NOVEL NEXT Episode 29 - The Plant Behind the Classroom
Episode 29: The Plant Behind the Classroom
Two weeks had passed since the start of the new semester.
“Today’s finally here.”
The novelist checked the date circled in red on his wall calendar before heading out.
He’d left earlier than usual, skipping breakfast. In fact, he hadn’t eaten properly since the night before. Given his tight budget, he’d decided to keep his stomach empty until evening.
When he’d mentioned this plan, Miyagi-san had scoffed, calling it “pathetic.”
Damn it! Someone like her who never worried about food wouldn’t understand! He spent half an hour every day calculating expenses, carefully budgeting just to survive in central Tokyo—
Yet when he arrived at the empty classroom and gazed at the vacant seats, a strange emptiness settled over him. Perhaps Miyagi-san’s words had struck a nerve.
As he sat in his chair staring at the blackboard, inspiration struck.
“Maybe I should clean the classroom?”
Even though it wasn’t his assigned day.
Come to think of it, wasn’t this a classic romance comedy scene? The unremarkable male protagonist quietly tending to the class plants in an empty classroom, catching the eye of the popular female lead who falls for his “gentle” nature… that kind of thing.
Lost in these daydreams, the novelist rose from his seat and drifted to the back of the classroom.
He’d just picked up the watering can when he heard a soft sound from the doorway.
The novelist turned to find a girl with long black hair watching him, surprise evident in her expression.
For a moment, complete silence filled the classroom.
They stared at each other as the atmosphere grew heavy, neither breaking the silence.
Eventually, her face settled back into its usual cold mask.
“What are you sneaking around doing, Liang-kun? Planning to rifle through people’s desks while no one’s here? How despicable.”
Why?!
He’d been trying to show his sensitive side!
“By the way, that’s an ornamental plant that doesn’t need watering. The watering can at the back is for cleaning—the blackboard and hard-to-reach corners.”
Ogiwara strode in from the doorway, set down her bag, and took the watering can from his hands. After carefully examining the plant, she let out what seemed to be a relieved sigh.
“It looks fine for now. Don’t act on your own in the future. Too much water will rot the roots, making it difficult to care for…”
Eh…?
So she was the one who usually tended the class plants?
“Ah…”
As if realizing she’d revealed too much, Ogiwara absently brushed her black hair aside and fixed him with an icy stare.
“Do you understand your mistake now, Liang-kun?”
“Um… I’m sorry.”
This definitely called for a sincere apology.
“However…”
Ogiwara’s voice dropped to a thoughtful murmur.
“Since you don’t even know what type of plant it is, this must be your first time thinking about plant care, Liang-kun? Why now? A sudden whim? No, wait…”
She looked up at the novelist.
“You weren’t thinking something like ‘if a girl sees me doing this, she might fall for me’… were you? No, that can’t be right? Surely a high school student couldn’t harbor such unrealistic delusions straight from manga or otaku novels… that would be beyond merely ‘creepy.'”
Ogiwara lightly covered her mouth, radiating disbelief despite her unchanged expression.
“…Ah, haha. How could that be? I-I just arrived early and got bored…”
Cold sweat beaded on the novelist’s forehead.
Her intuition was terrifyingly sharp, and her mind worked at frightening speed.
Just then, the sounds of footsteps and animated conversation filled with youthful energy began filtering in from the hallway.
Ogiwara set down the watering can and returned to her seat. The novelist decided to follow his usual routine of using sleep to ward off hunger.
Their classmates filed in, completely unaware of what had transpired between the two.
The morning exchange with Ogiwara proved to be just a minor incident. The school day continued without further disruption until after classes ended—
“I’ve arranged for some cars, they’re already waiting at the gate. Let’s all go together!”
Standing at the podium, Niwa Takahito called out with a bright smile, clapping his hands.
“Ooh! As expected of Niwa-kun!”
Cheers and whistles erupted from the class.
Though the birthday celebration hadn’t officially begun, excitement already filled Class 2-1. Students passing by in the hallway occasionally paused to peer curiously through the windows.
“Yeah, even though it’s your birthday, we’re troubling you with the preparations, Takahito…”
The female class leader’s words carried a flirtatious note, her tone notably intimate.
“It’s fine, it’s fine!”
Niwa Takahito replied while scratching his head, seemingly oblivious to her manner.
“It’s no trouble at all. I hope everyone has a great time. Now then, shall we head out?”
“Yeah!”
“Let’s go!”
The crowd noisily made their way out through the door, voices filled with excitement.
Night crept in from the hazy horizon, gradually spreading across the city and consuming the earth.
The vehicles drove in formation along the empty boulevard. Outside the windows, trees with spreading branches hidden in shadow flew past.
In the gathering darkness, they could barely make out the string of lights from the hillside villa district.
The classmates sharing the car with the novelist remained unusually quiet. This wasn’t out of consideration for him, but rather due to the imposing presence of the driver—a muscular man in sunglasses and a black suit.
The cars slowly entered the suburban area. The surrounding forests were said to be private property, a district where Tokyo’s wealthy elite and distinguished merchants often resided.
Just from the scale of what had been arranged so far, their classmates from 2-1 must have already begun to guess at Niwa-kun’s intentions.