「Hey, can I ask you something?」
As I opened the bag of yakisoba bread I bought from the school store, I spoke to my best friend eating his lunch next to me.
「Hmm?」
The time is currently 12:40 PM.
As I sit in a corner of the school cafeteria, which is starting to get noisy, I recall the events of this morning.
「Minato, what would you do if you saw a molester?」
「Hmm, a molester, huh. Let’s see… first, I’d help the victim.」
「Right.」
Karasawa Minato, my best friend since middle school and now my only close classmate, answers my sudden question seriously.
Normally, it would be highly inappropriate to bring up this topic at school…
「Then, I’d take the molester to the station staff.」
「Ahh…」
But the reason I brought up this topic amidst the surrounding noise is because since I met Satou again on the bus this morning, I’ve had this feeling of discomfort, like a fish bone stuck in the back of my throat… no, that would be more than just discomfort.
「I see, yeah, the station staff…」
But Minato’s words make me realize the source of that discomfort.
I totally let the molester who was attacking Satou get away.
「Hey Kaoru, can I ask you something too?」
「Hm?」
「Was the one who molested you a college girl? Or a high school girl?」
「…No, I wasn’t even molested in the first place.」
「Then, was the person you saved from the molester a college girl? Or a high school girl?」
「…Why is it even those two options?」
「Hmm, because it’s within my range of interest?」
「Station staff, it’s this guy!」
Despite my (pretty serious) retort, Minato didn’t seem to mind at all and casually popped two pieces of tamagoyaki into his mouth.
I gave him a stern look… but stopped quickly because it felt gross.
While Minato was eating, I took a bite of my yakisoba bread, thinking “This is pretty good” and mentally thanked the manufacturer.
「Here, take a look at this.」
「Hm? …What’s this?」
As I was repeating the cycle of chewing and gratitude, Minato placed his smartphone in front of me.
The school rules are pretty lax… but that’s beside the point.
On the smartphone screen is a news article that was published about an hour ago.
「Molester man… arrested? And this is…」
「Yeah, it’s from the line Kaoru rides. I don’t know what happened to you, but I thought this might be good news for Kaoru.」
「M-Minato, you…!」
「Sorry, but male high school students are outside my range of interest.」
「Me too!?」
Well, putting that aside…
It seems the molester who attacked Satou tried to commit the crime again and was successfully arrested.
＊＊＊
「Ah, there you are. Satou~san!」
「…!? H-Hinata-kun!?」
The sun, slightly tinged with red, was beginning to peek out from behind the clouds in the after school bus stop, which was mostly empty thanks to club activities starting in earnest.
In such a setting.
At my call of “Satou~san”, one girl’s shoulders jumped.
She steps out from the front of the short line, fiddling with her bangs a little.
「Wa, um, it’s… it’s been since this morning, Hinata-kun.」
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「It has been since this morning, Satou-san. Sorry for making you step out of line. Would it have been better if I called out to you on the bus?」
「N-No, it’s fine. Totally fine.」
Satou (honorific omitted) shakes her head vigorously, and I, of course, don’t say anything as tactless as “Actually, we’ve been in the same classroom all day”.
「I’m glad you said that. …Ah, the bus is here. Shall we talk inside? Is it okay if I sit next to you?」
「N-Next to…! Y-Yeah, of course… next to me or the same place, anywhere is fine.」
I thought sitting in the same place might be too much… but I just smile wryly without saying it out loud.
As a basic premise, Satou is not good at conversation.
Since I’m the one who approached her, it’s only polite to ignore some of the puzzling statements she might make. I’d probably say weird things too if I were nervous.
We get on the bus as the last ones and sit together in a two-seater.
Considering what happened this morning, I sit on the aisle side.
The departure sound that I’m gradually getting used to hearing.
The bus starts moving slowly, and the engine’s sound fills the air.
「So, about what I was saying earlier.」
「Y-Yes.」
「This… I thought I should show it to Satou-san too.」
「U-Um…?」
Satou takes my smartphone and starts reading the text displayed through her glasses.
It’s the news article about the molester that I only found out about at lunch.
「T-This…」
「I let him get away, but it seems someone caught him later. Sorry if this brings back bad memories.」
「N-No, not at all… Thank you for telling me. I feel a little relieved.」
Satou returns the smartphone with the same awkward smile as this morning.
She probably isn’t good at smiling in front of others either.
As I think this and look forward, I feel a light tap on my shoulder.
「…U-Um.」
「Hm?」
「D-Did you… perhaps, talk to me just to tell me about this…?」
「Yeah, that’s right.」
We don’t have any other particular connection after all.
Hearing my answer, Satou’s eyes widen behind her lenses.
「T-Then, does that mean… you’ve been thinking about me… about this morning, all day?」
「Well, a bit.」
「Ah…」
I don’t know how much my “a bit” cancels out her “all day”, but even if it reduces it by 20%, that’s probably enough.
After all, this was my first time witnessing a molestation scene.
On top of that, the victim was a classmate, a fellow student. It’s understandable if I thought about it for half a day.
「…i. …bai, I.」
「Satou-san?」
Whatever Satou muttered in a small voice was easily drowned out by the bus engine. Moreover, the landscape conveniently broke, and Satou’s expression was swallowed by the warm-colored backlight.
「H-Hinata-kun.」
「What’s up?」
「I-I… w-what should I do?」
She seemed to turn her face towards me with a determined look for a moment, but the next instant, Satou’s gaze was out the window.
「It’s b-bright.」
「…Fuu.」
Really…
How should I put it, she’s restless.