What If You Spoil a High School Girl Who Looks Like a Landmine? - Volume 1 Chapter 5.1

The Real Thing 1

“Raihara-san, are you working on a homework assignment again today?”

“Yes… Chifuji-san, that’s right.”

“Ah, I see.”

Chifuji-san gently smiles, as if it’s nothing at all.

“I’ve got a bit of a stye, so my eye is swollen.”

“Oh, is it painful…?”

“Haha, not at all. I’m fine. I apologize for serving you looking like this… Would you like your usual iced coffee for your order?”

“Ah, yes…”

“Understood, please wait a moment.”

Eyepatch.

The white object covering one of his eyes as he walked away was clearly imprinted in my mind as I sat in the café.

“Senpai, you’re not allowed to serve until that heals! You might drop something if you use one eye!”

“I understand. …Sorry.”

“Hehe, please make me a cup of coffee later.”

I could hear such a conversation, but my worry outweighed any jealousy.

A stye…Really?

I had already been harboring doubts.

The tears shed when he was being cared for, his constant saying of ‘I have to do things properly,’ and above all, the phrase ‘ it was good that I was born’ a sentiment one wouldn’t express unless they had thought otherwise.

Additionally, based on what I heard from Kusakabe-san yesterday, there’s verification that his self-assessment is strangely low compared to the facts.

Among those traits, he’s ‘often careless and prone to injury.’

In reality, I’ve seen what looked like bruises on his body when we were bouldering.

Both in front of me and Kusakabe-san, and even at school, he’s not the careless type at all.

…As I start to harbor these doubts, there’s another matter that worries me.

The time when he fell ill at the movie theater.

He said it was motion sickness from the seat vibrations—but could it be…?

“…What should I do…”

…but none of these are decisive proofs.

If someone were to say I’m overthinking, they might be right.

“Sorry for the wait; here’s your iced coffee. Please enjoy it.”

“Thank you.”

The one who brought the coffee is a girl who’s friendly with Chifuji-san.

…The likelihood that she knows something… is perhaps slim?

I can’t deny that my own wish for them not to be too close may be influencing that thought.

Who I should really ask is, well…

“…..”

I subtly shift my gaze towards the back of the store.

The one there is the manager—his uncle. He finally came out.

At this late hour when the café is quiet, the manager appears at the entrance.

I watch him from a concealed spot so as not to arouse suspicion.

Seeing that all the lights inside the café have been turned off, he’s clearly closing up and going home.

Incidentally, something I’ve known since my stalking days is that Chifuji-san stays and works a bit after closing time but always leaves before the manager.

So, he’s already gone for today.

In other words, I’ve been waiting for a moment when the manager would be alone—to ask him about Chifuji-san.

“…Are you there? Ah, I’ll head over there in a bit.”

And that was the plan.

The manager, who seems to have made a phone call, mentioned Chifuji-san’s name.

It appears he’s going to Chifuji-san’s house.

“…..”

The decision I made here wasn’t particularly logical.

Instead of approaching the manager, I chose to return to my own house.

An intuition I gained from the manager’s expression, tone, and atmosphere made me do so.

I arrived home quickly, grateful for my own stamina, and immediately dashed into my room.

My mother hadn’t come home yet; she often returns late due to work.

What I pulled out from the shelf was a wiretap receiver.

Clutching it, I leave the house again, heading in the direction of Chifuji-san’s house.

Riding my bike hastily, I sprint through the night streets at full speed… and arrive at a park near his house, where I had previously listened to the listening device.

Now, too, I activate the receiver here.

When I inserted the polished earphones into my ears, their voices, along with some noise, immediately reached me.

『Kei, …be honest. What happened to your eye?』

『…It’s just a stye, it’s swollen.』

『Then remove the eyepatch and show me.』

It’s the manager and Chifuji-san. And yes, they are indeed talking about the eyepatch.

『You’re worrying too much, Uncle. It’s really nothing.』

『Kei!』

『…It’s nothing, really nothing.』

Chifuji-san’s voice had an oddly breezy, controlled flatness to it.

In contrast, the manager’s voice harbored an unconcealed tremor.

『…Kei, I understand that you want to protect her. That’s just how you are, like my older brother, like your father. What I can’t stand is that woman taking advantage of it, constantly playing the victim!』

『Uncle…』

『Enough already! If she wants to find a guy who can ‘understand’ her, she’s free to do so! But acting like a child when things don’t go her way and throwing tantrums at her own son—that’s beyond saving!』

『…it’s because I haven’t been a good son or a good family member.』

『What nonsense…! How many bruises have you gotten? How many bones have you had broken!? The crazy one is her, completely!』

—I had expected as much.

『…No, the injuries are…I did it to myself.』

『Kei! …Damn it, how many times have we had this conversation… Listen, if you admit it, she’ll get what she deserves, and you will no longer have to be involved with that woman.』

『…Uncle…Mom can’t handle the fact that Dad is gone. She’s always been like that. …And if Dad were here, he wouldn’t leave a crying mom alone.』

『That’s her problem. My brother chose to be with a woman like that, and that’s his choice. But you are different. You have no obligation or responsibility to get hit by that woman.』

Now, there’s no room for misunderstanding what I’m hearing.

『If we’re talking about responsibility, …Mom feels it too. She feels responsible for me not having any talents, for me not being able to do anything properly… That’s why she’s always on edge.』

『Wrong! When people like her throw fits, they’re not really saying what they mean. They’re just irritated and looking for someone to take it out on, so they just find any excuse from whatever catches their eye.』

The store manager’s voice, striving to make his point, was filled with strong emotions and deep resignation, as if indicating that this issue had been repeating for many long years.

『She’s not angry for a reason, she’s angry because she’s in the mood. She comes back to this house because it’s a place where she can do what she wants!』

『……..』

『You know the truth as well, don’t you, Kei? Stop indulging her selfishness, her victim mentality, and her princess fantasies!』

——Yet until the end,

No answer that the manager sought came from Chifuji-san’s lips through the listening device in my ear.