Friendship and the Nature of Scumbags, and Two People Getting Closer
Endo’s PoV
“Yes, I forgot something. There’s a quiz next week—English vocabulary. I left my vocabulary book, so I came back to get it.”
I used the excuse I had prepared. No matter how perceptive Imai-kun was, there was no way he would suspect me.
“I see. But don’t push yourself too hard. If you tell me, I’d be happy to bring it to your house…”
“That won’t work. I locked it in a locker, after all.”
He seemed convinced, so I moved on to the real task.
“By the way, is Aono-kun okay? I’ve been worried and tried to contact him, but he hasn’t read my messages.”
Maybe he’s avoiding his phone. If I were in his position, I’d do the same. When the situation gets overwhelming, checking SNS becomes terrifying.
“Oh, somehow. Thanks, Endo, for worrying about him too. Good to know it’s not just us—there are still people who care.”
“Of course. Aono-kun isn’t the kind of person the rumors make him out to be.”
“Then let’s go see him together. He’s taking a special class right now. Thanks to Takayanagi-sensei and others, he seems to be recovering quite well. I’m sure he’d be happy to see you.”
Thank you, Imai-kun. This information… will be a crucial part of my revenge.
It turns out the school can be trusted. That makes Hypothesis 1 seem more likely now.
I’ll provide the school with the photographic evidence and see how they handle it.
The school must have a fax number. Faxes are outdated, but if I send one anonymously, they won’t know who sent it.
To ensure they take it seriously, I’ll also drop an envelope with the photos into the school’s mailbox, addressed to Takayanagi-sensei.
That will mark the first phase of my revenge.
“Well, I’m heading home for today. See you later.”
I ended our conversation while keeping my composure. I couldn’t drag Imai-kun into my revenge. I didn’t want him to become a target for Kondo and his group.
“Okay. Take care, Endo. Wait… um… sorry… no, it’s nothing…”
He’s usually straightforward, but it seemed like he was hesitating.
“Yeah?”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. If things get really difficult, you can rely on me or Takayanagi-sensei, okay?”
For a moment, time froze.
Did he know? How could he? I quickly realized my expression had turned bitter and forced a smile.
“Oh, ah, you’re talking about my cold, right? Thanks for worrying about me.”
I deflected. He laughed.
“Haha, yes, your cold. It’s a lot of effort to come all the way here just for a vocabulary book…”
We didn’t justify or deny anything. Instead, we laughed as if we understood each other.
We parted ways with a shared, silent understanding.
Kondo’s PoV
I was finally released. My father decided to stay with Miyuki and her mother for a while, thinking it’d be less complicated, so he sent me home.
Damn, after all that stress relief, now it feels stressful again.
I checked my schedule on my phone.
I remembered we had a friendly match tomorrow. A school from another prefecture was coming to visit. If that’s the case, I’ll beat them and—
I’ll play with Plaything #1, who said she’d come to cheer me on.
“Life is fun.”
Eiji’s PoV
Uncle Minami said he wanted to talk to Mom about something, so Ichijo-san and I went for a walk in the nearby park to pass the time. By the time we got back, I was sure my brother would’ve finished frying his special oysters.
“Anyway, the week is over, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, thanks to you, we got through it.”
A whirlwind week had finally come to an end.
With summer vacation over, the first week of school was only three days long, and now it was almost the weekend.
Takayanagi-sensei had told me, “You should take another special class this weekend, but honestly, I think it’s better for you to just rest. The fatigue will ease once the tension subsides.” I’d take his advice.
To be honest, I was a little disappointed I wouldn’t see Ichijo-san. But—
“Hey, Senpai? Can I ask you for one selfish favor?”
“Of course.”
Not just one, but as many as you want. And this one? I’ll do it immediately.
“I’m counting on you. Then, here it is.”
She laughed, looked down slightly, then stopped and stood in front of me. With the setting sun behind her, she stared at me intently.
“Will you go on a date with me this weekend?”