Volume 1 - CH 1

The holidays are over and the results of the midterm tests are posted on the bulletin board at school.

Since this was a so-called college-preparatory school, the top fifty students would have their names posted on the bulletin board.

When I turned my eyes to the posted rankings, I saw my name written in the 33rd place.

I guess I’m not that bad.

I usually study hard, but I can’t seem to take it seriously.

However, I can’t afford to lose my grades, because I won’t be getting any money from my parents.

After checking the rankings, I quickly went back to my seat and put the earphones in my ears, playing my usual music.

A reference book in my hand. It’s not that I don’t have friends, but I don’t have enough to talk to them.

Suddenly, I am tapped on the shoulder.

“Did you see the rankings?”

The person who calls out to me is Yuki Takayama in the seat behind me.

Since high school, he’s been a rare breed to talk to me about anything.

I took the earphones out of my ears and turned around.

“Hmm?　I just saw it. It’s not a ranking I’m particularly concerned about”

“That’s great. That’s what a man who can study would say”

The content of the exam this time was similar to a review of junior high school.

“If you can’t get a score on that, you shouldn’t be on this school, right?. It was a simple question.

“What about Takayama?”

“Me? I mean, I scored decent, but I’m not ranked”

Takayama’s score was not bad at all, as he showed me his answer sheet.

If his average score was a little higher, he would be about the same as me.

Takayama puts the answer sheet on his desk with a little smile.

“Well, it’s no match for the Nadeshiko”

Takayama’s eyes follow a girl.

It’s Anri Himekawa.

The only daughter of Yuzo Himekawa, the president of Himekawa Industries.

Written at the top of the bulletin board, Himekawa is surrounded by female students, interacting with each other in a friendly manner.

The boys in the class are watching the scene from a distance.

Himekawa is a beautiful girl with black hair and a beautiful face.

She is also the daughter of the president and has excellent grades. She definitely stands out.

At first glance, I knew I didn’t want to get involved with Himekawa.

We’re not the same kind of people. I thought it would be better for me if I didn’t get involved.

‘Well, with her looks and the test results, She’s great by all accounts”

I turned my attention back to the reference book I was reading and decided to reread it.

“Oh? You’re not interested in Nadeshiko, are you Tendo?”

With a reference book by my side, I answer in an annoying way.

“It doesn’t matter to me. It’s better to read a reference book than that”

“Nadeshiko is one of the best-looking girls in the class, if not the school. You know how popular she is?”

I know about such things. I’ve heard the guys in my class talk about it a few times.

The number of people that have confessed to her and been rejected is in the double digits. It seems that all of them have been rejected.

In addition, one of my seniors, who is also a good-looking guy, was also rejected confession with one word.

He has a good reputation and is well-liked in his class. An impeccable kind of person.

There was even a guy from another class who came to see Nadeshiko every time there was a break.

Just having this guy in my class is exhausting for me.

Regardless, you just have to not get involved.

I watch the news in the morning. Every morning, I run a few kilometers and have breakfast.

Then, after watching the news while having breakfast, I head to high school. It’s my daily routine.

Thirty minutes to school. I ride my bike from home to the station and take the train.

And from the station, it’s just a short walk. It’s not that far.

It’s not that bad, because I can spend some time reading reference books while swinging on the train.

What caught my attention in the news this morning was that the president of Himekawa Industries was caught on charges of embezzlement.

It was probably the company of Himekawa, who was also in my class. People with money want more money.

You have to save and spend your money properly.

When I arrived at the school, there were usually several people crowded around Himekawa, but today there was no one.

There was no one talking to her, only people talking about Himekawa in whispers.

Everything else is as usual. I put the earphones in my ears and unfold my reference book.

“Have you seen the news?”

Takayama talks to me immediately.

Of course, I watch the news, but it’s annoying to talk about it.

Besides, I have nothing to gain or lose by talking about it. It’s a waste of time.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen the news this morning”

Takayama spoke carefully from the beginning to the end of the news reported this morning.

Of course, what he said was something that I knew too.

“Nadeshiko, will she go to school as is? What is she going to do with school?”

I don’t know what will happen to her after her father is caught.

You’ll have to make a living. What are you going to do now?

“Well, there are plenty of ways to do that, like relying on relatives or having the government take care of us. We’re still minors”

While being half forced to listen to such stories, time passed by.

No one spoke to Himekawa until after school.

No one came to see Himekawa during recess, either.

After all, that’s how people are, right? They get close to you and then betray you.

Before you know it, they’re gone. I didn’t do anything, but the people around me are making noise all by themselves.

That’s why it’s so annoying. People betray you, even more so when you trust them.

As I watch Himekawa walking alone down the street from the classroom window, I too am on my way home.

Today is Friday, and tomorrow is Saturday. I have to work on Saturday and Sunday, so I decide to go home early today.

Did she go home? Well, I guess it doesn’t matter to me…

The reason I don’t work on weekdays is so that I can study and take care of my family.

If I work on weekdays, my studies will be neglected.

I need to concentrate on both my studies and my part-time job.

After I got home, I got ready for the next day and went to bed early.

What would happen to the child if the parents were caught?

Would he or she not be able to go to school?

With these thoughts in mind, I fell into a deep sleep, not bothering to look up anything on the internet. [TLN: He was going to search about what will happen to her on the internet, lol]

TLN: This is a new series I’m taking on, every chapter is longer than my first series so I’m probably gonna be a bit slower in releasing chapters (I’ll still try to do it daily).

I need ideas on the time jumps transition line.