episode_0198

Today, as usual, another boring class began.

Before coming to school, I had some expectations, but it didn’t seem like there would be any classes like the ones in the comic books.

I couldn’t stand the boredom and yawned.

An atmosphere that keeps getting longer.

I lay down on my desk listening to the teacher’s dry voice.

Rain was already asleep, using his chick bag as a pillow.

The sight of her sleeping soundly anytime, anywhere seemed somehow annoying.

As I was poking Lane’s ball, I suddenly found myself asking Appleton a question.

“Hey, Appleton.”

“Uh, yeah?”

“What do you usually do?”

It was just a question thrown out lightly.

If I find out what she’s up to, I can get to know her better.

But Appleton rolled his eyes and mumbled as if he had been asked a difficult question.

“Don’t you have any hobbies?”

“Taking pictures is my hobby…”

After persistent questioning, I was finally able to hear Appleton’s answer.

Taking pictures wasn’t the typical hobby for a girl her age, but it wasn’t a strange one either.

But she couldn’t raise her head, as if she was embarrassed to tell anyone else.

Why am I reacting like this?

“Hey, do you have a camera right now?”

“, I have it…”

“Then can I see the pictures you usually take?”

Appleton didn’t answer my questions.

Are you taking pictures that you don’t want to show to others?

“Hey, Appleton, I want to see the pictures you took. Can you show me them?”

I hung onto Appleton’s arm and started to lash out at her.

I don’t think I usually did this, but since I usually did it when I asked Amy or Shine, I think it became a habit without me realizing it.

Appleton swallowed dryly, his face pale as he looked at me hanging from his arm.

Her gaze was directed to the side of me, that is, to where Shine was sitting.

Wondering why, he turned his head to the side and saw Shine glaring at Appleton with a menacing gaze.

“Jeff.”

“Huh?”

“Appleton is in trouble.”

“But I want to see…”

Shine grabbed my arm and pulled me gently to the side.

Hanging on Appleton’s arm, I hesitated for a moment, but had no choice but to follow Shine’s wishes.

“Are you jealous?”

“Yeah.”

Shine answers my playful question firmly.

My eyes widened at her answer.

Because her words were so honest and her face, which gave me a crooked look as if she was mad, was so cute.

I smiled slightly and hung on to Shine’s arm.

Then the corners of her mouth began to rise slightly.

So after class, I finally got to see Appleton’s camera.

I didn’t touch it myself because it looked so expensive, but Appleton looked quite suited to holding the flashy camera in his hand.

“Okay. Here…”

“Wow. Is it okay for me to look at it?”

“Look, I told you I missed you.”

Of course he said that, but I grabbed both of Appleton’s hands and shook them wildly, thinking that he would hand over such a precious camera so easily.

“Thank you!”

I knew quite a bit about how to operate a simple camera.

I immediately looked at the photos that I thought Appleton had taken.

“Oh…”

I looked at the photos with a little admiration.

All of her models were handsome and had great poses.

It seemed like they were not particularly conscious of the camera, so it seemed like they were secretly taking the pictures from a distance.

“They’re all men?”

“Uh, yeah…”

Appleton blushed and lowered his head at my words.

I somehow thought I knew why she didn’t want to show it.

Most of the boys were working out and sweating, but I, who was just watching, threw the camera away as soon as I saw a boy taking off his shirt.

Crash-!

“Ah …

Appleton screamed.

It was the same for me too.

“Gyaaah!”

I was subjected to visual terrorism in an unexpected place.

Shine, who had been watching blankly from the side, was also startled, and Rain, who had been in a deep sleep, mumbled and put his textbook over his head.

Appleton ran to his camera and picked it up.

The camera in her arms was not normal.

It looked so crumpled and splintered that it seemed unworkable.

“Ugh…”

Appleton bit his lip hard as if trying to hold back tears.

I approached her in a fluster.

“Excuse me! I’ll buy you a new one. Don’t cry. Okay?”

What do you think of that boy’s shirtless appearance?

Why was I so surprised? Why did it look so disgusting?

I don’t think it was like this before.

As I was thinking about that, Shine said to me.

“Jeff.”

“Ugh…”

“Why is that?”

“That, that’s because I suddenly saw a male student trying to take off his clothes…”

“Good job.”

“No, that’s good, but it’s not my camera… It’s Appleton’s. It’s my fault.”

Shine patted my head as if praising me.

Her touch felt good, but Appleton’s problem needed to be taken care of first.

I rummaged through my pockets in a hurry.

But the black card that Amy had taken couldn’t have been here.

All I had was a little bit of pocket money that Amy had given me so I could buy a packed lunch.

“Don’t worry.”

“Is there any way?”

“Yeah.”

Shine led Appleton and me out of the classroom, sobbing.

I felt like I had forgotten something, but I decided to follow Shine anyway.

She walked slowly and started talking to Appleton.

“Appleton.”

“Ugh…”

“Are the people in the photo taken because they like Appleton?”

“Oh, yeah. I think the boys who play sports look cool… Well, I wish you’d keep it a secret from everyone else.”

“I’ll keep your secret. But sports aren’t just for boys.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Jeff and I showed off our awesome ball game yesterday.”

“Yeah…”

“Then why don’t you just take a picture of something like that?”

Appleton paused for a moment at Shine’s words.

We waited for such an Appleton.

She slowly opened her mouth as she fiddled with her broken camera.

“Of course it was cool, but I couldn’t take a picture because there was nothing exciting about it…”

“Heart pounding?”

“Yeah.”

“You mean you can take a picture if your heart beats fast?”

“Uh, maybe…?”

“Okay.”

What’s good about it?

Shine smiled brightly and extended her hand to Appleton.

Appleton took her hand absentmindedly.

“I’ll solve the camera problem.”

She took Appleton to the teachers’ office.

At this point, I could guess who she would ask.

dripping-

[who are you?]

As I started knocking on the door of the principal’s office, I heard Shandroy’s voice from beyond.

“Hey, this is the principal’s office!”

“Yeah.”

“Us.”

[Oh my… Come in.]

At Shandroy’s permission to come in, Shine opened the door.

Inside the wide-open classroom, a strong coffee scent wafted.

I stuck out my tongue and licked around my lips.

I wanted to drink coffee for the first time in a long time.

Shandroy’s eyes scanned us quickly.

Shine, me, and Appleton.

I looked around as if I was looking for someone else, but there was no one else besides the three of us.

“Welcome. Shine, Jeff, Appleton.”

Because of Appleton, she tried to treat us like normal students.

But it wasn’t Shine.

She walked confidently over and plopped down on the sofa opposite where Shandroy was sitting.

“Come here.”

I also went there and sat down.

Appleton, who was shaking violently, refused to move, but after grabbing his hand and tugging a few times, he reluctantly followed.

I looked around the teachers’ office and thought about what Grandpa Ferman had said.

He told me to check what’s around me wherever I go.

I used my ability right away.

A thin current field spread across a wide area, checking the operation of all the machines in the vicinity.

Microscopic radio waves begin to appear flowing through the air.

“Call grandpa.”

Shine seemed to hesitate for a moment at Shandroy’s words, then glanced at Appleton and nodded.

“Hey. Shine, if you want to contact Grandpa, you can just use our cell phones. There’s no need to come here…”

“Jeff wanted to see Grandpa.”

“That, that’s true.”

As soon as Shandroy’s call ended, it seemed like she had received a reply.

She immediately got up from her seat and started preparing various things.

As before, a large screen appears on the wall and cameras move around it.

And then at one moment, a light came on on the screen, and the image of Grandpa Ferman, dressed in a nice suit, came into view clearly.

[Hmm… can you see it?]

Grandpa Ferman was fiddling with the camera in front of his desk.

“Grandpa!”

[Oh! Jeff! Shine! And…?]

Grandfather Ferman’s gaze moved to the side.

A look of wonder appeared on the face that had been filled with joy.

It was only then that I realized who I had been losing.

There was no rain.

I came without waking up Rain, who was sleeping in the classroom.

“This is Appleton, our friend.”

[Friend? Yeah. You made a friend. Good job.]

Grandpa Ferman nodded at Shine’s words and said.

[Yeah, why are you suddenly contacting me? What’s going on?]

“Does something have to happen to require me to contact you?”

[… That’s not it.]

“Jeff called because he really wanted to see his grandpa.”

[Jeff…?]

“Yeah. This is the only place you can see it in its entirety.”

I bowed my head to her words and hugged the sofa next to me.

Even though what she said was true, it was a little embarrassing to say it so openly in front of the person involved.

[Ha. Hahaha!]

Grandpa Ferman smiled happily at Shine’s words.

He looked very happy.

After seeing that, Shine began to tell her original purpose.

“Grandpa.”

[Oh, right, Shine. Why are you doing that?]

“I need something. I need a camera.”

[camera?]

In response to Grandpa Ferman’s question, Shine pointed to the broken camera in Appleton’s arms.

“Jeff broke it.”

[Hmm… I can buy you that much, but… Just wait a minute.]

Grandpa Ferman said so and raised his hand.

Then, as if waiting for that gesture, the secretary who had been standing around him approached him.

The two began to talk in small voices.

Although I didn’t know the details, I could tell that my grandfather was trying to push back his schedule.

After some important conversation, my grandfather said with a slight smile.

[Just wait a moment. I’ll buy a camera and go there myself.]

“Really!?”

I jumped up and shouted at Grandpa Ferman’s words.

I can’t stop being excited at the thought of seeing my grandfather for the first time in a long time.

My grandfather, who had been watching me like this, nodded and answered.

[I think I’ll have some time to spare. If I go there, could you show Grandpa around the school? And I’d also like you to introduce your friend next to me.]

“Yes!”

I answered forcefully.

Not long after that, contact was lost.

I was blankly staring at the black screen when I hugged Appleton, who was sitting next to me.

“Appleton! Grandpa is coming! Then I’ll introduce you too!”

“Gasp… Huh…”

Appleton could only nod his head with a pale face.