Chapter 4
For some time after having gotten through Shirakawa-san’s birthday date without incident, I led a satisfactory school life while happily recalling how pleased she’d been on the aforementioned date.
However, I began to notice a slight change in the air around her one day.
As I’d been a Shirakawa-san watcher since before going out with her, I’d follow her with my eyes without even realizing I was doing it. As a result, I was sensitive to the mood around her.
While she was sociable and liked by everyone, there were, of course, people in my class who didn’t have the courage to strike up a conversation with her—just like I had been until a short while ago.
Anyway, the first change I noticed was that such classmates of mine had become more conscious of Shirakawa-san than usual.
“Have you heard what they say about Shirakawa-san?”
“Ah, yeah.”
“I wonder if it’s true.”
“Who knows...?”
They began to whisper behind her back even more than before, saying things like that.
The next difference I noticed had to do with people in the middle of the class hierarchy—those who could talk to Shirakawa-san normally but weren’t particularly close with her. They were starting to stare at her curiously.
“Hey, have you heard?”
“Yeah. Go ask her if it’s true.”
“There’s no way I could ask Shirakawa-san herself, you know.”
“Yeah, no argument there...”
What in the world were they talking about?
With that question on my mind, I found myself keeping watch over her surroundings more than usual. It was then that my eyes landed on a certain guy—the same member of the soccer club who’d been frequently talking to Shirakawa-san as of late.
“Can I talk to you for a sec?” he asked her during a long break one day, inviting her to chat outside the classroom.
“Huh? What is it?” While Shirakawa-san seemed to find it strange, she followed him anyway.
The two of them headed to an empty classroom nearby.
I chased them in a hurry and peeked through a gap in the door. I was mentally prepared to jump out at any time if the soccer guy did something funny—not that I knew what I’d even do after that.
“So, what’s up?” asked Shirakawa-san, her smile free from tension.
I found the fact that she behaved the same way around both guys and girls to be a wonderful side of hers. Observing my other classmates, I’d noticed that there were surprisingly few people like that.
“Wanna go out with me?” asked the soccer guy.
I was so shocked that my vision turned white. I had suspected his sights were set on Shirakawa-san, but still...
I held my breath, wondering how she would reply.
“Sorry, but I already have a boyfriend,” she uttered nonchalantly.
“Huh?!” The soccer guy was taken aback. “Akari said you were single, though.”
“Oh... Yeah, I haven’t told Akari,” said Shirakawa-san with an uneasy smile.
“Who’s your boyfriend, anyway? Is he from this school?” asked the guy after a moment, looking even more uncomfortable than her.
His questions startled me.
“Ah...” awkwardly began Shirakawa-san, her expression turning stiff. “It’s a secret.”
Shirakawa-san, that’s as good as telling him your boyfriend goes to this school!
“Who is it? What club’s he from?” As I expected, the soccer guy began to press her.
“Come on, it doesn’t matter.” Shirakawa-san was trying to dodge his questioning, but it wasn’t working at all.
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