Chapter 23 - A Game

– Hey, Ichijou, you"re free this Sat.u.r.day, right? We"re all planning to gather at my place!

I think that this was the apogee.
After several days of being busy interacting with my cla.s.smates, the amount of people I had a contact with started to become large.

The one who spoke was Iidzuka sitting next to me.
He is a merrymaker member of football club having characteristic face with corners of his mouth pointed upwards.
First impression he gives is that of a sports youth… Actually, he always plays outside during lunch breaks, but occasionally, he comes to have a chat with Tachibana"s group. I first thought so, but he also pesters Komatsu-kun one seat ahead of him and makes him scared, so I can"t really comprehend him.

Yet when I was helping him with a problem yesterday, I found out that we are both very enthusiastic about that popular fighting game "Crash Brothers". Not only that, turns out we had same tastes in some of the core genres. Things like western PC video games, I thought that I was the only one in the cla.s.s who plays them. I was excited to talk with someone about games for the first time in a long while.

I was a little happy. It"s not like I didn"t want some otaku friends.
But there one big problem.

– Nope… Test are five days later. Invite me for next week instead.

– Haa? So bookworm-ish!

Iidzuka made an annoying exaggerated retort.
Yeah, that"s right, I am a bookworm. Shouldn"t you know it, sitting next to me? Somehow, he is an easy-going fellow, so I am feeling annoyed. It probably means that compatibility is not decided only by having tastes match or not match.

– Oh, I"ve got it. You"re just pretending and actually you want to go, right?

– Pretending? What pretending? Yesterday, haven"t I taught you about the trigonometric functions? In any case, I will have you left with some results from my teaching.

– Che… You"re so diligent, ugh…

Still, the reason that this useless talk didn"t end with this, is because this seat is a minefield.
Tachibana has returned to the cla.s.sroom. She probably felt surprised that I was talking with Iidzuka, so she blinked at us with big eyes.

– Iidzuka, and Ichijou. What"s happening?

– Ah, hear me out, Tachibansan.

While listening to Iidzuka"s explanation, a complacent smile started spreading on the face of the blonde girl.

This is bad… A storm is coming.
Sensing danger, I turned my body towards the corridor. The probability of sneaking out from this seat should not be zero. The entrance is miraculously close, if it is from here…

– Aa, that is absolutely a pretense! This person has a tsundere side to him.

– Just who is tsundere! Don"t say irresponsible things!

Unusually, I ended up raising my voice.

Although erasing my presence was always my strong point…
It"s no wonder that only Tachibana can absolutely notice me.

I can see Tachibana saying "Ehehe… your amount of friends increased once again♪" with her face only.
Did you start to have me having friends as a collection hobby? Most likely, she wants me to go to Iidzuka"s place. Judging from her recent behavior, it is as if she wants to drag me onto the path of a sociable guy. It"s not funny at all.

– But seriously… there are tests. Are you really planning to play…?

– Well, yes…

Iidzuka with his flashy hairdo held his tongue.
He is probably self-aware that he is in a risky situation. According to what I heard yesterday, he will have to take supplementary exams for eternity, so the cla.s.s is a kind of a h.e.l.l for him. And that"s why I bother him and help him with this and that.

Nice, nice, with this he should have reformed…

– You can just gather to study. It wouldn"t matter if you played a bit while you"re studying.

– Tachibansan, you"re a genius. How did I forget about such a thing?

Wait a minute, that is absolutely a pattern where you do not study…
First of all, a group study with everyone doesn"t give a good impression. If someone is highly motivated, then he can make time to study by himself. The only thing unmotivated people can do is killing time by chatting.

– A study group two days prior to the tests? What kind of overnight cramming meeting is that?

– Oh, ain"t that a funny name. But now Ichijou"s presence is even more essential.

I have fallen for Tachibana"s scheme agaaain. What a terrible fixed game.

Alright, alright, I got it, I"ll go… If I just said this, there would"ve been a much better conclusion. But Tachibana"s hurricane-like style is unwavering.

– Hey, it sounds rather fun. I want to partic.i.p.ate too…

Tachibana said so while playing with her hair.

– My ears have heard everything you just said, Karen! Hey, hey, if you"re going to study I want to partic.i.p.ate too. Ah, Ms. Momoko too. It"s too much for bookworm by himself, right?

– Ye-, yeah… That"s right.

Come ooon…
It has now spread to the usual girls of the L. This is the worse course of events.

Also, from that point on… I couldn"t even act blind.

"There will be overnight cramming meeting" "What"s that? Sounds fun." "Ah, I"ll go too"

In the beginning, it was a festival meant only for people of the high caste, but by the time I noticed, about half of the cla.s.s became partic.i.p.ants. Tachibana and friends steadily promoted their program, and after all, little by little my partic.i.p.ation became an established policy.

– You… where do you plan to gather more than ten people…?

– Let"s use my home♪

Ah, that so. Your house, it did seem s.p.a.cious.

Haa… Is all of this for real?
Packing my days off with plans, gloomy me will become bald. Many of us of the loners" sect live during the weekdays only to have leisurely weekends.

I sat on my own seat. My neighbor Tenjuin has a wry smile just like me.

– Ahaha… Somehow, it"s so sudden…

– Absolutely so. Tenjuin-san, do you always put up with this?

– Fufu… If you"re always with them, you get used to it, you know?

Cla.s.s head, was broadly smiling. I have a great impression that she is my senpai in life.

Rather, a person, partially a bookworm, rousing her cla.s.smates, what kind of Order of the Phoenix is this? Are you planning to practice invoking Patronus in the Room of Requirement?
Ah, by the way, I myself… have pa.s.sed a personality test at the official-like site and was safely a.s.signed to Slytherin, yeah. Tachibana is a bit Gryffindorish so I think we are going exactly opposite ways.

And yet, the two of us, curiously enough, met every day after school.
In the room illuminated by rays of the setting sun. Among the languid and dusty s.p.a.ce. Without anyone yet knowing.

– Ehehehehe~♪

And that day she suddenly was in a mood like this.
She looks just like a drunken middle-aged man apt to s.e.xually hara.s.s.

Is it okay to be like this despite being so diligent with you studies unlike others? I asked this but,

– Buuut… I"m so excited about Sat.u.r.day, I have no motivation right now.

Saying this, she idly lay on top of the table right next to where I was studying.
What did you come for if you"re not studying? Is it not just having a chatter after school and me taking you home after that if it is like this?

Hmph… Just do what you want…

– Eei

Blonde girl pinched my cheek with her fingers.
Angry, I turned towards her… Tachibana, with her head on the table, was mischievously smiling. Being shined on by the sunlight coming from the side, her face was slightly red.

She is completely in summer vacation mode. Weren"t your dreams related to the tests?

– Not studying and hindering me… Why did you come here today?

– Eeh, I want to have fun together…♪

– You!

Lately… I feel like Tachibana is acting spoiled without any meaning.
My heart is feeling itchy, so please stop… I seriously cannot get used to it.

Well, she is solving problems every day, so there is no need to worry.
But then… being together without an excuse, somehow, this is just flirting. Just what should I think about it?

Not minding it, I continued.
She hinders me every time I am about to get immersed in studies, but she will be happy if I just make a reaction.

The days are steadily getting longer.
This dusty room that darkened when time was getting late is now bright even when it is time to leave. Reflecting off the white walls, faintly yellow light is being projected, and with it the atmosphere itself feels as if it is dyed with dusk.

The two of us were locked inside the lazily and slowly pa.s.sing time.
Abruptly, Tachibana opened her mouth.

– Hey… Do you, want to play a game…?

– A game?

– A little game, to make you and me more motivated.

Hmm, I cannot think about decent things. With me keeping silent, she continued.

– The one who is worse at tests, will do whatever one thing the other says…♪

Whatever…? Hearing that, I frowned.
This time, when I turned to Tachibana, she was indeed happily grinning. As if saying "Ah, bookworm got baited"

– Is it okay? Normally, I will win. I"m okay if you can win in just one subject.

– Oho, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with confidence, eh? I will really win like that, you know?

– Bring it on. If I can think that I will lose, then there will be at least some compet.i.tion.

– Ehehe… Bookworm, what would you want me to do…?

Tachibana"s eyes who said this, got slightly moist ad as she narrowed them, she gave a lascivious impression.

Ugh… A surprise attack. Devious, just what one would expect from Gryffindor, devious.
Naturally, I turned my face away with a spinal reflex.

– Well, I"ll have you treat me with a juice.

– No… Something dull like that is forbidden…

– You too, what are you going to make me do? Anyway, it"s probably going to be something trivial.

And as I said that, the blonde girl suddenly pushed her fist against my upper arm.

– Something like that, it won"t be, you know…?

There was an impish grin on Tachibana"s face.