"You look down, are you sleep-deprived?" Kaba asked.
"No, I caught up on sleep during class."
"Then why the long face?"
"Because hell awaits me…"
Thinking about Sunny made my head ache. I didn't think she was the type to hold grudges, but I knew I'd be hearing her complaints for a while.
"Are you still brooding over lunchtime?"
"You're lucky, Jasper."
"It's none of my concern. But from what I heard, Ethan did nothing wrong, so there's really no need to stress over it. If you keep that frown, it'll ruin what could be a fun afternoon, you know?"
"…You're right about that."
I needed to shift my mood. Taking a deep breath of fresh air might help clear my mind.
I stood up and swung open a nearby window. The stale air in the classroom poured out, replaced by a rush of fresh breeze. Taking in the clear, crisp air of this town always filled my heart with solace.
"Shuhei-san!!"
Yes, if it weren't for that voice calling me… The three of them leaned over to peek out the window, alerted by Sunny's call.
"Ethan's being called, huh? I wonder if that girl is Summer..."
"I don't think so. Summer was calling Ethan 'big brother.'"
"So that girl must be the Sunny I heard about. She looks like a fun kid."
"Should we invite her to our group? She's cute, and it might be entertaining with her and Ethan together."
"I'm all for it!"
"Me too!"
As they chatted beside me, I buried my head in my hands. I had lost all motivation to interject—whatever would happen, would happen.
Sunny's booming voice could clearly be heard by everyone still in the classroom, and their curious glances were piercing me from all directions. Rumors were flying about the transfer student doing weird things or surrounding herself with girls… couldn't we just put an end to this unnecessary chaos?
With a sigh, I looked down. The others were watching Sunny with a mix of skepticism and disbelief as she continued to shout, unfazed by the silence. I spotted Summer—ah, there she is. She was clearly enjoying the scene and had no intention of stopping.
Hidden in the shade, Summer peeked between Sunny and me, her red eyes alight with curiosity.
"Aren't you going to respond?"
I shook my head at Aoi's words.
"If I ignore her, she'll just look suspicious. I won't be the one affected."
"I think you're already a victim just by having your name called out repeatedly...?"
"Aoi Yuki, don't you think it's actually a dream come true for Ethan that his name is getting around?"
"Oh! As expected of Jasper. You get it!"
"Huh? What does that mean?"
Kaba and Aoi Yuki looked puzzled, their heads filled with question marks. When I fell silent without answering, they began to think it over, and soon Aoi Yuki snapped her fingers.
"Shuhei gets pleasure from having his name shouted by beautiful girls!"
"No way!! I don't have such peculiar tastes!!"
"Really?"
"Stop giving me that deadpan response!! Look! Kaba already believes it!!"
I pointed at Kaba, who nodded in apparent agreement. To my surprise, Kaba smiled warmly and gave me a thumbs-up, as if to say 'Don't worry about it.'
Thank goodness. If one of my few friends labeled me a creep, I wouldn't know how to go on living.
"It's okay! I'll accept any version of Ethan!"
"You really don't get it at all!!"
I thumped my head against the desk.
Ah… this pain is the only thing that reminds me I'm alive. Maybe I should just sulk and go to sleep… Then maybe everyone would treat me a little nicer.
"Minaagi!! Shuhei-san!! Are you ignoring me? Shuhei-san, who peeked into Sunny's pants!!"
"Hey, Sunny!!! Why the hell are you shouting nonsense like that!?"
I leaped up and yelled out the window.
Immediately, the classroom erupted in chaos. A storm of contemptuous and accusatory glances swept over me, mercilessly assaulting my senses. Meanwhile, Sunny continued to shout as if my embarrassment didn't matter at all. Summer, on the other hand, was rolling on the floor in laughter. Strangely, it was her antics, rather than Sunny's screams, that drew the most attention... how absurd.
"It's not nonsense! Don't pretend you forgot about lunchtime! Shuhei the Peeping Tom!"
"I only peeked under a skirt, definitely not under any panties!!"
"Uh, Shuhei, that's not really a defense."
"..."
Realizing my blunder, I scanned the classroom and noticed not just my classmates, but even students in the hallway and our homeroom teacher were all staring at me.
Contempt? No, it felt far worse. It was the kind of look one gives a piece of trash. I felt like discarded food waste left in a summer dumpster.
"Um... Kaba. You'll accept me no matter what, right?"
I gave her a hopeful yet anxious glance, and Kaba simply smiled sweetly as always.
"Hey, you're a boy after all. I totally get that age can be confusing! So don't worry about it!"
Kaba looked like an angel to me. Just having one person who understood me lightened my heart so much. I didn't care at all about the stares directed my way anymore.
"Jasper, Aoi Yuki. Are you guys on my side?"
"Well, I don't remember being your enemy, so I guess we're allies?"
"Then you'll help me, right?"
"I'm in if it sounds like fun!" Jasper smiled brightly.
"I'll join too, as long as it's interesting."
"Me too!"
"Then let's go—"
I turned and headed down the hallway, my allies following closely behind me. Sunny, Summer... you'd better regret mocking me.
"—Now, it's hunting time."
With a grin, I tapped the send button on my phone.
***
"Whaaat? How did this happen?!?!"
A few minutes later, Sunny's scream echoed throughout the school.
Many students were still inside, some turning wide-eyed at the commotion, while others snapped photos with their phones, intrigued. Amidst this crowd, Sunny dashed by like a whirlwind, with me hot on her heels, an intense look on my face. To an outsider, this must have been quite a bizarre sight.
Let me explain the current situation.
To keep it simple, we're playing tag. Why? Because just trying to catch someone is boring; we've turned it into a game, and what's wrong with that? By the way, the starting signal was the message I just sent from my phone.
I think you already understand, but let me explain: the demons are us, the third-years, while Sunny and Summer are the second-years trying to escape. If you're worried about the difference in strength, let me clarify. While Sunny's skills are uncertain, don't underestimate Summer. Her speed and stamina far exceed the average for high school girls. I'll explain the reasons later… but for now, let's focus on catching Sunny.
"Wow, Sunny is fast!"
"...I didn't know you had this much stamina, Maki. I thought you'd run out of gas early on."
Maki, running alongside me, wasn't even slightly out of breath. She still looked completely relaxed.
"Believe it or not, I used to be in the track team. I'm confident I have more stamina than Jasper or Aoi Yuki!"
"...Seriously? Guess I misjudged."
I never expected the one who looked the least athletic, Maki, would be the fastest. This is what they mean by "don't judge a book by its cover."
"By the way, the one with the least stamina among us is Aoi Yuki."
"Well, that makes sense… Let's catch Sunny quickly and go help Aoi and the others."
"Got it!"
Even while talking to Maki, I didn't lose speed, but we still weren't closing the gap with Sunny. From what I could see, Sunny still had plenty of energy left. At this rate, we'd remain stuck in a stalemate.
"..."
Sunny, who had likely been thinking the same thing, acted first. She suddenly accelerated and turned the corner.
I was slow to react and lost a bit of distance. By the time we rounded the corner, Sunny had already vanished, leaving us at a staircase landing shrouded in silence.
"Up or down... which way?"
Straining my ears brought only a painful, suffocating quiet. She must have chosen one direction to walk away quietly or was hiding and watching for us.
"Ethan~. Sunny can be such an idiot, right?"
"That's sudden… I probably think she's an idiot."
"They say idiots like heights, so she must have gone upstairs."
"Sunny isn't an idiot! ...Ah."
"Ah."
Sunny peeked out from the upper floor. After a few seconds of locked gazes, we both took off running.
"Wahhh!! I got mocked by a senior I don't even know and then found out!!"
"You idiot, you idiot!"
"Shuhei, could you please be quiet?!"
"What's wrong with calling an idiot an idiot?"
"Huh!? Calling someone an idiot is the real idiocy!!"
"What a cliché conversation."
Sunny showed no signs of slowing down.
We needed to end this quickly while we still had energy, but considering she might be plotting something, I hesitated to make a move.
The sun was slipping behind the mountains, casting a warm glow across the school building, which gradually became drenched in hues of twilight. It felt as if I had stepped into a beautiful yet fleeting dreamscape. This enchanting moment marked the approach of darkness, signaling the end of the school day. I had to catch Sunny before that happened.
"I wonder how Jasper and the others are doing?"
"Honestly, I don't have high hopes. I can see they're being toyed with by Summer."
"It's sad that the ones chasing end up being the ones played with... By the way, it just crossed my mind."
"Huh? What is it?"
"What happens after we catch Sunny?"
"That's obvious. I'll stamp my body with the sin of his insults."
"…I won't stop you, but please avoid getting the police involved."
"Oh, so you won't stop me."
I rolled my eyes inwardly while contemplating what to do next.
"Kaba, if you give it your all, how long until you catch up to Sunny?"
"I can't say for sure since I don't know how fast Sunny can run, but at this pace, maybe five seconds?"
"Alright. Then somehow lure Sunny upstairs. I don't mind if you catch him—just make sure the priority is getting him to the upper floor. Got it?"
"Got it! Now… let's go!"
As Kaba revved up with full force, I sprinted in the opposite direction. If I couldn't catch up directly, I would sandwich Sunny instead. I ran like the wind, racing up the stairs in one breath.
"Hey!?"
Just as I reached the top of the stairs, Sunny appeared right in front of me. Instinctively, I pivoted to escape, only to find that Kaba was blocking my way. There was no exit left.
"Checkmate, Sunny."
"Grr... Body trapping is so unfair..."
"The world of competition is merciless. You might as well give up."
I inched closer to Sunny. She squatted down, staring intently at me, as if weighing her options. With just a few more steps, I could reach her—when suddenly, Sunny pointed out the window.
"Oh, a UFO!"
"What!? You think I'd fall for such a classic trap?!"
I stretched out my hand, but Sunny was a beat quicker and darted behind me. Her crouch wasn't a sign of surrender; it was a launchpad. But too bad for her—Kaba was blocking the other side, so she was ultimately cornered!
"Where's the UFO?"
"Kaba!?!"
Kaba pressed her face against the window, searching for a non-existent UFO. Meanwhile, Sunny's back disappeared in an instant, having made her getaway undisturbed.
"Hey, Kaba."
"Ethan, where is the UFO? I can't find it at all… Wait, what's with that scary face? Huh? Where did Sunny go?"
"I already escaped long ago!!"
"Ahaha~. I knew you were lying, but I thought, maybe..."
"Maybe what, you?"
...If you knew, then why didn't you catch Sunny? Ugh, this feels like our defeat.
As I let out a sigh, the final school bell rings, and my phone vibrates in my pocket. It's definitely from Summer, no need to check.