"Okay," she just replies, "i'll be right there. We have a quiz today."
"Yes... Can you help me hand out the—hm?" Mister Sasayabu interrupts himself. Finding this odd, i read his expression, and it's saying, "What's that?"
Oh, i think—in apologizing, Nadeko instinctively put both her hands on her thighs. In other words, she exposed her wrists to Mister Sasayabu.
In other words, Mister Serpent on her right wrist.
Nadeko gulps.
The Serpent is quiet—he doesn't talk, and he stays enwrapped around Nadeko's right wrist, not moving an inch.
In that state, he really seems like just a tacky scrunchy—not that he could do anything about the tackiness if he tried.
Anyway, the Serpent doesn't say anything.
He pretends to be an accessory like he promised.
i'm glad, but in this case, just because he's pretending to be an accessory doesn't mean—
"Well, fine... I'll let it pass," i hear Mister Sasayabu mumble.
Like he's talking to himself and doesn't mean for Nadeko to hear.
i guess he doesn't find Mister Serpent suspicious and was just noting Nadeko's violation of the school rules.
Immoderate accessories are subject to confiscation...
It seems like Mister Sasayabu decided to overlook it, though.
i'm not grateful.
Because it's just another case of feeling that "dealing with this girl is tiresome.
It's just what i was expecting, too.
. .It's true that Nadeko herself finds being treated in such a way nice and "hassel-free." It's relaxing for a student when a homeroom teacher doesn't want to get too involved with you.
i breathe out a sigh of relief and wonder if i should wear a blouse with longer sleeves tomorrow, but...
"By the way, Sengoku. What your teacher asked you to do the other day—how's it going?" Mister Sasayabu says, making Nadeko breathe her sigh back in with an ack.
Not like that's a real figure of speech.
"H-How's it going?"
"Any closer to getting it worked out?"
"Um."
Mister Sasayabu's words send Nadeko into a light—no, a heavy panic. Nadeko can feel her fingertips shaking.
It's not like i've just sprinted or anything, but Nadeko's knees are trembling, too.
The panic isn't because i don't understand what Mister Sasayabu is saying—in fact, it's because i know what he's talking about and it's a topic that i want to avoid that i'm panicking so much.
"Hey hey, I'm counting on you," he responds to Nadeko's not-a-response of a reaction, clearly disappointed. "You realize that this needs to get taken care of fast, right?"
"You're the only one I can count on—Class President Sengoku."
With that, he raises a hand and leaves.
Well, like always, i guess.
While i stand around mumbling, the other person leaves.
Even Nadeko's homeroom teacher.
You could call it Nadeko's killer anti-personnel tactic. In her whole life, the other person never failed to walk away, right, except for like once—
"You're the class president?" the Serpent asks as soon as Mister Sasayabu is gone.
He doesn't sound cynical, just plain surprised—and Nadeko is very proud that she surprised an aberration when their business is surprising people.
That's a lie, i don't think that.
i feel like i've been found out.
i wanted to keep it a secret because he might make fun of Nadeko...
"Yeah. Nadeko is the class president."
"Liar. Class president? Like the class representative? The most respected student, who's responsible for managing class affairs—is you? Hmmmm, Nadeko?"
Mister Serpent sounds completely unconvinced—he's being incredibly rude from an objective point of view, but i kind of understand. "Not really. .. The class president isn't respected..."
Of course, the Serpent draws his knowledge from Nadeko, so for him to be asking her questions or for her to be issuing denials is "fewtle".. .but i guess knowing and feeling are different, and so is accepting or rejecting what you know.
Also, considering i wasn't found out until now, Nadeko's class presidency must be categorized under memories rather than knowledge.
"It would be one thing if i was chosen like a class president among class presidents like Miss Hanekawa.. .but Nadeko is different."
"Different? How so?"
"i just got the short straw," Nadeko says. It comes out sounding a bit "masachistic," but i can't help it here. "You noticed our class's strange mood, Mister Serpent, didn't you? That started during first term this year and kept going through summer break...so when we had to choose the second-term class president, there weren't any volunteers or nominees...and after a dispute—
No.
It's more accurate to say that there was never any dispute.
There was just that oppressive air in the room.
"—Nadeko was chosen."
"And how exactly does that end up happening?"
Even after Nadeko tried to explain, Mister Serpent doesn't seem convinced—but i guess i can understand.
It's just so hard to explain that heavy, gloomy air—it would exist between the lines in a novel, so how are you supposed to put it into words?
i'm bad at language arts, anyway.
i'm even worse at explanations.
"But.. .well, if i have to.. .then it's because Nadeko was the only girl in class who didn't go for those 'charms'…i guess."
"Huh. So process of elimination,"
I should have guessed as much, Mister Serpent mutters.
He seems to get it when he describes it as a process of elimination—though it absolutely makes Nadeko feel sad that this is how he's finally convinced.
But Nadeko knows better than anyone else that she's not the type to be class president and has felt it keenly over the last two months, so i can't argue with him.
i almost want to get on his wavelength.
If we were holding glasses, i would have toasted to it.
"In short, a job no one wanted to do or make anyone do got pushed onto you—what a bunch of assholes, hmmmm?"
"Not really... It's not like it was pushed onto Nadeko..."
i wouldn't go so far, but it's also true that i couldn't turn the position over to someone.
You could say Nadeko got pushed over.
"Well, at least they didn't foist an outrageous role on a timid girl who isn't equipped for it, because that would be abuse—hsshh, hsshh, hsshh."
“…If we're going to talk about forcing a task on Nadeko, doesn't the same go for you, Mister Serpent?"
"Oh? Well, maybe—guess I'm an asshole too."
He openly admits it with a "gaffaw."
Like he's saying, you got me there.
Really, how shameless.
"Maybe it's just the way of the world. Quiet girls like you end up with the short straw. Always."
“…”
"That being said, what was your teacher talking about just now? What's this thing he asked you to do?"
"It's—"
Mister Serpent asks a reasonable question i knew he was going to ask, and Nadeko recites her prepared line, exactly as scripted.
"It's.. .none of your business, is it?"
"It's not? I thought you and I were partners, one in body and spirit."
"D...Don't think that.. ."
Nadeko's tone is feeble.
"Repewdiating" someone is hard.
And Mister Serpent keeps piling it on.
"I mean, it might be my business—I've requested something of you. It would suck if someone butted in and got in my way."
"If this is about who asked first, he did," Nadeko points out reluctantly.
i want to be smart about keeping everything vague, but it's difficult for a girl like Nadeko to convey something in a hazy way and shut down any follow-up questions—so her only option is to say it outright from the start.
"He told me to 'Do something about the class's mood.' A while ago."
"Hunh?"
Mister Serpent opens his mouth like he's dumbstruck.
i almost hear a sound effect—guh.
"Hold on, seriously? If anything, isn't that the homeroom teacher's job, not the class president's?"
"Yeah, well, you're right about that.. ."
An aberration being completely in the right is unsettling.
But while i say aberration, Mister Serpent is a god. Of course he's going to be in the right sometimes.
"i guess...he's farming his job out."
"Hsshh, hsshh—sounds even worse than me! Just from one glance it's clear that no kid can fix that situation from the inside all on her own, hmmmm?
"It's fine, though," Nadeko says.
i don't know if Mister Serpent is sympathizing with Nadeko or just amused (i can't read his expression), but either way, i want to get off this subject.
Because, for Nadeko—it's already over.
It's run its course.
It's like arguing back and forth about what happens in a manga that's reached its final chapter.
Nothing will come of it.
"What do you mean, it's fine—it's not fine."
"Mister Sasayabu's request isn't going to 'styemie' your request... so it's fine."
"Hey, it's not like I could care less about the rest of your life so long as my wish is granted—you know what? If you want, I'd be happy to hear you out."
"Hear Nadeko out..."
A god hearing Nadeko out. It has a strange ring to it.
So something like confessing at a church? No, Nadeko isn't seeking to be comforted. Mister Serpent is on the wrong track.
"It's not like that...It's fine because, actually, Nadeko's not bothered by it..."
"Not bothered? After being burdened with this stuff? By your classmates and your homeroom teacher?"
"i'm not bothered. After all," Nadeko says, "it's not like Nadeko is doing anything."
"You aren't?"
"Not her job as class president, nor the task Mister Sasayabu assigned to her."
i'm not doing anything, i repeat.
Then Nadeko begins to climb down the stairs.
The first bell is about to ring, like Mister Sasayabu said—he's wrong about a lot of things, but he's right about the time.
So i head to class.
“…………" Mister Serpent goes quiet.
Has he read the mood?
He doesn't say a word after that, not until school ends.