On the way back from the school store.
As I walked down the hallway, holding back tears at the thought of my lighter wallet due to recent expenses.
「Oya, You-kun.」
「Hello.」
「What a coincidence.」
There stood Susami-san, the dust-type Yamato Nadeshiko walking on two legs.
Still the same “dust” as ever.
Looks like she’d blow away if the wind blew. Like a relative of a flickering candle.
「Thanks for yesterday.」
「Don’t you feel fate? Yesterday and today.」
「I don’t.」
She was saying something I didn’t quite understand, so I cut her off. I thought I gave a pretty cold response, but she just laughed with a rolling sound. She seems to be a broad-minded type of monster. What’s a broad-minded monster anyway?
Looking at the poster Susami-san was staring at, it said “Cheer Club Members Wanted”. It seems she’s considering joining the cheer club, tilting her head repeatedly. Considering it’s June in the middle of the rainy season, it’s late for a new student to join.
「Want to join the cheer club?」
「Ahh, well…」
「Well?」
「I get nervous.」
I’m talking to dust standing proudly, so I’m probably more nervous than she is. There aren’t many people who can casually talk to monsters. If there are, they’re from a family of exorcists. I’m not, though.
「Thanks to that, it’s already June.」
「I see, that’s tough.」
「It’s tough.」
Then, as I was about to leave, she stopped me.
I turn back, very reluctantly.
She clasped her hands in front of her chest as if making a request and tilted her head cutely──if I were perceiving things normally, that is.
「Won’t you come with me?」
「Where to?」
「The staff room.」
「I’m banned from there, you see.」
「What did you do?」
To be banned from the place where they do student guidance.
Susami-san’s voice was genuinely puzzled.
It was a lie I told simply because I didn’t want to walk next to a monster, but I feel guilty for deceiving her so easily.
If it were Yuna, she’d probably say, “I don’t care about that” and drag me along by force, but Susami-san is just too honest or too nice.
Her appearance may be completely off the human path, but her heart seems to follow it more than anyone else’s.
「Well, I’ll come with you.」
「Really? Thank you so much.」
Fufufu, Susami-san, with a smile on her lips, takes my hand.
I walk down the hallway, feeling like I’m being dragged by a rather energetic dog, trying not to be left behind by her who is walking ahead.
「……」
And, well.
As usual, Susami-san is probably a beautiful girl, so I received jealous looks from the students──especially the boys. If looks could kill, I wouldn’t exist in this world anymore. Instead, a lotus root would be born.
Her hand had a strange sensation.
Rough yet smooth.
──Light Novels──
──Read Here──
Cool yet slightly warm.
Maybe even fluffy.
Each particle is fine and delicate.
Not exactly the kind of impression you’d have of a girl’s hand.
No matter how cute her actions are, she’s still a monster, I scolded my recently wavering sensibility. If I’m not careful, I might compromise and think, “Maybe it’s okay if she’s not human”. It’s because I can’t form a relationship with human girls. As an ordinary high school boy, I want to avoid a romantic comedy with a monster.
「See, I’m a shy beautiful girl.」
「Maybe your family doesn’t have mirrors at home?」
「Even if I look in the mirror, all I see is a beautiful girl.」
「You’re not budging on that.」
It’s a joke, waah, Susami-san says, turning around.
「But what do you think, You-kun? About me.」
She follows up.
To be clear, she’s not a beautiful girl. Because she’s dust.
But if I say straight to her face, “You look like a monster”, I’ll be ostracized by society, so I have to think about this.
After looking up at the ceiling for a while,
「Kyoto dialect is nice, isn’t it?」
「Isn’t that dodging the question?」
She tilted her head cutely.
I mean, there’s nothing else to compliment but her voice.
I’m an average human, so I don’t have any compliments ready for the opposite sex. Let alone for monsters. So if I have to prepare a flawless compliment, for them, it’s only their “voice” I can praise.
「Well, it’s just a little “mean”, so it’s fine.」
Susami-san covers the lower half of her face with her hand to hide a smile that was about to escape her lips──whether she hides it or not makes no difference to me──and grips my hand tighter. The smooth sensation pierces my skin, reinforcing the understanding that she’s definitely not human.
And so we arrive at the staff room.
「Thank you for coming with me.」
「Travel is companionship, the world is compassion.」
「Then, shall we go in together?」
「I have to feed a cat that’s hungry at home.」
「It’s still lunch break, though.」
Koro koro.
The muffled throat sound that has become her trademark.
If I close my eyes, it feels like I’m spending time with an extraordinarily beautiful girl.
But when I open them, hell on earth spreads before me.
「It’s really fun talking with you, You-kun.」
「I see.」
「I’m not joking, you know?」
「I see.」
Meanie, she puffed her cheeks (or so I felt).
「Well then, see you.」
「Bye.」
Susami-san turns her back to me, flipping her pleated skirt, and with a confident stride, she walks into the staff room, as if her previous hesitation had never existed. Her words, spoken with clarity, were pleasant to the ear even through a door.
Being talkative and being suited to appear in front of people might not be related.
Still, I thought, the cheer club might be the right role for her.
That’s what I was thinking on my way back to my classroom.