4
And so, we finally made it to school.
“Haaah… Man, I’m exhausted…!”
“Y-yeah… Running nonstop from the station was way farther than I thought… huff…”
Both Shiranui and I were pretty winded, but at least we weren’t late.
The rule was to gather five minutes early. Not that I needed to be here, but since things turned out this way, I was in too deep to back out now. I had some responsibility for dragging her along, so I figured I’d see this through to the end.
“…Man. An hour ago, I never would’ve imagined this mess.”
“Y-yeah… Hahaha…”
“Not that it’s funny, but… heh.”
Even as I said it, I couldn’t help but crack a smile.
The moment I locked eyes with Shiranui, it hit me— What the hell are we even doing?—and I just snapped back to normal.
“Hey, Kageyuki…”
Once the laughter died down, Shiranui suddenly spoke up.
For some reason, her gaze was fixed on her own right palm.
“…What’s up?”
“Ah. N-nothing… Just felt a little nostalgic, that’s all.”
She clenched her right fist in her left hand, as if holding something tight.
Then, keeping her grip firm, she turned her eyes back to me and smiled.
“Kageyuki, you might actually be kinda nice?”
“I get that a lot.”
“Haha. Not denying it?”
“Not confirming it either. I’m not nice to everyone. Normally, I’d charge you for this.”
“You’d take money!?”
“If it were work, sure… But this isn’t work, so it’s whatever.”
“…………”
“Helping a friend in trouble should be free. Charging for that would just be scummy.”
“…Right.”
She giggled, shoulders shaking.
Then, she hit me with this:
“Kageyuki, you’re such a pain in the ass.”
“I don’t wanna hear that from you …!”
“Hahaha!”
“Sigh… So? Where’s the meet-up spot?”
Right now, we were just past the school gate.
There were still about five minutes left. If it were the main building, we’d make it, but—
“I-it’s fine! The meeting’s at the gate, so…!”
“Got it. Then we’re good.”
“Yeah. —Oh, looks like the senpai’s here too.”
Following Shiranui’s gaze, I spotted Oshimi-senpai walking toward us from the distance.
“Huh? What’s this rare combo? What’s up, Butler-kun?”
Despite her surprise, Oshimi-senpai narrowed her eyes cheerfully. I bowed slightly.
“Hey. —Well, let’s just say… circumstances.”
“Pfft—Hah! What kinda circumstances lead to this ?”
“Butler-kun…?”
Shiranui, standing beside me, tilted her head at the odd nickname.
Not like I needed to explain. Oshimi-senpai was the only one who called me that.
And now that we were here, there was no reason for me to stick around. I turned back to Shiranui.
“Since you made it, we’re done here, right?”
“Ah, y-yeah… Thanks for getting me here.”
She gave a small, firm nod. I shrugged.
“Eh, I just ran with you.”
“But you cheered me on too. I might not have made it without that.”
Her smile was soft, her expression completely natural—nothing like how she’d been acting earlier.
If she’d been this straightforward from the start, things would’ve been easier. Then again, the whiplash kinda made it fun.
“Ohhh… Shiranui-chan, you’re showing your real self to Butler-kun, huh?”
Suddenly, Oshimi-senpai’s eyes widened as she spoke. I answered.
“That’s just circumstances too.”
“Pretty sure that’s not something you show by accident… Right, Shiranui-chan?”
Shiranui’s face turned red.
“I-I just got caught off guard, okay?!”
“Oh? Caught off guard?”
“No.” / “Yes!”
Our contradictory answers overlapped.
Pouting, Shiranui glared at me.
“That’s exactly what happened! You even peeked into my room yesterday!”
“Don’t make it sound so shady.”
“But it’s true! I was supposed to keep my cool image!”
“That was never happening.”
“Wh-why do you say stuff like that, Kageyuki!? You’re so mean!!”
“—BAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Watching our back-and-forth, Oshimi-senpai burst into laughter.
“Senpai! This isn’t funny!!”
“Nah, nah, this is hilarious. It’s great that you two get along so well.”
“G-get along? N-no way…! I-it’s too soon for that!!”
When would be the right time, then?
As Shiranui’s face burned red, Oshimi-senpai grinned at her. They seemed pretty close. Come to think of it, I think Kimiya had mentioned something like that.
“Oh! I know!”
Abruptly, Oshimi-senpai clapped her hands together.
With me tilting my head and Shiranui blinking in confusion, she flashed a mischievous smile.
“Why don’t you join us too, Butler-kun?”
“Join you… for what?”
“Since we’re here, how about I share something with you too?”
“…?”
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A strange proposal. At the very least, it didn’t sound like a casual hangout invite. She clearly had something specific to discuss.
But if that was the case, why involve me ?
As I stood there puzzled, Oshimi-senpai turned back to Shiranui.
“You’re fine with that, right, Shiranui-chan?”
“Huh? Uh… sure, I don’t mind. Wasn’t this supposed to be about me, though?”
“I actually wanted Butler-kun to hear this too. You got time?”
Her eyes flicked back to me.
If I didn’t have time, I wouldn’t have been messing around with Shiranui. So I nodded.
“No plans. What’s this about?”
“A little favor—well, more like a consultation, I guess?”
“Consultation…”
“Just hear me out. As for the place… I was thinking a café near the station, but…?”
“———————”
For a second, Shiranui and I exchanged glances.
Our thoughts aligned instantly.
“Why not just stay on campus?”
“Hmm? I was kinda hoping to treat you to something…”
“That’s unnecessary.”
Not that I’d admit it, but the real reason was that going back would’ve been a pain.
Shiranui nodded beside me, so Oshimi-senpai tapped her chin thoughtfully.
“Then where…? The clubroom’s freshly cleaned, so someone’s bound to be there… In that case, how about borrowing Shiranui’s secret base? You’ve got the key, right?”
“Ah, yeah.”
Shiranui nods her head.
Her “secret base” was that old lodge, huh?
“Then go ahead and wait for me there. I’ve gotta grab a few things first.”
When we nodded, she waved. “See you soon!” and headed back toward the school building.
I glanced at Shiranui.
“You and Oshimi-senpai are close?”
“Most of the upperclassmen here were my senpais in middle school too. We’ve known each other a while.”
“Makes sense, but… you don’t strike me as the type with a lot of friends.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?”
“No ulterior motive. Just saying you two seemed pretty tight.”
For a moment, Shiranui glared at me, annoyed.
But eventually, she sighed softly and nodded.
“Well… yeah. Oshimi-senpai’s kinda in the same industry too.”
“Oh right, she’s an actress too, isn’t she?”
“She’s more into stage acting, so technically it’s different, but… yeah. That’s the connection.”
“Huh…”
I didn’t get the nuances between acting fields, but if they were both in entertainment, it made sense they’d be close.
“C’mon, let’s go. I’ll properly invite you in today.”
She grinned. I smirked back.
“Didn’t realize I needed your permission to enter that shack.”
“You always say stuff like that, Kageyuki… No wonder you don’t have friends.”
“Says the one with how many?”
“…………………… Fuyuu “
Shiranui’s face crumpled in despair.
“Sorry, my bad. Don’t look so sad. Pretty sure you’ve got more than me!”
“Being more popular than a transfer student in high school isn’t something to brag about…”
Man, she’s fragile…
How’d someone this sensitive survive the cutthroat entertainment world?
——Turning the thought over in my head, we headed for the lodge.
Somehow, I’d ended up visiting the old Seishinkan Second Club Building’s northeast area a lot lately.
Following Shiranui as she unlocked the door, I stepped inside.
“Random question—why do you have the key?”
“Hmm… Let’s just say reasons .”
“…Got it.”
She clearly wasn’t explaining, so I dropped it. Shiranui continued.
“Well, the biggest reason is that it won’t be usable much longer.”
“Huh?”
“Right now, this place is technically under the Drama Club’s management. But no one really uses it, so… it’s getting torn down after summer break. Supposedly, it was originally scheduled for winter break.”
“Oh… Makes sense. It is pretty old.”
“Haha. It’s not dangerously run-down or anything. But anyway, Oshimi-senpai gave me permission to use it until then. Not that it’s strictly allowed, but… Hiyama sensei said it’s fine for the first term.”
Now that I think about it, didn’t Oshimi-senpai say that Hiyama sensei, my homeroom teacher, is the advisor for the drama club?
I naturally started observing the inside of the shed.
Compared to how it looked from the outside, it was definitely cleaner inside. If I thought of it as just a club room, it wasn’t bad. Having a personal space like this within the school… that’s quite a luxury.
“This is nice. Like a secret base.”
I said it quietly, almost to myself, and Shiranui smiled happily.
“Hehehe. Right? Right?”
“Yeah. Honestly, I’m kind of jealous.”
“Oh! So you like it that much, Kageyuki!”
“Eh? Ah, yeah… I guess so.”
“If you like it that much, then I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll let you use it too. Just this once—special permission!”
“…Well, thanks.”
Shiranui was ridiculously easy to please.
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