Chapter 9: You're Actually a Good Guy, Aren't You?

You're Actually a Good Guy, Aren't You...?

"Cough! Cough!"

"Are you okay?!"

As I finally made it to the shore carrying the black cat, Onizuka greeted me.

The black cat is so small that it can fit comfortably in one of my high school girl's hands.

"Meow, meow...!"

It's exhausted, but it's still breathing.

After handing the black cat over to Onizuka, I climbed out of the muddy water onto the shore.

Next to Onizuka was the sailor uniform I had taken off to jump into the river.

Did you bring it over for me?

I'm a guy inside, so I don't mind seeing girls in their underwear, but I guess it's a bit inappropriate for other to see high school girls in their underwear.

While Onizuka was tending to the black cat, I quickly put on my sailor uniform.

"You, despite your appearances, don't be so reckless..."

Onizuka muttered in exasperation.

...despite appearance, me?

A girl with long pink hair.

I know it sounds strange to say it myself, but I'm thin, has a nice waist, and a decent chest. I haven't touched them though.

I don't know what style standards are in the female community, but from a man's perspective, I'd say that for a first-year high school student with such a well-developed body, I have quite a nice figure.

It is no exaggeration to say that there is two-dimensional processing at work here.

"Wouldn't you have been surprised if I was slimmer?"

"That's not what I meant."

Onizuka looked shocked the whole time.

"First of all, girls shouldn't jump into rivers in the rain."

"It doesn't matter as long as the cat is saved, right?"

"...So manly."

Onizuka throws his blazer at me again.

"What? You don't need your jacket anymore or something?"

"…………"

I tried to refuse, but Onizuka kept pushing it to me.

"I don't know where to look..."

"Where to look?"

My underwear was usually visible.

There's no point in wearing a soaked sailor uniform.

"Oh, ahh... hmm, thanks."

"Yeah."

Onizuka started it in and even I started blushing.

A thick blazer for men will help hide my underwear.

Before we knew it, the calico cat was rubbing up against Onizuka's feet.

I wonder if it came along after he put it down on the ground earlier?

Onizuka easily picked up the two in one hand and placed his cheek against them affectionately.

"Ugh, we're all soaked, you guys and me too."

I felt that something was different about Onizuka than usual.

Something feels off.

Something is missing from the elements that make him who he is.

Aaaah!

"Um, Onizuka, the thing on your neck?"

"My neck?"

Seeing me point to my own neck, Onizuka also touches his own neck with the hand that is not holding the cat.

His eyes widened as he realized his necklace was missing.

"……It's gone!?"

"Maybe it came off while we were running. It was broken in a fight the other day, and even after repairing it, the chain might have become brittle."

With a rough idea of ​​where it might have gone, we headed back the way we came, following the river.

I knelt down in the grass and began groping around for the necklace.

"...You won't find it today anyway."

Onizuka had his hands full because he was holding two cats, so I was on my hands and knees searching for the necklace when he called out to me.

That's a reasonable argument.

It was cloudy with heavy rain, making visibility terrible, and the search area was the entire grassy area.

I can't imagine how long it will take to find it.

However, I ignored Onizuka's warnings and started digging through the grass.

Onizuka called out to me again as I continued to search for the necklace.

"Hey, I said you don't have to look for it."

"It's something important, right?"

"..."

When I retorted, Onizuka was at a loss for words.

On second thoughts.　

I still remember when we were being harassed by some delinquents and they touched his necklace and he became furious.

It's so important that he don't want anyone else to touch it.

Why are you trying to give up so easily?

"...It's the first present I've ever received from my parents."

Onizuka began to speak in a small, almost inaudible voice, the complete opposite of his usual self.

"…………"

I don't answer.

I accept the story behind my back.

"...I received it from my mother when everyone were still on good terms as a family. She said it would look good on me."

...It's like you're talking about a memento.

Onizuka's parents have not died, but since his parents are on the verge of divorce, the close-knit Onizuka family may as well be dead.

A typical family, like the ones you see in picture books, where you receive picture books as Christmas presents - for Onizuka, it had become a world that only existed in picture books.

That necklace is the only proof that the Onizuka family was once a warm and caring family.

"Onizuka-kun... the old him never used to be the type to get into fights..."

Suddenly, Ayanokoji's words came back to me.

Due to discord between his parents, his family fell apart, and Onizuka became rebellious and turned to delinquency.

It's all too easy to imagine.

...Of course he'll rebel.

Even I, a healthy person who dedicated my youth to volleyball, feel sympathy for them.

……Hmm?

I realized something.

Maybe that's why his relationship with Ijuin has deteriorated?

From Onizuka's perspective, the strained relationship between his parents was the main reason he became a delinquent.

But what if we change our perspective?

From Ijuin's perspective, it might seem like Onizuka, who was a good friend of his, suddenly started acting rebellious.

"Hey, Onizuka and Ijuin used to be good friends, right? Why--"

"None of your business."

He cut me off so rudely.

He was a completely different person from the Onizuka who had just told me about his memories of the necklace.

I was refused from entry at the door, as if he were determined not to let anyone step foot inside this whole thing.

Had something so serious happened between these two?

Or maybe Onizuka himself.

Something he doesn't want Ijuin to know.

"Meow!"

The black cat I had just saved meowed, cutting through the heavy air.

When I looked towards the black cat, it was staring in another direction.

Like when calico cat discovers the black cat adrift.

I followed the direction of it's gaze.

In the dark, rainy weather, I felt as if I saw a glittering silver light.

I rushed towards the light as fast as I could.

"I find it!"

I pushed aside the weeds and picked up the cross necklace.

Sure enough, the chain had broken.

Although it was dirty from rain and dirt, it was in a very clean condition and looked like it could be wiped off.

"Good for you, Onizuka!"

I handed it to Onizuka with a smile.

But he refused to accept it.

"Onizuka?"

"…………"

When I asked, Onizuka slowly shook his head from side to side.

"...You keep that."

"Eh?"　

Onizuka spoke with a faint smile, and what he said was an unexpected remark.

Is he saying he'll give it to me?

"But it's something important, right? You got it from your parents..."

"That's fine. I want you to have it."

I didn't feel like I had any right to refuse.

He spoke in a calm tone, neither yelling nor threatening, but his words were forceful and left no room for argument, so I had no choice but to answer yes.

"...I understand."

The chain is broken, so I can't wear it around my neck right now.

I put it in my skirt pocket.

When I get home, I'll try to repair it and use it as a necklace.

So we were finally able to make our way home.

I later heard that both cats had been successfully adopted.

Apparently Onizuka knew a priest, and he would help out people who came to church.

A delinquent knows a priest...

This mismatched combination made me realize just how broad Onizuka's connection is.

By the way, this happened after I brought the cat back to Onizuka's house.

He let me use the bath, dried my underwear, and even lent me some of his clothes.

Even though he's a delinquent, isn't he actually a pretty caring person?

However, Ijuin and Onizuka's past remains a mystery.

Judging from Onizuka's attitude, there's no doubt that something happened in the past.　

Now I just need to hear Ijuin's side of the story.

Although it was a terrible experience, it was a day in which I learned about another side of Onizuka.