Chapter 1: The hated riajuu has great influence over the school (Part 4)

「Good moorning!」

「Morrning.」

As we continued to talk leisurely, the door at the back opened with a clatter, and we heard two light voices call out. They possessed neither the peculiar eagerness from today being the start of a new class, nor the absurd nervousness of first greetings being important.

「Ohh, if it isn’t Chitose. Hasn’t your hair gotten a little long over the spring break? Want me to cut that for you?」

「It kind of feels like the cut will reach a line that’s important for living, so I’ll have to decline.」

The one who had called out to me was Aomi Haru, originally from Class 3.

Being someone who played an active role as a shooting guard of the girls’ basketball club, her limbs were long and slender. She wasn’t at all that tall, and at a glance one might take her for a petite, delicate model. But in actual fact, rather than being thin, her body gave an impression of being effectively well-toned.

Rather than being neatly done-up like for Yuuko or Yua, the bundling of her hair into a short ponytail felt more like it was simply because it got in the way of her movement. Below, contrasting with that candid personality and frank behaviour, her smooth nape was somewhat amorous.

Haru’s words prompted a reaction from Kaito.

「Oi, shouldn’t you have called out to me first there? Being a fellow basketball club member.」

「Ehh, I mean, at this point seeing Kaito’s face has lost all sense of freshness. Right, Yuzuki?」

「I’m sick and tired of Kaito’s face too. But I’m glad Chitose and Mizushino are here. A feast for the eyes… a feast for the eyes.」

Saying this, Nanase Yuzuki’s face suddenly peered in from behind Haru. Extending to her shoulders, her semi-long hair flowed smoothly, just like in a shampoo commercial.

Also originally from Class 3, and the point guard of the girls’ basketball club. Apparently the duo she formed with Haru was already well-known even at a prefectural level, though I daresay the reason for that wasn’t just their basketball skills alone.

Whenever the topic of who the cutest girl in our school was came up, the name that would always get nominated alongside Yuuko’s was Nanase’s. If Yuuko was an idol-type with her status points fully invested into cuteness, then Nanase was an actress-type with a multitude of facial expressions hidden within, at times cute, or breathtakingly beautiful, or easy to talk to or difficult to approach, or gallant or fleeting, or so adorable you’d want to protect her or so sexy you’d want to break her.

However, personally, I did not consider Nanase’s aforementioned behaviour to be a product of nature similar to Yuuko’s. What she displayed at school was a combination of her own traits bestowed at birth and an appropriately controlled, practically unnatural perfection, resulting from a diligent awareness of the influence the good and the bad would have on her surroundings. I myself was the same, so I could kind of tell.

Incidentally, speaking of her figure, which was no less shapely than Yuuko’s, in contrast to how Yuuko’s overflowed with a girlish softness akin to freshly whipped cream, Nanase’s possessed a supple springiness akin to a tautly drawn bow.

…I’m not just talking about boobs, you know?

With a teasing smile on her face, Nanase approached us.

「And there you have it. Shall I start enjoying my fill of these younglings right away? Looky looky here～」

Playing along, I and Kazuki reacted exaggeratedly to Nanase’s words while covering our chests.

「Noo! Don’t look at us with those lecherous eyes!」

「So you were aiming for our bodies after all!」

Haru joined in on the fun.

「Ain’t that fine, ain’t that just fine. Hell-loo there. I promise it’ll be over before you’re done counting the stains on the ceiling, heh heh.」

「Umm, you two were born in the Heisei era, right? This whole thing reeks of Shōwa.」

Just as we were getting carried away, Yua cut in with a tsukkomi. Her presence had been on the verge of fading away due to the participation of these grand riajuu.

「Ucchi～! Class 3 was lacking that kind of tsukkomi ingredient, you know. Yuzuki just ignores me when it’s a bother. Why don’t you become my partner?」

「Ucchiー, that kind of sternness is really needed when things go too far. Count me in too.」

「…Hmm, ookay. For the time being, how about you two start over from『This must be the first time we’ve spoken properly, let’s get along』?」

With Haru and Nanase now shuffling towards her, Yua slowly backed away. Feels like she’s getting eaten, or rather, consumed. Well, these two are prominent riajuu to the point that there isn’t anyone in the same year who doesn’t know their name, so not much I can do about it.

On that note, the natural-born princess Yuuko still had plenty of spare capacity.

「Yuzuki, Haru, I’m so glad we’re together! I’ve always wanted to get along with you. But Saku’s rightful wife is me while Ucchi is his, miss-tress, I think? So let’s get along with that in mind, okay～?」

Both Yua and her couldn’t have had much contact with these two before, and yet here they were, not just doing their own thing, but also shrewdly slipping in advice. Anyway, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t know the meaning of「mistress」.

「Well, at any rate, I guess this means the arrival of new members for Team Chitose.」

Haru and Nanase responded to my words in kind.

「”Aomi Dangerous Challengers”.」

「You mean “Yu Like The Distant Tsuki”.」

「…Yeah, I knew it would turn out like this.」

Well, I suppose it’s pretty much this bunch who will be the riajuu class’s key players.

Such were my thoughts as I casually surveyed the entire class. Those groups I had some recollection of, those who were somewhat careful about their appearance, those with somewhat loud voices, and those looking in our direction like they wanted to join us. Those staring fixedly at their desk or the blackboard, as if they were unseeing, unhearing and unfeeling solitary monks. And in addition, the occasional person emitting glares of undisguised discomfort.

Well, I think those are all natural reactions to us having this kind of noisy conversation so soon after the class change. I could even nod my head in agreement to the one or two glares of discomfort.

However, regretfully, that’s just the kind of people riajuu are.

To some extent, those like myself, Kazuki, and perhaps Nanase were operating somewhat self consciously, but by no means were we trying to consciously flaunt our difference in status, and neither were we showing off our sparkling selves or anything of the sort.

We were just naturally and honestly expressing our joy at being in the same class as our friends, and messing around as fellow comrades.

Truly, that was all there was to it. However, there are many human beings unable to do that much, so before we knew it we were affixed with labels such as riajuu, or gloomy type, or DQN idiot, so on and so forth, not to mention trash-talked by an unknown somebody on the school’s underground site.

Hiriajuu, gloomy characters, and otaku might all think the same thing, but our surroundings would come trying to conveniently place us into a framework. Riajuu are these kinds of people, should be this way, and are without a doubt flimsy and substanceless. There’s no mistaking that they are a detestable bunch who act to prove their superiority over hiriajuu.

Well, owing to that, it was clear what the role the teachers wanted us to play in the riajuu class. To befriend those who looked like they wanted to befriend us. To warmly watch over the solitary monks from an appropriate distance, and get along with them if they ever felt so inclined. To keep the disturbing elements in check and prevent them from getting worse, or perhaps placate them. If we did so, then it would mean everyone could freely concentrate on their studies.

I suppose I should do so, and loosely, the Chitose Saku way.

If one cannot live beautifully, then it is hardly any different from being dead.

That is my esthetic. Incidentally, you could also replace the「beautifully」part with「good-lookingly」, or「popularly」or「while being fawned over」or「while being surrounded by girls」.

---

[Previous] | [Main Page] | [Next]