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Chapter 22 Part 1: The Lap Pillow’s Temptation
Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you’re close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it’s cutesy and childlike.
Today is a beautiful autumn day. Well, it is autumn regardless of the sprawling blue sky above my head. I used to see large clouds flowing and floating, but they have long since disappeared. After a while longer, winter will come and the beautiful snow will start coating the ground below.
I sat in the very back seat by the window, my cheekbones glued to the desk as I watched the mild and charmingly dull autumn sky out the window. Feeling the change of seasons was a rather good idea if I do say so myself.
I stopped flipping through the textbook I left open and kept staring blankly at nature outside. For some reason, though, I felt like I was being watched. That’s why I glanced at the teacher standing at the podium and our eyes met.
“All right, Hinakura. Solve the problem I just told you.”
“Huh? Huh?”
Our eyes met with unbelievable timing. Also, ‘the problem I just told you?’ I wasn’t listening at all, and it was my fault for not paying attention just to feel the autumn breeze. I hurriedly flipped through my textbook and glanced at the blackboard to see which question they were talking about, but I couldn’t figure it out and almost had my head in my hands.
That’s when a hand from God showed up from the seat next to me. She opened the page with the part in question, tapping it with her finger. I held back a sigh of relief from having my a*s saved.
When I returned my look to answer the question, I saw the teacher smiling back at me. Apparently, they knew from the very beginning I wasn’t listening to the question, and even noticed the help I got from my seatmate.
“You’re right, Hinakura, but you should focus on the lesson.”
“R, right, teacher…”
As I replied with my face downcast, I heard a giggle from my neighbor. I took a sidelong glance to see her hold the textbook up to her lips to cover her mouth, but it was obvious she was laughing.
“Hehe, Haru-kun, you barely passed, huh?”
“…Sorry. And thanks for saving my life.”
Thanks to Yuki, the mega honor student beside me, I could get away with it. I muttered a few thanks in her direction and turned my attention to the blackboard. Akina, who sat right in front, seemed to be worried too since I noticed her huff relief from her back. I tried to actually pay attention this time so as not to trouble them, and time passed without a hitch.
After it was all over, Akina turned to me with a worried look on her face.
“Haru, that was a disaster.”
“No, rather than a disaster, it was a self-inflicted wound…”
“Self-inflicted?”
Akina tilted her head. Since she sat in front of me, she didn’t notice I had my mind up in the clouds. She probably thought I just didn’t understand the question.
“Well… Look outside. It was just such a nice day I couldn’t help myself.”
“Oh, I see. It sure is a nice day. I thought so too during class.”
“Right? You get me, don’t you?!”
“No way. I can’t just drop class to look at the sky.”
I was speechless at her harsh words. Yuki then giggled and joined in on the conversation.
“It’s fine, Haru-kun. I mean, Akina-san spent more time looking outside than inside, so I’m sure she gets you completely.”
“S–Shirahato-san?!”
“Oh, really?” I said.
“It’s different…! N, no, it’s not that, um… I mean…”
It looks like Yuki hit the nail on the head, judging from Akina’s flustered appearance. I didn’t notice it because I was looking outside as well, but Yuki apparently saw her admiring the outside view without any hitches.
“I understand, too. Today is a really beautiful day, so I took a bit of time to look myself. I mean, it would be nice to take a nap under the sun, wouldn’t it?”
“I wish I could take at least one nap outside before winter kicks in…”
I used to do that a lot when I was in elementary school. I remember those fun days when I’d go to a park with Yuki, still with her bandages on, and played with her until we got tired. Then, we’d take a nap on a bench under the sun, and after waking up we’d play energetically until it was almost nighttime.
“How about you, Akina? Let’s go to the rooftop and take a nap side by side.”
“It’s a really nice proposal, but I have a previous appointment for lunch. Today there will be a special menu at the cafeteria, so Rikka told me to go with her.”
“I see. Well, catch you next time.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you guys next time. Take your time, you two. If you want to nap on the roof, how about borrowing one of those blue sheets from the council? I think it’ll make you feel better.”
“That’s a nice suggestion, but I don’t know if we can borrow it just to take a nap…”
“It’ll be fine. It’s for leisure, after all, such as when the council goes out to view the cherry blossoms, well, blossom. I’m sure they’ll be happy to lend you one.”
“Then let’s go to the council office together at lunch, Haru-kun.”
“Let’s do that. Thanks for telling us, Akina,”
“Yeah yeah, have fun.”
Thus, I suddenly got excited to take an uber nap on the rooftop. The next period was the fourth, so if I get through it, lunchtime will finally be upon us. I took my textbook out of my bag for our next class, all while looking forward to napping with Yuki.