第77話 牽制
高校二年生最初の定期試験が近づくにつれ、進学校とあって教室の雰囲気が引き締まる。
授業はテスト範囲の復習が中心となり、生徒間で暗記科目の問題の出し合いが飛び交った。
そんな状況の中で朝陽は普段通りに勉強を進め、学年一位の冬華も焦っている様子はない。
一方で、千昭と日菜美は今までの遅れを取り戻そうと必死になり、ここ数日は放課後に四人で勉強をする流れになっていた。
今日は少し広めの席に通され、男性陣と女性陣で分かれて早速勉強会を始めたのだが。
明るく弾む声が聞こえ、四人が一斉に振り向く。
そこに、セミロングの金髪を揺らす宮本明日香の姿があった。
「吉川と火神......それに氷室さんも」
冬華を見た瞬間、明日香の顔が強張った気がするが、すぐに笑顔で上書きされる。
よっ、と手で挨拶され、それに応じる形で自然と会話が始まった。
「あーちゃんやっほー! そっちも勉強?」
「もちろん勉強だよー、テスト前だしやんないとヤバいじゃん?」
「わかるー! この時期凄く焦るよね」
あだ名で呼び合い仲良く話し込む二人に朝陽と冬華は置いてけぼりの格好となる。
「あの二人、めちゃくちゃ仲良いよな」
「去年、同じクラスで意気投合したんだってさ」
千昭の説明を受け、朝陽は納得の意味を込めて何度か頷く。
いつでも元気いっぱいな二人は馬が合うのだろう。
「へー、氷室さんに勉強教えてもらってるんだ」
どうやら話題は冬華へと移ったらしい。
明日香は冬華に視線を向け、それからニコリと笑う。
「氷室さん頭いいもんね。先生役にぴったりだ」
「そうなの、凄く教え上手でいい先生なんだー」
「ほ、褒めすぎですよ......」
「いいなー、私も教えてもらおうかなー」
二人に挟まれる形となった冬華は少し戸惑いながらも会話に参加する。
教室では見ない集まりだが、会話に花を咲かせる様子はとてもよく馴染んでいた。
「あーちゃん、今日は一人なの?」
「ううん、龍馬と一緒だよ。今、駐輪場に自転車止めてる」
「そういやあいつ、自転車登校だったな」
ふと視線を外すと丁度、こちらに近づいて来る龍馬を見つけた。
「明日香、席は決まった? ......あれ、火神君と......」
思わぬ遭遇に驚いたのか、龍馬が口を閉ざす。
その視線の先には、淡く微笑む冬華がいた。
「山田くん、自転車登校だったんですね」
何気ない会話を振った冬華に、曖昧な返事を返す龍馬。
「どしたの龍馬、固まってるけど」
「いや、何でもない」
明日香が心配そうな顔を向けるが、龍馬は首を振ってそれをいなした。
(......山田くん?)
一方の朝陽は別の引っ掛かりを覚え、しかしそれ以上に龍馬の様子が気になった。
「四人の邪魔しちゃいけないし、僕たちも別の席で勉強始めよう」
言っていることは正しいが、どうしてか明らかに急いでいる。
爽やかな笑顔は鳴りを潜め、表情は硬い。
明らかに普段と言動が違う龍馬に、朝陽はもちろん冬華や千昭も首を傾げた。
そして、一番龍馬の近くにいるであろう少女が何かに気付いたような顔をする。
「......ねえ、せっかくだし六人で勉強しない?」
よく通る明日香の声、その笑顔は少し引き攣っているように思えた。
「なるほど、それでこうなるんだね」
「流石山田くん、呑み込みが早いですね」
「いやいや、氷室さんの教え方がいいからだよ」
互いを褒め合う美男美女を前に、朝陽はどうしてこうなったんだと隣を見る。
「今よそ見してたっしょ。私じゃ火神は不満かなー?」
「そんなこと言ってねーよ」
「それならこっちに集中!」
そう言って、明日香は朝陽に身体を近づけた。
腕に柔らかい感触が伝わり、強めの香水が鼻孔を擽る。
現在の席順は日菜美、冬華、龍馬。その対面に千昭、朝陽、明日香といった並びだ。男女別々に座っていたところ、何故か明日香が朝陽の隣に座って今に至る。
「ピピーッ! そこの二人近すぎ!」
「そうだそうだー! イエローカードだぞ!」
「ちぇーっ。ひなっぺと吉川は厳しいねー」
冬華が用意したまとめテスト中の二人がすかさず明日香に警告を入れる。
その騒ぎに気付いた冬華が顔を上げ、少しだけ固まった。しかし、何も言うことなくノートに向き直る。
「さ、勉強再開しよ。この問題からだよね?」
明日香に促され、朝陽も勉強に意識を戻す。
手こずっていた文法問題を教えてくれるらしく、その解説は意外にも丁寧でわかりやすかった。
「宮本は俺と同じお馬鹿キャラだと思ってたのに......」
「ふふーん。吉川と同じにしないでよね」
「あーちゃんは帰国子女で英語ペラペラなんだよねー」
得意げな様子の明日香に、千昭がぐぬぬと唸る。
「わり、飲み物取ってくる。宮本、一回立ってくれ」
「おっけー。早く帰って来てねー」
席を空けてもらい、朝陽は通路へと出る。
そのままドリンクバーへと行こうとすると、すかさず待ったの声がかかった。
「はいはいっ! 私のもお願い!」
「......しゃあないな」
千昭はコーラ、日菜美はメロンソーダ。
それぞれの注文を聞いて、朝陽は両手で包み込むようにしてグラスを三つ持つ。
すると、冬華が勢いよく立ちあがった。
「わ、私も行きます!」
「いや、まだグラスに飲み物残ってるぞ?」
「あっ......でも、グラスを三つ運ぶのは大変かと」
しどろもどろ話す冬華だったが、座り直した明日香が口を挟む。
「火神、手大きいから大丈夫だって」
「なんで知ってるんだよ」
「さっき、文字書いてるとき見た」
ニヒヒ、と悪戯っぽく明日香は笑う。
その様子を見て、冬華は少し頬を膨らませたような気がした。
「じゃあ僕が行くよ。僕も飲み物追加したかったし、二つずつ持てば安全でしょ?」
「そうだな。じゃあ、千昭の分頼む」
「いいよ、大したことじゃないし」
相変わらず爽やかに笑いながら、龍馬はグラスにコーラをついでいく。
シュワシュワと音を立てて炭酸が溢れ、その勢いはゆっくりと弱まりしぼんでいった。
「ねえ、火神君」
呼ばれて隣に目を向けると、龍馬とぴったり目が合った。
そのいつになく真剣な表情から、真面目な雰囲気が伝わってくる。
「氷室さんに告白しようと思うんだ」
「......なぜそれを、今俺に言う」
「前と同じだよ。火神君には話しておかなきゃと思って」
龍馬は人の好い笑みを浮かべたが、その目は笑っていない。
真正面からぶつけられた突然の告白宣言に、朝陽はどう受け止めていいか頭と心が追い付かなかった。
しかし、龍馬は続けて口を開く。
その一言は、朝陽の心に強く、重く響いた。
「おかえりー」
「ほら、メロンソーダ」
「ありがとー!」
「こっちはコーラね」
「なんでお前は偉そうなんだ」
千昭の脇腹を肘で小突くと、ぐうぇとうめき声が聞こえる。
「龍馬様、この度は貴重なコーラを恵んでくださり、身に余る光栄......!」
「うん、どういたしまして」
今度は懇切丁寧に頭を下げた千昭に、龍馬は笑顔で応じる。
二人はそこまで付き合いはないようだが、クラスメイトである上にサッカー繋がりで話すこともあり、友人と呼べる仲ではあるらしい。
「火神、なんか顔色悪くない?」
「本当だ、大丈夫?」
「無理すんなよ、朝陽」
「......大丈夫。心配いらない」
明日香が気付き、続いて日菜美と千昭から心配されるが、朝陽は気丈に否定する。
龍馬は席に戻り次第勉強を再開していたが、その隣の冬華が不安そうな表情で朝陽を覗き見た。
朝陽はアイコンタクトで、大丈夫だと伝える。
一緒にこの想いも伝わればいいのに。
そんなことを考えてしまうのは、先の言葉に影響されてだった。
冬華はまだ気になっている様子だったが、参考書に向き直って勉強を進める。
朝陽もまた、気持ちを切り替えようとして、ドリンクバーで入れてきたコーヒーを啜った。
(苦い......)
砂糖を入れ忘れたコーヒーは、口の中で苦みを残してしばらく残った。
Ch 77
As the first exam of the second year of high school approached, the atmosphere in the classroom tightened.
The class focused on reviewing the scope of the test, and there was a flurry of questions about what to memorize among the students.
Despite the situation, Asahi went on with his studies as usual, and Fuyuka, who was ranked first in the grade, did not seem to be in a hurry.
On the other hand, Chiaki and Hinami were desperate to make up for the time they had fallen behind, and for the past few days, the four of them had been studying together after school.
Today, they were seated in a slightly larger area, and the guys and girls were divided into two groups.
They heard a bright bouncy voice and the four of them turned around at once.
Standing there, swaying her semi-long blonde hair, was Asuka Miyamoto.
"Yoshikawa, Kagami...and even Himuro-san."
The moment she saw Fuyuka, Asuka's face seemed to strengthen, but it was quickly overridden by a smile.
She greeted them with a "Yo." and she went on to strike a conversation like it was natural.
"A-chan, what's up? You studying too?"
"Of course I'm studying, it would be bad if I don't, right?"
"I know right! This is the time of year when I get really nervous."
As they called each other by their nicknames and chatted joyfully, Asahi and Fuyuka were left behind.
"Those two are really close, aren't they?"
"They were in the same class last year, and they hit it off."
After Chiaki's explanation, Asahi nodded several times in agreement.
Those two had a lot in common, Asahi thought.
"Hmm, you're studying with Himuro-san."
It seemed that the topic had shifted to Fuyuka.
Asuka looked at Fuyuka and then smiled.
"Himuro-san is pretty smart. She's a perfect fit being a teacher."
"That's right, she's really good at teaching stuff."
"Y-you give me too much credit..."
"Sounds nice~ Maybe I'll try to learn from you too."
Fuyuka, who was sandwiched between the two, was a little confused but joined the conversation.
It was a gathering not usually seen in the classroom, but the conversation was very familiar.
"Are you alone today, A-chan?"
"No, I'm with Ryoma. He's just parking his bike right now."
"Oh, yeah, he uses his bike to school."
When Asahi looked out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ryoma approaching him.
"Asuka, have you found a seat? Hmm? Kagami-kun and..."
Surprised by the unexpected encounter, Ryoma kept his mouth shut.
At the end of his gaze, he saw Fuyuka smiling faintly.
"Yamada-kun, do you use a bike to school?"
Ryoma gave a vague response to Fuyuka's casual conversation.
"What's wrong, Ryoma? You're frozen."
"No, it's nothing."
Asuka gave him a worried look, but Ryoma brushed it off with a shake of his head.
'...Yamada-kun?'
Asahi, on the other hand, felt a tug, but was more concerned about Ryoma's condition.
"We don't want to disturb the four of you, so we'll start studying in the other seats."
What he was saying was correct, but for some reason he seemed clearly in a hurry.
His fresh smile faded and his expression was hard.
Ryoma's words and actions were clearly different from normal, and Asahi, Fuyuka and Chiaki tilted their heads.
And the girl closest to Ryoma looked as if she had noticed something.
"...Hey, since we're here, why don't the six of us study together?"
Asuka's voice came through well, but her smile seemed to twitch a little.
"I see, so that's how it works."
"As expected, Yamada-kun, you're a quick learner."
"No, no, no, it's because you're good at teaching, Himuro-san."
In front of the beautiful man and woman who were complimenting each other, Asahi looked next to him, wondering how this happened.
"You were just looking at me. Are you dissatisfied with me, Kagami?"
"I don't think that."
"Then focus on this!"
Asuka then moved her body closer to Asahi.
He felt a soft touch on his arm and a strong perfume that tickled his nostrils.
The current seating order was Hinami, Fuyuka, and Ryoma. Facing them were Chiaki, Asahi, and Asuka. The seats were separated by gender, but for some reason, Asuka sat next to Asahi, and they arrived in the present situation.
"Whistle! You too are too close!"
"Preach, preach! That's a yellow card, you know?"
"Tsk. Hinappe and Yoshikawa are too strict."
The lovebirds quickly warned Asuka.
Noticing the commotion, Fuyuka looked up and froze for a moment. But without saying anything, she turned back to her notebook.
"Alright, let's resume studying. Starting from this problem, right?"
At Asuka's urging, Asahi also returned his attention to his studies.
She seemed to be able to teach him grammar problems that he had been having trouble with, and her explanations were surprisingly detailed and easy to understand.
"I thought you were also an idiot, Miyamoto..."
"Fufu. Don't put me in the same category as Yoshikawa, okay?"
"A-chan is a returnee and speaks English fluently, right?"
Asuka looked pleased with herself, and Chiaki groaned.
"My bad, gonna get a drink. Miyamoto, please stand up for a sec."
"All right. Come back soon, you hear?"
Asahi asked her to make some room for him, and he went out to the aisle.
As he was about to go to the drink bar, he was immediately called to wait.
"Here, here! Mine too, please!"
"...Good grief."
Chiaki wanted a cola and Hinami wanted melon soda.
After listening to each order, Asahi held three glasses, wrapping them with both hands.
Then, Fuyuka stood up vigorously.
"I-I'm going too!"
"Aren't there still some drinks left in your glass?"
"Oh...but I thought it would be hard to carry three glasses by yourself."
Fuyuka spoke sluggishly, but Asuka, sitting back down, interrupted her.
"Kagami, you have big hands. You'll be fine."
"How do you know that?"
"I saw it earlier when I was writing."
Asuka laughed mischievously.
Seeing this, Fuyuka felt her cheeks puff out a little.
"I'll go then. I wanted to add another drink too, and it's safer if we each carry two."
"That's right. Then, take care of Chiaki's."
"It's okay. It's no big deal."
Laughing as briskly as ever, Ryoma sipped at his glass of cola.
The carbonation overflowed with a swooshing sound, and the momentum slowly weakened and squeezed.
"Say, Kagami-kun."
When Asahi turned to look next to him when he was called, his eyes met with Ryoma's.
He could feel the tension in the air, as he looked more serious than ever.
"I'm thinking of confessing to Himuro-san."
"...Why are you telling me this now?"
"It's the same as before. I just thought I should talk to you about it, Kagami-kun."
Ryoma smiled good-naturedly, but his eyes were not smiling.
Asahi's mind and heart couldn't catch up with the sudden declaration of confession that came straight at him.
However, Ryoma continued to open his mouth.
That one word strongly and heavily resonated in Asahi's mind.
"Welcome back~"
"Here, melon soda."
"Thanks~!"
"This one's a cola."
"Why are you being so bossy?"
Asahi poked Chiaki in the side with his elbow and heard him groan.
"Dear Ryoma, it is a great honor to be blessed with your precious cola."
"Yeah, you're welcome."
This time, Chiaki bowed politely, and Ryoma responded with a smile.
They didn't seem to know each other that well, but they were classmates and had a connection through soccer, so they could be called friends.
"Kagami, you don't look so good, do you?"
"Are you okay?"
"Take it easy, man."
"...It's fine. Don't worry."
Asuka noticed, followed by Hinami and Chiaki, who were concerned, but Asahi stoutly denied it.
Ryoma had resumed his studies as soon as he returned to his seat, but Fuyuka, next to him, peered at Asahi with an anxious expression.
Asahi made eye contact and informed her that it was alright.
Yi I wish I could convey this feeling with you.
The reason he was thinking about this was because he was influenced by the previous words.
Fuyuka was still curious, but she turned to her reference book and proceeded to study.
Asahi also sipped the coffee he had made at the drink bar, trying to distract his mind.
'Bitter...'
The coffee, which he forgot to put sugar in, left a bitter taste in his mouth for a while.
How To Melt the Ice Lady
【コミカライズ連載中】氷の令嬢の溶かし方　～クールで素っ気ないお隣さんがデレるとめちゃくちゃ可愛い件～
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/how-to-melt-the-ice-lady/
Comedy Romance School Life Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Beautiful Female Lead Caring Protagonist Cooking Cute Story Famous Parents Kind Love Interests Kuudere Male Protagonist Modern Day Popular Love Interests
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2567fv/
高峰 翔