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30. Classmate’s ambush
After receiving the card, Makoto, Yuuko, and Rie quickly turned away from me as they didn’t want to show me their tears.
Showing too much emotion in front of men wasn’t good. That was what was taught to them since little.
To put it simply, they were taught to be patient and hold it up.
Don’t rely too much on emotion, be more rational.
In short, “Don’t burden men.”
That, was another distorted part of this world.
Is it really that bad for them to express their feelings honestly?
Rejoice when you’re happy, cry when you’re sad,
And if you’re frustrated, shouldn’t you scream as loud as you can?
Perhaps, I was the only one who thought that holding your feelings was abnormal.
After all, in general recognition, it was natural to do that in front of men.
That it wasn’t a good idea to let a man see their emotional expression, even if it was shedding tears of joy.
“Come”
I gently put my hand over Makoto’s shoulder and brought her closer.
In the original world, it was absolutely impossible even if I tried, even if I wanted to.
But now, a chance came naturally without trying.
Makoto was startled for a moment, but then put her head on my shoulder with her face down.
Then I hugged Yuuko and Rie too.
All three of them buried their faces in my shoulders and chest, trying their best to stop their tears.
“From now on too, please continue to take care of me. We, will always be together.”
When I said that, they burst into tears as if a dam failed at holding the water.
Yup, this is better…
I stayed in the same position until they stopped crying.
Once they calmed down, we went back home.
◇
The next day, when I went to school, a woman with long hair was waiting for me at the entrance.
It was often for a girl to ambush a boy on his way to school or back home in order to evade the group members’ block.
However, being ambushed by a girl of the same class was rare. And that was what happened to me.
“If you need anything with me, you can talk through my group’s leader you know, Shino-san”
The girl who ambushed me was Shiho Shino-san, a beautiful woman with long hair down to her waist.
Her translucent pure white skin would make anyone think that she never had a sunburn before.
“I should request a student that came from outside the special ward to act as an intermediary, is what you mean? This I, would never do that.”
Shino shook her head saying that her pride wouldn’t allow it.
“I see… So, what do you want from me?”
“My mother, she works at the central office of the government.”
Shino smiled. Her well-aligned white teeth. made her smile even more attractive.
“The central office is where the elite of the elite are, right?”
The central government was the one overseeing the Special Ward Tokyo, and there were various departments in it.
Among them, it seemed that the central office has tremendous authority.
“Together with my mother, I would like to have a valuable talk with you, about how the future special ward should be. Hence, I would like to invite Souya-sama to my residence.”
Invitation to her place huh, but more than that…
“You said, it’s about how the future special ward should be, is it something like changing the rule of a special ward?”
Shino shook her head.
“In preparation for the time to come. The ones on top are secretly planning for… a new special ward. It would be about that matter.”
“It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
“I do not think there are many of us, students, who know about this.”
In other words, adults… no, probably those with power and connections who know about this.
General students are not yet informed. And she, who knows about it… want to show that she’s special… that must be it
“And we’ll be talking about that at Shino-san’s house?”
“Yes, Souya-sama. I hoped that you would play a part in this. For that, I invited you.”
Is she really 15 years old?
For some reason, I could catch a glimpse of a strange aura in the back of Shino-san, whether it was a bewitching charm or magical power, I didn’t know.
“A new special ward huh. To be honest, I’m not really interested.”
Or rather, I don’t want to go to a classmate’s house that I just met not that long ago.
“…If you listen to the story, it will definitely pique your interest.”
“Then, I’ll let you know when I’m interested. In the first place… the new special ward is, still being planned, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. The specifics are about to be decided.”
“I see… I don’t mind hearing it after the specifics are decided, no, hmm…  I don’t mind hearing it after it’s announced to the world.”
“There will be restrictions on residence even for men. It might be too late if you apply for it not early enough.”
“If that’s the case, it is what it is. Then, excuse me, I’ll go to the classroom.”
I know that it’s typical for a girl living in a special ward to bring up a story from her parent’s occupation, but the way she invited me, was a little forceful.
You should have been taught from a young age that you should talk while considering men’s circumstances. Right?
If your parents are elite, it’s safe to assume that you are well-educated in that area. Right?
But… if that’s really the case, the way she invited me just now was a little strange…. but, why?
“…… Ah, is it because I chose the girls from outside the special ward as my group members?”
This reason is too weak, but in any case, it was clear that she looked annoyed.
Did she panic because of that reason and decide to ambush at the entrance? Or… did her parents tell her something that annoyed her?
Anyway, I don’t think I need to listen to that story now, also it’s not enough to make me want to follow her home.
To be honest, I’m a little curious about the new special ward, but well…
◇
“Good morningー”
Toono-san said so as she entered the classroom. The rest of the group was already present. Luckily, she came in time.
“Hey hey, listen, just a little while ago, I was stared at by a long-haired woman at the entrance.”
Immediately, Toono-san said so.
Hearing it, there was someone that came to my mind, but I listened to the story silently.
“Lately, I often get stared at by many people.”
“Yeah, right. The other day when I passed some girl, she clicked her tongue.”
My group members were having a conversation like that, but they didn’t seem to care much about it.
Still, it seemed that they started getting “taxed” for being in the same group as me, a boy.
“But, but, what I mean is, hmm, this time, it was as if the girl wanted to stare at me to death. It was so sharp that I involuntarily said, “Huh? What’s your problem with me?”.”
“For real?”
“I mean, she was staring at me as if she just saw her parent’s enemy. Seriously, what’s wrong with her?”
From there, arguing began, saying, “That’s too much”, “You’re just being too sensitive”, and “I usually ignore it.”
Fortunately, the chime soon rang and the girls fell silent, but their exchange surely had attracted attention.
I quietly glanced at Shino-san.
She looked straight ahead, ignoring my glance as if saying “I don’t know anything”.
Based on what I heard from Toono-san, the one staring at her at the entrance must be Shino-san. Well, it would be clear if I asked her, but I decided not to do that and focused my mind on the class that would start soon.