Chapter 39: Aftermath
Feeling the gazes around her shift from shock to gossip, Kazumi turned to look at Sato Shinichi, who still seemed clueless about what had happened.
Kazumi sighed inwardly. Ignoring whatever Shinichi was about to say, she stood up, grabbed his arm, and ran out of the classroom without looking back.
All that was left behind was the increasingly noisy classroom after they left.
…
“Kiyomizu-san, Kiyomizu-san!”
Feeling the gentle pull on his arm, Sato Shinichi offered no resistance, walking outside with Kazumi’s force.
However, Kazumi’s sudden bold action had startled him a little. Was she not afraid of being misunderstood by doing this in front of the entire class?
“Hmm.”
Dragging her embarrassing ‘possession’ to a window in a corner of the corridor, Kazumi looked at the bewildered Shinichi, who had followed her, and spoke before he could ask anything.
“Do you know what kind of impact saying such things in the classroom would have?”
Although less than half the class was present, for such rowdy fifteen or sixteen-year-old boys and girls, seeing this situation was almost equivalent to the entire class knowing.
“Huh? I was just returning your stuff?”
Sato Shinichi held up the neatly folded clothes and then suddenly seemed to realize something, his eyes widening in a moment of enlightenment.
“Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t think of that!!”
Only then did Sato Shinichi realize his mistake. Returning the washed clothes to Kazumi in front of so many people meant that he had been in contact with her over the weekend, and the kind of contact that required changing clothes?
“I’ll go explain to them right now, so that your reputation, Kiyomizu-san, isn’t damaged!!”
With this thought, Sato Shinichi quickly put away the clothes and headed towards the classroom. However, a cold, small hand grabbed his sturdy arm.
“No need.”
“Kiyomizu-san?”
Sato Shinichi looked at Kazumi in confusion, but she simply shook her head calmly.
“No matter how much you explain to them, it will only make things worse. You should think about how to explain it to the teacher. Regarding Shikoku, while they aren’t very strict about relationships, further developments, if discovered, could lead to expulsion.”
Kazumi knew the gossipy hearts of fifteen and sixteen-year-olds all too well, having gone through that phase herself.
At that time, there were a few couples in her class, who confessed to whom, who had a crush on someone from the next class – these were inevitable topics of conversation during student life.
If it were her at that time, she might have felt shy and embarrassed by the classmates’ discussions, but for Kazumi, who had moved past that not-so-pleasant time, only a faint nostalgia remained.
“But we didn’t do anything!!! I’ll go explain it to Teacher Ishiryu right now. I was just talking to you at your house to comfort you.”
Hearing Kazumi’s words, Sato Shinichi became agitated, as if he were the one whose reputation was damaged by this incident. He quickly turned around, intending to head towards the teachers’ office.
“Alright, alright, just go when you’re called, okay!”
Preventing the rushing Sato Shinichi from leaving again, Kazumi felt a headache coming on. Was this what they called a rare creature? Why was he smart when it came to studies, but his brain seemed to disappear when something happened?
“Ouch.”
Hearing Kazumi’s slightly stern tone, Sato Shinichi stopped and obediently walked back. His pale blue eyes darted around for a moment, then lit up with excitement. He looked at Kazumi and continued.
“Kiyomizu-san! How about this, I’ll go tell the classmates now that it was just my one-sided joke. That should clear up any misunderstandings they have about you.”
“…”
Looking at the excited Sato Shinichi, Kazumi was once again at a loss for words. For the first time, she realized how tiring it was to talk to this guy…
As far as Kazumi was concerned, this incident was rather insignificant. She hadn’t come to enjoy school life in the first place, and the gossip of these fifteen or sixteen-year-old brats held no destructive power for her.
“Shinichi-kun.”
“Mhm, mhm, mhm.”
Kazumi’s sudden address startled Sato Shinichi, who quickly nodded in agreement.
“What’s your ranking in class?”
“6th.”
Sato Shinichi tilted his head, puzzled why Kazumi was asking such a question, but he answered nonetheless.
“Then what’s my ranking?”
“20th. Your scores in the three subjects are 82, 90, and 75. It’s mainly because your practical class scores are a bit low, otherwise, you’d have a chance to break into the top ten.”
[I didn’t ask you to remember it so detailed, and you even gave an analysis of my scores!!]
Hearing Shinichi’s coherent analysis of information that even she didn’t know in such detail, Kazumi once again held her forehead with a headache.
She directly reached out and pressed his cheek, stopping his further speech.
“Therefore, there’s no need to worry about the teachers knowing about our matter. Shikoku is quite open-minded about student relationships. As long as it doesn’t affect our grades or cause trouble, the teachers won’t interfere too much. As for the classmates, if they know, they know. There’s nothing wrong with talking about these things.”
Speaking of which, even though the trouble was caused by this guy, why did it feel like she was the one comforting him now!!!
Whether it was Shinichi’s repeated, almost simpering actions that resonated with Kazumi, or her own realization that nothing could be done in this situation, Kazumi refused Shinichi’s suggestions. Even if she tried to refuse, on the surface, they had established a relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend. If she needed Shinichi to stand up for her at this point, she would have been too unfeminine, so she decided to face it head-on.
“Kiyomizu-san…”
Looking at his girlfriend lecturing him, Sato Shinichi was inexplicably moved. Although he definitely didn’t want to announce their relationship publicly, deep down, he did want to tell others about it a little.
While claiming it was his one-sided prank could solve the problem, he would still feel a bit hurt inside.
But to his surprise, Kazumi openly decided to make it public, leaving him momentarily bewildered.
“Okay, let’s just leave it at that. We’ll stay here until class starts before going back. I don’t want to go back in and be gawked at like animals.”
Seeing Shinichi’s deeply moved expression, Kazumi let him indulge in his own thoughts. Anyway, she really didn’t care about all this. After saying a few words, Kazumi turned her head towards the window, lazily resting on the windowsill and watching the scenery.
The morning sun was bright, casting a faint glow on the girl’s soft black hair. Her light short hair swayed up and down with the movement of her head. A faint, pleasant scent of chestnut flowers wafted towards Sato Shinichi.
The girl lay lazily on the windowsill, looking up at the sky. Her plain face showed no excess emotion, and her eyes held a dead-fish-like gaze, devoid of any feeling.
Her fair and tender hands propped up her head. her originally thin face looked plump and very cute due to the pressure from her palms. As if sensing she was being watched,
She turned her head with a hint of confusion. Her once vacant eyes gained a touch of emotion, and she quietly gazed at Sato Shinichi, who stood by her side.
A light breeze blew, lifting the girl’s incredibly soft short hair. Even her usually stiff lips seemed to curve slightly upwards. With a hint of a smile, she looked at the boy beside her.
“Why are you just standing there? Come and get some sun!”
