Real teaching, hypocritical gray life

"is it?"

I rubbed my face with my free hands and found that it was indeed a little stiff at the moment.

I glanced at Ichinose who was still standing behind me, then looked at the large number of shopping bags on the entrance, and finally let out a deep sigh.

"What happened?"

"...locked up."

"Well, then what?"

"The locksmiths are all off work."

I stared into Ichinose's eyes and read out the key points word by word. She didn't react at first, and even nodded in agreement with my answer, but when she saw that I didn't say anything else, she thought about what I had just said carefully, and finally stared at me with wide eyes.

"That is to say..."

"It is said that they can only come to deal with this matter tomorrow morning."

"Hey, hey, hey, then wouldn't I be——"

I quickly stepped forward and covered Ichinose's mouth, not caring about the touch of her slightly wet lips.

If things really develop like this, then Ichinose is still in my room now. Although I know that there is nothing wrong between us, once it falls into other people's ears, strange rumors will spread.

"I asked you if you had finished the call. You kept whispering."

"The call just ended."

"Then what's the result?"

"..."

"Why are you suddenly mute? Speak?"

"Can I not tell you the result?"

"Why, are all the locksmiths off work, and you have no choice but to accept the reality of being trapped?"

Kanzaki said this jokingly at the door of the room, but it didn't sound funny to me at all.

"..."

"Hey, could it be... that I was right?"

"......That's it."

After hearing my answer, Kanzaki outside the door was silent for a long time.

Immediately afterwards, Kanzaki's unbridled laughter was heard from the door again.

"..."

me,

Since the beginning of school,

I really didn't expect that even Kanzaki could laugh so heartily.

Chapter 119: Ichinose, Let's Take a Shower First

You must remember those who hold umbrellas for you in the heavy rain, those who help you block foreign objects, and those who silently hug you in the dark... It is these people who make up every bit of warmth in your life, and it is this warmth that keeps you away from the haze.

- Haruki Murakami

People will meet all kinds of people in their lives.

Among the people who are friendly with you, no one can tell who is sincere and who is fake in an instant.

Without going through something, you cannot understand a person.

A friend in need is a friend indeed; a person's true character is revealed in times of adversity.

When I first appreciated this sentence by Haruki Murakami, I didn't understand the deep meaning contained in it. However, the scenes I have experienced in my life so far and their teachings have made me deeply understand a truth.

——There are two things in the world that you cannot look directly at, one is the sun, the other is the human heart.

I have stood in the remote and low place where no one else can see and I agree with it deeply.

Although the current situation is not as serious as I said, and it cannot be called one of the rare setbacks and tribulations in life, it is at least the most indelible memory of my time.

You may ask why, because at this moment Kanzaki is still laughing in front of my door.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Just as I was still exploring the depths of human nature, Kanzaki's slowed-down laughter once again clearly reached my ears through the door.

Only five minutes had passed from the beginning to now, but in such a short period of time, I had transformed my unfamiliarity with this matter into understanding, and then to familiarity, and now I knew it like the back of my hand.

Ah, for a full five minutes Kanzaki laughed, stopped, and rested, over and over again.

If the door hadn't blocked my path to Kanzaki, I would have definitely stepped forward to help check on him and make sure he was in good spirits. I don't admit that my thoughts were exaggerated, because even Ichinose, who was standing next to me, couldn't help but show his concern for his companions on his face. I even had the urge to ask, but fortunately I stopped myself in time.

I tried to tell Ichinose not to worry.

The fact that I locked myself in the room already made Kanzaki laugh like this, who knows what would happen if he knew that Ichinose was still in my room. Maybe I can bear the consequences of the rumors in reality, but Kanzaki may not be able to get through reality.

I don't want a strong fighter in my class to go crazy like this.

"..."

Slowly, Kanzaki slowed down again, and at the same time I could hear the 'knocking' sound of his chest being slapped to relieve the pain from laughing for so long, and I took this opportunity to talk to Kanzaki.

"Have you laughed enough?"

"If possible, please don't bother me at this time..."

"You've been laughing for five minutes. Even though your laughter is getting weaker, if you keep going, you might get complaints from the neighboring rooms."

"It's okay...well, we're all family members next door, so just explain it and there won't be any other serious consequences."

"I don't mind my scandal being spread, but it will also affect the views of people around you."

"Well, sorry, I don't know why I can't stand seeing you in trouble."

Kanzaki coughed a few times and adjusted himself back to the state I was familiar with on weekdays. Although there was no cat's eye, I could already imagine Kanzaki sorting his clothes in my mind.

"That's terrible! Haven't I been bullied enough every day?"

"Well, how should I answer this question... Although I usually feel that you are being bullied, but when I really think about it, it doesn't seem to be the case... You see, for example, when the students in Class C provoked us, you were the only boy in the class who didn't suffer; and on weekdays, no teacher would find fault with your grades..."

"So from a certain perspective, you seem to be feeling very miserable, but in fact, you are lucky. It's just that I didn't expect that outsiders didn't persecute you, but you didn't let yourself go. When I think about this, I really want to laugh."

Before he finished speaking, Kanzaki snorted a few times, and there was nothing I could do about it.

"...your explanation hurts my heart deeply."

"You are the one who raised this question. Don't put the blame on me."

"I just said it casually, I didn't know you would think seriously about it."

"I don't understand that... Anyway, the locksmith has already gone off work at this time. You can only wait until they notify you as soon as possible tomorrow morning. Is that right?"

"I have just explained the details to you."

"Sorry, I was trying to hold back my laughter and didn't hear the content clearly."

"..."

"I already know the details and the results. As for the rest...is there anything you need my help with?"

"No, I just asked you to come here because of the door lock."

"It should be more than that, right?"

"…Why do you say that?"

"You wouldn't go out to play with the door lock when you have nothing to do, right? You must have something that requires you to go out... Have you not eaten dinner yet?"

"I'm glad I had dinner before I came back. And even if I had to go out for something, you probably wouldn't be able to help me, right? I have a plastic bag full of garbage here, can you help me throw it away?"

"Maybe there are other possibilities. I can't say for sure."

"In fact, I really don't have anything else to do, so please don't bother."

"You are so cold... I have understood everything now. I will go back to my room to rest. I will come to see you tomorrow morning."

"Can you please not treat me like an animal in a zoo for tourists to admire..."

"The situation now is no different from being in the zoo, except that there is no glass window on the door for us to look out. Anyway, I won't stay here to chat with you."

"Ah."

Although I knew Kanzaki outside the door couldn't see what was going on inside the room, I nodded anyway. I turned around and wanted to discuss with Ichinose what we should do next, but the target's face quickly became unnatural in the slit of my peripheral vision.

By the time I realized the problem, it was too late to stop it.

"

In this situation where we might not be able to leave this room at night, Ichinose also realized the importance of not exposing his presence, and covered his mouth in an instant.

However, Kanzaki, who had not yet left, noticed this, and the sound of his footsteps on the ground stopped at this moment. I waved my hand to signal Ichinose to move deeper into the room.

As Ichinose pushed it behind him, I pretended to be fine and tried the handle unwillingly.

"Don't try. It's already like this, which means this door can't be opened by normal force at all."

"...Didn't you just say you were going back to your room to rest?"

"I just heard some strange noises."

"What strange movement?"

Kanzaki was silent for a while outside the door and did not answer my question immediately. It seemed that he had hesitated and thought for a long time, and finally he slowly confided in front of the door.

"I say...is there anyone else in your room?"

"...I should have told you that there is no party tonight. If Okabe and the others were in my room, there is no way they would have endured it until this time."

"...In fact, I heard a delicate voice before I left...I don't think it was a voice you could make. It sounded more like a girl's..."

"Please stop spreading rumors. I don't want others to misunderstand my innocence."

"..."

"Did you just sneeze... or was the door lock further damaged?"

"If it was you who sneezed, that would be weird too... I must be hallucinating."

"At least don't make a fuss in front of my door. I'm already worried about not being able to get out."

"Most of the responsibility for this matter lies on you. I am just a guest star."

"Then you go. It's almost time for me to wash up and rest."

"Ah."

After the conversation, I washed my hands in the kitchen as if nothing had happened, and then returned to the sofa seat that was not really a living room. At this time, Ichinose was sitting opposite me. I guess I couldn't understand the situation in front of him. Anyway, he looked a little overwhelmed.

Just as she was about to speak to me, I once again put my index finger on my lips to signal her to be quiet, and then pointed to the door of the room to tell her that walls have ears. Ichinose also nodded in understanding.

Slowly, after about five minutes, I heard the sound of footsteps leaving the corridor, the thick tones of a heavy torso.

I was not wrong in judging that Kanzaki had left, so I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now...can you talk?"

"Well, it should be fine."

"Is Kanzaki-san no longer at the door?"

"He's probably back in his room."

"How did Luo determine this?"

"I listened. After saying goodbye to Kanzaki, I didn't hear any footsteps when I left."

"But why didn't I hear anything?"

"Maybe my hearing is better than Ichinose's. But that's not the point. The point is, can Ichinose understand the current situation?"

"Well, we're locked in the dormitory and can't leave, so I might have to stay in Luo's room for one night..."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause this. It was because I closed the door too hard when I came back that this problem occurred."

"...Is there no other way to open the door?"