The Fourth Class Is Modern Chinese (Continued)

As long as there was a reason, it was fine. Like going shopping, making a New Year's shrine visit while doing something else, or gathering material for an event.

With a clear purpose, no one could condemn me, and no one had the right to complain. I wouldn't have to overthink things, either.

Personal plans were different.

...Huh? Because, what were we supposed to do? I didn't understand what people did when they went on a New Year's shrine visit together. Was it enough to go out normally, talk normally, and make a normal New Year's shrine visit?

What even was normal? (Philosophy.)

My questions kept pouring out.

And other problems surfaced, too.

The place for the New Year's shrine visit would probably be Inage Sengen Shrine. Inage Sengen Shrine was the largest and most famous shrine around here.

Which meant there would be a whole crowd of people besides us.

What happened in the summer suddenly came back to me.

Like at that Fireworks Festival, being seen with me would probably have a negative effect on Yuihama. Minami Sagami had looked down on and hated me before, and people like her weren't rare. They were ordinary people you could find anywhere.

I mustn't forget. The class pyramid still stood firm to this day.

If I got the wrong idea, I'd cause trouble for Yuihama too.

I couldn't get the wrong idea.

I warned myself over and over.

Feelings, circumstances, relationships—everything.

The moment I let my guard down, it would be easy to make a mistake.

That was exactly why, for my own sake and the other person's, I had to set up boundaries first.

"Ah, um—before we talk about me..."

I left myself an escape route with vague words and paused briefly.

"...What about everyone else?"

What an ingenious