Chapter 37: Even in Second Year, Nothing Changes
And so, as a loner, I become a second-year student. Truly a chuunibyou.
I stop by Kousuke's house in the morning to check the class assignments together.
My hope is to be in the same class as Kousuke.
'Class 1, how about you, Kousuke?'
'Class 3.'
Seriously...? I heard there won't be any class changes until third year, so it's probably like this until graduation.
In my class, there's Sotomachi, the noisy Koishi, and also Kashii-san.
Since they split us into three classes, roughly a third of the people from last year's class are here.
As I enter the classroom, Kashii-san speaks to me.
'Tachibana-kun! We're in the same class again! Nice to see you!'
'Yeah, nice to—' 'We're together again, Kashii-san, nice to see you! Let's do our best until graduation!'
Sotomachi interrupts and starts talking to Kashii-san.
Sotomachi (SOTOMACHI)
Tachibana (TACHIBANA)
Since it's always in alphabetical order, my attendance number is right next to this person.
Well, whatever, I think, and glance to the side to see a gal named Ise-san staring at me intently.
(Gals are scary...)
Back when we were in the same class as kids, Ise-san was supposed to be a cute girl like a doll, a gentle and timid child, but...
'What are you looking at?'
'Oh, sorry.'
(Weren't you the one looking at me?)
She's still cute now, but she's grown into a flashy beauty with a strong personality.
Her hair is dyed a light brown, her uniform is worn sloppily, her skirt is short, and her chest is incredibly exposed.
Despite being tough and intimidating, she's popular thanks to her prominently assertive bust, and among the boys, she's a hugely popular gal-type girl. Is she really a middle schooler?
Kashii-san seems a bit down since Obata-san ended up in a different class this time.
I've heard that Ise-san is the leader of a different faction from Kashii-san and they don't get along, so there might be a power struggle among the girls in this class.
Among the boys, Sotomachi's faction has fewer members now, and there are a lot of neutral pairs, so if they recruit them, Sotomachi's faction could become the top caste among the boys in this class.
Among the boys, there's Kan-kun, a physical monster from the baseball club with a muscle faction of four people, likely the second strongest group, but since Kan-kun is all about muscle supremacy and has taken a liking to me for placing high in the marathon event (which is rare), I can expect a friendly neutral stance from him. By the way, Kan-kun won the marathon event.
Compared to last year, there seem to be fewer problematic people. Aoi and Tanaka are in different classes, so this year, my loner school life without friends in class begins again.
During morning homeroom, our homeroom teacher turns out to be Yanagi-sensei from the art department, a middle-aged male teacher who doesn't leave much of an impression.
Sotomachi and Kashii-san both volunteered for class representative and were immediately chosen.
I was sweating nervously, thinking, what if Koishi or someone else nominates me again? Phew, I'm relieved.
The teacher seems pretty hands-off and even said that being class representative would be tough. Hey, don't say that yourself. Still, he's probably better than last year's homeroom teacher.
And so, we move on to deciding the other committee members. It was the same flow last year, right? I feel a bit nostalgic thinking about it, and as I do, I keep catching Kashii-san's eye.
(Did I make her worry about me?)
It seems I still have some fixation on being class representative. It's a mix of trauma, lingering attachment, regret, and something I can't quite name.
But I still feel frustrated that I couldn't fulfill the role of class representative with Kashii-san.
There were various explanations, but since we're second-years now, there's not much new to hear.
Apparently, there will be more career-related submissions and surveys.
Various committee roles are being decided. As a loner, I just watch quietly and absentmindedly.
'Hey.'
Ise-san speaks to me.
'Aren't you gonna do anything?'
'Not really.'
'Did you really beat Aoi in a fight? Twice, even?'
'Well, some stuff happened...'
(This is straight out of a yankee manga!)
I'm shocked. Is this the setup where I save Ise-san when she's in trouble at the right moment, and then we gradually get closer as she struggles to be honest with me?
...No way.
She said she had something to ask and told me to meet her after school.
I refused, but she forced me into agreeing.
After school.
Kashii-san approaches me.
'Tachibana-kun, can I talk for a bit—' 'I've got prior plans, so I'll pass, Kashii Rena.'
Ise-san cuts in, interrupting Kashii-san.
Kashii-san, unusually annoyed, quickly puts on a smile and says,
'...Well, it can't be helped, right? Sorry for interrupting!'
It's rare for Kashii-san to have such a tense vibe. Ise-san seems tense too. Are they really on bad terms?
'Over here, Tachibana!'
I'm being dragged along. Am I seriously going to be taken to some hangout spot and get beaten up?
I'm led to the staircase in the special classroom building where the art and science rooms are.
There's no one around. From the atmosphere, it's definitely not about romance, and besides, I've had no real connection with Ise-san until now.
Huh? Am I really going to get beaten up?
'Hey, can you tell me about the bullying incident and the thing with Aoi?'
———————————————
Right after Aoi's confession, a scary senior came to watch, and I complained about how terrifying it was.
That day, Ise-san came to see the rumored Tachibana.
'...'
(That's Tachibana? He doesn't look that strong.)
'...'
(Some yankee senior with a huge chest is glaring at me!)
Sho was too scared to make eye contact, so glancing sideways, he thought Ise-san, with her large chest, must be a senior girl.
———————————————
Kashii '...'
Kashii-san is absolutely furious.