Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume15 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 8===

Despite all sorts of things happening, the next few days went by.

The midterms were over. To be honest, Haruaki had no confidence in his exam results.

"Ahaha, eh? Did something happen today? The memory of mine, Kana's, is a bit fuzzy. Exams? What is that? Is it some kind of karate yell? Like 'Exams&mdash;!' or something like that? Ahaha~"

"This girl is losing it, she's beyond help! By the way, Class Rep, how did you do? What did you write for the answer to the third question? I think I can barely pass as long as I got that question correct!"

While preparing to go home after school, Haruaki's group spent some time exchanging comments with Kana, who was showing an empty look, and Taizou, whose eyes showed urgent fervor. Since Kana and Taizou's club activities were going to resume immediately today, they parted ways here. Just as the group was about to leave the classroom&mdash;

"Oh! Shiraho, how did you do?"

"Good grief, how annoying can you get? Just the same as usual, the same as usual. Move aside, I have a date with Sovereignty."

If it's just the same as usual, isn't that quite bad for her? &mdash;Haruaki wondered. However, seeing as she attended supplementary lessons as frequently as seasonal traditions, Haruaki decided not to worry about it.

As though following the frowning Shiraho, the whole group made their way to the shoe lockers and encountered a familiar underclassman there. "Oh! Shiraho-san, hope things went well on your exams! Exams ended for the second-years today as well, right? How do you think you did&mdash;Pretend I didn't say anything!" Chihaya immediately displayed superb danger evasion before taking out her anger by glaring at Haruaki's group. Like that had anything to do with them.

In any case, the group changed their shoes together with Shiraho and Chihaya who apparently had someone waiting for them outside of school, then they walked out of the school building. Joining the crowd of students leaving school, they made their way to the school gates.

Then waiting for them there was&mdash;

"Sovereignty, sorry for making you wait. Your work has ended for today, yes? Let's go&mdash;"

"Isuzu, you didn't cause any weird commotions, right? Then let's hurry and return&mdash;"

Shiraho and Chihaya each called out to the one waiting for them, but suddenly stopped talking and tilted their heads in puzzlement, presumably due to noticing something off about those two.

Sovereignty and Isuzu were standing shoulder to shoulder near the school gates, peering outside the premises with troubled expressions on their faces. Sovereignty was dressed in a female uniform for going to school (work?) while Isuzu was in her usual shrine maiden outfit.

"Oh hello Shiraho, Haruaki and everyone else. There seems to be something over there&mdash;"

Just as Sovereignty noticed their arrival and greeted them&mdash;

"Geh!?"

Haruaki was rendered speechless. Outside the gates, where Sovereignty and Isuzu were staring at, was&mdash;

"Oh! Coming, coming! Hey~ Those exams must have been tough~! How did you do? Regardless whether you did well or not, now's the time to be liberated, right? Yay yay~!"

Waving towards him was the father who looked like a woman.

"...What a nightmare..."

Haruaki pressed his palm to his face. Generally speaking, he did not really want his classmates to see his family already, especially now that his father looked like that. If possible, he really wanted to pretend not to see, trying his best to ignore the sight. "Who is that beauty there?" "Must be the mom of someone from that group, right?" "She looks so young, how wonderful~" Haruaki also wanted to do everything he could to escape from this gossiping between the surrounding the students.

With her arms crossed before her chest, Shiraho narrowed her eyes coldly at Haruaki.

"...Is this someone related to you, human? If it really is the friend of a human who engages diligently in shamelessly perverted behavior on a daily basis, that would be truly mortifying."

"Sorry, I can't find any words to refute that. I'd be really grateful if you could ignore this..."

"Oh dear! You finally admitted that you've been engaging diligently in perverted behavior on a daily basis? I recall seeing on television that ordinary citizens have the right to arrest criminals in such situations."

"Hey, stay away from Shiraho-san and me or else we'll get impregnated. Totally disgusting."

"I wasn't agreeing with that part! It's the mortifying bit!"

Haruaki calmed himself and looked forward again. Honatsu was dressed in a cream-colored suit with a light and puffy hairstyle, looking like a young, married and successful career woman, dressed to go out as usual. The only thing different from normal was the light truck she was leaning against. Since the truck was parked right before the school gates, it went without saying that it was causing a lot of trouble. For some reason, the side of the truck was labeled "Yamamoto Liquor Store." Haruaki had a feeling he had seen this name before in the shopping district.

"Hmm?" Fear seemed intrigued by the truck and walked towards Honatsu. Despite his reluctance, Haruaki had no choice but to chase after her. Sovereignty and the others also went with the flow and followed.

"So, what's going on here?"

"Ufufu, I borrowed this~"

"Borrowed...? This is clearly a truck used for a liquor store's business, right? Why?"

Hearing Konoha's question, Honatsu waved his hand and replied:

"About this~ I was walking in the streets, looking for suitable transportation when I happened to see Take-boy from the liquor store sitting in this truck, so I tried whispering in his ear: 'Are you still paying tribute to Miki-chan at the bar? Anyway, forget about that, can I borrow this truck until evening?' For some reason, he agreed to lend it to me very readily~"

Fear narrowed her eyes.

"Hey... Isn't that totally blackmail...?"

"Don't put it like that~ It was just a request, a request. Although he seemed to tremble while answering: 'How do you know that? Who are you? Don't break up my family now, my second child is about to be born!' But it must have been my imagination~"

Haruaki broke out in cold sweat, hoping that the police was not currently going around in search for this vehicle.

"So yeah, now we have transportation, let's go shopping together! Go go&mdash;!"

"Huh?"

"W-What are you doing? Wait, don't push my butt!"

Taking Fear by the hand, Honatsu shoved her into the front passenger seat, then forcefully pushed Konoha onto the truck's cargo deck.

"Okay, all of you onto the truck! Let's get on! The more the merrier~ Wow~ All of you are pretty girls! Good job, Haruaki, that's my son!"

"S...on...? Then you're this human's&mdash;Ah! Wait, I never said I was going! Don't touch me!"

"I don't really get what's going on, but looks like fun! I'm going too&mdash;!"

Seeing Shiraho and Konoha pushed onto the cargo deck, Sovereignty automatically jumped up there too. "If Shiraho-san is going..." As a result, Chihaya and Isuzu boarded the truck as well, leaving Kirika and Haruaki as the only ones remaining. Kirika first glanced at Haruaki from the side then sighed and said to Honatsu while looking at the cargo deck that was not meant for passengers:

"Absolutely ridiculous&mdash;Doesn't this violate traffic regulations?"

"Don't sweat the details!"

"And this sudden talk about going shopping, why?"

"Because we're all going out together tomorrow, so we need to make all sorts of preparations~"

"...Tomorrow?"

Haruaki's eyebrow twitched. Looking up, he met gazes with the smiling Honatsu, but not wanting to speak to his father, he fell silent and turned his gaze away. Tomorrow. No way? As much as Haruaki wanted to question his motives, he did not want to speak to Honatsu. Luckily, Kirika voiced Haruaki's thoughts on his behalf.

"That's&mdash;because tomorrow is Yachi's birthday?"

Indeed. Haruaki had focused his full attention on exams earlier, avoiding the thought on purpose. Besides, it was meant to be a day that did not matter. The day he disliked. The day when his father would return. The day he returned just for sake of appearances. The day when Haruaki was forced to accommodate his father.

However, Honatsu waved.

"Ah~ Uh, I guess it counts if you put it that way~ But actually, the main reason is not Haruaki's birthday but something else. Still, I can't deny that it did occur to me that it's a rare chance, so we might as well celebrate together as well."

"What do you mean?"

"I've received notice that Gab-chan is finally returning tomorrow from his trip. However, after such a long separation, wouldn't it be very plain and boring to meet a dear friend at home or in the superintendent's office as usual again? So I suggested: 'since it happens to be the holiday after exams, I'd really love to take everyone to a rewarding place~ How about we meet there?' Then he agreed very readily~"

"The superintendent tomorrow..."

Haruaki sensed Kirika's gaze again. Although he did not believe it, this father of his had promised to explain everything in front of the superintendent. Suppose he really was speaking the truth&mdash;Perhaps there might be progress after all.

"Going there requires preparations... Which is why we're going shopping? Yachi, what's the plan?"

"I'm already seated here, so let's hurry and set off! Now that I think more carefully, it's my first time riding this type of car, I'm so excited! Also, if possible, I want to try riding in the back on the return trip!"

The silver-haired little lady leaned her upper body out of the front passenger seat's window and kept bouncing around, urging the group to set off.

"Can't be helped... Let's go, Class Rep."

"...I suppose so."

Haruaki climbed up onto the cargo deck on his own. By this point, the gazes of the surrounding students felt extremely stinging.

"Very good, very good! Then everything's okay once we head over to the Dan-no-ura and pick up Kuroe-chan~"

Just as Honatsu was about to get into driver's seat contentedly, Konoha asked with an astonished look:

"So, there is one important question I still haven't asked. Where are we going tomorrow?"

"Mmmfufu, about that~"

Honatsu opened the door on the driver's side and answered while grinning from ear to ear:

"&mdash;The beach! I can't believe Gab-chan has a villa there!"