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I look back into their eyes quietly, trying to keep my composure.
I’m nervous inside. But I can barely hide it. No matter how fast my heart beats, all I have to do is keep a smile on my face.
[Onii chan, you’re clearly flustered… You don’t have to compare me and Misaka senpai so much……. And the way you laugh is also strange. If you’re not really flustered, you should be looking as out of sorts as you usually do.
But to react like this, it must mean that there is something to hide, right? What is it that this simple Onii chan dares to hide?]
[I can feel the agitation in Fujisaki kun’s eyes as if I could feel it in my hand…… It might be a smile with a lot of room to spare, but it looks like his expression is frozen in place……. It reminds me of Takuma, who pretends that nothing is wrong after admiring a cute girl he passed in the street……
I don’t know if it has to be such a secret. Putting me aside, but what does he have to hide from even Saki, who has been living with him for a long time?]
Fu.
It seems I’m a very easy man to understand. I knew. I knew it ! But I want to say something. I’m not easy to understand, you two are too sharp ! I’m sure of it !
Shouting that in my chest is not going to make things any better. Here’s the excuse I prepared in advance…….
“……Actually, I can’t tell you who it……was today, but I’m supposed to go out for a bit with a certain senior…….”
With that one word, the eyes of both of them become the ones that see something very unfortunate.
[……Onii chan, was there any point in hiding their name?Does he think I’m easy to fool…..?]
[The only senior who knows Fujisaki kun is Azuma senpai…….]
The two were very much taken aback.
However.
This is as expected. By being astonished as much as I can, I can make them focus more on my helplessness than the truth. If I do that, they’ll think I’m going out with Azuma senpai without having to pursue the details. It’s a good feeling. …..Don’t I look a little like a phantom thief now? Doesn’t it seem like we’re playing psychological warfare?
“Well, what the heck……. That senior asked me not to tell anyone else about today. I don’t know, maybe she didn’t want people to know that she was going out with me or something. …… So, well, I kept it a secret from both of you…… I’m sorry, but don’t pursue this too much, just leave it here.”
I put my hands together and asked the two of them to do so. Then, Saki and Misaka san look at each other.
[Onii chan’s trying too hard, but I guess that’s a lie.]
[Fujisaki kun’s trying so hard, but, well, it’s a lie.]
How do you know !? I’m saying it properly, right? It makes sense, doesn’t it !?
What…..what was so suspicious about me to these two?
Careful not to show it in my expression, I search for an inadequate excuse. But I just can’t find it. Damn……. It’s frustrating, but right now I’m in the mood to rather hear the two of them point it out to me……
Saki and Misaka san look at each other and Saki speaks to me.
“Hey, Onii chan.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Where are you going with that certain senior today?”
“Umm, where was it? Going to the library or something… I didn’t ask for details… but she asked me to come with her.”
“Hmmm………it feels like you’re going out all day?”
“No,……I don’t know. I’m sure it will take some time for that. She checked if I was free for the day.”
“I see…….”
“W-what is it?”
Saki frowns, looking a little troubled. What was wrong with my answer…?
[When he tells me the truth, which is really hard to say, he looks more reluctant to say it and avoids making eye contact with me.
But is it also kindness to act like I believe what Onii chan’s says, right…….? Or, do I drop the half-hearted kindness and say, [Azuma senpai must want to concentrate on creating works for the school festival, so she wouldn’t go out for a long time for nothing, would she?] should I pursue it? I know all of Azuma senpai’s SNS accounts, so I can check any of them and know to some extent what her plans are for the day. And if there is any activity during the time when she is supposed to be out, that is proof that she is not going out. Would it be cute if I told him that?
I mean, after all, I’m going to follow them and find out what they’re doing, so there’s no need to pursue the matter here.]
Fu.
I still underestimate Saki. My desperate excuses seem to have come to nothing in an instant.
On the other hand, Misaka san said.
[Saki seems to be sensing something too,……. I’m sure she’s onto something concrete. Something I don’t know…….
In my case, Fujisaki-kun’s words sounded vague in some way, so I thought they were a lie. If he really thought about Azuma senpai, his words would be more passionate.
Fujisaki kun is gentle, so when he makes a serious request, it is deceptively sincere. This time there was none of that, and the atmosphere was appropriate, so that excuse was a lie.
Fujisaki kun can’t lie, can he…… That’s good, but I feel a little pity for him when I see him like this,…….
But……why lie like this? Is there really something that should not be known to us regardless of the fact that it was Azuma senpai….?
Erm……I’m getting kind of worried. It’s Fujisaki kun, and I don’t think he would tell such a lie for no reason. Do you really have something to worry about……? Hey, maybe I’d like to have a proper talk with you……]
Fu.
Misaka san being Misaka san, and she is sharp, or what can I say. I shouldn’t tell lies I’m not used to. The more I point it out, the more they start to break it down.
But well, I feel sorry for Misaka san’s state of mind, as she seems to be expressing concern. Certainly, my date with Misaki sensei is a secret that I can’t tell others, and even if it somehow went well, it might be a source of worry.
We are teacher and student. If the world finds out, even if they think I’m still a youthful indiscretion, there is no way for Misaki sensei to stand up for me.
I don’t know if I can stand such a relationship…….
I’ve come to the realization that I can’t outsmart these two no matter what I do. They are too different in character.
In the end, it’s a question of whether to keep it a secret or to feel more comfortable disclosing it.
Saki and Misaka san are thinking a bit about how they should pursue me, and whether they should pursue me at all.
I couldn’t say anything and was about to fall into a rigid state.
What changed the atmosphere was my mother, who had overslept a little on her day off.
Once my mother appeared, the conversation was put on pause. Misaka san greeted my mother with a flutter, and Saki and I hurriedly went back to my room to finish getting dressed.
Once I was alone, I was able to catch my breath.
Now…..what am I supposed to do?
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