Chapter 91

It had been four days since I last went to the cram school, and when I arrived, Chalapiyasu came running over.

"Kashouin-san, I'm sorry about the other day!"

Wow! What's this all of a sudden?!

Ignoring my instinctive step back, Chalapiyasu started his apology.

"Ever since then, you've been absent from the cram school, right? I felt really responsible... I'm really sorry!"

What's going on? What are you talking about?

And Chalapiyasu, your face looks so down, what's wrong?

"You left the classroom right away and didn't come back until just before the end. I thought maybe you were crying somewhere."

Huh?... Ah! Chakin-sushi! I haven't forgotten the grudge against Chakin-sushi yet!

"Ever since then, you've been absent, right? Did you not want to see me? Were you crying at home every day?"

Ah, right, I remember. I started fasting the day after the Chakin-sushi incident. It feels like a long time ago now. Ah, fasting was tough.

So, Chalapiyasu, you interpreted it as me being hurt and felt guilty for these three days. I see, I'm sorry for your trouble.

But I won't tell you the truth. You took my precious Chakin-sushi, so you should just keep feeling guilty. Hehehe.

The grudge against food is terrifying.

"I didn't expect you to be so shocked. But real ladies seem more delicate than us. You look thinner than before, Kashouin-san."

What?! What did he just say? Did he say I look thinner?!

...Chalapiyasu, I'll let you off this time!

"It's fine. I was just a bit unwell and took a break."

I gave him a bright smile and forgave him. Well, I'll let it go this time and wash it away with the fat.

"Really?! That's great. If you're still not feeling well, you should take it easy. Come, sit down."

I was about to sit at a different seat, but somehow I ended up being dragged into Chalapiyasu's group. Hmm, not bad.

"Kashouin-san, it's been a while. Sorry about the other day."

"That was really bad, eating your bento and all."

"Ladies are so sensitive. You even took a break over something like that."

The short-haired girl subtly threw in a jab.

"Kashouin-san, I heard you were unwell. If you're not feeling well, let us know."

"Thank you."

Chalapiyasu is being unusually attentive. Did he form an image of me as a delicate and sensitive lady? How sweet. While he was feeling guilty, I was eating shark's fin at a high-end Chinese restaurant, which I had taken from my father.

But did I really lose weight...? At the last medical check-up, I had indeed lost about 2 kilograms. But this will probably come back as soon as I eat.

Still, I'll try to maintain this slim figure. Thanks for the motivation, Chalapiyasu.

By the way, what was your name again, Chalapiyasu?

During lunch break, Chalapiyasu and the others went out to eat. I, as usual, had my bento. After eating my bento leisurely, I flipped through the cram school textbook. I plan to catch up with the missed lessons from Mr. Shinrin, but I'll do a bit of previewing too.

When Chalapiyasu returned from lunch, he handed me a bag from a coffee shop. Confused, I looked inside and found a panino with prosciutto and vegetables.

"This is to apologize for the other day. I hope you like it. It might not suit a lady like Kashouin-san, though."

What?! Thank you! I love this! So, you're not so bad, Chalapiyasu.

"Thank you. I'll enjoy it later."

I gave a big smile to the person who gave me the panino. Chalapiyasu looked happy too.

"Umejaku, lend me your electronic dictionary."

The short-haired girl called out to Chalapiyasu. Ah, right, Umejaku. Good, I remembered.

Chalapiyasu, now known as Umejaku, handed the electronic dictionary to the short-haired girl and was happily fiddling with his phone.

From then on, I started talking to Umejaku a bit more. Umejaku is overly protective. He asks if my bag is too heavy or if I'm okay in the heat.

Each time, the short-haired girl's eyes burn with jealousy. It's so obvious. Sometimes she even says things like, "It's nice, being pampered as a lady," which is very clear.

Their group is a mixed group of three boys and two girls. The other girl seems to be close to the brown-haired boy who sat next to me on the first day and doesn't seem to care about me as much as the short-haired girl.

One day, in the toilet, the short-haired girl said to me, "Kashouin-san, you really seem like a typical girl."

"I'm more boyish and straightforward, so I'm treated like a guy by the boys."

"Is that so?"

Self-proclaimed boyish and straightforward girls are often deeply jealous and resentful, which is common knowledge among girls.

I left the short-haired girl behind, finding it troublesome.

Umejaku still worries a lot, saying things like, "Be careful in the heat" and "Is your hair maintenance difficult?"

One day, I asked him why he was so worried, and Umejaku's eyes sparkled as he said, "Kashouin-san looks just like my beloved Beatrice!"

When I asked who Beatrice was, he showed me his phone's wallpaper.

It was a dog.

"See, isn't it cute? It's an American Cocker Spaniel. Its big, round eyes are so cute. And your hairstyle, Kashouin-san, looks just like my Beatrice. The first time I saw your hair from behind, I thought it was Beatrice. My Beatrice is a real angel."

Umejaku's beloved dog had long, wavy fur and a ribbon on its head.

Umejaku, without being asked, showed me one photo after another of his cute Beatrice. Beatrice running, rolling, sleeping. He enthusiastically explained how cute each one was.

Umejaku was a dog fanatic.

"Beatrice's fur is long and tangles easily. I brush her every day. How do you maintain your hair, Kashouin-san? It's hard to keep Beatrice's curls."

Umejaku, the dog fanatic, seemed to want advice from me as a fellow long-haired individual. Umejaku, I'm human.

"...You really love dogs, don't you, Umejaku?"

"Yeah, look at this!"

Umejaku proudly pointed to his silver earring. On closer inspection, it was a paw print.

He was a genuine dog fanatic.

"This is my favorite, but I also have a bone earring. Want to see? I can wear it next time."

He was a true dog fanatic.

"I'm not a dog, but I use a coarse brush recommended by the salon to prevent tangles."

"Ah, I use a special brush for Beatrice too."

"I'm not a dog, but I get a treatment at the salon at least once a month."

"Beatrice gets groomed once a month too!"

...Umejaku, please stop comparing me to a dog.

"American Cocker Spaniels tend to gain weight, so you have to be careful with exercise and diet."

We're not the same species!

When I got home, I received an invitation for tea from Mrs. Kaburagi.