“So? What about it?! You want a candy?!”
“I dooo!”
“Okay!”
Without wasting a second, Moena took a candy out of her pocket and passed it to Asumi. And then she gave one to Sousei and Yukisada as well.
“Here you go, Takarai! And one for you, too, Hayashi!”
Asumi, Sousei, and Yukisada all thanked her and removed the transparent wrappers. The candy that day were shaped like fruit: Asumi’s was strawberry, Sousei’s was raspberry, and Yukisada’s was lemon.
“Huh? I’ve never seen this candy before.”
Asumi put the strawberry candy in her mouth, and her eyes went wide.
“Whoa! It’s so good!”
Yukisada ate the lemon candy and nodded in agreement.
“The flavor isn’t really like candy, but a little different, isn’t it?”
The one Sousei had been given was less a raspberry-flavored candy than a candy that tasted like an actual raspberry.
“It’s delicious…”
“They’re German candies,” Moena said with satisfaction. “They’re sold in jars, which is cute, but they taste a bit different from Japanese candies, don’t they? Of course, the ones we have here are yummy, too. I mean, Japanese candy is the most delicious in the world. It’s not just our candy, either.”
“In jars?” Yukisada dropped his gaze to the transparent film wrapper in his hand. “Then what’s this?”
“I wrapped them,” Moena said, swiftly collecting the wrapper from Yukisada’s hand. She promptly grabbed Sousei’s and Asumi’s as well, quickly folded them, and stuffed them into her pocket.
“Thanks. You’re so conscientious, aren’t you, Shigee?” Yukisada said with a smile, and Moena looked away.
“I just do it because I like to! After all, I want to eat yummy things, and I want to let other people eat them, too! Also, could you stop calling me Shigee? That’s my surname, but I’m more used to being called Moena. I’m quite fond of that nickname.”
“In that case, can I call you Moena as well?” asked Yukisada.
“I wouldn’t have said that if you weren’t allowed.”
“Oh yeah. That’s true, Moena.”
“You’re just going to refer to me so casually all of a sudden…?”
“Shouldn’t I have?” Yukisada said calmly.
Moena stared at Yukisada with a look on her face that seemed to say, “You’re unbelievable!” but she soon averted her gaze.
“It’s fine…”
Well, when you think about it, it’s a little weird to speak politely when you’re using someone’s nickname…
Sousei titled his head.
Or is it…? I don’t know. I’m kind of reluctant to refer to people casually, so I still speak politely even though I call her “Moena.” I still haven’t gotten used to calling Shiramori “Asumin,” either…
“Oh, right.” Asumi took her phone out of her skirt pocket. “Do you have LINE, Hayashi? We made a group called ‘Potato Party.’ Wanna join?”
“You made it for the potato chip party?”
Yukisada took out his phone. Moena took hers out, too, so Sousei copied them. It wasn’t long before he knew Yukisada had joined their Potato Party group chat.
✦ ✦ ✦
Yukisada Hayashi: Hello everyone.
Asumin: Hello!
Moenan: Heyyy
Sousei: Thank you for your continued participation.
✦ ✦ ✦
“You’re so formal, Sousei!” Asumi said with a laugh.
Moena gave a wry smile.
“Takarai is past the point of politeness. It seems like he’s doing it as a joke now!”
“…That is by no means my intention.”
Sousei lowered his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. He hadn’t meant to, but he’d still sounded really polite, so he immediately rephrased it.
“I don’t mean to, at all…”
✦ ✦ ✦
Yukisada Hayashi: Sousei’s so serious. Though, personally, I think that’s a good thing.
✦ ✦ ✦
“That’s not the sort of thing you’d say in a message, is it? Not when the person is right there…”
“Huh?” Yukisada chuckled. “So should I have complimented you to your face?”
“Nah, that’s not what I—”
“Hayashi, you’re so fast at typing!” Moena exclaimed, her eyes wide.
“It’s kind of my specialty,” Yukisada said as he swiped his phone.
✦ ✦ ✦
Yukisada Hayashi: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Yukisada Hayashi: A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked
Yukisada Hayashi: If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
Yukisada Hayashi: Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
✦ ✦ ✦
Yukisada had sent those messages to the group chat in approximately one second.
Moena’s mouth gaped open.
“That’s amazing…!”
“Hrmm.”
Asumi’s expression suddenly clouded over, and she fiddled with her phone. She seemed to be typing something.
✦ ✦ ✦
Asumin: I guess Miss Hitsujimoto probably won’t join the Potato Party
Asumin: It’d be nice if she did though…
✦ ✦ ✦
“With messages, you can say things that are hard to say out loud, huh?” Yukisada said smoothly.
✦ ✦ ✦
Yukisada Hayashi: I wonder if Miss Hitsujimoto has a cell phone in the first place.
Yukisada Hayashi: I’ve never seen her using one.
✦ ✦ ✦
Based on the time stamps of the messages, it seemed Yukisada had typed them at the same time as he was talking. He was pretty talented.
“…I’m not sure.” Sousei searched his memories. “I haven’t seen her using one, either…I don’t think?”
Surely, she’d have a smartphone or similar sort of device.
She should have one she uses for work calls and things… I wonder how Miss Hitsujimoto receives jobs. She’s a high school student, so wouldn’t it be difficult to do everything by herself…?
“This isn’t a job that I do because I like it.”
That was what she’d told him.
“I’ve been forced to do it. I had no choice but to do it. Same as now.”
She had a master of sorts who was forcing her. Based on her cheat, her role was probably to execute tasks for them.
The phone I have is a modified one Sis arranged for me. That said, work communications could be done through a secure line on a dedicated device used only for that purpose…
✦ ✦ ✦
Yukisada Hayashi: How about we start by checking whether Miss Hitsujimoto has a cell phone?
Yukisada Hayashi: It’s a normal question to ask, so I think the bar’s relatively low.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Fine by me,” Moena agreed.
When she’d given everyone a candy earlier, she hadn’t had one herself. Now, however, there was a bulge in her right cheek. There was a good chance it was a candy in there. When had she put it in her mouth? Sousei hadn’t noticed at all.
“Okay, let’s do that, then!” Asumi’s face was faintly flushed. Her enthusiasm was amazing. Her eyes sparkled so brightly, it was almost hard to believe, and it was even difficult to look at them directly. Sousei couldn’t suppress the feeling that someone like him had no right to gaze upon them, but he couldn’t help himself.
✦ ✦ ✦
Yukisada Hayashi: After school, maybe?
Yukisada Hayashi: Actually, after classes have finished but before end-of-school homeroom might be best.
Yukisada Hayashi: Miss Hitsujimoto seems likely to leave the classroom as soon as homeroom ends.
✦ ✦ ✦
Sousei started typing a message saying, I see, but stopped partway through.
“…How about speaking, Yukisada?”
“Heh-heh.” Yukisada gave a low chuckle and put his phone away. After he took his hand out of his pocket, the group chat received some new messages.
✦ ✦ ✦
Yukisada Hayashi: Sorry about that.
Yukisada Hayashi: We should speak when we can, huh?
Yukisada Hayashi: I’ll be careful about that from now on.