This Kouhai Should Bother Someone Else

“Whyyy do I have to do this too, Makoto!? Hasegawa-sensei asked you! He made no mention of me, so why am I here?”

“Good observation Akimoto-san, you’re right, he didn’t ask you to. And neither did I. You’re the one who tagged along all on your own.”

Once again, the dynamic duo of myself and Akimoto were in the trenches of restocking books in the library. Once again, she was sitting with her knees to her chest in the book cart. Thankfully, by some miracle, she was being sorta useful. She had been handing me the correct books in accordance with the section we were in. Hold on, she’s paying attention? It looks like there’s not a single thought behind those eyes!

I brought the cart to a halt and extended a hand for any potential books. I had gotten into a rhythm of not paying attention to her and keeping my eyes on the shelves—simply extending a hand when I needed a book. Also because maybe I didn’t want to accidentally… get a glimpse of anything… I was focused on the shelves, okay?

“Akimoto-san, books.” I looked down at her and she had her face stuffed into a student-handbook. Where’d she even find that? “Hey, Akimoto-san!” I rattled the cart.

“Look here Makoto, apparently according to our school’s dress code, girls can still technically wear traditional Japanese garments.” She sat up on her knees and shoved a page in my face.

“What does that even mean?” I pushed the book back a bit.

“Before World War II, this used to be a girls only private junior high, I guess the times were just different back then. And it seems that regulation has just slipped the cracks throughout all the changes this school has gone through.”

“Incredible… Now can you hand me the books?”

“Why don’t you care at all!?”

“No I do, I do. Hand me that book though?”

“Haa—” She admitted defeat with a loud sigh and handed me two books by Haruki Murakami. “You know, you’d be a terrible boyfriend. You’d probably show like, no interest in your poor girlfriend.”

“You’re speaking as if I have or want one. And you’re right, why would I be interested in Kagoshima high school trivia?”

“That’s— Ahh! That’s not the point. The point is being interested in her interests… That’s somethin’ you gotta learn.”

“Right…”

***

I’m slightly concerned that Akimoto was foreshadowing some more of her unamusing antics… The previous day had passed uneventfully as usual, which was actually a good thing all things considered. My issue the next day was would Akimoto show up wearing some absurd outfit? Playing that game was a serious gamble, as she probably wouldn’t, but out of everyone at this school she’d be the most likely to.

I sat lazily resting my chin on a hand staring at the classroom’s door. As minutes passed more and more of the seats around me filled in… until there was one… What kind of shenanigans is that girl up to!?

I won’t overdramatize it, she really didn’t show up today. Did she just get sick? Was this some weird coincidence? I couldn’t take my mind off the fact that this was Akimoto—there’s no way this wasn’t related to her and some “traditional Japanese garments”.

As I departed the shoe lockers after classes ended I felt the hairs on my neck raise. Nothing about this day felt right… why should I assume I’ll be safe from—

“Kiyotaka-senpai~ Where’ya going?”

Gulp…

“Why’re you making that face? Are you afraid of women or something?”

That’s not a completely untrue statement… Isn’t that ironic though? Because aren’t most of my friends… girls? “I made that face because I felt all my free-time suddenly evaporate… What’d you want, Yoshika-san?”

“I’m just wondering what you’re up to. Can’t I say hi to my senpai?”

“You’re just looking for Takechi.”

“I’m looking for Takechi-senpai.” She folded under no pressure whatsoever.

I shook my head in disapproval and quickly accepted that she’d be walking with me for at least a little while. “You could’ve attempted to be a little more discreet about it.”

“Mmm~ I could’ve but we both knew what I wanted… Anyway, where are you off to? You’re usually in the clubroom, no?”

“Ah well, Akimoto-san and Fujioka are both busy today so there’s really no point in writing there.”

Yoshika looked at me with some mild surprise—what’d I say? “Huh, I guess I pegged you as someone who would spend all their time at their club regardless of others.” She brought up an interesting point, I was like that, but recently if neither of those two were there, it felt pointless. Not trying to sound depressing about it, just, why not write at home in a nice comfy chair? I was going to comment on this but Yoshika decided she had more to say. “Also, why do you still call Akimoto-sensei, Akimoto-san? She’s been calling you Makoto recently, right?”

“Well—”

“Not even chan, still san! What’s up with that?”

“The thing is—”

“Do you not like her!? Or is that you like her tooo much!? Hey come on, say something!”

I forget that Yoshika would take third place for most talkative girl at this high school, only overshadowed by the two people I interact with the most. It’s an impressive feat honestly, being so talkative that you give Yoshika Nao no opportunity to talk. Part of me wants to thank my clubmates. “Neither of those are the case. I uh— I’ve tried to call her by her given name before but I always… choke up when I try. I have no clue why.”

“Hm-hm-hm… I suppose It’s time for me to pass on the teachings of my great teacher.”

“Isn’t your teacher Akimoto-san?”

“That’s not important.” She glossed over my concern like it was nothing. “What is, is how you view Akimoto-sensei.”

“How I view her?” I repeated back.

“Yes. So I’m gonna go into this assuming it’s in some weird gross, “I’m just your friend but I might make a move and I think about you in the shower” type of way. Am I right?”

“What!? No it’s not all!” I can say with all my heart and other important organs that is NOT how I view her. Come on, it’s Akimoto… that Akimoto.
Eating.

Unhygienic.

Apathetic.

Eating.

And hungry.

Snap! Yoshika pulled me from my thoughts and back into our conversation. “Hey, focus.” She snapped two more times. “Come on, tell me. How do you see her?”

“Ah, well… A friend, I guess?”

Yoshika let her mouth hang open and her eyebrows sank. “Whaaaat— That’s so boring! You don’t like her?”