← The Studious Boy and the Secret Account Girl
Volume 2
Chapter 21: Puff Out Your Chest Arrogantly - Part 2
Chapter 21: Puff Out Your Chest Arrogantly – Part 2
The notebook exchange taking place between Tsutomu and Matsurika had been seen.
Matsurika had been toyed with in front of everyone about her relationship with Tsutomu and left at a loss, a frustrated Tsutomu had cut in and a quarrel broke out. And then, the single phrase Tsutomu, standing at the front to protect Matsurika, let slip, brought the classroom to a hush as though water had been poured over it.
Amid everyone’s perplexity, Shiro hesitantly opened his mouth.
“Y-you’d go that far? …No, well, fine, but that’s the thing.”
Judging by his earlier reaction, Shiro had apparently thought it would be settled when Tsutomu said he wouldn’t sell the notebook to the girl he’d quarreled with.
This friend had noticed the closeness between Tsutomu and Matsurika.
Hence, having consideration for Tsutomu, he’d agreed to the suspension of notebook sales to that girl with just an eye-contact.
But against Shiro’s expectation, the trouble showed no sign of settling, and the situation was swept into the next stage.
Namely, the declaration of the complete end of the ‘Gariben Notebook.’
Even threatening to ban their use of the notebook, the other party would only retort that they’d get it through routes other than theirs, so it was no matter.
Then… cut it off at the root.
To her continued sharp-tongued determination not to relent, he’d displayed a firm will that he’d make the notebook unusable, whatever the means.
Other people would be caught up in it, but that was no concern of Tsutomu’s.
—I’m sorry to do this to Amakusa.
He apologized in his heart, but had no intention at all of backing down here.
Tsutomu had data he’d kept collecting ever since his first year.
Information that the people in this grade using his notebook numbered—around a third.
Considering the earlier exchange, the actual users might be even more.
He didn’t grasp each one’s identity… but among them, there were those for whom the ‘Gariben Notebook’ was now indispensable.
Their complaints and anger would be directed at the girl who caused the notebook supply to stop.
Tsutomu didn’t need to attack her directly.
The buying and selling of the ‘Gariben Notebook’ hadn’t begun out of goodwill from the start. To Tsutomu, it was merely a useful card with his future in mind.
It had been a trump card he’d wanted to keep for the university entrance exam, but… well, there was no harm in using it here.
“What are you suddenly saying? It’s got nothing to do with the notebook?”
“Whether it does or not, is for me to decide. You have no right to speak into it.”
The harsh words, ill-suited to a classroom, rang heavier than Tsutomu had imagined.
At this assertion, the classroom members, who’d been silent and watching, began to stir at once. There seem to be other customers.
A staring match continued between Tsutomu and the girl (whose name he couldn’t remember).
As time passed, the gazes directed at the two grew ever more hostile.
The will swirling through the classroom, Tsutomu repelled it by puffing out his chest arrogantly.
The shoulder of the girl before him was tapped by a girl nearby (again, whose face and name he couldn’t remember).
“…”
“…ts.”
“…For what you did…”
“Traitor!”
“…Idiot, cool your head. You’ll make enemies of the whole athletic club.”
“Hic…!”
Staring matches. Grinding teeth. Panic. Fear.
Cajoling and threatening. Discussing and glaring.
Because of the distance, he couldn’t make out the two girls’ whispered exchange.
“Kariya-kun.”
After a while, it was the girl who’d stood up later who spoke.
The girl who’d first harried Matsurika kept her mouth shut, glaring with eyes that might kill a hated enemy.
“Sorry, if my having spoiled her mood is the reason, I’ll apologize. Um, about the notebook…”
That voice was all too earnest. It was almost laughable.
He could imagine her feelings, but he couldn’t sympathize.
“Such things should be answered by the party themself. So, what are you going to do?”
The attention of everyone in the classroom turned to the girl glaring at Tsutomu.
Her inner feelings were beyond his comprehension, but depending on how she acted, he’d intended to stop the notebook supply. No joking.
At that time, a third of the grade’s blame would fall, on the surface, on her side. It seemed it was set to blow up bigger than he’d expected.
Of course Tsutomu would win a grudge too. He thought it was off-base, but he didn’t care. There are priorities, and Tsutomu had something he wanted to protect more than himself. That was all. He was ready to calmly accept the result he’d caused.
After a heavy silence, still with a gaze full of hatred, the other girl opened her mouth.
“I’ll apologize, so the notebook…”
“The person you should apologize to first isn’t me, is it. Can’t you even figure that out?”
“…ts.”
Spit out, and the girl’s cheeks flushed red.
A reaction he found utterly incomprehensible.
“Sorry, Matsurika.”
Turning to face Matsurika, the girl bowed her head with a reluctant air.
“No, it’s fine. If anything, the blame’s mine for being vain and getting Kariya-kun to keep quiet. Kariya-kun, sorry. There, you see…”
“Gariben… no, Kariya-kun, I’m sorry.”
“I see.”
The apology from Matsurika, who even showed a loving expression to the girl who’d toyed with her, was one thing, but the ‘sorry’ with no sincerity in it meant nothing.
He’d started to say ‘doesn’t matter’ and stopped.
He understood at least that that would be pouring fuel on the fire.
For the time being, the trouble surrounding Matsurika was swept under the rug.
As a result of Tsutomu visibly voicing displeasure and drawing his classmates’ attention, the fact that she’d borrowed the notebook from him was now dismissed as a trivial matter.
…He couldn’t shake the feeling he’d gone a bit overboard with the bluff, but if he was doing it, going all the way was more effective. All’s well that ends well.
“So, um, Kariya-kun, the notebook—”
“For that, ask Amakusa.”
“O-oh. Me, is it. Well, then, seeing as you’ve made up, let’s—”
The desperate plea of the mediating girl, he’d tossed to Shiro.
Unlike himself, slow at the subtleties of human relations, he trusted Shiro would handle the scene well.
And without betraying expectation, Shiro, with his light banter, settled the chaos.
The trouble, sparked by a careless remark, ended safely, and the classroom’s air loosened.
As everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the Tsutomu who’d taken his seat sensed a chill down his spine.
Following the presence, he found—Matsurika sending him an incredible smile.
That was an angry face. The anger bursting from those too-refined features was dangerous.
He’d anticipated it, but as he’d thought, this ending didn’t suit her.
—It can’t be helped…
Sitting down, he let out a single sigh.
The consideration of Shiro, who patted his shoulder to thank him, strangely sank in.