Junior and Her Classmates
I parted ways with Senpai and went to class. The looks of my classmates were puzzled by the fact that I had skipped school yesterday and left the class unnoticed. Just to be safe, I had told my homeroom teacher that I wasn’t feeling well and would be taking the day off, so it should be treated as an early dismissal.
“Ichijo-san, I heard you weren’t feeling well, are you okay?”
The class president asks me worriedly. Seeing her wicker glasses and the way she looks like an honor student, I even feel relieved.
“Yes. I took a rest yesterday and I feel better now. I think I got a bit of a heat stroke.”
I reply in my usual friendly manner.
“I see, it’s still hot. Don’t take it too hard.”
“Yes. Thank you for your concern.”
This is my mask in class. I’m nice to everyone, but I still keep a little distance. That way I’m not isolated and I don’t have to worry about making people misunderstand.
Good looks are a double-edged sword in a closed space like a school. It is easy to provoke trouble in romantic relationships, and it is easy to make people jealous. So I try to avoid making enemies as much as possible by not getting too involved.
I really think I am an annoying woman. I really want to rely on someone, but I can’t. That’s why I keep pushing myself too hard, like yesterday.
I was ashamed of myself for suffering from this contradiction. And yet I have to play the role of Ai Ichijo that is expected of me at school. No one could see what kind of person I really was. Not my teachers, not my friends, not my servants….
Not even my own parent.
…Only one, Aono-senpai, the most special thing in my life, who I just met yesterday and who has become my best friend.
To him, I could reveal the most embarrassing parts of me, the real me, and the real me that even I didn’t know.
(My real self laughs like this. I don’t even know myself.)
The funny thing is that when I walk with him, I don’t suffer. He must think I’m a shield to protect him from everyone else. Because Senpai is kind and I am sneaky.
I think it’s Senpai who has protected my heart. So I think I want to spend as much time with him as possible.
I’m sure that’s how girls fall in love. I’m sure I’m a special case….
“Hey, Ichijo-san. I’m sorry. Can I ask you one more thing?”
The class president spoke to me again.
“What is it?”
“You know, I’m sorry. I, I saw it.”
“You saw it? Saw what?”
I know, but I’m going to check it out. I knew this would happen. So there was no need to get upset.
“Well, in the morning, Ichijo-san and ‘the senior we talked about’ went to school together.”
I knew it.
“Oh, you mean Aono-senpai?”
I dare to say his name out loud. As if everyone will hear me.
Sure enough, my classmates started buzzing when they heard the name.
”Why, Ichijo-san is….”
”Aono-senpai, you mean that Senpai who caused the violence, right?”
”That’s impossible. There must be some mistake.”
“Yes.”
The class president looks a little disappointed. I’m sure she wanted to ask me privately. She didn’t want to put me in a bad position. So she looks more than a little upset that it’s become such a big deal.
“Yes, I went to Senpai’s house and we went to school together.”
I also say it in a way that will have a ripple effect throughout the class. In this way, it should serve as a deterrent.
“From home, together! Is Ichijo-san so close to Senpai?”
“Yes. So close that Senpai’s mother even invites me to dinner.”
My classmates were very upset because they had never heard such rumors about me and male students.
In a way, I said it as if it was approved by the parents, which I’m sure was some kind of exclusivity on my part. But I wasn’t lying.
“Ichijo-san, do you know the rumor about Aono-senpai? Because I haven’t heard any good rumors about him!”
Mahira, a member of the soccer team who was nearby, suddenly joined the conversation.
He’s a relatively flirtatious, outgoing student, so he probably walked into the conversation unintentionally.
“Yeah, I know.”
I readily admit.
“Then why… are you doing this, he’s not worthy of Ichijo-san….”
I stare at him, expressing a little discomfort as I normally wouldn’t try to interrupt someone’s words. I give him an angry look.
“Hey, Mahira-kun? Have you ever talked to Aono-senpai directly?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Then have you seen the rumored incident firsthand?”
“…No.”
I asked as if to corner them. Perhaps sensing my anger, the students around me who had been gossiping irresponsibly fell silent, and the atmosphere was like a wake.
“Senpai is not the kind of person who does things like the rumors. That’s because I know him best as my best friend. He’s the one who saved me, so I’m indebted to him. So I hope you won’t say anything irresponsible.”
It would be counterproductive to push him too hard. So I change my tone to a gentle one and tell him admonishingly.
“Yes, I’m sorry I said irresponsible things when I don’t know him well.”
I’m glad that he was surprisingly honest and apologetic. He’s flirtatious, but I know he’s not a bad person at heart, so I’m relieved too.”
“No, it’s okay, I’m sorry I was a little harsh.”
I put the matter to rest with a mischievous smile.
“I’m sorry, I said something weird,” the class president apologized.
“It’s okay, there’s nothing to hide.”
In fact, I felt a little guilty that they were involved in my clever little maneuver.
Even if Senpai was found innocent of the slanderous accusations against him, it would be hard to erase the bad publicity. I did not want the rumor to become a negative legacy and torment Senpai in the future.
So I wanted to cover up the bad rumors with positive ones, even if only a little.
I would do anything for Senpai. I was determined to do this.