Gather, Seisuke Group (Part 2)

There were more people in the library than usual, but it seemed that was simply because more and more first-years were choosing to study there.

At a glance, there seemed to be almost no change among the upperclassmen.

Didn't they have midterms too?

Wondering about this, I pretended to look for a book in the stacks while observing the books on the upperclassmen's desks and their behavior through the shelves.

They weren't even studying course material. It didn't feel like they were preparing for midterms at all.

Looking around again, it seemed that only the first-years were in dire straits.

Led by Class 1-B and Class D, almost everyone had adopted the same strategy.

I watched Hirata and Kushida.

Class D was also tutoring students in the failing group.

But it seemed they weren't the ones responsible for tutoring them.

Though they were sitting nearby, only the students at the other table were talking.

Looking more closely, I saw only a black-haired girl explaining something.

For some reason, looking at her back gave me a strange feeling.

I thought hard, but couldn't remember where I'd seen her before.

Was she tutoring those boys?

I looked at the students sitting in a circle. They were all either staring blankly at their books or doing nothing.

The red-haired guy was probably the one Shibata had mentioned last time—the guy who'd gotten into an argument with an upperclassman at the convenience store and had even been mocked by them as a defective product.

But even after gathering them in the library, it seemed hard to motivate them to study.

The redhead leaned back in his chair and seemed to say something.

The next moment, the black-haired girl hurled the book in her hand at his face.

Hirata and Kushida quickly stood up, too.

Class D seemed to be mired in trouble, unable to make any headway.

In Class 1-C, only the librarian and a handful of students were studying.

Ever since I met Shiina that night, I'd often run into her in the library.

We'd only exchanged greetings, but I'd learned from her that she was in Class C.

Come to think of it, even without these midterms, those few were regulars at the library.

It even made me think that Class C hadn't chosen a strategy like the one Class B and Class D had adopted.

As for Class A, it seemed to be caught up in some kind of internal conflict.

I'd asked Sakayanagi Arisu about it once, but she'd only smiled faintly.

"It's only a matter of time."

That was what she'd told me.

"Hajima, Honami-chan's looking for you..."

Just as I was still thinking, a sudden voice interrupted me.

I turned around and saw Shiranami Chihiro.

"Shiranami, what's up?"

"Honami wanted to talk to you about something, so she asked me to come find you."

"Got it."

I nodded to her, then followed her back.

Tetsuya Hamaguchi and Yui Ninomiya were sitting together, working on problems.

Ichinose sat beside Yui Ninomiya, seemingly keeping an eye on them.

Ryota sat across from them, reading the textbook in his hands.

Right, after the last Study Group, Tetsuya had brought a new member into our group.

Yui Ninomiya.

She was a cheerful girl who got along especially well with the other two girls in the group.

After the last Study Group, Ryota had put together a set of review problems tailored to Tetsuya's needs, while Ichinose had personally made Yui Ninomiya's.

Most students in Class B were well-rounded, while a small number had weaker subjects.

Tetsuya, for example...

English and history were unquestionably his weak points.

For Yui Ninomiya, science subjects were the hard part.

When I returned, Ichinose stood up.

"Thanks for your help, Chihiro-chan."

Ichinose patted Shiranami Chihiro on the head.

Shiranami Chihiro shook her head, then rubbed her cheek against Ichinose's palm before returning to her seat.

They were so close.

I thought to myself, then noticed that Shiranami Chihiro's eyes were fixed on me.

"Ichinose, you wanted to see me..."

"Let's talk outside."

I nodded and followed her.

We walked over to a bench and sat down together.

Ichinose furrowed her brow slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke.

"Beppu is making me a little worried."

"Hmm... Is it because of how he treats girls?"

"You've noticed it too?"

Ryota was very clearly averse to girls.

I'd gotten that impression the first time we met.

When we'd gone to the cafeteria together shortly after starting school, I'd tentatively brought up a few things, and he'd agreed with me right away.

But the impression he gave me was that he simply wanted to keep the opposite sex at arm's length.

It didn't feel like he had any prejudice.

He just wanted to keep to himself. That was all.

I told Ichinose how I felt about it.

"That's true..."

"But I think that's a personal choice. I still respect Ryota's way of thinking."

Who you wanted to be friends with was your own choice.

I couldn't say whether it was a good decision, but Ryota would also lose a lot by making that choice.

And not necessarily just romantic relationships...

"Ryota, she just wanted you to mark her work. Did you really have to say something like that?"

"..."

"She can wait until Ichinose gets back, or check her notes herself. What I do has nothing to do with her. What she wants has nothing to do with me, either."

"We're classmates, for goodness' sake. How can you say something like that?"

Tetsuya slammed the book in Ryota's hand onto the table. The sound of it hitting the tabletop immediately echoed through the library.

Ryota simply folded his arms and stared coldly at Tetsuya.

Yui Ninomiya held Shiranami Chihiro, at a loss over what to do.

But it seemed Yui Ninomiya was the one who'd been hurt.

"Why are you two arguing?"

I sat down between them and asked.

Ryota glanced at me but didn't explain.

"Yui Ninomiya finished the review problems, but Ichinose wasn't here, so she asked Ryota to check and mark them for her."

"But..."

Before I could finish, Yui Ninomiya cut me off.

"It's okay, Hamaguchi. Maybe Beppu-kun was busy with his own work."

Ichinose and I exchanged a glance.

"If that's all, I'll be going."

Ryota gathered his books and picked up his bag, preparing to leave.

"Ryota, you should at least apologize properly before you go... Hey!"

But Ryota had already left his seat.

"Sorry," I said to Yui Ninomiya.

She only waved it off and smiled at me.

I looked at Ichinose, and she gave me a reassuring look.

"Tetsuya, calm down for now. I'll handle it."

He looked at me, then toward the door.

Finally, he sighed and sat down.

I left the library, but Ryota hadn't gone far.

It seemed he was waiting for me.

I took two cans of soda from the vending machine.

He took one from me but didn't open it.

We crouched down together by the path.

Quite a few passing students glanced at us, but neither of us said anything.

I gazed at the deep blue sky while Ryota stared silently at the ground.

After a while, I heard a can pop open.

"You should apologize."

He didn't respond. He just tipped his head back and gulped down the soda.

"I can't do it."

He looked at me.

I understood that it wasn't the act of apologizing he couldn't manage.

It was contact with girls that he seemed to resist from the bottom of his heart.

"I'll apologize, but I really can't do it."

He repeated himself, crushing the can in his hand.

"Tetsuya hasn't been through what I have, so he can't understand me."

I nodded in agreement.

"But Yui Ninomiya didn't do anything wrong."

"I know..."

He seemed to be in pain, his fingers gripping his hair at the roots.

He buried his head between his knees and trembled slightly.

"But what did I do wrong...?"

His eyes were red, and blood vessels stood out around his pupils.