Chapter 21: Jealous of a Kouhai...

After the break ended, as I was eating lunch on the rooftop with Shigure as usual. The rooftop door suddenly opened and a golden shadow came flying in.

The girl looked around frantically in confusion, then spotted me and immediately rushed over.

「Senpai, please hide me!」

「Wh, what's wrong, Misumi? You're in such a panic...」

「Just hide me! The pursuers are coming!」

Not understanding the situation, I beckoned Misumi under the table where I was sitting and hid her.

Before long, a stern-faced teacher comes from the direction of the stairs. If I remember correctly, that's Nagamachi, Misumi's first-year class homeroom teacher.

Nagamachi also looks around, walking about as if searching for something. Then he spotted me and came over.

「Tsukishiro, Shigure, have you seen Misumi?」

「She ran off in a hurry that way, though?」

「I see. ...If she comes back, keep her here.」

Nagamachi was fooled by Shigure's lie and left the rooftop.

While seeing off his back, I make eye contact with Misumi, who pokes her head out from under my knees.

When I could no longer hear footsteps, I called out to Misumi.

「...He's gone.」

「Haa, I'm saved... I'm seriously grateful.」

Misumi confirms it's safe and crawls out from under my lap in a rather compromising position. Let's not mention how dangerous that looked.

「Did you do something again?」

「Iyaa, he was being annoying about returning my hair to its natural color...」

「...Truth be told?」

Misumi fidgeted with her fingers and muttered in a small voice.

「...I forged a delay certificate.」

「You really do your thing, don't you.」

「Iyaa, I hadn't gotten caught until now... but I got the date wrong and that got exposed.」

「Hey... You're smart, so do something about your conduct.」

「I'm just no good with mornings~ …Senpai, please give me wake-up calls.」

「No way, that's too much trouble. I'm already busy in the mornings as it is. Handle it yourself.」

When I looked at the person making my mornings troublesome, she glared back with a sulky expression.

Misumi finally noticed my gaze and bowed her head with a small bow.

「Thank you too, Shigure-senpai. You saved me.」

「It's fine. I'm good at lying. ...By the way, what kind of relationship do you two have?」

「We work at the same part-time job. It's not the suspicious kind of relationship you're thinking of.」

「Heeh...」

Shigure glared at me with sullen eyes. Then she brings her sandwich to her mouth looking bored.

「Senpaii, I'm hungry... Give me a bite.」

「Why should I? Eat your own bento.」

「I was in such a rush this morning I forgot it~ ...Give me that fried chicken. Just one bite!」

Misumi rubs her palms together pleadingly. This kind of calculated cuteness is probably why she's popular.

Unable to leave a cute kouhai hanging, I picked up a piece of fried chicken from my bento and offered it to Misumi, who was waiting with her mouth open.

「Ahn~ ...Mm! Delicious!」

「Talk after you've swallowed... Here, take this pastry bread and make do with it.」

「Is that okay!? Senpai, you're so kind~ ...Ah.」

There was the sound of something sharp and honed piercing through.

When I shifted my gaze from Misumi to the side, there was Shigure clearly emanating an aura of displeasure.

Even the usually bold Misumi seemed sensitive to anger, trembling with her hands shaking.

「S-Shigure...?」

「What's wrong? Please continue. ...Flirting in front of your girlfriend.」

「I-I have something to do...」

Misumi hurriedly left the rooftop. Left behind, I found myself in a staring contest with the displeased Shigure.

Shigure suddenly opened her mouth slightly.

「...Do it.」

「Eh?」

「Ahhn, do it.」

「...Seriously?」

「Dead serious. You did it for just some kouhai, so you wouldn't not do it for your girlfriend, right?」

Unable to back down, I picked up the last piece of fried chicken and carefully brought it to Shigure's mouth.

Shigure chewed several times with her small mouth, then said one thing.

「...10 points.」

「Ehh...」

「Not the taste. Points for your behavior. ...Normally, you should do it for me, your girlfriend, first.」

「But we're fake.」

「...T-That doesn't matter now! Anyway, stop making careless gestures like that with other women!」

At the mysteriously flustered Shigure, I reluctantly nodded.

▼▽

「That was dangerous...」

Having escaped from the rooftop, Misumi caught her breath at the stair landing.

Having forgotten that Shigure was there, she regretted approaching Kanato with her usual familiarity. If she were in Shigure's position as girlfriend, having her boyfriend flirt with another woman right in front of her would be hell.

(I almost got executed... Huh?)

While returning to the classroom, she saw a certain female student standing in the hallway.

Recognizing the familiar brown hair, Misumi instinctively stops. As she wonders whether to call out to her, their eyes meet. Misumi rushed over to the girl.

「Honoka-senpai, hi. What are you doing in a place like this?」

「Hello, Misumi-chan. ...Just something.」

Misumi follows Honoka's gaze. Her line of sight was directed toward where Misumi had just been.

(...The rooftop? Could it be...)

Misumi tried to dismiss her suspicions as nonsense. But what picked them back up was Honoka's downcast voice.

「...I had a bit of a fight.」

「Ahh...」

Misumi was certain. That her suspicions weren't wrong. That the senpai she admired was facing a crisis.

(This is bad... Senpai, it seems I'm not the only one "doing my thing"...)

Misumi felt the calm before the storm all by herself.