Chapter 552

Clack! Rattle, rattle!

“These little bastards...”

The gym teacher roared, rattling the firmly locked Rooftop doorknob.

Bang, bang, bang!

He pounded on the door fiercely, but there was no way the delinquents would open it when they wanted to keep their secret circle activities hidden from a teacher.

Unable to simply smash school property, the gym teacher huffed, forcing his anger down until the security guard arrived with a spare key.

Meanwhile, Miyuki's heart was burning to ash with anxiety.

She was terrified of what might be happening to Matsuda.

‘Hurry...!’

Stamping her feet, Miyuki internally urged the gym teacher on.

Clang! Clang!

A Student Council member had brought a crowbar, and when the teacher started smashing the doorknob with it instead of using it as a lever, she silently cheered him on.

“U-Um... sir.”

“Huh?”

“Why are you using the crowbar like a hammer...?”

Clang!

“This opens it faster than using it as a lever.”

“I-I see...”

The gym teacher, who had been quite gentle toward the bewildered Student Council member as he pushed up his glasses, flew into a violent rage the moment the door swung open.

“You little shits! What are you doing right now?!”

Following him onto the Rooftop, Miyuki saw an exhausted, panting Samoyama. Before him stood an apathetic-looking Matsuda, who glanced back at the gym teacher, while a few other delinquents stood around awkwardly.

‘Thank god...!’

He wasn't hurt.

Judging by the exhausted Samoyama, it seemed Matsuda had dodged all of his punches.

The person throwing the punches usually wore out faster. She had read that on the internet. She thought she had seen it in a drama once, too.

“You lot... You're those Superi guys or whatever, aren't you? I see a few familiar faces. You're Samoyama Akiro... I asked what you're doing here.”

The one who answered the gym teacher—who was breathing heavily through flared nostrils, swallowing his rage—was none other than Matsuda.

“Senior Samoyama hit me.”

At that, Samoyama jumped up in indignation.

“H-Hit...? I hit you? Hey...! Did you even get hit?”

“You tried to hit him, but Matsuda-kun dodged it...!”

Miyuki boldly retorted.

“What the...? What kind of...”

Furious, Samoyama poked his head around to find the owner of the voice.

At that moment, Matsuda smoothly stepped sideways, shielding Miyuki from Samoyama's view with his own body.

“You hit me in the head, didn't you?”

“What, you bastard? When did I?”

“Earlier.”

“T-This guy is completely crazy...”

Just as Samoyama whipped his head around in disbelief, his filthy lips twitching to speak, the gym teacher tossed his crowbar onto the floor.

The Rooftop fell dead silent the moment the metallic clatter rang out.

The gym teacher, whose vein-bulging arms were one and a half times as thick as Matsuda's, pointed a finger to beckon him over and asked a question.

“Why did you get hit?”

“I don't know the reason myself.”

“You're not involved with them?”

“Uh... yes. I'm not.”

“What was that hesitation just now?”

“I was feeling out of it. I got hit in the head, so I wasn't thinking straight...”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“You can go. Head to the Nurse's Office first.”

“Understood.”

Matsuda left the Rooftop and headed down the stairs without even glancing at Miyuki.

Knowing full well that this act was to protect her from Samoyama, Miyuki excused herself to the Student Council senior and hurried after Matsuda.

Even earlier, Matsuda had shielded her from Samoyama's view.

It was undoubtedly because he was worried she might get involved in this mess.

Consideration hiding beneath an apathetic attitude.

It was enough to drive someone crazy.

“Matsuda-kun, let's go together.”

At Miyuki's call as she hurried after him, he stopped and looked around.

He shook his head, frowning as if to scold her, but then looked bewildered when he saw her complexion.

“Hey, are you sick or something?”

“Huh?”

“I asked if you're sick. Your face is a little flushed.”

“Ah... really?”

Her temperature must have risen without her realizing it from having lewd thoughts while staring at Matsuda's broad, dependable back.

“I'm not sick...”

“Is that so? Never mind then... You're the one who called the teacher just now, right?”

“Not ‘the teacher,’ ‘sir’.”

“You're the one who called ‘sir,’ right?”

“That's right. I couldn't just stand by and watch. But Watanabe isn't around?”

“I sent him away on purpose. Anyway, do you really have no fear? Stepping forward like that earlier...”

“Should I be scared?”

“No. It's very you, but this time it's a little...”

“Why?”

“It could have ended quietly, but now things are going to blow up.”

“Oh, really? In what way? Do you think that person named Samoyama will retaliate? Or will the circle target you? If so, I'll go and...”

As Miyuki ran her mouth off rapidly, driven by worry, Matsuda chuckled.

It was a smile full of mockery, yet laced with a subtle warmth... that kind of smile.

Seeing that expression—the one the old Matsuda used to make—Miyuki snapped her mouth shut. His grin widened, baring his teeth as he spoke.

“I'll take care of it, so stop worrying about it from now on.”

“But... I'm the class rep...”

“Don't stick your nose into everything just because you're the class rep. Stick to looking after the kids in our class.”

“Matsuda-kun is a kid in our class too, isn't he?”

“And stop talking back to me at every turn.”

Whenever he ran out of things to say, Matsuda would stubbornly demand she stop talking back.

He was doing it now, too. It was such a perfectly satisfying sight that she was thrilled to see the old Matsuda again.

“I'm going.”

Miyuki's face grew even redder as she felt the sweet atmosphere with Matsuda for the first time in a while, but Matsuda didn't see her flushed face because he was already walking into the classroom.

After school, Miyuki went to the Student Council Room and submitted her application.

Having tried to make a good impression by eagerly pushing to join outside the recruitment period, she bowed politely to the Student Council officers and then sprinted down the hallway to find Matsuda.

Fortunately, Matsuda was still in the classroom.

The only flaw was that the unpleasant presence known as Watanabe was with him.

‘What the hell...’

She remembered they hadn't hung around together quite this much before...

With things constantly going awry, she was slowly growing anxious.

“Are you going to do that today?”

To Watanabe's question, which he asked while sitting with his filthy ass on a desk, Matsuda replied in an indifferent voice.

“Yeah.”

“You'll get sick of it in three or four days anyway, so why go?”

“Who knows? Maybe I won't get sick of it this time?”

Their conversation felt far too suggestive.

It felt like, if there was a subject, it would be a girl.

Of course, she knew Matsuda wouldn't spare a glance for anyone other than Inoo-sunbae, Senior Nanase, and Asahina, but she was going crazy with curiosity.

Miyuki, who had been about to kick Watanabe out immediately, changed her mind and decided to listen in on their conversation a bit more.

“I guarantee there's no way.”

“If you're going to spout bullshit, get lost.”

“That's harsh.”

“Stop acting cute before I beat you up.”

“Should I go with you? Don't you think I'd look cool playing the bass or something?”

So they were talking about instruments.

Seeing that the bass was mentioned, was Matsuda interested in the guitar or drums?

Come to think of it, the old Matsuda had seemed slightly interested in that area, too.

It had just been passing curiosity, but it seemed to have grown somewhat as the flow of events changed drastically.

She was glad he had a healthy hobby.

At the same time, she was embarrassed. Thinking back, she could have known right away that they weren't talking about women, but her mind was in the gutter and she had let wicked thoughts take over.

She needed Matsuda as an outlet, but given their current situation, that day felt impossibly far away.

But if she had known it would turn out like this, she wouldn't have submitted an application to the Student Council...

How great would it have been if she had steered Matsuda toward the band club and joined it herself.

Suddenly, she regretted it immensely.

It would have been fine if she'd had just a little more patience, but she kept acting hastily and ruining things.

Should she give up on putting Matsuda on the Disciplinary Committee, and just handle the circle business before dropping out of the Student Council, claiming it wasn't a good fit?

She felt sorry for the Student Council, but the most important thing to her right now was her life with Matsuda...

‘This is driving me crazy...’

Regardless, right now she had to kick Watanabe Takashi out.

For the sake of her conversation with Matsuda.

“Watanabe Takashi. Don't sit on the desk.”

Miyuki warned with her hands on her hips.

At this, Watanabe, who hadn't even been paying attention to Miyuki, turned to look at her.

“What... It's Hanazawa?”

“I'm not the least bit thankful you remembered my name.”

“Why so aggressive? Did I do something wrong?”

“Sitting on the desk is wrong. That's where students rest their hands and study.”

“It's not like I'm sitting on someone else's desk, what the... What are you going to do if I don't get down? Tattle to your precious boy? Or the boomer teachers?”

The ‘precious boy’ Watanabe Takashi meant was probably Tetsuya.

It seemed Matsuda had caught his abrasive early-semester attitude from Watanabe Takashi.

“If you're going to be like that, I'll...”

Miyuki crumpled her brow and was about to say something.

“Gah?!”

Matsuda hooked one of Watanabe's dangling legs and yanked it upward.

Watanabe lurched backward, nearly toppling over, and barely managed to catch his balance by grabbing the edge of the desk.

“Are you crazy...? I almost fell and died!”

“Your skull's thick enough that you wouldn't die from a little fall.”

“What's with the sudden joke?”

“Get down.”

“You didn't say a word until just now, so why are you throwing a fit?”

“It's getting hard to bear the smell.”

“What smell?”

“The sour stench coming from your body.”

“Crazy bastard. You reek worse than I do.”

What a joke. Matsuda's body only ever smelled fragrant.

She knew that better than anyone. So she wished he wouldn't pick pointless fights.

Miyuki swallowed those words down tight. She looked ready to cry when Watanabe Takashi provoked Matsuda again, and Matsuda chased him right out of the classroom.

She had tried to send Watanabe away because she wanted to talk to Matsuda, but instead, both of them left.

Once again, things went the exact opposite of how she wanted.

What an exhausting day. She decided she would just have to be satisfied with messaging Matsuda on LINE once she got home.