It was here!
Finally, the spring break was here!
It was a thorny path getting here.
The rumour strategy backfiring, the tense atmosphere that resulted, trying to change that by using the school idol Enjou, and then immediately being found out by him. That was some scary stuff…
After that, every time we met in the salon or in the hallway, Enjou would give me this smile that sent me trembling.
Stop giving me that look, Enjou.
Yes, it was my fault, but my stomach hurts so stop.
I learnt my lesson this time. It was important to think before you acted.
Spring break was basically an escape from all that.
Of course, I still went to cram school.
Umewaka-kun and co. were doing the spring break course as well.
I still had sessions with my private tutor though, so I spent a bit less time there than they did.
Since this was going to be our last year in school, everybody was preparing for the university entrance exams now. Everyone was studying seriously.
I sat with the others and we chatted for a bit before class began.
Moriyama-san was messaging somebody on her phone the whole time.
Apparently she had a boyfriend now.
It was a
boy from her grade at school.
I guess despite how long she had crushed on Umewaka-kun, all the encounters with his Beatrice obsession gave her pause.
That time at the school festival where he started kissing and nuzzling the Beatrice doll in public was really something.
I think it might have been the last straw for her.
Anyway, around that time their school went on an excursion and Moriyama-san started dating a boy that she hit it off with.
That kind of event is a staple for co-ed schools, isn’t it~
Kaaah, I’m so jealous!
Coming back to Umewaka-kun though, I wondered if he’d ever get a girlfriend.
I mean Moriyama-san was crushing on him hard and he even scared her away.
I turned to have a look at him.
Umewaka-kun noticed my gaze and spoke to me.
“Oh, did you notice?” he pointed at his earring.
The design was round, with two depressions.
At a glance it seemed to be a skull motif, but when I looked carefully it turned out to be dog’s nose.
It really suits you, Umewaka-kun.
How silly of me. Why would he need a girlfriend when he already had an everlasting romance with Beatrice?
May they live happily ever after.
Anyway, going back to the
the spring cram course but Tagaki-kun was in our class.
He probably enrolled before his slip-up during the incident.
Sitting in the classroom, it was obvious that he was terrified of me.
I mean like, it-looked-like-he’d-seen-the-apocalypse-every-time-our-eyes-met terrified.
“Kisshouin-san, what’s up with him?”
“Hmmm… Something of a misunderstanding, but at the same time not.”
According to the rumours, Tagaki-kun had been living every day in fear for his life after his careless comment got me in hot water.
Not that I was still mad after Kaburagi believed me.
The tongue begets disaster, they same.
That was something both Tagaki-kun and I had learned personally.
And speaking of Tagaki-kun, it wouldn’t do to leave him like this.
I decided to speak to him at lunch.
“Tagaki-kun,” I began gently.
He jumped in his seat and began to apologise madly.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” he repeated.
Wha-, hey!
“Um, Tagaki-kun…”
“Waaah! I’m sorry! Forgive me! Save me!”
Everyone else was starting to stare.
What the hell.
Didn’t it look like I was bullying him now?
Stop that!
“What’s that guy’s problem, Kisshouin-san?”
My friends stared wide-eyed at him.
Don’t look at me. I don’t get it either.
At any rate, I had to calm him down.
“I am not angry, Tagaki-kun. Shall we calm down a little?”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
Uh, I’m not hitting you so you don’t
you don’t have to cover your head like that.
“Tagaki-kun,” Umewaka-kun patted him on the shoulder, “Kisshouin-san has something to say, so could you hear her out first?”
Everyone else joined in too.
“It’s okay, calm down~”
“Come on, take a deep breath.”
Although he kept his hands on his head, he finally quieted down.
Tagaki-kun slowly looked up at me with teary eyes.
Just how scared of me was this guy?
“I accept your apology, so there is no need to be so frightened, Tagaki-kun,” I smiled kindly.
He looked even more scared now.
Why!?
“Huh? Did Tagaki-kun do something to you?” Kitazawa-kun asked in interest.
“It was not anything big. Since Tagaki-kun seemed to be hung up about it I wanted to tell him not to worry, but…”
Everyone hummed in thought as they looked at him.
“Hey, Tagaki-kun, are you afraid of Kisshouin-san?” Umewaka-kun asked bluntly.
The boy in question struggled to answer as his eyes swam.
“Hmm~ While we don’t know what the situation’s like at Suiran, but Kisshouin-san isn’t really somebody you need to fear like that.”
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
“You really don’t have to be so afraid of her. She’s not a bad girl,” said Moriyama-san, clapping him on the back. “Besides, if Kisshouin-san ever does Kisshouin-san ever does something to you, I’ll save you!”
Tagaki-kun finally lifted his head from his hands and looked at me properly.
“It cannot be comfortable living in fear like that either,” I said. “How you forget about that incident and just live normally again?”
I gave him one last smile before returning to my seat.
I had my doubts, but hopefully he’d act a bit more normally now.
I didn’t know how I’d deal with the guilt if he failed his exams because he was feeling pressured about me.
It would be nice if I seemed more approachable.
The next day Tagaki-kun gifted me a whole heap of luxury creme caramel from the food section of an expensive department store.
Apparently the boys had told him that desserts were a good way of apologising to girls.
Thank you very much.
At lunch I invited Tagaki-kun to share them with me, and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
He ran away the moment he finished his.
Am I really that scary?
“He’s downright terrified of you, isn’t he. Where in the Suiran hierarchy are you, anyhow?”
I’m part of an exclusive club with powerful privileges, and happen to lead the largest group of girls in my grade.