“You don’t use Insta?” Asumi had asked him. They added each other at her request. They’d also put their numbers into each other’s phones. Sousei had a dim recollection of that happening.
Right. I remember that. So maybe it really did happen…
Sousei fished for his phone in his pocket.
If I check, I’ll know for sure. But I don’t think I actually want to check…
After hesitating for a bit, he ended up not taking his phone out. Sousei just grabbed his bag from where it was hanging from his desk. That was all he intended to do.
Sousei had taken it for granted that the classroom would be empty after school, but it turned out there was someone there. At the desk right in the very back of the room, by the window, there was a girl.
“Ah!” Sousei jumped back in shock. He bumped into the desks behind him, making a loud noise.
The girl by the window turned toward Sousei. She was sitting with her chin propped up on her hand. Her gaze was sharp and piercing. Unnecessarily piercing. Like a knife. They reminded Sousei of double-edged blades, like daggers meant only for killing.
…It’s Hitsujimoto.
Sousei hurriedly straightened the desks and quickly slung his bag over his shoulder.
Unless he had cleaning duty, he usually left the classroom quicker than anyone else as soon as homeroom was over. That was normal for Sousei. So he didn’t really know what the classroom was like after school. It was quiet when he got back. He hadn’t heard any voices talking or anything, and nobody had been visible, so he’d decided that it was deserted.
…But for some reason, Hitsujimoto seems like the sort of person who would go home about as early as I do…
Everyone referred to Kuchina Hitsujimoto as Miss Hitsujimoto. Adding Miss before her surname was strange enough, but the nuance was especially peculiar. It was more accurate to say that they called her Misshitsujimoto, as if that were her actual name. It carried a meaning beyond simple respect or familiarity.
At some point, the students in their class had started saying this about Kuchina:
“Wow, look at her eyes. She’s definitely killed someone before.”
Kuchina had a large amount of white showing between her irises and her eyelids. To put it simply, this gave her an expression that a lot of people found unsettling. On top of that, the color of her irises was so dark that her eyes appeared terrifyingly pitch-black.
Kuchina was weird in general. She always wore black stockings. It made sense in winter, but she wore them in summer as well. And for some reason or other, she even wore gloves and was adamant about never taking them off. Could it be that she couldn’t reveal her skin for some reason? No one knew why. She probably wouldn’t tell Sousei even if he asked.
Kuchina didn’t talk to anyone. The only time she spoke was when a teacher asked her to during class.
Everyone thought that Kuchina was creepy. There were people who had tried to approach her out of curiosity in the past, but all of them had failed miserably. And if they accidentally got in her way, all they got was a glare from those scary eyes. Her daggerlike gaze was so piercing. She was like a walking example of that old saying, “Let sleeping dogs lie.”
But those eyes are intense…
Sousei backed away. He couldn’t take his eyes off Kuchina. Because he was walking backward, it seemed like he’d crash into someone else’s desk again. At that moment, Sousei turned his back to Kuchina.
…I wonder if Hitsujimoto is in a club or something. Probably not…
Before leaving the classroom, Sousei once again peered at Kuchina.
If it was anyone other than Hitsujimoto, it would probably be normal to ask if something was wrong. Ignoring her doesn’t seem like the right move. You’d at least say something to her, yeah? Probably…
Sousei Takarai wanted to be a normal kid like everyone else. It was important for him to live the typical life of the average high school student. What kind of an existence was a normal high school student supposed to lead? He wasn’t exactly well-versed in that topic. But he still tried his best.
Sousei found the courage to say, “Um…”
At that moment, Kuchina’s shoulder quivered ever so slightly. It was unbelievable that he had gotten a reaction.
Sousei managed to squeeze out, “G-good-bye.”
Right as he was about to leave the classroom, a single softly spoken word reached Sousei’s ears.
“Good-bye.”
“…Huh?” Sousei asked without thinking.
Kuchina was staring out the window, her chin propped up on her hand. Sousei waited for about five seconds, but Kuchina didn’t move an inch.
…Was I hearing things? I don’t think I was. I’m pretty sure that was Hitsujimoto’s voice. But…
Sousei bowed slightly as he finally left the classroom. As he was went down the stairs, his phone suddenly buzzed.
N-no way. I-it has to be work, right? It has to be…
Sousei took a deep breath and took out his phone. On the screen was a notification letting him know he had a message.
“I-it’s probably Yukisada…”
Sousei unlocked his phone and opened the app. He almost fell down the stairs. It wasn’t Yukisada.
“It says it’s from Asumi…?”
It was Asumi Shiramori, of course. It couldn’t possibly be any other Asumi. He only had two entries on his contact list: Hayashi and Asumi. Sousei opened the chat screen with a shaky finger.
Can I call you now?
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—?!”
Sousei gripped the handrail of the stairs. Otherwise, he would have tumbled down them.
Sh-sh-sh-should I say something back…? B-b-b-but how should I reply…?
In the meantime, or rather, while Sousei still hadn’t done anything, his phone buzzed again. This time, it wasn’t a chat message. It was an incoming call.
“From Sh-Shi-Shiramori…?!”
Sousei answered it on reflex.
“Hello?” said the voice on the other end.
…Dammit… That really is Shiramori’s voice, isn’t it…?
Why was he treating it like a terrible emergency? Sousei wasn’t sure who or what he was cursing when he had that thought. At any rate, he had already answered the call, so he should say something. He couldn’t pick up and then just hang up without saying a word. Especially not as a normal high school student. Or really, as a regular human being.
“…He-he-hello…?”
“Takarai?”
“…Y-yeah?”
“I ended up calling you after all.”
“…Yeah.”
“Where are you?”
“…W-where? Um? Uhhhhhhhhh…s-s-school…”
“You’re still at school?”
“…Yeah.”
“Hmmm…”
“………”
“………”
“………”
“So, um,” Asumi said finally.
“Y-yes?”
“Why do you sound so stiff?”
“…Y-yeah?”
“So, Takarai, can I call you by your first name?”
“…Huh?”
“Can I call you Sousei?”
“…Uh… Weeeell… Th-that…”
“You don’t want me to?”
“N-nah, th-th-th-that’s…that’s not…”
“I’d like you to call me by my first name, too.”
“…By…y-y-your f-f-f-first…?”
“I have a lot of nicknames, too, like Asumikku or Asumin or whatever. That’s what my friends call me.”
“…Ah—Aaaaaaaaaaaaa—Asumikku…”
“Maybe Asumi is better.”
“Aaaaaaaaaa—Aaaaaaaaaaaa—Aaasumi…?”
“That was a bit too long.”
“…S-s-s-s-s-sor—s-s-so-sorry…”
“I think just calling me Asumi would be good.”
“………”
Before he knew it, Sousei was squatting down in the middle of the stairs. His breathing was out of control. He put all his focus into calming down.
…So much time has passed already. I’ve just been silent this whole time…
He couldn’t just leave her hanging like that. Sousei steeled himself.
“A-Asumi.”
“…Whoa.”
“What?”
“…My heart is beating so fast.”
That—
Sousei was suddenly soaked in sweat.
That’s my line…