Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

The corridor’s glass windows were painted with layers of oil painting-like colors from the setting sun’s afterglow. A dazzling halo enveloped the two figures in the hallway.

Taking advantage of the intense backlight, the Novelist carefully observed the girl beside him.

Itou Maho looked at him nervously.

“Is something wrong?”

“Say, Class Rep, your hair… has it gotten longer?”

He asked quite seriously.

“Eh…?”

Was that all he wanted to say?

“Y-yes, that’s right…”

The Class Rep’s fingers unconsciously played with the hair near her ears as she nodded blankly.

Itou Maho, who had originally kept her hair in an ear-length bob, had recently let it grow a bit longer. The girl’s hair now scattered naturally just before reaching her shoulders, creating a beautifully disheveled look. Compared to her previous neatly-arranged style, it appeared more playful and cute.

“But, it’s not really anything special…”

The Class Rep’s expression was confused. She clearly couldn’t understand the reason for the Novelist’s serious attitude.

Idiot, hairstyles are very important! When a character changes their initial hairstyle, it often signifies a major personality change or significant life event. Who changes their appearance for no reason at all!

—Well, if he said that out loud, even someone as good-natured as Class Rep might get angry. The Novelist cleared his throat lightly and moved on to a different topic.

“So, about Yayoi, what did you want to know, Class Rep?”

“…Will Ogiwara-san not be coming to school anymore? Will she continue to remain missing like before?”

Hmm, quite perceptive.

“Yayoi is still a student at Yuihara High School, so don’t worry about that. But she’s very busy, so she might not have many chances to attend classes. Yayoi has already notified the school. Today is an exception because she needed to communicate with the school administration about transferring her files and documents.”

Unlike himself, who had to ask Sachiyo for help to maintain minimum attendance, the school was actively making special accommodations for Yayoi. Ah well, privileges sure were convenient.

…

The Novelist and Class Rep, carrying thick files, moved through the spaces between glass and walls, as if walking through alternating black and white flashing frames.

At some point, they had arrived at the rarely-visited archives room. In the quiet corridor, only their footsteps echoed.

The clamor of students leaving after school and the passionate shouts of sports club members from the grounds seemed distant and ethereal, as if coming from far away, creating a peculiar sense of unreality.

“…I see.”

Stopping at the closed door, the Class Rep lowered her head.

From the Novelist’s angle, he could see her somewhat lonely and disappointed profile.

Hmm, should he comfort her?

As this trivial thought crossed his mind, he took the initiative to take the documents she was carrying.

“Let’s open the door.”

“Ah… r-right!”

The Class Rep fumbled with the key and opened the door.

“You can put them over there… ah! Please wait.”

Just as the girl pointed toward a direction inside and was about to walk that way, a phone ringtone sounded.

“…Excuse me.”

After gesturing to the Novelist, the Class Rep took out her phone with its plush charm.

“Yes, I’m at school… eh… that kind of thing, by myself… what? But, troubling others with this wouldn’t be good… ugh… ugh ugh… I got it already.”

On this end of the phone, the Class Rep showed an unusual reluctance. However, she finally gave a bitter smile and agreed to the other person’s request.

“Is something wrong?”

“…It was my good friend. She just asked me to buy some necessary items from the equipment store and deliver them to her house along with some pre-ordered equipment.”

The Class Rep sighed worriedly.

“But for me, it might be difficult. Taking a detour to her house isn’t the problem. However…”

“Class Rep, even with friends, you need to learn when to say no. Always agreeing to unreasonable requests will lead to an unequal and unbalanced relationship. The most important thing in relationships isn’t tolerance, but…”

Indulging others would ultimately only result in damaged friendships and emotions.

“It’s not like that.”

The Class Rep shook her head.

“Misao got injured during the recent city competition and is recovering at home. So she can’t go to the store herself.”

“…Can’t she ask someone else?”

“Misao isn’t very close with her classmates. As for the people she trains with…”

Rather than “friends” or “teammates,” they were more like “rivals.”

However, the Class Rep’s expression was somewhat strange while saying this. Thinking carefully, even as rivals, their relationship shouldn’t have been so poor that they wouldn’t maintain even surface-level cordiality. This might have had something to do with this Misao person’s own personality… perhaps she was someone difficult to deal with, like Yayoi.

“In a certain sense… Misao is a bit like Ogiwara-san.”

Really!

The Novelist couldn’t help but give the Class Rep a sympathetic look. No, perhaps it should have been called shared suffering.

“Don’t give me that look.”

The Class Rep placed the files in the glass cabinet, arranged them by category, and closed the cabinet door.

Besides them, the archives room was empty. Itou Maho’s hand rested on the door. She seemed to have made some kind of decision before slowly turning her head.

“Liang-kun…”

The girl’s gaze looked at him pleadingly.

‘Please’—

Though she didn’t say it out loud, the hopeful look in the Class Rep’s eyes revealed her inner thoughts.

At this point, he could certainly choose to say “Why not ask another boy to help you?” and go home to laze around; and given the Class Rep’s popularity, there was no worry about her finding other willing helpers. But…

“I got it.”

The Novelist nodded.

It was just a small favor.

Besides, compared to other girls, being asked for help by the Class Rep somehow made him subtly happy… not that he had any particular inclination in that direction.

“What exactly is it?”

“Rehabilitation equipment.”

“Isn’t that provided by the hospital?”

“I think it has something to do with being a professional athlete… actually, I don’t really understand it either.”

The Novelist and Class Rep chatted as they walked down the emergency stairway. Near the bulletin board by the entrance, they encountered Yayoi, who was preparing to leave, at the corner.

“…”