“This wasn’t your idea, was it, Kageyuki? Who else is in?”
“Right now, aside from me, there’s Oshimi-senpai from the drama club and this guy in my grade, Shiranui.”
“——————”
You know her? I nearly ask, but stop myself when I notice.
Minase, standing right in front of me, has her eyes wide open in shock.
She’s usually so expressionless—seeing her this stunned is rare.
When I glance back, Isago looks just as bewildered.
“……Uh, did I say something weird?”
I turn back to Minase, and she nods.
“Very.”
“That much…?”
“Just to confirm—you mean Shiranui Natsuki from Class B, right?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Right. There’s nobody else with that name, so obviously.”
This school’s pretty big, but if there’s more than one Natsuki in the same grade, they’d know each other.
……And yet, among the four Natsukis—including Kimiya—there’s always this weird tension. The only exception is between Minase and Isago.
Minase asks me:
“Are you… close with Shiranui, Kageyuki?”
“Close? Hmm… I wouldn’t say we’re not on good terms?”
“Huh… Well, if it’s you, I guess that makes sense.”
She says it like she’s accepted something.
Still, her reaction is odd. This time, I’m the one asking.
“Uh… do you and Isago not get along with Shiranui or something?”
“No, nothing like that. We’ve barely even talked.”
Is that so? That’s… good? Maybe?
At the very least, Minase keeps her usual blank expression as she continues.
“But—and I don’t say this to criticize, so don’t take it the wrong way.”
“……Yeah.”
“She doesn’t have the best reputation.”
She’s talking about Shiranui, of course.
I don’t react immediately. Neither of us speaks—not me, not Minase.
“Did Shiranui do something?”
“Hmm… hard to say. I don’t want to spread rumors, so I shouldn’t say more.”
“…………”
“But since the start of the year, she’s barely talked to anyone. Not that I’m one to talk, but… I figured I should at least mention it.”
“—Actually,”
Isago cuts in, picking up where Minase left off.
She stares at me with a puzzled look.
“Kage-kun, you haven’t heard about this from Kimiya-san?”
“Kimiya…?”
The unexpected name makes me narrow my eyes.
What’s this about? I tilt my head in confusion, but Isago continues like it’s obvious.
“Yeah. Wait, you are close with Kimiya-san, right?”
“I mean… yeah, but—”
“I didn’t dig into it ’cause I’m not that interested, but… back in middle school, the group Shiranui was in? Kimiya-san destroyed it. That whole feud was pretty well-known.”
—Such a disturbing choice of words.
Coming from Isago, it barely feels real.
“Wh-what do you mean…?”
“I mean exactly what I said.”
“Exactly…?”
“Well, if you make her your enemy, what else would you expect? Kimiya-san is the last person you’d want to cross in this school. So they got wiped out. Simple as that.”
“…………”
My head starts to hurt. Is this really just about school life?
Destroyed? Wiped out? It sounds like something out of the Warring States period.
“In other words—”
Minase picks up where Isago left off.
Her tone is almost like she’s reading a news script.
“All of Shiranui’s friends from middle school were expelled because of Kimiya-san.”
“——————”
“Shiranui’s the only one left at Seishinkan now. And ever since then, she’s barely interacted with anyone… That’s why I was surprised.”
I remember the first time I met Shiranui.
That stubborn, prickly attitude—like she was outright rejecting any connection with others.
Now, it feels like I finally understand where that came from.
“—Kimiya-san is scary, you know.”
Without a trace of malice—just stating a fact—Isago mutters.
This isn’t like when I joke about it. If what she’s saying is true… it’s a side of Kimiya Natsuki that doesn’t suit her at all.
“If Kimiya-san decides you don’t belong here, you won’t last long in this school.”
Don’t belong.
Unfit.
As if you’re not worth keeping around.
I’m left speechless, stunned.
—Then, my phone buzzes in my pocket.
Without thinking, I pull it out. Maybe I should’ve realized—at a moment like this, it couldn’t be good news.
It’s a message from Shiranui.
[What do I do? It’s over.]
For the first time in a while, I feel like the ground beneath me is crumbling.
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3
“Aahh, what do I do…!? What should I do, Kageyukiiii…!?”
Shiranui, who I met up with at the dormitory cottage, was groaning with her head in her hands.
If anything, seeing her so openly panicked actually calmed me down.
“Take it easy, Shiranui. First, tell me what happened.”
“Ah, r-right. Sorry, I kinda freaked out…”
“It’s fine. I’m listening.”
“Yeah.”
She gives a small nod, then—
“……Thanks. You’re surprisingly nice, Kageyuki.”
“…………”
“Ah, s-sorry! ‘Surprisingly’ was rude.”
“—Never mind that. What’s this about it being ‘over’?”
“Oh—right! So, um… apparently, we can’t form a troupe.”
“What…?”
“Like, it’s banned. That’s what they told me…”
“Who’s ‘they’?”
“The student council.”
“——————”
This makes no sense. In so many ways.
Trying not to let my thoughts stall, I urge her to continue.
“What’s the reason?”
“I don’t… really know for sure.”
“But?”
“……Probably ’cause I’m involved?”
“I don’t… get it. Why would you being there be a problem?”
“Maybe ’cause I’m a troublemaker… Haha, not that I should be saying that myself. I was kind of a delinquent?”
“You were?”
“Yeah.”
She nods slightly, but even so, it doesn’t add up.
Banned? It’s not like we’re planning some student protest—why would they care?
“Well, it’s not like that part matters…”
Shiranui shakes her head weakly.
Her tone sounds almost resigned.
“But after senpai went out of her way to invite me, this is just… I feel awful. And you too, Kageyuki. Sorry…? It’s my fault things turned out like this.”
“Don’t worry about it. Apologizing just makes it harder. I just don’t get the logic here.”
“……That’s…”
“Hey, if you’ve got any idea, just tell me. Why would they say that?”
When I press her, Shiranui hesitates, looking away.
There’s definitely something she doesn’t want to say. After a pause, she speaks in a quiet voice.
“……If I tell you, you’ll hate me. So I don’t wanna.”
“…………”
“But I guess I have to. Fine, I’ll say it.”
Her trembling voice suddenly grows firm.
But it’s not because she’s steeled herself or made some grand resolve.
—It’s just that Shiranui Natsuki’s acting skills are that good.
“I won’t hate you. Relax.”
So I tell her. Shiranui looks up.
“……Yeah.”
“You don’t believe me, huh? Whatever you say, I won’t hate you. I promise.”
“……How can you say that so easily?”
“————”
For a second, I hesitate.
Not because I’m lying or putting on a front. If anything, it’s the opposite.
I said it without thinking—just pure, unfiltered honesty.
—And it reminds me how little I’ve grown.
Even so, I push forward.
“It’s not like Shiranui has done anything to make me hate her—that’s the first point.”
“W-what’s that supposed to mean…?”
“The second point is just that I’m bad at it—hating people.”
“…………”
Shiranui’s eyes widened in surprise, her expression blank.
A few seconds later, she burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking as her composure crumbled.
“What’s with that? You don’t have any basis for it.”
“That’s not true. People just have things they can and can’t do, that’s all.”
“Maybe you’re right. …Okay, I’ll believe you. I’m the same way.”
“The same?”
“…Yeah. I’m bad at hating people too. What I’m about to tell you is related to that.”
A pause.
Then, Shiranui spoke.
“Actually… I’ve always been bad at getting along with people.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Ugh, shut up… Fine. Anyway, when I first came to this school, I couldn’t make any friends. Back in my first year, I was always an outcast. Part of it was because of work, though.”
“…And?”
“Well, this is supposed to be a story about how I did eventually make friends. Around the time I cut back on work, a few classmates started talking to me.”
“…That’s nice.”
“Yeah. Things like, ‘We’re friends, so treat me to lunch,’ or ‘We’re friends, so introduce me to some celebrities.’ That kind of thing. So, yeah, I finally had friends.”
“Hey…”
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