"Sui, are the rumors true?"
Takane Makoto came up to me during bathroom break with a mysterious look on his face.
"That I'm not really human?"
"What the hell? That's not what I'm talking about."
Makoto was trying to communicate by moving his hands in a jerky way. Or it seems that he's trying hard to twist something out. If he was going to leak, why not hurry up? Or was it a habit?
"Why are you so unhappy? You're a pre-spawn sea turtle, aren't you?"
"Hey, Sui, are you seeing anyone right now?"
Makoto said in a whisper.
"Unfortunately, the seat next to me is empty."
"That's right, isn't it!"
[T/N: Something seems familiar….]
I let out a breath of relief. I thought that this guy might have been interested in me. Sorry, but I don't have a thing for gay people.
"I'm so happy that I don't have a girlfriend. Don't worry, I'll be single forever. I asked my sister for the Sakaki genes. When I asked her that, she hit me about 10 times, but I think the safety of the Sakaki gene was secured."
"That's not what I meant! There was a rumor going around that Sui was going out with Hiwa. I couldn't believe that Hiwa was going out with a weirdo like Sui."
I had roughly expected it to be something like that, but I didn't know to what extent. I realized the horror of rumors.
You can't be too careful because sometimes rumors could became fact. I'm afraid that those who hear the rumors will pass them on as "reality". And that they'll branch out and eventually turn into chaos.
"Arina and I, huh? Do you know the source of these rumors?"
"It's just a rumor, I don't know the details. You're not really dating, are you?"
"We're not. I've only spoken to her recently. If we're going to be suspected of being in a relationship because of that, we're going to get married the moment I touch her."
"I wonder… I was impatient. I was worried that Sui was lost."
Surprisingly, Makoto seemed to be taking it seriously. I think he cared about me because he once confessed to Arina in the past and got depressed.
I'm sure someone who witnessed the tennis match and the walk to the school gates spread the rumors. It's not particularly damaging to me, but I'm sure Arina would be furious, saying,
'Why would I go out with a guy who looks like he came from a sewer? You wanna be erased? Then why don't you throw dynamite at the White House? If I was going out with that, I'd rather kiss the larvae of a canabun. If you spread anymore rumors, you'll be cold in bed tomorrow morning.' [T/N: Search up "canabun larvae" if you want, but you'll probably be fine without it.]
I'm scared of that.
I don't want to pass away before turning 20 years old. I'm getting anxious, and I thought about checking out Arina's class, but the bathroom break was coming to an end.
"Okay. Thanks, Makoto."
"I'm glad I'm not too late…"
It was probably close to being too late already, so I decided to let fate take it's course. The next class was political science. Let's learn politics and change my destiny. One man can change the world. Che Guevara, the revolutionary, had done it. I should be able to change the thoughts of one girl.
[T/N: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara]
I couldn't concentrate on the class from beginning to end.
I kept feeling unknown vibrations from the class next to me with my sixth sense. I was surprised that I had an organ that could sense it, but I was in awe of the strength of Arina's grudge. Well, although it's all a conjecture.
That's why I decided to go take a peek.
Sure enough, as soon as I stepped out into the hallway, I heard "See. That guy, he's the one." and I could see girls huddled together, glancing at me. I waked past them with a casual expression and peeked out from the hallway as the door to the next class was fully open.
Then, there was one student who stared at me with a horrible expression. I don't know if she's got a GPS on me, but she found me in an instant. Although Arina didn't get up from her seat, she didn't even look at the paperback book she had in her hand, and she was killing me with her glare.
I didn't want to die, so I decided to leave.
But when I turned around, I saw Shirona standing there. She was staring at me with an upward glance.
"What's up?"
"No. Un."
Shirona turned away and walked into the classroom. This was going to be a mess.
The chime that signaled the end of class echoed through the school and the student let out a mouthful of words, "It's over!"
I walked out into the hallway to grab a broom from the locker to start cleaning. Then I turned around to go back to the classroom and saw Arina approaching me, also holding a broom. Her long hair was tied up and hanging from her left shoulder, and she clutched her broom in her right hand like a weapon.
I went straight to the classroom door and put my right foot out to close the distance of five meters. Analyzing the speed at which Arina was walking, the door intersected with it.
I could clearly hear the sound of mine and Arina's shoes. Our eyes met and sparks flew in the air. This girl is going to kill me. She's got the eyes of a hunter.
I stopped after two steps. Arina stopped in response, as well. We stared at each other. The students who were passing by looked at us curiously. Of course they did. I held the broom in front of my chest since I could be attacked at any moment, while Arina stood upright, hiding it behind her back.
A war was about to break out.
I remembered the nostalgic scent of war.
I put my finger on the trigger and catch the enemy's face on the top of the shining star. If you squeeze it once, the god of steel will roar with a hammer and the spouted shell will shine like diamond dust and fall on the ground.
Ahh… close your eyes — close your eyes. Can you hear me? The sound of tanks shaking the earth and brave soldiers kicking at the ground with their feet. Do you remember the humiliation of hiding in the trenches and crawling like a mud dragon to avoid the bullets rampaging above your head? Do you still have your family photo, obscured by dirt and blood? When the enemy battalion destroys you, and the enemy passes by, you just bury your face in the mud, pretending to be dead to live, and the insects that cling to your face as if to mock you. Are these images still seared into your brain?
"Arina. Take it easy."
I spoke to her in my usual tone, trying to break the tension. But Arina's face didn't budge. Was she a 'thinker'?
Neither of us moved. And as if numbed by the fact that neither of us were moving, Arina relaxed her shoulders and started walking as if I had never existed before.
Thank God. Just as I thought that, I felt a sharp pain in my left shin, and I reflexively groaned. "Geez". I thought I had broken it. Arina turned down the hallway and disappeared. It looked like she slashed the broom at the last second. You kunoichi. [T/N: Kunoichi = Female Ninja]
I was in the middle of coming up with a name that would fit nicely in the "ex-staff room" when the door opened with a thumping noise. I wondered if the dam had broken.
Here comes Arina.
"Hey. How are you doing?"
I raised my hand and tried to be friendly. I was trying to create a brighter atmosphere, since there was a contentious atmosphere.
However, trampling on the challenge, Arina started reading again. Are her ears a decoration?
I was thinking of going to visit the soft tennis club again today. But it was raining hard, so they wouldn't be playing outside. The wrinkles between Arina's eyebrows were as big as the Grand Canyon, perhaps because of the rain.
"What are you looking at? I hope you drown in oil."
"Don't bite like that. If you were softer, you'd be perfect. Why not do that?"
She ignored my question and kept reading. She's a book addict.
"From today, can this room simply be called 'club room'? 'Ex-Staff room' is too long."
"It's funny how this is a club activity."
"Well, it's not a club activity. So what else is there to do?"
"Isn't it fine?"
"Wow, that's awful. I don't accept low quality stuff."
I joked. but Arina didn't get it, and switched to a death-like blank look in her eyes. She should at least be ashamed of herself.
"What about Rose Garden? I don't know if you know this, but people say you're a 'rose'."
"I see."
"Because you have good looks, but if you try to touch them, they'll stab you."
"I see."
"I don't like the look of it."
"I see."
God forbid the phrase "I see" be used.
"What is this Rose Garden, a gang?"
"It might be trouble for a pair. It's kind of what you're here for. That's why it's a rose. You should be grateful that Akakusa-sensei prepared it for you. That's the point—"
My phone rang. It's from Makoto.
I answer the phone.
"It's Sui."
"It's suddenly bad! Are you at school right now?"
"I am."
"Help me! Can you come to the gym right now?"
"Well, that's pretty sudden. What's going on? If it's terrorism, call SAT. If the SATs don't work, try the Central Readiness Group Special Operations Group. Or is this going to be solved by a homecoming crew going there first?"
"The tennis club and the badminton club are fighting over the gym. Shirona-chan and the girls in my badminton group are getting heated. I want Sui to come over here because it looks rough. You can at least get in between the two, right?"
Shirona was the type of person who spoke cannot speak strongly. She has a personality that looks down and endures. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I can't express it at all. I wanted to obediently help.
"All right. I'm on my way."
"Thank you! Please hurry!"
I hang up the call and immediately got up. It was time for an American-like execution of justice.
"I'm going to the gym."
"I see."
"Are you coming?"
"No."
She was only following the book throughout. It must be something that Arina, who would hate trouble, would not want to hear. I didn't dare speak and left the "Rose Garden".