LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 4: Chihiro's Concern
[ •The next Day, Sakura Hall• ]
When I agreed to my teacher's offer, the offer of staying at Sakurasou for a month in exchange for getting a free one-week pass to sleep in the school's art room, I knew that I'd be going to have a busy month. I wasn't fond of the situation, but I still held onto hope that it wouldn't be as bad as I thought it'd be.
That hope all but crumpled into a million pieces when I was woken up from my slumber by a knock at my door.
Upon checking the time, I found it to be only 5:45 in the morning. School doesn't start till eight, so why and who in the world, is there knocking at my door at this time? Don't you have something better to do? Like, I don't know, blowing up and not disturbing someone when they are trying to sleep? Go away, you're annoying.
The knocks didn't stop. In fact, they got louder, escalating to what felt like someone trying to break the door down. Not even the fortress of my blanket could muffle the noise.
Oh, for fuck's sake-
"Matsumura-kun!" came the all-too-familiar voice of Kanda from the other side of the door. "I just wanted to let you know you can take a bath if you want to!"
What the heck, Kanda? Did you wake me up at the crack of dawn to politely inform me about the bathroom schedule? Your version of "nice" is just cruelty in disguise.
"Tch. Leave. I'll take a bath when I want to." I grumbled to myself as I covered my head even deeper into my blanket. Let me sleep, damnit! Five more minutes.
I wanted to be polite, I really did. The guy was trying to be a nice dorm mate; no matter how similar to a devil he looked into my eyes after such action, he didn't mean anything wrong. Still, I was sleepy so I couldn't stop those words from leaving my mouth. I just hope he doesn't get offended.
"You can take your 'yasashiness' and shove it up your ass!" Okay, he is definitely going to get offended!
Fortunately, lady luck was on my side, and the blanket covering my face made those words come out as nothing but incomprehensible groaning.
Kanda's voice came again, loud and determined. "I know it's early, but you should get used to waking up at this time. Trust me, it took me a while too. But, uh… the thing is, we share the bathroom, and if you don't go now, Misaki-senpai might hog it for hours. You'll end up late for school."
I groaned into my pillow, debating whether I should just throw something at the door. Instead, I took a deep breath, rolled out of bed, and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
As I stood in the dim light of my room, I surveyed the small space that had become my temporary home. The walls were plain, and the room was modestly furnished—a bed, a clock, a desk with a computer, and a window that let in the faint glow of dawn. The grey carpet was surprisingly tasteful, and I thanked whatever higher power had spared me from the horror of pink décor.
Kanda had shown me this room yesterday. It was directly across from his, marked with the number "104" on a faded sign. On the way, he'd given me a crash course on Sakurasou's quirks.
The dorm's name came from the massive sakura tree in the courtyard, a landmark he seemed oddly proud of. I also got to learn about the rules here. Boys were not allowed to go to the second floor, as it was the girls' dorm, whereas girls were free to come to the boys' dorm whenever they pleased. I thought it wasn't fair to the boys, but I didn't dwell on it too much. It's not like someone is going to shamelessly barge into my room, right?
Anyway, he also told me about there being only one bathroom and a kitchen that needed to be shared. I told him that I didn't feel comfortable with taking a bath with a girl who isn't my family, to which he replied he didn't mean sharing baths in that sense with a red face. I was just joking with him, but the guy thought I was serious. Interesting guy.
Kanda also mentioned another resident—a shut-in who occupied Room 102. I wasn't that shaken off by the revelation, but when Kanda-kun revealed that even he didn't see the guy, and he had been living here for the past six months, now that took me off guard.
Is that guy even alive in there?!
When we finally reached my room, I told him to just have dinner without me as I'd already eaten. He tried to insist me into joining them in the dining room, but I politely declined, so he decided to let me be.
When he finally left, I came to one
conclusion about Kanda-kun from our conversation.
Kanda Sorata didn't consider himself a resident of Sakurasou.
He never used words like "we" or "us" when referring to the residents. It was always "they" or "them." It made me wonder if he thought he didn't belong here. But who knows? I might be just overthinking it.
After that, I slept peacefully in my room until I was interrupted by those annoying knocks at my door. And that brings us back to our current situation.
"I heard the sound of shuffling. Are you awake Matsumura-kun?!"
"Hai, Hai! Now stop banging on the door before you break it!" I snapped. "You're going to make a hole in it!"
As if on cue, I heard a faint creaking noise.
I turned my head in the direction of my door to see no hole in it as I initially feared. However, I could now see Kanda-kun clearly. Huh? Shouldn't the door be locked-
I looked down, with Kanda-kun doing the same to find the poor door knob rolling helplessly on the ground till it hit my foot. Kanda-kun squeezed the other half on his palm as a pale expression graced his face.
I raised my head and gave Kanda my passive stare. Feeling nervous with the look he was getting, the Knob destroyer rubbed the back of his head with a frightened expression on his face.
"I-, uh.. it was already broken?" I kept on staring.
"I didn't mean to! It just came off on its own, I mean it!" My stare didn't falter. Now Kanda started sweating bullets.
"Please don't tell Chihiro-sensei!" He kneeled on the ground and joined both of his hands. Desperation was clear in his voice, "That Amazon will kill me!"
I raised my hand to prevent him from speaking anymore. He had a fearful look on his face which soon turned relaxed when he saw my smile. That expression was wiped off his face the next instant when I opened my mouth.
"After school. Nearby restaurant. Your treat."
Better make use of this situation to fill my stomach.
~~~
[ •7:25, Dining room• ]
"I heard the sound of begging. Did you turn Kanda into one of your victims?" Chihiro sensei, now wearing acceptable clothing, asked me while sitting on the chair in front of me.
We both were seated at the dining table in the dining room, which was currently occupied with only the two of us. Mitaka-senpai had already left for school, with Kanda-kun following suit. Kamiigusa-senpai was taking a bath in the bathroom, which she had been occupying for the past hour.
She does take a lot of time in the bath just as Kanda-kun said. I can hear the wailing of a dying pig from there, which means she is singing. C'mon, stop it! My ears are starting to bleed!
"...I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied, feigning ignorance. Shrugging, I took the last bite of my toast and washed it down with the remainder of my milk. "Wait, what do you mean by 'one of my victims'? What kind of criminal mastermind do you take me for, Sensei?!"
Instead of answering my question, Chihiro-sensei simply shook her head with a smirk on her face. She put her hand on her cheek before responding, "How about you keep your secrets and I keep mine? Or you can just tell me what material you got to blackmail Kanda. So, whaddya say?"
"Forget it."
"Hmph. You're no fun." Chihiro-sensei pouted like a child before going back to eating her breakfast. I was finished with mine, so I decided to take my leave.
"I should get going now." Just as I stood up from the chair, I felt my hand being grabbed in an iron-like grip, stopping me in my tracks. I turned around to see Chihiro-sensei grabbing a hold of my hand. Her eyes were sharp, and she was giving me a serious look.
"Wait." There was a tinge of authority in her voice. At this moment, she was not my lazy and irresponsible art teacher, rather, she was acting the part of the Advisor of Sakurasou.
"What is it, sensei? Do you need me for something?" I got my hand free from her grasp before giving her a confused stare, "Did you choke on your food?"
"Why?"
"Hm?"
"Why didn't you come to have dinner with us yesterday?" She crossed her arms and her glare hardened. I returned Sensei's glare with a plain look and rubbed the back of my head.
"Oh, well, I already told Kanda-kun. I wasn't hungry. I'd eaten earlier and felt tired, so I decided to sleep it off."
As I expected, my words didn't make her back down. On the contrary, she gave me a 'Do you think I'd believe that' look. I didn't know what she was getting at, so I kept my mouth shut and decided to let her speak.
"Don't give me that crap," she said, leaning forward. "I've been watching how you operate for the past year. You're a great liar, kid, but you're not fooling me."
What are you? My stalker? FBI, open up!
"... I'm not sure what you mean by that sensei. Do you find some kind of ulterior motive behind my action? Pft, c'mon, it's not an anime." I laughed lightly while averting my eyes. Shit, I needed to maintain eye contact with her. Now sensei wouldn't believe anything I say.
Just as I expected, Sensei smirked victoriously and gave me a triumphant look.
"I knew it. You decided not to join us because you found getting acquainted with everyone in the dorm nothing but a waste of effort." Her eyebrows furrowed, "You thought it'd be more productive to put your efforts elsewhere. Like, I don't know, lazing around?" Oof. She is right on the mark on that one. Or not.
I could've denied all her claims. It wasn't that hard; it's not like Chihiro-sensei had any proof of what I was thinking. But knowing her, she is not going to back down till I give her a response she wants to hear. So I decided to play along with her and tell her the truth.
"Okay, fine. You win." She smirked to which I simply sighed, "Even so, you're only half correct. I didn't eat dinner with you guys as I didn't find any merit in that."
"Hah? What kind of merit do you need for just eating di-"
"I'm leaving Sakurasou in a month," I interrupted Sensei, my voice calm but edged with firmness. She blinked, momentarily startled by the shift in my tone, before regaining her composure and studying me curiously. "Getting close to people I'll have no connection with after this month won't make any difference in my life. In the end, it'll only complicate things."
Her eyes softened at my words, her sharp tone giving way to something gentler. "Yoshihiro, I'm not understanding what you're getting at. Explain."
It's fine, isn't it? It doesn't matter if you don't understand.
Humans are social creatures. We're hardwired to make connections. To become part of someone else's life. Even if those connections are temporary, even if they fade with time, we still try.
But kindness, as noble as it seems, isn't selfless. Even when we extend a hand to someone, there's always a part of us that expects something in return. It's not necessarily malicious, it's just human nature.
If I let myself get close to these people, I might start expecting things from them. And if they started to expect things from me, what then? What happens when we grow used to each other's presence? When we start relying on it?
I refuse to place my expectations on anyone, just as I refuse to let others place theirs on me. It's not that I'm worried about getting hurt, it's fear that holds me back.
And I refuse to believe it.
"Yoshihiro, are you even listening-"
Before she could speak further, I simply grabbed my bag from the floor and sling it over my shoulder. I bowed my head in Sensei's direction, and then left for the door. I fastened my pace and reached for the door knob, opened the door before closing it behind me.
The courtyard greeted me with the sight of the massive sakura tree I had somehow failed to notice the day before. Its branches stretched out like a canopy, petals drifting lazily to the ground. For a moment, I stopped, letting the serene image wash over me before shaking it off.
With a sigh, I headed toward the high school building.
.
..
...
Sigh.
This sucks, doesn't it?
**
[ •Sakura Hall, Dining room• ]
Chihiro was really annoyed with Yoshihiro leaving so abruptly like that.
The kid was always like this. He would say something which makes you feel worried about him but if you try to offer a helping hand, he would push you away. That's exactly why he was a pain in Shizuka's butt. His homeroom teacher was trying her hardest to help the kid with everything she has, but without knowing the problem, she can't really do much.
The kid kept to himself. He didn't open up to anyone in the school as far as Chihiro knows. She has also noticed him using various methods to push people away without hurting their feelings. The kid was creative in his methods, she would give him that, but he still was really annoying with his antics.
Chihiro decided to have a talk with the kid during dinner. She promised Shizuka she would help him, she can't really back out now. Especially when she knows how effective Shizuka's puppy dog eyes are!
But before that...
"So, when are you planning on coming out of your hiding spot?" Sengoku Chihiro said while rubbing her forehead with an annoyed expression on her face.
"Hehe, How did you know I was here Sensei? Do you have some kind of superpower? Is that it!?" Kamiigusa Misaki came out of her hiding spot with her hair still wet from the shower she took. She was wearing the highschool uniform of Sobu High. She was hoping to seduce Jin by just coming out in a towel, but knowing him, he must have already left. So she decided to drop that plan.
Hopefully, Jin would wait for her tomorrow so that she could enact this plan and make him hers.
"There's no superpower at play here." Chihiro finished her breakfast, and put her as well as Yoshihiro's plate on the sink. The kid forgot to do that in the process of making his escape. She was going to make him pay for this...
The room was silent for a while, which was rather unnerving considering Misaki's presence in that room, but the silence in the room was soon broken by a soft voice reaching Chihiro's ears.
"Sensei, what does Yoshimon mean by that? Why is he going to leave the dorm after a month?"
Misaki's voice held a soft tone instead of her usual chirpy one.
"It's nothing important. The kid is just being himself." Chihiro quickly cleaned her plate, and reluctantly did Yoshihiro's dishes as well. Oh, he was going to pay, she is going to make him pay! "Why do you ask?"
There was another long silence in the room. Chihiro got confused by Misaki acting this way. She was not being her usual self. What was up with her?
Deeming Misaki's actions as strange for not behaving in her usual, alien-like self, Chihiro turned around and saw Misaki in a state she has only seen her in when she becomes upset with Jin not noticing her.
Misaki's eyes were covered with her hair. Her shoulders were slouched which was contradicting her usual, cheerful demeanor.
Chihiro quickly wiped her wet hands with a towel, and approached Misaki with a concerned look on her face.
"What's bothering you Misaki-chan? Are you not feeling well? You should take rest if that's the case-"
"It's because of me, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
"Yoshimon," Misaki said softly, her voice weak. "He wants to leave because of me, doesn't he?"
There was a slight tremble in Misaki's voice as she said that. This troubled Chihiro, did the kid say something to her?
Chihiro blinked, momentary at a loss. She couldn't be sure if the kid really means what he says. Yoshihiro could be really rude sometimes, even to her. But she knows deep down under his hardened exterior, the kid is a softie.
"I… I feel like Yoshimon doesn't like me," Misaki continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "He's neutral toward Kouhai-kun and Jin, but with me, it's different. He seems upset. Is it because I act weird? Did I make him hate Sakurasou?"
Now Misaki was almost on the verge of tears. Despite her acting so cheerful, Misaki was a sensitive girl who was very aware of her surroundings. She could easily tell if people disliked her, after all, she was a genius. She has seen her fair share of people who got weirded out by her actions. So, seeing Yoshimon acting wary of her made her believe that he also disliked her because of her quirky personality. She didn't want to be the reason for him to leave Sakurasou.
She was about to say something else when she felt two arms wrapping around her, engulfing her in a warm embrace. Misaki accepted the hug from her sensei and buried her head in her bossom.
Chihiro was surprised by the things Misaki said. The girl must be thinking about this a lot. Chihiro knows the reason behind Yoshihiro's hostility towards Misaki was clearly not what the girl was thinking.
The kid didn't discriminate like that. He hated everyone equally.
"Now now, don't jump to conclusions. The kid is not wary of you because of your personality. He is just... scared of you to put it lightly. After all, you almost crushed his 'thing' with a hammer."
Chihiro tried hard not to laugh after remembering that incident. When it occurred, she was feeling a little guilty for not informing her fellow residents about his arrival. But now that the event has passed, she couldn't help but feel amused by it.
"Really? Is that why he was angry with me?!" Misaki's eyes sparkled at the prospect of being wrong about her assumptions on Yoshimon. She wanted to get along with him after all, "Is that why he was looking at me as if he wanted to hurt me?"
"...Well, yeah, more or less. I don't
think the last part of your sentence is
true, but you can never be sure with him." Chihiro smiled a light smile, "Besides, that kid is many things, but a person who would hate you just because you're a little different? That's not how he is."
"Mhm~"
The room was silent for a while, not the previous unnerving kind, rather, a comfortable kind. They both stayed in that position for a few seconds before Misaki started tapping Chihiro's arm rapidly.
"S-sensei... your b-boobs are huge! I-I'm s-suffocating! I give, I give!"
Never change Misaki. Never change~
---
Heya Dear Readers.
Author here.
This chapter shows a slight glimpse to the protagonist's personality, and in the next chapter, you will get to learn a bit more about him.
Now, I'd like to request all of you to please give this book some powerstones. If I can't see any kind of reaction from your side, I can't find it in myself the will to write. So please, leave comments and powerstones.
That's it.
Peace.