Maybe she was making it up. But in that case, there would be no reason for the bubbles.
I needed to calm down. They say that if you hate a monk, you’ll come to hate even his vestments. It wasn’t a very fitting turn of phrase to use at a temple, but perhaps I was being a tad too hostile toward Nanaougi.
This time, my suspicions were unfounded. I resented it, but manners dictated that I apologize.
“…Sorry for laying into you. My bad.”
“No problem. Gimme a kiss, and I’ll forgive everything.”
“……”
“Ah-ha-ha, I’m just kidding. Don’t look so lost!”
Nanaougi threw her head back in a fit of laughter, then she blew some more bubbles at me.
How could I not look lost? Everything she said sounded like she meant it.
…So be it.
Unlike the time she tried to hit on me, this encounter was a genuine coincidence.
Perhaps this was the ideal time to run into her. There was no one else around; it was a good chance to ask her about why she’d been in the guidance room with our receipt.
I figured she’d just brush me off, but it was better to ask than to just go on wondering.
Keeping a reasonable distance, I said, “Nanaougi, I saw you going into the guidance office with a copy of our receipt.”
“Oh, yeah. I saw you on the way in. I remember.”
“Well, great. Then what’s the big idea?”
“Hmm? What are you implying?”
This was less “I don’t get it” and more “spell it out for me.” She already irritated me, and now she was answering my questions with her own.
“…You were talking to a teacher about the receipt, right? We kept that attack on the down-low so the faculty wouldn’t find out. Why would you bring it to their attention?”
“I guess I stumbled across it and figured I’d better let them know.”
“Why? …Are you trying to throw a wrench in our plans?”
“Of course not. I know you’re behind it, but I haven’t told anyone. Besides, your attack was already over by then, right? By that point, showing the receipt to a teacher wasn’t going to do anything. No harm, no foul. If I was trying to mess with you, I’d do something else entirely.”
She had a point…
“Then what were you doing? You’re deliberately beating around the bush here.”
“What does it matter? What I’m up to is of no concern to you two…yet.”
That was a loaded statement. But she clearly had no intention of elaborating further.
She turned away and started blowing bubbles in the other direction. What was her deal?
God, I’m about to snap. I knew this is how it would go. There was no point in continuing.
Giving up, I tried a different angle. “Nanaougi, do you even want to join us?”
“I do. Of course I do. Why are you asking such an obvious question?” She cast me a quick glance, then shrugged. “I want to be part of this. Right now, if possible.”
“It sure doesn’t seem like it. You promised an attack but haven’t done anything, and I can’t get a read on what you’re up to. Honestly, I don’t have a single reason to trust you right now.”
“Now, now, don’t blow your top. I’ve got my reasons.” She shot me a sardonic smile, then went back to her bubbles.
Clearly, she did not plan on answering my questions.
This was going nowhere. There was no point in trying to feel her out any further. And it wasn’t just wasting my time—this whole conversation was wearing me out.
To Kurumi and me, Nanaougi was just an obstacle, an unwanted impediment. She kept her distance, not making it clear whether she was friend or foe, but still knocking at our door anyway. It was the most irritating combination possible.
“Seriously, just…don’t mess things up for us,” I said.
“I swear I won’t.”
I couldn’t trust her, but I chose to end the conversation there and head out.
But just as I turned my back…
“Whoa, it’s Nanaougi! She came this year, too. I can’t believe it.”
…a new voice made me pull up short.
Three girls were standing on the sidewalk, peeking in through the temple gates.
They seemed like strong-willed individuals, but you couldn’t tell from their fashion. Their hair was kept black, and their clothes and makeup were just polished enough to avoid embarrassing themselves. They were normal girls, like you might find anywhere.
…No, wait, I’ve seen them somewhere before.
I squinted, taking a closer look, but I couldn’t quite place them. Was it my imagination? They’d called her name, so they must know Nanaougi.
“Nanaougi, are they…?” I began, turning back. Then I trailed off.
Her eyes had gone cold. She was glaring daggers at the girls.
Okay, that is…certainly not a look you give your friends.
“Brought your boyfriend this year? What, is he your bodyguard?” one of the girls called out.
“Having a hot date in a graveyard? Totally tasteless. He’s gonna break up with you for sure.”
“Or maybe not. Anyone weird enough to go out with a gifted wonder like her probably doesn’t care.”
They were running their mouths off, really yukking it up.
“We’ve got college exams coming up, and you’re out playing games with your boy toy.”
“Let’s hope that talent doesn’t dry up on you. Or maybe it already has.”
With that parting shot, the girls headed on down the road.
…That was nasty. What the hell is their problem? Just listening made me sick.
Nanaougi waited until the graveyard had gone completely quiet again, then she sighed.
“…This is why I didn’t come on the fifteenth,” she muttered, before turning to me. “They’re not a very pleasant bunch. Sorry you had to hear that, Ren.”
“…Who were they? People you know?”
“Afraid so. We’ve been together since grade school. They went to the same cram school as I did.” She shook her head, her long hair rippling. “They weren’t like that before. It started when we got to Saigou High. I have no idea why they’re so hung up on me.”
“Huh? They go to our school?”
“Yep. They’re on the student council. Can you believe mean girls like that are representing everyone? You gotta laugh.”
“…Oh, right.”
Now I remembered. All three of them were on the Saigou High Student Council. They’d given a speech in front of the whole student body during the election. That was why they’d seemed familiar.
Eyes still on the deserted temple entrance, I considered this.
Council members represented all of us students, and that was how they acted. Nanaougi had a point—it really spoke volumes about our school’s character.
Unsure what to say next, I decided to try something. “…They were really looking down on you. Are you just gonna take it?”
I was expecting her to brush me off. “Let ’em vent” or something like that. I waited, but no such answer came.
“Nanaougi?” I asked, turning around.
The look on her face was still ice-cold. When she caught me watching, she took a deep breath.
“Hell no. I’m not gonna take it,” she spat.
Her voice was like wind escaping a dark cavern lined with icicles—cold and white, with no trace of human warmth.
What was this feeling?
Her voice, her face, her gaze, her whole vibe—it reminded me of something.
I dug into my memories and found the connection far easier than I’d expected.
Of course. It was obvious. She was just like Kurumi.
In this moment, Nana Nanaougi reminded me of Kurumi Hoshimiya.
“I want payback.”
I could hear Kurumi’s voice, seething with fury. Right now, Nanaougi was the same.
But why? Why was I connecting them?
Was this…?
“…Oh well,” Nanaougi said, flashing me a grin. “This is nothing new, and it’s not just them. It doesn’t matter.”
“…Do you really mean that?”
“Sure. I was just messing with you. Don’t look so lost.”
I wasn’t buying it. Even I wasn’t dense enough to just take her at face value. But this wasn’t the right time to dig further. And I didn’t think she’d let me, either.
To shake off the gloomy mood, I changed the subject. “Shouldn’t you have denied the boyfriend bit, at least?”
“Since it was you, Ren, figured I’d roll with it. It’s like I stole you from Kurumi—pretty thrilling.”
“…Maybe those girls had a point. You are tasteless.”
“Cheating is the ultimate thrill! It’s like swiping pudding from the family fridge.”
“Please, those are hardly comparable.”
With that, the conversation died, and I took that as my cue to leave.
I headed down the gravel path toward the temple gate. When I got there, I looked both ways, then went out into the street.
I glanced back once as I left.
Nanaougi had that yellow wand to her lips, sending bubbles up into the summer sky.
Bob, bob. Bloop, bloop. Rainbow orbs drifted through the hot air. They wandered aimlessly on the breeze, popping as they overlapped with the clouds.
…Everything about this was different. I knew that. But right now, she seemed just like me, smoking on the school roof.