V1C3 Part 1

Chapter 3 – Slow Steps

Volume 1

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Seirei Gakuen Private High School is a so-called young master’s school. (TN: school for rich kids)

The admission and tuition fees are a bit high, but the people around us call it the school of the rich upstart. Probably because of the extensive renovation and expansion of the school building three years ago, and the uniforms designed by a famous designer. Another reason for the ridicule must be the mixture of students who have entered the school through the back gate, and who clearly have different hairstyles (like those four guys for example).

Even so, the school is well established as a private preparatory school.

The following is the composition of the whole grade–

• Regular Course: 6 classes (1 to 6)
• Advanced Course: 3 classes (7 to 9)
• Physical Education: 2 classes (10 to 11)
• Art-Science: 1 class (12)

Twelve classes in total, for three grades of the school.

The fact that we are able to attract so many students in Japan, where the birth rate is declining, can be attributed to our tireless commercial efforts.

Whether it’s because “the school’s uniforms are cute” or because “the changing rooms have hairdryers”, which are convenient after swimming lessons, the bottom line is that as long as they can attract students, it’s their win.

That’s all there is to know about Seirei.

In the morning, I opened a shoe locker at school and found something unfamiliar in it.

It was an envelope. It was one of those cute character envelopes that look like a letter set from a fancy store.

I closed the door with a snap without thinking.

[This is mine, right? ……]

I confirmed that this was the locker assigned to me.

Then, I opened the door again. Yes, it’s definitely mine. There’s a pair of familiar shoes and a few textbooks in there for some reason, but let’s not get into that.

So, there’s an envelope on my boot.

[Mu~]

Staring at it is not gonna help. Besides, the figure of me staring into the open shoebox door was definitely a suspicious sight. After about three minutes since opening the locker. I finally picked up the envelope.

On the front, in round letters, it said, ” To Chiaki Nachi-kun“

The back of the envelope was sealed with a heart-shaped sticker, and there was no sender’s name attached.

I kicked the floor with my toes while putting on my shoes and opened the envelope. There was only one sheet of a letter-note inside, matching the envelope. I pulled it out and put the envelope in the inside pocket of my blazer. Then I started walking to the classroom.

As I climbed the stairs, I opened the letter, which had been folded in half.

” I would like to meet with you and talk about something. I’ll be waiting for you under the wisteria trellis school.

　-Yuko Igarashi, Class 2, 2nd year“

Just that, a very brief sentence.

Who is this? And what is it for?

From the class number, I’m guessing it’s a regular class in the regular department, but I don’t know any of the seniors in the second year. No, it’s the same whether you’re in PE class or art class. If you’re in the third year, there are about two of you. In other words, this Igarashi-san is someone I don’t know.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I tucked the letter, as well as the envelope, into my inner pocket.

(This happened to me twice during middle school.)

I walked through the classroom door with an impassive face and took my seat.

[Good morning, Ichiya.]

I called out to Ichiya, who was doing his usual thing.

[Hey, Ichiya. What was it like when a girl confessed her feelings to you?

[What’s that?　What kind of question is that?]

Ichiya is a person who does not use roundabout expressions. He always throws straightforward words at you.

[Well, you know, the circumstances leading up to the confession, the means and arrangements on the other side?]

[Oh, you mean that. You are asking such a silly question… Well, let’s break it down into patterns……]

You have so many examples that you can divide them into patterns huh.

[‘A letter comes in by some means, and a place to meet is specified in the letter. When I got there ‘……was the most common one.]

I see. So I guess that’s what the letter in my pocket is about

[Well, when I got there, there were a few bastards, and I almost got lynched.]

[Uwa. What kind of crazy situation is that?]

So, after school, I headed straight for the wisteria trellis.

(I wonder if it’s a call for that type of thing?)

In other words, it’s the first thing that comes to my mind in such a situation, and I’m not too happy about it. Oh, there’s also the possibility of a lynch call, as Ichiya had mentioned.

I don’t like this kind of one-sided invitation, but even if I ignore it, it will bother me later.vThe only problem is that the time is only specified as “after school”. For the regular class, after school is after the sixth period, but for the advanced class, it is after the seventh period.

(I do hope you understand that and can wait for me ……)

While I was worried about this, I started to move faster and faster. And, because I was lost in thought, I bumped into someone. I figured I shouldn’t be thinking while walking.

At any rate, I made haste.

The wisteria trellis is located at the far end of the flower bed in the backyard. Because it was not well maintained, it was neither popular nor crowded.

And there she was…

There was a bench near the wisteria trellis, but the person was not sitting on it. Instead, she was leaning against a pillar. She had her back turned to me, but I could tell from her back that she was somewhat anxious.

[Um, Yuko Igarashi-san, right? ]

I slowed down my pace and called out to her as I approached her slowly. She jerked once, then turned around. I didn’t mean to startle her, though.

[Ah, yes. That’s right]

After our eyes met only once, Igarashi-san turned her head in embarrassment.

She seems to be a well-mannered person, by the way. She used polite language to me, an underclassman.

[ Thank God. I thought you weren’t taking me seriously since you didn’t show up.]

[ I’ve been in a rush to get here, though. …… Did you forget that the Advanced Class is a seven-hour class on weekdays?]

[……]

[……]

[……. Oh, I forgot about that.]

Oi.

Igarashi-san turned red up to her ears and looked down more than she ever had before. All she could see now was her feet and the ground.

I think this kind of gesture is frankly cute. She is petite, smaller than me, and has a soft atmosphere as if she lives in a relaxed time. She’s also a bit ditzy, which is good for her charm. I guess you could say she’s the type of girl you want to protect.

[And what did you want to talk about?]

[ Oh, yes. Well, actually, I’m …….]

Then she looked up – but her words trailed off when she saw me.

[…… Are you looking for something? Looking around?]

[Ah, no, it seems to be a very rarefied world where events of a rampageous nature occur.]

Oh, no. I was unconsciously looking for the ambushers.

[rampageous …?]

[I’m just talking to myself…… Please continue.]

When I urged her to go on, she looked down again. Then there was a short pause, and as if she had made up her mind–

[Actually, I’ve always liked you, Chiaki-kun, and I’ve been watching you for a long time. And if possible I want you could go out with me…..]

[……]

Ah, I knew it.

To be honest, as a man, it makes me happy to hear someone say this, and since I’m dealing with the other person directly, it’s quite touching. However, whether or not I can reciprocate that feeling is another matter. She may have known me, but I haven’t known her long enough. And more importantly, she probably only knows me in a superficial way. I just can’t bring myself to have a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship in this situation.

[ I’m sorry……]

As soon as I started to speak, I could see that Igarashi-san was dejected.

[I can’t give a positive response to that proposal. I’m really sorry.]

[After all, do you have someone you like?]

[……]

For a moment, I was unsure of the answer to that question.

(There is no such thing, right? ……)

I murmured in my mind to make sure.

However, if I were to honestly say here that there isn’t anyone, I wondered if Igarashi-san would be able to give up. If that’s the case, then a simple lie would do. I would have to tell a lie to settle this situation peacefully.

[Yeah. I’m actually someone that I like…]

Please don’t ask me, “Who is that?”.

[ I thought so. I apologize for telling you something like this.]

[No, please don’t worry about it.]

Please don’t give me that sad look. It’s not that I don’t feel heartache too. But I can’t accept something I don’t agree with no matter how I try.

[Ah then, I’ll be going..]

[Okay. Please take care]

With that as her parting words, Igarashi-san walked away.

And I was left there alone.

(It left a bad aftertaste. I don’t like this kind of thing.)

I let out a deep sigh.

And then called out to the shade of the wisteria trellis.

[By the way, who’s that over there?]

[……!? Meow, meow! ]

Is that supposed to be a deception? It’s clearly a human voice.

As I approached, trying not to make a sound with my footsteps, I saw one person crouched down with her back to me. When I looked around earlier, I thought I saw some familiar fluffy wavy hair. It seems that I was right.

Even though the person is hiding, she has carefully placed her clenched fist on her cheek to imitate a cat. …… It might be a little cute.

[Senpai……]

[Nya!?]

Katase-senpai didn’t seem to have noticed that I was near her, and was surprised to hear my voice right behind her.

[Ahaha ……]

Letting out a dry laugh, she slowly turned around and looked up at me.

[What might you be doing in this place..?]

[Oh, you know, practicing my vocal cords?]

The fact that she still tries to deceive me after all this time is quite admirable.

[You were spying on me, right?]

[That’s……]

[You were, weren’t you?]

Since I seemed to be in an unusually dominant position, I got carried away and questioned her. Senpai looked annoyed and stood up quickly.

[What, Nachi-kun. It’s your fault.]

I got blamed for the situation.

[Why is it mine?]

[Nachi-kun, you bumped into me in the hallway a while ago. And even though you apologized, you didn’t even realize it was me.]

[……]

Oh, that’s my fault.

Senpai’s annoyance seemed to have not subsided yet, and she continued to argue with me.

[When I followed you because I was curious about what you were doing, a girl started to confess her feelings to you and I hid without thinking. Then I couldn’t come out even if I wanted to. Do you still think this is my fault, Nachi-kun? ]

Oh, shit. She’s using polite language. Although the meaning is completely opposite to that of Igarashi-san earlier. There are many kinds of polite speeches too huh.

Conclusion: It’s not a good idea to go against the current senpai.

[I’m sorry, ……. It’s my fault.]

[Yes. Good.]

I’m not sure if it’s my imagination or not, but I felt that something was left unexplained.

After that, both of us stopped talking, and an awkward silence fell around us. I broke the silence and let out a deep sigh. This is the second time I’ve done this here.

[I see. You’ve been watching, haven’t you, senpai?]

[…… Yeah.]

[I’m such a jerk. Even though a girl had the courage to say something like that to me. Such a jerk.]

I sat down on the bench.

[I think it’s inevitable.]

Katase-senpai also sat down, facing the opposite direction of me.

We were sitting back to back on a bench with no backrest. We sat back to back on the bench, our shoulders touching, and for a moment I was thrown off. But then I leaned my body against Katase Senpai’s back. Maybe I wanted to indulge myself a little. She did not say anything.

[There is a girl you like…….]

Eventually, the older man muttered to himself.

[No, there isn’t]

[Ehh!?]

She was surprised again.

I was just trying to correct a misunderstanding. But for some reason, every time I speak today, I surprise her.

[That’s a lie. Because it would be faster If I say that. I’m a jerk and a liar…]

[Is that so…]

I think she understood me.

[ I see. There isn’t one. ……]

Once again, senpai repeated. At the same time, I felt my senior’s body relax across our touching backs.

The moment of silence was back again.

But this time, this silence was comfortable. The time we spent leaning against each other like this seemed to be something special.

[Senpai?]

[What?]

Her voice sounded somewhat stilted.

[You’re not leaving for home?]

[Hmm? I’m thinking of staying here a while longer.]

The wind brought the scent of snow.

Senpai’s scent reminded me of pure white and soft snow. And it’s also a kind of warning. A warning that I’m getting too close to my senpai–

[Then is it okay if I stay here, too?]

But I chose to ignore it.

Because it’s a drug-like scent that makes my heart throb and yet fascinates me.

[Do you want to stay here too, Nachi-kun?]

[I mean, I’d like to stay like this little longer…..]

At that moment, the senpai’s body made a slight jump.

And.

[…… should be fine.]

That’s all she said.

(“Should be fine”, huh? As if it is about someone else. )

I wonder what kind of face Senpai is making right now. And I wonder what she thinks about me being here with her right now.

……。

……。

……。

[Well, whatever.]

I mumbled quietly so that my senior wouldn’t hear.

It seems that this wonderful drug had robbed me of the ability to even think about such things.

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TN: Well, I lied about waiting few days to starting chapter 3 :p Surprise… maybe? Well whatever. The poll for the preferred release schedule will be closed tonight. Please take minute to vote if you haven’t. (Release Schedule). Idol Girl is going stronger than I thought. Probably one more chapter will come there again today. That’s all for now. Checkout my rants page for more rants if you like to be ranted at 😛

Release poll is over and I have put out the next one..hihi.. Please take a minute to vote : Discord or Not

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