When I entered the classroom and moved towards my seat, my classmate Kurose called out to me. "Hey there, Jirou. What's that? Why do you have such a depressed face this early in the morning?"
"Shut up, Kurose. What kind of face do I have to make for you to say that it's a 'happy face'? Did it not occur to you that it may be 'out of stock', huh?"
"Heyyy, Jirou-kun is so cranky today~."
He was a well-built boy, but right now he was laughing in a disgustingly retarded manner.
Kurose Yamato. Since the first year of middle school, he had been in the same class as I – an undesirable but unavoidable relationship. He was tall and had broad shoulders. Even though he had participated in the National Judo Tournament, he joined the light music club as a drummer when he began high school. That had been a big change.
"Did something bad happen? Don't tell me that you are being bullied by your little sister again?"
"…Something like that."
I was feeling a throbbing pain in my head. Shit, that damn violent butler. No matter what, she hit me too much. My body isn't a game of whack-a-mole.
"Ahem. My condolences… By the way, Jirou…" Kurose came closer as if he was going to whisper something to me. "This morning, did you really come to school together with Subaru-sama?"
Fuha!Now that was a surprise. How did he know about that?
"Uwa, this is serious! Why? Why is a commoner like you coming to school together with the school prince? Are you in a special relationship?"
Correct. That guy's instincts were sometimes so spot on that they made me fear them. From what I heard, he had also predicted the great tsunami of Sumatra. What kind of prophet was he?
"We only happened to meet on the way to school. It's not like he came to meet me at my house."
"That's right. There's no way that the honor student would go there to meet you."
With that said, Kurose turned his face to the back of the classroom.
Looking closely, there was the figure of Konoe Subaru-sama. Sitting there, looking at her sour expression, I thought that she usually shone much more.
Well, she was still mad due to what had happened this morning. Or maybe the kimchi she ate for breakfast did not suit her tastes. She must have been shocked by this 'meal of the common people'.
"I don't know why, but Konoe looks so dark. He doesn't even get along with his classmates all that well. It doesn't matter how good his face and grades are, none of the boys will get close to him. The girls at least try to draw close, but he's cold even towards them."
But there's no other way.
Konoe was so isolated that even I could tell that in one glance.
For Suzutsuki who was in the same class as we (in her perfect student mode, of course), it looked like a waste of time. When Konoe was not alone with Suzutsuki, she was always staring out the window.
The Lonely Prince. That was the feeling that Konoe radiated when she was in school.
"By the way, how did you know that I came to school together with Konoe?"
"Huh? Don't ask such a foolish thing. Don't you know that nowadays we have the cell phone, the best information tool of all time? The news that Subaru-sama came to school with a person that wasn't Suzutsuki Kanade passed through the whole school like influenza. The rumors say that the S4 has already begun to move."
"S4?"
"Hey, hey, don't tell me that you haven't heard about it. [Shooting Star Subaru-Sama]. See, it has four 'S's. It is the most powerful hidden fan club of Konoe Subaru in Rouran Academy. There is a rumor that at least 60% of the academy girls are in that club."
"…Then, what did you mean by 'they have already begun to move'?"
"What? That matter has already been decided. They will try to find out the truth behind you and Subaru-sama coming to school together. I think that before long, assassins will start coming after you."
Assassins? I wonder what kind of assassins. Maybe ninjas descending from the ceiling?
"And even before that, some strange rumors about you were being passed around the school."
"Strange rumors?"
"Some rumors say that you are gay."
This time, I was really at a loss for words. Where did this silly rumor come from? I was really so surprised that I thought my heart would be struck out.
"Aah, was it wrong?"
"Of course!"
"Maybe you are… bisexual?"
"Don't make fun of me to my face! Why would you think so? And why are such unfounded rumors about me being circulated in the academy?"
"Err. That's because you never talk to girls. You never, not even once, tried to approach a girl. This isn't normal for a high schooler in the bloom of his youth. That's why this turned into the rumor, 'Sakamachi Kinjirou is a homosexual guy who doesn't have the slightest interest in girls.'"
"…"
My head hurt. This issue was just because of my gynophobia. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't get close to a girl. What a pain. I couldn't believe that such rumor was circulating…
"Don't worry. Half of it was a joke, and there are not many people who would believe in such a thing so easily. Besides, I know that you like girls, because we have exchanged erotic magazines in our time together as friends."
"Kyahahaha," Kurose laughed.
A dry guy as always. However, I was really thankful that someone was here who believed in me. It was said that having one person who understood you was enough in school life. Someone who made you feel like family.
"But you really have to be cautious, since inside S4 there are already some fanatics who have misinterpreted your relationship with Konoe. Be cautious when you're out alone at night. That also applies to Subaru-sama. If you two are too close to each other, then things will become worse."
Saying that, Kurose turned towards the blackboard. The teacher for the first period had just entered the classroom.
Looks like today, our school life will be without problems once again.
I lay across my table while pondering that. There were arrangements to meet with Suzutsuki after school. I would have to reserve some of my strength for that. While the teacher started his Buddhist prayer-like lesson(1), my consciousness started to fade away.
The decisive battle would be after school, then.