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Chapter 5 ā To Move Forward\nVolume 2\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nFujisaki and I were walking down the hallway side by side.\n
A large number of printouts were in our hands. I have more than she does, but Fujisaki also has a lot in her hands. If it was just one sheet per person in the class, there would be no problem. However, since we had to hand out several sheets per person, both Fujisaki and I had to carry so much that our center of gravity was tilted backward.\n
This was a request from our political economy teacher. Although he is not as much as Shiroyama-sensei, he mistakenly thinks that he can freely use the class committee members. After hearing about it through another teacher, we went to the staff room and pondered over the pile of materials there.\n\n
āI think this is getting a little tough.ā\n
āSorry ā¦I wish I could have carried it all by myself.ā\n
āOh, no! You donāt have to worry about that! Iāll never leave it to Ookusu-kun alone.ā\n\n
Maybe it was because she said that, but the print held in Fujisakiās arms was about to collapse. I went around in front of Fujisaki and supported the print with my shoulder.\n\n
āWatch out!ā\n
āI-Iām sorryā¦ā\n\n
Fujisaki held the top of the printouts\n
To tell the truth, Fujisaki had been acting suspiciously since a while ago. Her voice was a little higher than usual. Sometimes she seemed to nearly trip over herself, and her eyes swam from place to place.\n
Maybe itās my fault.\n
After all, I havenāt been able to give a response until now. I think thatās why Fujisaki is feeling so nervous, wondering when Iām going to answer. At some point, Iām sure to do it, but I havenāt been able to organize my feelings.\n\n
āHe didnāt have to leave it to the two of us. If I had known there were so many, I would have asked the other students to help.ā\n
āThat teacher is not that considerate. Probably he just thought, āI canāt carry the prints by myself, Iāll just ask those two to do it for me.'ā\n\n
Heās a good teacher. Heās passionate about education, and thatās why he makes such a large number of handouts.\n
The only thing we need is for him to be a little more considerate of us.\n\n
āHave you seen the contents of this?ā\n
āNo. I havenāt seen it.ā\n
āI skimmed it earlier, but it looked like a copy of another reference book. It looked difficult, so I donāt think many people would look at it if we handed it out.ā\n
āEhhā¦ I see.ā\n\n
That teacher is a bit of a nerd and can get overheated in class, ignoring the reactions of the students. It is not uncommon for him to ramble on by himself and end up talking about things that have nothing to do with the main topic.\n
Many students donāt want to listen intently because it wonāt help them much on the test. The stories themselves are interesting, but they are too long.\n\n
āAre you okay, Ookusu-kun?ćMy arm is getting tired.ā\n
āDonāt worry. I can handle it this much at least.ā\n
āOkayā¦ā\n\n
Silence. I couldnāt walk quickly because of the heavy printouts. I thought about what to say next, but nothing came to mind.\n
Normally, I would be able to talk about anything without thinking about it. Thatās how easy it is to get along with Fujisaki.\n
But right now, Iām having a hard time dealing with her.\n
Fujisaki seems to feel the same way. She was thinking about what to say but didnāt seem to be able to think of anything right away. For a while, the silence continued.\n
There was still a little more time before class. A group of students enjoying a normal break time walked past us.\n\n
āUmā¦ā\n\n
Fujisaki was the one who broke the silence. When I replied, what? Fujisaki looked very uncomfortable.\n\n
āWhat were you and Enami-san talking about in the cafeteria?ā\n\n
I was at a loss for words.\n
At that time, quite a few students had witnessed the scene. It was only natural that Fujisaki would hear about it.\n\n
āā¦Thatāsā¦ā\n
āIām sorry I asked you such a weird question.ā\n
āNoā¦ā\n\n
If Sayaka saw me in my current situation, she would be furious with me.\n\n
āYou canāt answer after all?ā\n\n
I wasnāt sure what to do. I canāt tell her everything, but maybe I should tell her at least a little. However, as it is a very sensitive issue, discretion is required.\n
Fujisaki had an anxious look on her face. Thatās when I made up my mind.\n\n
āā¦Iāve been asked to do a favor.ā\n\n
I said. In my mind, I apologized to Enami-san.\n\n
āI canāt go into detail about it. But itās a pretty serious matter. I feel like Iām involved in it in a way that I donāt really understand, so I canāt say that Iām that deep into it.ā\n
āOkay.ā\n
āI was having a talk with Enami-san about it. She said itās okay now.ā\n
āIā¦I seeā¦ā\n\n
I looked straight into Fujisakiās eyes to show that I wasnāt lying. Maybe I should have told her earlier if this was the extent of the information.\n\n
āSo itās not like thereās any deep agenda or anything. I donāt think Iāll be working with Enami-san and Nishikawa like this much longer.ā\n
āCan I ask you one question?ā\n
āYeah, sure.ā\n\n
Fujisakiās foot stopped, and so did mine. After a short pause, Fujisaki asked.\n\n
āIf itās such an important issue, why did Enami-san ask Ookusu-kun to help with it?ā\n\n
I couldnāt answer. Because I didnāt understand the reason myself.\n
But I have a feeling thereās a reason for it.\n\n