3.5
“Hey, Ike. I investigated the Katsuragi case.”
“Whoa, seriously? Man, way to go, Ayanokouji! I’m seeing you in a new light!”
Ike slapped my shoulder as he complimented me. Had I really done something that warranted him reevaluating his opinion of me? Maybe he hadn’t thought much of me to begin with.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t find out who the present was for,” I explained.
To be more precise, I couldn’t find a girl who fit the bill. As I said before, no one in our grade level had that birthdate. I couldn’t think of any student from another year whose birthday was the twenty-ninth, either. Therefore, the person in question might not be a student at all.
Yamauchi looked up with wide eyes. “Oh man, no way.
I know what’s going on. Whom Katsuragi wants to give that present to.”
Rather than looking overjoyed, he had a sorrowful expression.
“Hey, Kanji. Didn’t you think that Valentine’s was hell, back in junior high?”
“Wh-what the hell are you asking me for? Well, sure. Yeah, it was tough. What about it?”
“I think this is basically an extension of that. I think he actually bought the gift for himself,” said Yamauchi.
“No way, that—n-no, wait, I guess it is possible. I can’t imagine that baldy is very popular…”
The pair of them seemed convinced. I hadn’t considered that possibility, so doubts popped into my mind. “You’re saying that he bought the present for himself? For his own birthday?”
“You think it’s for something else then, Ayanokouji?” They glared at me.
People didn’t normally buy themselves birthday presents, did they? Maybe if you thought of the present as a reward—like when you treated yourself to something delicious, or went out and bought something for yourself. This was different, however. Katsuragi specifically purchased chocolates with girlish packaging, and had them gift-wrapped.
If he had a sweet tooth, there were probably other ways he could treat himself.
“You seriously don’t get it?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“Okay. Katsuragi doesn’t seem popular with the ladies, right? But right now, he is the leader of Class A.”
I refrained from commenting on that.
“He’s got a lot of pride. He’d definitely want people to think that he’s popular. It’s all an act.”
“So, he’s going to play this off like someone else bought the chocolates for him?”
Ike and Yamauchi must’ve felt pretty sure of this conclusion, because they both nodded in agreement.
“I did the same thing, back in junior high,” Ike said. “Made it look like I got a present from the cutest girl in school.”
“When you put it like that, it sounds hollow.”
“Well, yeah, of course. But, that way, you’re saved from the absolute despair of not getting any gifts!” Ike sounded angry. Apparently, he considered Valentine’s Day and birthdays to be significant events.
“Besides, you’re the same as me,” he added. “Right, Haruki?”
“Huh? No, no way. I was popular with the ladies. Didn’t you know?”
“Well then, why would you come to a conclusion like that? It’s because you thought Katsuragi was doing the same things you did!”
“Nah, that’s not true. In junior high, there was a really unpopular guy like you, Kanji. I knew about him. That’s it.”
Yamauchi was obviously bluffing, but I didn’t have time to prove it. “Aren’t you just speculating?”
“No! That’s definitely what’s going on!”
They seemed to like this theory, and they didn’t appear to have any intention of debating further.
“Hey, Haruki. Maybe we misunderstood the bald—I mean, Katsuragi. You think?”
“Yeah. We treated him like an enemy from Class A, but I suddenly feel closer to him.”
“So, you were an unpopular dude who bought himself presents, huh?”
“Wrong. He just reminded me of my classmate. I felt sorry for him.” Yamauchi stubbornly denied Ike’s jabs.
“Hey, do you want to help me out?” Ike asked me.
That was a sudden shift. “Help with what?” I asked.
“We’re going to get him a birthday present.” Ike’s newfound sympathy for Katsuragi appeared genuine. “It’s better when you get something from a girl, but that’s impossible in this case. I suppose getting a birthday present from anyone would be a blessing, wouldn’t it?”
That logic seemed strange, but I couldn’t completely deny it. People would rather receive a present from someone else than buy something for themselves. That said, they might not appreciate pity. If Katsuragi really had bought himself a gift, would it be a good idea for these two to “help” him out?
Ike and Yamauchi had already started discussing what to buy, but doubt still nagged at me. There weren’t any girls with a birthday tomorrow. However, we hadn’t eliminated all the other possibilities. There were still the teachers and other academic staff, as well as quite a few campus employees. If we broadened our idea of who the girl might be, plenty of candidates remained.
Besides, if Katsuragi did buy the present for himself, why had he purchased it so openly? He had been wearing his uniform in the middle of summer vacation. He had clearly stood out. It was easy to imagine people feeling suspicious if they saw him.
“Ayanokouji, you contribute some points, too. If we put about 1,500 points together, then we should be able to get something good.”
I’d had this conversation yesterday, though. My expenses were going to double. A thousand points wasn’t a small amount.
“Ayanokouji, this might be a little fast, but let’s celebrate Katsuragi’s birthday tomorrow.”
Ike and Yamauchi acted almost as if a switch had been flipped. They went from hating Katsuragi to liking him in two seconds.
“Are you really buying something?”
“Of course. Don’t you want to save a lonely, unpopular man?”
This was getting troublesome. I realized I’d better not refuse them. We decided to meet up the next day, and dispersed.
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