After school.
After homeroom ended, I activated my stealth capabilities at my seat, and as expected, I was soon the only one left in the classroom without any trouble. ...Yeah, I’m starting to get the hang of this.
By the way, Ichikawa wasn't there either.
No, but we have an appointment today, right? What should I do? Should I just head to the multipurpose room?
While I was hesitating, Ichikawa arrived.
"Sorry, Konuma-kun! I got the key to the multipurpose room storage!"
Ah, amane-sama...!
While offering my gratitude to amane-sama for actually coming back, I cleared my throat and answered.
"Yeah, thanks. Then, you go ahead. I'll follow after a little while to keep a time gap."
Then,
"Eh, why? Let's go together."
Ichikawa looked blank, as if she didn't understand the meaning of what I said.
I let out a sigh.
Good grief, what a dimwit.
Ichikawa only has her good looks, great style, singing talent, guitar skills, and the ability to write good songs and lyrics. Plus, she smells good and her movements are cute. That's all she has.
"Listen, if we go together, people will find out that you and I are acquaintances, right?"
"Is there a problem with that?"
Ichikawa tilted her head.
"Then they'll find out that you are amane and that I'm the one making the music."
When I explained that...
"...As I thought, you're scary, Konuma-kun."
Ichikawa-san narrowed her eyes and had a face that looked like she was saying 'Uwaa...'.
"Eh, scary...!?"
"You're being self-conscious. No one is going to see me and Konuma-kun together and imagine, 'Ah, Ichikawa's true identity was amane!' or 'Konuma-kun composes music!' Not a single person."
"No, but it might at least be a catalyst, right?"
"Hmm, I don't think so. In the first place, there aren't that many people in all of Japan who even know amane. In our school, it's probably just Konuma-kun and Yuri. If it were otherwise, I would've been approached by now."
"No, that's..."
Ichikawa lightly closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh.
"That's just the level of amane's fame. Come on, let's go! Let's just say I came to see the mixer in the storage, and I happened to run into Konuma-kun nearby. Since he looked bored, I brought him along as manual labor in case there were heavy things on top of the mixer. That works, right?"
"Hey, you shouldn't put heavy things on top of a mixer."
"...Do you really want to make me go alone that badly?"
She gave me a cold stare.
"No, please let me accompany you!"
I gave in to that expression and decided to accompany her.
We arrived at the multipurpose room.
The girls' dance club was practicing there.
The girls' dance club, commonly known as Onna-dan. Along with the boys' dance club, it’s a den of demons where flashy normies crowd together.
Those guys, if music starts playing—even if it's just sound leaking from the Rock Club's studio—they start dancing like crazy and intimidating anyone nearby.
By the way, all the guys in the boys' dance club wear baseball caps with flat brims. There’s a legend that an athletic club member who peeled off the shiny sticker on one was surrounded and forced to watch them dance for hours until his mind broke.
And this multipurpose room has a structural flaw that is fatal to a loner.
Somehow, you can't enter the storage room directly; you have to pass through the main multipurpose room.
In other words.
"You mean we have to cross through this nest of normies...?"
"That's right. I feel bad for the Onna-dan girls, but... wait, nest? Normies?"
My legs trembled in front of the door.
"Eh, Konuma-kun, what's wrong? Are you okay...?"
"No, I might not be. From here on, I'll leave it to you, Ichikawa."
"I told you, even if you leave it to me, I don't understand mixers."
Saying that, Ichikawa opened the door nonchalantly.
""1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8...""
The Onna-dan girls were dancing toward the mirror, counting the rhythm. Even though no one was looking directly at us, I hesitated to enter the room. What an intimidating force as always...!
"Excuse us..."
Ichikawa whispered in a small voice as she entered the multipurpose room.
"Wait, Ichikawa."
I hurried in after her, hiding behind her back. (I'm seriously pathetic.)
We headed toward the storage along the edge of the room to avoid causing trouble.
On the way, I felt like I locked eyes for a moment with a blonde girl from the dance club, but I ignored her and jogged ahead.
After about ten seconds that felt longer than anything I’d ever experienced, we finally reached the storage. I closed the door and took a breath.
"Phew, I thought I was going to die..."
Apparently, I had been unconsciously holding my breath, and my breathing became heavy.
"Honestly, Konuma-kun, you're so self-conscious..."
"No, but..."
As I started to make an excuse, she spoke over me.
"No one cares about you that much."
The words, murmured in a steady tone, made me lose my voice for a moment.
"Now then, where's the mixer?"
Leaving me aside, Ichikawa began searching the storage.
"Is it this way? I thought it would be easy to find since it's big, but it really might turn into manual labor."
"I'm non-combatant, you know."
"Yeah, well, I wasn't really expecting much anyway."
She didn't even look my way. She said she isn't expecting anything. That's a bit lonely in its own way.
"Ah, is it this?"
Ichikawa found a large cardboard box against the wall with 'Mixer' written on it in permanent marker.
Several other cardboard boxes filled with something were stacked on top of it.
"Oh boy, we have to move the boxes on top."
"I mean, don't put stuff like this on top of a mixer..."
Ichikawa crouched down and tried to move the top cardboard box. It seemed she was checking how heavy it was.
Just then.
The cardboard box above Ichikawa's head began to wobble, losing its balance.
"Ichikawa, look out!"
I rushed over in a panic to support the falling box.
"Eh?"
At the same time, Ichikawa looked up.
"Kyaa!!!!"
I managed to make it in time and succeeded in holding down the cardboard box.
The contents of the box seemed to be empty containers, so there was no damage in that sense, but because I caught it at an exquisite balance, I became unable to move an inch.
"Are you okay? Ichikawa."
While inwardly doing a victory pose for moving surprisingly quickly, I asked her while trying to act cool on the surface.
But there was no reply from Ichikawa.
"Huh? Ichikawa?"
When I slowly turned my face downward where Ichikawa should be...
My eyes met Ichikawa's face, which was right in front of my crotch.
Ichikawa was backed against the wall. My right leg was holding her in place in a position like a kabedon. My upper body couldn't move. Ichikawa turned her face away as much as possible to avoid her face touching my crotch.
"Ah..."
This is bad, but I can't move.
What should I do?
"Konuma-kun, wait..."
Wa-wait, don't talk.
This is bad, everything is bad.
It was then.
"Could you not come all this way just to flirt?"
When I turned only my head toward the voice, Sakohasu, the blonde dance club member, was standing there.
"Seriously, what is up with you guys..."
"No, this is..."
As I stammered, a voice came from near my crotch.
"It can't be helped, I guess..."
Ichikawa held her breath like she was diving and made herself as small as possible.
Just like that, she crawled between my legs and came out behind my back.
Then, she easily took one of the boxes I was supporting.
Thanks to that, I was able to move again.
"I'm sorry, it was just a bit of an accident..."
Ichikawa, her cheeks flushed red, apologized. Hey, with that expression, you're not going to be very convincing.
"Ichikawa Amane-san, was it? You're quite bold, aren't you?"
"No, like I said, it's nothing like that..."
"Hmm, still playing the innocent. What's even good about someone like... Takuto... Konuma?"
"You're wrong. Konuma-kun was just helping me with my errand..."
As Ichikawa waved her hands in front of her chest,
"To me, it looked like Ichikawa-san was helping Konuma with his 'business'."
With a deadpan face, she started saying something subtly suggestive.
"Wh— You...!"
I couldn't help but speak up.
Ichikawa herself didn't seem to understand what was being said and just looked blank.
"Anyway, it's nothing. We just wanted to see this."
When I said that and pointed to the mixer visible through the gap in the cardboard lid, Sakohasu grimaced.
"You're still doing that kind of thing..."
There was no end to this.
I took out my smartphone and only took a photo of the model number written on the mixer.
"This is enough. Sorry for bothering you."
Saying that, I passed by Sakohasu and left the storage.
I heard the faint sound of a tongue clicking.
"Wait a minute, Konuma-kun! I'm sorry, excuse me!"
Saying that, Ichikawa gave a light bow to the dance club and chased after me.