CH 23

“Hey, did you give the other cat to Kohinata by any chance?”

Monday, before morning HR.

Keiichi said this as he looked at my school bag, which was hooked up next to my desk. I was sure that what he was looking at was a key chain of a tortoiseshell cat.

I don’t usually put ornaments on my bag, so I think Keiichi would find it strange to have something attached to it.

I actually put it on and it made it easier for me to identify my bag, which is not a bad thing.

But Keiichi, if he had grinned at me at a time like this, I would have responded to him bluntly. …… Why do you look so impressed?

“Good Tomoki. A little while ago you couldn’t talk to girls properly, but now you even give them presents.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been watching …… somewhere?”

“Hnn? I saw you playing the crane game from the shadows, but I didn’t see you hand it over. But by the looks of it, you must have gotten the point, right? I saw you concentrating on the game, and Tomoki is not the type of person who wants this kind of thing.”

“Keiichi, maybe you’re a fan of mine.”

What if someone hears about it? What if they write a thin book or something! Do you think there’s a demand for it?

Keiichi laughed at my louder words and passed them off with a “hahaha”. I couldn’t help but sigh at his easygoing laugh, as if he didn’t think anything of it.

“Haa……. I’ll give you an excuse, I was going to give both of them to Kohinata. But she didn’t want two.”

It is not unusual for boys to wear key chains or straps, but for some reason I feel strange when I wear them.

When I commuted to school, I felt as if I was being looked at strangely by other students in my grade, not to mention those in the same grade who were rumored to be blackmailing me. I wish I could emulate Kohinata’s indifference.

“I see. So you put it on yourself because you didn’t want to throw away the remainder. But that’s the strange part. Tomoki is too shy to tell me that he and Kohinata want to have matching …… thing.”

“Shut up, There’s a lot going on over here, too.”

If I told Kohinata that the reason I am wearing it is because she told me to–Keiichi might misunderstand her feelings in a strange way. That would not be good for Kohinata.

Because I am sure that Kohinata’s feelings are not based on romantic love, but are more like those of a close friend or family member.

Perhaps because I had spoken in such a way as to break off the conversation, Keiichi did not elaborate further, but simply said, “Hmmm,” as he looked at me.

While I was thinking that it was about time for Kohinata to arrive, I was absentmindedly looking at my classmates who were arriving at school one after another, when a person who was noticeably smaller than the others entered the classroom.

Kohinata is being greeted by many men and women today with a “good morning,” and she is walking toward her seat.

In addition to the rabbit strap she had originally worn, the gray beckoning cat I had given her yesterday was also hanging from the school bag she was carrying on her shoulder.

Although I thought about what I would do if I was the only one wearing it…..it seems that it was an unnecessary worry.

I looked at Kohinata with relief and she looked at me. Then she passed her seat with her eyes fixed on me, and walked briskly toward us. Was it a morning greeting?

“Good morning, Kohinata.”

I say, followed by Keiichi, “Good morning,” to Kohinata. She nodded twice.

“Haha, I’m glad you liked it.”

Kohinata shook her head repeatedly in response to my words. I felt her momentum was stronger than usual.

Then she took a step forward and leaned forward. She seemed to be looking at my schoolbag.

“I’m wearing one too. See?”

I flicked my finger to show her the tortoiseshell cat, which was just in Kohinata’s blind spot.

Then she started poking the tortoiseshell cat on my bag with her finger, and also started bringing her own bag closer to the cat and sticking the cats to each other. I don’t know how she felt, but it was hard for me to answer if it was typical high school behavior.

After allowing the cats to communicate with each other for a while, Kohinata let out a satisfied breath through her nose as she watched me, Keiichi, and some of the classmates.

Then she glanced into my eyes, poked me on the shoulder with her index finger for some reason, and returned to her seat.

“………………”

“………………”

Both Keiichi and I were silent as we watched her small back walk away. No, we were frozen. It seemed quieter than usual in the classroom.

I don’t know what Keiichi was thinking, but I was desperately trying to figure out the meaning of the “shoulder pin” that Kohinata had given me when she left. Perhaps because my heart rate is rising, I can’t think about things very calmly.

I had to reset my mind.

I turned to my friend sitting next to me to talk about something else, but Keiichi was looking at me with a straight face. He looked more mysterious than ever, and I felt a mysterious pressure that prevented me from speaking.

Then Keiichi closed his eyes, nodded his head in an exultant manner, and blurted out

“You’re a couple who just started dating aren’t you?”

My cry of “No, we’re not!”, my voice echoing through the morning classroom.