Anzuko remained silent, her eyes darting around, and finally, she burrowed into the blanket. Taking her passive behavior as consent, I prepared to leave the room.
"Thank you..."
It was a voice fainter than the flutter of an insect's wing. Maybe she didn't intend for anyone to hear it. But in the silence of the early countryside morning, not speaking felt just right.
"She told me to tell Kota about what happened yesterday..."
She added, as if making an excuse. "You're welcome," I murmured internally and left the room.
I suddenly recalled the satisfaction of acting altruistically.
After feeding each other breakfast and fooling around a bit, we left the room. As soon as we did, Mayu hid her childishness. She continued her silent, expressionless demeanor from the day before, walking coldly beside me. "Is this how an adulterous couple feels after leaving a hotel?" I thought, understanding that this is Mayu's way of dealing with the world. I too remained silent as we walked to school, only lending her my hand as a railing when climbing stairs.
Upon arriving in the classroom, Mayu went straight to her seat, hung her shoes by the side of her desk, and laid her upper body on the desk, as if kissing it. "What a waste of her beauty," I thought, seeing her sleep like that.
No one spoke to her. She slept undisturbed until after school.
In the hustle and bustle, I checked the headings of the two distributed handouts. One was a student council newsletter, and the other was about a school trip. The student council newsletter, run by some of the school's most peculiar members, was quite direct. Its contents were a simple cautionary note about the recent murder spree in Japan, saying, "Be careful if you come across someone carrying dangerous items." The rest of the space was filled with columns by the student council members, showcasing their thoughts, styles, and bravado. I wouldn't want to fight with such a group. I crumpled the paper into a plane and threw it into the trash can. Swish. The other sheet about the school trip had details intended for guardians, such as the amount withdrawn from the savings fund and the destination's phone number. After skimming through it, I folded it up and put it away.
About three weeks from now, we have a school trip planned. Our destination is Kyushu. We're set to tour around North Kyushu for a three-night, four-day trip, as Mr. Uenuma had explained nonchalantly about a month ago. Hearing that, I wondered how many "prayers" student council president Sugawara Michizane would offer at the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine.
Now, usually, Mayu would wake up on her own after school, but today, there's no sign of her coming to. I hesitated slightly, but considering the potential backlash I might face later, I decided to go with the lesser evil.
From the back of the classroom, I discreetly approached Mayu's desk and lightly shook her shoulder. This was the first time I'd done something like this, so it naturally drew some attention.
Mayu groggily mumbled something and looked up with sleepy eyes, then slurped up the drool from the corner of her mouth. Finally recognizing me, she murmured, "...Mii-kun?"
"Yeah, let's go, okay?" "Wha-"
Suddenly, Mayu lunged at me. I managed to hold her up with my entire body. We shared a kiss. It was quite shocking. Exclamation point.
The sound seemed to vanish from the classroom, echoing only within itself. The contraction of muscles, the creaking of bones, the scraping of joints, the heartbeat, and the sound of Mayu's tongue moving inside my mouth, gathering saliva, licking every part, and slurping it audibly. She seemed to snap out of her daze at that point, pulling back swiftly.
"...I made a mistake," Mayu mumbled, wiping away the drool from her lips with a finger. With an expressionless face, she looked up at me. It felt like I'd erected an insurmountable wall between myself and my classmates. But hey, aren't there couples acting silly like this in front of the train station? I wanted to loudly declare that, but considering the potential fallout, I held my tongue. Just kidding.
Mayu swiftly grabbed her bag without even glancing at the pile of prints inside. She then promptly stood up from her seat. Clearly, this wasn't our place to be anymore. Though I never wanted to belong in a place like this, now I felt actively rejected. But really, I never expected friendship or the like in a school full of local students, especially after they'd found out about the kidnapping incident.
Mayu and I walked out into the corridor. She showed no particular reaction to the blunder in the classroom. As calm as ever, she adjusted her disheveled clothing.
However, I understood from her behavior till now that she only showed her childish side to me. It felt good to be special to her. Regardless, I wanted to check the contents of her bag, presuming its state from the mess in her room.
"Is it okay?" she asked, handing over her lightweight bag. I decided to open it. The bottom was filled with discolored sheets, a mountain of handouts. I couldn't find any textbooks or notebooks. Or were they piled up in her bedroom? I reached into the bag and retrieved all the sheets. They seemed to have accumulated since the first year, even including papers distributed during the entrance ceremony. I decided to roll them up and throw them away.
"Wait," a voice called out from the classroom. Turning around, I saw Kaneko leaning against the door. "What do you want, class rep?"
Despite the edge in my voice, Kaneko approached with an ambiguous smile. Scratching his forehead with his finger and resting his hand on his hip, he seemed busy. "Then why bother us?" I thought to myself.
"No, not you. I wanted to talk to Misono-san," he clarified.
At the mention of her name, Mayu immediately responded. Her demeanor wasn't as hostile as yesterday, but her aloofness stood out more.
"Well, I wanted to ask you yesterday. Are there any good points about our school?"
Mayu briefly glanced at me before replying, "Not particularly."
"Oh... I see."
Kaneko's face seemed to say he regretted asking the question. But he continued, "Also, were you two... dating or something?"
Judging by his expression after asking that, it seemed like the main question he had in mind. However, Mayu's response was completely indifferent.
"Why would that information be of any use to you?"
Kaneko looked overwhelmed, but then a student from the neighboring classroom chimed in with a mocking tone, "If you have time to flirt, why not practice your kendo more?"
This student, known as Sugawara Michizane, is popular in school, holding multiple titles like Student Council President and Kendo Club Captain. Although there are other titles he holds, that's not important right now. He's someone who loves to talk about himself and is quite different from people like me.
Kaneko's face relaxed a bit as this unexpected savior appeared. However, Mayu wasn't one to recognize jokes easily. She took things seriously and responded in kind. The student council president was taken aback but quickly brushed it off. He gave Kaneko a sharp look, prodding him to explain himself.
Kaneko, though exasperated, began a friendly conversation with his fellow student council president. An invisible barrier was formed, signaling that this conversation wasn't meant for us.
"We should go," I suggested.
Mayu replied with a simple "Okay" and took my hand. We stayed hand-in-hand until we reached the shoe lockers.
Once back in our room, Mayu energetically declared, "Let's do something naughty!" But by the time I took out a change of clothes from my bag, she had already drifted off to dreamland. Fearing she might strain her neck sleeping face down, I carried her to the bedroom. Laying her down on the bed, I didn't feel the urge to "do something naughty." So I covered her with a blanket and left the room. "When will she wake up...?"
Embarrassingly, I don't possess any rice cooking skills. I might be able to hold off, but I need to figure out the meals for those two. After changing into my casual clothes, I slid open the traditional Japanese door.