Episode 6 – Even if you avoid a future you don’t like, what awaits you could be a worse future

The day’s classes are over and the students are dispersing from their classrooms.
Some are going to club activities, and some are staying in the classroom even if they have nothing special to do.

I don’t have any plans to join any club activities, so I’m just going home.

─ ─ Good work! Let’s go together if you like

I had nothing in particular to do, so I accepted his invitation and we decided to go home together.

We were just leaving the school now.

“Seriously, the day was so long ……”

It felt like an eternity.

“You must be really tired.”
“You can tell.”
“Well, yeah. I’m sorry you had to go through that on your first day at the new school. It was interesting for me to observe it from the back.”

I assume Sosuke is referring to the exchange between me and Asagiri in class.

For some reason, I didn’t have my textbooks ready on my first day at the new school, so I had to have Asagiri show me the textbooks during all the classes.

This exhausted me to the point of mental exhaustion.
It is depressing to think that it will continue tomorrow. Hopefully, the textbooks will arrive tomorrow.

“You think it’s someone else’s problem, huh?”

I muttered bitterly to Sosuke, who was laughing at me.

That’s when something ran through my head.

＊＊＊

“Kakaka ! Y-you….why does it turn like this….Kakaka!!’
“….”

＊＊＊

It was just a short video.
It was just me and Sosuke at the scene. Sosuke was looking at me from the side of the road and smiling. And I had my feet in the rice paddies for some reason, and my brand new uniform was in the dirt.

“…………”

He didn’t tell me what had happened to make it that way, but if I continued on this road, it would probably be some kind of accident.

“…… what’s going on?”

Sosuke, who was walking while talking about something, turned around when he noticed that I was standing there.

“Sosuke. Is there a rice field up ahead?”
“There is. If you go straight ahead, I think there are a few more rice paddies.”
“Let’s go…… change the road.”
“What? Suddenly?”
“Come on.”
“H-Hey!”

I decided to force a change of road, taking Sosuke, who was tilting his head.

“Oh, maybe you smelled a girl over there?”
“Don’t put me with you. It’s not like that.”

What kind of pervert is this guy? I don’t know about this kind of treatment on the first day we met, but I decided this guy would be fine. And I just didn’t want to get covered in mud.

“I don’t get it, because you’ve been friends with our two-top since before you transferred. Despite saying you’re not interested in girls”
“Kurase is one thing, but what is there to envy about Asagiri?”
“I’m jealous of you. You hugged a girl who you would normally not even be allowed to touch, a girl who you would consider a goddess. How can you not be jealous of that! How did it feel? How did she smell?”
“Don’t get me all worked up all of a sudden, you’re scaring me.”

I forcibly pulled off Sosuke, who attacked me.

“What a bore. You could have at least taught me a few things.”
“Why would I teach you?”
“Oh, you want it all to yourself?”
“Don’t talk like that. No doubt it’s my fault, but it’s not right for you to be bothered by it.”
“Well, it’s fun to watch, but that’s not what it’s like for the person in question.”

What kind of perspective are you looking at this from?

“Well, it’s true that Asagiri is cold to others. I’ve never seen her befriend anyone other than Kurase.”
“………….., she’ll never forgive me for that, will she?”
“Maybe”

Maybe
……No more, let’s think positively. If she is cold to others from the start, it won’t make any difference whether I ask her to forgive me or not.

What’s the point of asking for forgiveness if you have to go through all that effort?
Hmmm. It’s a waste of time.

“Well, I’m sure she’s cold to strangers, but if there was an accident and you hugged her, you owe her an apology.”
“……, I knew it?”
“It’s natural. As a human being.”
“I never thought I’d be hearing from you.”
“What do you think I am?”
“I’m just kidding. However, I don’t feel like apologizing …….”

I look back on this day and all I see are those eyes that have nothing but rejection. I feel heavy if it continues.
I hate trouble, but it is more trouble to think of the trouble it will cause. So even though it was an accident, it is certainly better to apologize.

Normally, I would be the one to be thanked because I saved her from an accident, but for Asagiri, she doesn’t care about that.
The only thing Asagiri has is the fact that the pervert who suddenly stopped her and hugged her was me, a transfer student.

………………Yeah, I don’t think I can do it no matter how I try.

“I can’t do it. I can’t.”
“You’re giving up too soon.”
“I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t want to waste my time.”
“Well, I don’t care if you’re a pervert who faked an accident and suddenly hugged a girl, but what do you think Kurase will think when she finds out what happened through …… Asagiri?”
“…………It’s kurase”

It doesn’t matter. Just a stranger. I thought so, but it was a little distressing to be considered a pervert by such a kind girl with a smile.

“Kurase is a good friend of Asagiri’s, but she also has a wide range of other friendships. In other words, the story could spread from Kurase to other students. And because of the lack of entertainment in this rural area, rumors spread very quickly.”
“…… Is that bad?”
“Ah. Don’t underestimate the countryside, okay? Tomorrow, the auntie network will be spreading rumors about you. If you’re not careful, it may be beyond molestation. And once the rumor spreads, it takes time to clear up the misunderstanding. And the embarrassment of being whispered to by strangers on the street. I’m the one who said it, so there’s no doubt.”

…… sounds like he’s really feeling it. I wonder if this guy has a history of having rumors spread through aunties’ networks.

“Well, don’t think too hard, just apologize normally the next time you see her.”
“If I could do that, I wouldn’t have any trouble at all.”

As we were walking along with no solution in sight, Sosuke suddenly shouted out

“……Oh? When you speak about it…”
“What?”

I also follow the direction where Sosuke’s gaze is directed.

“”Ah.””

There was Asagiri, who was returning home with Kurase.
The other side sees my face and freezes up.

…… Hey, stop messing around Just because I avoided the future of falling in the rice paddies doesn’t mean this is what I’m going to do.

I apologize for what I have to apologize for, I thought about apologizing earlier, but I didn’t anticipate such an immediate situation. I’m not prepared for it.
I can’t help but pull a face.

Asagiri, unaware of my feelings, immediately changed her face and gave me a glare.

“Heyhey. Are you on your way home too?”

Sosuke, meanwhile, goes to talk to them like the wind. I would like to learn from his light footwork.

“Yeah, Sasaoka-kun too?”
“O-Ooooh! You remembered my name ……!?”
“Yeah, we’re classmates, right? Of course, right?”
“Huh? I think you were mistaken in the morning……. Well, never mind! But more importantly, if you’d like, Kurase can home with us!”

That’s a quick switch. Why aren’t you…… and who are you inviting..!?
For some reason Sosuke is looking at me and winking.

“I can’t.”
“That’s a quick answer! I’m asking Kurase, not Asagiri! Right, Kurase??!”
“Stay away from Nanami, and get the hell out of here with that pervert.”
“…………”

What a terrible thing to say. She really doesn’t like me.
I know it’s my fault, but I’m still a little upset that she hates me so much.

I’m starting to lose the will to apologize.

“Yuri-chan, don’t say that!”
“N-Nanami!?”

As I was pondering what I should say back to her, Kurase-san pinched Asagiri’s face between her hands as hard as she could.

“You wanted to ask him something, didn’t you?”
“T-That’s …….”
“Right?”
“Ugh. …….”

Kurase-san admonished her, and Asagiri’s face became somewhat calmer. I’m not sure what to do. I can’t believe she tamed that mad dog,…….

“Ugh,…….”

The moment I thought that, the calmness I had felt earlier disappeared and I was stared at again. Is she reading my mind? How dare she!

“Oh, in that case, my Arase will buy you a drink!”
“Hey”

Since when did I become yours? I mean, we’ve only known each other a day, right?

“…… sweet. Buy me the sweetest one you can find.”
“……!”

I was surprised. It seems that the other party has something to do with us too.
So, we went to the place of apology – or rather, to the recommended café, thanks to Sosuke’s arrangement.

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