Walking along the school path with Kanade, we arrived at school.
“Good morning, Ichinose-san.”
“Morning~”
As soon as we reached the classroom, Kanade headed toward her group of friends.
Feeling a slight sense of alienation, I took my seat.
“…Hagiwara-kun, good morning.”
“Ah, Takagaki-san. Good morning.”
Just as I sat down, Takagaki-san, who was in the seat next to mine, greeted me.
I returned the nod, but… for some reason, she was restlessly looking around as if she were on guard against her surroundings.
“What’s wrong? You’re acting like a thief scouting the place before committing a crime.”
“Don’t be silly. A real thief wouldn’t look around so recklessly.”
“Why not?”
“Someone who is obviously on guard looks suspicious, don’t they? That’s why people who actually commit crimes like theft try their best to mimic ordinary people.”
“Haha—. I see.”
I was genuinely impressed.
…I wanted to say, ‘You sure know a lot about thieves,’ but I kept my mouth shut because I thought that would be too mean.
“So, why are you being so cautious?”
“So I don’t get glared at by your childhood friend.”
“By Kanade?”
I glanced at Kanade, and she was happily chatting with Kadokura-san and the others.
…Looking at that smile, she seemed to be in a good mood; I couldn’t imagine her glaring at Takagaki-san at all.
“Glaring isn’t just about facial expressions.”
“…Hmm?”
“Anyway, I’ll get straight to the point.”
“Yes.”
“Summer vacation, which everyone has been waiting for, starts tomorrow, right?”
With final exams over, our school was scheduled to start the long summer break tomorrow.
Therefore, today we would have the closing ceremony and go home after half a day… and after that, just as Takagaki-san said, school would be out for a while.
Well, even though it’s a break, teachers still come in and students in clubs still show up, so it feels like there’s not as much free time compared to elementary school, but still…
“What about it?”
Why on earth did Takagaki-san bring up the topic of summer vacation to me?
“What are your plans?”
…Plans?
My plans for summer vacation…
“I don’t have any.”
“Pfft…!”
She laughed when I answered honestly.
Could it be that she asked about my summer plans just to mock me?
Hey now, if that’s the case, even I would…
Well, I wouldn’t actually get angry. This isn’t the first year that I, a guy with no friends, have had no plans for summer vacation.
“Sorry, sorry. …I asked thinking you probably wouldn’t have any, but hearing you actually say it was just a bit funny.”
“What’s so funny about it?”
I wasn’t angry, but when someone says something that’s clearly baiting a retort, I have no choice but to bite.
“…Phew. Sorry. I’ve calmed down now.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Well then, make sure to fully enjoy your plan-less summer vacation, okay?”
“Yeah. Understood.”
“…Don’t just nod honestly there.”
Takagaki-san glared at me.
…In this conversation so far, I feel like I’m the one who should be more dissatisfied with the other person.
“…So, Hagiwara-kun. Can you give me a little bit of your time the day after tomorrow?”
“Eh?”
“Time… How about it?”
…I let my thoughts race.
What in the world does Takagaki-san intend to make me do the day after tomorrow?
…The specific things that came to mind were:
A religion.
An MLM.
A shady part-time job.
“Sorry. To be honest, the day after tomorrow is the one day I have an unmissable appointment.”
“Liar. There’s no way someone who is free for all thirty days of summer vacation happens to have a plan on exactly one of those thirty days.”
“No, no, that shows too little experience with people.”
“Aren’t we in the same boat there?”
“Even I’ve had the experience of messaging a middle school friend to see if they could play tomorrow, only for them to reply three days later saying their phone was dead and they were sorry. Even so…”
“Don’t sprinkle in sad episodes like that.”
Takagaki-san showed an exasperated face and shook her head.
“Don’t dodge the subject, jeez!”
Takagaki-san seemed a bit angry.
“The longer this talk drags on, the more I feel like my lifespan is shortening, you know?”
Despite saying that, weren’t you the one who started with the idle chatter that dragged things out?
You said you’d get straight to the point, but the conversation derailed so much that even I’m a bit bewildered.
“…Jeez. I really don't want to be marked by that girl.”
“By 'that girl', who do you mean?”
“You! …Kyaa!”
After discovering Kanade was suddenly standing right next to her without her noticing, Takagaki-san showed a terrified face and jumped.
“…Hey, hey. Ayaka-chan. Ayaka-chan.”
The light in Kanade’s eyes had vanished.
“W-What…?”
Even so…
“…I thought that I was friends with Takagaki-san, though.”
The light in Kanade’s eyes really does flicker on and off a lot, doesn’t it…?
“Does Takagaki-san think of me as a friend?”
…If the lights in a room flickered that much, I would be the one to change the bulb.