IWSBSB 09

Chapter 09

The very next day, Mana looked completely back to her old self on the outside. I couldn’t know what was going on in her heart, of course, but she definitely carried an air of having put things behind her.

We ate breakfast together, and then she went home. I quickly called Kawaguchi-san and was met with a simple, relieved, ‘Thank you.’

Now, the third year of high school began. I’d imagined it, but yes, Mana was in the exact same class as me.

My high school had six classes of forty students each.

In the second year, we’d split into four humanities (Bunkei) classes and two science (Rikei) classes. For the third year, however, one of the humanities classes becomes the ‘Special Advanced’ class (Tokushin), pooling the top forty students in the humanities track together to aim for prestigious national and private universities.

Since my grades were comfortably within the top ten, and Mana’s floated around the top twenty, we were basically guaranteed to land in the same room.

Mana’s best friend, Miyama Yuzuki-san, was there too. Our homeroom teacher was Omori-sensei, who taught mathematics.

He introduced himself by stating, “I’m like a site foreman,” though the meaning of that metaphor was utterly lost on me.

On a side note, Aizawa-sensei, who’d been my first-year homeroom teacher, was now handling the English classes for us third-years. Considering her experience studying abroad, she was probably the perfect fit for university entrance exam students.

It was only the second day of the third year when a small ‘incident’ occurred—one that made the entire class buzz with noise. Mana was chosen as the Class Committee Chair by vote.

Ordinarily, the person who came in second place would be made the Vice-Chair, but Omori-sensei told Mana to nominate her own Vice-Chair. I immediately got a bad feeling about that, a shiver running down my spine.

”I’d like to ask Inamori Hirokazu-kun to take it, please.”

Figures, I thought, but the room erupted in a collective groan of surprise because I hadn’t received a single vote. Mana continued her cheerful assertion, explaining her choice.

”We’ve been together since middle school and we know each other well, so we can work together to liven up the class!”

Barely two days into the third year and, in a single instant, I had earned the ill will of every single boy in the room. I was supposed to be a high-achieving mob character—my entire setting had just been completely destroyed.

During the break, a few classmates gravitated towards my desk.

”What’s your deal with Nakanishi, huh?” one boy demanded, his voice thick with suspicion.

”Are you two dating or something, Nakanishi-san and you?” another pressed, his eyes narrowing.

”Just resign from the Vice-Chair position right now!” a third barked at me, clearly hostile.

Incidentally, despite her parents’ divorce, Mana decided to keep the ‘Nakanishi’ surname, likely to avoid any unnecessary prying or gossip. It was a small detail that somehow made the new scrutiny feel even worse. Mana, sensing the trouble, stepped in with a statement that sounded an awful lot like a subtle public put-down.

”Inamori-kun isn’t in any clubs and his grades are good, so I just thought he’d be the perfect fit,” she explained with a bright, convincing smile. “What I said earlier was just a little bit of flattery, so you really don’t have to worry about it, you see.”

Even though it sounded like she was dissing me, the atmosphere around the boys seemed to calm down, and they grudgingly accepted her explanation. Nevertheless, by the time school let out, I was already infamous in the other classes as ‘The Guy Chosen by Mana.’ I had a sinking feeling this was going to be one turbulent year.

I got home and was tending to Bogey when Mana showed up, having finished her club activities

Mana was in the Calligraphy Club and was set to perform a calligraphy demonstration for the club introductions the next day. She also practiced Ikebana³ (flower arrangement), which just confirmed my realization that she really was quite the ojou-sama.

However, she mentioned she’d be quitting Ikebana to save money, since her parents’ divorce would mean extra expenses. There was a lot I didn’t know about Mana since we hadn’t been close for long, but little by little, I was learning things about her through our daily talks.

She was just like any normal high school student; she liked idols and enjoyed anime. All of these were things that had absolutely nothing to do with my previous life.

”Hiro-kun, I’m sorry for saying those strange things today. But I nominated you because I wanted everyone to get to know you, okay?” she confessed, her voice softening.

”I really just wanted to spend my final year quietly…” I muttered, a wave of disappointment washing over me.

”Well, it’s decided now, so you might as well just give up on that dream,” she announced with a wide, innocent grin. “Besides, if you’re the Vice-Chair, it makes it easier for me to talk to you at school, so there’s no problem, right?” It seemed her strategy was a preventative measure, since we barely spoke during our second year; if she suddenly started talking to me a lot, people might find it odd. This way, she had an official reason.

Mana’s calligraphy performance the next day seemed to be quite the hit. I say ‘seemed’ because I knew that if I went to peep in, it would only cause another uproar.

But honestly, I really wanted to see Mana in a hakama⁴ (traditional divided skirt).

There was apparently a flood of male freshmen who only showed up for Mana, but she politely turned away the ones who showed no potential after giving them a calligraphy test. In the end, only two experienced boys remained, while all the girls who wished to join were accepted.

Now that the third year was underway, my routine settled into a pattern: on the way home, I’d stop at the supermarket to buy the ingredients Mana had requested, and then I’d take Bogey out for a walk. The neighborhood aunties who worked part-time at the supermarket taught me how to pick good vegetables and fish.

Bogey, on the other hand, was full of curiosity and showed interest in everything.

It made me happy when people we met called him cute. The little dog also had a surprisingly strong will, often charging right up to the large dogs we’d encounter.

Every day after her club practice, Mana would stop by my house. She’d cook dinner and play with Bogey before finally heading home.

She could cycle from school to my house in five minutes, and from my house to hers in fifteen.

Mana’s mother had started working after the divorce, so Mana only needed to be home by 7:30 PM. Though being appointed Class Vice-Chair was an unexpected wrench in my plans, this was how my final year of high school began.