The Former Swordmaster Who Pretends to Be the Worst, and the School’s Top-Ranked Chairman’s Daughter Who’s Way Too Sweet in Public, It’s a Real Problem
“Seriously, Saito-kun really needs to realize just how charming he is!!”
“Haha! Agatsuma-san, don’t be so sulky…”
—A short while after Saito headed toward the back of the school building.
Edward, who had decided to wait for him in the classroom, was smiling wryly as he tried to calm Rika, who had stayed behind as well. The red-haired boy who had once competed with Saito for her affection had now fully accepted their relationship.
That was precisely why he could step back and consider everyone’s feelings objectively.
“Saito definitely puts you first, Agatsuma-san. If that weren’t the case, I think he would have ignored that letter.”
“Is that so…?”
“It wouldn’t be in Agatsuma-san’s best interest for him to get a bad reputation. He probably doesn’t want to stand out for the wrong reasons either, and above all, this time—”
Just as he finished speaking,
“Ah, I’m glad you’re still here… Agatsuma san! I have a message from the teacher!”
“…Huh? For me?”
A female student had appeared to deliver a message.
Nodding at Rika, who had asked for clarification, the girl continued:
“Apparently, he wants you to demonstrate something in tomorrow’s class. He wants to go over the procedure with you, so he asked you to head over to the chemistry prep room!”
“The chemistry prep room, you say?”
“Well then, since I’ve delivered the message, I’ll be heading home now!”
“Oh, thank you very much.”
It seemed she’d been summoned because she was a top student.
Rika rested her hand on her chin for a moment, thinking it over, then nodded as if to say it couldn’t be helped. She then turned to Edward and said:
“Well then, Edward. I’m heading over, so I’ll leave it to you, okay?”
“Ah, of course, I understand.”
The red-haired boy replied to Rika as she walked out of the classroom.
Once she was out of sight, he slowly took out his cell phone. Then, in a whisper so no one else could hear, Edward muttered:
“So, it was her after all…”
◆
“I betrayed everyone. Remember the attack at the café yesterday? I was the one who leaked the information that Agatsuma Rika was there.”
“…………”
It was Takanashi who broke the silence and spoke first.
She began her confession with her head slightly bowed, her voice trembling. Hearing this, I realized that Takanashi had indeed been involved in that attack.
An insider was essential to know that Rika was there.
Or perhaps, there was a need to set it up that way.
“I planted a tiny transmitter in Agatsuma’s luggage. That’s how I planned to take her life. I thought that if I did, that annoying girl would be gone…”
“Annoying…? You mean Rika?”
As she spoke, something about her words caught my attention.
Why did Takanashi consider Rika “annoying”? In response to my question, the girl continued with a somewhat self-deprecating laugh.
“That’s right. I don’t think you’ve noticed, but I wanted to be by Aragaki’s side. You treated everyone equally and didn’t go out of your way to be nice to a ‘failure’ like me. But in the spot next to you—”
—Rika was there.
After getting that far, Takanashi clenched her fist.
Blood began to seep from her trembling hand, likely from her nails digging in. Seeing her like that, I paused to think.
Then, choosing my words carefully, I asked:
“Even so, Takanashi, you’re telling a few lies right now. …Am I wrong?”
“Huh…?”
The girl looked up, clearly startled.
Takanashi looked at me with moist eyes and let out a dry laugh.
“Ha, ha ha… Me, lying? Are you saying that ‘I want to sit next to Aragaki’ is a lie? If so, oh man… I guess I got rejected.”
And, forcing a playful tone, she rattled off those words.
But I remained calm, slowly shaking my head from side to side.
“That’s not it. At least the Azuma I know isn’t the type to put someone down just to take something from them. She’s always straightforward, considerate of everyone around her, and constantly trying to make everyone smile. She’s such a kind, ordinary girl—”
“Stop it!? I’m not that kind of good girl!!”
—To me, she’s an irreplaceable troublemaker.
Just as I was about to tell her that, however, Takanashi raised her voice to cut me off. She crouched down, clutching her head, and eventually began to wet the ground with big, heavy tears.
Then, as if in a sob, she began to cry out:
“Aragaki, you don’t know the real me…! I have no talents, no strengths—I’m worse than everyone else, so all I can do is act like an idiot…!! I’m such a—”
By the end, she was practically sobbing.
“I’m a ‘worthless,’ ‘meaningless,’ ‘failure’…!!” she cried.
It was too heartbreaking, too lonely.
Crying out in such self-loathing, Takanashi dropped to her knees right there. Then, curling up into a ball, she sobbed like a baby.
What on earth should I say to her?
What if every word I say just ends up hurting her?
“Takanashi, you…”
Still, I wanted to save her somehow.
Why on earth was she suffering so much? As I was thinking about how to find out—
“Saito, could you leave this to me…?”
“…Ed?”
—It was at that moment.
A red-haired boy appeared, his expression serious.
Handing me his cell phone, he gave a firm nod and said,
“They’ve started moving too. …We’ve tracked the location of the transmitter planted in Agatsuma-san’s luggage. So you, go to her.”
“But Takanashi—”
Even as I persisted,
Edward offered a faint, very gentle smile.
“It’s okay, Saito. Please leave this girl to me.”
And the words he spoke carried a sense of conviction.
I listened to them and made up my mind.
“…I see. Alright.”
Clutching the cell phone he’d handed me, I looked back at Takanashi one last time.
But trusting Edward, I looked ahead and took a step forward—
“I’m counting on you for Takanashi.”
“—Yeah, I’ll definitely live up to that trust!”
Hearing Edward’s voice behind me,
I ran off, shaking off all hesitation, to save Rika.
Maiban