The Burden of the Group Leader
“Seriously, how long are we going to keep doing this?”
The other groups were in total chaos, busy exchanging opinions and getting things done. But us? What were we doing? Just sitting there, reading the room, and not saying a single word. Seriously, you guys.
Once I mentioned it directly, the two of them finally started to react.
“…Yamada-san is right.”
“……”
Ruri Mitsune nodded in agreement, and Akari Kayama was… well.
‘What is up with her?’
Other than a faint glimmer of interest in me, I couldn’t see anything else. Huh, but then I started having my own stray thoughts. ‘Why is she so pretty, anyway?’
Her look was different from Suo-senpai’s, and I almost lost my mind. Maybe the difference between an idol and an actress? If Suo-senpai was the bright, shining type, Akari was the exact opposite. Even just sitting there, her unique aura seemed to crush everyone else in the room.
‘But no way.’
Thanks to someone, I’d already finished adapting to "pretty," so I asked without hesitation.
“What are you good at? I mean, this is math, but… in my opinion, other things are more important right now.”
You have to finish the assignments you’re given. If I’m going to be stuck in such an awkward group, it’s easier to just knock it out all at once rather than putting it off until the last day. So, I decided to figure out Akari’s personality first. I didn’t know her at all.
“I’m… just. Anything…”
Does that mean she’s good at whatever she’s told to do? She sure has a talent for being vague.
“Yeah, I get the gist.”
“…… Yeah.”
Well, she’ll figure it out. Besides, she looked like a delinquent, so I couldn’t really talk to her much anyway.
“Let’s split the roles right now, shall we?”
As I quickly wrapped things up, Ruri looked surprised.
“Yamada-san, you’re surprisingly responsible, aren’t you?”
“Yeah… I guess so.”
I almost got dizzy from the praise of two beautiful classmates, but these two were currently trying to pull a "murderous step" on me.
“I don’t know about that, let’s just finish this quickly. I need to play games.”
“Huh.”
“Ah…”
Bringing up responsibility is just a build-up to make me the group leader. Do you think I wouldn’t notice that kind of herbivore tactic—like, “Wow, you’re so responsible! I bet you’ll lead our group well~”? I absolutely refused to take on the role of leader like that.
Sure enough, as soon as I mentioned games, their expressions soured instantly.
“Haa… then, I guess I have no choice but to be the leader.”
See? I told you, she was totally stepping on me to make me the leader. If I hadn’t been trained by Suo-senpai, I would’ve been in big trouble.
“Mm, that works.”
Ruri wrote her name as the leader on the assignment sheet the math teacher handed out, then asked the next question.
“Alright, I’m the leader. Who’s going to do the presentation?”
“Hmm.”
It was time to pick the presenter. It’s pretty barbaric that in a group of three, only one person gets to survive.
“…… I will.”
“……”
And the problem was Akari. She was maintaining a poker face and not saying a word. However, the aura leaking out from her surroundings couldn’t be hidden.
‘What is she so scared of…’
On the surface, she’s a character who looks incredibly tough. Between the smell of cigarettes clinging to her and her expression, she just felt like that kind of person. Her face was much sharper than Suo-senpai’s, too.
But, as always, a person’s emotions are completely different from their appearance. After seeing Akari’s aura, I sighed and said:
“Sigh… I’ll do the presentation.”
“…!”
Why are you so surprised? If you knew how badly I wanted to get out of this group, you wouldn’t be shocked.
“…Yamada-san, what are you? Are you responsible, or what…”
Ruri asked with a confused look. Responsible, my foot. I answered bluntly.
“If I do the presentation, I can just half-ass the research, right?”
“…… So that was it, after all.”
Well, she says it like she knows me inside and out, but I had other thoughts. If I made a girl who barely talks do the presentation, I’d just feel guilty for no reason. Look at her now—even with that poker face, she’s constantly checking my reaction.
“…… Tha, nks.”
“Phew.”
Of course, the real reason was… I didn’t want to put any effort into something like research for a freshman group project. I’m confident I can do the presentation without shaking. Everyone here is a freshman anyway—in other words, they’re all middle-school graduates.
“?”
“Ugh…”
Wait, why is she suddenly bowing her head so low?
“What did you say?”
“…… Nothing.”
She said she didn’t say anything. I thought she muttered something, but I’m not sure.
“Anyway, let’s get started.”
“Yes, but Yamada-san, you have to find the data too.”
“Of course, Leader.”
“…… Please don’t hold your phone horizontally.”
This is so unfair from the start. I was only going to play one game.
“Are you not even going to try to hide it…”
…That’s a trait that’s much more prominent in you, Senpai. But saying that would just invite a retort, so I decided to let it slide.
‘What are you talking about, you high school sophomore who’s refusing to go to school.’
Since she’s such a seductive Senpai, it didn’t feel strange even when she said things like that. The fact that I found this amusing made me feel like I was losing a few screws myself. I realized during the video call incident that she doesn’t see me as just a fish in her pond.
I’m understanding it as a friendship with a weird sense of distance. ‘Du…’ No, seriously, I think my brain is getting loose. I’m not some TS character, and I felt like I was in big trouble when…
“Hey, Jun.”
“…?”
Someone called me, so I closed my phone and looked up. But… wow, that’s a combination that literally takes my breath away the moment I see it.
“Ishikawa, why are you making that face?”
Ishikawa had led that trio of classmates and charged at my desk. And all four of them had eyes burning with intensity, which was terrifying.
“Jun. Did you have fun during the group project?”
Why are you leaking killing intent, Ishikawa?
“…… No?”
I answered honestly, but the trio immediately started slandering me.
“No way, I saw it, Ishikawa. This guy didn’t stop smiling.”
“That’s right! He kept smiling on the sly, he was so sinister!”
“Was it that good being with two beauties!?”
“No, what are you guys talking about?”
The reason I didn’t stop smiling was because I was slacking off on my phone. And "two beauties"? It felt like walking on thin ice, not a dream. No, not thin ice—just a frozen road? Anyway! The fact that I was the victim here didn’t change. And no one understood my heart.
“““Explain yourself.”””
The three of them, excluding Ishikawa, said in unison. Explain, huh? It’s funny that they’re asking me to explain something like this. But honestly, this is the taste of being a normal high school student. Making a big deal out of nothing is the privilege of teenagers.
“I’ll try to explain.”
Alright, let’s solve this like rational beings. First of all, I know why you guys are angry. But think about it.
“What do I get just because I’m in the same group?”
“Attention!”
“Interest!”
“Opportunity!!”
The trio reacted like springs, and I was dumbfounded. Still, they listed the good things first.
“Guys, let’s think about it from the other side.”
Even if these guys are just freshmen who are slightly more advanced than cavemen, they should understand if I hit them with this.
“Let’s say you guys took my place in that group.”
“Oh, if we put it that way?”
“Then, what could you do?”
“………”
The trio started checking each other’s reactions. They seemed to be imagining two beauties and themselves left alone. And the reaction was immediate.
“Akari-chan… her eyes… they are scary.”
“They’re both pretty, but how should I put it… they’re the type that’s hard to approach.”
“Ahem! So, what are you trying to say?”
Looks like they’ve started some proper self-reflection. Yeah, you cavemen, what am I trying to say?
I shrugged my shoulders and said:
“What makes you think I could do anything?”
Ah, I am equal to or better than you guys. Did you get that?
“Ah.”
“Oh.”
“Wow… Jun, what are you? You understood it perfectly.”
Ishikawa, who was listening from the side, uncrossed his arms. No, the fact that you guys are reacting like that makes me feel a bit weird.
“That’s true, Jun. We misunderstood.”
“Sorry, sorry… I’ll buy you a drink later.”
“We were the bad ones!”
These bastards…
It’s dumbfounding that they’re accepting it so actively after acting like that.
“Sorry, we’ll definitely buy you a drink later!”
“…… Go away.”
“Shall we go to the snack bar?”
The trio put their arms around each other’s shoulders and disappeared toward the snack bar as if nothing had happened. I sighed in relief, feeling like a storm had just passed through.
But.
“…Aren’t you going?”
Ishikawa was still there. What are you doing? Hurry up and go sit next to Ruri and talk to her.
“……”
“…?”
Ishikawa’s expression was dark. What is it, is he mad because I played games at dawn?
“Jun.”
“Why.”
Ishikawa stared at me for a moment before speaking. In a very serious tone.
“Don’t take off your glasses at school.”
“??”
What the hell is this guy talking about? Why would I take off my glasses, man? You know my eyesight is terrible.
“Seriously.”
It’s so unlike Ishikawa to speak so earnestly that I’m just dumbfounded.
“Are you being serious? Alright, Ishikawa, get ready to take a Dempsey Roll.”
When I playfully got into a fighting pose, Ishikawa let out a breath and said:
“…As expected, you’re always Otaku Jun. Great! I’ll buy you a burger today.”
“???”
Why is he making a relieved face? Why does my mood get worse when you’re opening your own wallet?
“How many do you want to eat? I got my part-time job pay, so I have some room. Jun, how angry are you?”
Ishikawa asked me while humming. How angry am I? I’m pretty angry right now. About…
“I’m 135 burgers angry.”
About 135.
“…Eh? Seriously…? No, no, that’s such a specific number, are you serious?!”
“For real.”
“Are you using what I just said right back at me!?”
“I’m not joking.”
I didn’t know the aftermath of the group project would be this big. Still, after surviving the storm, the rest of the day was perfectly ordinary. Ishikawa bought me burgers, and Ruri didn’t even pay attention to me. The only things bothering me were the fact that today was Monday, and…
It was just the cute Suo-senpai again today.
Wednesday morning, which I thought would be peaceful. To be precise, 3rd period, math class. More accurately, we had decided on what to prepare for each other on Tuesday. And it was Wednesday’s math class, where we were supposed to check that. The incident happened.
“Yamada-san, can I see you for a moment?”
“…… Yes?”
Did she catch me playing games on my phone under the desk? No…? I had finished everything I needed to do and was just enjoying myself. Akari looked up and stared at me.
‘…?’
To my surprise, an aura I’d never seen before appeared. It seemed to be a mixture of several emotional colors, but after racking my brain, I could infer a few things. Shame, fear, guilt, and… anger? Why is she like that? While I was reading the room, Ruri called out to me.
“Yamada-san.”
“Oh, I’m coming.”
So I followed Ruri out. We moved a bit further down the hallway and settled near a secluded stairwell. Ruri crossed her arms, let out a deep sigh, and said:
“…It’s about Akari-san.”
“What about her?”
Akari was working hard. At least her aura was the color of someone doing their best. So I had a slight positive impression of her, but why did she suddenly bring up Akari?
‘The atmosphere is ominous.’
As I waited for the next sentence, Ruri Mitsune parted her lips and spat out a single line.
“Honestly, she’s not helpful at all.”
“…… Hmm?”
What could this possibly mean?