V1C2 Part 3

Chapter 2 – The Date & Aftermath

Volume 1

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–In the middle of the week, one day during break time.

[I can’t stop wondering who and where this Aiba Shinya fellow is].

My friend came all the way down to the table where I was sitting with Ichiya and said to me as if he was revealing some profound problem. Why would you choose me of all people to talk about this…..?

Needless to say, Aiba Shinya is the name of the “boyfriend” who was finally exposed last Sunday when he was spotted walking with Katase Senpai.

[ Really?]

I reply, trying my best to look uninterested.

This topic is dangerous. It’s best to just brush it off.

[Oh, yeah. And the fact that there was no one with that name in Minami 2nd Middle School is a mystery.]

[How do you know? It’s probably just a pseudonym.]

[Oh, Is that so?]

This guy’s an idiot.

[Then why in the world did he use an alias?]

[It’s because he didn’t want to be scrutinized too much, isn’t it? Katase senpai is a person who is usually the center of attention in any way. In addition, a lot of people are going to want to know who that person is, just like you.]

[In other words, the information that the name = ‘Aiba Shinya’ is unreliable, right. If that’s the case, then the best place to start narrowing down is the third year of South Second Middle School huh..]

[No, wait. It’s a bit of a trap. If the name is fake, shouldn’t you consider the possibility that the rest of the details are fake as well? ]

I warned my friend who tends to believe the information he is given without hesitation.

[Oh, yes. That makes me doubt the very existence of the person itself.]

[No, it doesn’t. There have been actual sightings. So, there’s no doubt about it.]

[I see. You’re smart.]

[What do you mean? You have to consider more possibilities. That’s basic.]

And……What am I doing?　Why am I working together with him to find the person responsible?

The role I played was that of Katase Senpai’s boyfriend, a role so far removed from reality that I forgot that it was a lie I had told. And before I knew it, I began to feel like a real boyfriend was there.

I was so amazed at my stupidity.

[…… dumbass.]

At my side, Ichiya murmured, as if he could see right through me.

Ichiya kept his eyes on the paperback book in his hand and did not look up from it. He must have listened to our conversation while reading the book, and then sensed the thoughts going through my mind. He was still multitasking as usual.

[However, Since Katase Senpai lied because she didn’t want to be snooped on, we shouldn’t be so tactless as well. You think so too, right Ichiya?]

You have no intention of helping me huh. At least pretend to be interested if you’re going to do that.

[The witness was lied to about him being a 3rd-year middle schooler, and they believed that. This means the man she was with must have had the looks and physique to make them believe that right]

Wait a minute! You are cooperating, aren’t you? No, since Ichiya knows everything, this is a hint. This guy is not going to let me get caught, is he?

[I see. A guy who looks like he could pass for some 3rd-year middle schooler…….]

My friend stood there and crossed his arms and began to think seriously.

And then his eyes met mine.

[…….]

[……what?]

Isn’t this pretty dangerous? –The whole class knows that I was with Katase Senpai in the cafeteria at lunchtime just the other day.  It’s easy to make an association.

[I get it.]

He started to grin.

[Being a third-year middle schooler is misleading information. There is no way that Katase Senpai would go out with someone younger than her. So even if he looks like a middle schooler, he must be older, maybe like a medical student!]

Okay, this guy is an idiot (confirmed).

Just then the chime rang, signaling the end of the break.

[Hey, stop talking nonsense and take a seat.]

I shooed the idiot back.

After seeing him off, I brought my face close to Ichiya and whispered to him.

[Do you have a grudge against me Ichiya?]

[…….not really]

He said nonchalantly.

[But there’s one thing I was wondering when you were talking.]

[……]

[Rather than using a fake name or falsifying your background, don’t you think it would be quicker to fake the relationship itself? For instance, you could say she’s your cousin or something].

[Dunno]

Oh, wow.

I’m not sure what to say. I feel like Ichiya’s mood gets worse when it comes to Katase Senpai.

Lunch break.

After I finished my lunch, I lost the rock-paper-scissors game with Ichiya, so I had to walk over to the cafeteria to get something to drink.

[Muu, that Ichiya. Till a while ago, 80% of the time, his first move was rock…….]

Ichiya is a sluggard. Rather than go with two people and come back together, he prefers to take the easy way out with a 50-50 chance. If he wins at rock-paper-scissors, he can relax and read a book while waiting for his drink to arrive, and he probably thinks there is no harm in losing.

The loser me, though grumbling, gracefully headed for the cafeteria.

When I arrived at the cafeteria, I found that it had passed its peak of crowds and was beginning to show signs of empty seats. But whether the cafeteria was empty or crowded was of no concern to me, as I had to go to the vending machine.

I went to the vending machine section in the corner and threw in a few coins.

[Ichiya wants the second one from the left in the bottom row, and ……]

The first thing to do is to buy what Ichiya had asked for.

Then you load the next round to buy your own–

[Ara, Chiaki-kun.]

I was about to leave the place when someone called out to me.

My body jumped slightly in surprise and nervousness. The owner of the voice was Katase Senpai.

[Did you come to buy some too, Chiaki-kun?]

[ah, yes.]

When I looked over with little stiff and awkward movements, Katase Senpai was already standing beside me, with her eyes on the vending machine panel.

Her face was closer than I expected, and I was taken aback.

[Ah, excuse me. I’ll be leaving now.]

No, this was not the time to be surprised. The machine’s standing still when I put in my money waiting for my order, so senpai can’t buy anything.

Also, this distance is a bit dangerous. I feel like my mental CPU is going to heat up just from watching her.

I turned my face away and returned my gaze to the vending machine.

[My recommendation would be this.]

[Un?]

As I was making my choice, Senpai pointed to a cup of low-sugar coffee.

[Um…….]

[Oh, I see. You don’t like coffee, do you, Chiaki-kun? Then this café au lait will be easy to drink.]

[Okay, I’ll take that then.]

I press the button for the recommended café au lait.

It seemed that my brain had already lost a lot of speed. There were other options, but I couldn’t see anything but coffee before I knew it, so I chose it as I was told.

Then she put in a coin.

[Then, Chiaki-kun, what do you recommend?]

[Eh? My recommendation?]

As I asked her back, I reflexively tried to point to a carbonated drink that I always drink, but I stopped myself just before I could. I don’t think it’s something I should recommend to Katase Senpai, who is an adult.

[Well, this one.., .may be?]

After an unnatural change of the course, I pointed to the milk tea.

[Tea huh. I guess that’s good, too. Then, I’ll have this today.]

Nodding exaggeratedly little too much to ask for a single drink, she pressed the button. Then she bent her knees lightly, bringing her kneecaps together, and took the milk tea that had come out.

[See you later.]

Senpai smiled at me and waved the milk tea can next to my face.

[Eh? ah, yes. Well then……]

I replied vaguely to Katase Senpai’s parting words, feeling as if I had been caught off guard.

I naturally thought that I would be able to move to a place where I could talk to senpai. Since I had such a selfish imagination, this turn of events was unexpected.

When I looked over, I saw several upperclassmen girls who looked like her friends at the table where she was headed.

[This is the natural way of things…]

I felt a little deflated. I thought, “Well, it’s good that I was able to talk to senpai,” but when I looked back, I realized that we didn’t have a proper conversation.

It seems I still can’t cope with the unexpected encounter with senpai.

It was just a result of me feeling pathetic in many ways.

After school–

I’m on cleaning duty this week. The place is the audio-visual room on the first floor of the school building where the special classrooms are located.

Normally, two of us are assigned to this room, but unfortunately, my partner is absent today. Thanks to that, I’m on my own. I wish you’d fill in the positions, sensei.

I had always been lazy, but now I was even lazier. Or rather, I had shifted from being lazy to being unmotivated, and I was going to leave as soon as my time was up. I wondered how many times a week the audio-visual room was used. It’s probably not even dirty.

I opened the window, for now, just to keep up appearances.

Outside the window was the backyard. There was a flower bed, but it didn’t look like it was well cared for. There are only a few robust flowers and grasses mixed in with the weeds.

With my back to it, I sat down on the window ledge.

[Maybe I’m getting a little carried away and spinning out of control.]

I murmured, remembering the lunch break incident.

In short, I just got to know Katase Senpai a little better, but it’s not like we got to know each other particularly well. The other day, the two of us went out together as a thank you for saving her at the back of the gym.

[I feel like an idiot. ……]

I let out a sigh.

And that’s when it happened-

[Guess Who~…!!?]

Suddenly my vision went completely dark.

I don’t even have to think about what had happened, it’s obvious. In the backyard behind me, someone came up to me from outside the window and covered my eyes with their hand. And that someone was Katase Senpai, who I immediately recognized by her voice.

And that’s exactly why I’m surprised.

Just as I was thinking about Katase Senpai, the very same person appeared.

[Whoa, uwa…]

[Eh? Kya.~!! No..wait..don’t…]

I was so surprised that I lost my balance and fell backward, that is, out the window. Katase Senpai tried her best to support me somehow. But she was a girl and it was impossible after all.

[Gugya…….]

I let out a miserable squeal as I fell backward out the window. I avoided hitting the back of my head by pulling my chin forward.

[hm~~~]

But my ribs, which I’ve been told to take it easy on, are killing me.

[A, are you okay?]

Katase Senpai, who is about ten steps away from me, calls out to me with concern. The reason why she’s keeping her distance is probably because of our awkward positioning. (TN: Take a guess, she’s wearing a skirt and he’s on the ground looking up)

[Oh, ow..ow..oww. ……]

[Eh, is it broken?]  (TN: Joke lost in translation. He’s saying “abara ababara barabra” and she’s asking “e, barabara nano?” )

No, it’s just an incomprehensible moaning sound. I thought it was probably around a relative of Kawarahara warawara. (TN: MC us joking around)

I waited for the pain to subside, then stood up, protecting my ribs.

[Oh, that was a terrible experience.]

[I’m sorry. I didn’t expect that to happen.]

Well, I certainly didn’t expect to get so flustered myself.

[So, what are you doing here, senpai?

I climbed over the window and went back into the AV room.

[I came here to do something in the class flowerbed, and I saw Nachi-kun.]

[But that doesn’t mean you have to surprise me.]

[That’s a……service, I guess.]

Katase-senpai said this in a slightly embarrassed manner.

[Service?]

[Because when I saw you at lunch, Nachi-kun looked kind of lonely.]

[I wasn’t particularly lonely or anything…….]

Might have been though…

[Ohh~.So you weren’t lonely at all huh?]

[No, no, I didn’t say I wasn’t at all.]

I had a bad premonition when I saw a mischievous smile grow on her face.

[I thought you were sulking again, saying, ‘My senpai doesn’t care about me.’]

[..!!]

Gara, Pisha, Shah! [TN: Onomatopoeia]

In the next instant, I closed the window at the speed of sound, and also closed the dark curtains. But a moment later, the window opened at sub-light speed, and the curtains slid open at an incredible speed.

[Hey..!!]

[I mean, it’s……]

When someone says something like that in front of you, anyone would want to hide.

When I was looking around gingerly because I couldn’t look at senpai’s face, Senpai clasped my face between her hands. Then she pulled me closer, and our foreheads touched with a knack.

The heat on my face, which was already rising, rose to an even higher level than before.

[Nachi-kun will have trouble if I’m around. That’s why……you know?]

Senpai explained as if she was speaking to a small child.

[…… Yes.]

[Good boy. Let’s talk properly some other time.]

Then she smiled gently.

Just then, a classmate walked in, shouting.

[Hey, Chiaki! Are you working hard? I’m here to give you a hand!]

I turned around in panic and Senpai lowered herself under the window.

It seems that the replacement has finally arrived.

Oh, yeah, that helps.

Of course, it’s just an afterthought now, and I’m clicking my tongue inwardly.

I looked out the window and saw that Katase Senpai was no longer there. She’s surprisingly swift.

Now, let’s get on with cleaning up and go home.

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TN: And chapter 2 is completed. Whoo, that was long. Next one has 5 sub chapters. I wonder if I should take a break. Most annoying part about translation is that the author keeps switching between 3rd person and 1st person and past and present tense.. it gets really confusing sometimes. So apologies in advance if I messed up somewhere. Please feel free to point it out if you notice any. I’ll probably do 1 or 2 chapters of Idol girl before getting back to this. So see you guys then..:) As always, ratings and comments are welcome 😛

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