Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622172789075625/episodes/16818622174526490713
After the first English class ended, Nagisa said,
“The instructor’s explanations are different from usual, which is refreshing and allows us to gain knowledge that we don’t normally learn.”
“I get it.”
Today’s instructor was a temporary teacher from outside the cram school, and Nagisa was deep in thought as she looked at the handouts that had been distributed.
The class format was to first learn the basic knowledge and then solve the prepared problems.
The final problem distributed was an actual question from a past national university entrance exam, so it was, of course, quite challenging.
I also encountered many unfamiliar words, and while I didn’t make any major mistakes, I couldn’t produce a satisfactory answer.
Even I was in such a state, so Nagisa, who struggles with English, seemed to be having a particularly tough time.
She was using an electronic dictionary, and even during break time, she didn’t seem to be able to switch out of class mode.
Even though it was break time until the Japanese language class starting in twenty minutes, many of the other students were still focused on studying like Nagisa.
It seems that the students who are willing to give up their days off to come to cram school are full of motivation.
Our high school is known nationwide for having many motivated students, but even so, it’s different from the students who go to cram school with college entrance in mind.
As I was thinking about this, Nagisa, who seemed to have finished, put down her pen and stretched.
“Ugh, I’ve had a headache since this morning because it’s so difficult….”
“Haha, it seems like everyone is struggling. By the way, it’s kind of impressive to see so many classmates gathered in their casual clothes.”
“It’s a different scene than usual, so I feel a little uneasy.”
Since it’s a holiday, everyone is wearing casual clothes today.
If it were a normal school day, they would probably be wearing their uniforms.
Nagisa smiles wryly, looking a little troubled and embarrassed.
“But I’m glad. Our school uniforms are a bit conspicuous.”
“That’s true. Our school has the highest academic ranking in the area.”
“Yes. Usually, just wearing our uniforms makes us feel the stares of students from other schools.”
I wonder if it’s really just the uniforms that are the cause.
Even now, Nagisa is being stared at from a distance by students from other schools.
Of course, some people might think something when they see our uniforms, but I feel like the reason Nagisa is usually being stared at is different.
Maybe it’s just because her appearance is so out of this world and cute? I thought.
“Alright, next is Japanese ! This is my strong subject, so I’m confident.”
She makes a small fist, and I nod.
I reset my mind and get motivated.
◇
After finishing the two morning classes, the two of us stood up to leave the classroom.
But as we stepped out into the hallway, we bumped into Yamayoshi Fumino head-on.
Our eyes locked, and an awkward silence fell. Ignoring her felt awkward too.
This is troublesome.
Since I’m aware that she dislikes me, I feel like it’s wrong for me to say anything.
But ignoring her and walking away would also feel rude.
It might seem like I’m holding a grudge about our past relationship, which would be unpleasant.
So what is the best course of action for me to take now?
As I was wondering about this, she unexpectedly spoke to me.
“Edano kun, it’s been a while.”
“Ah, yeah. It’s been a while.”
Unlike in middle school, Yamayoshi’s wavy hair made her look more sophisticated.
She looked back and forth between me and Nagisa next to me, then said something strange.
“…..So you’ve already broken up with Kako chan. You moved on to another girl pretty quickly.”
“What are you talking about?”
Right after we met again, she said something I had no memory of, and I was taken aback.
It sounded a little sarcastic, but I had no idea what she was talking about and could only feel confused.
After all, I never had a past where I was dating Kako.
Kako and I were just childhood friends who had spent a lot of time together since we were young.
Back then, Kako was always clinging to me, so I wasn’t entirely opposed to it, but that doesn’t mean we were actually dating.
Besides, she was already seeing someone else behind my back, and apparently she didn’t intend for us to be anything more than friends.
During middle school, Kako and I were indeed close, but that was because she asked me to help her with her studies.
Nothing more, nothing less.
The reason I felt betrayed that day wasn’t because she had moved on with another guy and abandoned me—not some delusional victim complex.
It was because, after being together all that time, she went on and on about my family situation to someone else, mocked me, and then unilaterally cut off the relationship by saying she didn’t need me anymore. That’s why I was shocked.
There might have been a sense of loss, wondering what all the time I’d spent on her had been for.
Well, looking back now, I guess I was pretty pathetic for staying with someone like that.
So, we were definitely not dating.
Yamayoshi furrowed her brow in puzzlement at my blank expression.
“Eh, you weren’t dating?”
“Of course not. And there’s nothing going on with the girl sitting next to me either. Please don’t say anything out of the blue.”
“I-I’m sorry about that.”
I wish she could understand Nagisa’s position, where she can only smile wryly, and I don’t want to be misunderstood as being in a relationship with such a girl, so please cut me some slack.
The atmosphere became awkward, so we parted ways while feeling uncomfortable.
When we left the cram school for lunch, Nagisa smiled awkwardly.
“I guess I gave her the wrong impression.”
“Yeah. It’s beyond belief that I’m dating that guy. Plus, I feel bad for Amakusa san too.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m honored.”
“No, no, no. It’s the opposite.”
Why does Nagisa need to be modest?
She’s clearly a level above me in terms of beauty, and she’s also smart.
Even now, in her casual clothes, I might get lost in her beauty if I let my guard down.
Then, Nagisa made an even more shocking statement.
“Because, Edano sanis Reisa san’s boyfriend, right?”
“—-Huh?”
“Eh?”
What did she just say?
Did she call me Reisa’s boyfriend?
Wait, did I hear that wrong?
I smiled at Nagisa, who was looking puzzled, while sweating nervously.
“Ah, haha. Maybe my ears are getting bad. It sounded like you said Reisa and I are dating.”
“Is that not true?”
“No way ! We’re not dating !”
“Eeeh !?”
Nagisa let out a rare loud scream in surprise, and the people around us looked over to see what was going on.
We started walking away from the scene, continuing our conversation.
“When did you start misunderstanding that?”
“From the beginning…”
“Oh…”
So that was the source of the uneasy feeling I sometimes had about Nagisa’s comments.
I don’t know how anyone could think that I was dating that popular returnee, but the fact that people had been thinking that all along was incredibly painful.
It was embarrassing.
I’m glad I was the one who had to explain it.
If Reisa had been told that story, our relationship might have collapsed.
She probably wouldn’t want people to misunderstand that she’s dating me either.
We’re certainly close, but don’t misunderstand.
I learned that from my past experiences of being rejected by girls like Yamayoshi.
You should always be skeptical of a girl’s friendly attitude.
It’s a lesson I’d like to frame and hang on the wall.
“But then, why did Reisa san……?”
I sighed, looking at Nagisa, who was muttering with a red face.
I feel like I’ve been causing all sorts of misunderstandings with various people.
I resolved once again to be more careful about maintaining proper distance with girls.
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