Teacher Hoshinomiya's Little Schemes

"They're being a bit rowdy..."

"Eh? I think it's fine. If anything, it's just friends messing around because they get along so well."

"That may be true, but Ichinose got dragged into it too, didn't she? Being the target of such an inexplicable joke."

"Hajima-kun said it was just a joke, didn't he?"

That made sense, so what exactly was I worried about?

Why did my subconscious think this had crossed a line, when it seemed like the kind of topic friends could laugh off while teasing each other?

"Doesn't it bother you, being inexplicably turned into my romantic interest?"

The early spring afternoon was quite refreshing.

I glanced sideways. Ichinose tilted her head slightly in thought, looking as if she were enjoying the warmth of the sun.

Today was the first official day of classes, and from now on, we were required to wear the school uniform whenever we weren't on break.

The school adopted a Western-style uniform: a burgundy blazer with gold trim and gold buttons on the cuffs.

As for the blazer, it seemed to be the same style for both boys and girls.

The dark red ribbon at the collar stood out quite prominently.

Below that was a white, wheel-pleated skirt, adorned with one thick and one thin dark green stripe along the hem, adding a touch of youthful charm to the garment.

"So, Hajima-kun is afraid of being disliked by me—is that what you're saying?"

Her eyes, wide with confusion, seemed to be trying to discern something from my words and behavior.

"If I were to be disliked by Ichinose over something like this, I'd probably regret it for the rest of my life."

"Smooth talker. The usual Hajima-kun isn't like this, you know."

"A little suspicious, hmm~"

With a cute blink, Ichinose didn't dwell on the topic any further, humming a little tune as she continued walking forward.

Like—it doesn't seem like something so reckless, does it?

I placed my hand over my chest.

Thump, thump.

If I said I felt nothing, I wouldn't even believe myself.

But was I really heart-racing because of Ichinose, and did a racing heart truly mean I was in love?

I wasn't sure; I didn't even know how to define love.

If, say, I were to fall in love, what exactly would I like about the other person?

Is it purely a connection of hearts? Two hearts that both believe in love colliding, both working hard for it?

Is it pure love?

But if that were the case, it wouldn't need to be me. Anyone willing to believe in love could meet my partner's criteria, right? That wouldn't be wrong to say.

Doesn't that take away the feeling of it being "fated"?

"I just want to date someone who believes in love and is sincere."

Chewing on that thought, isn't it just that I want to date, so I want a partner like that?

I just want to experience loving and being loved, rather than having met someone I specifically want to fall in love with.

That's the feeling, isn't it?

Then, is this emotion still pure enough?

Two people who have always accompanied and encouraged each other end up together—is it love born from time, or just habit?

"There isn't that bone-deep love; I'm just used to having you around."

Phrases like that aren't exactly rare.

The only thing I can be certain of is that love is never decided unilaterally.

A one-way arrow of love is a shackle for both parties.

You lock yourself up and hand the key to someone else.

Perhaps only after experiencing it will I have the right to speak on it.

I cast those chaotic thoughts to the back of my mind as Ichinose and I stood before the office door.

I knocked gently.

"Excuse me, is Teacher Hoshinomiya in?"

The door opened quickly. A female teacher with a high ponytail gestured toward Teacher Hoshinomiya's desk before returning to her own seat.

"You came straight here after class, didn't you? Thank you for your hard work, Honami-chan."

Teacher Hoshinomiya waved at us, signaling for us to come over.

"I came here too, yet you only care about Ichinose. Teacher, you're being too biased."

After being led to a quiet pantry, Teacher Hoshinomiya didn't respond to my remark, focusing instead on locking the door behind us.

"I called you here specifically to care about you, Hajima-kun."

She spread out the test papers in her hand, signaling for us to look.

"This is..."

Ichinose picked up one of the sheets and began flipping through it.

"Why, it's our dear Hajima-kun's entrance exam papers, of course~"

"Should I say Hajima-kun is too amazing, or that your luck is absurdly good? English 79, Modern Literature 80, Chemistry 81, Sociology 82, Math 83; there's only a one-point difference between every subject from the first to the fifth."

"Then I suppose my luck is pretty good..."

I met Teacher Hoshinomiya's gaze with a flat expression.

"Generally speaking, people who lie will subconsciously avoid eye contact, but there are also those who, realizing this, deliberately do the opposite~"

She took my math paper from Ichinose's hand and pointed to the seventh question.

"Seventy percent of all first-year students got this question wrong, and what's more, it doesn't even use first-year knowledge."

"I just guessed it randomly because I couldn't understand the question; I didn't grasp it at all."

"Yet this question uses knowledge from the second year of middle school, which about eighty percent of students got right."

"I guess I'm one of the two percent of careless students, then."

Just as I thought I had bluffed my way through, I locked eyes with Teacher Hoshinomiya's knowing, mocking gaze.

Damn it.

I glanced at Ichinose, who was busy looking through my papers.

It seemed that from the very beginning, I had fallen into a misconception, mistakenly believing that Teacher Hoshinomiya was going to make things difficult for me.

But Teacher Hoshinomiya's target didn't seem to be me at all...

"I'll accept your explanation for now. Hajima-kun's grades still have plenty of room for improvement, so you must work hard."

"Don't pull any stunts in class, pay attention to the lectures, and it would be best if you didn't arrive late or leave early."

Although she was lecturing me, her attention had long since drifted away from me.

I glanced at Ichinose, who was sitting to the side, lost in thought.

"Teacher wants to have a word with Ichinose alone; it won't take long."

I nodded and pulled the pantry door shut behind me.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Hajima-kun."

"Not at all, it hasn't even been ten minutes."

Ichinose and I left the office together.

"Aren't you curious about what Teacher Hoshinomiya wanted to talk to me about alone, Hajima-kun?"

I shook my head.

"Not even a little bit curious? She talked about you quite a bit, you know."

"I can probably guess some of it."

"Why are you suddenly so cold, Hajima-kun? Did something happen?"

My wrist was suddenly pulled, and I turned to face Ichinose.

"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?"

"It's nothing, I just feel a bit tired from the first day of school; maybe I haven't adjusted yet."

Am I being a bit scary right now, with no expression on my face?

I don't exist to cater to others, so sometimes when I don't feel like managing my expressions, I just leave my face blank.

But looking at Ichinose's worried expression, I still managed to force a smile.

"Are your points still enough, Hajima-kun? Do you need to take some from me?"

"Eh? You should just use them yourself, Ichinose. I still have some left."

"I'm only believing that because I trust you, Hajima-kun. Don't try to be a hero on your own."

"I can adjust things on my own just fine."

After parting ways at the Zelkova Shopping Center, I headed to the dormitory alone.