Chapter 45: Don't try to be strong with thin arms and legs
On Monday, Kaede rode his bicycle to school as usual.
Upon arriving at school, he had just changed his shoes when he discovered that something interesting had happened this Monday morning.
The protagonist of the incident was Oosaka Taiga from Class 1-E, whom Kaede had seen once before.
Standing outside the crowd of onlookers, Kaede stood on tiptoes and saw Oosaka Taiga's petite figure in the center of the crowd. She was holding a wooden sword.
Opposite her was a boy who had already fallen, lying on the ground, clutching his stomach and writhing.
What was going on?
Noticing a classmate from his own class slightly ahead and to the side, Kaede pulled on him and asked for the details.
It turned out that the boy lying on the ground was a member of the second-year Kendo Club. This morning, he had bumped into Oosaka Taiga in the hallway and spoke quite rudely, demanding that Oosaka Taiga apologize to him.
Normally, apologizing after bumping into someone wouldn't be a big deal, but this second-year boy's tone was quite bad. It was even rumored that he fearlessly called her "Palmtop Tiger," and Oosaka Taiga's temper was also quite explosive, so she immediately pulled out the wooden sword she carried with her and hit him.
And then, this scene of being surrounded and watched unfolded.
Rubbing his chin, Kaede whispered, "I didn't expect Oosaka Taiga from Class E to have such high combat power."
The classmate beside him also nodded and said, "Exactly, exactly. I heard from others before that Oosaka Taiga from Class E is very small and cute. Now it seems she's just a Palmtop Tiger."
The Japanese pronunciation of Taiga is somewhat similar to "tiger," so it probably wouldn't be long before Oosaka Taiga got a new nickname.
Soon, the Grade Director arrived. After having someone send the fallen student to the infirmary, she took Oosaka Taiga away for a good lecture.
However, other students had witnessed what happened here, so it could only be said that both sides were at fault. They would probably each write a self-reflection, and if there were injuries, Oosaka Taiga would pay for the medical expenses, and that would be the end of it.
After returning to the classroom, Kaede also received a message from Eriri.
Eriri: [Did you hear? About Oosaka Taiga from Class E just now?]
Kaede: [I know. I saw her being taken away by the teacher when I arrived. She acted quite decisively; that boy was reportedly lying on the ground for several minutes.]
Eriri: [I feel like you're a little bit gloating.]
Kaede: [Because my classmate told me! That second-year boy also had a problem with how he spoke; he just ran into a loaded gun. What if he had encountered a soft-hearted girl? Wouldn't she have been scared to tears?]
Eriri: [Hmm... What you say seems right!]
In the classroom, Eriri, who didn't know much about the incident and thought Oosaka Taiga had gone a bit too far, immediately discarded those thoughts.
By the afternoon break, Kaede also heard the follow-up to the incident from the well-informed Kitamura Yusaku.
Because Oosaka Taiga used a wooden sword, and thankfully didn't stab directly, and the boy's build was also decent, he didn't injure any muscles or bones. Plus, it was indeed the boy who was rude first, so in the end, both wrote self-reflections, and Oosaka Taiga was not given a demerit.
After hearing this, Kaede guessed that the Grade Director probably saw Oosaka Taiga as such a small person and couldn't bear to punish her too harshly. Kaede had seen the Grade Director a few times and found her to be quite easy to talk to, unlike the cold ones in some anime.
After classes in the afternoon, after temporarily helping Kitamura Yusaku move some materials for the teacher, Kaede returned to the classroom to pack his bag, preparing to go to the Art Club.
Kitamura Yusaku made the same movement, picked up his bag, and patted Kaede's shoulder: "Thanks today, Asakura. I'll buy you a cola tomorrow."
"Then I won't be polite."
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
"Mm, see you tomorrow."
After tidying his bag and saying goodbye to the classmates on duty in the classroom, Kaede walked out of the classroom.
And as soon as he stepped out, he saw Eriri coming out of Class A, one classroom to the left, carrying a trash bag in one hand and a mop in the other, walking with some difficulty.
"..."
After thinking for a moment, Kaede quickened his pace and walked over, coming up behind Eriri and patting her shoulder.
"Eriri."
"Ah!"
Eriri was startled and her hand loosened.
Kaede quickly moved to Eriri's side, catching the mop that almost hit her. The trash bag, being tied up, was fine falling to the ground.
Patting her chest, Eriri turned to see Kaede beside her and said indignantly, "Don't you make any noise when you walk?"
"I just walked normally. Who told you not to pay attention?"
Seeing that she was still indignant and a bit scared, Kaede immediately apologized: "It seems I really scared you. Sorry, sorry. I'll buy you juice later, okay?"
"You said that, I didn't ask you to do it."
"Yes, yes, yes, it was my initiative to offer tribute to Lady Eriri, is that alright?"
"Ew, that's disgusting!"
Although she said she was disgusted, a smile appeared on Eriri's face.
Kaede also smiled: "Are you okay now? I'll help you carry these things. Seeing your thin arms and legs from behind, I felt quite worried. Don't try to be strong."
He lifted the trash bag; it was a bit heavy, so Kaede simply carried everything himself.
"Huh? Why are you carrying everything? I'm the class's duty student today."
As she spoke, Eriri also took the mop from Kaede's hand, then went to the end of the corridor and put it back in the storage room there.
Eriri had originally wanted to carry the trash bag herself too, but Kaede didn't let her, saying, "You must be tired from cleaning just now. I saw sweat on your face. I'll go down with you; you can just take a break."
"Hehehe, thanks, I really am a bit tired."
Walking down the stairs, Kaede also asked, "You're on duty today? I thought Usami would be with you."
"Mizuki was going to accompany me, but I didn't let her wait for me; I told her to go to the Art Club first." Eriri said with a smile, "Mizuki really likes to draw. I can handle this small task myself; there's no need for her to waste time with me."
Kaede thought for a moment. It seemed that among the five people in the Art Club, Usami Mizuki was indeed the one who usually drew the most seriously. Even Eriri didn't put 100% of her energy into the daily oil painting and sketching exercises in the Art Club. Compared to these, Eriri still preferred to draw 2D characters. It's just that she wasn't like Uchimaki Subaru, bold enough to draw directly in front of everyone.
Soon, the two arrived at the area behind the teaching building where trash was placed.
After disposing of the trash, the two prepared to return. Kaede happened to see a figure not far away, secretly observing something.
Takasu Ryuji? What's that guy up to now?