1.1 (2/2)

“To think that I would be selected as manager of a women’s dormitory full of beautiful women…”

Kayama was talking in his sleep. Apparently, he was having a very convenient dream. Persistent, I shook him, returning him to reality.

“Huh? Okada? What is it?” he asked.

I didn’t really want to approach him if I had the choice. But that wasn’t because of anything to do with me not being able to deal with his irregular personality.

In the past, Kayama did something like a favor for me. That’s why it wasn’t quite correct to say that we were friends. The word “savior” was appropriate to describe what Kayama was to me.

There was something strange about me when I interacted with Kayama – I felt nervous somewhere inside, even when we were just chatting.

“It’s a joint letter,” I said. “You know, for the one with luminescence disease.”

“Ah.” Kayama took the colored paper, and then stared at it with vacant eyes. “Watarase Mamizu, huh.”

Something about his tone and expression seemed like he was remembering something in the past.

“Do you know her?” I asked him, surprised.

“No… In the past, a little. So, she’s called Watarase now,” Kayama said absentmindedly, as if talking to himself. “Well, I’ll sign it.”

Having been told this, I went to return to my seat.

“Okada, how has it been lately?” Kayama asked me over his shoulder.

“How has what been?”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m alright,” I replied, suppressing my irritation.

“You suffer from time to time,” Kayama said in a tone that sounded as if he’d seen through me.

“I’m normal,” I said. It’s none of your business, I thought, but I didn’t say this out loud.

“The joint letter that everyone signed recently has been finished, so I was thinking of having someone take it to her on the next day off. I’m sure that Watarase-san would be much happier if a student were to take it rather than me. Would anyone like to go?” asked Yos.h.i.+e-sensei.

Yos.h.i.+e-sensei was a relatively pretty woman in her early twenties, but maybe because she hadn’t been a teacher for long, the way she carried out homeroom was still somewhat stiff.

Even after being told all of this, n.o.body thought anything other than, “How bothersome.” n.o.body raised their hand. Everyone had expected this. With that being the case, Yos.h.i.+e-sensei would soon designate someone for the task. Everyone covered their faces, not even trying to hide the fact that they were hoping that they wouldn’t be chosen.

And then, suddenly, Kayama raised his hand. Everyone was surprised and turned towards him simultaneously.

“I’ll go,” he said.

“Ah, well then, sorry about this, but I suppose I can leave it to you,” said Yos.h.i.+e-sensei.

At that moment, there was a trace of something mysterious in Kayama’s expression. There was something resembling grim courage. It was hard to imagine that he’d been happy to volunteer.

… If he really dislikes it that much, he shouldn’t have said anything. Why did Kayama say that he’d go? I thought, a little curious.

The weekend came, and on Sunday, Kayama suddenly called me and asked me to meet him.

“I have a favor to ask,” he said.

We weren’t close enough to make a habit of meeting each other on free days, so this could have been considered a fairly irregular event.

It was a pain, but I headed to his house as I was told.

“I’ve caught a cold,” said Kayama, who had come to the front door in pajamas, wearing a surgical mask. “I have a bit of a fever, you see.”

But he didn’t look like he had a fever at all. It was as if he was showing me a cosplay of a sick person.

“So, what’s the favor?” I asked, a little irritated.

“Ah, so… I can’t go to visit Watarase Mamizu,” Kayama said.

“And you’re asking me to go in your place?” I asked, confirming the situation.

“Yeah,” Kayama replied briefly.

He went back into his house, and after a while, he returned with a complete set of printouts and whatever else that needed to be given to Watarase-san.

“I’ll leave it to you,” he said as he pushed them towards me.

As if declining any further conversation, Kayama withdrew into his house.

Honestly, I couldn’t believe any of this.

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