CH 54

Translator – Vodka

Editor – Soju

Ever since the first day of the school entrance ceremony, I had heard rumours about the male student who went by the name Ogiwara Yuuto.

Even in the academic ability test held immediately after the school entrance, he had procured the highest marks among the boys in our school year. He had the right to stand next to Shizuku, who was the best among the girls.

Students who had seen him participate in physical education activities were saying that he had amazing reflexes.

Whether in classes or in clubs, the topic of conversations for every student in the same school year, were either Yuuto or Shizuku.

Towards those students who kept talking about the same things over and over again, I wanted to say,

“Aren’t you tired yet?”

They would say, “Ogiwara was amazing” or “Kanzaki-san was amazing” as if they were proudly talking about themselves. I couldn’t seem to be able to comprehend as to what they wanted to say. Then, there were also those people who would joyously listen to them talk about the duo.

It would seem that I had quite the twisted way of thinking when I was a first-year in middle school, and because of that, I could not blend into my surroundings. It became my daily routine to gaze out of the window by myself.

The first time I met Yuuto was a few days after the start of my new middle school life. At that time, I immediately judged him to be the same kind of person as Shizuku.

He was still a first-year in middle school.

There was childishness left in him, but he had such a well-proportioned physical appearance, that comparing him with the other students would be a rude thing to do.

He was a student who could do everything perfectly. He also had the charisma to have students gather around him all the time.

He had a good personality and was idolized by both men and women alike.

He was especially popular with the female students, regardless of the difference in grade, and it was to such an extent that it could even be considered abnormal. My first impression of him was that he was the male version of Shizuku.

We weren’t in the same club and our classes were different too.

We had nothing in common, so I had thought that I would have nothing to do with him.

However, life was unpredictable.

A month had passed since the school entrance ceremony. Then one day after the morning practice was over, I was heading towards the classroom with heavy footsteps as usual. I coincidentally came across him, and that was when I exchanged words with him for the first time.

Well, even when I say “exchanged”, it was only a simple greeting of “good morning” when we passed by each other.

The current me had the confidence to splendidly ignore the greeting of a new face, and I most certainly would do that, but the me from back then must have been a pure lad.

I had politely looked at him in the face and replied.

However, it happened the next day, and then the next. Every time we would meet, we would exchange words. After we had repeated this process several times, our conversations had gotten longer. Before I noticed, our relationship had already become such, that whenever we saw each other at school, we would come to a stop and nonchalantly engage in conversations.

Even now, I would wonder what exactly had been the deciding factor that had caused us to become that close?

We had become close in the natural course of events. Wouldn’t that be the appropriate explanation?

Even then, the other party was a popular idol of the school.

I didn’t voluntarily call out to him. It was only when he had come up to talk to me, that we would converse.

Like that, we would talk at school during the first year of middle school. In the second year of middle school, we were in the same class. Hence, the chances to meet up even on holidays had increased. Then our relationship had become something like that of now, where he would be coming to my house to hang out.

When I talked about the details of how Yuuto and I had met, Kirasaka asked me this.

“I wonder if it’s that. Maybe, Shinra-kun has a skill of being liked by the popular figures in school?”

“I don’t even want that kind of a skill……”

She seemed to enjoy my reaction. She flashed a smile and asked me this.

“But it is actually so, isn’t it? Even if they all like you differently, Kanzaki-san and Handsome-kun, me and Akane-san as well, everybody seems to have taken a liking to you”

……smartly pushing her name into the conversation was just like her.

More importantly, I don’t even want to have that kind of skill.

Just being around this type of people sounded like a major pain in the ass, whether it was troublesome stuff pertaining to love affairs, or the complications arising out of the relationship between friends.

There were situations where I had actually gotten involved.

I looked up at the cherry blossom tree that had already started to wither, and let out a sigh. We were the only ones in the park. Then, the sound of footsteps treading on the gravel and pebble came from behind us and reverberated in the park.

“It might be like Kirasaka-san says. Minato has a skill of being liked by unique people”

“Don’t make such a cool appearance……”

It was Yuuto. He didn’t even look over here, as he approached us.

He came to a stop when he was right next to me. He was in his uniform, but he didn’t have his bag.

While I was doing my student council work, he must have had swung by his home.

Instead, in his right hand, he was holding on to a bag from the convenience store.

“Minato, you ok with coffee-milk?”

“Un, thanks”

[TN – the Un above is an SFX for affirmation]

“Don’t worry about it. Kirasaka-san, is black tea ok with you?”

“I also would like coffee-milk”

“Just take it……”

When it came to Yuuto, Kirasaka had always disliked him. Towards my words, she reluctantly accepted the small carton of black tea and said her thanks in a low voice.

It seemed like Yuuto had also gotten used to her being like that towards him. He replied back with a simple “No Problem”, and then sat next to me.

“Sorry for being late. Did I make you wait?”

“You did”

Towards those stereotyped words that sounded like something that a guy would say to his girlfriend on a date, I obviously answered back honestly.

“That is where you should say, ‘No’”

“I don’t wanna”

My small amount of pride wouldn’t allow me to say a line like that.

I inserted a straw in the carton and put it in my mouth. Kirasaka drank her black tea in the same manner.

I thought we were going to start talking immediately but, unexpectedly, it wasn’t so.

Yuuto seemed to have been examining us for a little while. Then he suddenly started talking about the matter on hand.

“I really like Kanzaki-san”

That voice seemed to contain various types of emotions.