The cold autumn wind has become even chillier than before. It is during this time that us students will have to put on double layers of clothing just to be able to go out and make the trek to school. Personally, I'd rather just stay home and bundle up in bed. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants that. People say that adults have it rough, but students are not faring any better. At least adults can drive their way to work. For us, it's the icy cold of winter.
I might become the first advocate for age equality because of this.
As I stop by the small grocery store to buy my usual lunch, I notice the old woman is not at the counter today. Instead, there's a guy who looks like he's in his late 20s manning the register. Maybe she's sick or something? It is starting to get colder now. And honestly, old people should be resting in bed and staying as far away from the cold as possible.
"That'll be a total of 720 yen."
He says cheerfully, as if I'm the first customer he's had today. Unlike the old lady, this guy doesn't give me a few extra pieces of candy. That's minus points for you, my man. You'll never be a great cashier if you can't even do simple stuff like that.
Of course, I'm kidding. I don't expect that high level of service from everyone. But still, if she is sick, I hope it's not too serious. I need that hit of extra sugar to get me through the boring classes!
After paying for what I bought, I exit the store and continue on my way to school. As I reach the intersection, I see the usual scene play out before me. More and more students start to come into view, along with salary men and other people trying to get to their daily business. The intersection has a 30 second interval for each side of the road, giving both people and cars enough time to go about their way.
One of my special talents is timing things out almost perfectly. You see, whenever I arrive at this intersection, it's almost always between five to ten seconds before the side I'm coming from can cross. Which means I won't have to wait long to cross the street, thus my pacing won't get broken.
Plus, seeing the faces of those who just barely didn't make it before the light changes to red is my morning pick-me-up. Serves you people right for not being efficient with your time!
As I start to move across the intersection, I overhear the conversation of a bunch of girls in front of me. Judging by their uniforms, they appear to be first years at my school.
"Hey, did you hear about what happened to Suzuki-senpai?"
"Yeah, I heard. It's terrible!"
"Why, what happened to senpai?"
"From what I heard, he got injured because someone was using the pitching machine wrong."
"No! How could that happen to Suzuki-senpai of all people?"
"Right? And also, I heard that…"
Their voices start to trail off and fade into nothingness as I move past them. Looks like some accident happened in the baseball club. Though that has nothing to do with me, I still enjoy small pieces of gossip here and there. What can I say, I have needs too!
After climbing up the hill path and into the school gate, I see Mr. Hirashi waiting at his usual spot just beside the entrance to the school's baseball field. It's been a week since that incident with Kurebayashi, and I expected Mr. Hirashi to show a little bit of annoyance or disappointment that his plan didn't work.
But nope. Instead, he just kept doing his usual thing of waiting for me in the morning and escorting me to his office for our usual sessions. Honestly, this guy is built like a psychology machine. He doesn't skip a beat!
"Heya Jo! Ready to head to the office?"
"Could you please stop coming at me every morning like some kind of little sister trope?"
It seriously gives me the creeps. Mr. Hirashi looks like he's about in his mid 30s, but he acts all goofy and kinda gives off the vibes of someone who is clinging to his youthful past. Though the other students seem to like that about him, since he's rather popular with the first and third years. Maybe they see him as a likable uncle?
"And here I thought you had gotten used to me by now. Well, come along now. I've got some cookies waiting for us at the table."
"You're doing this on purpose now, aren't you? Seriously, what kind of adult still has cookies for breakfast?"
"So, you don't want them?"
"... I never said I didn't."
As we walk towards the main school building, I notice a rather odd scene unfolding just outside the main building entrance. A large group of girls have all gathered around a specific spot, with even more on their way to join in. Now, all these girls are maybe about five feet on average. So, it's pretty easy to see the tall hunk of a man standing smack dab in the middle of the female cornucopia.
Going by the jersey he's wearing, it looks like he's from the baseball team. That would explain the fandom that's formed around him. Now, don't get me wrong. I certainly know when to acknowledge a guy that's good looking and outright hunky. And yes, he does meet the criteria of what one might describe as an adonis. But that's not what caught my eye, I swear!
It's the fact that he's got a head bandage on. Was he in some sort of an accident? Judging by his glassy eyes and the tired look on his face, it must have taken a toll on him.
As we pass by this rather odd scene, I try to overhear what they're saying. But just the sheer number of girls talking over each other at the same time makes it nearly impossible to even discern one phrase. And so, as we entered the main building, I elected to just ask Mr. Hirashi and see if he knew what that was all about.
"Say, what's with the groupies swarming that poor guy?"
"Hm? Oh, you mean Suzuki-kun. Well, that's a bit of a tough situation."
"I'll say. Being hounded by so many people even when you're injured sounds like hell."
"Yes, I suppose so. But I was referring to the situation of how he got injured in the first place."
"Was it that big of a deal that even you would know about it? I didn't know that the guidance counselor also handled the baseball team."
"The baseball team, no. The volunteer club though, yes. And anything that involves that club will also involve me."
Mr. Hirashi's expression suddenly shifts to a more solemn and serious look.
"That's especially true during times when the club gets into trouble."