“Geez! Why did you do that!?”
A few minutes later, in the corner of the gymnasium, I sat cross-legged as I was scolded
///
***
***
///
In front of me, the goddess – no, Hoshina-san – puffed out her cheeks in anger.
As an honest person, I answered her truthfully.
“I just kind of lost my temper and hit them. But don’t worry, I held back.”
“not sorry at all! It was dangerous, it was scary! I was so worried that Amamori-kun would get hurt…I thought my heart was going to burst out! I was worried!”
She was glaring at me with teary eyes.
But I wasn’t scared at all, strangely enough. When I looked steadily into her eyes, Hoshina-san shyly looked away instead. Higarashi-san was snickering at this sight.
“I tried to stop you, didn’t I?…But still, Amamori was pretty strong, huh.”
Even Ishino seemed to be interested, looking at me with sparkling eyes.
So I took the chance to explain the excuse I had been thinking of.
“I trained a bit in the past, you see. …My abilities are limited because of this unusual power, but in a pure physical fight, you can count on me. It’s one of the few things I’m confident in.”
“Amazing…You were so cool, Amamori-kun! Say, could you teach me that sometime…? I’ve kind of admired that sort of thing…”
“Sure, of course.”
At that, Ishino ran around happily.
Hoshina-san seemed to be smiling fondly at the scene, but then she seemed to remember that she had been angry at me. She puffed up her cheeks again. Ah, her usual cute self.
“Ah, Amamori-kun. I still haven’t forgiven you, you know…!”
“What can I do to be forgiven?”
“Th-that’s…”
At my question, she furrowed her brows, looking troubled.
She’s angry because she was worried. It doesn’t lead to anything.
I just hope she doesn’t do something similar in the future.
That’s probably the extent of her feelings. That’s why she’s troubled when asked.
But sorry, Hoshina-san. I’ve decided I won’t hold back.
“…I’m sorry, but if a similar situation comes up where Hoshina-san might get hurt, I’ll do the same thing again. That’s the one thing I won’t compromise on.”
I put up with the insults, but Shiki tried to hit Hoshina-san.
So I hit her. There were no other options.
It’s about which is more important. Preserving Hoshina Tsubomi’s purity, or the safety of others.
I weighed the two and chose the former. And that won’t change going forward.
–That’s the rude thing I was thinking, but from an outside perspective, it must have sounded like a cool line. Hoshina-san’s face was bright red, and the members of the Literature Club were grinning.
“Ah, Amamori-kun…”
“Well, I don’t think there’ll be any problems going forward.”
When I shifted my gaze, there were the four of them glaring at me.
At the head was Shiki Iroha, with a bandage on her nose.
Looks like our Ishino had treated her, but the injury hadn’t fully healed yet.
The other three only had minor injuries that I pulled my punches on, so the physical impact wasn’t as bad as it looked. Except for the punch to Shiki’s face, that is.
“Remember this…you over there! I’ll make you regret it, no matter what!”
Shiki said that and then left. Her three companions also followed her, glaring at us as they went.
“Whew, Amamori, you’ve got another weirdo after you, huh. And Natsuhara probably hates you too…you seem to be the one getting the most hate in the class this year, don’t you?”
“That annoying voice is…Karasuma, isn’t it?”
As usual, Karasuma’s cheeky voice addressed us.
The main training session was already over.
Our team, Asahina’s team, and Sakuma’s team seem to have won, but the others mostly lost, so this training will probably end with the defeat of Class C.
That’s fine, it’s just training.
The problem is…who is the real leader of Class B?
“Actually, while you were fighting, we stopped that energetic Asahina-san and tried to figure out who the leader of Class B is.”
“We knew you’d win easily even against the girls and kids, so we figured even a genius would show some cracks in their composure.”
“Sakuma… I’ll tell you straight, I’m not good at thinking. Can you give me a simple answer?”
Sakuma gave me a suspicious look at that.
What’s he suspecting me of?
When I tilted my head, he sighed tiredly.
“I’ll just give you the name. The ruler of Class 1-B. That guy’s name is–”
Just as Sakuma was about to say the name of that person–
I sensed a presence approaching from behind and moved instinctively.
–Turning around, I caught the fist heading towards me.
The impact was not small. The wind pressure made my hair sway, and my hand felt numb.
Amid the surprise of those around, the [boy] in front of me spoke in a gentle voice.
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“Hmm? What’s wrong, everyone from Class C? Was I the one you were talking about?”
In a word, this boy could be described as–a person without human warmth.
That was the first impression I got in facing him.
His common black hair and his pasted-on smile were in full bloom.
His smile, which would make anyone let their guard down,
he had the same scent as Kurashiki’s.
In other words, it was a fake. Just a manufactured and attached imitation, not the real thing.
My expressionless face may be excellent at not showing emotions, but his smile is probably superb as well.
He’s always smiling, so it’s hard to tell his emotions. He’s the complete opposite of my poker face.
“Ah, you…what are you doing all of a sudden!?”
“Ah, I’m not really interested in you, so just be quiet. I came here to talk to this one.”
“Wha-what do you mean not interested…!?”
Poor Asahina-san is being spoken to so rudely.
What a jerk! You can’t say things like that to a girl!
As I’m inwardly shouting this, he narrows his eyes slightly.
Amidst his dazzling smile, his eyes hold no laughter.
“I wonder, are you stronger than me?”
“I think you’re weaker,”
reply came immediately. A few nearby people let out wry chuckles at his answer.
There are limits to what physical strength can do. Going head-to-head against supernatural abilities, the chances of winning are slim.
It seems this boy didn’t interpret my “weaker” comment in the sense of physical limitations.
“Amamori Yūto, was it? That’s your name, right?”
“That’s correct, but…hey, could you please put your fist down?”
At my words, the people nearby widen their eyes greatly.
Their gazes turn to our hands.
I’ve been holding back his fist the whole time,
as he tries to crush my defensive stance.
My hand is starting to hurt, but I wonder if he’ll stop?
I say this hopefully, but his smile doesn’t falter.
The force behind his fist increases even more.
“…Using violence would violate school rules.”
“Don’t be stupid. There’s no rule saying you can’t fight with people from other classes during a mock battle, right? The mock battle…in other words, the fighting request, is still formally ongoing. So punching someone doesn’t violate the rules.”
His logic was sound, so I fell silent.
I never imagined he’d exploit those lax rules like this.
How troublesome.
I look towards the two teachers who seem like they could mediate the situation, but they remain silent.
How useless of them. If it were Sakaki-sensei, she’d likely have intervened if it was another C-class student being picked on. But this time, it’s me. Her eyes eloquently convey, “You can handle this, can’t you?”
“Hey, Amamori Yūto! Let’s fight to the death!”
“No thanks,”
I firmly refuse his cheerful suggestion.
My refusal doesn’t shake his smile, but his aura changes.
“Then, shall we try a different method?”
Immediately, the force in his fist disappears.
He moves in a reversal motion and raises his fist.
His target is…Hoshina Tsubomi.
“–You fool.”
As I move, Asahina-san also springs into action.
Asahina-san rushes ahead with lightning speed, blocking Hoshina-san.
The boy was not shaken at all by the sight.
“–? ”
He senses something [unpleasant], and turns around to look at me
In that instant, our eyes meet, but I kick him without hesitation.
He seemed to have hastily defended, but…it must have hurt decently. I held back just enough.
“Ugh…!”
“S-Shinzaki-kun…!?”
A scream comes from Hoshina-san. Apparently, this boy’s name is Shinzaki.
He stands up from several meters away and looks at me.
Glancing at him briefly, I call out to Asahina-san.
“Thank you for the save, Asahina. I’d like to ask a favor regarding Hoshina-san.”
“Oh my, you remembered my name, Amamori-kun! Yes, I’ll–wait a moment. What exactly do you mean by a favor?”
Ignoring her words, I walk towards Shinzaki.
I’d prefer to somehow wriggle out of this with a talk or something, but I judge that’s not possible.
In that case, it’s better for me to get properly beaten up so he loses interest in me.
And the interest he loses can be…ah, I’ll redirect it to Asahina-san.
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