I Know That After School, The Saint More Than Just Noble - Chapter 18

Chapter 18  Summer Rain Escape

The taxi arrived in front of the school gate about ten minutes after it was hailed.

After changing into their school uniforms, Yamato and Sayla quickly got in and the taxi departed for a large hospital in Tokyo.

While they were waiting for the cab, Yamato told his homeroom teacher that he would accompany Sayla, and also explained the situation to May and Eita, telling them that he and Sayla would be leaving the school.

Both of them were surprised, but they pushed Yamato to leave the rest to them, so he thought he should thank them again later.

In the taxi, Yamato and Sayla didn’t talk, but after a while, Sayla, who was looking out the window, muttered a few words.

“Rain…”

Just as she said that, rain clouds spread across the clear sky earlier, and it started to rain, knocking hard on the window.

Then, at the most inopportune moment, the taxi seemed to have entered a traffic jam. Yamato checked on his phone and found that the traffic jam continued for several kilometers.

“Sorry, we’ll get off here.”

Yamato said and pulled out two thousand yen bills from his wallet.

After receiving the change, Yamato shook Sayla’s hand, which had become tense.

“It’s faster to take the train. We might get a little wet, but it’s okay, right?”

“Yes.”

They both got out of the taxi and headed towards the station while running.

There, the rain got heavier. It was a decent distance to the nearest station, but the timing couldn’t have been worse.

They tried to buy an umbrella, but there was no convenience store nearby, so they ended up running, while soaking wet, to the station.

When they managed to get to the station, they both used towels to wipe off the water.

“Soaked…”

Sayla blurted out as she brushed up her wet bangs.

Her blouse was wet, and her pink camisole was visible. Yamato desperately turned his face away, feeling guilty that he was still nervous at such a moment.

“You’d better dry yourself off. You don’t want to catch a cold again.”

Yamato said after shaking off his evil thoughts, and Sayla then turned her gaze to him.

“Pfft.”

Immediately, Sayla laughed.

As Yamato was puzzled, not knowing what was so funny, Sayla held out a hand mirror to him.

Yamato blushed immediately when he saw the floppy-haired face reflected in it.

“You shouldn’t laugh at that! Even Shirase has floppy hair!”

“Fufu, because… I am that kind of person that looks good no matter what.”

“You sound really confident…”

Yamato pretended to be amazed at what she said, but he was so happy that Sayla laughed at him that he had to resist the urge to grin.

“…Thank you… for coming with me.”

Yamato was at a loss for a response as Sayla suddenly expressed her gratitude.

“I know we’re usually on opposite sides of the fence, but I have shown my manly side once in a while.”

That’s why Yamato could only give such a cynical reply, but Sayla still smiled happily.

“Yes, you are very manly. Yamato is really cool.”

She was not ashamed to say it, and it made Yamato embarrassed.

“I-I’ve already figured it out. The train is coming soon, let’s go.”

“Yes.”

When they passed through the ticket gate and went out to the platform, the train had arrived.

They got into the empty car and sat down side by side.

Soon after, the train departed.

The sound of rain pounding on the window was noisy. The rain was getting stronger.

“The sports festival might have been suspended.”

Sayla opened her mouth.

She looked out the window, her gaze somewhat vacant.

“Maybe. But from the looks of it, it’s probably just a shower, and it’ll probably stop soon.”

“The ground is going to be bad, though.”

“There are many ways to go around that. Even a muddy sports festival is fun to watch, isn’t it?”

“That doesn’t sound very Yamato-like.”

Yamato thought it was more unlike Sayla to only say negative things, but in the end, Yamato didn’t say anything.

“Is that so? Well, I’ve been feeling more positive lately.”

“…Maybe you’re right.”

“I know.”

Sayla let out a small sigh, without taking her gaze off the window.

And then, as if in a whisper, she spoke.

“I hope you’re okay, Grandpa.”

Yamato smiled gently at Sayla’s sorrowful face.

“He’ll be fine, I’m sure. Let’s believe.”

“Yeah… My sister hasn’t answered the phone at all since then.”

“Was it your sister who called the school?”

“Yes, it was. I think she called my phone a few times, but I didn’t notice because I was in the middle of the sports festival.”

Yamato saw a lot of girls with their phones in the pockets of their gym clothes, but Sayla doesn’t seem to be the type to carry it around with her. It’s no wonder she didn’t notice the call.”

“You haven’t heard any details?”

“No. I heard that my sister is currently abroad and she heard about my grandpa through our parents.”

How could her parents tell her sister who was abroad and not contact Sayla at all? The relationship between Sayla and her parents seems to be getting more complicated for Yamato.

Yamato knew that this wasn’t the right time to talk about it, however.

At that moment, he noticed that Sayla’s fingertips were trembling slightly.

Was it because she was cold, or was it because she was anxious?

Either way, Yamato couldn’t let her remain like this. Yamato placed his own hand on Sayla’s.

“Calm down.”

Yamato told Sayla and then she closed her eyes.

Her trembling seemed to have stopped, but Yamato decided to keep his hands on hers for the time being.

After a ten-minute train ride, they arrived at their destination station.

When they got out of the station, the rain had weakened completely.

The hospital that Sayla’s grandfather had been taken to was close by, and Yamato led the way, relying on the map app on his phone.

After a few minutes of walking, they came across a magnificent university hospital.

It was one of the biggest hospitals in Tokyo, and it was so big that they had a hard time just walking around the hospital.

As soon as they entered, Sayla told the receptionist her grandfather’s name and confirmed that he was in room 305.

As Sayla started to walk ahead of him, Yamato hurriedly grabbed her hand as she was about to go to another ward.

“This way. I’ll show you where to go and you can follow me.”

“Okay.”

It was somewhat different for Sayla to follow him so quietly.

They took the elevator up to the third floor, and when they saw the nameplate for room 305 at the end of the hallway, the door to the hospital room opened.

The person who came out was a man in a suit. He was probably in his early forties. He was tall and somewhat elegant, with a stern expression on his face, and he had a well-developed face.

When Yamato saw the man, he immediately thought he was Sayla’s father. Although they didn’t have the same facial features, Yamato felt that he had something in common with her in that he had a unique atmosphere that made him seem unworldly.

Yamato’s face twitched in agitation as he had never expected to meet him at this moment.

Yamato couldn’t help but let go of Sayla’s hand, but there was no way he was going to stop now.

Yamato glanced at Sayla and saw that she was following closely behind him.

In the meantime, the distance between them was closing.

The other side could already see Yamato and Sayla. The closer they got, the more stern their faces seemed to become, and Yamato felt as if his heart had gone cold.

The two sides closed the distance, and as they passed each other — the man didn’t even give Sayla a glance, but instead slightly bowed to Yamato.

Yamato reflexively returned the greeting, and the man left without further ado.

When they reached the front of the hospital room, Sayla took a breath and relaxed her shoulders.

“Shirase, is that…?

“Yes, my father. …We’re here.”

She had a mixture of angry, depressed, yet whatever expression on her face.

Still, she tightened her face to ready herself before walking in.

“Okay, I’m going in.”

She grabbed Yamato’s hand.

“Is it okay for me to come with you?”

“I want you to come with me. Please.”

Yamato nodded to Sayla, whose voice was trembling slightly.

She then grabbed the handle of the sliding door and opened it.

As they entered the hospital room, they saw a figure on a bed by the window.

As they got closer, Yamato saw a kind old man lying on the bed, just as he had seen in Sayla’s picture—

“Oh, it’s Sayla!”

The old man — Sayla’s grandfather — was unexpectedly cheerful. He had an austere but gentle voice and a kind expression, which was the complete opposite of the impression he gave to Sayla’s father, whom he had just met.

His right hand is in a cast, suggesting that he may have suffered a fracture.

“I heard that you collapsed… I was worried about you.”

Sayla said, relieved, and sank her face into the sheets.

“I’m sorry about that. I accidentally fell down the stairs. As you can see, your Grandpa is full of energy.”

Sayla’s grandfather said calmly, patting Sayla’s head gently.

He then turned his head toward Yamato.

“Who are you?”

“Ah, uh, I’m Shirase—Sayla-san’s classmate, Kuraki Yamato.”

Yamato was flustered when he realized that he had forgotten to buy a gift for the old man.

When Sayla’s grandfather narrowed his eyes at Yamato, Sayla looked up.

“He’s my friend. He’s always with me.”

“Fumm, a friend?”

Sayla’s grandfather continued to squint and looked at Yamato’s entire body.

During this time, Yamato almost stopped breathing. He felt strangely uncomfortable, as if his value was being assessed.

However, he felt that he had to say something, so he mustered up his strength.

“I heard that Sayla-san’s grandfather had collapsed, and I know I’ve been meddling, but I — I, too, have accompanied Sayla-san to the hospital…”

Confused and not knowing what he was saying, Yamato moved his mouth in cold sweat.

“HAHAHA…”

Then, Sayla’s grandfather suddenly burst into laughter.

It was obvious that he was calm, but very happy.

When Yamato looked at Sayla in confusion, Sayla smiled too.

(No, I don’t know what you two are thinking!)

As Yamato shouted this in his mind, Sayla’s grandfather finished laughing and nodded.

“This is the second time I’ve met Sayla’s friends. But I didn’t expect you to bring a boy with you. Kuraki-kun, right? You are planning to go out with her at some point?”

“What!? No, no way I would consider such a thing!”

Yamato immediately denied the question, although he was suddenly asked something intrusive.

Sayla gave a small sigh, then she prepared two chairs for the two of them and sat down on one of them.

“Grandpa, don’t tease Yamato too much. I told you he’s my friend.”

It was typical of Sayla to speak so matter-of-factly even in a situation like this. However, the expression on her face was somewhat cold, and Sayla’s grandfather coughed, as if he thought what he had done was wrong.

“Yes, they say rushing is the wrong way to go. Please sit down, Kuraki-kun.”

Yamato sat down in the chair, relieved that he had managed to escape from that danger.

“Anyway, I’m glad my grandchild is enjoying school. I guess it’s thanks to you, Kuraki-kun. Thank you very much.”

He even bowed his head and thanked Yamato, Yamato also hurriedly bowed his head in return.

“Same here, Thanks to Sayla-san, it has been a pleasure hanging out with her lately.”

“There was a sports festival at school today, wasn’t there? I’m sorry you had to leave early today, too.”

“No. I couldn’t continue to participate in the event when Sayla-san is in need.”

Yamato’s immediate response caused Sayla’s grandfather to roll his eyes for a moment, but he immediately smiled kindly.

“You are a good young man.”

“Haha… I’m happy to hear you say that.”

Seeing Yamato’s fearful look, Sayla’s grandfather’s smile deepened with happiness.

“Hey, how was the amusement park?”

Sayla then asked.

Sayla’s grandfather looked out the window and looked sad.

“Most of the equipment has already been removed, so it was pretty empty. It was nice to get a glimpse of it, though.”

Sayla’s grandfather, who lived in the countryside, had come all the way to Tokyo to see the rooftop amusement park during the removal work.

What was it like to lose a place that holds so many memories? Yamato didn’t know yet.

“I rode the Ferris wheel with Yamato. Just like Grandpa said, it was a beautiful view.”

As Sayla talked about her memories without hesitation, Yamato was afraid that he might be accused of something else.

However, Sayla’s grandfather smiled happily again and nodded his head.

“That’s good to hear. It was my only regret that I couldn’t continue it until Sayla was older.”

“Fufu… Grandfatherly love.”

“Yeah, Sayla’s my pride and joy.”

Seeing the two of them smiling at each other, Yamato felt relieved.

Yamato felt a sense of warmth as they smiled at each other, and he realized that her Grandfather spoiled Sayla the most.

“Sorry, I have to go. I’m going to get something while I’m here.”

Sayla suddenly said and left her seat.

“Eh, I’ll can get it—”

“I’ll take care of it. Yamato, please sit down.”

After saying that, Sayla left the hospital room.

“Hemm—”

Yamato froze as he stared at the door, but turned around when Sayla’s grandfather cleared his throat.

“Kuraki-kun. How is that girl doing at school?”

With a gentle smile on his face, Sayla’s grandfather asked, and Yamato calmed down and answered.

“It’s like everyone’s dream, I guess. She’s quite free-spirited, and she doesn’t really talk to anyone else but me. …Ah, but lately, I think she’s getting more comfortable with her surroundings.

“Hmm, I see. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“I could tell right away how much she cared for you. I’m glad to hear that you care for her too.”

Yamato felt as if his tear glands were being stimulated when he was told with a smile of deep satisfaction.

“I owe a lot to Sayla-san, she’s my benefactor. Of course, she’s also my friend.”

“Benefactor, huh? That’s an unusual way of looking at it.”

It may be strange, but this was Yamato’s honest view of their relationship.

“Umm, can I ask you a question too?”

“What is it?”

“You said earlier that this is the second time you’ve met Sayla-san’s friend, but I was wondering what she was like.”

Yamato didn’t get a chance to ask about it earlier, but he has been wondering about it for a long time. The other party seemed to be a girl, so Yamato took the liberty of imagining a friend like May.

“Ah, you mean that. Sayla went to an all-girls school, and there was a girl she used to hang out with. She was a lovely, cute girl. Her name was Tsubaki-san, I think.”

“Is that so? Thank you very much.”

So, how is the relationship between this Tsubaki girl and Sayla now? Yamato was very curious, but he thought he should ask Sayla herself.

“By the way, Kuraki-kun…”

Sayla’s grandfather continued with a slightly grim expression on his face.

“Have you met her father? He was here just a few minutes ago.”

The relationship between Sayla and her father seemed to be a complicated one. Sayla’s grandpa seemed to have a hard time talking about it.

“I met him in front of the hospital room a while ago. But I only gave a light greeting.”

“Hmm. Well, you two are passerbys to each other.”

Yamato felt that the word “passerby” was the right word. The two of them met in front of the hospital room, and it was obvious that they were not talking to each other.

“Sayla-san told me in the past why she was living alone. But she didn’t tell me much about her father.”

“It’s my fault that she left home – or rather, that her relationship with her father deteriorated.”

“That’s what happened?”

“It seems that the amusement park was an important place for Sayla too. It’s just that I wasn’t good enough and it ended up like that, but the timing wasn’t good.

“Her sister—Reika-san— said Sayla-san lost her way because she lost the place where her heart was. But what do you mean by, ‘the timing was not good’?”

“Mmm…”

Sayla’s grandfather turned over in thought.

Yamato thought that he might have intervened too much.

“Looking back, she seemed to be having a lot of other problems at that time. I can’t tell you what they were exactly, because I didn’t ask her directly.”

Yamato heard from Sayla that those days were filled with lessons. Yamato thought that Sayla might have been fed up with the idea of the amusement park, which had been a source of comfort for her, being closed while her daily frustrations started to pile up.

In addition to that, was there something else that was bothering her?

“That means—”

—The door opened.

Yamato was just about to ask, when Sayla came back.

In her hand, she held three yogurts and a can of tea.

“Here you go.”

She handed Yamato the can of tea, and then handed out the yogurts one by one.

“Uh, thank you.”

“What were you two talking about?”

Sayla’s grandfather looked over at Yamato, and gestured to him.

In other words, he wanted Yamato to keep Sayla in the dark about what they had just said.

“I was asking Kuraki-kun about school,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah, like a status report.”

Yamato immediately followed up with Sayla’s grandfather’s words.

Then, Sayla replied, “Heh?” seeming to believe it easily.

“Did I interrupt something?”

“N-No, not at all. —Right?”

With an awkward smile, Yamato asked for backup, and Sayla’s grandfather nodded his head in agreement.

“Yeah. Kuraki-kun is a good young man after all.”

“You’re both acting weird, well, whatever.”

Yamato relaxed for a moment.

Then all three of them proceeded to eat their yogurt in a subtle atmosphere. When Yamato and Sayla had finished eating, Sayla took her seat again.

“All right, let’s get going. We might still be able to make it to the sports festival.

“Y-Yeah, I guess we should go.”

“Well, I’m sorry you two had to go through all that trouble to see me.”

Sayla’s grandfather smiled gently and nodded to Sayla.

“Sorry I couldn’t spend more time with you, Grandpa. I’ll come see you another time.”

“”Yeah. Kuraki-kun, you should come visit with me next time with her. —Also, please take care of my granddaughter.””

“Uh, yes. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Yamato bowed and left the hospital room with Sayla.

As they were leaving, Sayla’s grandfather had a sad look on his face that left a deep impression on Yamato.

As Yamato drank half of the tea, Sayla suddenly took it from his hand.

“I’m thirsty, so I’ll have some.”

She gulped it down.

As usual, Sayla seemed to have no problem with an indirect kiss, which made Yamato very nervous.

She threw the empty can into a nearby trash can and then turned around.

“I’m really grateful to you today. Grandpa seemed happy to see you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad he’s okay, and I’m happy to meet him, too.”

“We probably won’t make it to the closing ceremony now. What do we do? Do you want to skip it?”

Sayla asked with a mischievous smile.

She said she would participate in front of her grandfather to reassure him. It seemed that she was actually ready to skip it now that he couldn’t attend.

Yamato was stunned, but shook his head from side to side.

“I’d like to help clean up if I can make it, and we’ll probably have a class or cheer team meeting afterwards, so let’s head back.

“I see. I understand.”

Sayla reluctantly agreed and started walking ahead.

Yamato followed, prepared to get lost to some extent.

When they left the hospital, the sky was completely clear.

The setting sun had turned the whole area orange. The reflection in the puddles made it a very magical scene.

They walked slowly to the station and boarded the train to return.

There was no crowd as on the way to the station, so they sat in a row of empty chairs.

After the train departed, they continued to ride in silence for a while.

After sending a message to Eita and May that he was on his way back, Yamato opened his mouth.

“I’m glad to see that your grandpa was doing well.”

“Yes.”

“He seemed calm and kind to me.”

“Yes.”

“And I could tell that he cares a lot about Shirase.”

“Mmm…”

“Speaking of which, Shirase…”

At that moment, Yamato felt a soft touch on his shoulder.

Sayla leaned against him.

Her head rested on Yamato’s shoulder and she seemed to have fallen asleep.

Her sleeping face, bathed in the western sun shining through the window, was very adorable.

The warmth of her body against his shoulder was comforting, but it was unsettling to have her leaning against Yamato unalarmed.

Yamato was nervous, yet somehow he was also relieved. It may seem contradictory, but that was the feeling he was experiencing.

“Even a saint needs to rest huh?”

Yamato stroked her hair, which was shining in the sun, as he spoke to himself.

“Shirase, we’re here.”

As the train arrived at the station nearest the school, Yamato shook Sayla’s shoulder and woke her up.

“Hmm~…”

It didn’t look like Sayla was going to get up as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

“A little more…”

“You can’t! Get up! The door’s closing!”

As Yamato stood up, Sayla, who had lost her support, woke up with a jolt.

As it was, Yamato pulled Sayla’s hand and managed to get out of the train.

“…Waking up is the worst.”

“Not my fault. Shirase just wouldn’t get up.”

“Yeah, I’m up now.”

Sayla, who seemed to have finally woken up, was in her usual state.

In terms of time, the closing ceremony of the sports festival was over, and it was time to leave. Yamato decided to contact May and Eita again, so he took out his phone and sent a message.

“And send. —If there is an after party, Shirase will be attending too, right?”

“If Yamato is going. Is it a class thing?”

“Yeah. I’ll have to ask about the cheerleading team as well.

As they were heading towards the school while talking, Yamato’s phone notified him of an incoming message.

“Ah, stop.”

“Ow!”

Yamato suddenly stopped, and Sayla, who was walking right behind him, bumped into his back.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine, what did they say?”

“I’ll check the message.”

The sender of the message was May.

“The after party is in front of the station. Everyone is already on the move! The cheering team’s party will be held later.”

“The class after party would be held at a restaurant in front of the station called ‘Italia’. The cheer team’s one would be at a later date.”

“Yeah. So we’re going?”

“Yeah, just follow me.”

Yamato and Sayla soon arrived at the location, but there was still no sign of their classmates.

A few minutes later, when they started to see a few Ao Saki High School students around the station, May, Eita and their group arrived.

“Good evening~”

Yamato bowed his head to May who came running up to him with a smile.

“I’m sorry for leaving so abruptly. Sorry I had to leave when I still had the ropes and tug of war to do.”

“It’s totally fine, don’t worry about it.”

Eita caught up with Yamato and reported the result with a V-sign and a smug face.

“That’s right, don’t worry about it. We came in second in the jump job, but we came in first in the overall score! By the way, the red team also won the cheering competition.”

“Amazing, maybe it’s because I didn’t participate in the second half of the competition. I’m satisfied with the result of the cheering competition.”

“What are you talking about, even Kuraki went along with the executive committee’s big rope push, and we would have won with you anyway.

Eita said this with a cheerful smile and walked into the restaurant with the students around him.

Around that time, the rest of their classmates joined them, and they all entered the restaurant together.

Then, with a toast by a male member of the sports committee, the class party began.

A wide variety of Italian food was lined up on the table, and since it was a standing-only meal, everyone enjoyed eating as they moved around.

“Tamaki-san.”

Right after the party started, Sayla called out to May.

When May responded with a “Yes?”, clearly nervous, Sayla smiled gently and said.

“I heard from Yamato that Tamaki-san did a lot for us. I’m really sorry. Also, thank you.”

“I-It’s not like that. I’m the one who should thank you for joining the cheer team and coming to the after party today…”

Then May, overcome with emotion, began to shed tears.

“What, Tamaki-san?”

“Ah, this is weird. Sorry, I’m just so happy…”

“Here, use this.”

Sayla immediately took out a handkerchief and handed it to May.

“Ehhh, I can’t use this.”

“I see.”

Sayla gently wiped May’s eyes with the handkerchief that was returned to her.

Then May’s face froze and her cheeks grew red. Then, she walked straight up to Yamato with robotic movements and slapped him on the shoulder.

“I-I’m so happy~~~”

“Ahaha, that’s great…”

The stares from the boys around Yamato were painful. It was obvious that they were jealous of him. It wasn’t surprising, though, since Yamato was surrounded by all the beautiful girls in the class.

In addition, unexpectedly, other girls also began to gather around Yamato.

They asked him all sorts of questions about the fact that he skipped the sports festival, and they were excitedly asking him to dig deeper into the matter.

It reminded Yamato of the time when he was bombarded with questions early in the new school year, but what was different from that time was that there was no malicious intent on their part.

Because of this situation, the stares from the boys were becoming more and more painful to handle.

Yamato turned to May to ask for help, but she seemed to be preoccupied with talking to Sayla. As for Sayla, she was talking to May, but her eyes were fixed on Yamato.

So, as a last resort, Yamato looked at Eita, and he gave a good luck sign with an expression of excitement, like a parent bird watching a baby bird leave the nest.

(Can’t somebody help me…?)

Having given up on rescue, Yamato prepared himself to deal with the girls.

The class party continued for a while, and after about two hours, they disbanded.

When they went outside, the sun had already set.

Yamato parted ways with Sayla on the spot, but as they parted, she asked him something that seemed to be bothering her.

“Speaking of which, are you going to participate in the cheer team after party?”

“Yeah, I’m planning on it.”

“I see. I’ll join you then.”

Sayla said nonchalantly and left.

Even though Yamato was there, the fact that Sayla was now actively interacting with others could be considered progress. This was unthinkable before.

However, Yamato couldn’t honestly rejoice about it.

At first, Yamato had been the only one who could interact with her, but now she was starting to show various expressions to others. This should be a good thing, but it made Yamato feel a bit bothered.

(I can’t believe I’m trying to be possessive.)

Yamato can’t help but feel frustrated because he felt like a b*stard for thinking so.

“Haaa.”

In contrast to Yamato’s mixed feelings as he let out a sigh, the night sky that he looked up at was unbelievably clear.