I stared at Tatsuya in disbelief, though I took care to hide it behind my usual mask.
He was lost in his own world, blankly staring at the classroom ceiling.
The thoughts circulating in his head were entirely too obvious.
For a fleeting second, I actually felt a small prickle of pity for him, mostly because he had absolutely no clue what Shikimori-san had asked of me earlier today.
On my way to class this morning, she had intentionally sought me out, blocking my path in the hallway.
“Yukinoshita-san, can I have a moment of your time?” “Is it regarding another rumor?” I had asked, already feeling a deep sense of fatigue from the gossip constantly spreading around the school.
“No, that was last week’s problem.
It’s something else.” I watched as her slender fingers cutely fiddled with the brilliant sapphire ring resting on her finger.
The stone caught the hallway light, gleaming fiercely.
It was painfully clear who had given it to her.
“Very well.” We stepped out of the main flow of traffic, moving to a quiet, more private alcove near the stairwell.
“What exactly can I do for you, Shikimori-san?” “Well~,” she started, tilting her head with a soft smile, “I kind of wanted to know…
what is your honest opinion of Tatsuya?” “My opinion?” I echoed, slightly thrown off by the directness.
“He is an amusing individual, and I will objectively admit that he is quite handsome.” “I see.
I see.” Miyako nodded to herself, her eyes narrowing slightly as she processed the words.
“And if, by chance, he were to be dating two girls simultaneously with their explicit permission…
how would you feel about that?” “Uh?” I blinked, the sheer absurdity of the question catching me off guard.
“I mean…
if the parties involved are allowing it, what right do I have to say anything on the matter?
Did you give him permission to do so?” “I’m thinking about it,” she murmured, staring down at her glistening ring.
“I think it might actually be better for him if I let him.” I raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Did he ask you for this?” “Nope.
It is entirely my own intention.” “Then I highly suggest you ask him first if he would even like such an arrangement.” “I already know his opinion perfectly,” she chuckled softly, a knowing look passing through her eyes.
“I even have a pretty good idea of exactly who he would try to date if I allowed it.” “Then why exactly did you pull me aside?
This conversation has been an absolute waste of time.” “No, it hasn’t!
It’s actually helped me out a lot!” Recalling this morning’s antics, I couldn’t help but shake my head slightly in the quiet clubroom.
‘So that is why she asked those bizarre questions.’ I will admit to myself that I harbored favorable feelings toward him as a companion, but it was nowhere near the level of escalation she was trying to imply.
He didn’t even seem to view me in that light whatsoever.
Not that the specifics particularly mattered to me, but I couldn’t help but find myself deeply curious about her incredibly strange thought process.
‘So stupid.’ I shook my head, clearing the stray thoughts, and tried to dive back into my book.
Beside me, Tatsuya let out a tiny, barely audible mumble.
“Use the crit…” I raised my head from the pages.
“Did you happen to say something?” “Ah, nothing,” he quickly waved it off, a bit startled.
“I was just getting rid of something useless from my memory.” “Pfft~,” a tiny sound escaped my lips before I could stop it.
I don’t know why I found what he said so funny.
Tatsuya froze, his eyes widening as he looked over at me.
“Whoa.
You just laughed.” “Huh?
Oh.” I instantly smoothed my expression back into a straight line, feeling a slight warmth on my ears.
“I happen to laugh when I find things funny, too.
I am a human being, after all.” “I guess so.” “You guess?” I reached straight across the table, my hand flashing out to pinch his arm, adding a sharp, playful twist to punish his insolence.
“Nice try.” He completely resisted the motion, his arm staying completely solid, his muscles entirely unfazed by the twisting pain.
My eyes widened slightly in surprise that the pinch hadn’t worked at all.
But what was even more bizarre was the sudden, overwhelming sensation that instantly surrounded my hand.
“Hah.
Are you really that cold?” Before I could even process his words, his hands were briefly touching mine.
The bizarre feeling disappeared just as quickly as it came as he abruptly got up from his seat.
Without saying another word, he smoothly slid off his uniform blazer and draped the warm fabric right around my shoulders.
‘What…
what is going on?’ I felt my heart suddenly beat a bit faster against my ribs, the blood rushing through my veins a bit quicker.
Oddly enough, despite the sudden, weird symptoms flushing through my body, I didn’t feel sick in the slightest.
‘This is incredibly strange.’ I squinted my eyes, deeply analyzing every single part of Tatsuya’s expression.
He didn’t even seem to realize the sheer gravity of his incredibly casual action.
I will begrudgingly admit that he definitely deserves to have a girlfriend if he has smooth moves like this, but…
why did I feel so uniquely good about this warmth?
‘I must be exhausted.’ I shook my head, quickly closing my book and putting my things away into my bag.
Walking out of the clubroom distracted, I was so caught up in my confusion that I didn’t even utter a proper goodbye.
‘I should definitely take some medicine the moment I get home.’ I walked down the quiet hallway, exiting the school building and heading straight toward the black car waiting for me at the curb.
The family driver gave me a slightly weird look through the rearview mirror as I slid into the back seat.
Her eyes lingered for a moment on the male uniform jacket draped over my shoulders, but I pushed her obvious curiosity straight to the back of my mind.
“Are you feeling okay, Miss Yukino?” she asked, adjusting the mirror as she looked back at me.
“And…
if I may inquire, whose blazer is that?
It clearly does not belong to you.” I felt a sudden, annoying spike of heat hit my cheeks, though I took care to keep my voice entirely level.
“It belongs to a fellow member of the Service Club.
The clubroom felt exceptionally cold today, and he lent it to me out of basic courtesy.
There is absolutely nothing more to it.” “I see,” the driver murmured politely, though the slight, knowing shift in her expression suggested she wasn’t entirely convinced by my defense.
“…Just take me straight to my place,” I murmured, wrapping his blazer slightly tighter around my frame to ward off any further chill.
The driver nodded respectfully, starting the engine, and I immediately sank right back into the depths of my own mind.
‘Shikimori-san, you really are insufferable.’