Chapter 27 – Temari's Lonely Toughness

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It was a Sunday when a message from Temari popped up on my phone.

“Hey, can you help me study?”

Seriously? She was already going to cram school or whatever, so why the hell was she asking me? She could just ask one of her teachers there.

That's what I thought, but of course I didn't actually say it.

Instead, we decided to meet up at the city library.

Well, it's Temari.

No reason for me to dress up or anything.

***

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“You're not late. Actually, you've been standing here waiting for me, haven't you? Don't act cool.”

“Hah, sometimes a man just feels the need to act cool.”

Truth was, I had been standing in front of the library for fifteen minutes already.

True to her personality, Temari—who always acted casual but was secretly very punctual—showed up five minutes before the promised time.

“Hmm…”

Now that I thought about it, this was probably the first time I had seen her face-to-face since the university acceptance results. Her bangs had grown out a little and she held them back with a pin. I stared at her for a bit.

“What… what is it?”

“Temari, did you… get fatter?”

Whack!

Her hand smacked my left shoulder with a sound like a goddamn mountain cracking. I reeled back in shock.

“You a*****e! Haven't you learned a thing about delicacy at university?”

“So you're not denying it.”

“Ugh… I… I can't help it, okay? I don't get much chance to exercise, and when I stay up late studying I end up snacking for energy.”

She muttered this with her head lowered, cheeks pink. That embarrassed little confession felt like watching someone forced into a public shaming.

Not that I cared. Fat or skinny, Temari was Temari. If she suddenly turned into Mahiro, now that would be a real problem. Childhood-friend swap—hell no.

“Well, whatever. Muscles fade fast if you ignore them, but fat sticks around to protect you even if you don't pay attention to it.”

“…You actually think that sounded clever?”

“Nope. I just read it in a manga recently.”

“So you do read manga.”

“At this point, there's not much point in grinding away at studying. I think I'm allowed to slack off a little.”

“Fine. If you find a good manga, let me know.”

“Sure, if you don't mind me telling you next year.”

“…I swear I'm going to hit you someday.”

Heh. Victory.

Feeling smug, I let my eyes wander over Temari's whole outfit.

She wore a black high-waist pleated skirt that came just above her knees, paired with a white blouse with a round collar and large black buttons as accents. It definitely wasn't just her everyday clothes, but it wasn't some over-the-top coordinated fashion statement either.

Probably the minimum effort of “I'm meeting someone, so I should look presentable.” Meanwhile, I was just in my usual casual clothes. My bad.

“Anyway, let's head inside.”

“Yeah.”

Time was limited, after all. We had to actually get today's task done.

***

“…By the way.”

“Hm?”

“Have you talked to Mahiro lately?”

After I finished solving a matrix problem in math, Temari suddenly said something weird.

“Not really… I mean, we bump into each other since she's the neighbor, but I don't go out of my way to have a long chat with her.”

“I see… She looks more polished these days.”

“Really?”

“More like… grown-up.”

“Hmm.”

Temari said it like there was some hidden meaning, but I honestly didn't get it. Well, now that she's in college, she can put on makeup confidently, and once she's out of her school uniform, I guess people might see her that way. Then again, in Mahiro's case, she already had that thing with Hashizume where she went, Don't take off my sailor uniform in front of him. Pussy Club Member No. 8, Clit-Eating S**t.

“She's gotten pretty enough that she'll probably get a boyfriend right away.”

“Think so? But she goes to a women's college, doesn't she?”

“T Joshi is super popular with guys.”

“True, I can't deny that.”

I nodded along halfheartedly, but I still had no clue where Temari was going with this.

“Man… maybe I should just get a boyfriend too.”

“Oh? So Temari wants a boyfriend, huh?”

Ah, so that's it. She's jealous that Mahiro is already living her college-girl dream life ahead of her.

But then Temari's expression stiffened, like she realized she'd said too much, and she scrambled to cover it up.

“…I mean, it wouldn't hurt if I had one. Still, I've gotta focus on studying for now.”

“Just because you're a ronin doesn't mean you can't have a boyfriend.”

“What about you, Yuuya? Met anyone good at your university?”

Now she turned it back on me. Why the hell?

“Well… there's one girl I get along with.”

“Oh, the one you mentioned before? What's she like?”

“She's kind of a caretaker type. Feels domestic. Sometimes she even makes me a lunchbox.”

“Nice, nice. Sounds promising.”

She leaned in, eyes sparkling more than when she was studying. What the hell, did she come to the library for gossip instead of books?

“Well, she makes lunchboxes for other people too, not just me.”

“So what? That just means it's first-come, first-served.”

“Hm… I guess you're right.”

Thanks to Temari, I started imagining it. If I confessed to Naegi-san right now, what were the odds it'd work out? No clue. But I sure as hell wanted to try.

“Hey, between Mahiro and that girl from college… which one do you like more?”

“…What?”

Her question made no sense. That's like comparing diamonds to my dick. Totally different categories. At least in terms of Mohs hardness.

“I told you before, I don't feel anything for Mahiro anymore. It's not like I want her to suffer or anything, though.”

“…”

“Besides, I'd rather be with someone who treats me as me, you know?”

“I get that. But people's opinions change. Like now—nobody calls you a scrawny weakling anymore when they look at you.”

“True. The only ones who still say that are me and you.”

“You even use it as a self-deprecating joke. Don't be dumb.”

“Shut up, idiot.”

“Hey, that insult pisses me off… Anyway, don't hate Mahiro too much. You could at least talk to her once in a while.”

“Your concern is noted.”

“What kind of answer is that… haah. Mahiro might have a rough time ahead.”

It's not me who hates her. She's the one who hates me. I had no clue what Temari was getting at.

Whatever.

Just shut up and study.

I'm not losing this one.