Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093094101424177/episodes/16818622176152342717
With the summer festival approaching, I was enjoying some rare alone time.
I had an unavoidable errand to run.
Needless to say, it was the release date of the latest volume in the series I’ve been following. After all, I am a member of the library committee.
I’m not a fanatical reader, but I do keep an eye out for popular works.
I don’t have the same annoyances as other people.
While I have preferences regarding writing style, content, and plot development, the essence of a book remains unchanged. There’s nothing bizarre about it.
There are words, sentences, and paragraphs.
“Hmm, so the trend is to immerse oneself in games. And…..the protagonist is a male….?”
With the rise of web novels, the industry has become even more ruthless in its trends. I had picked up and put back the novels stacked on the shelves several times.
Piles of books stacked high.
The large bookstore in front of the station.
The view outside the store is visible through the gaps. There, I saw Michikusa Inori and Kanzashi senpai.
“What an unusual combination—”
I blurted out reflexively.
I had already purchased the book I wanted. It was a casual collaboration, but I contacted Orimoto anyway.
[Kanzashi senpai and Michikusa are at the station.]
There was no mistaking their silhouettes.
Our high school’s girls’ uniform.
Blonde and black hair. The two, who seemed unlikely to mix, were talking as they walked toward somewhere.
[Sorry, I can’t use my hands right now. It would be helpful if you could follow them. It’s okay, I have something else to do first!]
The reply came quickly. —Oh well.
My phone vibrated again.
[If you notice anything that links to my disappearance, please let me know.]
My errand was done. I didn’t want to lose sight of them while thinking about how to reply, so I decided to prioritize meeting Michikusa and Kanazashi senpai.
“Inori, I think this is good.”
“…Hmm, it’s cute, but is it for us? It might be too flashy for Keiichi kun?”
The two of them went into a select shop.
I watched from slightly behind them.
It seemed like they were carefully selecting a gift for Sera.
Michikusa was holding a mug.
The design was a rabbit. It seemed a bit too childish for a guy to use.
Kanzashi senpai was handling it skillfully, and I got the feeling that the two of them were surprisingly well-suited.
“How about this one?”
“Hmm, not bad. But I think Keiichi mentioned he already have one….”
“Oh, really?”
This and that.
The two girls were chatting cheerfully while selecting a gift for the same man.
But why a gift?
Judging from the situation, they probably won’t be leaving here anytime soon. I provided information to Orimoto.
Her response was surprisingly quick.
I nodded in agreement with the content.
[Then maybe they’re choosing a birthday present. Keiichi’s birthday is coming up soon.]
[I see, are you preparing something too?]
[Well, yeah. I don’t know if I’ll be able to give it to him, but my last resort is to put it in his mailbox.]
[Don’t do that. Sera will die of fear.]
Waking up in the morning to find an unknown gift in the mailbox! That would be a mild horror story.
Even Sera would lose faith in humanity.
Besides, if you do something like that, the top contenders for a boyfriend, like Michikusa and Kanzashi senpai, won’t stay quiet.
“…Oh, they’re going to another store.”
The girls walked around the store, but in the end, they didn’t find anything they liked.
I casually slipped out of the store and followed them. Wait, am I naturally taking on the role of a tail? This is…becoming a habit.
How terrifying, how terrifying, I muttered to myself.
“Aren’t you two cute? Are you students?”
Suddenly, a group of two men addressed them. Their tone was unsettling.
They weren’t bad at picking up girls.
It’s unclear whether they had a successful method, but to put it simply, they were idiots.
“We don’t want that.”
“Um, we’re leaving now…sorry. ….Come on, Inori chan.”
Kanzashi senpai grabbed Michikusa’s hand.
Michikusa looked tired and sleepy as usual. On the other hand, Kazashi senpai, perhaps out of pride as an older person, was clearly wary of the men.
Men, blond hair, piercings, sloppy attire.
Unkempt beards, intimidating manner of walking. That’s all.
The people around them were pretending not to notice, using the fact that no actual harm had been done as an excuse.
“Hey, wait a sec! We lost big at the races and we’re bored, so come hang out with us, okay?”
“—You reap what you sow. Do better.”
Michikusa delivered the harsh truth, biting back a yawn, like a punch to the men.
It was so blunt that it almost made me laugh.
But for the men, being scolded by a younger woman was almost unbearable, and their veins bulged.
The air tensed up and snapped.
“Are you stupid? Don’t underestimate adults!”
“An adult who gets angry after just a few exchanges isn’t an adult. They’re immature.”
“Damn kid, you’ve got some nerve.”
The dialogue feels a bit old-fashioned.
Looking closely, the men appear to be in their early thirties, though they could also be in their forties. In other words, judging by appearance alone, they’re men on the brink of defeat, being provoked by a younger woman.
If the men’s ages really match their appearances, then this is definitely a crime.
Yes, hands off.
Anyway.
…It’s lame, too lame.
But the stimulation is too frequent.
The way the side character provokes them is strangely sharp.
“Inori chan, let’s stop there, okay?”
“If you’re nice to idiots like this, they’ll get cocky.”
“…Inori chan, I forget that you were like this.”
Michikusa calmly delivered a slightly biased but reasonable argument, pouring oil on the fire for the men.
Kanzashi senpai said with a faint smile.
“Come on, let’s go!”
“I’m not going. Anyone who goes is an idiot. We aren’t idiots, so we’re not going. Get lost.”
“Now you’ve done it—you bastard!”
Had they forgotten that they were in front of the station? They were attracting everyone’s attention.
—Pretending not to see.
Everyone was pretending not to see.
A tired-looking businessman in a suit. A trendy office lady. A high school girl just taking pictures. Even families with children hurriedly left the scene.
I told you I’m not good with trouble.
I’m even worse at dealing with troublesome things.
“That’s enough! What are you doing?”
“No! I mean, nothing.”
“These two idiots were extorting me.”
Two police officers arrived on the scene.
They confronted the men with a stern tone. The men immediately began stammering. Even in front of the police, they were called idiots, which was odd.
“…..I’m glad I called the police.”
I had called 110 while the commotion was going on.
It was in front of the station. The nearest police box was close by.
They arrived in a few minutes. The Japanese police are excellent. I exhaled in relief and scratched my head.
Smoothly resolving the situation…
That’s something you see in manga and anime, and a man like Sera might have been able to handle it with ease, but for me, the best I could do was to comply with the authority of the state.
“…Hm?”
If the two of them were probably considering birthday presents, then my pursuit ended here.
It didn’t seem to have anything to do with the Orimoto disappearance case.
I contacted Orimoto about the outcome of the matter and put my smartphone back in my pocket. Then, my gaze met that of Michikusa.
“Shit. No, I should just act confident.”
The strange phenomenon that happened to Orimoto.
And keeping track of my love rival’s movements.
The latter is just my speculation, though.
Do I want Orimoto and Sera to get together? No, I don’t.
But I do think it’s unfair.
It’s different to be forced out of the competition after losing in a cold war over the same man.
“I’ll just keep a straight face here.”
Anyway.
I was tracking these two points, but I don’t think they noticed I was following them.
Acting suspiciously here would raise suspicion.
Coincidence.
Yes, I just happened to be there.
“……”
“…Stop staring so much.”
Our eyes locked for a full ten seconds.
However, the first to lose interest was the blonde beauty known as the “sheltered young lady” Michikusa Inori. She suddenly looked away and hugged Kanzashi senpai around the waist.
I ended it with that action.
I reported it, but that’s all.
It’s the same as with Orimoto. Ignoring it somehow makes me feel guilty.
“I hope nothing strange happens.”
It’s not a pretense.
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