The regular before-class routine with no more obstruction to worry about in my daily high school life.
I sometimes look back. If you had asked me before meeting Sara-senpai, Iâd say having a fulfilling high school life would be a dream.
As I was having such thoughts, Yamakawa approached me.
âGood morning, Takanashi. Were you alright yesterday? I talked about it with Yokogawa. Did those strange guys do anything to you?â
Apparently, he knows about yesterdayâs incident.
He seemed to have talked to Hayato but didnât know the details.
âOh, is that so? Thanks for worrying. I only talked to them and it all went fine.â
âOh, thatâs all right then.â
Yamakawaâs personality was not that of a two-faced guy, but rather an easy-to-deal, easy-to-talk-to guy.
*Slides open*
âExcuse me.â
Hayatoâs appearance before the morning HR has become an everyday occurrence.
âGood morning, Kazunari.â
âGood morning, Hayato.â
As he approached my seat, I raised one hand in greeting.
I should thank Hayato for yesterday.
âHayato, thanks for your help yesterday. Iâd like to give you something for yesterdayâs troubles.â
He sensed what I wanted to say even though I didnât finish the sentence and responded vaguely.
âI didnât do much. Hmm, then⊠will you go out with me sometime?â
âââKyaaaaaah!âââ
!?
Whenever Iâm talking to Hayato, that corner of the room is always noisy⊠Whatâs up with them?
âAlright. But where would that be?â
âYosh. Iâll give you the details later, okay?
After saying that, Hayato went back to his class.
Itâs been a long time since I went out with friends other than Yuji.
Thatâs right. It would be fun to fool around, the three of usâŠ
ââââââââââââââ
Itâs lunchtime. It was another happy lunch break again, as usual.
I ate Senpaiâs lunch box, the most delicious, and my most significant source of nutrition.
Today, Sara-senpai has been staring at me, smiling from ear to ear, since I started eating.
Every time our eyes make contact, she smiles happily, making me embarrassed.
âTakanashi-san, how was it? Please let me know if you have any concerns or requests, okay?â
Thinking about it, it was her first time asking me about it.
The same thing happened this morning. Itâs strange that Senpai straightforwardly asked me for an impression.
âSara-senpai, I canât say anything besides itâs very delicious. Itâs the best, so please continue making it the way you make them.â
âTakanashi-san⊠alright, I understand. I will continue trying to make Takanashi-san think itâs the best⊠Fufu, as expected, you didnât notice it, right?â
Sara-senpai laughed, moved a little on the picnic sheet, and sneaked closer to me.
âSara?â
âSara-senpai?â
She took a handkerchief and reached for my face.
âTakanashi-san, please donât move.â
I felt a wiping sensation on my mouth.
I thought she would just leave after she finished. However, same as this morning, she didnât move.
Whatâs this⊠I feel like sheâs being closer than usualâŠ
I may be mistaken, but it looked like Senpaiâs spoiling me as usual.
âPlease teach me all about love.â
Thatâs what Senpai told me.
Perhaps Senpai was thinking of an idea and acting on it.
If that is the case, I should be proactive too.
Itâs challenging to do it right away, but I should tell her what I have been holding back and hesitating to say to her.
Suddenly, I directed my gaze towards Sara-senpaiâs head.
Senpai has been patting my head lately. Maybe I should pat her head�
I secretly put my hand behind her back and stroked her head.
âTakanashi-sanâŠ!â
At first, Sara-senpai showed a surprised expression. But as I stroked her, she looked happy and moved even closer to me.
âSara-senpai⊠how does it feel? Iâm always happy when you do this for me. And I feel relieved when I can touch you like this.â
âYes. Iâm pleased to have Takanashi-san do this (to me). I feel a sense of security when Takanashi-san is by my side. I am happy to be touched in this wayâŠâ
âI also feel happy to be with Sara-senpai. Iâll be even happier if you feel the same way.â
Honestly, it felt embarrassing. But I told Senpai how I felt.
I was so glad to see her happy face that I kept stroking her for a while.
ââŠHey, Iâm still here.â
Sorry. I forgot that Natsumi-senpai was here from the startâŠ