“Alright, everyone, please settle down… though I know it’s hard to stay calm right now.”
“Uh, um… teacher, it seems like Hinata-kun hasn’t shown up yet…”
“Ah, yes, well… It’s not confirmed yet, but he might either transfer schools or move to a small-group instruction class. If that happens, he’ll still be part of this class but will study elsewhere.”
The class stirs—earlier, the teacher had said that he couldn’t attend, but no one expected this.
“He was aiming for a high-ranking profession and was trying to take a leadership role in the class. Losing someone like him would be a big blow, but…”
“Uh, um, teacher…”
The ones who raised their voices were Saejima and Serizawa, who had been grouped with Nanami-san.
“Yesterday, we… Fujiwara-kun saved us. If it weren’t for him, we probably wouldn’t have made it out safely.”
“The video on S-Channel is blowing up, and it really captures how amazing he was… We passed out, but it’s a fact that he saved us.”
“Wait, you two were all hyped yesterday, but you both passed out? That’s kinda cute.”
“Wha—what do you mean by ‘hyped’? Weren’t you the one fawning over Kaito-sama?”
The girls in class start bantering—honestly, it seems like it might turn into a real fight, so maybe I should step in.
“If I had been there, I probably would’ve passed out too… That was intense. I mean, Fujiwara-kun is ridiculously strong. His skill is on another level.”
“Sorry for underestimating you as a ‘baggage carrier’! That was my ignorance speaking!”
“I’m sorry for yesterday! We were so dumb!”
“Thinking about what I said to Fujiwara-kun makes me want to die of embarrassment!”
“Uh, uh, if it’s okay, could you sign something for me later?!”
“Uh, well… there’s nothing to apologize for, and I don’t have a signature.”
“Gah! Well, then, just your name is fine! Just a little! Please, I’m begging!”
One of the girls, whose name I still can’t remember, wants my signature. Her eyes are, uh, unnervingly focused.
“…”
“(N-no, Nanami-san’s not upset.)”
Nanami-san looks at me silently—but then she smiles softly. It’s not a competitive smile; it’s more of a gentle expression, like she’s glad people are praising me.
“…Looking at this, it’s clear that Fujiwara-kun is becoming the center of the class.”
“…I don’t think Fujiwara-kun likes being in the spotlight, so please leave him be.”
Nanami-san says exactly what I was thinking. Even though we haven’t known each other long, I’m genuinely happy she understands me.
“Oh… y-yeah, you’re right. I also wanted to remind everyone that Fujiwara-kun is already seen as a promising explorer candidate, even outside the school. But if this kind of commotion continues, it’ll be hard for him to live a normal school life… So, everyone, please cooperate for his sake.”
“Uh… well, it’s not like this kind of fuss will keep happening, so don’t worry too much about it…”
“We’ll tell the other classes too! We’ll ask them to leave Fujiwara-kun alone as much as possible!”
One of the more outgoing girls, who I’ve never spoken to, volunteers to help—I’m grateful that my classmates are starting to understand my situation. As long as I take care not to attract attention, things should improve.
“Alright then… Since we’ve run out of time, let’s wrap it up. This morning, we’ll be doing physical fitness tests, so please change and head to the gym.”
Half of the grade will be doing the fitness tests at the same time—which means I’ll be around a lot of other students again.
Nanami-san looks a bit worried, but I hope I can get through it. Everyone should be focused on the test, so I’m hoping there won’t be any more commotion.
