Mister Serpent sounds appalled.
His words confuse Nadeko.
Think long-term? Does he mean—all the time?
Always?
"Give me a break... all the time...would be so tiresome—" Nadeko starts to say without thinking, but she's interrupted.
"Oh. I'll be quiet."
Nadeko doesn't even have the time to wonder why, because at the same moment—
"Sengoku," she hears from behind, as someone places a hand on her shoulder.
i don't feel repulsed since it's over Nadeko's clothes, but it sure does surprise her.
When i look behind with a jolt, it's Nadeko's homeroom teacher, Mister Sasayabu.
i was so absorbed by our conversation i completely forgot i was already at school—so once again.
Once again Nadeko feels tense.
Mister Sasayabu must not have heard the conversation since Mister Serpent noticed him first and went quiet—
Thinking so, i check him out.
"Hm, hmm?" His expression is so totally suspicious.
i wonder if he noticed something, but i'm wrong—Mister Sasayabu isn't surprised about anything to do with Mister Serpent. It's Nadeko's hairstyle.
He probably couldn't tell from behind, but unlike until just yesterday, Nadeko has no bangs—so of course he'd be surprised.
"I-I must have the wrong person... Sorry."
"Oh, no, i'm Sengoku."
Mister Sasayabu tries to leave, flustered, but Nadeko stops him—there's no need to, if i think about it with a cooler head, but i do it without thinking, reflexively.
"i'm Nadeko Sengoku."
"Sengoku. So that's your true form..."
What a brutal line.
Then again, Nadeko thinks the same thing about herself.
Still, i don't want people thinking it's the real Nadeko... i don't intend for a version of Nadeko with a weird hairstyle, short only in front, to be her true form.
Mister Sasayabu clears his throat, cheesily.
"Are you being bullied?" he asks.
…That's what it looks like?
From a teacher's perspective, this unique hairstyle looks like the result of Nadeko's heartless persecution by her peers—you know what? Ultimately, you could say so.
While we go to different schools, Tsukihi is absolutely a girl Nadeko's age.
“…”
Nadeko falls silent and shakes her head.
Denying it by saying "i'm not being bullied" might backfire, like i'm really trying to deny it.
Nadeko's plan seems to work, and Mister Sasayabu seems convinced.
"Okay, then."
While he's relieved, he also looks a little disappointed—and i know how he feels. There'd be a course of action he could take as a teacher for a big, blatant issue like bullying—at least, we'd be able to move on from the current state of our class.
Teachers are pros, too. If there's a problem, they can take care of it. But.
While they can enforce something like "not fighting."
They can't enforce "getting along with each other."
Which is why i can see why things getting worse might seem like an improvement.
...Still, he'd be nothing but a pest if he said, If only you were being bullied, Sengoku.
Give Nadeko a break.
"By the way, Sengoku. About what I asked you to do the other day—any new developments?" he asks, changing the topic.
Well, maybe he thinks that's what he did, but it doesn't feel that way to Nadeko who's listening—that aside.
It seems to be why he wanted to talk to Nadeko—i'm glad that he didn't overhear her conversation with Mister Serpent.
Even if she's really tired mentally, even if she's beyond exhaustion and on the verge of death, Nadeko needs to stay a little more focused, she thinks to herself. At the same time, she also can't believe Mister Sasayabu.
While i know it's not good at all to feel this way about an adult, especially your homeroom teacher, i can't suppress the feeling.
i mean, he only asked the other day.
This has been dragging on with no signs of any solution since the start of second term and is basically entrenched—such a problem, or lack of a problem, can't be settled in a few days.
If you want to be malicious, you might almost arrive at the groundless suspicion that he sees it as part of his routine work—in other words, checking in about it every time he sees Nadeko Sengoku, regardless of the time or place. And that he's preparing an excuse, or building an alibi, about doing his job as a homeroom teacher...
A nasty way to look at it?
But Nadeko isn't particularly good-natured, so she can't help but think so.
Furthermore.
Regardless of what Mister Sasayabu really thinks—that's probably what Nadeko would do in his place, she believes.
“…”
Well, all of these things might be going through Nadeko's mind, but she's not going to say them to his face.
Not a chance. Nadeko just goes silent and looks down like always—she's going to wait for Mister Sasayabu to give up and leave.
No matter what his intentions, whether or not it's just been a few days, Nadeko hasn't done anything. There aren't going to be any new developments.
Everything is still on standby.
“…?”
But today, Nadeko's usual way isn't working—Mister Sasayabu seems to be oddly persistent and is waiting for a reply from her.
Why might that be?
Has something changed between yesterday and today? Nadeko finds it odd, but then she comes upon the reason in no time.
What changed between yesterday and today.
Nadeko's hairstyle, of course.
She can look down all she wants, but he can still see her whole face—and if he can see Nadeko's expression, he can figure out that she's not as troubled as she says.
What an awful effect of the haircut.
i didn't expect this.
Nadeko's gloom factor has decreased now that her bangs are gone...
There's nothing i can do about it.
It's not like Nadeko can cover her face at this point... i just need to come up with a convincing excuse and get out of here.
What should i say, though?
i'm sorry, i'm now proactively investigating, identifying challenges, devising an action plan, preparing approaches from a variety of directions, and holding brainstorming sessions each night—or something?
No, no. Nothing like that.
i just need to give a normal excuse.
i'll start with the usual.
i'll start with "i'm sorry" the way i always do, bangs or no. The best i can make up as—
"Shut the fuck up!"
Hm?
Did someone just say something?
"Of course I haven't made any progress, stop forcing your damn work on me, hmmmm?!"