Just Want to Be a Slacker

Kamio Tatsuya could spin lies on the spot without missing a beat.

"I see." Kushida Kikyo nodded. "From the looks of it, Horikita-san is actually a warm-hearted person. Even though she seems cold on the surface, she's willing to help classmates in trouble."

Ah, well. I never said she was warm-hearted. That's all your own guesswork, nothing to do with me.

Kamio Tatsuya picked up his teacup and took a quiet sip.

Still, this pretty much threw Horikita Suzune under the bus.

Oh well. Thrown under the bus is thrown under the bus.

It's not like it's the first time.

"With that, I'll take my leave."

After learning that Horikita Suzune was someone cold on the outside but warm on the inside, Kushida Kikyo wore a full smile as she said her goodbyes.

"Yeah, take care. No need to see you out."

Once Kushida Kikyo left, Kamio Tatsuya finally had some peace and quiet. But he waited until just before bed and never saw Hirata Yosuke show up.

Looked like because Kushida Kikyo had come, he decided not to.

The next day after school.

"Kikyo, want to stop by the café on the way back?"

"Yeah, I want to go! Ah, but wait a sec. Let me try inviting one more person."

Kushida Kikyo said this to her female friend, then walked straight over to Horikita Suzune's side.

"Horikita-san, I'm heading to a café with a friend. If you'd like, want to come along?"

"No interest."

Horikita Suzune refused without hesitation.

Not only was she not interested, she also had no money.

"I see. I'll invite you again next time, then."

No sign of discouragement showed on Kushida Kikyo's face; her smile remained bright.

"No need. That would just bother me."

"I'll keep inviting you. Because I think someone who helps a classmate they've barely spoken to must be a good person."

Kushida Kikyo's smile stayed steady.

But Horikita Suzune couldn't quite follow what she was saying.

Helping a classmate she'd barely spoken to?

What are you talking about?

How would I know about something like that?

Confusion stirred in Horikita Suzune's mind, but her face remained as cold as ever.

"By the way, you're going to see Kamio-kun later, right?"

Now Horikita Suzune was even more lost.

"Why would I go see him?"

"Huh? Kamio-kun said he asked you to explain the key points from the teacher's lecture, so I thought you'd go find him after school."

Kushida Kikyo put on a surprised expression.

"Did I get it wrong?"

Hearing that, Horikita Suzune's expression shifted slightly. Without a word, she packed up her things.

"I'll be going now."

Some time later, outside Room 404 on the fourth floor of the First Year dormitory, Horikita Suzune stood there and knocked on the door.

"You again?" Kamio Tatsuya looked at her with a sleepy, half-helpless expression, her cold aura radiating. "Don't tell me you're here to spout that same nonsense from yesterday?"

"Didn't you ask me to explain the key points from the teacher's lecture?"

Horikita Suzune's tone was icy, carrying a hint of irritation.

Kamio Tatsuya's face showed a bit of awkwardness.

"Come in first."

After pouring Horikita Suzune a cup of tea, Kamio Tatsuya began explaining what happened yesterday.

"So, you lied to her just to avoid being pestered?"

"Because I figured getting tangled up with you guys would be a hassle." Kamio Tatsuya shot her a glance and said flatly.

"Are you saying I'm a hassle?"

I didn't mean it that way at first, but since you're putting it like that...

"Is that not the case? If you hadn't come to me yesterday, or if you'd come without her noticing, none of this chain of events would've happened."

"She came to see me yesterday, clearly because of you."

"Wait, aren't you spreading rumors about me by fabricating facts? How come you make it sound like it's my fault?"

"But at the end of the day, if you hadn't come to me, Kushida wouldn't have come to me, and she wouldn't have asked why you were here. If she hadn't asked why you came, I wouldn't have had to lie and say you were here to help me mark key points. So, isn't the cause of this you?"

Horikita Suzune was left speechless. It seemed... that was actually the case?

After a long silence.

Horikita Suzune glanced at Kamio Tatsuya, then hesitantly asked, "Then what do you think? Do you think I should get along with her?"

The moment she said it, Horikita Suzune realized she'd asked a stupid question.

Kamio Tatsuya's rude look, like he was staring at an idiot, already answered her.

"None of my damn business. Whether you want to be friends with her is your problem. Don't drag me into it. I'm not your parent. Do you need me to decide if you should make friends or not?"

Dragging you into this as a sister—what an honor for Horikita Manabu!

Damn, what a pain in the ass!

Come to think of it, the reason that guy Horikita Manabu chose this closed school—could it be because of you?

"That said, you really have a sharp tongue."

Horikita Suzune's tone was full of irritation.

"What, you want me to sing for you instead? Or add a melody to my words?"

"No need. I hope you stay this sharp forever, so I never catch an opening."

Good grief, you're holding a grudge now.

"Then keep trying."

Seeing Kamio Tatsuya's utterly indifferent expression, Horikita Suzune was a bit exasperated.

What kind of person is this?

Pray. Pray you never fall into my hands.

"I'm going back!"

"See you out." Kamio Tatsuya yawned. "Oh, and if there's nothing tomorrow, don't come."

"You think I like coming here?"

"Good, I'm really grateful for that."

Horikita Suzune stood up angrily, grabbed her bag, and quickly left Kamio Tatsuya's dorm.

Heh, just a teenage girl. Easy to handle.

Chapter 23: The Mysterious Ayanokoji Kiyonaka

A week passed quickly. During that week, aside from eating and sleeping, Kamio Tatsuya also looked through the school textbooks.

After all, as a student, the primary job was studying. Plus, the special exams at this school might include written tests.

But one thing was a bit strange: every day, someone delivered class notes to him. The handwriting looked like a girl's, but Kamio Tatsuya had never seen the person.

Could it be Horikita?

Heh, Kamio Tatsuya didn't buy it.

Monday, Kamio Tatsuya stepped into first-year Class D's classroom again.

Because his schedule had been irregular the past few days, he arrived a bit late.

The moment he saw Kamio Tatsuya's figure, Yamauchi Haruki, who had been bragging to others, immediately shut up. The look in his eyes toward Kamio Tatsuya held both fear and resentment.

Kamio Tatsuya couldn't care less.

But how should he put it? Today's Class D seemed a bit off. Even though Kamio Tatsuya arrived late, it was relatively speaking.

Usually at this time, those two—Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji—hadn't even shown up yet.

And their faces were always plastered with lecherous grins.

"Something happen today?"

Kamio Tatsuya glanced at Horikita Suzune beside him and struck up a conversation naturally.

Horikita sighed, then shot a disgusted look at those two.

"This afternoon's PE class is swimming. Now you get it." As she said this, Horikita Suzune gave Kamio Tatsuya a scrutinizing look.

So it was swimming class. No wonder. They could see the girls in their swimsuits. That was good news.

Regardless, Kamio Tatsuya was a normal teenage boy, so he was looking forward to it too.

But those two were way too obvious about it, weren't they?

And Ike and Yamauchi had no restraint when it came to topics about the opposite sex. Their voices weren't even lowered, as if they were doing it on purpose.

Wait—

Swimming class?

Kamio Tatsuya was taken aback, because this was the first time he'd heard of it, so he hadn't prepared swim trunks at all.

"What's wrong? Your expression looks a bit stiff. You're not thinking something disgusting like them, are you?"

Horikita Suzune's gaze, the kind one reserves for bugs, nearly shifted onto Kamio Tatsuya.

"Swimming class has nothing to do with me." Kamio Tatsuya glanced at Horikita Suzune. "I didn't know about the swimming class, so I don't even have swimwear prepared."

Horikita Suzune understood at once.

Swimming class was in the afternoon, and Kamio Tatsuya had been absent from last Monday's afternoon physical education class, so he genuinely hadn't known.

"What a shame."

"No shame in it. Sitting in the stands and watching you all play isn't bad either."

Then he earned Horikita Suzune's contempt.

"I thought you might be different, but you're just like them. Perverted."

"Heh, you're not one to talk."

And so, amid the ruckus of the boys in the class, physical education class arrived.

Just as the intel had indicated, it was swimming class.

Kamio Tatsuya took advantage of lunch break to buy a pair of swim trunks. After all, it was the first PE class—missing it would be too much of a waste.

Thank the school's all-purpose supermarket.

Inside the Men's Locker Room, Kamio Tatsuya unhurriedly changed into his swim trunks, then prepared to head out.

Since everyone was basically baring it all, Kamio Tatsuya noticed a few boys with impressively built physiques.

The most prominent among them was a boy named Koenji Rokosuke. That guy was a narcissist—whenever he had free time, he'd stare at himself in the mirror in the classroom, and occasionally he'd shout, "I'm so beautiful."