episode_0188

“Appleton isn’t coming…”

Appleton’s spot was still empty.

Even though class had already started, she didn’t return to the classroom.

I have a bunch of gifts to give her.

I sighed, resting my chin on my hand.

Then, the teacher who was teaching the class in front of us flinched and stopped moving.

The hand that was moving smoothly and the formula that was filling the blackboard accordingly stopped.

“Uh…”

I stopped writing and looked out the window.

The weather was gradually getting warmer, and the trees were bearing light flower petals.

The cute combination of white and pink somehow brings a small smile to my face.

The cool breeze blowing through the slightly open door was refreshing.

As I was blankly staring at the flower petals that had come in with the wind, I noticed that the eyes of those around me were turning towards us again.

What will happen this time?

As I raised my head with that thought, the teacher who was conducting the class was looking at us, or rather, at me, with an anxious expression.

He looked at me and asked.

“Are you uncomfortable with the class content?”

I frowned at his words.

As a student, it felt quite strange to hear teachers speak to me formally.

The eyes of those around me were also not good.

The teacher looked at my expression and began to tremble.

“No, it’s okay. Just do as you are doing now.”

As I said that, I rested my chin on my hand and looked out the window again.

The class that was stopped will resume.

Appleton’s spot is still empty.

I reached out and touched her desk.

“I wish you would come soon.”

I smiled slightly as I thought of Appleton, who would be delighted to receive the gift.

***

Appleton returned just before the next class began.

Judging from the tense expression on his face and the cold sweat he was breaking out, he still looked unwell.

“Hello!”

Me, Shine, and Rain greeted her.

Appleton opened the classroom door and entered, frozen in place. After a moment, she answered with a calm expression again.

“Oh, hello?”

“Come and sit down!”

I gestured to Appleton.

Right next to me.

Appleton glanced at the spot, then slowly walked over and sat down next to me.

“Where have you been?”

“Well, I’m feeling a little unwell…”

“You’re using formal language again. I told you I don’t like that. Friends should be more relaxed.”

Appleton swallowed and nodded at my words.

“Yeah. You went to the infirmary again because you weren’t feeling well?”

“Ugh…”

“I see. If you’re weak, isn’t it uncomfortable?”

“That’s not necessarily true…”

As I listened to Appleton, I began taking out the gift I had prepared for her from my bag.

Shine and Rain also took out their items and placed them on the desk.

As the paws of Owl Bear, contained in a large vacuum-sealed pack, rose onto the desk, the area felt full.

The dinosaur’s belly became thinner.

“Okay!”

I also pushed all the items that were on Shine and Lane’s desks to Appleton’s desk.

“This, this is…”

Appleton’s mouth was open and his hands were shaking, as if he was moved.

Her gaze never left the gift I had given her.

“It’s good for your body! Can you accept it? I want you to eat these.”

“Now… Should I eat now?”

Appleton asked me as if he was going to eat it right away.

But the gifts I prepared couldn’t be eaten right here and now.

I shook my head and answered.

“Yeah. You have to go home and eat these. They have to go through a special cooking process. But the nutritional supplements that Shine prepared are okay to eat as is.”

As I said that, I took out two pills from the bottle Shine had prepared and put them in her hand.

Appleton blinked and looked down at the pills in his hand.

It is a small, round pill.

Just put it in your mouth and drink it with water.

It is a very simple way to take it.

I took a bottle of green juice out of my bag and handed it to Appleton, who had no water.

“Okay. Drink this together.”

After I gave everything to Appleton, I rested my chin on the desk and watched her.

“You’re not going to eat it, are you?”

Appleton took a slow breath at my words, put the pill in his hand into his mouth, and began to sip the green juice.

When all the green liquid that was gulping down disappeared.

Appleton slumped in his chair, looking exhausted.

“Thank you…”

Appleton was a good kid.

She seemed impressed that he didn’t forget to say thank you, so he reached out and patted her on the head.

“Good job.”

Appleton was startled by my sudden action and threw his head back.

My hands, lost and with nowhere to go, stopped in the air.

“Uh… Sorry. Was it a little sudden?”

I took my hand back, looking embarrassed at Appleton’s reaction.

Living with Shine and Rain, I didn’t know how to keep my distance from other people.

He left the bewildered Appleton alone and looked at Shine for help.

Shine, who had been looking at Appleton with her arms crossed, only then shifted her gaze as if she felt my gaze.

“Why?”

“Shine, don’t you think friends pat each other on the head?”

“Hmm… That’s a common thing in comic books.”

“Right?”

I knew it.

I nodded and reached out again to pat Appleton’s head.

Appleton, who had initially refused, accepted my touch with his eyes tightly shut.

It looks just like a cat, it makes me laugh.

“Hehehe.”

And so the class began again.

I observed Appleton throughout class.

She attended class diligently and studied hard.

Sometimes, if there was a mistake, I would point it out.

“This is wrong.”

“Eh!”

Every time that happened, Appleton would be surprised and correct the problem I mentioned.

Shine, it’s a different feeling from Rain.

It felt like I had a younger sibling.

I couldn’t help but laugh the whole time I was looking at her.

“Over there, over there.”

“Huh?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

The initial awkwardness had somewhat subsided, and Appleton began to speak to me cautiously, though he felt uneasy.

I answered her question with a small smile.

“Why. Are you uncomfortable?”

“Oh, no!”

Appleton shook his head, startled by my words.

I laughed again because her reaction was so funny.

Hehehe- A small laughter echoed throughout the classroom.

“Ahem!”

As I was looking at Appleton for a while, I heard Shine coughing from the side.

She grabbed my arm with an uncomfortable expression.

“Why?”

“Aren’t you seeing too much?”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t this what friends usually do?”

“No.”

Shine answered my question firmly.

I tilted my head at her answer.

It reminds me of something that often appears in comic books.

Throughout class, looking at the friend sitting next to me studying was a scene that always appeared in any cartoon set in a school.

“Um… No?”

“Yeah.”

“But it’s a scene that appears often in comic books.”

“That’s the wrong comic book.”

“Then everything Shine did to me was also wrong?”

“That, that’s it.”

Shine looked puzzled at my question.

It was rare to see Shine’s face like this.

I found her reaction funny. I laughed a little.

“Don’t laugh like that.”

“Yeah. If Shine wants it, I won’t do it.”

As I said that, I grabbed Shine’s arm and placed her on the desk, then rested my head on her arm.

It was a Shine arm pillow that was completed in an instant.

“Are you going to sleep?”

“Yeah. The weather is a little warmer, so I think I’ll fall asleep.”

“P.E. class is a mobile class. I’ll wake you up then.”

“Yeah.”

I closed my eyes and rubbed my face against Shine’s hand.

A gentle breeze, a quiet classroom.

The small note became a lullaby.

I fell asleep right away.

***

Jeff-

A clear voice pierces through my dim consciousness.

I turned my head with a small smile at Shine’s voice.

“Yeah…”

Shine called me again, my voice flowing out slowly.

Jeff-

“Ugh…”

I turned my head again.

Through the dim gaze that had been opened like that, Shine’s face was revealed.

She was looking down at me from a close distance.

The breath falling on my face felt slightly warm.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah…”

I usually take a nap at this time.

I sat up in my seat, responding to Shine’s words.

Everything was fine except that my body was a little sore from sleeping face down.

“Um~”

He stretches, letting out a small groan.

“Is it gym time?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded and got up from my seat.

Appleton, who had been sitting nervously in his chair, also followed us.

“Everyone, it’s PE time. Aren’t you going to change your clothes?”

I looked around the classroom and spoke.

The children were still frozen.

I left them unresponsive and headed to the locker room by myself.

“Appleton.”

“Net! No, yeah!”

Appleton answered my question with a start.

“What do you usually do during gym class?”

“Ah. Uh… Well. I usually spend my time doing what I want to do.”

“Aren’t you learning anything?”

“Um… You can learn if you want, but everyone studies at that time.”

“Ugh…”

I nodded to Appleton’s question and entered the locker room.

The changing room was spacious.

And it smelled good.

“But doesn’t everyone change into their gym clothes?”

“Yeah, that’s the rule.”

“But why are we the only ones coming?”

“Once we all change, then everyone else will change.”

“Why?”

“You…”

“Huh?”

“Oh, no.”

Appleton shook his head, biting his lip.

I took out the gym clothes that were still in their packaging and opened the package.

The gym uniform had a rather sharp feel.

The black background was accented with blue here and there, so it didn’t feel tacky.

The fabric was also soft and sturdy.

We immediately changed into our gym clothes and left the locker room.

We went outside in our gym clothes, and soon after, students who had changed into gym clothes came pouring out.

Because we divided the students by grade rather than by class, the number of students was quite large.

The children who came out to the playground gathered among themselves and scattered in all directions.

The physical education teacher in charge of this time also did not stop the children’s behavior.

He only cared about the children who gathered in front of him and taught them exercises.

The four of us sat on a wooden bench.

“What does Appleton usually do to pass the time?”

“I…just studied.”

“Study?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you didn’t exercise at all?”

“Yeah… Usually that’s the case.”

I jumped up from my seat at Appleton’s answer.

Now I see that there was a reason why I was so weak.

“Rain, Shine. You guys, get up too.”

Rain and Shine jumped up from their chairs at my words.

As I took out my phone and started scrolling through my music playlist, Lane realized what he was going to do and said,

“Jeff. Are you sure you’re not going to do that here?”

“That’s right. I’ll do that.”

My fingers played music.

As the familiar accompaniment began to flow, Shine and Rain instinctively spread out and took their places.

I grabbed Appleton’s hand as he sat on the chair and helped him up.

“Hey, are you following along too?”

“Eh? Eh? What?”

I made Appleton stand where she could see Shine and Lane clearly, looking flustered.

Appleton standing there blankly.

I moved behind her and poked her in the back.

“Okay, follow me two people!”

The gymnastic music began in earnest.

As Shine and Rain began to move, Appleton began to awkwardly follow their movements, just as I had told him.

But it was too clumsy.

I corrected her posture with my own hands from behind her back.

But Rain’s movements were a little strange.

The reason was that she was blushing and lowering her head, perhaps conscious of the gazes of those around her.

I can’t get into the right posture because I have my head down.

“Rain!”

“Ugh!”

“Raise your head!”

“Ugh…”

“You have to grow taller!”

Only then did Rain raise his head.

After finishing the gymnastics, Appleton was exhausted.

“How is it?”

“Ugh…”

“Are you feeling good?”

“Ah, yeah…”

Appleton nodded, panting.

It’s weird. Gymnastics is supposed to make you feel good.

As I looked at her curiously, Shine stepped in front of me.

“Shine?”

“I’ll help you.”

“Yeah.”

Shine straightened Appleton’s upper body, grabbed her shoulders, and whispered in a small voice.

“Gymnastics feels good.”

“Ugh…”

“I feel better when I do gymnastics.”

“Ugh…”

“Right?”

“Gymnastics… gymnastics… gymnastics feels good…”

Appleton answered with a faint groan.

Only then did Shine step back with a satisfied expression on her face.