CH 5.2

THE GYARU SITTING BEHIND ME LIKED ME. MIGHT BE NO HOPE FOR ME ANYMORE V1: NOVEMBER 3–NOVEMBER 5 A LONER WON’T EVEN REMEMBER THE SCHOOL FESTIVAL, ISN’T IT? – PART 2

3

The next day, the two of them went around asking their classmates if they needed help. However, the responses weren’t really good.

‘Eh?’ Help? Nah, I’m on schedule so it’s fine… I mean even if it gets hectic, I don’t want to be working while breathing in sweet air, so I’ll refuse… go to hell.’

That was what a male student told the two, and from a female student—

‘By help… you mean you two together? I can only see that as you picking a fight with me who’s never got a boyfriend for as long as I’ve been alive, though?’

Such words came out and were thrown at the two.

They just seemed to be awfully hostile, but… well, the act of showing off one’s intimacy is something that is generally frowned upon.

But it didn’t mean everyone was showing such a response, as Shino’s gyaru friends clapped their hands and welcomed them.

Though, Shino was asked to appear with them as a waitress wearing a slightly risqué outfit together at the event day as a member to attract customers, which of course Shino refused. Shino clearly refused it in dislike, saying, “Not a chance will I ever show myself in risqué outfit to anyone except my boyfriend,” and making an X with both arms.

The refused gyarus didn’t get dispirited. Given that they knew of Shino’s personality, it seemed from the start they’d thought of just giving it a shot and nothing more.

“Haah… it’s a no, huh.”

“I’ve told you we can only give up if she used her BF as a reason.”

“Yep right. Shinopyon just lives in a different world from the likes of us who got no boyfriend.”

“I want a boyfriend~.”

“I get you.”

The gyarus stuck out their tongues and waved their hands, then left to go see the outfit.

Although he didn’t know just what kind of outfit they got in store, it would probably be the kind with lots of exposure given that it would be risqué. As to be expected, as Shino’s boyfriend Sandai simply would hate for her to be dressed in such an outfit being seen by other men, so he sighed in relief at the fact that she’d refused it.

Then Shino smiled, reassuring him.

“…C’mon, you don’t have to worry. I’m not inconsiderate like that after all. I might tease you, but I won’t think of trying to make you jealous. You’d totally hate things to get shaky from doing something like that, right? Well?”

Unlike Sandai who might make the wrong decisions occasionally regarding actions related to people’s feelings, Shino drew the correct answer truly without hesitation.

Incidentally, she was also good at giving a warning; indirectly saying, ‘Don’t do anything unnecessary like trying to make me jealous.’ She seemed to be wary around this area, perhaps because he got the previous offense of ending up worrying her.

Such words like ‘That was inevitable’ or ‘How long are you gonna be holding a grudge?’ would have the opposite effect, so Sandai nodded without saying anything.

Shino narrowed her eyes and stared fixedly at Sandai’s profile.

“…”

“Wh-What?”

“…Nothing really.”

It felt like she was suspecting him whether he really understood or not. Since getting weirdly shaken would only stir up suspicion, Sandai deliberately pretended to be oblivious and changed the subject.

“But still, there sure are nothing but people who said they don’t need help.”

They had already asked around so much, but got shot down everywhere, and the only one showing willingness to accept them so far was Shino’s friends, but she’d refused that as well.

At this rate, they might not even be able to say ‘We’ve participated in the school festival preparations.’

“I think there are still some classmates we haven’t asked, but… looks like we’re gonna get similar results, huh.”

“…Well, it won’t hurt to ask, and if it’s a no then so be it.”

When they sat down together on the stairs at the back of the gymnasium, caww caww, the cawing of a crow resounded. They both hung their heads down feebly.

Suddenly a shadow of a person fell upon them. When Sandai looked up, it was the class president.

“…So it’s you, Prez.”

“Fufufu… It has reached my ears about you guys going around asking people if there’s anything you can help with! I’m extremely delighted as you seem willing to participate.”

“…We got refused from everywhere, though.”

“That’s just how it’s going to be if you show off yourself flirting around. Just everyone will get pissed.”

“Rather than flirting, we’re just going about as usual, though.”

“Yup.”

“You’re completely not aware, huh…”

“We’re not even aware of it, that’s why it’s as usual… Nah, this talk seems like just gonna go around in circles. Anyway, since everyone says they don’t need any help, we can’t help but not be able to join the school festival, right?”

“That’s not the case. I have good news.” The class president snorted, and pointed at a certain corner of the school building.

Over there was the room for cooking class, however…

“Looks like there’s a girl practicing to make the food for the cafe, but she seems to be troubled as it’s not going well. By all means, go help that girl out. The girl’s got the personality that won’t give you guys the cold shoulder, so rest assured. …You’re good at cooking aren’t you, Yuizaki-kun? Seeing that you’re even making boxed lunches where looking at it makes me feel embarrassed and all. I’m counting on you. Well then, I have things to do as a class president,” the class president said and then went off somewhere with a rough huff.

How to put this, maybe it could be said that he was surprisingly very caring… He seemed to have guessed the situation on their side and found a place they could help with.

In the sense of ‘the rare chance of not having to help out in any way was destroyed,’ it was nothing but uncalled-for, but saying that wouldn’t do any good either. Heave-ho, Sandai and Shino stood up and headed for the cooking-class room.

There was a single girl in the cooking-class room.

That bob-haired, like-a-small-animal small-built girl was silently stretching a dough with a rolling pin.

It was a face Sandai had never seen before.

When Sandai tilted his head wondering whether there had ever been such a girl among his classmates, Shino gave an answer. “…It’s Takasago-chan.”

“You know her?”

“I won’t remember a man’s name unless I’m super interested in them, but I will remember a girl’s name. That girl is Takasago Mahiro-chan.”

“Let alone someone of the same school year, I don’t even know my classmates well to begin with, be it guys or girls.”

Sandai remembered only to the extent of students who were standing out like the class president or Shino and his homeroom teacher Nakaoka, and no more than that.

It was because he thought that knowing someone with whom he would never get involved with anyway would just be a wasted use of brain capacity.

“…That’s so like you, Sandai.”

When Shino chuckled, Takasago suddenly noticed them and turned to look. “Umm… errr… Yuizaki-san and Fujiwara-kun…?” Immediately after asking and jolting up, Takasago went, “Awa awa,” and moved to the corner of the room and curled up. Apparently timid just like how she looked.

“You don’t have to get that scared… We’ve been asking around trying to offer help with the school festival preparations, but we got refused everywhere we went, you see. Then when we wondered what to do, Prez led us here,” Sandai explained the situation while scratching his head.

And then Takasago responded to the ‘Prez’ part. “Prez… Shihouin-kun did…?”

“Shihou… in? Eh?” Sandai couldn’t help but glance to the side. He hadn’t expected the class president to have such a cool, high-class sounding surname. “Somehow… what an amazing surname he’s got, huh? That Prez.”

“I mean, I also didn’t know Prez’s username, though… Sounds like a rich kid.”

As Sandai and Shino were talking in whispers, Takasago came closer albeit nervously, perhaps a little less tense now after having seen them like that.

“U-Umm… err… so you came here to help… a-at Shihouin-kun’s order?”

“Order? Oh well, it wouldn’t be good to argue semantics. Well, that’s right.”

“Well, something like that.”

“Thank you so much. Then this is sudden, but I’d like you to see what I’ve made. I think I made this one up nicely.”

Takasago bowed her head repeatedly, and immediately brought a plate of cookies, but they were of an incredible color.

They were seven-colored.

“Umm… what an amazing… color, huh.” Sandai swallowed down his saliva at the sight of the cookies in color he had never seen before, and Shino picked one up and stared at it intently.

“I-It’s cool in a sense… and there are also sweets like this, but… how do I say it, it feels different from those…”

Contrary to her round-about way of speaking, Shino was awfully grim. She’d like to defend Takasago’s own hard work, but… she was at a loss for words, so to say.

That said, although those were awfully disquieting cookies, it would also be possible for the impression and the reality to be different.

“We-Well, look, it’s common for foreign sweets and the like to be colorful… and this might be in that vein… right?”

“Th-That’s certainly possible, but… this is… n-no, yeah, you’ll never know unless you try it, isn’t it?” Shino said and put the cookie into her mouth.

In the next moment—

Shino broke out into a puddle of unpleasant sweat all over her face, “Ueeh,” spat out the cookie and then immediately collapsed.

Sandai was startled and rushed over to her.

“H-Hey!”

“I-I’m sorry! I’m terrible at cooking and making sweets! It might not have tasted good… and I didn’t taste test it, too…”

“This is totally not on the level of being terrible at it, it not being good, or not taste testing it…”

While glancing at Takasago with a horrified look in his eyes, Sandai wiped Shino’s mouth which still got some vomit on it and rubbed her back.

Although Shino was out cold for some time, she somehow managed to regain consciousness with Sandai fervent, continuous nursing.

“Uwh…”

“…You feeling good? Should we go to the infirmary?”

“It’s okay… I mean, these cookies are crazy.”

“By crazy… How crazy?”

“If you eat it… you’ll know.”

It is true that experiencing it would be quicker, but Sandai had seen Shino immediately spitting it out and collapsing, so to be honest, he wouldn’t want to eat it.

However, it was also the truth that there would be no other way besides that to truly understand just how dangerous these cookies were.

After some contemplation, Sandai held Shino’s hand, nodded, and extended his hand for a cookie.

“U-Umm… I think it’s better for you not to…” Takasago anxiously looked at him and gave a warning, but not planning to back down anymore, Sandai readied himself and tossed it into his mouth—only to feel a bizarre stimulation.

A pain like being stabbed with a pin or something ran through his sinus, he involuntarily cried, then next his tongue went numb, and the back of his ears suddenly heated up.

Poison.

Unmistakably a poison.

Sandai collapsed while foaming bubbles.