Whenever our attacks succeeded, Kurumi and I would meet up to celebrate. But we never did it on the same day we carried out a scheme, since meeting up in secret while the school was still in an uproar was too risky. If the teachers found us, it might arouse their suspicions.
For that reason, Kurumi and I planned to leave school separately on that day. We took off at different times, looking for all the world like we’d done nothing at all.
I shouldered my backpack, changed out of my school slippers, and left the building.
Saturday classes ended before noon, so it was still light out. Dazzling white sunlight poured down, baking the top of my head.
I wasn’t all that hungry, so I figured I’d just grab some cold noodles somewhere.
But as I stepped through the school gates, someone called out to me.
“Hey. Hey, you there. Hold up.”
The voice was strong and confident, and I recognized it. I’d heard it this morning. It belonged to Nana Nanaougi.
…Was she talking to me?
Just to be sure, I looked around without turning my head. There was really no one else nearby. Most students grabbed lunch in the cafeteria before they went home, so not many people were heading out just yet.
In that case, odds were high she was talking to me. I didn’t know what she wanted, but ignoring her seemed like a bad idea. I decided I’d better stop and listen.
“Oh, you heard me! ’Sup?”
I turned to find her bluish hair gleaming in the sunlight. Nanaougi was beaming as she offered me a cheery greeting.
“Hi there, lovely day, isn’t it? You’re from Class 2-5, right?”
“…Yes. What’s this about?”
“Hmm. It’s not really about anything. I just saw you this morning and thought you seemed pretty cool. Figured I’d hit you up. Sorry to bother you, I guess?”
She sure didn’t seem sorry as she crooked her head at me.
Unsure how to interpret what she was saying, I asked the obvious question: “So, are you hitting on me or something?”
“Yeah, sure. You can take it that way if you want.”
Seriously? What is up with this girl? I hadn’t pegged her as a man-eater. Was that what her glance this morning meant?
A beautiful girl had just told me I seemed cool. Most guys would be tickled pink, but it didn’t make me happy in the slightest.
Nanaougi was the best student in the best class in our grade. She stood at the pinnacle of the discriminatory polices gripping the school—the SaiHigh Law. She was in a totally different caste from Kurumi and me—and I’d rather have nothing to do with her.
Maintaining a poker face, I shrugged. “Sorry, can’t take you up on that offer. I’ve already got someone.”
“Oh yeah? Shame. But that hardly matters, let’s just have a little fun.”
“No thanks. I don’t wanna know what she’d say if she caught us.”
“Your girlfriend sounds pretty scary? Come on. Ditch her and join me on a proper date.”
She took a half step closer, and I backed off, letting my distaste show.
Male or female, you ran into people like this every once in a while. Like them, Nanaougi seemed to think that just because she was in a better class, she could have anyone she wanted. It felt like she was just seeing me as some guy and not as myself, and I didn’t appreciate it at all. But voicing those feelings wouldn’t get me anywhere with someone brainwashed to believe in this school’s values.
I scowled at her in silence, and she broke into a laugh.
“Ah-ha-ha, don’t give me that look. I was just kidding.”
“…It wasn’t funny. What if I’d taken you seriously?”
“Oh, no, no. I meant it when I said you were cool. I was joking about the date thing. I was having too much fun with the whole ‘hitting on you’ vibe and got carried away.”
Cut the crap. Who cares which one you were joking about? It’s all the same.
I was still glaring at her, but Nanaougi didn’t let it bother her.
“So, listen. Much as I’d love to go on a date, there’s something I need to take care of first.”
“…What?”
“I’ve gotta throw out all this trash. I mean, look how much there is!” She held up the big bag she’d been dragging around.
It was a clear plastic bag—and it was full of all the horrifying severed heads Kurumi had made. She’d gone around to every class that morning, collecting these.
…Aha. So she’s throwing out the trash, huh?
I doubted she put any thought into that turn of phrase, but it got under my skin. Students from better classes thought nothing of our resistance.
“Hmm? No reaction? Don’t leave me hanging! It’s like I’m talking to myself!” Nanaougi narrowed her eyes and peered into my face.
It was frustrating to hear our efforts—and Kurumi’s handiwork—dismissed so easily, but I couldn’t let my reaction show. I didn’t want her to figure out it was us.
I tore my eyes off the bag and said the first thing that came to mind. “Right, right. Must be rough. You’re in a good class, and they’re still making you do stuff like that, huh?”
“Oh, nobody made me do this. I volunteered!”
Earning brownie points with the faculty? Well, well. What a tryhard.
“But okay! If you’re feeling sympathetic, then gimme a hand. Maybe we can’t go on a date, but you can help throw out the trash, right? That hardly counts as cheating. You’re just being helpful!”
“…Nah, I can’t. I’ve got places to be. Leave me out of this.”
I turned to go. I didn’t have plans, but I didn’t want anything more to do with Nanaougi.
“Okay, fine. Can’t leave your girlfriend waiting!” She caught up with me, matched my pace, and kept on needling me.
“You don’t know when to quit! It’s none of your business! I’m going home!”
“If you’re seeing a girl, you’ve gotta dress for the occasion! At least dust off your bookbag.” She reached over and thumped my backpack twice.
What the hell? This girl is really getting on my nerves.
“Get lost,” I said, batting her hand away and stalking out of the gates alone.