Until the second chapter is ready, I want to throw in some interludes as they come to mind!
Even if you don't read them, it won't affect the main story at all. I'd be happy if you enjoyed them at your leisure.
Since updates will be irregular, I hope you look forward to them!
This time, it's a short story that took place between Measure 50 and Measure 51.
"Konuma-kun, let's go to a study session!"
"...Huh?"
It was the day after Hazama's confession to Sako.
As I was getting ready to head home after homeroom, Ichikawa came to my seat and said that.
"No, I don't think there's a study session today."
Even those famous normies probably aren't mentally strong enough to gather and focus on studying the day after so much happened... right?
Erina-san has already left the classroom, too.
"Eh? Oh, is that so...?"
Ichikawa tilted her head slightly.
No, that gesture itself is extremely cute and all, but...
"Ichikawa, you really didn't see or hear anything, did you...?"
"Ahaha... sorry?"
"Well, it can't be helped, but..."
I let out a slightly exasperated sigh.
"But, we absolutely have to prevent Konuma-kun from getting failing marks! Otherwise, you won't be able to appear in Rock On!"
"That's true..."
Speaking of math, I was actually teaching Hazama quite well yesterday and even got praised for it.
Well, since Ichikawa didn't see that either, there's nothing I can do. It was a bit of a showcase for me, though.
"...Fine. I'll do some English then."
As I said that with a light sigh, Ichikawa nodded with a bright smile.
"Yeah!!"
After buying plastic bottles of tea at the shop, we moved to the library.
In the library, besides the group learning room, there are large tables that seat about eight people and individual self-study spaces.
The individual spaces are very popular and were almost all filled, but instead, the eight-person tables were quite empty.
I guess people who do study sessions together use the classroom or the group learning room, and those studying alone use the individual spaces.
Ichikawa and I quietly sat down across from each other at the corner of an empty eight-person table in the back.
In times like this, people sit across from each other, huh... I thought we'd sit next to each other.
Wait, if people are dating, do they sit next to each other? Sitting across... what kind of relationship does that distance imply...?
Ichikawa seems to have a weird sense of distance sometimes... She doesn't mind walking around school with just the two of us, she's basically always a bit close, and she smells faintly nice...
Well, since I have no experience, I don't even know if Ichikawa is the one who's right...
While I was brooding over such things, Ichikawa had already lined up her reference books and notebooks on the table.
I also placed my English textbook, notebook, and the tea I just bought on the table, albeit a bit late.
According to Ichikawa, eating and drinking are basically prohibited in the library, but you can bring in plastic bottles to drink.
She said that things like the jasmine tea in a milk carton (100 yen) that Sako often drinks, or the cans Azuma seems to like, are no good because they can't be capped.
I've gained more school normie knowledge today.
Ichikawa didn't take out the plastic bottle she went through the trouble of buying, keeping it in her bag.
"Alright, let's do this then."
Ichikawa said in a low voice and rolled up her sleeves.
"Konuma-kun, if there's anything you don't understand, just ask."
"You're the one saying that?"
I wonder how much she thinks she ignored everyone's questions yesterday...
"amane-sama, you couldn't hear anyway, could you...?"
When I looked at Ichikawa's face with cold eyes, she pouted.
"Be quiet, geez."
No, no, it's not me who's in the wrong here.
"Fine, fine, I'm going into my own world now."
Saying that childishly, Ichikawa started moving her pen.
Somehow, Ichikawa-san has been acting childish like this when we're alone lately...
At that moment, a question suddenly arose.
How long does it take for Ichikawa to enter her 'My World'?
Is there some kind of change that tickles my deep-seated chunibyo heart, like the light fading from her eyes or her hair standing on end?
...Even so.
Looking at her intently from the front like this, I'm reminded once again that Ichikawa has a very refined face.
Smooth black hair, large but sharp eyes, a small nose and lips.
She's not doll-like like Erina-san, she doesn't have the soft impression of Azuma, and she's different from the sharp-eyed beauty like Sako.
What is it... like a dignified small animal...?
Hmm, it's hard to describe. I want to borrow azuma-sama's power.
As I was thinking about that absentmindedly, Ichikawa looked up.
She stared at me and said while blushing,
"...Why are you looking at me so much?"
"A-Ah, no, well..."
I started stammering.
Crap! I really was staring a lot just now!
"S-Sorry. I was just wondering when you enter your concentration mode, and while I was watching, I started thinking about extra things..."
No, no, saying 'extra things' was extra! Hey, Konuma! Get it together!
"...I can't concentrate if I'm being watched that much."
"O-Oh, right. Sorry..."
I lowered my head slightly. My ears felt hot.
As if to cover it up, I opened the tea bottle placed to my front-right and gulped down about half of it.
Ichikawa cleared her throat with a 'ahem' and started her pen again.
I also picked up my pen and began silently reading English sentences that weren't registering at all.
About 30 minutes must have passed.
Somehow regaining my concentration, I was solving English fill-in-the-blank problems.
Glancing over, Ichikawa seemed to have completely entered her 'My World', writing something that looked like formulas at an incredible speed.
After a while, Ichikawa put down her pen and let out a sigh.
Then, with a casual motion, she picked up the tea bottle to my front-right.
She removed the cap and put it to her lips.
"Eh, ah, Ichikawa..."
Wait, that's my tea...!
The sound of Ichikawa's throat gulping vibrated my eardrums in a strangely vivid way.
"Hmm?"
Wiping her mouth, Ichikawa looked at me and tilted her head.
"Um, that..."
With my mouth opening and closing like a fish, I pointed to the plastic bottle Ichikawa was holding in her left hand.
In other words, uh, i-i-i-indirect kiss... is this just me overthinking it?
Is this the kind of thing where if I point it out, she'll say, 'Konuma-kun, you're creepy...'?
Thoughts raced through my head in a language like an imaginary samurai, and the next words wouldn't come out.
After about one, two, three seconds of that, Ichikawa slowly shifted her gaze to the bottle she was holding...
"Unya!?"
A clear, loud voice echoed through the library.
"M-My tea is... is in my bag, so... ah, this is Konuma-kun's!? Sorry! For drinking it! Uh, do you want to drink some of mine!?"
With her eyes spinning, Ichikawa pulled her tea out of her bag and thrust it toward me.
"Eh, no, it's fine? I don't really mind?"
I mean, no, no, no, if I drink that, we're just repeating the same mistake, right!?
As both of our faces turned bright red and we panicked,
"It's fine that you get along so well, but please do that kind of thing outside the library, okay?"
We were cautioned by the librarian, whose cheek was twitching.
""We're sorry!!""
The two of us ended up shouting loudly again.
Naturally, we were kicked out of the library for the rest of the day.