Chapter 18: Since People Were Worried, I Decided to Rejoin Society

Starting the following week, Youta began attending classes without anyone telling him to.

That said, his classmates kept their distance, merely watching from afar.

The tense air around Youta seemed to draw an invisible line between them.

"What’s up? You’re actually coming to class now?"

"...Got a problem with that?"

When I tried talking to him during break, he responded with clear irritation.

Admittedly, my wording might’ve been a little blunt.

"My bad. I was just curious."

"Whatever. It’s not a big deal. ...Figured it must be annoying for you to always come fetch me."

Seems he was actually worried about me.

This part, at least, proves Youta’s core hasn’t changed.

"Nah, it’s not like it’s a hassle... Plus, I don’t mind talking to you."

"O-oh. Well, Mom and Hoshiko’s attitudes changed, so... I figured I’d stop making people... worry about me."

The events of the past few days seemed to have an unexpectedly positive effect on him.

At this rate, the day we remove the "Dark Seed" might not be far off.

I can’t say I don’t feel a little lonely, but this is undeniably a good thing.

"Don’t push yourself too hard."

Still, letting my guard down would be a mistake.

In any plan, the most dangerous moment is when success seems within reach.

---

That said, Youta didn’t exactly look like he was paying much attention in class.

Though his textbook was open, he never took notes, instead staring out the window.

Frankly, his attitude toward lessons wasn’t great. Because of that, teachers often called on him—both to scold him and to test him.

But every time, Youta answered flawlessly.

If told to write equations on the board, he’d scribble them down effortlessly. For memorization subjects, he’d recite details with perfect clarity.

He’d probably already self-studied the material.

Meaning he had that much free time to spare.

But his seriousness only lasted until he finished answering.

Once done, his gaze would drift right back to the window.

"It’s 3x."

Just now, too, after answering curtly, he swept back his silver hair and sat down.

Then resumed staring listlessly at the sports field.

...He’s really got the cool act down.

Even the math teacher—who should’ve been put in her place—was staring at him with a dazed look.

...Wait, no. The math teacher’s a woman. Must be my imagination.

---

Next period was P.E.

For us boys, that meant Football (soccer).

Naturally, Youta was in a separate group.

The girls were doing sprints or something.

Football... Pretty sure it’s a sport where you can’t use your hands. You’re supposed to kick the ball into the goal.

Beyond that, I’m clueless.

"Hey, Haruto."

"What, Hagino?"

Mid-class, Hagino suddenly called out to me.

Right now, he’s on the opposing team.

Yet here he was, casually walking up to me.

Isn’t this aiding the enemy?

When I pointed that out—

"Nah, nah. The Football club guys are the only ones going hard. The rest of us don’t care."

Or so he claimed.

Well, I am pretty lost on the rules myself, so I’m not exactly playing aggressively.

I just pass the ball to a nearby teammate if it comes my way.

Pretty sure dribbling is limited to three steps, too.

"Man, what a view..."

While I was at least pretending to watch for the ball, Hagino’s attention was fixed on the edge of the field.

"What’re you looking at?"

"Huh? The girls’ class, obviously! Don’t tell me you don’t get the appeal of gym uniforms!"

Somehow, he was the one getting mad.

Even if we’re both slacking, I don’t get why I’m the one being scolded here.

"Yeah, no. I don’t."

Aren’t gym uniforms just designed for ease of movement?

Thrown off by his weird enthusiasm, I gave a half-hearted response while subtly edging away.

But Hagino didn’t care, launching into a rant like he’d been waiting for this.

Would’ve been nice if the teacher called him out.

Thighs this, forbidden allure that—

I tuned most of it out, but then his spiel took a turn.

"I mean, forget the uniforms. The girls in our class are just top-tier overall. Y’know?"

"Are they?"

Not that I cared, but I reflexively responded anyway.

My only frame of reference for high school girls is our tiny class.

"Mizushima’s the classic glasses beauty type. Minami’s got that ‘tall but stacked’ thing going on."

But he was too fired up to notice my disinterest.

At this point, he was just talking for the sake of talking.

Still, it’s impressive Youta managed to stay friends with this guy.

I can’t imagine their conversations ever lining up.

"And Luna’s pale skin against the white uniform? Chef’s kiss."

"Tch."

Suddenly, I felt an inexplicable surge of irritation toward Hagino.

Probably because he wasn’t taking class seriously.

Silently slipping behind him, I kicked the back of his knee.

"Whoa—?!"

His legs gave out, and he crumpled to the ground.

...The teacher didn’t see.

No foul if it goes unnoticed.

Not like the ball was anywhere near us anyway—

Thud.

Speak of the devil.

It landed right on Hagino’s face as he lay there.

"Hagino! The hell are you doing, slacking off?!"

The ball bounced out of bounds.

Teammates yelled curses at him.

"Ooh, you’re dead, man."

Ignoring Hagino’s threat, I jogged off to retrieve the ball.

---

—Lunchtime

My stomach growled in protest, so I stood up from my seat as usual to head to the school store.

This school doesn’t have a cafeteria—just a small shop. Most students complain about the limited selection, but it’s good enough for me. As long as there are three different flavors, I can rotate through them.

Plus, they’ll give you hot water if you ask.

"Haruto."

"Hm?"

Youta was the one who stopped me.

"You’re hitting up the store again?"

"Yeah."

"...H-hey, come here a sec."

I didn’t mind humoring him, but right now, I wasn’t thrilled. The store gets crowded despite the complaints. If I’m late, I’ll have to waste time waiting in line. Not that I have plans for lunch break, but still—who wants extra hassle?

"You don’t need to go to the store today! I mean, only if you’re cool with it, but..."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

I didn’t get his point. Was he telling me to skip lunch?

Well, I could manage that much, but...

"I-I made lunch. Look, you just eat whatever without thinking about nutrition, right? So, here!"

Youta fumbled over his words as he shoved a slightly larger-than-usual bento box at me. It was a dull black color.

...For someone like me, who doesn’t care about balanced meals, this was actually a pretty nice offer.

"You sure?"

"Y-yeah. I brought it for you, so... Oh, and don’t eat it in the classroom! Let’s... go to the roof."

---

"This is good."

Under the open sky, I took a bite of the fried chicken and muttered my approval.

Though cooled by now, it wasn’t soggy at all—in fact, the crispy texture held up well. I could tell some skill went into it, and I was honestly impressed.

"R-really?"

But Youta didn’t seem all that happy.

He hadn’t touched his own food, just kept watching me eat. Had I done something to annoy him?

"Try the tamagoyaki too."

Before I could voice my confusion, Youta pointed at the yellowish lump at the edge of the bento.

The egg roll he was pushing on me was... slightly misshapen.

Something black—probably seaweed—was poking out from the middle. But taste-wise, it was fine.

Just a bit... too salty, with a gritty texture.

"Mm. Not bad."

"Really!? Then next, eat the onigiri! Here!"

His face lit up as he handed me a wrapped rice ball.

It was huge.

Like, easily two sizes bigger than a baseball.

"This is... something else."

"...I kept messing up the shape while making it. By the time I fixed it, it ended up like this."

Youta fidgeted, embarrassed.

For me, though, the bigger the better.

Figuring actions spoke louder than words, I took a massive bite without hesitation.

"Tastes great. Lots of filling, too—very you. I like it."

"...Yeah? That... makes me happy."

Youta’s bento was surprisingly filling.

I wasn’t in any state to move right after, so we killed time chatting for a while before heading back to the classroom.