CH 4

Posted on April 12, 2021by Soafp

“Hey, fresh-faced hottie. You need to tone down your facial expression a bit.” (Yuki)

“You’re finally here.” (Miho)

“What’s going on?” (Yuki)

“Well, yeah. I’ve got a lot of questions for you.” (Miho)

As soon as I arrived in the classroom in the morning, I was having a meaningless conversation with Miho when someone cheerfully interrupted me. For a negative person like me, someone who radiates such posivity is nothing but a natural enemy. I was already feeling tired, but sure enough, it was my antithesis Kana Sakurai.

“Good morning, Kokonoe-kun!” (Sakurai)

“Sakurai-san. Good morning. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it yesterday. How was it?” (Yuki)

“Haha. We were having fun together at first.” (Sakurai)

“Hmm? Did something happen?” (Yuki)

Sakurai was slurring her words, it was similar to the way Miho was talking earlier. I don’t want to have anything to do with it, but I already have an idea of what happened yesterday.

Hmmm, I see. Did it happen at the karaoke bar?

The explanation that is the most likely to be true is that someone confessed to the fresh and handsome guy while they were playing, and the other girls, feeling threatened, confessed to him as well which caused an argument. That’s how things got so awkward, and it’s still dragging onto today. I’m so proud of myself for this well calculated guess. Unlike me, who has never been popular and has never had a girlfriend in my life, I was so excited to see some love affair happening as soon as I entered the school.

“You know. Are you acquainted with Suzurikawa-san and Kamishiro-san?” (Sakurai)

“Well, I guess you could say I know them, but…” (Yuki)

Why did Elizabeth mention those names? After what happened with my sister yesterday, I was upset when she mentioned them. Is it possible that the world is experiencing a big interest in Suzurikawa and Kamishiro without my knowledge? If that’s the case, then all I can do is go through this weird obsession with style.

“How did you all know each other? Is it an interesting story?” (Sakurai)

“There’s nothing going on. She’s just an acquaintance. She and I grew up next door to each other and we were childhood friends. I only knew Kamishiro from our club activities in junior high school.” (Yuki)

“The two most beautiful women in this class and you, Kokonoe, had such a connection?” (Sakurai)

“I didn’t know that such a category in the hierarchy had already been created without my knowledge. ……” (Yuki)

“No, but the way she was acting, it didn’t look like–” (Sakurai)

Is the status of the two most beautiful women Brahmin or Kshatriya? At the very least, I don’t think they’re in the same hierarchy as me. If their position is the highest, it’s expected of me to not talk to them which that’s not a problem at all, as it makes me feel more comfortable. I don’t have anything in particular to say anyway.

“Hey, get your a*s in your seat, you little troublemaker…” (Sayuri)

Sayuri-sensei walks into the classroom. I’m relieved that this topic is over for the time being, but when did I become a problem child? I mean, troublemaker isn’t a particularly good title to begin with.

Let me reiterate something here.

I’ve always had bad luck with women.

At my age, it’s no exaggeration to say that I’m a man who has mastered the art of being unlucky with women.

I’ve had a lot of problems with my mother, my sister doesn’t like me, my childhood friend who I thought I had feelings for has a boyfriend and therefore I got rejected, and when I’m actually heartbroken I get accused of lying. As a result of all the other problems and misfortunes I’ve been involved in, I’ve had a complete emotional breakdown.

I’m not good at forming deep relationships with others, and even before that, I’m not good at sensing or empathizing with others’ feelings.

It’s not that I don’t want to get hurt or that I’m afraid. It’s simply that I can’t understand those kinds of emotions anymore. Nowadays, I find it troublesome to get involved with people, but on the other hand, I’m good at getting along with people on the surface, because it never hurts anyone. As long as I can maintain a happy life, this is my way of surviving. I guess you could say that.

As soon as I found out that they were in my class, my mission in high school was to live a quiet and peaceful life, like hikari moss shining secretly in a cave, while resistricting contact with my classmates as much as possible, because I’m someone who’s generally a bad influence.

This is not going to end well!　My gloomy person plan is about to fail.

But I have a trump card. Speaking of gloomy characters…

“Are you going to join a club, Yukito?” (Miho)

Fufufufu. The topic I’ve been waiting for has arrived. I’m a sinful man. After school, while chatting with Miho, the topic of club activities came up. Shoyo Gakuen is not particularly known to to have good sport clubs, but the athletic department is active on its own. Thankfully, there is no rule that says everyone has to join a club, and the school culture is relatively relaxed.

“How about you, huh?” (Yuki)

“I’ve been invited to join various athletic clubs. I’m thinking about it.” (Miho)

“Tss! That’s why you’re a cheerful person. Listen to me carefully. There’s only one club that’s suitable for me. (Yuki)

“Yuki!” (Kamishiro)

The only person in this class who calls me by my first name is the handsome guy next to me, right? When I looked back at him, I saw that he was someone I didn’t want have anything to do with, ever.

“Kamishiro-san?”(Yuki)

Kamishiro’s expression suddenly became stern. What’s wrong with you? I don’t understand how girls works. My sister also suddenly gets into bad moods, and she might be emotionally unstable. It has always been a difficult task for me to understand the subtleties of women’s emotions.

“You don’t call me by my first name, do you?” (Kamishiro)

“We don’t know each other that well.” (Yuki)

“Ye…ah..” (Kamishiro)

What the hell is this girl talking about all of a sudden? You can’t call any girl by her given name in a familiar way. Only a handsome guy like Miho is allowed to do that. If I call her by her first name, I’ll be hung up as a criminal tomorrow.

“You know, Yuki is going to join the basketball team, right? I’m thinking of becoming the manager of the men’s basketball team! So this time, we’ll be together–” (Kamishiro)

Basketball. I felt nostalgic as I remembered the three years I spent playing basketball in junior high school. But all I have left now are bad memories. I couldn’t achieve the goals I set for myself, and I couldn’t show any results. All I remember is the issues I have brought to the team. I was supposed to be working hard to move forward, but I couldn’t even do that, I was just stagnant.

“Kamishiro-san, I’m not going to play basketball anymore.”(Yuki)

“What?　…… It’s not true, is it? Because after all that–” (Kamishiro)

“It’s all over now. I don’t have any motivation.” (Yuki)

“You’ve always played basketball!” (Kamishiro)

“You know better than anyone how that turned out.”(Yuki)

Her expression was clearly distorted. The normally cheerful Kamishiro was staring at me with sorrow in her eyes, almost as if she was about to cry. Without averting her gaze, I stared straight back at her. That’s how you know I’m serious.

“Kamishiro-san, how long are you going to feel sympathy for me?” (Yuki)

“No! I’m sorry, Yuki! That’s not what I meant.” (Kamishiro)

“There is no way I could play basketball when I’m an outcast. It’s always been the case that the most appropriate club for a loner person is the homecoming club! So, I’m going home. See you later. Good luck with being the manager.”

“—-Wait!” (Kamishiro)

I ignored Kamishiro, who tried to stop me, and start walking towards the entrance.

I was so busy with club activities that I couldn’t hang out after school at all in junior high school. You could say that I was wasting my youth. In that sense, I plan to enjoy my high school life as a homecoming club member. Even if I touch any basketball now, I can’t feel anything. All the passion and enthusiasm I had back then are gone. I don’t think I can play basketball like I used to.

“It’s like old times. …… huh ……”(Yuki)

The muttering faded into the wind and disappeared without being heard.

It was as if I was watching the scene from yesterday’s karaoke session again. The classroom was buzzing. This time, many of my classmates were witnesses. I was in the middle of a whirlwind.

(Kokonoe, you can’t have nothing to do with that! It’s happened yesterday, and now it’s happening again?!) (Sakurai)

Her classmates were glancing at her, but she was still biting her lip and staring at the entrance of the classroom. She was oblivious to the commotion in the classroom.

“You know, Kamishiro-san. Are you going to be the manager of the men’s basketball team? I’m thinking of joining the basketball team, I’m glad.” (Ito)

“Sorry, I have to think about it.” (Kamishiro)

“Huh?” (Ito)

I wonder if he has a thing for Kamishiro. The mob with a faint smile on his face tries to talk to Kamishiro, but he was brushed off immediately. Now is clearly not the right time to talk to her. If he can’t understand that, he’s probably an idiot.

(Pupupu……I shouldn’t laugh, but I feel sorry for you, Ito……) (???)

(Eeeeh! What, so you’re saying that you were trying to become Kokonoe’s manager?) (???)

“It’s a pity that you are a homecoming club member. I like sports, but I did a lot of activities in junior high school too, so I guess I’ll try the homecoming club too.” (Miho)

Only Miho was muttering such a thing without reading the air.