"Of course not."
"Then why?"
Tsushima Kagami asked curiously.
Then something else suddenly occurred to him, and before Sayuri could answer, he went on.
"It couldn't be that they found out you draw manga, could it?"
Sayuri's face was the very picture of so-you've-finally-guessed-it.
Then she said with a wounded look,
"I only told a friend about it to begin with."
"I never thought that friend would go and tell someone else."
"And in the end it got out all over the class."
"And then for no reason my reputation took a nosedive."
"That friend stopped associating with me too."
Geez, how is this old cabinet still not broken!?
So she got backstabbed by her best buddy, huh.
"You really pick your friends poorly, Sayuri."
"So is that why nobody will pair up with you tomorrow?"
Sayuri nodded, then shook her head.
"The teacher forced me into a group."
"But they've got their own little clique and they don't even talk to me."
Tsushima Kagami looked at Sayuri's rather pitiful state.
He reached out a hand.
Sayuri obligingly leaned her head over too.
And then Tsushima Kagami reached into the handbag beside him and pulled out a fresh new worksheet.
"Here—turn your grief into motivation."
"A wonderful university life is still waiting for you!"
"Enough!"
Sayuri shot to her feet.
"Can't Kagami just give me a single day off."
"Or comfort me a little?"
"Aren't I comforting you right now, together with these worksheets?"
"Come on."
"Sink into the ocean of worksheets and you'll forget all your worries."
"Finish this worksheet in half an hour, okay."
Tsushima Kagami glanced at his watch, then said to Sayuri.
Sayuri stood there working herself up for a moment, feeling like the tears were about to come.
Tsushima Kagami laughed too.
"Crying counts toward the time!"
"If you don't finish it, next time I won't be the one supervising you."
"I'll have Akane-senpai and Sonoko-senpai supervise you!"
"You're way too mean!"
Sayuri hurriedly pulled her tears back in.
Then she sat down, picked up her pen, and got to work in earnest.
Tsushima Kagami looked at Sayuri and laughed.
"Sayuri, how did you end up doing so badly for yourself?"
"Just look at Akane-senpai and Sonoko-senpai."
"They draw manga too, and it seems their whole class knows about it."
"Yet the senpai handle their relationships with total ease."
"As if I could compare to the senpai."
Sayuri said while working on her worksheet.
"Akane-senpai's from a prestigious family, that goes without saying."
"Under that deceptively innocent appearance, plenty of people are happy to flock around her."
"And even Sonoko-senpai's family has its own business."
"Sure enough, with money and power, everyone's dying to curry favor."
"As if anyone would talk behind their backs."
"And taking ten thousand steps back, the two of them were already on good terms to begin with."
"Even if they got isolated, the two of them could still have fun together just fine."
"Not like me, all on my own."
Hearing Sayuri put it that way.
Tsushima Kagami thought of Shizuku—though thankfully Shizuku and Koharu were in the same class.
The two of them were on pretty good terms now, so even if there were no new friends in her class, it would be just like Sayuri said: at worst they could still pair up as a duo, and wouldn't end up isolated.
Thinking about it that way, Sayuri being all alone really was pretty miserable.
"Still, don't badmouth the senpai like that."
"The two of them usually keep you company too, don't they."
"It's easy to see that you're the one who's their true friend."
"After all, I've never seen the two senpai get close with anyone other than you, normally."
"I know that."
Sayuri lifted her head and smiled faintly.
"I'm just complaining a little."
"Is that so. I'll faithfully relay your complaints to Akane-senpai, then."
"No, no, don't!"
"In that case, let's knock out the English worksheet today too."
Tsushima Kagami pulled out another worksheet he'd prepared.
The moment Sayuri saw it, she lost all will even to protest.
The light went right out of her eyes.
And just like that, numbly, she took the worksheet Tsushima Kagami handed over.
"Okay."
Tsushima Kagami smiled and went on.
"After all, we're not in the same class, so there's nothing I can do about it."
"Otherwise, come find me during the free-activity time tomorrow."
"Wait, who are you grouped with?"
"Nayotake and Seika."
"Yay, yay!"
"Then I'll come find you guys during the free-activity time!"
After keeping Sayuri company until she'd finished and corrected the extra worksheets, Tsushima Kagami finally walked her to the entrance gate of Shinjuku Station.
The November sun had already set early.
Just past six in the evening, the sky had already gone dark.
Tsushima Kagami hurried back to the apartment as well.
When he opened the door, he saw that Yukinoshita Shizuku, already home, had pulled out every single one of her clothes.
Piece by piece, she'd hung them over the sofa, the chairs, and the drying rack.
"What are you doing here?"
Tsushima Kagami asked directly.
"Picking out the change of clothes for tomorrow."
"Oh right, I pulled out yours too."
Tsushima Kagami nodded.
Anything's fine by me, as long as it's not cold.
Tsushima Kagami sat down to the side and poured himself a glass of water.
He watched as Yukinoshita Shizuku, while picking out clothes, also dashed off to dig out her Polaroid camera and DV camcorder and stuff them into the suitcase.
It was plain to see she seemed quite excited about this school trip.
"So you're grouped with Koharu?"
"Yes, and a few other girls too."
"I'm surprised you actually have friends besides Koharu."
Tsushima Kagami said in astonishment.
"It's nothing much. At the last culture festival, a few girls in class were interested in the band, too."
"So they chatted a bit with me and Koharu, and after that we'd talk now and then."
"All right then."
"Hurry up and tidy up, we're going to Kinue-neesan's place for dinner."
"It's not too late to tidy up after we get back later."
"Okay."
Yukinoshita Shizuku answered, then turned around holding two pairs of shoes and looked toward Tsushima Kagami.
"Which pair is better?"
Tsushima Kagami looked—one was a pair of little leather shoes, the other a pair of canvas shoes.
"Go with the sneakers."
"After all, you'll be running around all over the place."
Yukinoshita Shizuku nodded.
Then she ran off to find her sneakers.
The night passed without incident.
When the next morning came and it was finally time to set out.
Tsukuyomi Komoe and Douraku Utage had both gotten up early and were waiting downstairs.
Meanwhile, Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku were saying their goodbyes to Hayase Kinue.
"I'll be troubling you with Yukino these next few days, Kinue-neesan."
Yukinoshita Shizuku said with a slight bow.
"Ara, don't you worry."
"I'll take good care of her."
Said Hayase Kinue.
Then she hung water bottles around Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku.
"Is everything ready?"
"Ara, these are the snacks I made this morning."
"Take them along and share them with your friends once you arrive."
"Be sure to get along well with everyone, okay~"
Hayase Kinue was just like a mother fretting over a child still in elementary school about to set off on a long journey.
"Don't worry, I'll bring you back a souvenir, Kinue-neesan."
Tsushima Kagami said with a smile too.
"My, they're not elementary schoolers anymore."
"Kinue, you're making far too much of a fuss."
Douraku Utage, off to the side, had grown impatient with waiting.
Tsukuyomi Komoe checked her watch too.
"All right now, we need to hurry to the school to gather."
"Fine, fine—be careful on the way, then."
Hayase Kinue finally let go of Tsushima Kagami and Yukinoshita Shizuku's hands.
Waving her handkerchief, she watched the two of them get into Tsukuyomi Komoe and Douraku Utage's car.
Until the car started up, slowly pulled out of the yard, and vanished around the corner.
____
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