Chapter 1
A few days later
Heeey, Sakura-kuuun? You okay there?
…… (waving his hands around)
Good to see you’ve got enough energy to respond, I guess. You’ve seriously been on low battery mode lately.
You didn’t come back to the room at all that one time you stayed over, and for the last few days you’ve been coming home way late. So what’s up, you busy with work or something?
Nope. Not work.
We’ve been havin’ a rough time getting ready for the ES Halloween… Well, it’s all my fault because I can’t get my act together.
(Just like we thought, I think I’ve gotten used to it the more and more I get scared. But now my mind’s all burnt out.)
The ES Halloween? Oh, so you’re tired from practice for the event and stuff.
…Yeah, something like that. It’s training more than it’s practice.
Huh?
Nah, don’t worry about it. It’s nothing, just some thing we’re doing.
Hm. So then Crazy:B’s gonna be in the ES Halloween?
Looks like this thing is gonna be huge, so we’re pretty excited too. At least for us, Ibara’s over the moon about it.
It’s a seasonal event, right? So I guess he would be all fired up. It’s the best time to rake in the cash.
You know it. Ohii-san and Nagi-senpai are both really looking forward to the costumes, too.
Urgh… the costumes…
Uh? What’s the matter?
No, it’s umm? It’s nothing.
Huh, but it’s surprising. I didn’t think your unit was so friendly.
Huh? Friendly? What’s that supposed to mean?
Oh no, it’s just the impression I got, so please don’t take offense…
But I always thought Crazy:B was a unit of guys who went at things their own way, on their own time.
So to hear they were nice enough to band together with so much enthusiasm just to help you practice when you’re not doing too hot… I dunno, it was a bit unexpected.
But I’m glad. Since you’re the youngest one in Crazy:B, it’s good you’ve got some people who’ll take good care of you.
Like, lemme put it this way. There aren’t a lot of older students at Reimei, right? It’s ‘cause that place is the pinnacle of dog-eat-dog.
……
Hm? What’s up? You look surprised.
Nah, it’s just that I never thought about it like that before.
But I guess you’re right. I always thought Rinne-han was just messin’ around.
Ahaha, it’s hard to realize it when you’re the one going through it.
Ohii-san’s a really “my way or the highway” kinda guy. He’s selfish and seriously Spartan about things, but he actually takes good care of me. It’s not something you’d expect.
And it’s the same thing in your case, right?
In my case…?
I’m always thinking, if I’d just made one small misstep, I could be all alone right now.
But instead, I’m blessed with people like that around me now… And I can never forget to be grateful for those people in my life.
……
‘Course, if I told Ohii-san that, he’d get carried away with it immediately.
Aha, what’s up with that? What’s the point if you don’t tell them? I’m surrounded on all sides by such dishonest people.
(…Well, not like I’m not one of them.)