episode_0009

*

“Hmm… Even the teacher had those days. Ah, youth.”

If one didn’t know the parties involved, they might easily mistake it for an ordinary romantic comedy novel.

In particular, there were many discrepancies between the teacher in the diary and the teacher in reality. The teacher had just made a strange joke yesterday and ended up flying into the sky after being hit by Luna noona.

Well, people do change as they grow.

Even I and Jini have changed drastically compared to when we were in elementary school.

After all, it was someone else’s diary that I casually read. I have no right to judge or even attempt to do so. I placed the old diary back where it belonged on the shelf.

I was already in the middle of cleaning up the reading room, which was only about half the size of other clubs but still had a lot of stuff, so if I delayed even a bit, dust would quickly accumulate. But it wasn’t a task that Jini and I could do together. Whenever I had some free time, I had to clean up like this.

“Well then, while we’re at it…”

I paused my diligent dusting and instead took out a monocular from my pocket, approaching the window. When I adjusted my view slightly below the current Dream Tree Library, I could quickly spot Jini. As always, she was staring out the window with an expressionless face, indicating that everything seemed fine.

Contrary to people’s misconceptions, our Jini is a very rational girl.

She attends classes diligently every day and doesn’t cause any trouble unless provoked. She is a much more desirable model student than me, who sneaked into the school club room without even being a student.

Anyway, now that I’m less worried, let’s finish what I was doing.

It would soon be the end of the fourth period. There were many things I needed to do before Jini came here for lunch. Especially organizing the knives; now or never.

For cutting, shredding, throwing, dismantling… It’s best to have one tool for multiple purposes, but it would be troublesome if they didn’t serve their intended purpose when needed. Given the poor security in this town, versatility was essential.

“Now that this is taken care of, I’ll put it in the coat… I’ll resume cleaning from the fifth period… and warm up the lunchbox.”

Although there was a cafeteria, it was too chaotic a place for Jini, who barely attended classes. Even if someone kindly brought her food, it could lead to conflicts. Therefore, Jini’s lunch was always resolved here in the reading room with me.

Originally, this reading room was said to have been a storage room that the teacher and a female student named ‘Dohari’ arbitrarily renovated into the current club room. Naturally, it was left abandoned after the two left the school… and now it served as a quasi-private space for Jini, including various reasons such as adhering to club attendance rules.

Thanks to that, it was quite different from a typical club room.

In particular, there were quite large sofas, a small microwave and refrigerator, a water purifier, and all sorts of furniture placed haphazardly. Even the bookshelves were overflowing with items clearly placed without the school’s permission.

“…But why on earth is there a bunny girl outfit? Even if that’s the case, wearing it around the school… Oh well.”

As I sorted through these inexplicable items, the bell suddenly rang.

I had to hurry. Without needing to check through the monocular, Jini must have left the classroom in a rush. While students crowded towards the cafeteria, she would be coming towards the Dream Tree Library with determined steps, unlike them.

Feeling like I wanted to go out and meet you, but… as an illegal intruder who sneaked in without permission, that was impossible. Thanks to that, I was worried. What if I tripped? Or if someone clueless started a conversation and caused a disaster? I was on edge just thinking about it.

I know about overprotection.

But regretting after something happens is always too late. It was better to be overly cautious and careful rather than regretful later. Luckily, today, at the usual time with the usual loud bang, the library was filled with the sound of silence.

“Hey, hold on. I’ll open it in a moment… Oops!?”

As soon as the door opened, I was forcefully headbutted by a brown-haired girl with all her might, causing me to fall flat on my back. There was no time to break the fall. Apart from the soft touch and pleasant scent, my back and head hurt quite a bit. Jin, who climbed on top of me, felt as light as a feather, not heavy at all. No joke, it was real.

“I’m here.”

“Oh, um… yeah. Welcome. Was it tough climbing up here?”

“Yeah. So, how about a kiss?”

“Now that’s a huge leap in logic… huh?”

“Um, yeah…”

Before I could say anything, our mouths were sealed in a kiss.

By the way, the unauthorized entry of the tongue was a bonus. Unlike mature Jin, being a novice, I could only blush in embarrassment once again. More specifically, it was probably due to my lower body being left abandoned in the not-so-warm hallway of October. Right now, I had to go along with what Jin wanted. Otherwise, it would be very awkward.

“Haha… Okay. Charging complete.”

“Thank you for using… beep beep.”

Fortunately, Jin’s charging time did not exceed 5 minutes.

Although I spent about 10% of my lunchtime, my heart was full of happiness, so it was a win-win situation. In reality, Jin wanted to continue cuddling, but the smell of mapo tofu starting to waft from the microwave helped me make a decisive move.

As I grabbed Jin’s armpit and got up, Jin, who was clinging to me, also got up. Her large, bright red eyes sparkled. The hydrangea-shaped hairpin and oddly shaped earring she always wore made a jingling sound.

“Mapo tofu?”

“Yes, I made it myself. Just finished heating it up.”

“Do you want to eat? I’m hungry.”

“Sure. Shall we get up? One, two~.”

“One, two~.”

It was a good idea to master national gymnastics before dropping out of elementary school.

With a familiar chant, I lifted Jin up. It felt like the youth version of “Fly High.” However, due to the unmistakably large chest size that couldn’t be ignored, I quickly put her back down.

“Here you go~.”

“Mmm~.”

“How is it? Delicious?”

“Yes, everything you make is delicious.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Aren’t you eating?”

“I’m so happy just watching you enjoy your meal that nothing seems to go down my throat.”

“It’s better to eat together.”

“Don’t say that. Come on, have another bite~.”

Scooping up some warm mapo tofu with a wide Chinese spoon, I fed Jin, who opened her mouth like a baby bird and ate it all in one go. Unlike me, a picky eater who had to chew even if the food touched my lips, Jin had no problem eating anything. In a different sense, I envied her compared to my aunt.

“Yum yum~.”

“How was your day at school? Wasn’t there anything difficult?”

“Chug. I don’t know. It was boring.”

“But you didn’t sleep, right? You did well.”

“Yeah, I endured it. So, I’m going to bed now.”

“Not yet. Just a little more, okay?”

“Sigh…”

I understand.

Due to dyslexia, Jin struggles to read properly and finds it hard to take notes due to dysgraphia. Will there be another time as challenging as class for Jin to endure? To me, Jin is an irreplaceable lovely girl, but in the classroom, she’s just a troublemaker who stands out from the average. That was truly heartbreaking. The feeling of helplessness that even if I were to kill everyone in this school, there’s an unchangeable law made me feel utterly powerless.

“Today is club activity day, right? Let’s endure for another 2 hours. I’ll keep waiting here.”

“2 hours… 2 hours… It’s too long…”

“If you can bear with just that, I’ll do anything Jin wants. I’ll read picture books to you, draw together, make a knee pillow, and… kiss you as much as you want.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Really, really?”

“Really, really, truly. I promise on my finger.”

“Oh, okay. I got it. Promise. Pinky swear, tightly.”

The most I can do is only this much.

To endure high school life that still has over a year left until Jin graduates. Fortunately, I’ve been keeping up well so far. Let’s think about adult matters when we become adults. Right now, it’s already more than enough.

Meanwhile, without realizing it, Jin focused on confirming her determination again with trembling hands. Of course, it was my job to feed her this time too. The anti-tremor spoon was so expensive and hard to maintain that it was only kept at home. Maybe I should buy one more now. I wonder what will happen if I pester my aunt.

“Munch munch… Oh, right.”

“Why are you like that?”

“I just remembered something I want to do again.”

“Just now?”

“Yeah, but I’ll tell you later. Seems tough right now.”

“You seem eager to do something. Judging by your hesitation.”

Finishing the last bite of Mapo Tofu neatly, Jin nodded silently. It was a surprisingly unexpected reaction for Jin, who had very little patience left. Well, I don’t have the right to refuse anyway. I can only hope for tasks that won’t push her too much.