NTR Kousuke

Chapter 158

Chapter 158: The Three of the Letters

No conclusion could be reached.

Still, what's certain is that the people themselves probably aren't directly involved.

There's no way someone would say, "Be careful of yourself!" to themselves. Telling yourself to be cautious isn't normal.

It probably comes down to the distance between Airi-senpai, Nagase-san, Osada-san, and me.

In the extreme, unless I get closer to them, there's no reason for the letter sender to be provoked or for me to be careful.

...Unlike Satsuki or Yukari-san, there's nothing between me and those girls...

As for Osada-san, she's my friend's girlfriend, you know?

There's no point in worrying about it, and I don't know what the sender wants, but is their goal to shake me up?

I wonder if they want me to get closer or further away—no point in thinking about it!

I am curious, but worrying too much is exactly what they want!

That's the conclusion Tanaka-kun and I came to in our discussion.

Tanaka: "...I'll keep an eye on things around you, Kousuke-kun. If anything happens, I'll tell you right away, so just be a little more careful, okay?"

"Thanks."

After talking for a while, the two of us parted and Tanaka-kun went home.

Somehow, I couldn't focus on studying either, and I kept thinking about all sorts of things.

(Sho is amazing, right? He gets letters like this, laughs them off, and even gets attacked?

...Compared to that, maybe my life is pretty peaceful?)

*That's not really true.

...I might get attacked too?

Yeah, being close to the three of the letters? Getting envied? Seems likely!

...But Osada-san? Maybe not?

Hmm, there's no common denominator...

Thinking about all this, I ended up falling asleep early.

Even if I was troubled, once I slept, none of it mattered and I slept soundly until morning.

☆ ☆ ☆

The next morning, I met up with Tanaka-kun and we went to school as usual.

I slept more than usual, so I felt great.

After passing through the gate, Tanaka-kun seemed nervous.

Maybe I made Tanaka-kun worry by talking to him about this?

But since we're best friends, it was better to talk than keep it to myself and have him find out later.

"...I'm going to club after school, so starting today, everything's back to normal."

"Kousuke-kun, still, be a little careful."

We both checked in with serious faces and headed for the classroom.

I feel reassured being in the same class as Tanaka-kun this year.

I greeted Hiroshi and sat down at my seat.

Nagase: "Kousuke-kun? Are you feeling okay?"

As soon as I sat down, Nagase-san approached with a worried look and spoke to me.

Her expression and voice sounded concerned, and even her trademark ponytail seemed a bit droopy today.

I made an effort to sound cheerful,

"...Yeah, maybe it's just the change of seasons? I wasn't feeling great, but I'm fine now. Thanks."

Nagase-san narrowed her eyes and smiled,

"That's good! Yesterday you looked pale and kind of out of it? I was a little worried, you know? But it didn't seem bad enough for you to go home early, and by the time I thought about messaging you on LINE, it got late, so I didn't, and that made me worry even more! Anyway, I'm glad you're okay! See you later!"

Nagase-san gave a small wave at her chest and went back to her seat.

Even as we talked, I kept an eye on my surroundings, but nothing happened.

Because I was talking to Nagase-san, I felt the boys' gazes. The boys' stares are pretty strong. As expected, Nagase-san is popular.

...I didn't sense any malice or suspicious behavior from Nagase-san, just genuine concern for me.

I'm sure Tanaka-kun is watching the surroundings even more closely than I am—maybe I'll ask him again later.

Osada-san was, as always, chatting happily with Yuki-san.

From what I could see, nothing had changed.

I appreciate how Osada-san is such a strong-willed girl who cares about her boyfriend Ryo and tries not to give the wrong impression by not really interacting with boys.

Of course, I mean as a classmate—and as my friend's girlfriend. So I want to keep a proper distance with Osada-san.

So, whatever Osada-san's intentions may be, the letter sender's warning about her doesn't really matter to me.

(Well, it's not like I interact with Osada-san that much anyway.)

Just in case, I decided to check on her during break.

☆ ☆ ☆

Classes start today.

But since it's the first day, it's mostly the teachers introducing themselves and getting to know the students, with lots of talking and communication, and only about half the time actually opening the textbooks and just touching on the opening chapter before wrapping up.

Still, as you'd expect from teachers of the special advanced class, they've researched us pretty well, and you can feel their policy in the way they talk and teach.

I got the sense they wanted us to think for ourselves and draw our own conclusions in class. I heard some were recruited from prep schools, and their explanation style made sense.

Interesting.

So, the first day flew by with students and teachers just meeting and getting a feel for each other, and the morning was over in no time.

And then, lunch break.

I had lunch with Tanaka-kun and Hiroshi.

We added three more guys who aren't exactly outgoing and chatted a bit while eating.

Koji might join us later, but for now, it's better for him to get to know his own classmates.

After lunch, Hiroshi went to Koji, and Tanaka-kun headed to the film club.

Osada-san formed a small girls' group in class and ate lunch with them.

I waited for a good moment after they broke up and called out to Osada-san.

"Didn't the morning classes seem interesting?"

Osada-san gave me a look like, Oh, it's just Saito.

Osada: "Yeah. Doesn't the whole 'came from prep school' thing seem real?"

Yuki: "Yeah. The way they draw you into the conversation and control the students."

The teachers in charge of the special advanced class are the top ones for their subject at Hokusho High School. There's even a rumor that students' grades affect the teachers' pay, so the teachers are pretty intense. It's kind of weird!

That's the kind of conversation I had with Osada-san and Yuki-san.

Osada: "Saito-kun, I'm not going to lose to you in grades this year."

Yuki: "Ai-chan sees Saito-kun as a rival, you know? Twice now? When the test results go up, Saito-kun's name has been just above Ai-chan's, so she's really conscious of you."

Osada: "Hey, don't say stuff like that!"

"...That's an honor. But last time, I lost to you, Osada-san. Next time, I won't lose."

Ahaha! Yuki-san laughed happily, and Osada-san nodded with a small smile.

It's nice to have this kind of rivalry that's not tense.

...Oops, I almost forgot what I was supposed to be focusing on.

I didn't sense any nasty looks or suspicious vibes from these two.

...But, I didn't suspect Satsuki or Yukari-san until it happened either, so seeing through girls? I have no skill for that. My judgment can't be trusted.

Even so, I felt sure Osada-san had nothing to do with the letters, and I hoped she wasn't involved.

☆ ☆ ☆

After school, I set a time with Tanaka-kun to head home, then went to club activities.

"...Hey."

Captain: "Kousuke! I heard a rumor you got hospitalized for being too quiet? Are you okay?!"

"...I told you yesterday it was just because I was sick, right?"

The third-years teased me, my classmates like Koji teased me, and we started warm-ups.

...It's always a little embarrassing coming back the day after you were absent, right?

I could see Airi-senpai running over with a smile from afar.

When Airi-senpai got close, she tightened her expression, cleared her throat—hm! hm!—

Airi: "You're feeling better now? Don't push yourself, okay? ...You're going to be a senior from now on! You have to take care of your health! I was worried about you, you know?"

Even though Airi-senpai put on a serious face, when she started talking, her voice and expression were even kinder than usual as she worried about me.

...Maybe remembering everyone watching and her original attitude, she started giving me a senior's lecture partway through, but in the end, she just looked like a caring big sister.

All in all, Airi-senpai was even sweeter than usual and really looked out for my health.

The way she talked to me didn't change, and the gazes around us were the same as always.

From the boys' basketball club's side, Nagase-san from the girls' basketball club also seemed the same as ever.

When my eyes met Nagase-san's as I was looking at her,

Nagase: "...!"

She gave me a small wave with a smile.

...In the end, I don't understand anything.

Today, I talked to the three people whose names appeared in the letter, and whenever I spoke with them, I casually checked my surroundings, but I never felt any suspicious atmosphere, probing stares, or anyone watching us.

Well, those girls are pretty popular, so I did feel people's eyes on us when we talked. Especially when I talked with Nagase-san. But even that wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

Even if I worry too much, there's nothing I can do, so I guess I just have to live with it.

On the way home, I met up with Tanaka-kun, but he said he didn't notice anything different either.