Chapter 244 â Unexpected Help (3)
I was aware of Takizawa-kunâs existence. He had been a topic of conversation in our group (thanks to Nitta-san) and since he was especially close to Nakamura-san, I wouldnât be surprised if we were to meet soon. I didnât expect him to approach me first though.
âUh, hello⊠Nice to meet you too, vice-prez.â
âJust call me Takizawa, Maehara-senpai. Sure, I may be the vice-president, but Iâm still just a first year who has barely been in this school for six months.â
Takizawa-kun grinned.
I knew that he was a good looking guy when I first saw his picture on Nakamura-sanâs homescreen, but the real thing looked way better than the picture.
It was no surprise that Nitta-san would fall head over heels for him.
âUh, sorry to ask, but is there something you need me for? It seems like youâre looking for me instead of Umi, butâŠâ
âYes. Actually, the president told me to check up on everyone. Also, if youâre having trouble looking for a place to eat lunch, you could come over to the student council office.â
The student council office. Surely, if it was there, no one would disturb us.
âI see⊠But, is it okay for everyone to go there? I think inviting five people at once to eat there is a little too muchâŠâ
âOf course itâs okay, the room isnât reserved for the student council members or anything. The president and I would be using the room today, but everyone can enter whenever as long as you ask.â
If he said so then we didnât need to hold back.
âStudent council room, ugh. I only have bad memories there because of my sister⊠Well, I donât mind going there I guessâŠâ
âI donât mind either. I will never turn down your suggestion, Takizawa-kun!â
âMe too. Itâll be my first time eating my lunch inside the student council room! Iâm looking forward to it!â
Nozomu, Nitta-san and Amami-san all said that they didnât mind.
âIâll follow you wherever you go, Maki.â
And Umi obviously wouldnât mind. With that, it was decided that weâd be going to the student council room.
Since weâll be intruding on them, it was inevitable that Nakamura-san and Takizawa-kun would be able to hear about what we were talking about, but honestly, I didnât mind it that much. Besides, the AC in the room should be working properly, that was a fair exchange.
âSenpai, I brought Maehara-san.â
âGood job, my dear kouhai. Thank you for your hard work. Alright you all, sit down and have some tea if you may.â
When Takizawa-kun led us inside, Nakamura-san greeted us. It seemed like both of them were also about to eat their lunches since they had them spread around the table.
âUh, thank you, Nakamura-san⊠Also, sorry, weâ no, I mean, it was mostly my fault that I ended up intruding on you like thisâŠâ
âHehe, donât mind it. Asanagi-chan has been helping me lately and youâre my friend, so this much is nothing. Also, though it isnât what I intended, the rumor helped us hide our relationship for the time being, right, my dear kouhai?â
ââŠAhaha, donât mind her, Maehara-senpai. She said all that, but she really was trying to help you. She is really kind, after all.â
âDonât worry, I know what kind of person Nakamura-san is.â
She went out of her way to invite us here even though that would reduce her time together with Takizawa-san. Though, one could say that she was trying to make up for the time when she took my time together with Umi.
âStill, you really went through a lot of trouble, senpai. The sports festival is about to start and you have to deal with people spreading bad rumors about you⊠It really sucks, I understand that feeling.â
âYou seem to have gone through your fair share of trouble, Takizawa-kun.â
âThat I did. Well, itâs all over now and Iâm here living my school life happily with my senpai. Back when she graduated, I had no one else to talk to since she cut all contact with me, it was quite the struggleâŠâ
Then Takizawa-kun proceeded to tell me about himself. About how he started to have a difficult time dealing with girls as he got older and taller.
The girls around him who were into him would deliberately spread rumors that he went out with them to make sure that other girls wouldnât dare to involve themselves with him. After hearing that, it felt like he went through a lot more trouble than us.
It was amazing that he didnât grow to be a gynophobe because of it. I guess it was thanks to Nakamura-san who always stood by his side whenever he needed her.
Nakamura-san normally looked aloof and it was hard to tell what she was thinking. But, if troubles were to appear, she would show her strength to handle them, both mentally and physically. In other words, she was a dependable person.
As a senpai and as a girlfriend, she was the perfect person for Takizawa-kun.
I genuinely thought that they made a perfect couple.
âIn any case, feel free to use the room whenever you like, just notify us. Also, whenever I see any of you senpais, Iâll do my best to actively talk with you all.â
âEh, really?! Youâll talk with me too? Alright, letâs exchange numbers! We can start as friendsâ Ouch!â
ââŠCalm down, Nina.â
âYou canât do that Ninacchi, jeez!â
Amami-san and Umi dragged Nitta-san away from Takizawa-kun. She seemed to have forgotten that his girlfriend was right in front of her.
I wanted to believe that this was one of her usual jokes again, but⊠Yeah, no, she was serious about this, wasnât she?
Nakamura-san was only watching the situation with a smile, but I had a feeling that she was ready for war if the situation called for it.
I should take a mental note to not make enemies out of a smart and beautiful girl like her and Umi.
âGive me your number, Takizawa-kun. Also, can you tell me if my sister has any weakness I can exploit?â
âYour sister is the former student council president, Tomoo-senpai, right? She still visits here occasionally. Iâll try to help you whenever I can, senpai, but donât count on itâŠâ
âAh, thatâs unfair, Seki! Cutting in line like that! Takizawa-kun, give me your number too!â
âYes, please take care of me, Nitta-senpai.â
Thus a new contact was added to my list, Takizawa-kun.
It had been a while since I got to know another guy, the fact that he was a year younger than me was a bonus.
Honestly, it was the first time in my life that I had ever been called âsenpaiâ by anyone. I felt moved.
I hope that my relationship with him would grow deep enough that we could one day refer to each other as friends.
In any case, we gained a reliable ally in him.
TL: Iyo
ED: MaltedBarley