【Ｈｉｇｈ Ｓｃｈｏｏｌ Ｄａｙｓ ４／４】
"Right, let's call it a day here."
With those words from our faculty advisor, Hagiri Omitora-sensei, today's club activities came to an end.
As I cleaned up the board game spread out across the long table, I called out to him.
"Thank you again for today, Sensei. I know you're busy with the baseball team and all..."
"Hm? Oh, no, don't worry about it. I'm just a figurehead advisor over there, anyway. No one benefits from an amateur meddling in their practice, right? Playing board games with you guys is much more meaningful."
Hagiri-sensei flashed his pearly whites with a refreshing smile. ...As I thought, he really is cool. To me, he's a benefactor and someone I look up to. Well, sure, he was technically my rival in love at first, but that doesn't matter now. Some people are just charming as human beings, no matter what.
Then, the other member of our club, Takeshi, spoke up while helping with the cleanup.
"As for humble self, I remain ever awestruck that a tiny, three-person hobby group such as ours is permitted to occupy a room of this caliber, indeed."
"Haha, like I said before, don't sweat it. The school treats this place as an equipment warehouse under my management. It's practically my private room."
"Hmph. A private room within the school... how elegant. I admit, I am somewhat envious."
"You think? If you want, I could secretly let you rent it out for a night sometime?"
At the advisor's mischievous proposal, Takeshi shrugged his shoulders and shot back.
"I shall refrain, indeed. My nightly routine consists of fully participating in my favorite idol's stream from my PC at home. Fuhihi."
Laughing his creepy laugh, Takeshi unusually began to sluggishly pull on his blazer. Originally, Takeshi was quite sweaty—or rather, had a "high metabolism"—and tended to dress as lightly as possible at school, but I suppose even he can't manage that when heading home in early autumn. ...Though, I have a memory of seeing Takeshi in short sleeves on a snowy day, so maybe it really is just a whim.
Seeing Takeshi's brusque reaction, Hagiri-sensei continued, sounding a bit disappointed.
"Really? The security is full of holes, so staying over at school is actually surprisingly fun, you know."
Hearing that phrasing, which clearly hinted at a criminal record, I couldn't help but smile wryly. For someone who usually acts like such an adult, this person has a surprisingly childish core. Well, I suppose that's exactly why he plays board games with us like this.
We finished cleaning up quickly and left the room together. We parted ways with Hagiri-sensei, who said he'd show his face at the baseball club despite being a figurehead, leaving me and Takeshi to head home.
As we walked down the hallway dyed in the hues of sunset toward the main school entrance, Takeshi muttered.
"It truly is fun to gather around a board game with a familiar crew, indeed."
"Yeah. Of course, open meetups where you play with strangers and board game cafes have their good points too, but..."
Saying that, I glanced over at Takeshi, considering his feelings.
"But from your perspective, Takeshi, you've probably had enough of 'that sort of thing,' huh?"
"Indeed. Although, there were some good encounters to be had."
Seeing Takeshi smile as he said that, I smiled back. After all, my meeting with Takeshi was actually at a volunteer-run board game gathering—a so-called "Open Meetup." But it was a pretty harsh session. I'll spare you the details, but that meetup happened to be Takeshi's "grand debut into serious board games," and seeing him completely withered and exhausted, I called out to him out of school camaraderie... and that's how we met.
Since then, we started talking a lot at school and became fast friends through board games. When I mentioned it to Hagiri-sensei, he said, "Then why don't the three of us play after school sometime?" That turned out to be so much fun that we did it three, four times, until Sensei said, "Let's just apply as a club," and launched the hobby group. Around that time, Hankui finally set her sights on us, and well, a lot happened.
Takeshi gazed outside nostalgically as he murmured.
"That humble self can still love board games like this is truly thanks to Tokiwa-shi."
"Well, thanks. But if you're going to say that, you have to thank Hagiri-sensei too."
"...Mm. I suppose..."
Suddenly, Takeshi gave a noncommittal response, sounding unlike him, as if he had something stuck in his teeth.
When I tilted my head in confusion, Takeshi continued, looking a bit awkward.
"Ah, no, how should I put this? Saying this to Tokiwa-shi... even humble self feels somewhat hesitant, but..."
Prefacing it like that, Takeshi confessed.
"Just like Hankui-shi, actually, humble self also feels somewhat uncomfortable around Hagiri-shi."
"Eh, really? That's the first I've heard of it."
"S-Sorry."
"No, there's no need to apologize at all. But, I wonder why? He's such a good teacher."
"Hmm, I cannot say for sure. Humble self's judge of character is quite suspect, after all."
"Haha, that's certainly true."
I laughed in response, but internally, it bothered me quite a bit. If it were just a difference in taste, that would be one thing, but hearing that my friend dislikes my benefactor weighed on me.
Seeing me like that, Takeshi flashed a grinning, mean-spirited smile.
"Do you now understand a little of the dissatisfaction humble self feels regarding the discord between Tokiwa-shi and Hankui-shi?"
"Guh, when you put it that way...! No, but that's different from Hagiri-sensei. Asking me to accept Hankui when she attacks us so blatantly is a bit of a stretch, isn't it?"
"That is true. However, despite appearances, she does have her cute points, you know?"
"Wait, Takeshi, you still feel that way about Hankui..."
"Ho, does humble self appear to be 'taken' to Tokiwa-shi right now?!"
"S-Sorry, somehow. No, but you guys were actually dating for a while, right?"
"That depends on the interpretation. Can Tokiwa-shi puff out his chest and claim to be an 'experienced player' of a board game he only played for one turn as a trial run during the instruction phase?"
"Probably impossible. Eh, it was like that?"
"Indeed. One day, Hankui-shi asked me, 'Do you hate me?' When I denied it on the spur of the moment, she plowed through with, 'Then that means you like me. I like you too. We did it, that means we're dating.' Truly Blitzkrieg."
"Ehh..."
I was appalled. ...Seriously, Hankui.
"After that, humble self tried various methods. Somehow, somehow, I managed to reach a dissolution just barely within the cooling-off period. That is the full account."
"Huh, I wonder. I thought I was listening to a love story, but somehow it ended up being a story about consumer fraud?"
And yet she boldly calls herself his "ex-girlfriend" now. Seriously, Hankui. ...But well, having gone this far, it's almost in the realm of respectful.
We continued chatting for a while as we left the school and parted ways at the station.
Heading to the train platform for home, I spotted an unexpected acquaintance. She was sitting on the platform bench with her back perfectly straight.
Honestly, I thought about ignoring her completely, but the conversation I just had with Takeshi crossed my mind. Reluctantly—I stopped in front of our school's pride, the track and field girl, and called out.
"...What are you doing, Hankui?"
"Waiting for someone."
"Takeshi's house isn't in this direction."
"Right. But my house is."
"...Usually you stick to Takeshi like glue, or run home from school."
"Right. Usually."
Saying that, Hankui looked up at me. Hmm, based on the words "a girl looking up at you," I thought it would be cuter. I didn't know there were cases where it felt this much like a "bad omen." Written descriptions are difficult.
She continued chatting without any prompting.
"Really, if I'm made to use my time on things like this, my precious tan will fade. I turn pale easily as it is."
"I don't care. I mean, who cares if your tan fades a little?"
"It matters."
"? Is it a fashion preference thing?"
"Well, you could say that. After all..."
Saying that, Hankui lifted the corners of her mouth in a smirk and looked at me provocatively.
"It's very effective for stoking your inferiority complexes, isn't it? Healthy, tanned skin."
"......"
"If anything, this blonde hair, these civilian clothes, this tan—none of it is originally my taste at all. But it's fine. It's for no one else but Takeshi and you."
I wonder what this is. When malice is this direct and accompanied by such effort, I'm actually impressed. What is with this girl? The amount of passion she puts into harassing us is on another dimension.
Hankui continued flatly.
"Conversely, Takeshi tans easily. That's why as soon as he returns..."
"Hankui, seriously."
I raised my voice to interrupt her story, which I couldn't care less about.
"Can you just get to the point? You have business with me, right?"
"Yes. Or rather, did you think I came to see Tokiwa without a reason? You really are self-conscious. Don't tell me you took what I said at 'that event the other day' seriously?"
Hankui giggled mockingly. Th-This girl is really...!
As my body trembled with anger, Hankui inexplicably took out her smartphone and began operating it.
"Wait, aren't you going to get to the point?"
"I am. Look."
"?"
The moment she muttered that, my smartphone buzzed. Apparently, she sent something via LINE. I grumbled while reluctantly pulling my smartphone out of my pocket.
"No, no, if you were just going to do this over a smartphone, why bother coming directly..."
As I spoke, I looked at the smartphone screen—and my eyes widened involuntarily.
Displayed there was a certain—single photograph. A photograph in exceedingly poor taste.
Immediately after, Hankui, wearing a satisfied smile the likes of which I had never seen before, declared:
"Why did I come to see you? Because I wanted to see that stupid look on your face directly, Tokiwa."
"...You..."
I glared at Hankui, my voice trembling with an emotion that was neither anger nor despair. However, she continued without flinching in the slightest, "Don't misunderstand."
"This isn't malice; it's mercy and sincerity. A warning from a friend of a friend."
"A warning?"
"Yes. In two hours, I will share 'that' with the school."
"Gh!"
While I stood there in shock, Hankui stood up from the bench, walked toward the train sliding into the platform, and looked back at me expressionlessly.
"Aren't you getting on? Tokiwa."
"......"
"....... Right. Bye then."
Saying that, Hankui boarded the train. I watched the train I really should have been on depart. Staggering, I sat down on the bench where Hankui had been sitting just moments ago.
Then, racking my brain to consider every possible countermeasure—I stared once again at the photo she had sent me.
The photo that captured my mentor, Hagiri Omitora, coming out of a love hotel with a high school girl.
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