"Ishigami-kun came in first place! Congratulations!"
I turned around and answered the voice that came from behind me.
"Ah, thank you, Otomo."
Recently, not only his classmates but also Otomo Kyouko had noticed the drastic change in Ishigami's behavior. Most of his classmates were bewildered by the 180-degree change in Ishigami, who had been an introvert until just recently, but... since they weren't particularly interested in Ishigami to begin with, they quickly lost interest.
However, some people...
What's the point of acting like a goody-two-shoes now?
Ishigami, how dare you be so arrogant...
wasted effort
Some people uttered heartless words like that.
However, Kyoko Otomo...
"...!" *huff*
(Ishigami-kun, I don't know why, but he's working hard, so let's support him!)
They acknowledged Ishigami's efforts in a relaxed manner and offered their support.
"Ishigami-kun, are you going to club activities now? Good luck, bye-bye!"
With a carefree smile, Kyoko Otomo waved her hands wildly, and Ishigami responded...
"Ah, Otomo, be careful on your way home."
He smiled faintly and waved back.
They appeared to be a nice couple at first glance, but neither of them had any feelings of love or romantic affection for the other.
Ishigami sees Otomo merely as a classmate and someone he occasionally exchanges greetings with.
Otomo, with his carefree attitude, naturally supported his classmates when they were working hard, and there was no room for the word "romance" to enter his actions.
No matter what happens, Yu Ishigami and Kyoko Otomo will never go beyond the boundaries of friendship...
When I replied to Otomo and turned my gaze, I made eye contact with a female student next to me who was staring at me with her mouth agape...or rather, her eyes were obscured by thick lenses, making it impossible to see through them.
"What's wrong, Great Buddha? You don't believe it that much?"
I asked, savoring the feeling that my prank had succeeded. ...Of course, it's natural. After all, someone who was at the bottom of the class just two months ago has now come in first place on the end-of-term exams. Especially Daibutsu... he's seen the hard work of Iino Miko, who has consistently been number one in the grade, so his surprise must be even greater than everyone else's.
"Oh, no, that's not it... Ishigami, you're amazing. Yeah... I was surprised. It's the first time I've seen someone other than Miko-chan's name next to the number one."
"Well, I'm pretty surprised myself..."
"Really? You seem surprisingly calm considering that."
"That's just how it looks."
"Hmm..."
...I never thought I'd have a relationship with the Great Buddha like this, where we could talk like this. But I don't dislike it at all. There was that night when the Great Buddha told me he'd seen me give Iino the Stella flowers before the time reversal, and I was writhing in agony in bed...
I was watching you closely too.
Those words left me with an indescribable feeling. It made me realize that there really was someone who had seen me for who I was—Yu Ishigami—during my middle school years. Perhaps that's why... I unconsciously followed the giant Buddha statue with my eyes as I passed it in the hallway, and that's how I encountered that scene...