Chapter 73 Avoided, Completely
#18ZenkouSeitoAvoided, Completely
Time flowed on…
July arrived, ushering in the true start of summer.
The school had fully embraced the summer vacation mood, a certain lightness filling the air.
“…It’s so damn hot.”
As for me, while I was certainly happy about the upcoming break, the heat was something I just couldn’t welcome.
Just walking to school was enough to drench me in sweat—utterly unpleasant from the very start of the day.
Seeking refuge, I ducked into the entrance hall, sighing as the slight coolness brushed against my skin, then made my way to the shoe lockers.
And there, at my class’s locker, I spotted a familiar face.
“Ah, Kiriha.”
“…!!”
The moment I called out to her, Kiriha flinched, her body jerking as if startled.
Hesitantly, she removed her headphones and turned toward me with a wary look.
“K-Kyogoku…”
“Yo.”
Hardly qualifying as a proper greeting, I muttered the word while opening my shoe locker.
Kiriha, too, looked as if she wanted to say something but instead silently opened her own locker and put away her shoes.
There wasn’t really anything for us to talk about.
So, we remained silent… until—
In a moment of carelessness, our shoulders brushed.
“Ah, sorr—”
“…!!!”
Kiriha recoiled, practically leaping away from me.
Then, eyes wide, she glared at me like a cat on high alert.
“W-What the hell?”
“N-Nothing…”
What was that?
She didn’t seem like her usual self.
There was an awkwardness to her—something just felt… off.
Normally, Kiriha would’ve thrown in a snide remark or two without a second thought.
But now, that signature sharp tongue of hers was nowhere to be found.
“…”
She stared at me intently.
“What? Do you need something from me?”
“Wha—! O-Of course not!”
“I see…”
Yeah, something was definitely weird.
Though, to be fair, it had been a while since we last spoke.
“Still, you haven’t called me ‘annoying’ or ‘gross’ even once today.”
“Huh?”
“Usually, you throw those words around like they’re part of your breathing pattern. But today, not a single insult… Did something change?”
“…!!”
Kiriha fumbled, looking away, clearly flustered.
“Well, as the usual target of your abuse, I can’t say I’m complaining. Maybe you’re finally learning not to go around hurting people with your words—”
“S-Shut up! Y-You idiot!!”
“…Huh?”
Kiriha spun on her heel and took off running.
In mere moments, she had vanished from sight.
“I-Idiot…?”
The word choice was so uncharacteristic that I was left even more confused.
“What the hell is up with her?”
Tilting my head in puzzlement, I slipped on my slippers.
Kiriha Kirino’s Perspective
I ran down the hallway.
My body felt strangely hot, and I wanted to escape to some quiet place where no one was around.
Kyogoku’s face flashed through my mind.
He had called out to me. We had met eyes.
And once again, my heart had jumped.
Words had caught in my throat, and my chest felt noisy, unsettled.
“What is this…?”
It was seriously annoying.
“So annoying… Annoying, annoying…!”
And yet, the words refused to come out properly, leaving me nothing but a jittery mess.
It made no sense.
…No, that wasn’t true. I understood.
The possibility had already crossed my mind.
But that couldn’t be it.
No way. Absolutely not.
Because this was me.
Because this was Kyogoku.
There was no way it could be anything else.
And so, from that day forward, Kiriha continued to subtly avoid me…
Until one day, with summer break looming just around the corner—
“So? You called me out for what exactly?”
“Why do you sound so dissatisfied? You should be clapping your hands in joy. I’m taking time out of my busy after-school schedule just for you, Kyogoku.”
“I don’t recall becoming the kind of person who claps their hands in joy over something like this.”
“Fair enough. If you got any more amusing, the balance of ‘interesting’ in the world would be thrown into chaos.”
“That sounds like a compliment, but it’s actually an insult…”
I sighed as Suzaku-sensei leaned back in her chair, casually tilting a sake bottle.
Of course, this hopeless boozehound of a teacher was only drinking water.
“By the way, Kyogoku, seems like you’ve been getting along well with Irara and Kiriha lately.”
“I suppose. I get along with Irara… or at least, I think I do.”
“You sound so unsure. Just say it with confidence. Otherwise, I’ll make you drink.”
“Drink?!”
“It’s just amazake.”
“Doesn’t matter—why do you tack ‘sake’ onto everything?!”
At this rate, she’d probably start downing cooking wine next.
Honestly, for a teacher, she was way too much of a drunkard.
“Anyway, get to the point. Why did you call me here?”
“No need to rush. It’s about time…”
Just as Suzaku-sensei spoke—
The staff room door swung open.
The person who stepped in was—
“Excuse me. Is Suzaku-sensei—wait, Kyogoku?!”
“Ah, Kiriha.”
The moment Kiriha spotted me, she bolted right out of the room.
Then, hesitantly, she peeked back in from the doorway, eyeing me warily.
Suzaku-sensei, expressionless, glanced in my direction.
“What’s this, Kyogoku? Getting ignored again?”
“Don’t phrase it like that!”
Eventually, after some coaxing, Kiriha reluctantly took a seat beside me…
“Now then, the reason I called you two here—it’s more of a request, or maybe an order… Well, let’s just say it’s a request with no room for refusal.”
“A request you can’t refuse? That’s just called an order.”
I shot back, making Suzaku-sensei clear her throat.
Then, after glancing between me and Kiriha, she finally got to the point.
“You two will be in charge of organizing the library shelves over summer break as library committee members.”
““…Huh?!””