I Know That After School, The Saint More Than Just Noble - Volume 3: Chapter 1
Volume 3: Chapter 1 – Summer Vacation Begins With A Stormy Start
“Ah, I lost again.”
On a night in late July, just before summer vacation, Yamato muttered to himself in front of a machine in a game center.
It was past ten at night. His opponent sitting across from him was, of course, Seira.
This was his last game. It was already late, and more importantly, he had run out of 100 yen coins. Yamato had no choice but to leave, biting his teeth.
“Ehhh? We’re done already?”
Seira asked with a puzzled look on her face. It didn’t sound like she was trying to provoke him.
“Yeah, we should go home.”
“Okay.”
Seira also got up from her seat and they left the game center together.
Outside, the streetlights illuminated the night streets.
Unlike the air-conditioned indoor space, the hot and humid outside air was still present even at this time of the day.
Yamato naturally walked quickly through the air. He was walking with large strides with each step to relieve his frustrated and miserable mood after another day of total defeat.
Seira, who was following behind him, was in such a good mood that she was skipping. This was what being a winner does to you.
“…You seem to be in a very good mood.”
“That’s because I won and got away with it. However, Yamato seems to be in a bad mood.”
“I’ve been on a losing streak. …Or rather, I haven’t won a single game yet.”
“Hmm, eventually, you were a little close at the end.”
It was close, but she only lost about half of her HP gauge. But Yamato had played against the same opponent for months, so he learned some of her habits and learned to deal with them.
The more important problem was that he has played so many games and still hasn’t won a single one.
“Haaa, thanks for your concern.”
“Speaking of which, it’s almost summer vacation.”
Seira abruptly switched the subject.
However, she wasn’t considering the bad atmosphere. To Yamato, it seems that she simply turned her mind to the topic at hand.
Now that Seira commented on it, Yamato saw the point. They had made it through the end of the semester, and now there were only a handful of school days left.
“Is there anything Yamato wants to do during summer vacation?”
This was the first time Yamato was asked that, so he was at a loss for an answer because it was the first time spending his summer vacation with his classmates.
“What I want to do…I haven’t really thought about it yet, I guess. It’s a long vacation, and I think it would be nice to go away somewhere.”
“Does ‘away’ mean you want to travel?”
“Yes, even if it’s just a day trip. I’d like to go to the beach or the mountains or someplace like that. But I think that would require a lot of preparation.”
“Ah, we certainly need to prepare for that. Well, let’s just say that we have decided to travel for now.”
As usual, Seira was a woman of quick decisions and action. But her power of immediate action was only used in the matters that Seira was interested in.
Yamato was relieved to know that he would not have to worry about his summer vacation plans.
“Then, first of all, we have to decide where we are going and make a plan. By the way, Shirase, do you have any preference for the ocean or the mountains?
“Hmm, I—”
—Ring.
At that moment, Seira’s phone alerted her to an incoming message.
“Sorry about that.”
Seira checked her phone after saying so, and her eyes widened for a moment.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, nothing.”
Already in her usual poker face. Seira’s reaction piqued Yamato’s curiosity; he was curious about the content of the message.
“Well, that’s fine then.”
“That’s all for today, thanks a lot. I’ll think about my summer vacation plans again after the closing ceremony.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Okay, bye-bye.”
With a small wave of her hand, Seira strode away.
“…I guess there was something wrong.”
Yamato muttered to himself.
However, he felt that it was not right to pry into the matter, so he quietly headed home.
◇
A few days later, the day of the closing ceremony arrived.
In the morning, all the students were excited about the arrival of summer vacation, and the whole school was filled with an atmosphere of excitement.
The closing ceremony itself ended smoothly after the principal’s long speech, and in Class 2B, the homeroom teacher warned the students not to get too carried away, and the HR session ended.
Immediately after that, the classroom was filled with hustle and bustle. It was finally the beginning of summer vacation.
Everyone was talking about different things, such as club activities and future plans, but there was no doubt that everyone was in a uniformly excited mood.
“Kuraki!”
While Yamato was getting ready to go home, Eita called out to him cheerfully. He even grabbed Yamato’s shoulders, which was depressing.
Next to him was Mei.
“You look troubled, is something wrong?”
“I was wondering what you are going to do during the summer vacation. Are you spending time with the Saint?”
“I haven’t decided yet, but that’s the plan.”
“Oh-ho, I envy you for that. Right, Tamaki?”
“Y-Yeah. So, Kuraki-kun, if possible—”
Just as Mei was talking, Seira, who seemed to have already prepared to leave, approached them.
“Yamato, I’m going ahead.”
“Yeah, okay.”
After the exchange, Seira slunk out of the classroom.
Eita and Mei were taken aback. They were probably surprised that Seira was so attentive to them.
“Was it that surprising?”
“Yeah, it was. Really, the Saint has changed.”
“Well, I guess she was just being cautious because she was dealing with Shinjo and Tamaki-san — or rather, Tamaki-san.
“Ehehe, that makes me happy.”
“No, isn’t it terrible!? You even left me out of it!”
“Well, well. Back to what we were saying.”
When they urged Mei to continue, she opened her mouth with a huff.
“The actual fact is, we’re talking about having a little class party afterward, and I was wondering if Kuraki-kun and Saint-san would like to join us.”
“Ahhh, I see.”
It was the first time that a class party was held on the occasion of the summer vacation for Yamato.
However, it may have been implemented in previous classes as well but unheard of just because Yamato was not invited.
If that was the case, Yamato thought he would ask Seira about it.
“Then I’ll ask Shirase.”
“Yes, please do!”
Mei looked very happy, even though Seira had not yet said she would participate.
And even Eita tapped Yamato on the shoulder, somewhat excitedly.
“If you want to join us, meet us in front of the station. We’re all going bowling today!”
“I understand. Okay, see you then.”
Saying goodbye to them, Yamato left the classroom at a brisk pace.
The corridor was filled with lively students. As Yamato weaved his way between the crowd of students and arrived at the stairs, Seira, who was waiting for him, waved him in.
“Sorry, I made you wait.”
“No problem. Are you ready?”
“About that. Actually, there’s going to be a class party today. They invited me and Shirase to join them.”
“Heeeh, well, let’s go.”
“Eh?”
Since she agreed to join so naturally, Yamato was so surprised that he dropped his shoes on the floor.
“You dropped your shoes?”
Seira curiously handed him the shoe she had picked up.
“T-Thank you.”
Yamato calmed his surprised feelings and put his shoes back on.
“Also, don’t you feel like you should go back to the classroom?”
Seira asked as she looked into his eyes. Yamato was again flustered but managed to shake his head from side to side.
“No, they’re going to meet at the station. Which is perfect. Let’s decide what we’re going to do while we’re on our way there.”
“Okay.”
As soon as they left the school building, the dazzling sunlight shone down on them.
Feeling the midsummer air on his skin, Yamato was excited for the fact that summer vacation was beginning.
Then, he noticed something noisy in front of the school gate.
The cause was immediately apparent.
It was because there was a girl standing there wearing an unfamiliar school uniform from another school — a sailor uniform.
She stood erect and motionless, as if waiting for someone.
Even so, she looked incredibly well-dressed. Yamato thought she might be an idol or model somewhere.
She has waist-length black hair, porcelain-white skin, and a ladylike, elegant face. Her appearance is that of a pure and lovely girl.
Like the other students, Yamato looked at her for a while, and then Seira finally noticed her presence.
“Ah.”
Immediately after Seira muttered absentmindedly, the girl in a sailor uniform suddenly turned her gaze toward her.
“—Seira-senpai!”
To Yamato’s surprise, she called out Seira’s name.
The girl ran up to her and held both of Seira’s hands vigorously.
“I’m so happy to finally see you! Senpai, I sent you a message, but you didn’t reply.”
“Are you Tsubaki, by any chance?”
When Seira asked, the girl named Tsubaki nodded happily.
“Yes, I am Tsubaki! It’s been a year since we’ve seen each other!”
Hearing this name, Yamato was the most surprised. The name “Tsubaki” was the name of a girl who was a friend of Seira’s and whom Seira’s grandfather had told him about.
Yamato’s mouth was agape at the sudden appearance of the person in front of him.
Tsubaki, noticing Yamato’s state, turned to him and bowed.
“I’m a first-year student at Miyahara Girls’ High School, and my name is Kosaka Tsubaki. I went to the same school as Seira-senpai and we are junior and senior. Please take good care of me.”
“Ah, um, thank you very much for your courtesy. I’m Kuraki Yamato, a classmate of hers.”
“Wow, you are Kuraki-san? I have heard about you.”
Yamato’s cheeks involuntarily relaxed as she smiled at him like a flower.
To put it bluntly, she was cute. She was incredibly cute. Unlike Seira, who has a charm that was somewhat out of this world, Tsubaki was an authentic beauty that fitted the world more.
Just by having these two together, the place became more colorful. Every student passing through the school gate was transfixed, and probably no one’s eyes would have caught sight of Yamato. So, thanks to this, they were still able to avoid unnecessary animosity.
What bothered Yamato a little was the fact that Tsubaki spoke as if she had known Yamato for some time. Yamato wondered if Seira told her, or did she hear it from someone else? At any rate, there was no doubt that she had come here for a purpose.
Therefore, Yamato decided to ask her directly.
“…Um, I’d like to know why you came all the way to our school, Kosaka-san? It’s the last day of school today, and if you just wanted to see Shirase, couldn’t you have done it at a later date?”
“The reason, of course, is that I wanted to see Seira-senpai in her school uniform with my own eyes. Isn’t that reason enough?”
Tsubaki smiled carefreely and said with dignity.
Apparently, she adored Seira a lot. At least, it seemed that way to Yamato.
“If that’s the case, might as well.”
Seira seemed to have taken Tsubaki’s words as they were and spun around on the spot.
The light movement of flipping her skirt made even Yamato, who should be used to seeing her in her school uniform, admire her.
“As expected. I knew Senpai was beautiful.”
Tsubaki even applauded her, but her smile looked somewhat awkward.
“Is that all there is to it?”
Seira asked nonchalantly, and Tsubaki smiled wryly.
“Please don’t be like that. A cute kouhai came to visit you. —If you don’t mind, why don’t we have a cup of tea? Of course, you are welcome to join us, Kuraki-san.”
Most boys would have been elated by this offer, but unfortunately, Yamato already had other plans.
“Eh, umm…”
However, Yamato was not able to turn down her offer outright.
There were many things he wanted to hear about the old Seira and the relationship between Seira and Tsubaki.
Therefore, he was desperately thinking about how he could get the tea time to be held on a different occasion.
“Sorry. I have a class party now, so I’ll see you next time.”
At that moment, Seira simply refused.
Unlike Yamato, who was having a hard time, Seira did not seem to have any hesitation.
Perhaps she was surprised by her answer, but Tsubaki was staring at her blankly.
Seeing this scene, Yamato, unable to bear it any longer, asked Seira in a hushed voice,.
“(H-Hey, are you sure? You turned her down so easily.)”
“Eh, was that bad? Should I not go to the class party?”
“No, that’s not what I’m talking about…”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
The class party and Kosaka Tsubaki’s invitation probably have the same priority for Seira.
While this was not wrong, Yamato felt that it would be a waste to lose the opportunity to get to know Kosaka Tsubaki. However, not going to the class party would be bad for Eita and the others.
While Yamato was pondering what he should do, he heard a voice.
“Hey, Kuraki!”
Someone called out to them from behind.
When he turned around, he saw Eita and the other classmates.
“Shinjo. You all are leaving already?”
“Yo. What’s going on at the school gate? I feel like there are a lot of onlookers.”
“That’s…”
Eita looked behind Yamato, who awkwardly looked away, and grinned at him, as if he had already understood the situation.
“I see. So, Shuraba.”
“No, it’s not! Please, don’t make this more difficult than it has to be.”
“Sorry, sorry, haha.”
Seeing Yamato in a panic, Eita’s smile deepened in amusement. This was a face of complete enjoyment.
At that moment, Mei stepped forward.
“So cute…”
Mei muttered, gazing at Tsubaki in rapt attention.
The other classmates were similarly mesmerized by the suddenly appearing neat and tidy beauty.
Taking such a situation into account, Eita said as if he had just had a flash of inspiration.
“Okay! Then let’s get her to join our class party!”
“Haa!?”
Unlike Yamato, who was shaken up, his classmates all shouted with joy. No one had any objections.
Even Seira nodded her head in approval and said, “I didn’t know we could do that.”
Yamato’s question as to whether it was acceptable to invite outsiders to the class party seemed to have disappeared from everyone’s minds.
Tsubaki, who had been left out of the discussion, read the atmosphere and smiled.
“Yes. I’d be happy to join if that would be alright.”.
When Tsubaki responded with the perfect response for a healthy and beautiful junior girl, everyone’s excitement rose even higher.
“Well, sounds fine.”
It seemed silly to Yamato that he had been racking his brains earlier, but the fact was that it came together well in the end.
A sudden visitor and an unfamiliar class meeting.
Yamato felt a touch of unease at this combination, but for now, he would have to maturely follow suit.
“Look, Kuraki, let’s go, too! Let’s get hungry first!”
Eita, who was the one who started the conversation, grabbed his shoulder and Yamato started walking despite a bad feeling.
