to Sakurazaki.

“G—what a coincidence.”

“Really? Daikichi-chan Senpai is Red-Eke-chan, so you weren’t just wanting to stay by my side, were you?”

“I had just come out of the staff room.”

“Then why were you hiding? Isn’t that odd?”

“Because I found you…”

“Why does Daikichi-chan Senpai hide whenever he finds me? Don’t you have something you want to tell me…?”

Daikichi knew exactly how Sakurazaki felt; in a good way, she regarded him as a romantic interest. It was so obvious that if he were to confess, he was certain she would tease him as usual yet agree.

However, Daikichi did not desire that.

Simply put, if Sakurazaki could stay happy and manage well at this school, that was enough for him.

But relationships are a two-way street; no matter what Daikichi thought, everything could change based on Sakurazaki’s actions.

Right then, Sakurazaki was clutching the sleeve of Daikichi’s uniform. This indicated that the ideal relationship he envisioned was different from the one she had in mind.

“I don’t have anything specific to say… but then, why are you grabbing my sleeve?”

Daikichi, while concealing his true feelings, tried in vain to escape. However, Sakurazaki only tightened her grip on his sleeve.

“Eh? Because if I don’t hold you, you’ll just run off.”

“What if I said, ‘Let go’?”

“Because babies need to be watched over—no way.”

“Eee…”

“You’re always just watching me—what’s up with that? Why don’t you just talk to me normally?”

Daikichi was troubled by Sakurazaki’s actions, and being treated like a baby by someone younger made him feel rather annoyed.

Moreover, the fact that her affections were directed at him filled him with an inexplicable, awkward guilt.

In such moments, one might consider adopting a resolutely distant attitude—but that was something Daikichi simply couldn’t do.

If he could take such action, he would have managed his distance with Sakurazaki before things escalated, and he wouldn’t be dreading these daily encounters.

In the end, Daikichi understood that this was all his own responsibility, and he resigned himself to not fleeing—just this once.

But,

“…Alright, then. So, where are we going? If you’re not going to let go, I guess I’ll have to stick with you.”

Daikichi’s response seemed to have caught Sakurazaki off guard; she blinked rapidly—pachi pachi—several times in surprise. It appeared she was astonished that Daikichi, who always ran away whenever she spoke to him, had finally relented.

Most of that also means that the fact she herself prevented Daikichi’s escape has completely slipped from Sakurazaki’s mind…

Well, Daikichi knew that Sakurazaki was a transfer student from the upper division of a regular school and had achieved excellent grades through sheer dedication to her studies. It was understandable, then, that she was unaccustomed to interacting with the opposite sex—she had no experience with romance.

Even though Sakurazaki sometimes played innocently, she kept it strictly with the same gender and only within limits that wouldn’t affect her grades, as her current demeanor clearly showed.

However, even if he understood all that, Daikichi simply didn’t know how to interact with a girl like Sakurazaki.

“Daikichi-chan Senpai… is it okay if we go out together?”

“Otherwise, you won’t let me go.”

“R-really? Then, there’s somewhere I was planning to go, so… together…”

“Alright. Where to?”

“Um, the 100-yen shop.”

It wasn’t entirely clear what business Sakurazaki had at a 100-yen shop, but Daikichi ended up going on his first outing with her.

By the way, Daikichi noticed that Sakurazaki’s friends were secretly watching them and whispering about something.

――Ah, oh dear, it looks like the time we get to hang out with Sakurazaki is going to decrease from now on.

――She used to be such a valuable source of everyday insights and information, but if she ends up with someone she likes, she probably won’t have the time or mental space to hang out with us—especially since she can’t let her grades drop.

――Maybe we’ll only get to invite her out off-campus once a month. What a shame. When hanging out with her, we always managed to have fun without spending money.

――Honestly, if that senpai of hers starts dating her, I doubt even a monthly outing will be possible. Sakurazaki seems like the type who gets completely absorbed once she falls in love.

――I totally get that. She’s the kind of girl who becomes outrageously passionate only for the person she loves.

――For someone who should remember the essence of being a lady, her language is so crude sometimes. Am I the only one cheering for her from the perspective that she might one day attain that magnificent love that transcends class and status?

Daikichi couldn’t quite understand what they were talking about, but since they didn’t seem to be following him on the outing, he decided there was no need to worry about it.

Daikichi wasn’t the type to suddenly butt into conversations among younger girls whose names he didn’t even know, and he was aware of that himself, so he figured that worrying would only exhaust him without getting any answers.

During the walk to the 100-yen shop, Daikichi and Sakurazaki maintained an awkward distance.

The cause was Daikichi himself.

Even when Sakurazaki tried to start a conversation, he always responded absentmindedly, resulting in occasional, awkward silences.

However, once they arrived at the 100-yen shop, the atmosphere began to ease somewhat.

Perhaps realizing that things couldn’t continue like this, Sakurazaki, biting her lower lip in exasperation, led him into the store by tugging at his sleeve and saying, “This way, this way.”

Sakurazaki took Daikichi to the cosmetics section.

Daikichi was a little surprised at how spacious and stocked with products the section was—more so than he had expected.

Since he usually led a modest lifestyle, Daikichi often shopped at 100-yen shops; however, he mostly bought everyday necessities and had never really paid attention to cosmetics, so he hadn’t realized there were so many products here.

“There’s so much stuff here. I come to places like this when I need something, but I never look at the cosmetics section, so I didn’t know there was so much.”

“You actually come here often?”

“Not really—I’m not rich.”

“…Hmm.”

Sakurazaki’s eyes narrowed. There was an air about her, as if she were trying to pry into Daikichi’s usual way of life.

Figuring that it would be troublesome to try hiding what he was asked, Daikichi decided to answer honestly.

“What do you usually buy at a place like this?”

“Things like replacement rollers, you know—there are even packs of two for 100 yen.”

“What else?”

“Wet tissues, for one. For things like toilet paper, it’s obviously cheaper and more desirable at a drugstore, so I go there… But for drinks, I buy them in bulk during supermarket sales.”

“You’re more ordinary than I thought… I mean, bulk buying? Does that mean your dad or mom are busy? Now that I think about it, I heard from a friend that Daikichi-chan Senpai’s family was originally part of the nobility or something like that. So maybe you’re busy attending various gatherings and whatnot?”

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

Deciding to answer honestly to what was being asked, Daikichi barely had time to prepare when Sakurazaki lobbed an awkward, difficult question at him.