Volume 1 - CH 1.2

Chapter 1

Translated by Sphagnum

Edited by Sphagnum

The second April of my university life. It is also the season for welcoming new students to Cultural Committee, the organization to which I belong.

I am nervous about whether I will do well as a senior, but of course, I also have expectations for the new students. But in the end, I am a passive person, so I will probably only have a minimal amount of interaction with the juniors.

“Oh. Look, Maki. There’s that girl.”

Today is the day of the second general meeting of the Cultural Committee. I was sitting next to my classmate Sane in the classroom where the meeting was to be held, and he poked me on the shoulder as he said so.

“Yeah.”

I looked toward “that girl” a little farther away from me, the one Sane mentioned. There was a new female student with shoulder-length dark brown hair, curled slightly inward at the ends, a cute hairstyle.

“What’s her name again?”

“Kimioka Misono-san, right?”

I had never spoken to her before, but I had heard her name many times.

“Ah, right. You remembered it well. Well, if she’s that cute, she must be a topic of conversation that even Maki hears about.”

“Don’t say that like I’m a guy who doesn’t have any friends.”

Though I don’t have many.

“Well, but that’s great. I don’t remember seeing anyone at that level on the campus.”

“Indeed.”

Beneath the thin, beautifully lined eyebrows are long eyelashes and sharp eyelids. This makes her large and round eyes stand out even more.

The high bridge of her nose and the jawline from her cheeks to her chin gives a neat impression, and it is no wonder that she has gentle feminine curves without seeming out of place.

Her lips, which add warm color to her porcelain-like skin, are not too thick or too thin, but just the right balance of beauty.

She is probably a little below average in height, but her slender build makes her seem slightly smaller. This, combined with her lovely face, makes Kimioka-san look even cuter.

“Moreover, she has big breasts.”

“Stop it. Don’t say things like that.”

At least Sane kept his voice down, and indeed I thought the bust of her tidy one-piece dress was noticeable, but still. Sane laughed at me, as if to fool me, and then exhaled a little regretfully.

“If only she was older.”

“You’re the same as ever, you know.”

“Well. What do you think of her?”

“Hm? I think she’s very cute.”

I’m sure almost everyone, not just me, would agree with that. But Sane shrugged his shoulders and wagged his index finger in a deliberate way. That’s annoying.

“No, I don’t mean that, you want to go out with her, you want her to be your girlfriend, that sort of thing.”

“Doesn’t that mean the same thing……but.”

I’ve certainly never seen a girl that pretty. If you look at her, you will be attracted to her. But if you ask me if I feel the same way as Sane says…

“I don’t have those feelings. I can’t think of anything to do with a girl I haven’t talked to before. Besides, I don’t think I’ll be involved with her in the future.”

There is a possibility that she will quit Cultural Committee, and even if she does not, Cultural Committee is a group of about one hundred people in total, although only first and second-year students. The year would pass without me even having a chance to talk to her, let alone have a relationship with her.

My friend gave me a dumbfounded look as I thought so.

But a few dozen minutes later.

“It seems like I’m going to be involved with her.”

The Cultural Committee is actually divided into three departments. At the first general meeting, each department explained to the first-year students and based on the results of a survey of the departments the first-year students wanted to be assigned to, the second meeting was held today to determine the departments to which the first-year students would be assigned, after that, each department gathered, and in my department was Kimioka-san, the girl we were talking about.

As Sane, who grins and pokes me, says, as long as we are in the same department, it’s not like we don’t get involved at all.

“Well……I guess so.”

This Kimioka-san was having some sort of happy conversation with a senior girl next to her. The way she smiled, occasionally holding her mouth, was elegant and caught my gaze.

When I turned my head to look at her, my eyes met hers.

I regretted my decision to stare at her, but Kimioka-san smiled softly and bowed to me, although she slightly gazed at me in wonder for a few moments.

Such a smile almost stole my attention again, and this made it difficult to tell which one of us was the senior. As I bowed my head lightly in a hurry, I was saved by the department head’s voice saying, “Let’s start the meeting of the department.”

The content of the meeting started with self-introductions, as it was the first meeting. Since I was a second-year student, my turn came rather quickly, but I simply said, “I am Makimura Tomotaka, from the Department of Biology in the Faculty of Science. Nice to meet you.”

I heard a voice from Sane next to me saying, “You should make it more lively,” Then I thought that he was going to introduce himself in a very interesting way, but it was a big slip. I think you made an impact, at least for a change.

After that, the second-year students peacefully introduced themselves, and then it was the turn of the first-year students. Unlike the sophomores, who all know each other, from here on out I have to listen carefully and remember as much as I can, so I straighten my back slightly and increase my concentration. The same goes for Sane next to me, and probably for the rest of the group as well. And then, when we had passed the halfway—

“My name is Kimioka Misono, a student in the Department of Sociology in the Faculty of Humanities. I was able to study hard for my entrance examinations because I was told that I would have a lot of fun once I entered university. I hope to create many happy memories as a member of the executive committee. I look forward to working with you.”

She stood up, her back straightened beautifully, and her soft facial expression and calm manner of speaking combined to give a very elegant impression. And of course, the bow she gave at the end of the speech was also very graceful, just like a model.

I had planned to memorize self-introductions for all the first-year students, and I think I could probably remember most of the faces and names. However, all I could remember was her neat and lovely appearance.

***