Chapter 221: Yearning for the Smile I Saw That Day

Author's Preface
I still have to write the Tome of Truth... But there are so many side stories I want to write too... Damn it, it's already been two weeks!
I'll write them bit by bit.

(Rain... I wonder if it'll keep pouring until tomorrow.)

I thought as I watched the roaring rain through the window.
I knew from the forecast that a typhoon was approaching, and that a storm warning would be issued from tomorrow through the day after, meaning school would be canceled.
It wasn't exactly arrogance, but I was self-aware enough to know I excelled. However, that was one thing, and this was another. Because tomorrow and the day after were sudden days off, the mountain of assignments piled on by the teachers of every subject was more than enough to make even an honor student let out a depressed sigh.

And then there was this heavy rain and strong wind, practically the vanguard of the typhoon itself.
I was fine. I had already contacted them, so my ride would likely arrive if I waited about ten minutes. A perk of my family lineage. I couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of pity for my peers who had forgotten to anticipate this rain and had to walk home without an umbrella or a raincoat, but it was the mood of the heavens, so it couldn't be helped.

(Depressing... I guess. I'll just go home and clear out these assignments... Ah, I have practice too... I wonder if they'll let me take just today off.)

That request surely wouldn't be granted.
'Do not settle for the physical weakness inherent to a woman.' Following these words, which were practically a family motto, not just me, but my two older sisters as well had learned martial arts for self-defense. Skipping training just because of a rainy day would absolutely not be permitted.

(Yeah, this is... depressing.)

It seemed that even with my privileged lineage, I was perfectly capable of sharing the exact same depression as everyone else.
My thoughts were inevitably tilting in a negative direction. With a wry smile at myself, I headed toward the entrance to change out of my indoor shoes—a rarity in this modern age—and... suddenly, I noticed it.

"Nn, well, water won't get inside... I guess. My wallet and device are in my bag, and my clothes... well, Iwamaki-san will probably just laugh and forgive me, probably."

At the boundary between the pouring rain outside and the school building protecting the humans from it—right at the entrance—stood a single male student.
Judging by the uniform he was wearing, he was undoubtedly a student of the same school, and if my memory served me right, he was probably a classmate...

(Hi... No, Hizu, Tsutome... Wait, which 'Tsutome' was it again?)

At the very least, he was a classmate with a surname much rarer than Suzuki or Sato. I had forgotten whether the kanji was 'Tsutome' as in 'Diligence' or 'Duties,' but I was fairly certain his surname was "Hizutome."
Standing beside the boy, who was carefully stretching his legs while staring outside, was his school bag, shoved inside a clear plastic bag—probably given to him by the school—with the top tied tightly shut. Seeing that he himself had neither an umbrella nor a raincoat, it was easy to deduce that this 'Hizutome'-something had forgotten his rain gear.

(Out in this rain, that looks rough...)

Judging by his actions, it was obvious he was planning to sprint all the way home through this downpour without an umbrella or a raincoat. I had no idea where his house was, but it was practically a given that he'd be a soaked, dripping mess by the time he got back.
Going home like a drowned rat in this rain, and even if he made it back, a massive pile of assignments was waiting for him. I thought he was suffering a continuous string of disasters, but then.

"Alright! Let's go!!"

"...Eh?"

He was smiling.
Dashing out into the rain, getting pelted by a barrage of water drops like a shower. Carrying a bag packed with a massive number of assignments, even if it lacked physical weight inside that plastic bag. And despite all of that, he was running with a full-blown, ear-to-ear smile on his face.
Through the torrential rain, the fading yell of 'Hizutome'-something echoed as he ran off. Watching his retreating back, I pondered the question that bubbled up in my heart.

"Why did he look so happy... so full of joy...?"

That was our first encounter. He surely had no idea I was even watching his back.
Even after that, I saw him and his smile countless times. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... No matter how many troublesome assignments we had, even on the day he took a spectacular fall during P.E. and had to be taken care of in the infirmary.

"Alriiiiiight! I just got the email saying that finally arrived, time to grab it ASAP and pull an all-nighter right away...!"

Every single time, he headed home with a smile. Before I knew it, alongside the question of why he always went home smiling, I found myself wanting to know what exactly it was that made him smile like that.
That was why, one day, I decided to tail him. Through several investigations, I had mapped out his route home, and I wanted to know where he was making his detours. Strangely enough, the fact that what I was currently doing would generally be called 'stalking' had somehow completely slipped my mind.
And where I eventually ended up was a single game shop, likely independently owned.

"Rock Roll... Not Rock 'n' Roll, huh... Hya!?"

"Fufufufufu... Finally, I finally got my hands on Survival Gunman...!"

The manual door slid open, and he practically burst out of the store. Seeing the figure of the boy whose name I had once only vaguely remembered—Hizutome Rakuro—I instinctively hid around the corner.

"Nn? A cat...? Whatever, I safely secured the first-print bonus edition, time to haul ass home."

(Ah, he really does look like he's having so much fun.)

At school, he wasn't necessarily a bad student. He took his classes seriously, his grades were fine, and it wasn't like he was unsociable with his friends either.
However, he was wearing a smile that he never showed while at school.
Watching Hizutome run off like that from the shadow of the corner, I made up my mind and opened the door to the game shop "Rock Roll."

I never could have imagined at the time that the store owner would not only point out the true nature of the emotions I hadn't even realized I harbored, but also go so far as to become my accomplice.

"Summer vacation... is over, huh..."

Since that day of torrential rain, the same seasons had cycled by a few times. And now, even I understood.
The time for merely watching... the time of lying dormant, was over. Just as my accomplice had said, the time to "trigger the established flags" had arrived. Waking up on the first morning after summer vacation ended, Saiga Rei intuitively felt it.

"Ojou-sama, your car is ready."

"...No, I'm sorry. I think I'd like to walk to school today... Um, since summer vacation just ended, for a change of pace, you could say."

"I see... Understood."

Finishing breakfast, putting on my uniform, I stood in front of the mirror and meticulously checked my appearance, putting in a little extra effort.

"Alright, I'm heading out."

"Have a safe trip, Ojou-sama."

Even though I usually got picked up and dropped off by car, I still remembered the route. However, today, I was going to take a different path to school.
Because I had a feeling... a premonition.

Author's Afterword
Iwamaki Nose: Sensitively sniffs out the scent of romance!
Iwamaki Eyes: Sensitively spots anyone fidgeting over love!
Iwamaki Ears: The concept of selective hearing does not exist for me!
Iwamaki Mouth: My voice cannot be drowned out by selective hearing!
Iwamaki Skin: Sensitively feels the romantic aura drifting in the air!
Iwamaki Sixth Sense: You're in love, aren't you! Come on, admit it!