My extroverted girlfriend has zero sense of boundaries — Is It really wrong to take her home right after we meet? - Episode 7

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“Like I said, what does this have to do with you? I’m asking you!!

The furious voice, unleashed like a breaking bamboo, made the air inside the classroom tingle.

The one shouting was Chisa. “Don’t act like a goody two-shoes!” Kaoruko followed up with another yell.

During fifth period, Kyousuke had completely fallen asleep. Even when homeroom after school began, no one had woken him up and so he found himself in the middle of afterschool hours.

When he raised his face, just like before, Chisa and Kaoruko were gossiping behind someone’s back.

The subject of their talk was Ayano, who was absent from school today because of work.

For Kyousuke, the disgusting conversation blooming there was unbearable and since he felt no comfort in it, he was just about to go home when it happened.

『Could you please stop speaking badly about Ayano-chan』

One of the classmates charged straight into the gossip session, glaring as if she were looking at rotting garbage with maggots crawling out of it in the summer.

Shijima Sayo. Kyousuke wasn’t the type who could remember every single classmate, but since she sat beside him, he remembered her.

Dark brown inwardly curled bob-cut. Wearing thick-framed glasses that hid her chestnut-colored eyes deep behind the lenses, she always gave off a reserved atmosphere. Seeing her act like this shocked not only Chisa and Kaoruko, but Kyousuke as well.

From there, it was a swamp.

『Don’t say bad things.』 『It’s none of your business.』

Neither side gave in, firing words back and forth. Kyousuke completely lost his chance to slip out of the classroom and instead held his breath, pretending to still be asleep.

“You’re so damn annoying!!”

Following Kaoruko’s hysterical scream, a loud crash rang out as a desk toppled over. It seemed she had kicked it down.

‘No, violence is no good’

Cold sweat ran down Kyousuke’s back, and he timidly lifted his head.

If it was just a quarrel of words, they could go at it all they wanted. But in a situation where it was one against two, raising hands was a problem. He couldn’t really do anything, but keeping his head down like this weighed on his conscience.

The one that had been knocked over was Ayano’s desk. Because she couldn’t be bothered to carry her textbooks home, the contents had scattered all over. Kaoruko, irritation dripping from her voice, spat out『Let’s go』 and grabbed Chisa’s hand, leaving the classroom.

“Hey, put it back properly!”

Sayo’s face turned bright red as she shouted but what came back was silence.

Realizing they wouldn’t return, she let out a long sigh and began picking up the textbooks.

One by one, carefully. The scattered worksheets, the pens and pencils flung about, each picked up. That sincerity and courage made it far too difficult to simply pretend not to see.

Kyousuke stood up from his seat and walked over to help Sayo.

Her large eyes snapped onto him. With a slight bow, he lifted Ayano’s desk back up.

“…You’re on good terms with Ayano-chan, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“The other day, you were eating together.”

“Ah, well…”

“Please don’t tell Ayano-chan about what just happened.”

Tap, tap. Sayo straightened the textbooks she had gathered.

The gallant air she had just moments ago was nowhere to be found. With her brows lowered, her expression clouded like a child frightened of scolding from a parent.

‘There’s no way I could say that…’

In order to explain the situation, he would have to bring up Chisa and Kaoruko.

The ones you thought were your friends were talking badly about you behind your back.

There was no way he could drop such a fact on her. That burden was far too heavy.

“Are you close with Sasagawa-san?”

“W-why do you ask?”

“You call her by her first name and even with -chan.”

At that, Sayo hid her mouth behind a textbook.

He hadn’t meant anything special when he asked. But apparently it was a mistake. Her eyes blinked rapidly, filled with the color of intense agitation.

“Hey.”

From outside the classroom came the voice of a boy laced with anger.

His gaze moved reflexively. Kyousuke recognized the voice’s owner and widened his eyes.

“What are you doing to my little sister?”

Standing there was the blond-haired guy who had tried hitting on Ayano.

“Hahaha! No, my bad. I totally thought Sayo was the one being bothered.”

The blond flashed a friendly smile as he held out a plate piled with French fries. Kyousuke picked up one fry, chewing it noisily while glaring at him with irritation.

He had been caught by him in the classroom and was half-forced into being dragged all the way to this family restaurant. After being pressed for details, asked about everything under the sun, and even wrongly suspected of things, he had only just managed to clear up the misunderstanding by now.

“I’m really sorry. Kotarou-kun just never listens to people…”

Sitting beside him, Sayo shrank in her seat with an apologetic look.

Toujou Kotarou. A fellow first-year in a class two doors down and Sayo’s childhood friend. Calling her his little sister wasn’t because of some complicated family background with different surnames, but simply because he had always treated her like a younger sister since long ago.

“Come on, bow your head properly!”

“Ouch, ouch! That hurts! Okay, I get it!”

Having his ear tugged by Sayo, Kotarou pressed his forehead against the table.

Just from watching that scene, it was clear how much time the two of them had spent together. At the same time, Kyousuke smirked to himself, thinking it was less like a little sister and more like an older sister.

“The bill here will be covered by Kotarou-kun, so please order whatever you like, Fujimura-san”

“H-hey!”

“That’s fine, right?”

“Well, uh, I’m kinda broke right now…”

“Yes?”

“…Nothing.”

Kotarou slumped forward in defeat. Kyousuke was handed the menu by Sayo, but he just gave a forced 『hahaha』and placed it on the table.

He had the past crime of having once pulled down this guy’s pants. Whether Kotarou had forgotten or just hadn’t seen his face at the time, he wasn’t bringing it up, but being treated to a meal here still felt awkward.

“Hey, Fujimura.”

He didn’t seem like a bad guy, but being called by name by this big blond made Kyousuke flinch reflexively. Doing his best not to let it show, he calmly replied with  『What is it?』while picking up another fry.

“This guy, is he getting along with Ayano-chan?”

In that instant, Sayo choked violently. She coughed and sputtered, juice spraying from her mouth. While Kotarou patted her back, his eyes never left Kyousuke.

“Since middle school, he’s been Ayano-chan’s fan. He even bought every magazine she appeared in, cut them out, and saved them.”

“H-hey, Kotarou-kun!?”

“When he found out he was in the same class as her, he got so excited he nearly gave himself a fever, and yet I never hear about them hanging out together. So, are you actually getting along with her?”

With a completely serious expression that had not the slightest trace of teasing, Kotarou spoke, while Sayo, her face burning red, kept pounding on him with her fists. Watching the intense gap between their temperatures, Kyousuke recalled that conversation from the other day.

『My little sister really admires Ayano-chan』

I see, he thought, now understanding.

So it wasn’t picking her up, but rather wanting her contact information for Sayo’s sake. Even if that were the case, it didn’t justify bothering her.

“There’s no way I could ever talk to Ayano-chan!”

Sayo’s right straight punch landed squarely on Kotarou’s cheek.

“She’s cute, beautiful, and cool! Just breathing the same air in the same space is already happiness, so talking to her would be a god-defying barbaric act! When she gets close, she smells nice and she gives off this incredible aura! If she smiles, she’s so cute I can’t even look directly, so much that she feels like a treasure of this world! She’s precious, so precious!!”

With her eyes glinting fiercely behind the thick lenses, Sayo snorted and flared her nostrils.

Even though family restaurants at this hour were often filled with customers chatting away, raising her voice this much inevitably drew attention. Perhaps realizing from the sudden hush in the restaurant and the stares piercing into her that she was standing out, Sayo’s face went pale and she dashed off toward the restroom.

“…You’ve got a unique little sister.”

“She’s usually a serious and good kid…”

Kyousuke didn’t show it on his face but he was shocked.

One reason was that the quiet-looking Sayo had completely transformed. The other was Ayano’s influence.

She was praised as a model and whatnot, but Kyousuke didn’t know what exactly she did. He had no interest in fashion magazines, whether for men or women.

That was precisely why, seeing such a devoted fan right before his eyes, he realized just how amazing of a person she really was.

“Still, hmm… I figured you’d at least be talking to her.”

“You sound like a parent, worrying about her social circle.”

“Of course I worry. Her happiness is my happiness. I’ll do whatever I can for her.”

“…Is that what being childhood friends is like?”

Because Kotarou spoke such sugar-coated words with absolute frankness, Kyousuke could only force a slightly awkward smile. Kotarou sipped his juice through a straw and said, “Well, more than a childhood friend…”

“I like Sayo.”

Back in elementary and middle school, talk of who liked who was categorized as embarrassing.

So to have someone confess it so easily like this left Kyousuke dumbfounded. Kotarou’s voice carried no nervousness, only pure sincerity.

“That’s why, don’t you dare do anything weird to Sayo. Absolutely don’t.”

“Who would? I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”

“…Well, since Fujimura seems to be getting along with Ayano-chan, I guess I can rest easy.”

“H-huh!?”

“You get along with Ayano-chan, so that’s why you chased me off that time, right?”

“That time… you noticed it was me!?”

“Like I’d ever forget the face of the guy who pulled my pants down on the street.”

Kotarou laughed amusedly. Guilt welled up again and Kyousuke lowered his eyes.

“S-sorry. It wasn’t on purpose, my foot just got tangled—”

“I don’t really care. Thinking back, the way I bothered Ayano-chan went too far. I thought it would make Sayo happy, so I got carried away. I’m really sorry.”

Scratching the back of his head, he showed a look of genuine remorse.

He’s clumsy, Kyousuke thought. He had always found it strange that serious-looking Sayo could get along so well with someone who looked like nothing but a delinquent, but if at his core he wasn’t a bad guy, it made sense.

“What are you talking about?”

Having returned from the restroom, Sayo asked that the moment she saw Kotarou looking apologetic.

“N-no, nothing at all. Right, Fujimura?”

“…Y-yeah.”

Put on the spot to agree, Kyousuke reflexively nodded, even though Kotarou’s behavior was abnormally suspicious.

‘Ah, so that’s it. He doesn’t want her to know he harassed Sasagawa-san.’

Whatever the reason, he had caused trouble for the person Sayo worshiped like a god. That wasn’t something one could easily admit.

But as expected of a childhood friend, Sayo seemed to read something from Kotarou’s expression. She sat down beside him and leaned in close.

“What were you really talking about?”

“I told you, nothing. Just some dumb chatter.”

“Specifically, what kind of chatter?”

“Like how Mikitani in math has sloppy handwriting on the blackboard, or how Sakai in music is kinda tone-deaf…”

“That’s a lie, isn’t it?”

The interrogation played out at such close range it looked like they were about to kiss. But there was neither eroticism nor sweetness in it. The lightless eyes of Sayo glared at Kotarou with a murderous intensity.

“I know. When Kotarou-kun acts like this, it means you’ve done something to make me angry.”

“W-w-what are you saying, my honey? I’ve never done anything to make Sayo angry, right?”

“Then for every time you’ve made me angry up to today, let’s pluck out one hair from your body. I’m sure you’ll end up smooth all over.”

“…P-please, spare me.”

With a smile.

Sayo’s lips curved into a beautiful arc, as her slender right-hand fingers sank into Kotarou’s stomach. Perhaps wedged between bones, Kotarou’s face turned pale as he let out a low groan.

“Shall we step outside for just a little bit?”

With a terrifyingly flawless smile, Sayo stood up.

“Uh, um, Shijima-san. He didn’t mean any harm, so—”

“It’s fine, Fujimura.”

Kyousuke instinctively called out but Kotarou stopped him with a voice that carried a sense of acceptance.

“It’s fine.”

With the face of a warrior heading to the front lines of the battlefield, Kotarou was dragged out of the restaurant.

Watching his sorrowful back, Kyousuke silently prayed for his safe return.

◇◇◇

“Yo, Fuji, mind if I sit next to you?”

Monday, at the start of the week.

While Kyousuke was eating lunch in the cafeteria, Kotarou called out to him from behind. 『Fuji? Is that supposed to be me?』Kyousuke frowned at the careless nickname as he turned around.

“…Looks like you’re still nowhere near healed.”

Kyousuke gave a wry smile at Kotarou’s condition.

Gauze on his forehead, an eyepatch over his right eye, and a large bandage plastered on his cheek. The numerous wounds he had sustained last week at the family restaurant, inflicted by an enraged Sayo, had yet to heal.

On top of that, perhaps from additional bones being broken, his left arm was fixed in a cast.

In response to Kyousuke’s concern, Kotarou laughed brightly and set the tray in his right hand down on the table.『It’s no big deal』.

“Shijima-san is pretty scary, huh. To even break your arm…”

“No, that one was from when I shielded a kid and got hit by a car.”

“You’re like the protagonist of a story.”

Kotarou didn’t continue the topic, instead saying『Itadakimasu』and starting to eat his katsudon.

If it were Kyousuke, he’d have enough confidence to brag about such a thing for the rest of his life. But perhaps, for Kotarou, it wasn’t anything special.

“…So, what is it?”

“What do you mean, what is it?”

“Don’t you have some business with me? You wouldn’t have called out to me otherwise.”

Kyousuke hadn’t spoken to Kotarou since that family restaurant incident, nor were they close enough to normally share lunch. So when Kotarou called out to him, Kyousuke had assumed there must be some reason.

But contrary to his expectations, what came back was a confused『Hah?』Kotarou’s brows knitted slightly in irritation, and Kyousuke’s shoulders jolted. Blond delinquents were bad for the heart.

“You don’t need a reason to say hi. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“…Friends?”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

An awkward air occupied the space between the two of them.

Since there’s no obvious boundary like with a married couple, the definition of『friends』differs from person to person. For Kotarou,『friends』probably referred to anyone he had talked to even once.

“Well, whatever…”

With a sigh tinged with resignation, Kyousuke brought the glass of water to his lips.

He had tried to keep his head down and avoid making friends, but since he’d already been acknowledged as a friend by Ayano, one more or two more didn’t really make a difference. If they came to him on their own, he might as well not worry about it.

“Of course I’d rather eat with Sayo like always, but around this time of year she gets so tense it’s scary.”

“That’s because Toujou pissed her off, isn’t it.”

“That’s part of it… but it’s also because Ayano-chan’s birthday is coming up. She’s been thinking constantly about what to give her.”

“Birthday?”

“Even though it’s still over a week away. She’s been like this every year since middle school…”

With a face gloomy like the rainy season sky, he mumbled while chewing slowly on his cutlet.

“Well, I guess there’s nothing you can do about that.”

He muttered, sounding resigned.

If Kyousuke had a relative who ignored him just to devote themselves entirely to something else, he might make the same kind of face. He wouldn’t deny it, and in fact he supported the hobby itself, but he couldn’t wholeheartedly cheer it on either. Such complicated feelings were easy to read.

“Fuji, you’re going to give her something too, right? Have you already decided?”

“…Eh?”

“No, don’t just『Eh?』me.”

“Don’t dodge it,” Kotarou said, poking him with the elbow of his broken arm. His smile brought to mind a relative uncle who always asked if you had a girlfriend yet.

Kyousuke had given birthday presents to friends before, but only to people he had known for at least a year. His relationship with Ayano hadn’t even lasted a full month yet. Still, now that he knew about it, ignoring it felt wrong.

“…What would Sasagawa-san be happy to receive?”

“Girls are tough, you know. If makeup doesn’t suit her, it can mess up her skin. With bath products, the scent might not be to her taste. Accessories can feel too heavy-handed. Just because it’s a brand name doesn’t mean it’ll make her happy. If it’s a character item, you need to research in advance. And small things like watches have to match her fashion, otherwise they’re meaningless.”

“Whoa… you sure know a lot.”

“Of course. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve screwed up with Sayo?”

From the way he proudly snorted, Kyousuke could see all the struggles he must have gone through.

“Well, just ask Sayo. That’s the fastest way.”

“Isn’t it fine to just ask the person herself?”

“You idiot, Fuji. With stuff like this, a surprise is the standard.”

“Is that so.”

“But whatever you do, don’t fill her room with flowers. An over-the-top present without warning just becomes a nuisance. I actually got beaten to a pulp for that.”

“…What are you, some Italian playboy?”

Kyousuke let out a wry laugh, thinking that Sayo must have a hard time with him too.

At any rate, a surprise might be a good idea. If he asked Ayano directly and she mentioned something impossible to get, there would be nothing he could do. But if he came up with it on his own, then as long as it wasn’t something bizarre, she wouldn’t look displeased.

‘Besides, she’d probably like it. Surprises and things like that.’

It might just be prejudice. It might just be a misunderstanding.

But no matter what, the image of her delighted face came to mind.

***

“Eh. A birthday present, you mean?”

That day after school.

It was only because he had already spoken to Sayo once before that he could approach her; if they had never spoken, he wouldn’t have been able to say a word. With nervous sweat in his palms, Kyousuke said awkwardly, 『Toujou told me to ask Shijima-san』his behavior a little suspicious.

“I see…”

She murmured softly, then pushed up the bridge of her glasses with her finger.

He couldn’t tell if she was tense, but her eyes seemed sharper than usual. If she was normally like a Chihuahua, now she was a ferocious Chihuahua. In the depths of her chestnut-colored eyes, it was as though she housed a small animal growling low.

“That’s fine. Are you free next Sunday?”

“Eh, ah… I think I am.”

“Let’s go buy it together. There are also things I want to ask you, Fujimura-san.”

Her eyes seemed to glint sharply for a moment.

Most likely—no, definitely—the things she wanted to ask were about Ayano.

With a dull pain throbbing in his head, Kyousuke bowed and said『Please』.