Hiding problem

“The president called me, so I better hurry.” Koshiro quickly grabbed his things and darted out of the club room, he went down the stairs and made his way to the third floor and then to the student council room, where he knocked on the door.

“What are you waiting for? COME IN ALREADY.” 

“O-Of course!” Koshiro shouted and then quickly slid the door to enter the room: “E-Excuse me!”

“Oh, Koike-kun! YOU CAME EARLIER THAN USUAL did you dart out of your club room or something?” Aika Murakami tried to smile.

“Oh! No no no, It’s just your impression! I came at the same speed as always!” he looked at the second-year girl who was starting to frown (with puzzlement, but he didn’t know that), “B-But it’s not like I didn’t want to come fast to see you, you see I was really looking forward to it as well, I was just saying that I always come fast because I value our time here and today was no different than that ma’am!”

“Hmm… okay…” Murakami straightened her glasses and pointed at a vacant seat in the room: “Please, take a seat.”

“Yes!” the boy quickly settled in the seat and glanced at the room: “Huh?” the president was there as always. So was the tea and Kuma-chan, but something was missing… better, someone: “Where is Sawada?”

“HUH?”

“Nothing! Nothing…” Koshiro forced a smile and then looked to the ground to notice something odd: “Hmm…” the desk that was usually leaning against the wall was now various centimeters away from it.

“Anyway…” Murakami cleaned her throat, “What is today’s report, Koike-kun?”

“Hmm…” Koshiro kept glancing at the desk from time to time, “Today… I followed Yasutake… I mean, I and Sawada did…”

“Uhum, uhum, what more?”

“Well… for some reason she was hanging with Shimizu-san today, they spent the entire day together… actually Shimizu-san sat in my place today at class, so she was pretty close to Hirata…” Koshiro started to remember the day; “Yes, I believe this was because Takayama didn’t come today…”

“Okay! Okay! Talk more about what Shimizu did today then.” Murakami was on the edge of her seat, “She might be a real nuisance after all…”

“Yeah, I told you.” Koshiro thought (but he wouldn’t dare to say it aloud), “So she spent the classes with Yasutake and Hirata, although it was more with Yasutake... “ he held his chin, “...and they were the ones to do the centipede today.”

“Prrrrrru, aaarghu” Murakami spitted the tea she was drinking and almost choked with it, “They were the ones doing the centipede today??!”

“Hmm… yes.”

“Oh no!” Murakami stood up and smacked her head, “This is bad, this is so, so bad!” she started to panic.

“Hmm… president…?” Koshiro called her with caution.

“What?” Murakami stopped and looked at him.

“If you let me ask.” Koshiro gulped and started, “But how is this that bad?”

“WHAT?!” she stared at him with “fierce” eyes, “HOW DON’T YOU KNOW?”

“And you of all people! The one considered to be a pervert amongst the students!” a muffled voice came from behind Murakami, but she looked at Kuma-chan:

“Well, if he doesn’t know it can’t be helped, Kuma-chan.” the president of the student council sat on her seat again: “Don’t be so harsh on Koike-kun.”

“Eeh…” “Does she actually think that Kuma-chan was the one to say this? Besides, did the president just defend me or something like that? Am I going crazy?”

“Anyway.” Murakami continued, “Everybody knows that doing the ‘centipede’ is one of the most vulgar and sexual things one can do!”

“Maybe you’re mistaking the centipede there, president.” “You know that when I say ‘centipede’ it means that they were forming a line of three people, right?”

“Precisely! And what they probably did with their mouths is truly worrying…”

“Uttered ‘it’s a centipede!’?” “At least Shimizu did that.”

“Yes! That as well, they cling onto each other and do that!”

“Well… that’s true…” “Just to be sure...” Koshiro got up and went to behind Murakami’s spot.

“Huh?”

“You know that they were doing this, right?” the boy put his hands on Murakami’s shoulders.

“Precisely!” she straightened her glasses and then turned to Koshiro: “You weren’t talking about this? What were you thinking?”

“It was this! It was this! I just wanted to convey the information correctly!” Koshiro scratched his head and forced a smile: “Maybe I watched too many foreign movies…”

“Good that we’re on the same page then, Koike-kun.”

“Yeah…” Koshiro went back to his seat.

“I know you were thinking of even lewder things Koshiro Koike!” “Kuma-chan” uttered.

“Aargh.” Koshiro scowled at Kuma-chan.

“Kuma-chan!!” Murakami rebuked her.

“I’m sorry.”

“She did it again…? Seriously, what do they see in that bear? Anyway...” “President, how can that centipede be something so vulgar?”

“Isn't it obvious?!” she settled in the seat, “It’s because it refers to kids!”

"What?" “Kids are vulgar? Well...”

“In reality…” Murakami continued, “It refers to a play that is played by kids… usually.” she then looked at Koshiro: “Do you know it?”

“I guess..."

"HUH?"

"Y-Yes! Yes!”

“Good, and if they’re like kids it reminds them of their friends, and their childhood… so…”

“Childhood friends!” Koshiro jumped with the sudden realization, “You’re right!” he started walking back and forth, “‘She’s just like family’ but they aren’t related by blood! Everyone knows this is the source of every evil in the world!!”

“Precisely Koike-kun.” Murakami sipped some tea, “It’s classic childhood friendship! They have the pretext to go into each other’s houses, and then to their rooms, and then to everything in between and beyond!”

“You’re right…” Koshiro made a serious expression, “You’re right… the childhood friend is always a great contender to end up with the guy…” “Although they usually lose…”

“Yes! But now I must hear about what happened when you and Umiko-chan followed Yasutake and Shimizu.”

“Hmm…” the boy pondered for a minute, “It wasn’t much, really… they went to the library…”

“THIS IS ALREADY A GREAT FIND, KOIKE-KUN!” she congratulated him “gently”.

“Hmm… thanks?”

“I heard it was Umiko-chan who found that out!” Kuma-chan chimed in.

“Yeah… it was more Sawada…” Koshiro agreed.

“Okay, go on.” Murakami ordered.

“Hmm… besides that, I couldn’t hear much because Sawada was messing with my phone…”

“I hear it was all Koshiro’s fault!”

“No, I’m sure this one is on her.”

“Shut up, Koshiro idiot! Idiot! Id...”

“That’s enough.” Murakami interrupted her and then turned to Koshiro: “So, that’s all?”

“Pretty much, Sawada tried to run away but she bumped into them an…”

“It was all Kosh…”

Knock, Knock, Knock. someone was at the door.

“Come in!” Murakami invited. Answering the invitation, Sumiye slid the door saying:

“Hey, Murakami-san…” the woman stopped when she noticed Koshiro: “Oh, so you’re here as well, great.” the teacher then turned to Murakami: “I heard that you’re the best friend of Umiko Sawada or something like that, is that right?”

“B-Best friend…?” Murakami fiddled with her fingers, “Hmm…”

“Anyway, do you know where she is?”

“I-I have no idea!” the president replied quickly.

“Don’t worry Sumi-nee…”

“SUMI-NEE?!” Murakami exclaimed.

“...I know where that pipsqueak is.” Koshiro took strides towards the desk.

“Hey! Who are you calling pipsqueak?! You idiot! Koshiro idiot!” Kuma-chan complained, “Koshiro, why are you coming here… I mean going there?! Wait!!” Koshiro pulled the desk to reveal a hiding Sawada behind it: “Hmm... hi…?”

“Here she is, Sumi-nee.”

“Oh, Umiko-chan! You were there all this time!?” Murakami then turned to Kuma-chan: “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“...”

“Please come here, Sawada-san.” Sumiye called her.

“Hmm…” Sawada stared at Koshiro, and then at Sumiye, “No!” she shouted and then jumped over the desk with adroitness and ran to the front door, where she (thanks to her low stature) passed through Sumiye’s legs with prowess yelling: “Liberty!!”

“Wait a moment little girl.” Sumiye stopped her by the collar, “I’ve dealt with three pipsqueaks at once, you’re nothing to me.”

“Who are you calling pipsqueak?! I'm growing up, okay?!”

“If you didn’t pay attention, I didn’t say that you are one.” Sumiye looked at Koshiro and called him with her head. “I was talking about this one here.” she put Sawada in front of Koshiro.

“I’m not a pipsqueak. I’ve average height.” Koshiro affirmed.

“You are not one now.”

“I can’t argue with that…”

“Anyway, you remember what you promised me earlier today, right?” she asked the boy.

“Aargh…” Koshiro sighed, “Yes.”

“What did you promise, Koshiro?” Sawada looked at him.

“Oh, she’s calling you by your first name! Was I interrupting something?” Sumiye messed around.

“It’s not like I had anything to do with it.” Koshiro smacked his head.

“It’s because it’s easy to say ‘Koshiro, idiot!’” Sawada crossed her arms and looked away.

“Who are you calling an idiot now?!” Koshiro frowned at her.

“It’s obviously y…”

“I see that you get along well, but that’s enough.” Sumiye interrupted them, “Sawada-san, Koshiro will take you home today…”

“Take me home…?” Sawada murmured.

“...and I will have a little chat with the president, to see why we don’t have files about you in the school.” she gazed at Sawada, “I bet you won’t tell me about it yourself, right?”

“Hmm…” Sawada shrank.

“What? What do you mean she doesn't have files in the school??” a baffled Koshiro asked.

“That’s right.” Sumiye turned to Murakami, “And I’m going to find out why.” she then entered the student council room and closed the door, leaving traces of a frightful aura behind.

“Well…” Koshiro looked at the door. “There’s no helping it. We should get going.” he started to walk while dragging Sawada by her hand.

“Hey! What are you doi…”

“Look.” Koshiro stopped, “Sumiye can be scary sometimes, so we should just do as she says.”

"But..."

"I'm serious here. We don't want to piss her off."

“Hmm…” the girl stared at the ground, “Okay…”

“Great.” “Well, that was easy… maybe she did notice Sumiye’s aura.” “Let’s go.” Koshiro started to make his way down the stairs with Sawada. The two managed to get to the front gate, where Sawada stopped suddenly.

“Wait.”

“What is it?”

“I forgot my bag.”

“Huh?” Koshiro observed the girl, she didn’t have anything with her besides her uniform (apparently), “Looks like she’s telling the truth…”

“What are you looking at??!” she covered her chest.

“I was just seeing if you really didn’t have your bag!”

“My eyes are up here!” she pointed at her scarlet eyes with her right hand.

“I don’t see why this is relevant now.”

“Anyway! I’m going back to pick my bag, bye!” Sawada bolted out of there and headed to the main building.

“Okay, don’t take long!” Koshiro shouted to her.

***

“How long does it take to pick a bag?” Koshiro looked at the hour.

“Hey, Koshiro.”

“Huh?” Koshiro turned to the voice, expecting it to be from Sawada, “Oh, it’s you Sumiye.”

“What are you doing here until now? And where is Sawada?” she stopped a few meters from him, one hand on her waist while the other held a bag.

“Hmm… she forgot her bag, so I’m waiting for her.”

“For how long?”

“Some time…”

“You really are an idiot.” Sumiye stated and then turned around, heading to her car.