“NO way...” a girl whispered without thinking. Realizing how loud her voice sounded in the stillness, she quickly pressed her fingertips to her mouth. Yet those were the same words everyone present wanted to say.
The two who always painted such a dreamy picture were currently at the school entrance. Kneeling with the beautiful princess’s hand in his, he would offer a kiss of devotion upon the top of her hand. The gentle smile adorning his handsome face would invite a beautiful smile from her. Each day, they performed that dreamy scene out of the pages of a fairy tale. Yet that ethereal sweetness was nowhere to be found today.
Satsuki’s personal Benz stopped in front of the school entrance like always. All of the schoolgirls who happened to be in the schoolyard or school entrance waited with bated breath. They were eager for the “fairytale” to unfold before their eyes.
Shindo opened the backdoor to the Benz and offered his hand to Satsuki. However, Satsuki slid out of the car without accepting his assistance. As far as the throng of schoolgirls were concerned, that was a bolt from the blue. When the girl whispered, “No way...” she may as well have served as a representative, expressing the thoughts of all present.
Deprived of his express privilege, a deep chill crept into Shindo’s hand traveling down to the fingertips and sending a shiver through his body. Satsuki glided past her retainer without so much as acknowledging his presence as she put the car behind her. Normally she would inquire about his plans for the day. Would he spend the day at her side or did he have to go to the office? Yet as Satsuki walked ahead of him, she showed no sign of stopping to wait up, let alone asking for his agenda.
“Miss,” Shindo hastily called out as Satsuki was about to step through the front doors. She stopped dead in her tracks, her back still turned to him. Shindo bowed to her back and said, “I’m going to park the car. I shall remain on standby here all day, so please call for me if you need anything.”
Satsuki only deigned to respond with the curt reply, “Understood.”
What in the world? What’s going on?
Oh, whoa! Are those two having a fight? That’s not like Satsuki!
Poor Shindo... I wonder what happened.
The crowd of girls behind Satsuki flew into a whirl of prodding thoughts. Not bothering to wait for Shindo like she usually did, Satsuki slipped through the entrance doors.
Shindo’s shoulders drooped with a languished sigh. His little lady’s pointed avoidance was taking a remarkable toll on him.
With the intent to accompany Shotaro to the parking lot, Shindo opened the front passenger door to return to his seat. When he did, Shotaro called to Shindo from the driver’s seat, “Please head inside. I can park the car on my own. I will leave the keys with the parking security guard, so please retrieve it from him later. When the car from the mansion arrives, I will take that back.”
While on duty, Shotaro spoke politely to Shindo. But seeing Shindo hesitate, he slipped into his normal form of speech as he said, “Go stick by the Miss. Aren’t you the only one with that honor?”
“Yes, but...”
“If the Miss is still out of sorts when it’s time to go home, give me a call. I’ll give you two a lift.” Shotaro was trying to be nice since Satsuki wasn’t her usual self. There was no reason to let his kind consideration go to waste.
“Thank you,” Shindo said and closed the passenger door. Turning on his heel, he hurried after Satsuki.
Watching Shindo stride away through the passenger window, Shotaro whispered, “...Go get her...Akira...”
✦ ✦ ✦
SATSUKI pushed her way into the school building as she greeted her peers. The moment Shindo stepped into the school entrance in hopes of catching up to her, a nervous girl greeted him, “Good morning, Mr. Shindo.” It was Alice.
No matter how big of a hurry he was in, Shindo couldn’t simply ignore the young lady. Coming to a stop, he offered her a slight bow as he returned, “Good morning, Miss Misakimori.”
The curiosity must have been killing her. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, she pounced on him so ferociously she barely had time to breathe. “Say, is something the matter with Satsuki? She walked off on her own. I noticed she didn’t seem herself... I’m worried!”
Alice was expressing concern for his little lady. Shindo offered her a grateful smile as he bowed. “I appreciate your concern. It would appear she is feeling a little under the weather, but I don’t believe it will keep her from class.”
“You’re sure?”
“I am,” Shindo replied with a smile that made Alice blush.
“Um...Mr. Shindo?” Alice began. She repositioned herself directly in front of Shindo, feasting her eyes on his somewhat melancholic visage. “If there is anything I can do for you, please feel free to let me know...”
“Miss Misakimori?”
“If I could be of assistance to you...I...” Alice trailed off, passion gleaming in the eyes the fixed on him. Neither had any way of knowing that Satsuki was watching the exchange from the shadows of the corridor connected to the entrance.