[LN] Saenai Boku ga Kimi no Heya - Volume 1 - Chapter 4

 

Chapter 4 - Class Meeting

The day after the plan was made, Touyama woke up earlier than usual to prepare for it. But in fact, I woke up early in the morning due to insomnia caused by anxiety and tension.

「Okay, it's almost time to go......」

Although his physical condition was not very good due to lack of sleep, only his consciousness was still awake.

「Ah? Onii-chan left for school so early in the morning」

Touyama put on his uniform and walked out of the room, as he was about to walk towards the entrance, he met Naki who was still in her pajamas in front of the bathroom.

「Ah, I have something to do today and I want to go to school early.」

「Ouh I see... I don't know what happened to Onii-chan, but please don't push yourself.」

Seeing her miserable state of insomnia and nervousness at the sink just now, Touyama also understood her current state. Naki could probably sense what was going to happen today from her expression.

「Yes, thank you Naki for worrying about me so much. But I'm not alone, it's okay.」

「I know, Naki will also always be on Onii-chan's side.」

Even Naki was worried about herself, and it wasn't just her own problem.

Touyama had already made a strong wish to solve this problem today no matter what.

「Yes, I'll go first.」

「Well Onii-chan, be careful on the road.」

Under Naki's supervision, Touyama made up his mind and set foot on the road to head to school.

On the way to school, Touyama stopped by the convenience store to get ready. In the still empty classroom, Touyama took out the stack of papers he bought at the convenience store from his school bag and placed them on my desk and bucket.

Then, Touyama quietly waited for the start of the class meeting in his seat.

Touyama closed his eyes and calmed himself down. Perhaps because more and more students were coming to class, the class was getting noisier.

「Yuki, good morning. You came very early today. 」

Touyama, who heard a familiar neutral voice, opened his eyes.

「Good morning, Chihiro. I have something to do today, so I have to go to school early.」

「That's it. Hey Yuki...I see your face isn't too good, are you okay? Is your body hurting?"

As Naki had said in the morning, anyone could see that Touyama was not feeling well right now.

Touyama was very nervous, and his heart was almost overwhelmed with anxiety.

「No... I'm just a little sleep deprived, it's fine.」

「That's right... if you're not feeling well, let me know right away.」

Chihiro's concern this time made the anxious Touyama relax a lot.

「Ah, thanks, I'll let Chihiro know if I don't feel well.」

With this, Touyama and Chihiro chatted for a while casually, and the homeroom teacher, Miyamoto-sensei, entered the classroom from the door.

It's about time.

A few seconds after Miyamoto-sensei walked from the door to the teaching altar, Toyama's heart beat rapidly without stopping, and the tension made her legs tremble.

「Good morning, classmates, we will begin the morning class meeting--」

「Se, Sensei! Can I take a moment before the morning class meeting starts?"

Touyama restrained his trembling legs and stood up abruptly from his seat, interrupting Miyamoto-sensei's speech who was about to announce the start of the class meeting at the altar.

「Touya, Touyama-kun, what happened?」

Touyama, who suddenly stood up, surprised Miyamoto-sensei and his classmates.

Touyama took out a stack of papers from the closet and walked to the front of the altar trembling.

「Eh? Even Uehara-san too...」

Following Touyama, Uehara also left his seat and started walking towards the front of the class. This made Miyamoto-sensei become confused.

The classroom became quiet due to Touyama's sudden strange behavior. However, as soon as Uehara stood up, his classmates began to wonder.

『Eh? what is this going to do?』

『What event announcement is this? 』

『Speaking of those two people, it's not just a rumor......』

『Isn't that supposed to be an engagement announcement?』

『No, no, it shouldn't be. 』

『Is it time to start?』

The classmates in the class couldn't seem to hide their trembling, and there was a lot of discussion.

In this case, Touyama and Uehara met in front of the altar and distributed papers to the students in two separate ways.

Miyamoto-sensei did nothing until they finished handing it out, and just watched in silence.

『Eh? Is this true?』

『What has happened? I don't know anything.』

『Is this an intimidation?』

『What the heck...it's too much....』

On the front of the paper they handed out there was an inscription "Don't let me get carried away. And the content of the group chat was printed on the back.

This is a screenshot of the harassment handwritten notes and group chat notes that were put into Touyama's shoe locker.

「Sensei please take this too」

Touyama and Uehara returned to the altar after distributing all the papers, and Touyama gave the rest to Miyamoto-sensei.

「This, this! ? Touyama-kun and Uehara-kun, can you explain what happened?"

After seeing the contents of the paper, Miyamoto-sensei, who was quite surprised, asked Touyama and Uehara to explain.

「Sensei, I'll explain it in front of everyone next.」

Saying that, Touyama looked away from Miyamoto-sensei and turned to the seated student.

「What......」

The classroom, which had been noisy until now, suddenly became quiet, and the eyes of all the students in the class focused on Touyama. At that moment, Touyama looked tense, his body stiff and unable to speak.

His hands were shaking, his throat was dry, and he wanted to open his mouth to speak but couldn't make a sound.

『Touyama, what are you doing just standing around?』

『Don't you want to say something? Let's hurry up and say it』

『Touyama is really tense.』

For Touyama, who was not used to standing in front of everyone, the situation of exposing himself in front of everyone in such a special situation as now had given him a lot of burden.

Touyama, who stood in front of the teaching altar, was completely stiff, unable to speak, and his classmates threw cruel words at him one after another.

No matter what someone like me says in class, no one will listen, right?

Is it too arrogant to say that I want to help Uehara-san?

What exactly do I want to do, how do I do it.

Touyama, unable to think, move or escape, suddenly, Touyama was wrapped in something soft and warm.

「Touyaka, it's okay. I'm with you.」

Uehara clenched Toyama's trembling hand and wrapped it gently.

Touyama felt the warmth of Uehara's body from the hand he held, and his hand trembled.

Uehara was also very nervous.

But still, Uehara held Touyama's hand and grasped it firmly.

Touyama's gaze shifted to Uehara, staring at her swaying pupils, biting his lip hard.

I don't want to regret doing something like this!

Touyama firmly shook Uehara's hand back.

Then, 「It's okay, thank you」，Slowly Touyama let go of Uehara's hand that was holding on to each other.

「I, I have something to tell you guys」

Touyama's eyes regained their strength, and she began to speak her prepared words, and the classroom became quiet.

「After reading the paper I just handed out earlier, I think many people already understand what's going on. 」

「The front of this paper is printed with the contents of the harassing note that was put in my shoe locker, and the back is a screenshot of the chat log of the group chat.」

The people in the class who heard Touyama's words began to riot again.

「Touya, Touyama-kun... Is this true?」

Hearing these words, Miyamoto-sensei looked surprised, with a look of disbelief on his face.

「Yes, we have no reason to lie like that.」

In the middle of Touyama's speech, Miyamoto-sensei interrupted him, and Toyama replied after a short answer.

「The note was originally placed inside my shoe locker, and then the next day on my desk it was pranked by being placed with a lot of trash.」

「I've been putting up with it for a while, I'm sure one day this kind of harassment will slowly disappear.」

「But at the same time, an anonymous group chat was created with a lot of slander against me and Uehara-san written there.」

After saying that, Touyama took a breath and continued his conversation.

「Seeing Uehara-san's sad expression after knowing the contents of that group chat, I felt angry and at the same time realizing that I can't let Uehara-san feel sad anymore, so I want to stop this behavior at all costs.」

「So I used this class to do something like that without thinking about it first. And I'm very sorry for that.」

The classmates did not sneer, and Miyamoto-sensei did not interrupt Touyama's talk, and just listened silently.

「I think everyone should know that Uehara-san is not someone who can do that kind of thing.」

「I also understand that there are some people who don't like me. Someone like me who doesn't fit into the class at all would have a good relationship with Uehara-san. This kind of thing can definitely make those people feel angry and jealous. I can understand....

「But! I hope this person doesn't use this kind of ridiculous way just to hurt others just because it's related to me. So...if he continues to do this kind of thing, I won't sit idly by.」

「This is the note that was put in my shoe locker. Since it's handwritten, it should be easy to determine who wrote it by identifying the handwriting. The answer sheet for the exam has to be placed at school, I plan to ask sensei. I think the person who wrote that note is the same culprit who put the trash on my desk. 」

「I think the culprit who did these things should understand what happened. Suspensions can be made depending on the circumstances, and in the worst case can be expelled or prosecuted for damaging reputation. Even so, Uehara-san doesn't want to find the culprit. So please convince yourself to think about it and reflect on yourself.」

After saying that, Touyama stopped talking for a moment and took a deep breath.

「Seriously I don't want to do something threatening like this...but! I don't want to see Uehara-san look sad again! Please don't hurt people who are important to me...so...please...」

Touyama suddenly burst into tears.

After a few seconds of silence, Uehara, who had always been silent, spoke up.

「I... I don't think it's anyone's fault. It's not Touyama's fault, or anyone else's fault. Touyama and I can't help but feel hurt and sadness for something that would harm others. So I also beg you...please don't do this again...please──I beg you...."

Uehara also cried'.

Perhaps it was Touyama's sincere words that hurt the hearts of her classmates. I could hear the sound of several girls sobbing with tears and sympathy from the class.

「Touyama-kun, Uehara-kun... I'm sorry, I didn't notice anything like that... From Sensei's point of view, although I can't jump to conclusions, please tell me the details later.」

When Toyama and Uehara finally calmed down, Miyamoto-sensei, who had noticed the change, finally spoke up.

「All in all, I will investigate this matter further. Depending on the situation, I will ask individual students to assist in the investigation. Although this incident has greatly shocked me and everyone, please stay focused in class as usual.」

After Touyama and Uehara had said everything they wanted to say, and seeing the opportunity for both of them to cry, Miyamoto-sensei made the final conclusion.

「I'm really sorry for taking up class meeting time in this way without discussing it with sensei.」

Touyama apologized to Miyamoto-sensei.

「Not only Touyama, but I, who knew about it beforehand, also have a responsibility. Sensei, I really apologize。」

Soon after Touyama, Uehara also bowed his head and apologized to Miyamoto-sensei.

「Although I can't deny that I really wish that you guys would have consulted me earlier, your thoughts have been communicated to me. I hope you guys can talk to me about this after class ends.」

Touyama and Uehara did not know if this matter had been resolved.

However, if the mastermind of this matter is in this class, this should be able to play the role of the culprit. It is not to expose the culprit, but to stop this slanderous behavior, so there should be an effect.

「Since there isn't much time left, I'll continue this morning's class meeting for a bit.」

After Miyamoto-sensei announced the resumption of the class meeting, Touyama and Uehara went to collect the papers from the students.

When Touyama came to Kurashima's seat to collect the papers, Kurashima looked calm and unflappable.

However, from the eyes Kurashima looked at Touyama with, there was a glimpse of jealousy and anger.

Touyama, who quietly picked up the paper, sighed deeply in his heart.

On the day Touyama and the others exposed the slander at the class meeting, the topic was always brought up.

There were many students who still believed the lies and spoke out in the group chat.

Those students must be embarrassed.

「Maki, I'll go first.」

「Well, be careful on the road.」

After saying goodbye to Aizawa, her relatives and friends, Uehara left the classroom and walked to the student guidance room.

To investigate the incident, Miyamoto-sensei called her after school.

Miyamoto, who was a female teacher, spoke with Uehara alone due to sensitive issues related to sexuality.

Touyama, on the other hand, was questioned by the male teacher in charge of student guidance in another room.

「The chat log seems to have been written to aid communication. Regarding this, I would like to hear what Uehara-san has to say.」

Uehara, of course, denied that he was involved in the assisted communication. But what was surprising was what he said.

「Miyamoto-sensei...that...I-I am still a virgin! If I want to prove it, it might be a bit troublesome... ah! What certificate can I get if I go to a gynecologist?」

Pfft!

Uehara's sudden virgin statement made Miyamoto spit while drinking tea.

「Sorry, I'm sorry... No, does anyone have a certificate like that? I don't know」

「That's so... In that case, there is no way to dispel Touyama's suspicions... Obviously, as long as I can prove that I'm still a virgin, it can mean that I haven't established a more intimate relationship with him yet...."

Precisely because Uehara was really worried about Touyama, she wanted to prove that she was a virgin because of his kindness towards her.

Although Miyamoto felt that this was not very serious, there was still a smile on his face.

Touyama must also be very important to Uehara.

Hmph, it's also fun to be young.

Thinking back to his youth as a middle school student ten years ago and those bitter youthful memories, Miyamoto could not help but laugh.

The two of them should be able to easily overcome the current obstacles.

Despite still being a teacher, Miyamoto still supported the relationship of the two in her heart.

◇ ◇ ◇

———Scene Change———

◇ ◇ ◇

After school yesterday, Touyama told sensei what he had discussed with Uehara earlier when Touyama was questioned by the instructor.

The reason is because he believes that if the matter is publicized to this level, the puppeteer should not act rashly in the future.

As a restraining force, this should have the full effect. Touyama thought so.

I changed into my uniform while thinking about what happened yesterday. When I was getting ready to go to school, I walked down the stairs and saw Naki in her sailor uniform waiting.

「Let's go to school together today.」

Touyama, who saw her figure like that, said this to Naki.

「Is this real? We can go to school together again today?」

「Ah yes, right now, it's fine.」

「Asikkk！」

Naki, who had a smile all over her face, held on tightly to Toyama's arm.

Although it was only a few days without going to school together, Naki was very happy about it.

Naki was still inseparable from her Onii-chan's control as usual.

Although I didn't act with Naki so that she wouldn't get into trouble, it should be fine now.

「Let's go!」

Naki pulled Touyama's arm out of the entrance, and the residential area shimmered with the rising sun.

The soft sunlight was dazzling and warm, making people feel refreshed in body and mind. Touyama couldn't help but wonder if humans could also photosynthesize.

Good morning.

hum hum hum hum

Naki held Touyama's arm while humming a song. Looking very happy.

「Since this, Naki seems to be in a good mood.」

「It's been a long time since you went to school together? Of course I'll be happy！」

「Can't you see her every day at home?」

「That's two different things！」

That difference made Touyama a little confused.

But is it really good for Naki to go to school with her Onii-chan? Touyama thought.

Even if a teenage girl walks with a guy like her Onii-chan, those who don't know the details should be misunderstood.

「Nah, Naki!」

「What, Onii-chan?」

「Why are you walking hand in hand while outside? I don't think normal brothers would do this」

「Eh, that's not the case. Yoko-chan in my class also said that kissing between brothers is normal.」

It seems that my classmates in the class are more seen as wrong brothers than Naki.

「Yoko-chan's point of view may not be normal.」

「Why?」

「Brothers and sisters don't usually kiss.」

「Is that so? ......」

Touyama began to worry that Naki's common sense was gradually being taken away, and planned to tell her more about these things in the future.

Nearly approaching the school gate, Touyama who felt this was too conspicuous, so she firmly pulled Naki's hand to let go.

「Ah, wait, Onii-chan, don't do this！」

Touyama wanted to get rid of Naki's arm, but he was opposed. As a result, Touyama had to walk to the school gate, hand in hand.

「Touyama.～」

Near the school gate, in the corner of Touyama's field of view, he caught the figure of a girl who was running and greeted him.

With bright hair that had been slightly curled, the beautiful-looking female student ran towards Touyama, while shaking her chest.

「Good morning Touyama！」

After she finished speaking, Uehara pulled Touyama's other free arm.

Touyama, who was embraced by Naki and Uehara, was like the protagonist of a romantic comedy hugging two beautiful girls from left to right.

「Wait! over there! what are you doing！」

「Good morning Naki-chan. You're almost at the school gate, you can go in the direction of the junior high school."

With that said, Uehara pulled Touyama towards her. It felt quite comfortable to press against her plump breasts.

「Ah, wait, what are you emphasizing with your breasts! ? I really feel uncomfortable.」

It was surprising that, despite being in such an enviable situation, Touyama felt uncomfortable.

I only solved the problem yesterday, so I didn't want to be noticed badly in the morning.

「Hey, I said you two, it's getting a little noticeable, can you separate from me?」

After saying that, Touyama forcefully let go of her arm and managed to escape from the two of them.

「Come, say hello to Uehara-san.」

「Okay, good morning, Uehara-senpai.」

「Wah, you're amazingly good at greeting, Naki.」

Hearing Touyama say that, Naki raised her chest, which was quite developed for a junior high school student, and said「Of course」.

「Yes, Uehara-san and I went this way.」

If Naki continued to stay here, she wouldn't be heading towards the junior high school, so Touyama left Naki and walked quickly towards the middle school building.

「Ah, Touyama, wait for me～」

As if to escape the two of them, Touyama left Uehara and walked towards the school building.

「Seriously, why did you leave me?！」

After chasing after Touyama, Uehara immediately complained.

「Again, with yesterday's incident, I don't want to be noticed early in the morning.」

「Sorry, I'm a bit of a prankster, but... I was so happy, so I just」

Uehara froze for a moment with an apologetic expression.

「Don't be sad, I'm also very happy to see Uehara-san so early in the morning.」

「Really!? Yeahhh～」

The depressed expression with her head bowed suddenly brightened up again.

「Uehara-san looks very energetic, that's good.」

Regardless of what happened, Uehara didn't seem to be depressed anymore.

「Hmmm...because there's Touyama protecting me...I really hate attracting attention, but I'm still trying to convince everyone for me, I'm happy.」

Uehara looked down and looked at Touyama's face with wet eyes.

「I was so nervous that I was speechless, but thanks to Uehara-san's encouragement, I was able to endure until the end... Thank you."

When Touyama was too nervous to speak while standing in front of the altar, it was Uehara who held Touyama's hand and gave him courage.

Touyama remembered the warmth and softness of Uehara's hand, and felt his cheeks begin to heat up.

「Mmmm, that's not the case... The dignified Touyama is really handsome...and...I'm glad Touyama said that I'm an important person to you...."

Touyama remembered what he said, and felt embarrassed and a little depressed in his heart.

On the other hand, Uehara's cheeks had been flushed from earlier, she lowered her head and raised her eyes wetly to send a warm gaze towards Touyama.

「Come quickly. If not, we'll be late.」

Touyama, who could hardly stand this atmosphere, forcibly changed the subject.

「Ah, Touyama wait for me.」

I spent a lot of time with Naki and the three of them, and if this continues, I'm really going to be late.

Touyama who left Uehara again and walked towards the classroom.

Touyama, who joined Uehara near the school gate, stood side by side in front of the classroom door.

Touyama had always been very ordinary. Perhaps it's a bit contradictory to say, just because it's inconspicuous, it's okay to say that it's a little noticeable now.

That's why the relationship with Uehara, who is popular in the class, is getting better and attracting attention.

Having preceded the class meeting yesterday, Touyama couldn't imagine what kind of hatred he would cause to his classmates.

It was a classroom that went in and out every day, but now Touyama felt very nervous.

I used to be called a loner, moody and the like by my classmates, but lately I had become accustomed to bathing in their curious eyes. Even so, Touyama was hesitant to enter the classroom now.

The people who wrote the slander remained in the classroom as if nothing had happened. Since there was still some fire left, there was still the possibility of another blaze.

Touyama hesitated for a long time in front of the door, and suddenly his left hand was wrapped in something warm.

「Touyama, it's okay. because I'm with you.」

Uehara grasped Touyama's hand as tightly as yesterday.

「Uehara-san, thank you.」

Releasing that soft and warm hand, Touyama walked into the classroom.

As soon as they entered the classroom, the students who recognized Touyama focused their attention on the two of them. The noisy classroom before class suddenly became quiet.

Moreover, the fact that Uehara and Touyama entered the classroom together attracted even more attention.

『See, Uehara-san also entered together. Are you guys going to school together?』

『Are these two really dating? 』

『No no, that's impossible.』

『But, remember you. Didn't they hold hands during the class meeting yesterday? Maybe that's really the case.』

Touyama walked to his seat under the gaze of his classmates.

Touyama had already anticipated it with various explanations.

I really like this kind of topic.

The students in the class were all interested in the contents of the group chat and made a lot of imaginations.

Then, rumors began to spread that Touyama and Uehara were dating.

It was human nature to love gossip. Touyama thought about this while walking to his seat.

「Yuki... good morning！」

Chihiro greeted Touyama with a smile on her face.

「Chihiro, good morning. Sorry, I gave you trouble yesterday」

「Hmm, there was no such thing. A lot has happened, but thank you for your hard work."

Touyama felt very happy to only be greeted by Chihiro with a smile.

「It's not easy for you, Touyama-kun. I was surprised when I heard about it yesterday. The way you protect Uehara-san is very handsome. Impressed by you."

He patted Yuanshan's shoulder and said something like「See you later」The person who left was the boy Touyama never spoke to before, Shota Okuyama. He was a neutral student in the class, had many friends, and had a girlfriend in the same class. Touyama had a good impression of him.

After that, several students talked to Touyama one after another, and everyone had good intentions.

「I feel that Toyama has become very popular?」

Uehara, who had returned to his seat briefly, was already nearby when Touyama was approached by another classmate.

「Uehara-san, look, there she is. The one who can't control his curiosity.」

Touyama was a little embarrassed to be approached by someone so kind. So I found the perfect excuse to hide my embarrassment.

Touyama, who was not used to this kind of thing, did not know what to do at such a time.

「Uehara-san, The class meeting is about to start, better get back to your seat right away.」

Touyama urged Uehara to return to his seat, then turned his gaze towards Takai. Takai seemed to notice his gaze, and once Takai met Touyama's gaze, Takai immediately turned forward.

Touyama wondered if he was a little worried about himself, but it was hard to read his feelings from Takai's expression.

Takai was completely the same as usual.

Touyama glanced at Takai and smiled bitterly.

「Touyama, let's talk later。」

Looking at the back of Uehara who returned to his seat, Touyama let out a sigh of relief, thinking that he did nothing wrong with his actions yesterday.

During the lunch break that day, Touyama's surroundings also changed from usual.

If there was any change, it was Uehara's relative and friend, Aizawa Mika, who also came towards Touyama for lunch for some reason. Aizawa has a cute appearance, but her chest is rather conservative. Although it was a bit rough on her, at first glance she seemed like a junior high school student.

However, her actions were contrary to her appearance, Aizawa looked like an adult.

「Touyama-kun, you are different from your appearance, but you are still very enthusiastic.」

As soon as Aizawa opened her mouth, she made an inappropriate judgment towards Touyama.

「Yes, is that so? ......」

Touyama recalled yesterday's action.

Probably because I really wanted to do something.

「What Touyama-kun said in the class meeting really touched me. Other students said the same thing too」

Touyama felt a little embarrassed. But I know that my thoughts were not only conveyed to Aizawa, but also to the other students. This made him very happy.

「I am very grateful to Touyama-kun. Thank you for protecting Marika.」

Even though I couldn't do anything myself, I'm very grateful to Touyama for helping. Uehara's friend Aizawa said so.

「Touyama-kun spoke desperately in front of my classmates for me, I was so happy.」

I was so nervous that I didn't even know what I was talking about. Looking back now, it should be fine.

「Touyama is so handsome.」

Uehara lowered her head shyly and looked at Touyama.

At that moment, Toyama's hands were trembling, and she was so nervous that she couldn't make a sound, and she didn't think she was handsome after all, but in Uehara's view, it didn't seem so.

「To Marika, Touyama is like a Prince Charming.」

「Wait, wait Mika, this is embarrassing...."

Uehara thought that it was Touyama who protected her, so her favorability towards Touyama increased a lot.

「To me it's a very embarrassing memory.」

Touyama sincerely hoped that she would stop talking about this in front of her classmates.

「Touyama-kun, please protect Marika from now on.」

Although he didn't understand what Aizawa meant, Touyama nodded silently.

Seeing him, Aizawa smiled with satisfaction.

「Touyama, can I talk to you?」

Suddenly I heard someone speaking, and when I looked back, there was an unexpected person standing.

「Kurashima-kun wants to talk to me？」

『Hey, look over there? Kurashima-kun is talking to Toyama-kun』

『Really. Yesterday, Touyama and the others said about the harassment at the class meeting. I heard it was done by Kurashima-kun. What are you trying to do this time?？』

『You should hold a grudge against Touyama for stealing Uehara-san.』

The classmates who believed that Kurashima was the mastermind of the series of harassment began to whisper.

「Yes! ...I have something to tell you. It's uncomfortable here, let's go outside.」

Kurashima seemed to have heard the conversation of his classmates, he clicked his tongue loudly, and frowned.

「......I understand. everyone, let me go for a while.」

Uehara and the others watched Touyama and Kurashima leave with worried expressions, and the other classmates also cast curious glances at them.

『Oh, in order to get Uehara-san, are the two going to fight?』

『If they want to fight, it must be on the roof.』

『No, that's the confession place, right? 』

『Kurashima vs. Touyama? That's too difficult.』

The students really liked this kind of fun.

Such half-joking rumors tended to lead to harassment or bullying. Touyama glanced at the noisy classmates and sighed at their poor taste.

「So, what to say? Lunch break is almost over, so please hurry up.」

The two walked out of the school building, came to an inconspicuous place, and faced each other.

「Do you know who the perpetrator who harassed you is? Let me know if you know.」

Kurashima said something that was surprising to Touyama. After all, he thought that the perpetrator had something to do with Kurashima.

「No, I don't know. I don't think Uehara-san knows either.」

「That bastard who insulted Marika! ? Why don't you find out and make him apologize！？？」

「It was because Uehara-san didn't want to find the culprit. And... didn't want to make things worse. No one knows what the other party will do if they urge the other party in a hurry.？」

「Whip...why does Marika treat men like this--」

「By the way, this has been decided together by Uehara-san and me.」

「Did you hear the conversation with the people in class earlier? Now I've been suspected as the mastermind of the harassment. So I want to find the culprit, clear the suspicion, and let that person apologize to Marika.」

「Can I ask you a question?？」

「What？」

「Putting notes in my shoe locker and making jokes at my desk, is that you Kurashima-kun?」

Touyama asked directly.

「Huh? How can I do such a boring thing? The culprit must be jealous of you. Don't ask me about this kind of thing, since there is evidence, just investigate it directly.」

「No...it would be better if I didn't do this. Sorry, I doubted you."

「Well, I don't care what happens to you.」

Saying that, Kurashima interrupted the conversation and returned to the school building.

The note was not done by Kurashima.

Now that Touyama knew that Kurashima was not the culprit, Touyama had no intention of continuing his investigation any further.

「Ups, class is about to start.」

The preparation bell for the afternoon class rang, bringing Touyama back to his senses.

Who had made the group chat...?

Although Touyama said that he wouldn't go looking for the culprit, since Kurashima brought it up again, Touyama had to remember it.

「Is there any fire left? ......」

Touyama muttered and returned to class.

After school, Touyama put the returned books back on the shelf.

Touyama strongly felt that it was the place where he could calm down the most.

The unique scent of books, surrounded by the books on the shelves, was as if it was healing his soul.

When he came to, Takai was already sitting at the table reading a book before he realized it. Touyama, who was working at the back of the library, did not seem to notice his arrival.

Touyama would not go out of his way to greet Takai in the library. Glancing at the way Takai was reading, walking past him, Touyama returned to the front desk.

What made him feel at ease in the library was the smell of books, and as he admired Takai's reading posture.

「I want to borrow this book.」

After a while, Takai came to the front desk.

「The due date is in two weeks.」

Touyama took the book for loan processing, and then shared it.

The conversation was as usual.

「Thank you.」

Takai didn't take the book, but took Touyama's hand.

「Yuki has worked hard. Thank you for protecting Uehara-san.」

Takai, who took the book, left the library with a thank you.

Perhaps due to the joy of being praised by Takai, Touyama didn't realize that he was smiling unconsciously.

「Ah? Is Takai-san coming back?」

Uehara's voice came from outside the library. Probably coincidentally bumping into Takai who was leaving the library.

「Touyama, let you wait for a long time! I came here to return books！」

After the voice came from the corridor, Uehara immediately ran into the library.

「I passed Takai-san just now, he's still here now, right?」

「Ah, she already came back after borrowing the book.」

「Yes, I know that. I couldn't come right away because I have something to do today. It's a pity I can't talk to Takai-san today.」

Uehara seems to be trying to have a good relationship with Takai recently, but Takai still hasn't opened up to her.

But I can feel that it will open up soon.

Thinking of what Takai said that he hoped Touyama could protect Uehara, he couldn't help but think so.

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