Chapter 9
TL: Akabane
***
After the shuttle run, the two people who had annoyed me so much collapsed at the place where I finished running.
They were the big fish in the athletic department, with a record of over 130 shuttle runs.
However, I didn't see much of their hard work because I was distracted by the conversation I had with the chairman.
Somehow I managed to get through the toughest PE class this year.
"Can either of you two lend me some antiperspirant?"
"Sure."
Unlike me, who was too stupid to remember to bring antiperspirant at a time like this, the two of them always had some due to their club activities.
I borrowed one from Yukito, whose brand I didn't recognize.
After we finished changing, the three of us went back to class.
Next, was our lunch hour, since there was no need to rush, so we took our time.
"Touma! Take this!"
"Wh-What is it!?"
I thought I heard a familiar voice from behind me, but then I was sprayed with something all over my body in rapid motion.
"Chairman, what are you doing!?"
"You were worried about your sweat, weren't you? So I've been kind enough to give you a big spray of my own antiperspirant!"
She sprayed me with something from some sort of cutely designed container.
It was normal, but an unfamiliar smell was already hitting my nose.
"I feel so wet, but...!"
"Hahaha! You'll be dry in no time! Then, goodbye!"
After that, the chairman left with her friend, who laughed amusedly.
"You've been marked."
"That's the worst thing you could say right now."
"But it doesn't smell like the antiperspirant we use... And it's really strong, man."
"No, the smell is so strong because the chairman gave me so much."
It did smell different, of course, but the amount was definitely too much.
Because my own nose smells it, so I'm pretty sure others will smell it too.
It was similar to the smell my sister used to have in the summer, but it was definitely a smell I wasn't used to.
It wasn't that I wasn't used to it, but it wasn't very pleasant.
In the end, I spent my lunch break with the smell never leaving my nose.
***
After school today, Rin-chan and I met at the same place as yesterday and decided to go home together.
It seems that something I said accidentally yesterday had shocked my sister, who didn't care about the details at all.
After that, the situation changed a bit, so I left all my responsibilities to Rin-chan, but how did it turn out?
"Thank you for waiting~"
"Yes, thank you for your hard work. Shall we go home now?"
"Yes."
I started pedaling my bike slowly.
"Did you talk to my sister yesterday?"
"Yes, I did. She asked me a lot of questions... Did you say anything to her?"
"No, I told her what happened yesterday and what I was going to do, and she was surprised."
"I understand, after all, I was too bold."
However, the exchange itself was not too troublesome, and she smiled happily.
"What happened to Onii-san!? She asked me a lot of questions."
"What did she say?"
"It was a private conversation for the girls. But she didn't say anything too strange."
"I see..."
I felt relieved for now.
Well, that girl would poke me in the morning if she had something on her mind, so I thought it was fine if she didn't do that.
"More importantly, Onii-san, there's something I want to ask you too."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Why do you smell like female antiperspirant?"
"Huh? Ah... this..."
"I know because I use antiperspirant that smells like that."
I should have told her in a normal way that a girl in my class sprayed it on me just for fun.
However, just when I was caught off guard that the smell had completely dissipated, I was startled and staggered.
At this moment, I stopped at a traffic light with a long waiting time.
"Onii-san, are you trying to be a neutral type of guy, like what's popular nowadays?"
"No, I can't do that because my face isn't handsome enough."
My skin isn't that white, and my face isn't even that cute.
"That's true. But still, why?"
"Right you say...? There's no real reason for this. My friend joked with me and sprayed me with a lot of spray. It wasn't too bad at first, but after it was sprayed on me, it smelled really bad. "
"Your friend is a girl, right?"
"Huh? Yes, she is."
"I see..."
For some reason, Rin-chan made a sound that seemed to indicate that she was displeased.
"Is she your best friend?"
"Hmmm. She's a friend of my friend, and one of my friends likes her, so it's hard to me to talk to her. I had a chance to talk to her for a few days, and that's how it started."
"I see..."
When I looked back to talk to Rin-chan like this, I realized that although she had a cheerful personality, but the chairman had cornered her.
"Do you care about that person, Onii-san?"
"Hmm. She is a very popular girl, but I'm not even sure if I'm interested in her or not. She seems to have high ideals, so I haven't given it much thought."
The level of that person was so high that I didn't even think about it at all.
With that in mind, I was a bit curious about what kind of person the chairman was dating back then.
That said, it was a taboo thing to ask, so I guess I'll never be able to find out.
"Are you curious about her?"
It was rare for Rin-chan to ask this much.
It seemed like, if she wasn't planning to join a club or something, maybe she wanted to have one of the female students older than her to rely on.
If it's the chairman, then she's too reliable, so if that's the case, then I'll be happy to introduce her.
"Not really! I'm just curious what Onii-san's relationship with that girl is."
"Why?"
I didn't expect her to ask such a question just out of worry, so I asked why.
"Please don't ask me that much."
However, after a short pause, she said in a slightly low tone.
Then she glanced at me, and Rin-chan's face turned slightly red.
"Sorry."
I don't know what I did wrong, but her expression made me realize that I should apologize.
"If, hypothetically, you know that person well, then I will forgive you... if you continue to treat me well."
As she said this, Rin-chan grabbed my sleeve.
Just like yesterday, this girl's movements were really sly.
Even if she was worried, I wouldn't give up on her.
The traffic light changed and we were able to continue our journey, but we were both stuck for a while.
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