Episode 43

In front of me was a person grinning, looking pleased with herself.

Honestly, it was noisy.

If there were no eyes on us I’d have avoided her entirely, but since she’s student council president and I’m vice president, I have to maintain a certain appearance in front of the other students.

“Smirking at someone’s face like that is pretty rude, don’t you think?”
“Ehh, well, you see—”

Yudzuki reached out and touched my earlobe, just like that.
Warmth seeped from her fingers, and it made me deeply uncomfortable.

“Don’t touch me so casually. I don’t really like being touched.”
“So cold. Hey, why were you wearing matching earrings with Mei-chan? Are you two dating?”

Inside, I panicked considerably at that.

Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.

Heat spread to my face from the ear she’d just touched, growing hotter.

I told myself I had to answer calmly, and steadied my breathing.

“We’re not dating.”
“You’re not denying the matching part, though.”
“…”

I’d made a mistake, I thought.
But denying it now would only make her more suspicious, so all I could do was ignore the topic.

“Hey, don’t get so angry. It’s rare for Nanoha to let her guard down with someone that much. Even when I’ve given you matching things before, you never once used them. I’m almost jealous.”
“That topic’s over. Let’s talk about something else.”
“I’ve gotten interested in Mei-chan too.”
“Sorry?”

Today Yudzuki was touching on the parts of me I dislike more than usual.

It was unpleasant.
But there was no way I could say that plainly, so I found myself speaking in a lower voice than usual.

“What are you going to do to Morishita?”
“Ehh, just say ‘let’s get along,’ that’s all.”
“Morishita keeps her distance from everyone, so I don’t think that’ll work.”
“Really? Last time we did club activities together she talked to me smiling, looking like she was having fun.”
“Eh…”

I was hearing this for the first time.
I had no idea what Morishita was like during practice when she was helping out with the volleyball club.

I wondered what she was like talking to people other than me.

As far as I knew, she rarely smiled in front of me.

It was irritating.
Why does Yudzuki always end up taking away something important to me?

Important…?

Morishita isn’t particularly important to me.
But I do think that being with her keeps the loneliness at bay, somewhat.

That level of a dry, practical relationship suits us just fine.

“Well then, guess I’ll go to the class next door.”
“I’m coming too.”

I grabbed Yudzuki’s arm firmly, refusing to let her get away.

When we reached the next classroom, Suzuki Ran, Hinata, and Morishita were talking together, the three of them.

Since when had Hinata gotten close with those two?

Another small knot formed in my chest.

Yudzuki, unaware of my feelings, charged ahead and stepped straight into Morishita’s classroom.

“Hinata, hey!”
“Yudzuki, Nanoha, what’s up?”
“Operation: Get Close With Mei-chan.”

Yudzuki flashed a peace sign, and Morishita’s face twisted into an expression of unbelievable displeasure.

Then she stood up smoothly and looked about to say “I’m going somewhere quiet” and leave the spot.

Well, of course she would.
That part had gone exactly as I’d expected, and I felt some relief.

“Mei-chan, we’ve all hung out together before, let’s get along.”

At those words, Hinata and Suzuki Ran both wore expressions that made it clear they had no idea what was happening.

And Morishita’s face had gone completely, thoroughly displeased.

“Sorry, sorry. I was joking too much. Mei-chan, do you dislike getting along with me?”
“Not particularly.”
“Then what about getting along with Nanoha?”
“…I don’t want to.”

Everyone looked at Morishita with a face that said huh?!

I’d more or less predicted that answer, so I wasn’t as surprised.

I thought Yudzuki had asked an unusually cruel, mean-spirited question.

“Mei-chan, you really don’t hold back. Nanoha, you’re being avoided, you know?”
“Yudzuki, you don’t have to say it that plainly…”

Against Yudzuki’s brazenness, Hinata was speaking in a quiet voice, probably not wanting to make a bigger deal of it, while Suzuki Ran was flustered, and Morishita looked absolutely determined not to look my way.

I let out a sigh at the chaotic scene.

In the end, Yudzuki had stirred up the whole situation with no resolution to show for it, and the break period ended.

※

“Hey, how do you solve this one?”
“Let’s see.”

I peered into Morishita’s reference book and found she was studying for the civil service exam’s general knowledge test.

It seemed my suggestion had been having a good effect.

Even after what happened at school earlier, she still came to my place without a second thought.

There were things about that I couldn’t quite make peace with, but this after-school time with Morishita fills me with a kind of quiet superiority.

She’s close enough now that if I reached out, I could touch her.

I was supposed to be answering Morishita’s question, and instead I reached for her smooth hair.

Her raven-black hair slipped smoothly between my fingers.
I found myself captivated by its sheen.

“Hey, teach me.”
“Yes, yes.”

I deliberately leaned in close to Morishita and peered at her problem with her. But Morishita said nothing about it.

Letting me touch her hair, not getting angry at me leaning in close, none of it was like her.

“Morishita, do you have a fever or something?”
“No. Keep this up and I’ll get angry.”
“Why are you so high and mighty when you’re the one being taught?”

I poked at her cheek repeatedly, and her lips stretched thin sideways with displeasure.

Cute.

The words that come out through those soft lips of hers are colder than Antarctic ice, and yet her face is put together so well it looks like a princess from a snow country.

Silent, she’d pass for a genuine beauty.

I thought that if I just froze her solid right now, she’d stay quiet and cute, and I could adore her exactly as much as I wanted.

“Hey, why don’t you want to get along with me?”
“No particular reason.”
“Why is Yudzuki fine, then?”
“Yudzuki always says things like that and never actually tries to get close for real, so I just answer in a way that doesn’t rock the boat.”
“I see.”

That made me a little happy.

That it wasn’t about ranking Yudzuki above or below me, but a practiced lie to get through the moment, based on understanding Yudzuki’s personality.

So Yudzuki really is outside Morishita’s territory too.
That alone felt like a real gain.

While I was feeling pleased with myself, Morishita took the plushie off my bed and hugged it tight.

Like a child seeking comfort from a stuffed toy, artless and unguarded, cute enough to make my chest tighten.

“Morishita likes being spoiled, huh.”
“Wrong. This one’s just cute.”
“Hmm.”

I liked thinking that showing this cute side of herself was something only I got to see, and I wanted her never to show it to anyone else.

That’s why, when Yudzuki tried to get close to Morishita earlier, I panicked without meaning to.

Getting flustered over something like that isn’t like me at all.

“Should I be Morishita’s body pillow?”
“What are you even saying, you idiot, pervert, creep.”

An impressive full combo of insults, but I don’t dislike her for saying things like that to me.

Still, cold words came flying from Morishita’s direction.

“If Fujishiro takes first on the next test, I’m done being involved with you. Take it seriously.”
“…Yeah.”

That’s right, we’d made that promise.

Back then, I’d wanted some kind of reason, any reason, to keep being with Morishita, and I’d proposed it grasping for anything that would buy me more time.

Of course I’ll work hard on the test.
Beat Yudzuki, take first place.
And if I do take first…?

I’ll have to find some other reason to stay connected to Morishita.

“Anyway, let’s study.”
“That’s what I said from the start.”

Today too, she was studying beside me.
Right now, that alone is enough.

But this was the day, for the first time, that I found myself not wanting to take the first place I’d begged for so desperately, for so long.