/
Chapter 60: They are popular after all
“… Haah.”
Today, school finally ended. It’s not like I’m having boring days that I want to end. After the closing ceremony, I somehow feel like my shoulders have been a bit stiff lately. When I turn my neck, it makes a crunching sound, and when I move my shoulders, it also makes a crunching sound, which is not really a good sign.
“You look tired again today, Hayato.”
“Hm, yeah. Ah, so sleepy.”
My friends reacted as expected.
But still…Arisa and Aina, who always come over here immediately after the assembly, were late today for some reason.
At times like this, it must be…
When I stood up, my friends followed suit as if to say, “We’ll go with you.”
“Really, sorry for always doing this to you guys.”
“It’s no problem at all. Everyone around here gets scared when those two thunderbolts strike, you know?”
“Thunderbolts…?”
I haven’t experienced being seriously scolded by those two yet. So I don’t know what it’s like to receive their genuine anger, but they were really scary when they were not involved with me before…
“It’s not like I have any intention of trying to win them over or anything, but Hayato looks really happy when he’s with those two. It’s so enviable, you b*****d!”
“Ow…stop it.”
I was hit with a bang on my back.
Well, though, I’m really living a luxurious and happy life. While expressing my gratitude for that, I never forget to think of those girls. Even if it’s just a small thing, I never forget to always thank them. And when I see the smiles they give me in response, I understand well the importance of those words.
Then, along with my friends, we headed to their classroom, and as expected, the two were being talked to by a male student. He wasn’t a classmate from the same year, but…a Junior, perhaps?
“They’re popular even among juniors.”
“It’s amazing that even one have the courage to come to the upperclassmen’s classroom.”
“Indeed.”
I hoped they could use that energy to do something else besides coming to our classroom…but when Arisa and Aina noticed us coming into the classroom, their unhappy expression immediately turned into a charming smile that could enchant even anyone.
“Hayato-kun!”
“Sorry. We were going to come over right away, but a bunch of annoying people came.”
For Aina to say that much…well.
By the way, their friends were glaring at the underclassmen and seemed to be feeling just as uncomfortable as they were.
“Oh, um, senpai!”
“It was foolish of us to come without much determination—”
…Well, I can’t say I don’t understand their feelings.
If they idolized Arisa or Aina, not only are they in a different class, but they’re also in a different grade, so they have very few chances to interact. If they want to become friends, they would have to exchange contact information through someone else, but since the two of them don’t usually exchange information with boys, that’s not possible for them  either.
So, they might have had a feeling like, “Let’s just try to approach them with a ‘just do it’ spirit,” or something like that.
“I don’t care about your determination or anything. My sister and I have no intention of hanging out with you guys. It’s really annoying that you even came to our classroom all of a sudden.”
“That’s right. I’ll say it again— don’t show your faces in front of us ever again.”
After hearing Arisa’s words, which were even sharper than Aina’s, the two underclassmen left the classroom with a face that looked like they were about to cry. It’s pitiful to hear such harsh words, but I can only say that the other party was at fault.
After that, we all headed to our shoe lockers together and said goodbye to our two friends.
“I want to be by Hayato-kun’s side as much as possible, even if it’s just for a minute or a second.”
“Really. I had a bad feeling about them the moment they entered the classroom.”
It’s really refreshing to see how much they hate those juniors.
Oh, come to think of it, what about those two who bothered me before? I asked the two of them.
“You haven’t talked to them anymore, have you?”
“That’s right. Whenever our eyes meet, they awkwardly look away.”
“… I see.”
I feel really reassured seeing that they’re so thorough about it. Even if they’re of the opposite s*x, it’s only natural to get along with your classmates. But no matter what, Arisa and Aina only have eyes for me… and I’m happy about it.
“… Fufu.”
“Arisa?”
Suddenly, Arisa, who was peering into my face, laughed.
“It’s not good to distance ourselves with others
like that, but I guess you’re happy about the fact that we did it, right?”
“… Oh, you know what I mean?”
“I understand everything about you, Hayato-kun.”
As if to counter Arisa’s smiling face, Aina also raised her voice next to her.
“I understand Hayato-kun just as well!”
“…Haha, I know you do, Aina.”
It seems like Aina was a little jealous of Arisa’s exchange with me. I pat her head as she clings to me and she immediately smiles. Then, she turned her gaze towards Arisa and stuck her tongue out provocatively.
“Bleh.”
“…You’re not a child, you know.”
Arisa smiled wryly at Aina, looking exasperated.
I guess this is where I can see that Arisa is like an older sister. Well, Aina isn’t serious either, and Arisa probably knows that. Arisa also approached her and gently stroked Aina’s head.
“Aina is really cute. Unlike me, you’re very expressive with your emotions.”
“I don’t think so. I think you’re pretty expressive too, Nee-san.”
“You think so…?”
“I agree. In fact, the way you show your affection when we’re alone together is amazing, right?”
“… I wonder.”
Although Arisa may seem expressionless when interacting with others aside from Aina and Sakuna-san, when it’s just the two of us, she lets her emotions show as if her limiter has been removed. And speaking of which, when it comes to the master-maid play, it’s becoming quite a habit these days…
“Arisa is kinky.”
“What’s with the sudden remark!?”
“Yeah. My sister is very kinky. She truly inherited our mother’s blood.”
“… Aina, I’ll give that remark right back at you.”
…Well, Aina is certainly kinky too, huh.
As we walked home, chatting and having fun, Aina stuck close to me the whole time while Arisa kept her distance but I could tell she was stealing glances at us. I tried to meet her gaze, but it seemed like she was holding back because of Aina.
“By the way, today was really troublesome, wasn’t it? We were trying our best not to make Hayato-kun uncomfortable, but it wasn’t easy.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
Nodding, Aina continued her words.
“I don’t have any intention of showing any openings, and I avoid being alone with other boys for any reason. I don’t think Hayato-kun will doubt me, but I don’t want even small things that could lead to misunderstandings.”
Agreeing with Aina’s words, Arisa added,
“That’s right… Well, there is also the fact that we have a sense of disgust towards men other than Hayato, but I think that by keeping these small things in mind, we can be even more strongly connected to Hayato.”
“I see.”
It’s hard to put into words, but I really felt loved in that moment.
I was so happy that I couldn’t contain it, and I reached out to embrace not only Aina but also Arisa, who had been standing apart.
“I love you both so much!!”
I wonder what kind of expression I had on my face.
Probably…no, definitely, a childish smile. That’s how happy I was at that moment.