Monogatari Series - Volume 21 - Chapter 0.08

008

I should have guessed.

There was only one place Sengoku Nadeko would go in uniform: school — in this instance, having saw me around school in my uniform, yet continuing to tease out details like some jester… I think Ougi-san poses more of a problem here.

Having already seen me in uniform around school, he should have been more shocked when he nearly crashed into me after… this guy might wear a lively face, but in the end, he seemed more difficult to read than the expressionless Ononoki-chan.

His eyes devoid of light.

But now that he has got me here, I can’t complain much.

‘Uuuu…’

Stepping off the bike, I hugged my quivering body.

How should I put it… for a hikikomori like me, to step out of home was not only an accomplishment in itself, but an accomplishment of a lifetime.

Even though all I did was go out the front door. I know I am lying to myself.

But of all places for shikigami me to go, the school… the school? School.

What a troublemaker.

Just like me.

Then again, that was probably not what she had in mind. She probably goes with the flow even more than me who is chasing her down. In the end, it was inconceivable for a girl with a school uniform to imagine herself truant the very next school year.

Because that happened from last November onwards… taking away the time when I was a god, that would be since February.

However, for someone to cause trouble so naturally, it is no wonder that the Sengoku Nadeko of old has been described as devilish — hmmm, this is something that cannot be experienced unless one is on the receiving end of trouble.

So then, what follows next.

Frankly, I was about as willing to step into school as I was willing to step into a toxic swamp — my heart started racing upon that thought.

Were I to meet my classmates… no, now that it was a new school year, everybody would be in a different class now, so the class where I did that should have collapsed into other places, should it not?

‘You seem troubled, Sengoku-chan.’

Ougi-san said as he stepped off his bike, spoken as if he was offering a helping hand.

‘If you want, I could go in on your behalf. I just have to look for Sengoku-chan in the uniform, right? I can handle this, no problem.’

‘………………’ ‘………………’ ‘………………’

‘………………’ ‘………………’ ‘………………’

‘………………’ ‘………………’ ‘………………’

‘………………’ ‘No, it’s okay.’

Ten Sengoku Nadekos in my head had a little meeting, where nobody said anything and the silence was deafening. Although normally I would not imagine my mild-mannered self saying so, I declined Ougi-san’s otherwise charitable suggestion.

Compared to my shikigami, if he acted as an agent for me, I have this premonition that it would cause even more chaos.

The heart that was racing was practically ringing like an alarm bell at this point.

‘Splendid. If Kanbaru-senpai possessed such decisiveness, she’d probably not be running around in circles ’cos of me now.’

This person is running Kanbaru-san around in circles, it seems.

How horrible.

‘But then again, it’d be a shame if we separated right here; I’ll escort you around. Puts people at ease if some girl in some lame sportswear is around with someone in a male school uniform.’

I was not at ease.

Also, did he just describe me as lame?

I might feel awkward whenever somebody says I am cute, but directly saying that I am lame is also something I do not handle quite well — and in this case, that statement was not directed at me, but my clothes.

Then again, it does take some courage to enter school in my casual clothes (pyjamas), even discounting the fact that I am a hikikomori.

A courage one typically has no need for.

So if Ougi-san was willing to come with me in his male school uniform, I cannot help but feel grateful.

Even though it is a male school uniform, Ougi-san’s uniform is not that of Public Middle School #701, but that of Naoetsu High School, although that prestigious private high school’s signature school uniform would probably give an even more trustworthy impression.

So let us pretend that Ougi-san is an alumnus of the school. Such acting, or should I say such deception, seemed to be right up Ougi-san’s alley.

I say this with certainty, even though it was the first time we met.

‘Righto, ikuzo~’ [1]

Ougi-san stepped in the gates with zero hesitation, as if entering his own home — although I could not imagine what kind of home he lives in.

No cycling allowed in school premises, so we had to find a place to park this BMX.

Where were the bike racks? I thought as I followed Ougi-san.

And just like that, I returned to the middle school I thought I would set foot in ever again, not even for graduation.