Monday. Morning. School. But I went to bed at four... already today, it turns out. It's a sin to complain, of course: both the evening and the night were fine, but the morning ... Monday ... school… I don't even want to imagine what Raydon is going through right now. It's easier for me, the witcher, I think so. On the other hand, even without being a witcher, I used to live like this for weeks.
Stand up. Wash up. Go for a run. During which I had to listen to how cool it was at the concert yesterday and the claims that I went there "without them". Go back and take a shower. Get ready and go to school. Alone. The Koyama sisters, as a rule, go out before me, so on the way I quite calmly reflect on the meaning of life. Everything is as usual, everything is as usual. And this can not but rejoice. Although no, someone decided to accompany me today. Yesterday afternoon, and quite possibly in the evening, Sheena fed that stray cat to the brim, almost the only animal in the Koyama quarter that does not belong to the canine family. So I was not surprised at all when I noticed a cat skin on the fence of the house opposite from me in the morning. Sprawled out, the cat sluggishly waved off a couple of dogs with his paw, and those, wagging their tail, barked and jumped up, allegedly trying to get. Considering that one of the dogs was a mater German Shepherd, which in front of my eyes, without straining, overcame this very fence, you can be sure that now they were just playing. After all, local dogs are more... tolerant. Add to this grub from the Tire and you will come to the same conclusion as me — figs he will leave here now. Garbage cans, dogs do not touch, no one really drives, sometimes beautiful girls feed them. Would you leave? It remains only to come up with a name for him, and that animal without a nickname makes me sad.
I have a special attitude to names in general. M-yes. It is worth admitting that I was brainwashed during my service after all. Honor, glory and name. The honor is very specific, the fame is quite ordinary and the name that only your superiors can take away from you. Like, erased from all official documents — and that's it. Your name turns into a nickname. Intellectually, I understand that all this is nonsense, but I was somehow reluctant to bring it to this. And once in this world ... eh, it's better not to think about it. Although no, it is necessary to explain. Sakurai Shinji is, in fact, nobody. A dummy. A nickname given to somehow denote this biological formation. With the Tokyo Dwarf, it's the opposite. This nickname has some kind of fame, but... exactly what the nickname has. I probably would have freaked out at home by now. But nothing here, I'm holding on to the usual logic. But I still want more. In my desire to get a coat of arms, this reason is not the last place. The founder of his own kind is not a huhry—muhry for you.
I glance at the cat, who was moving along the fences parallel to the road, right in front of me. But the Tire has probably already called him something, it would be necessary to find out. Although this yard cat probably doesn't care about all sorts of nicknames. Heh, well, I don't care about his opinion.
Ohayashi was already waiting for me at the gate. Well, as I waited, I slept soon. He leaned against the wall and didn't react to anything. Approaching him, I was convinced of my rightness. Really sleeping. I've only seen this in the army. He even did it himself, leaning on the KAMAZ. And I witnessed how the day person was sleeping on his nightstand, and there was nothing to lean on. With my eyes open, by the way. But I didn't expect this from Ray. To doze still went nowhere, but to sleep ... poking him with his finger, he called.
— Raydon, my friend, wake up. — Zero emotions. — Wake up, I say. To make fun of him, or what? Probably not worth it. I wouldn't like it. I just had to shake him.
— Eh? What? — looking around stupidly, he finally focused his gaze on me: — Oh. And, rubbing his eyes with his fingers, he sort of woke up: "It's going to be a hard day today.
— Everything has its price.
"And this one isn't that big. We had a great party yesterday.
— There is such a thing.
Having stood the school line, with which we, and not only us, began every Monday, Raydon made a knight move. At the very first lesson, he asked to go to the medical center, allegedly his stomach was taken. And the teacher let him go! Uruk-hai the devil, a werewolf in uniform. He took me and left me to suffer alone. After him, I will definitely not be released, and even Raydon will be suspected. No, but that's a burnt pancake. Why did I step like that? Oh, my fate is hard.
Raydon didn't come to the next lesson. And on the third, too. He disappeared before lunch. And at lunch, at the big break, having slept and rested, he was waiting for me at the entrance to the dining room.
Stopping in front of him and taking a look at him, he sighed, shaking his head:
"Look, my sister wouldn't find out.
"I'll survive fifteen minutes of lectures somehow,— he waved his hand. — Let's go to lunch.
Already when we finished with the first one, a bento box landed next to me.
— It's time to get used to the fact that your mother will not leave your meals unattended at school.
"You'd tell her not to worry about it." And it's kind of uncomfortable even.
"You know her,— Sheena replied. — School is just an excuse to feed you to death. Ohayashi-kun," she nodded to my friend.
— Koyama-san, — a small bow in response.
"You should have seen the bento box she keeps trying to stuff with lunch. Mizuki and I have already staged a riot for a couple. And so, even you probably wouldn't have eaten everything.
I just shook my head. Oh, Kagami, Kagami.
"Where's your tail?"
— A movie? He'll be right there. She forgot lunch today, so I had to go buy.
— By the way... — Then I thought that with Raydon, the Tire might not answer my questions about the incident on Friday. Also a fool, you could have asked earlier. There was an opportunity, in two and a half days. Well, okay, it doesn't burn. — Oh, it doesn't matter.
Five minutes later, Mina came up. Carefully placing the tray in place next to the Tire, she hesitated. She also looked around uncertainly.
"Ahem..." she cleared her throat. I even wonder what's wrong with her. — Sakurai-kun. Ahem. I... uh... — froze, took a deep breath, then exhaled. I squinted at the Tire. Zero attention. This one definitely knows something. A glance at Ray convinced me that my friend was also surprised, but he was trying to pretend that everything was as it should be. — Sakurai-kun, — it looks like she finally decided on something. — I offer my deepest apologies for what happened on Friday. It was the stupidest joke I've ever played," she bowed deeply.
What's that? An apology? And even in public? Moreover, she immediately admitted that she was responsible for everything, and apologized. I chuckled, and Raydon snorted, but said nothing. Glancing once more at the indifferent Tire, he turned his gaze to Mine.
— I hope this won't happen again? I asked Kino, who had not straightened up.
— It won't happen again.
Oh, how I don't want to... one more look at my neighbor. To hell with her.
— Apologies are accepted. Let's assume... that it really was a bad joke. — Like, everything is bullshit, but there will be no peace between us.
— Thank you, — after which, finally straightening up, with a face red with shame, apparently, she sat down at the table. And so she didn't say anything for the whole lunch.
— By the way, Shinji, since Mom is going to make you lunch anyway, you could come by in the morning and pick it up. Of course, it's not hard for me to bring it, but it won't be difficult for you either.
What? Does she not understand how I will look at this? Really, like a freeloader, a freeloader of some kind. That's... after all. And all this is for the best of intentions. She knows how to put in an uncomfortable position.
— Did your mother ask you to tell her, — which I doubt very much, — or did you... think about it yourself?
— Mom? No. And what does that have to do with it?
What a fool! Couldn't she have said all this in private? I don't care about Mine, let her deal with it herself. If, of course, she understands something. But Raydon is not a fool. And by offering me such a thing, Sheena does not put herself in the best light. When Kagami passes lunch through her, I'm kind of out of business. But to walk by yourself and be in fact a petitioner? A couple of times a month—that's fine. But every day? And all this in front of a representative of another clan.
— Uh-uh. I'll think.
— What's going on here…
Well, what else should I call it? After all, she's not stupid, and sometimes she's so stupid. Indian, in a word.
"I wonder," I thought with a sigh, "is it easier with all these concepts in Russia there, or is it the same?"
— Tire. I've said it all. Let's change the subject.
I guess I need to thank... uh, this world for raising local girls. Because even Sheena, even from me... in short, hearing a similar tone from the opposite sex, she decided not to continue. At least in front of outsiders. And in private I can explain to her how wrong she is.
After school, Ray went to his club, and I went to choose this very club. We have to end this sometime. Yesterday morning I did talk to the old man about all this nonsense, and Kenta explained quite specifically that there would be no indulgences for me. Not to me, not to my granddaughters, not to anyone else. Both the good name of Kenta himself and politics and business are involved in this. He simply cannot afford to act outside the rules of the school and change them even in such a small way for no reason. So I don't have many paths. Either get into the school board and seek to change the rules, or create your own club, or pick it up from existing ones. With the first point, I think it's already clear — this is a real gemor. The second one is also an amba — I just don't have five participants, that is, four people plus me, and that's how much you need to create your club. So it remains only to try to find one where nothing needs to be done. More precisely, it is necessary, but very little.
I missed the first floor. There, in addition to at least three gay clubs, there were such as: home economics, cooking, needlework. A couple of occult, UFO study clubs and all sorts of anomalies. Even the collectible wine club. And all this was side by side with natural science: physics, chemistry, biology, and the like.