I Know That After School, The Saint More Than Just Noble - Volume 3: Chapter 5
Volume 3: Chapter 5 – Aquarium And The Gyaru-Like Saint
Three days had passed since Yamato had completed his first part-time job in his life.
Yamato received his long-awaited paycheck, his sore muscles were healed, and he was in perfect condition.
And today, he had plans to go shopping with Seira. It was impossible not to be excited by this.
The meeting time was one o’clock in the afternoon. Yamato arrived at the station a few stops away from the nearest station well before the designated time, but he encountered an unexpected visitor.
“Hello. It’s been a while, Kuraki-san.
“Why is Kosaka-san here…?”
For some reason, Tsubaki was there.
Her summery outfit of a white blouse and a denim fabric mini-skirt suited her very well, but Yamato did not feel like giving an honest compliment.
Unable to get the gist of the situation, Yamato immediately sent a message to Seira. He immediately received a spur-of-the-moment reply, saying, “I forgot to tell you”.
“Haaa…’”
Yamato sighed blatantly, and Tsubaki was miffed.
“You’re acting rude as soon as we meet. Am I not allowed to be here?”
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t be here… We were thinking of doing some shopping today with the money we both earned from our part-time jobs.
“A part-time job, is it?”
Yamato’s shoulders shook with a jolt as he looked at Tsubaki, who furrowed her brow.
Yamato remembered that her purpose was to investigate Seira’s activities. Since Aosaki High School, where Yamato and Seira attended, did not prohibit part-time work, there should be no problem, but he felt a little uneasy regardless.
“What’s the problem? It’s normal enough to have a part-time job.”
“No, it is outrageous for the daughter of the Shirase family to have a part-time job. You can say such a carefree thing because you don’t know Seira-senpai’s family background.”
“The policy may differ depending on the family’s situation. In the end, isn’t the will of the person in question the most important? In my family, my mother agreed with me after I told her what I wanted to do.”
Tsubaki sighed blandly this time.
It was as if to say, “As expected of a commoner.”
“What now?”
“I’m just stunned that you really don’t get it. What did you do for your part-time job? You two didn’t work at some restaurant that you can’t tell people about, did you?”
“No, of course not! It was a regular part-time job!”
“Well, it’s still questionable.”
It was no longer a sales pitch, but more of an argument.
Tsubaki may have a bad image of high school students’ part-time jobs, but she never lost her judgmental attitude. The quickest way to solve this would be to dispel her misunderstanding first.
However, no matter how much Yamato explained that he was just working in a law firm, he had a feeling that she wouldn’t believe it.
If only Seira were here, he could get her to explain and clear up the misunderstanding in one shot.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
When Yamato was pondering his next action, he heard Seira’s voice at just the right time.
Yamato spontaneously struck a guts pose and turned around triumphantly, but—
“Eh…?”
The next moment, he sounded stumped.
This was because he could not determine at first glance whether the woman in front of him was really Seira or not.
The woman had loosely curled hair, a black off-the-shoulder top with her shoulders boldly exposed, damaged jeans underneath, and high-heeled sandals…
It was a very fitting image of a “Gyaru.”
However, once he got a closer look, he could tell that it was Seira. The makeup itself was not particularly heavy, and it was not vastly different from her usual appearance.
Therefore, although he managed to determine that it was Seira, at first glance, he was puzzled at her sudden change in style.
Tsubaki seemed to be shocked as well and froze in place with her mouth gaping open.
Seeing the two of them stunned, Seira tilted her head curiously.
“What’s wrong, you two? What’s so weird?”
“That’s my line!”
“What are you wearing!?”
Yamato and Tsubaki both lunged at her at the same time.
“You two look like good friends.”
Seira said amusedly.
Seeing her go at her own pace, Yamato and Tsubaki were finally convinced that she was Shirase Seira.
Yamato’s relief was short-lived when Tsubaki glared at him with a grim look on her face. Apparently, she thought it was Yamato’s fault that Seira had come to dress like this.
Faced with some unreasonableness, Yamato asked Seira with slumped shoulders.
“So, Shirase. Can you explain to me why you’re dressed like that?”
“I just couldn’t resist the urge to dress like this.”
Tsubaki then came forward as if she couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Seira-senpai, did something happen between you and Kuraki-san?”
“What something do you mean?”
“T-That, umm, thing between a man and a woman…”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, a man-woman affair! Oh, goodness, don’t make me say it!”
Tsubaki said loudly, her face turning red.
Noticing that they were attracting the attention of the people around them, Yamato pointed to a café while holding his head.
“Why don’t we go in there for the time being? It’s a public place, and we can ask Shirase over tea why she’s dressed like a gyaru. —Of course, let’s be calm about it.”
“I’m not a gyaru, but I agree with the tea.”
“…Okay, let’s do that.”
They then moved to a nearby café, where Seira sat across from them at a table for four.
It was like an interview, and Seira’s mouth twitched in dissatisfaction.
“You two are still acting strange. Is something wrong?”
“─!”
Yamato opened his mouth, holding down Tsubaki, who reflexively tried to lean forward.
“No, ‘is something wrong?’ is my line. I’ll ask you again, why did you dress like that? It’s like you’re a delinquent, a gyaru…or something.”
“I’m curious too. Please explain.”
When they questioned her, Seira replied with a sigh.
“I told you, I did it because I wanted to. That’s all there is to it.”
Seira, sipping lazily from a plastic container of caramel-flavored shake, looked strangely like a gal model in a teenage magazine.
Perhaps that was why Yamato was a bit overwhelmed, but continued with his line of questions.
“Is that really all there is to it? Did you ever become aggressive out of dissatisfaction with your surroundings, rebellion against the corrupt world, or any other negative feelings?”
“Do you have any other memories of a summer, a one-night stand, an illicit relationship, or any other unhealthy behavior in your mind?”
Before Yamato knew it, Tsubaki had joined in on the questioning, and he had a feeling that the content was becoming more and more extreme.
Perhaps because of this, Seira sighed more and more languidly.
“Hmm? The only complaint I have right now is that Yamato and Tsubaki are being a pain.”
“Well! What’s with that attitude? Hey, you!?”
“Who are you calling ‘you’!?”
While they were having something like an interview, a strange switch seemed to have been flipped in Tsubaki, and Yamato calmly stopped her.
Tsubaki blushed and apologized, saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” and Yamato felt a strange embarrassment from her reaction.
Seira stared at the two of them and sighed for the nth time.
“I’ll leave if I’m intruding?”
Yamato and Tsubaki shook their heads at the same time.
By this time, Yamato had begun to reconsider the situation.
Since her answer did not change even after questioning her so far, he thought that perhaps Seira really had come in gyaru-style fashion just because she was in the mood to do so.
“I’m sorry, I’m going to trust Shirase.”
“Wait!”
The girl sitting next to him, Tsubaki, still didn’t seem convinced, but Yamato wasn’t about to change his mind.
“Thanks, Yamato.”
When Seira smiled at Yamato in her gal-style fashion, as she always did, he felt awkward and restless. It was almost like the restlessness one feels when approached by a flirtatious girl.
“But you said before that you would wear whatever you wanted to wear, but as expected, the swing was too big. I was really surprised this time.”
“Ahaha, sorry. I was looking through the closet and I felt like wearing something like this. It doesn’t look good on me?”
“No, I think it looks good on you… I don’t feel comfortable with you, you know, you’re too flashy with that getup.
“I see.”
Finally, just as the conversation was getting back to normal, Tsubaki interjected.
“I don’t want to pursue the matter of your clothes any further either. I don’t think it’s in good taste. ─This is another matter, but I heard that senpai got a part-time job. I don’t think you have permission from your family so what on earth are you intending to do?”
Before that, Yamato wanted to ask about Tsubaki’s presence here, but for now, he maturely kept his mouth shut.
When the conversation turned to another topic, Seira answered with a listless demeanor.
“Sure, I needed a stamp, but I had no problem with the one we have at home.”
“I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about.”
“Well, what about it? My school doesn’t prohibit part-time jobs, and Yamato said he was going to do it and it sounded interesting, so I just joined in. My parents and Tsubaki are irrelevant to this.”
“I’m…!”
When Seira dismissed her as ‘irrelevant,’ Tsubaki turned her head down, as if disheartened.
Yamaoto felt a little sympathy for Tsubaki in this regard.
Therefore, Yamato intervened with the intention of pacifying her.
“Well, well, you don’t have to say that much. Kosaka-san is also worried about you, that’s why she’s telling you this.”
“Kuraki-san…”
“I’m not asking you to worry in the first place.”
Seira turned away with a pout, and this time, Yamato was more disheartened.
However, Yamato felt that if he pulled out at this point, the pace would be set by Seira, so he rallied his feelings.
“In the first place, it was Shirase who invited Kosaka-san here today, wasn’t it? Without consulting me.”
“Is that relevant right now?”
“Yes. If Shirase hadn’t invited Kosaka-san over unannounced, things would have been a little more amicable. Maybe we’d be having a good time shopping right now.”
“Tsubaki said she wanted to see me right away, so… no, I’m sorry. Yamato and Tsubaki seem to have become good friends, so I thought you would be happy if I let her see you while keeping you in the dark. Guess I was wrong.
When she felt bad, she apologized properly. That straightforwardness of hers is one of Seira’s virtues.
That was something Yamato wanted to learn from her. He then said in a calm tone.
“Umm, I didn’t mean to be harsh. It’s not that I didn’t like it, I’m sorry.”
“Fufu, Yamato is very kind after all.”
“Not at all. I’m embarrassed, so don’t do that.”
“Haa…”
It was there that Tsubaki sighed blandly.
For some reason, she was giving them a strange look.
“”What’s wrong? —Ah.””
Looking at the two, Tsubaki sighed again and then said.
“I am also sorry for thinking that something might have happened between the two of you. Though even if you were in a relationship, it seemed that Kuraki-san’s worthlessness is hardcore.”
“—Goho, goho..”
Yamato had just sipped his iced tea, so he coughed it out.
For all her apologies, Tsubaki stared at Yamato as if he was a piece of filth.
Seira nodded and then said.
“I knew you two got along well.”
“”What!?””
Unlike what just as Seira said, Tsubaki and Yamato were like a pair of cat and dogs.
“Sorry.”
Tsubaki cleared her throat as if to make up for it, then looked at Yamato and Seira alternately.
“So, what’s the plan now?”
Yamato thought that the topic had been changed rather forcefully, but Seira turned the conversation over to him.
Yamato thought that she was being very forceful and asked Seira, “Well, we were supposed to do some shopping, right? Shirase said she wanted to look at clothes.
Seira said, “Oh, that’s it, but there’s been a change of plans. I wanted to go to a certain place today.
“A certain place?”
The two tilted at each other’s direction, and Seira smiled as she spoke,
“I’m sure you two will enjoy it.”
Saying this, Seira got up from her seat.
It was signaling them to follow her.
“I guess that’s also a secret until we get there, huh?”
“Yes, it’s more fun that way.
“Okay, okay.”
Once this happened, Seira was unstoppable, so Yamato and Tsubaki quietly followed her.
◇
They arrived at the location Seira led them to.
“—An aquarium.”
Yamato muttered as he looked up at the building.
The place that Seira brought them to was a large aquarium just a few minutes’ walk from the station.
Incidentally, Yamato’s spirit had been completely shattered by the various encounters they had before arriving here, including entertainment scouts and magazine snapshots.
However, all the attention was directed toward Seira and Tsubaki.
And yet, the two in question were excited to be in front of the aquarium.
Yamato felt bad about spoiling the mood here, so he got back into the swing of things.
”
“All right, let’s go in then.
“Yes.” “Right!”
When they entered the building, it was crowded with young-looking students and families.
The air conditioning was working well and cooled down Yamato’s burning body.
“Phew, that’s refreshing.”
“You’re tired already? Not enough sleep?”
“Of course I’m tired. This time, some of the scouts looked more dangerous than usual.”
Perhaps it was because of Seira’s outfit, but she was also approached by editors of magazines and other businesses. Clearly, the range of scouts has expanded.
“Not that Kuraki-san was approached, though.”
“Just being with you makes me nervous! They looked at me strangely.”
Yamato felt like telling them that people who are used to being approached by scouts are not the norm.
The fact that they immediately refused all the offers suggested that they were not interested in that kind of thing.
The two girls seemed to be more interested in the tank with the colorful fish. They were staring at it intently and talking about this and that.
Yamato also looked at the tank and saw a mystical scene.
“Oh, that’s beautiful.”
“Hey. Can we eat it?”
“You know…”
“Senpai, the kids are listening.”
“Oops. —Wow, it’s so pretty.”
As soon as Seira began muttering, a frightened child nearby ran past her with a look of relief.
“”Haaa.””
Yamato and Tsubaki were relieved at the same time, then quickly nodded to each other.
They indicated to each other that they had to remain steadfast here.
The aquarium also housed a variety of other fish and marine life, all of which were a sight to behold just by walking around.
The exhibits included deep-sea fish, jellyfish, and other unusual visuals, as well as a tunnel that resembled an underwater swimming stingray and sea turtles.
Yamato thought that it would not be a bad idea for the three of them to visit such a special space together, but at the same time, he wondered how he and Seira would have spent their time if they had visited the aquarium together.
Because he could see a few couples flirting here and there.
It was, after all, a standard date spot. The fact that the museum was basically dark may also have had an effect.
However, Yamato could imagine that the time he spent with Seira here would have had no romantic progress. Yamato thought they would end up talking about which fish could be eaten, just like she did earlier.
“What the heck, it’s no different than now.”
As Yamato spoke to himself, Seira and Tsubaki looked back at him curiously.
“Yamato, are you tired after all?”
“Or are you actually not good with fish? It’s almost time for the dolphin show, so if you could just wait a little longer. Dolphins are mammals.”
“I just thought… it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the three of us to hang out together. That’s all.”
Yamato said with a smile, and Seira said cheerfully, “I guess so,” and started to walk away.
However, Tsubaki apologetically turned her head down.
“Kosaka-san? I just meant what I said.”
“I appreciate that… but I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“Well, I guess I’m wondering why you came today. You didn’t just want to hang out, did you?”
“Yes. Although it was fun…but I wanted to talk to Senpai again about the Obon Festival.”
“Is there something going on during Obon?”
Yamato was curious, so he asked her, and Tsubaki gave him a puzzled look.
“Has senpai not told you? Every year, the Shirase family holds a meeting during the Obon season.”
“That’s new news to me. It seems her relatives also get together during the Golden Week holidays, so I guess large families get together frequently.”
“Sounds like it. But if she hasn’t even told Kuraki-san about it, then…”
—Ding, ding.
At that time, an announcement was made that the dolphin show would soon begin.
“Yamato, Tsubaki, hurry! The dolphin show is about to start.”
From a distance, Seira called out loudly, not caring about her surroundings.
As it would be embarrassing to continue being called, Yamato and Tsubaki followed Seira quickly.
When they moved to the outdoor bleachers where the show was to be held, most of the seats were occupied, probably because it was still a popular program.
Only a few seats in the front were available, but every visitor sitting there was wearing a plastic poncho-like covering.
“Is it necessary to sit at the very front?”
“No, it doesn’t seem to be required, but it seems that those who don’t want to get wet buy them because the water splashes down to the third row in front of them.
“I see. I’ll get one then.”
“Ehh, it would be more fun without it.”
“…I’ll go buy one for each of us.”
“Please do.”
Ignoring Seira’s whining, Yamato bought ponchos for the three of them (For 100 yen each).
Not long after that, the dolphin show began.
“””Oh!”””
The three of them shouted in unison at the sight of the dolphins leaping out of the water.
The dolphins followed the instructions of the staff and struck various poses while making high-pitched squeaks and cries. The dolphins’ adorable appearance soothed their hearts.
The show ended with the audience applauding the dolphins who had provided excitement, sensation, and healing.
“No~, that was some good stuff.”
Yamato said with a refreshed feeling as he wiped his face with a towel.
Thanks to the poncho he wore and sat in, his clothes did not get wet, but his face and feet were soaked. Nevertheless, he was so satisfied that such things seemed trivial.
“Right. Dolphins are not only cute, but their cleverness is also attractive.”
“And it was a great jump, even though my face got soaked thanks to it.”
As they continued on their way, they came to the penguin corner, which was the final highlight of the tour.
“Wow, they’re so cute.”
“They’re so cute.”
“Why are penguins so cute?”
The three of them were excited to see the cute penguins.
It was a blissful experience to see dozens of penguins marching side by side on the land and moving swiftly through the water.
After admiring the penguins for a while, they continued on and arrived back at the entrance. They had finished their trip around of the aquarium.
“We’re done. Do you want to go around again?”
“No, that’s enough…”
“Yeah, let’s not do it again.”
“I see.”
The excited Seira was just like a tireless child.
Yamato and Tsubaki already had no energy left because they had been so excitedly going around in the rather spacious aquarium.
“Well, it’s a little early, but let’s call it a day,”
Seira said nonchalantly. The two of them were exhausted, so she was probably concerned about them.
Since he had already spent quite a bit of money, even considering how much he earned from his part-time job, Yamato agreed. Since summer vacation had just started, if he spent it all in one day, he won’t be able to go out later.
“Yes, I have no problem with that either. I had a good time.”
Tsubaki agreed with Yamato, looking satisfied, but in the end, it was just another day of fun. Yamato wondered how she was really feeling right now.
However, he had no intention of initiating anything himself. The Obon holiday was on his mind, but it was still some time away, and for now he decided to think only of the immediate pleasures.
After leaving the aquarium, they headed to the station and parted ways with Tsubaki as they passed through the ticket gates.
Despite their initial problems, Yamato was relieved that, for the time being, he had safely completed his day with Tsubaki.
However, there was another uneasiness that was brewing in Yamato’s mind.
He was vaguely worried that he would not be able to spend much time alone with Seira in the future.
But he could not express such a feeling out loud. …It was just a hunch that he shouldn’t.
“Are you that tired?”
While they were being rocked by the train, Seira, who was sitting next to Yamato, looked into his face with concern.
“K-Kind of. But that’s okay, I had a lot of fun.”
“I enjoyed the aquarium more than I thought I would. Where shall we go tomorrow?”
“What, are we going to play every day at this rate?”
“We can’t?”
“No, it’s not that we can’t… are you doing your homework?”
“Uh, just a little bit?”
“You definitely haven’t done it.”
“Ahaha, you caught me.”
The anxiety that Yamato had felt earlier seemed to fly away when he saw Seira smiling innocently at him.
However, in a different turn of events, Seira looked out the window at the setting sun and said in a melancholy tone.
“The sun is still high up in the sky. It’s summer after all.”
“It’s still bright even after six o’clock these days.”
“The days seem shorter in summer, and it makes me a little sad.”
“Eh? You mean because it’s brighter for longer in the summer?”
“Yes. Because the night comes late and the morning comes early. I feel like I have less time to move around.”
“How much do you want to be a night owl…?”
“It’s not that I want to be a night owl, it’s that I already am one. Look at this.”
Seira said so and suddenly brought her face close to his and she continued to make eye contact with him at close range.
Her eyes were large and the bridge of the nose was straight — Yamato was completely in love with her face, which was so well-formed.
“So Shirase was the one who didn’t get enough sleep.”
“That’s what I meant. Thank goodness for the foundation.”
With Seira moving away, Yamato took a deep breath to calm his palpitations. As he did so, he managed to calm down.
“So, what time did you go to bed last night?”
“Nine o’clock.”
“Ah, that’s surprisingly early — wait, there’s no way that you…”
In other words, Seira went to bed at 9:00 — in the morning. How could she have made it in time for the noon meeting?
“I was watching a foreign drama and wanted to watch it until the end. I thought about not going to bed, but that would have been a bad idea.”
“I sometimes lose track of how Shirase operates…”
“Ahaha.”
“It’s not something to laugh about…”
Nevertheless, it can be said that her reason for staying up late was foreign dramas, which was typical of high school girls in general.
Yamato suspected for a moment that perhaps she had been wandering around the city at night, but his fears seemed to be unfounded.
A few minutes later, the train arrived at the nearest station.
Just as they passed through the ticket gate, Yamato’s phone reported a new message.
(Hmm? Who is it—geh, Kosaka-san?)
The sender of the message was Tsubaki.
The content of the message was her asking if the two of them could meet together sometime. Of course, without telling Seira.
“What’s wrong?”
Seira curiously asked Yamato, who was staring at his phone.
“No, it’s nothing. Let’s go.”
Yamato said, but replied with ‘Okay’ to Tsubaki on his phone and started walking with Seira.
