“Hey, Ren.”
“What is it?”
During the lunch break, I was having lunch in the courtyard because of the invitation from Kyoya.
This courtyard is a den of normies.
Today is the first time I have ever come here.
The lawn was wide, there were wooden tables and benches.
It was quite comfortable, a convenient place to come by.
Other than the fact that there are many normies here, it might be a good place to come to.
“Hey, did something happen?”
“…What do you mean?”
“No…I mean, you seem much better. Your usually dark aura is quite thin now.”
“It’s just your imagination.”
“Don’t lie to me, you really think I won’t notice?”
“Even if you say that, there is nothing to notice.”
It was a lie.
Ever since that incident in the aquarium, something has been changing little by little inside of me.
But it was quite annoying that Kyoya saw through it immediately. He’s quite sharp.
“…Tachibana-san?”
“…Who is that?”
“…You’re too bad at deceiving others”
I accidentally blurted out something dumb.
However, it couldn’t be helped.
A place where you could just guess something in a single try is really a normie’s den.
He was too accurate.
“So, something did happen after all.”
“…It’s nothing, I just changed my way of thinking a little.”
“OK, NOW THAT’S A BIG DEAL FOR REN”
Kyoya looked unexpectedly surprised and suddenly jumped up with a piece of bread in his hand.
He wasn’t overacting, his eyes had lit up in excitement.
It is rather sultry.
“I thought it was weird because you didn’t mind me inviting you to the courtyard. I was wondering if you were sleepwalking.!”
“Shut up…”
“What do you mean?! So, Tachibana-san is the reason? Does it feel good? Going out with her?”
“It’s not like that”
“Then what is it? What happened with you both? Are you going to leave out your best friend?”
Kyoya kept coming closer and clung to my arm.
An interaction between a famous person like Kyoya and a mob like me is very unusual.
The gazes of people came onto us mercilessly.
I didn’t really mind the stares, but Kyoya was beginning to annoy me.
For the time being, I’ll make some parts a bit blurry and talk about it to a certain extent.
“This… Tachibana-san…… what a good girl…”
When I gave a rough explanation that sounded detailed when heard the first time, Kyoya held his chest as if he were thrilled.
This guy is an idiot after all.
Well, that may as well be a good thing.
“And Ren…you grew up…Aoooo”
“Don’t cry, you idiot”
“I’m going to cry, I’m so happy.”
Kyoya had a face of a parent rejoicing in the rehabilitation of a bad child.
Can you either praise me or tease me?
He probably doesn’t mean to be so humiliating.
“So, what about Tachibana-san?! Are you 2 going out?”
“We’re not going out.”
“Why not?”
KYOYA shouted angrily, seeming extremely disappointed.”
When I glared at him while covering my ears, he sat down with a big sigh.
“Tachibana-san like you! I’m sure she loves you!”
“I don’t think so. She’s such a beautiful girl.”
“You have a chance because you are so close with such a beautiful girl.”
“We don’t have that type of relationship, we’re just friends”
“Ren is an idiot”
Before I could even finish speaking. Kyoya said such a thing.
He raised the corners of his mouth to a grin showing his teeth.
He then took off his shoes and crouched on the bench while holding his knees.
“…What is it?”
“You’ve never had a girlfriend, have you?”
“…Well…”
I had no choice but to answer.
It’s not that I’m unhappy to answer, but the look on his face was really annoying.
I mean, even if I haven’t, what about it?
I really don’t know what normies are thinking.
“I have a lot of friends, regardless of gender. And if you ask me, Ren…”
“…”
“…Tachibana-san and you are not friends.”
“… Why is that?”
“Friends with opposite genders are not that close, simple as that.”
“…That depends on the person. And Tachibana and I don’t get along that well, not really.”
Even in my retort, Kyoya didn’t seem frightened the least. Rather, he had a victorious smile on his face.
He had a smile that looked like it could eat others, but still friendly.
That was Kyoya’s weapon, something I didn’t have.
“Of course, it’s different for each person. But you and Tachibana, both are not the type of people who get along with the opposite sex.”
“…Don’t decide that by yourself.”
“I’m not deciding. I don’t know about Tachibana-san, but I do know about you. I am your best friend after all.”
“…Shut up”
“Ehh?!”
I strongly pushed Kyoya who was crouching.”
Kyoya, who lost his balance, narrowly avoided falling by being caught by the benches backrest.
As expected, he has good athletic skills.
“What are you doing?!”
“Just a warning.”
“That was scary!”
Kyoya shouted as he sat back down and wore his shoes.
He seemed to have learnt his lesson.
Even though my way of thinking has changed a little, I can withstand such a high level of prying.
“Well…it was a good thing, actually.”
“…… Don’t be so grim.”
“A double date is not a dream anymore!”
“Go and sleep for the rest of your life.”
He really hasn’t given up, has he?
I have always loathed the word “Bochi”.
“Bocchi” means a person who has no friends is always alone.
It stands for “Hitoribocchi”.
It’s quite easy to understand.
So why did I suddenly stop hating it?
The reason is quite simple.
I just don’t care.
to this end.
Even if “Bocchi” is a bad word, those who think so can do so.
I have friends who accept me the way I am.
When I think like that, I stop caring what other people may think about me.
It’s all because of Tachibana that I’ve been able to become like this.
I’m trying to go through the back of the gym to go home because it’s a shortcut.
… Hmm?
“I’m sorry for calling you so suddenly.”
“No, it’s alright, so what can I do for you?”
Hey, come on…are you serious?
I reflexively hide in the shadows.
It was the exact same situation.
Even the place I was hiding was the same place I was hiding before.
But this time, I could tell who it was by the voice.
It was Tachibana who had just responded.
Her tone was as cold as ever.
But she’s really popular.
I wonder if she’s been confessed by more people than I know.
“I’ve always liked you, Tachibana-san. Please go out with me.”
(TL: In Japanese, people don’t really use “you” but the name instead. It sounds weird in English, so I’ve added the “you” many places in the novel. Yes, I know, pretty late to tell you that.)
This student seemed to be composed unlike the previous one.
My senses reacted strongly to his calmness and confidence.
He is probably a pretty popular guy.
I felt a similar aura to Kyoya.
For some reason, unlike the last time, I went to take a look outside the shadow.
I know it’s not a good idea.
But it can’t be helped.
I just happened to be there by chance, it was just an irresistible compulsion, yes, an irresistible compulsion.
“I’m sorry, but I refuse, goodbye.”
“…I see”
A single cut just like last time.
Rika Tachibana is one great swordsman.
But I noticed that I was strangely relieved.
What is this weird feeling?
Oh…I see…
I was relieved that the boy didn’t go crazy like the previous one.
That’s the most natural way to think of it, yeah, that’s it.
“…If it’s alright, can you at least tell me the reason?”
“Because I don’t like you.”
“Can’t you give me a chance? I’ll be happy to start out as friends.”
Clingy normie.
However, his demeanor has been soft and calm throughout.
After all, he’s different from the last one I saw.
Even so…damn.
Just get it over with.
You’ve already been turned down, just give up gracefully.
…No, what am I saying…?
It’s Tachibana who has to decide.
It’s completely irrelevant to me.
But just why am I so frustrated?
“I’m sorry, but I refuse.”
“…I see. I understand. Thanks for thinking about it, really.”
Tachibana bowed her head, and the other person also surprisingly returned a deep bow.
After raising his head at almost the same time, the other person turned around and left with a firm step.
As he left, I glanced at his face.
But…isn’t he like really handsome…
That Tachibana, was she really this popular…?
“Kusuba-san”
“AH!”
When I heard my name getting called, I accidentally let out a small shout.
Obviously, I couldn’t pretend that something wasn’t wrong, so I stepped out of my hiding place.
“…What are you doing? It’s bad manners.”
“You noticed…”
“It’s better to get smarter at peeping.”
“Ah…I’m sorry, I really am.”
“It doesn’t matter, you’ve already seen it before.”
(TL: wtf are they talking about…?)
“…that may be so”
“Are you going home now? Then let’s go together.”
“A-ah yes…”
Unlike me, who couldn’t hide the awkwardness, Tachibana’s attitude was calm.
I suppose she’s used to these things already.
We left the school gate together and started walking towards our home side-by-side.
I was walking a little slower than Tachibana for some reason.
“Speaking of which, did you submit the report for the field trip properly?
“Eh? No…not yet.”
“It’s better to finish troublesome things first.”
“…oh.”
“…”
“…”
“…You’re not being yourself, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, no, it’s…”
When Tachibana asked me that, it was quite obvious I was troubled.
But it wasn’t something in particular.
Just that I feel a little uncomfortable.
If I don’t understand something, how can I explain it to someone?
I decided to cover it up for the time being.
“…It’s nothing” (Kusuba)
“…well, alright.”
“…By the way, did you know that guy?”
” ‘that guy’?”
“You know…that guy who just…”
“Oh, yeah, I have talked to him a bit, but we are not close.”
“I-I see”
“…what is it?”
“No… I mean, was it alright? He seemed like a nice guy, unlike the last person, and he was good-looking.”
“You saw everything, right? Then you should know why I refused.”
“I heard…”
“…Mmm, Good then, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
“W-what? Why not?”
“Because…it makes me feel uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable? Why is that?”
“I don’t know. That’s enough.”
Tachibana pouted as she said that and shut up.
I lost my interest in pursuing the matter and thought of deciding what to write in my report, where I hadn’t written a single word yet.
“…Kusuba-san.”
“Hmm…?”
“…No, nothing, forget it.”
“…alright.”
I can’t “forget” it.
But for some reason, I felt it would be better to do so.
Even the next day, the weird uncomfortable feeling didn’t leave my head.
However, it wasn’t really interfering with my everyday life.
I didn’t pay any attention to it and went through my classes normally.
After school, I was scolded by the homeroom teacher, I quickly finished writing a report of the field trip and submitted it to the staff room.
I had only seen the aquarium tanks, and I had been through quite a bit that day.
So, I couldn’t write a proper report.
However, I am good at writing these kinds of things.
The content was probably not so bad as to make the teachers offended.
I walked through the hallway, which I don’t normally do. I went to the stairs.
It was really quiet, probably because of club activities.
“Seriously, don’t get carried away, will you?”
I could hear the voice clearly because of the quietness.
“Don’t get carried away just because Ichinose-kun confessed to you.”
“That’s right! Apologize to Yumi who like Ichinose-kun.”
It was a vexing voice.
A childish and vicious voice, as if her first priority is to hurt the other person.
I didn’t seem to know this Ichinose-kun or recognize any voice, so I hurried along as to not get involved with them.
I couldn’t see them from where I was standing. They were probably at the bottom of the stairs.
I can just walk past…
There was no other choice than to go down from the other staircase, though it was a bit of a detour.
It seems everyone was busy with their love lives.
I don’t care about love, as I’ve just started making friends.
I’ll just walk past them, that’s what I was thinking when,
“Is that all you want to say?”
I heard a voice I really didn’t want to hear in this situation.
“I came here because you said there was something you wanted to say. So tell me what you want then. Don’t just shout your frustration and resentment on me.”
“What?! What are you saying now?!”
“Damn you! Yumi is so hurt!”
No, it wasn’t just her voice.
This cold tone, her way of speaking…it was definitely Tachibana.
Judging from the situation, The handsome normie from yesterday was Ichinose, and these girls were his followers who held resentment towards Tachibana.
The handsome guy was a decent guy, but his surroundings were troublesome…
The situation doesn’t look good.
…It looks really bad.
From their voices, there were 2 or more of them against Tachibana.
And of course, Tachibana was by herself.
But that doesn’t mean Tachibana is a type of person who’ll just accept these unreasonable things being forced upon her.
This…don’t be this unreasonable.
Damn, just my luck…
If Tachibana is here, I won’t be able to just pass through.
I still owe her for peeking at her confession.
“I feel sorry for Ichinose-kun, to be deceived by such a dark person who only has good looks.”
“That’s right. You have a terrible personality, go apologize to Ichinose-kun.”
“I don’t care what you think about my inner or outer self, but we have already talked it between us. I have no reason to listen to you, being a third party.”
Tachibana is not fazed.
On the contrary, the two of them were clearly hesitant.
I don’t think she’ll need help.
“It’s disgusting when you say something like that after hurting someone.”
“I know that I hurt him. But he knew what would happen and told me how he felt. I gave him my answer, and the conversation ending for both of us in a satisfactory way. This is all that happened yesterday.”
“What? H-huh?! W-what are you saying?”
“What is it with you? If you dislike me so much, say it directly, instead of using some ridiculous justifications for your actions. You people have no shame. And how do you even dare to use another person’s feelings for your own resentment.”
“Uh… Just Shut up!”
TWACK! There was a loud sound and the voice from below stopped.
I suddenly stood up involuntarily.
I changed my position and looked over below the stairs without making a noise.
Tachibana seemed to have been slapped on the face by one of the girls.
Tachibana, whose cheek was not swollen, didn’t look away from the girl and was staring at her with her back straight.
I was confused.
Even if I don’t interfere, Tachibana will be fine.
On the contrary, if I do interfere and stop them, they might return a second or third time.
But if they think they can’t win against Tachibana, then this harassment will probably be repeated.
“…are you done now?”
“…Uhh”
“W-what is wrong…with her.”
“If you’re done, I’m leaving. Well then.”
But Tachibana was the complete victim.
She did nothing wrong.
This is completely unreasonable.
Even if you don’t seem to want help, is it alright to just stand by and watch?
“Huh…? Wait!”
“…You still have to say something?”
“You just have a pretty face. All the boys who approach you are only interested in your face!”
“…That’s right”
A completely childish attack on her.
However, for some reason, Tachibana’s words didn’t have the same demeanor as before.
It seems that the other girls also noticed it.
The two girls got better and started to curse at Tachibana together.
I guess it’s now my time to act…
“Everyone hates girls like you, you know?”
“That’s right! If the boys knew about your personality, they would hate you as well.”
“Takeda-sensei! There is a lot of commotion going on here.”
From above the stairs, I shouted while plucking my nose.
(TL: Maybe to change his voice? Voice-changing-nose-plucking Jutsu)
This is my special magic. Takeda summoning Jutsu.
The effect of this Jutsu seemed to be great this time as well. The girls ran down the stairs like bugs.
Only Tachibana stood there and looked at me who was on top of the stairs.
Apparently, my true identity had been revealed.
(TL: What is he? A ninja?”
“…Were you peeking again?”
“Again, it was by accident”
“Takeda-sensei…isn’t here, is he?”
“The summoning failed.”
“…Summoning?”
Tachibana tilted her head with a confused look.
The place where she was slapped was now painfully swollen.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Not only your cheeks but also if you’re okay emotionally.”
“It’s nothing. It was just a little uncomfortable.”
“But you looked a bit off towards the end.”
“…Eh! No, that’s not the case.”
I didn’t expect Tachibana to be affected by a few insults like that.
However, Tachibana’s face had clearly shown a very hurtful face earlier.
That’s why I decided to stop overthinking and intervene like that.
“…It’s nothing. It’s just your imagination.”
“Well…alright…”
“Okay then. I’m going home.”
“Ah…Let’s go together then.”
“I’m not in the mood today”
If she’s alone, there is no guarantee that she won’t get involved with those girls again.
As I was thinking so, Tachibana quickly escaped and went down the stairs.
It felt wrong to force her to go together, so I went home slowly.
However, I had no intention of following her.
As I wanted to stop by somewhere on my way home.
I took the street beside the convenience store towards the east exit of my school near the station and walked straight for 3 minutes.
My destination was precisely where I heard it would be.
As expected of Tachibana, the description of the place was extremely accurate.
“Hitorimi”, an individual dining yakiniku restaurant.
(TL: Yakiniku- grilled meat)
It was the restaurant Tachibana has talked about being her favourite.
“Welcome”
I was greeted by a cheerful voice of a waitress and sat down on the nearest seat I saw.
Each seat was only for one person with a roaster in front of each seat.
It seems like you can order from the tablet placed on the table.
“Please take your time”
The waitress seemed to be unconcerned about seeing me in my school uniform.
It’s as if she understood the feelings of customers who came alone.
I ordered some meat, a drink, white rice, and placed the tablet back while taking a deep breath.
The only reason I came here after school was because I was hungry.
I was just in the mood for yakiniku, so I decided to go to the restaurant which Tachibana recommended.
Sooooo…
“Why are you here…?”
The presence of Tachibana seemed to be a complete miscalculation.
“To eat yakiniku, of course”
“Well…that’s right…”
What kind of obvious question am I asking?
“I had come here to eat yakiniku alone. There was absolutely no other reason. That’s why sitting together with Tachibana-san is just a coincidence. It happens all the time, right?”
(TL: Did our MC…JUST GET FLUSTERED??)
I spoke all that in a single breath while Tachibana stared at me.
But I could only stare at the flames flickering in front of me.
“I came here to eat alone because….it’s ‘alone-yakiniku’”
“That’s right”
After a while, the meat came to our table.
While I had a moderate amount of meat, Tachibana had an extremely large quantity of it around her roaster.
As it was my first time in the restaurant, I just mindless cooked the meat on the roaster copying what Tachibana was doing.
The smoke was taken in by the exhaust and went up the ceiling.
The sound of the meat getting roasted and the savoury aroma it was release increased my appetite even though I wasn’t really hungry.
“…”
“…”
Tachibana was completely silent while eating her meat.
I also ate my meat in silence.
Since we were eating alone, I suppose it’s natural.
So, I’d say that this wasn’t a conversation, but just 2 people talking to themselves.
(TL: So…were they silent or not??)
“Your cheek is red”
“It doesn’t hurt”
“But you have tears in your eyes.”
Tachibana’s shoulders started shaking.
She wiped the corners of her eye’s and blew her nose with a hand towel in a hurry.
“…that’s was just some smoke”
“Really?”
“…”
“…”
“Kusuba-san…”
“Yes?”
“…Am I a jerk?”
Tachibana spoke in a small voice, her sound almost downing because of the cooking meat.
“No, you are a nice person, you know?”
“But…there are people who feel uncomfortable talking to me. Even today…”
I felt as If I had been let down.
That was what she was worried about?
No matter how others saw her, she never cared.
That is what should’ve been her strength.
“Are you really going to take their words seriously?”
“It’s not just their words. I’m not as good at socializing as you are and I don’t have many friends. So everything those people said, though rude, was not out of line.”
(TL:Our mc is what?)
“You’re surprisingly sensitive.”
Hearing that, Tachibana’s lip unhappily twitched.
She put 2 pieces of meat in her mouth and chewed on them.
Tachibana had said that this restaurant is the perfect place to come when she had a “bad” day.
It had no relation about me coming here but it showed that Tachibana thought of the incident as a “bad” thing.
But Tachibana is not a person who would take offence over such a thing.
In other words, there is something else that was hurting her heart.
But apparently, this was Tachibana.
But is that really so?
“That person, Ichinose-kun…I’m sure he was also attracted to my appearance.”
“If you wanted to know, you could’ve asked him.”
“I didn’t think of it at that time. It’s too late now.”
“Hmm…”
Now that I think about it, that guy never said what he liked about Tachibana and why he liked it.
If he was sincere, he would’ve told his feeling properly after he got rejected.
But yesterday, when he got rejected, he seemed to have given up completely and looked refreshed.
(TL: Romance lessons from a loner. Yeah, right.)
I don’t how these normies think.
At least a shady guy like me can’t understand.
I wonder if Kyoya could get it a bit?
“I think it’s not it…”
“hmm…?
“He seemed like a nice person. I don’t think he’d just confess because he fell in love with your appearance.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yeah, even Susami-san and Hinata-san like you as you are”
“Yes…you’re right”
Even after all this, Tachibana’s expression was still dark.
It seems it was more serious than I thought.
“Be honest, you don’t like me either…”
It was a small voice…but that just line reached my ear clearly through the sound of the cooking meat.
Surprised, I turned my head towards Tachibana.
“Eh? What?”
Even though I said that, I knew what Tachibana was trying to say.
Because I knew, the tone of my voice became a bit rougher than I had expected.
“I’m always unreasonable, unfriendly and boring. That’s ‘Rika Tachibana’, right?”
I was about to yell but I managed to suppress my anger.
But it didn’t subside.
“I’m sure Kusuba-san feels the same way about me. A disgusting woman who only has good looks. Isn’t that right?”
“…”
I put my hand on my chest.
There was a large amount of resentment in me.
Was it Tachibana? The Tachibana who was supposed to be strong acting this way?
Or was it the girls who hurt her?
Or was it the stupid me who didn’t know the answer to her question?
I don’t know
But I can say this much.
I had to say this much.
“I like you, Tachibana”
(TL: FINALLY, I think I’m gonna cry…)
“…What?”
“Regardless of what you think about yourself. I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart. Really.”
“This…”
“The Tachibana I like is too strong, cold and serious. She is the one who accepted me for who I am regardless of what I am.”
Tachibana couldn’t hide the surprise on her face.
She covered her mouth with her small hands and kept silent with her eyes wide open.
But it was my true feelings.
And I would have never said something like this if I hadn’t been stuck in this situation.
The way I said it sounds a bit misleading, but I’m sure Tachibana will understand what I meant to say.
(TL: Nevermind, I wanna kill the MC now)
“If you believe their words over mine, there is nothing I can do. But they are strangers, and I am your friend. My words are definitely true compared to them… Tachibana is a nice person”
“…”
“That’s why I want to be friends with Tachibana. You told me that.”
(TL: For those who don’t understand, Tachibana was the one who told Kusuba to be friends with her)
After saying that, I dropped the burnt meat in the flames through the gaps in the roaster.
I couldn’t look at Tachibana because of my embarrassment.
The cola I drank to cool my face has become lukewarm.
“…Kusuba-san”
“Yes…?”
“…Thank you”
“…You’re welcome”
That’s all we said as we then ate our meat in silence.
Glancing at Tachibana’s face, she had become totally cheerful.
Was it not as big of a deal as I thought?
(TL: And here we have the typical dense protag!)
By the time both of us left the restaurant extremely satisfied, Tachibana has become her usual self once again.
“So the effect of yakiniku is tremendous.”
“Yes, I’m glad.”
Tachibana spoke in a good mood as we walked side by side.
It’s a good thing she’s feeling better, but this girl has some serious ups and downs.
(TL: Ok, that made me laugh)
“Kusuba-san?”
“What is it?”
“I figured it out.”
“I understood it”
“After all, a human can’t be liked by everyone. It’s completely natural to have your own likes and dislikes. But when it comes to relationships, people tend to forget that.”
“…and?”
“So…I’m fine as long as the people I like, like me back.”
“…That’s right”
That’s exactly as I think of it.
Its thanks to Tachibana I came to think this way.
“Also, you seem to be feeling better now.”
“Really?”
“That’s right”
“I don’t think so”
“But you do”
I felt like I was going to burst a nerve, so I decided not to peruse the matter any further.
It must be my imagination that Tachibana’s face looks red.
So it’s also my imagination that my face feels hot.
“Hey, Ren.”
“What is it?”
During the lunch break, I was having lunch in the courtyard because of the invitation from Kyoya.
This courtyard is a den of normies.
Today is the first time I have ever come here.
The lawn was wide, there were wooden tables and benches.
It was quite comfortable, a convenient place to come by.
Other than the fact that there are many normies here, it might be a good place to come to.
“Hey, did something happen?”
“…What do you mean?”
“No…I mean, you seem much better. Your usually dark aura is quite thin now.”
“It’s just your imagination.”
“Don’t lie to me, you really think I won’t notice?”
“Even if you say that, there is nothing to notice.”
It was a lie.
Ever since that incident in the aquarium, something has been changing little by little inside of me.
But it was quite annoying that Kyoya saw through it immediately. He’s quite sharp.
“…Tachibana-san?”
“…Who is that?”
“…You’re too bad at deceiving others”
I accidentally blurted out something dumb.
However, it couldn’t be helped.
A place where you could just guess something in a single try is really a normie’s den.
He was too accurate.
“So, something did happen after all.”
“…It’s nothing, I just changed my way of thinking a little.”
“OK, NOW THAT’S A BIG DEAL FOR REN”
Kyoya looked unexpectedly surprised and suddenly jumped up with a piece of bread in his hand.
He wasn’t overacting, his eyes had lit up in excitement.
It is rather sultry.
“I thought it was weird because you didn’t mind me inviting you to the courtyard. I was wondering if you were sleepwalking.!”
“Shut up…”
“What do you mean?! So, Tachibana-san is the reason? Does it feel good? Going out with her?”
“It’s not like that”
“Then what is it? What happened with you both? Are you going to leave out your best friend?”
Kyoya kept coming closer and clung to my arm.
An interaction between a famous person like Kyoya and a mob like me is very unusual.
The gazes of people came onto us mercilessly.
I didn’t really mind the stares, but Kyoya was beginning to annoy me.
For the time being, I’ll make some parts a bit blurry and talk about it to a certain extent.
“This… Tachibana-san…… what a good girl…”
When I gave a rough explanation that sounded detailed when heard the first time, Kyoya held his chest as if he were thrilled.
This guy is an idiot after all.
Well, that may as well be a good thing.
“And Ren…you grew up…Aoooo”
“Don’t cry, you idiot”
“I’m going to cry, I’m so happy.”
Kyoya had a face of a parent rejoicing in the rehabilitation of a bad child.
Can you either praise me or tease me?
He probably doesn’t mean to be so humiliating.
“So, what about Tachibana-san?! Are you 2 going out?”
“We’re not going out.”
“Why not?”
KYOYA shouted angrily, seeming extremely disappointed.”
When I glared at him while covering my ears, he sat down with a big sigh.
“Tachibana-san like you! I’m sure she loves you!”
“I don’t think so. She’s such a beautiful girl.”
“You have a chance because you are so close with such a beautiful girl.”
“We don’t have that type of relationship, we’re just friends”
“Ren is an idiot”
Before I could even finish speaking. Kyoya said such a thing.
He raised the corners of his mouth to a grin showing his teeth.
He then took off his shoes and crouched on the bench while holding his knees.
“…What is it?”
“You’ve never had a girlfriend, have you?”
“…Well…”
I had no choice but to answer.
It’s not that I’m unhappy to answer, but the look on his face was really annoying.
I mean, even if I haven’t, what about it?
I really don’t know what normies are thinking.
“I have a lot of friends, regardless of gender. And if you ask me, Ren…”
“…”
“…Tachibana-san and you are not friends.”
“… Why is that?”
“Friends with opposite genders are not that close, simple as that.”
“…That depends on the person. And Tachibana and I don’t get along that well, not really.”
Even in my retort, Kyoya didn’t seem frightened the least. Rather, he had a victorious smile on his face.
He had a smile that looked like it could eat others, but still friendly.
That was Kyoya’s weapon, something I didn’t have.
“Of course, it’s different for each person. But you and Tachibana, both are not the type of people who get along with the opposite sex.”
“…Don’t decide that by yourself.”
“I’m not deciding. I don’t know about Tachibana-san, but I do know about you. I am your best friend after all.”
“…Shut up”
“Ehh?!”
I strongly pushed Kyoya who was crouching.”
Kyoya, who lost his balance, narrowly avoided falling by being caught by the benches backrest.
As expected, he has good athletic skills.
“What are you doing?!”
“Just a warning.”
“That was scary!”
Kyoya shouted as he sat back down and wore his shoes.
He seemed to have learnt his lesson.
Even though my way of thinking has changed a little, I can withstand such a high level of prying.
“Well…it was a good thing, actually.”
“…… Don’t be so grim.”
“A double date is not a dream anymore!”
“Go and sleep for the rest of your life.”
He really hasn’t given up, has he?
I have always loathed the word “Bochi”.
“Bocchi” means a person who has no friends is always alone.
It stands for “Hitoribocchi”.
It’s quite easy to understand.
So why did I suddenly stop hating it?
The reason is quite simple.
I just don’t care.
to this end.
Even if “Bocchi” is a bad word, those who think so can do so.
I have friends who accept me the way I am.
When I think like that, I stop caring what other people may think about me.
It’s all because of Tachibana that I’ve been able to become like this.
I’m trying to go through the back of the gym to go home because it’s a shortcut.
… Hmm?
“I’m sorry for calling you so suddenly.”
“No, it’s alright, so what can I do for you?”
Hey, come on…are you serious?
I reflexively hide in the shadows.
It was the exact same situation.
Even the place I was hiding was the same place I was hiding before.
But this time, I could tell who it was by the voice.
It was Tachibana who had just responded.
Her tone was as cold as ever.
But she’s really popular.
I wonder if she’s been confessed by more people than I know.
“I’ve always liked you, Tachibana-san. Please go out with me.”
(TL: In Japanese, people don’t really use “you” but the name instead. It sounds weird in English, so I’ve added the “you” many places in the novel. Yes, I know, pretty late to tell you that.)
This student seemed to be composed unlike the previous one.
My senses reacted strongly to his calmness and confidence.
He is probably a pretty popular guy.
I felt a similar aura to Kyoya.
For some reason, unlike the last time, I went to take a look outside the shadow.
I know it’s not a good idea.
But it can’t be helped.
I just happened to be there by chance, it was just an irresistible compulsion, yes, an irresistible compulsion.
“I’m sorry, but I refuse, goodbye.”
“…I see”
A single cut just like last time.
Rika Tachibana is one great swordsman.
But I noticed that I was strangely relieved.
What is this weird feeling?
Oh…I see…
I was relieved that the boy didn’t go crazy like the previous one.
That’s the most natural way to think of it, yeah, that’s it.
“…If it’s alright, can you at least tell me the reason?”
“Because I don’t like you.”
“Can’t you give me a chance? I’ll be happy to start out as friends.”
Clingy normie.
However, his demeanor has been soft and calm throughout.
After all, he’s different from the last one I saw.
Even so…damn.
Just get it over with.
You’ve already been turned down, just give up gracefully.
…No, what am I saying…?
It’s Tachibana who has to decide.
It’s completely irrelevant to me.
But just why am I so frustrated?
“I’m sorry, but I refuse.”
“…I see. I understand. Thanks for thinking about it, really.”
Tachibana bowed her head, and the other person also surprisingly returned a deep bow.
After raising his head at almost the same time, the other person turned around and left with a firm step.
As he left, I glanced at his face.
But…isn’t he like really handsome…
That Tachibana, was she really this popular…?
“Kusuba-san”
“AH!”
When I heard my name getting called, I accidentally let out a small shout.
Obviously, I couldn’t pretend that something wasn’t wrong, so I stepped out of my hiding place.
“…What are you doing? It’s bad manners.”
“You noticed…”
“It’s better to get smarter at peeping.”
“Ah…I’m sorry, I really am.”
“It doesn’t matter, you’ve already seen it before.”
(TL: wtf are they talking about…?)
“…that may be so”
“Are you going home now? Then let’s go together.”
“A-ah yes…”
Unlike me, who couldn’t hide the awkwardness, Tachibana’s attitude was calm.
I suppose she’s used to these things already.
We left the school gate together and started walking towards our home side-by-side.
I was walking a little slower than Tachibana for some reason.
“Speaking of which, did you submit the report for the field trip properly?
“Eh? No…not yet.”
“It’s better to finish troublesome things first.”
“…oh.”
“…”
“…”
“…You’re not being yourself, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, no, it’s…”
When Tachibana asked me that, it was quite obvious I was troubled.
But it wasn’t something in particular.
Just that I feel a little uncomfortable.
If I don’t understand something, how can I explain it to someone?
I decided to cover it up for the time being.
“…It’s nothing” (Kusuba)
“…well, alright.”
“…By the way, did you know that guy?”
” ‘that guy’?”
“You know…that guy who just…”
“Oh, yeah, I have talked to him a bit, but we are not close.”
“I-I see”
“…what is it?”
“No… I mean, was it alright? He seemed like a nice guy, unlike the last person, and he was good-looking.”
“You saw everything, right? Then you should know why I refused.”
“I heard…”
“…Mmm, Good then, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
“W-what? Why not?”
“Because…it makes me feel uncomfortable.”
“Uncomfortable? Why is that?”
“I don’t know. That’s enough.”
Tachibana pouted as she said that and shut up.
I lost my interest in pursuing the matter and thought of deciding what to write in my report, where I hadn’t written a single word yet.
“…Kusuba-san.”
“Hmm…?”
“…No, nothing, forget it.”
“…alright.”
I can’t “forget” it.
But for some reason, I felt it would be better to do so.
Even the next day, the weird uncomfortable feeling didn’t leave my head.
However, it wasn’t really interfering with my everyday life.
I didn’t pay any attention to it and went through my classes normally.
After school, I was scolded by the homeroom teacher, I quickly finished writing a report of the field trip and submitted it to the staff room.
I had only seen the aquarium tanks, and I had been through quite a bit that day.
So, I couldn’t write a proper report.
However, I am good at writing these kinds of things.
The content was probably not so bad as to make the teachers offended.
I walked through the hallway, which I don’t normally do. I went to the stairs.
It was really quiet, probably because of club activities.
“Seriously, don’t get carried away, will you?”
I could hear the voice clearly because of the quietness.
“Don’t get carried away just because Ichinose-kun confessed to you.”
“That’s right! Apologize to Yumi who like Ichinose-kun.”
It was a vexing voice.
A childish and vicious voice, as if her first priority is to hurt the other person.
I didn’t seem to know this Ichinose-kun or recognize any voice, so I hurried along as to not get involved with them.
I couldn’t see them from where I was standing. They were probably at the bottom of the stairs.
I can just walk past…
There was no other choice than to go down from the other staircase, though it was a bit of a detour.
It seems everyone was busy with their love lives.
I don’t care about love, as I’ve just started making friends.
I’ll just walk past them, that’s what I was thinking when,
“Is that all you want to say?”
I heard a voice I really didn’t want to hear in this situation.
“I came here because you said there was something you wanted to say. So tell me what you want then. Don’t just shout your frustration and resentment on me.”
“What?! What are you saying now?!”
“Damn you! Yumi is so hurt!”
No, it wasn’t just her voice.
This cold tone, her way of speaking…it was definitely Tachibana.
Judging from the situation, The handsome normie from yesterday was Ichinose, and these girls were his followers who held resentment towards Tachibana.
The handsome guy was a decent guy, but his surroundings were troublesome…
The situation doesn’t look good.
…It looks really bad.
From their voices, there were 2 or more of them against Tachibana.
And of course, Tachibana was by herself.
But that doesn’t mean Tachibana is a type of person who’ll just accept these unreasonable things being forced upon her.
This…don’t be this unreasonable.
Damn, just my luck…
If Tachibana is here, I won’t be able to just pass through.
I still owe her for peeking at her confession.
“I feel sorry for Ichinose-kun, to be deceived by such a dark person who only has good looks.”
“That’s right. You have a terrible personality, go apologize to Ichinose-kun.”
“I don’t care what you think about my inner or outer self, but we have already talked it between us. I have no reason to listen to you, being a third party.”
Tachibana is not fazed.
On the contrary, the two of them were clearly hesitant.
I don’t think she’ll need help.
“It’s disgusting when you say something like that after hurting someone.”
“I know that I hurt him. But he knew what would happen and told me how he felt. I gave him my answer, and the conversation ending for both of us in a satisfactory way. This is all that happened yesterday.”
“What? H-huh?! W-what are you saying?”
“What is it with you? If you dislike me so much, say it directly, instead of using some ridiculous justifications for your actions. You people have no shame. And how do you even dare to use another person’s feelings for your own resentment.”
“Uh… Just Shut up!”
TWACK! There was a loud sound and the voice from below stopped.
I suddenly stood up involuntarily.
I changed my position and looked over below the stairs without making a noise.
Tachibana seemed to have been slapped on the face by one of the girls.
Tachibana, whose cheek was not swollen, didn’t look away from the girl and was staring at her with her back straight.
I was confused.
Even if I don’t interfere, Tachibana will be fine.
On the contrary, if I do interfere and stop them, they might return a second or third time.
But if they think they can’t win against Tachibana, then this harassment will probably be repeated.
“…are you done now?”
“…Uhh”
“W-what is wrong…with her.”
“If you’re done, I’m leaving. Well then.”
But Tachibana was the complete victim.
She did nothing wrong.
This is completely unreasonable.
Even if you don’t seem to want help, is it alright to just stand by and watch?
“Huh…? Wait!”
“…You still have to say something?”
“You just have a pretty face. All the boys who approach you are only interested in your face!”
“…That’s right”
A completely childish attack on her.
However, for some reason, Tachibana’s words didn’t have the same demeanor as before.
It seems that the other girls also noticed it.
The two girls got better and started to curse at Tachibana together.
I guess it’s now my time to act…
“Everyone hates girls like you, you know?”
“That’s right! If the boys knew about your personality, they would hate you as well.”
“Takeda-sensei! There is a lot of commotion going on here.”
From above the stairs, I shouted while plucking my nose.
(TL: Maybe to change his voice? Voice-changing-nose-plucking Jutsu)
This is my special magic. Takeda summoning Jutsu.
The effect of this Jutsu seemed to be great this time as well. The girls ran down the stairs like bugs.
Only Tachibana stood there and looked at me who was on top of the stairs.
Apparently, my true identity had been revealed.
(TL: What is he? A ninja?”
“…Were you peeking again?”
“Again, it was by accident”
“Takeda-sensei…isn’t here, is he?”
“The summoning failed.”
“…Summoning?”
Tachibana tilted her head with a confused look.
The place where she was slapped was now painfully swollen.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Not only your cheeks but also if you’re okay emotionally.”
“It’s nothing. It was just a little uncomfortable.”
“But you looked a bit off towards the end.”
“…Eh! No, that’s not the case.”
I didn’t expect Tachibana to be affected by a few insults like that.
However, Tachibana’s face had clearly shown a very hurtful face earlier.
That’s why I decided to stop overthinking and intervene like that.
“…It’s nothing. It’s just your imagination.”
“Well…alright…”
“Okay then. I’m going home.”
“Ah…Let’s go together then.”
“I’m not in the mood today”
If she’s alone, there is no guarantee that she won’t get involved with those girls again.
As I was thinking so, Tachibana quickly escaped and went down the stairs.
It felt wrong to force her to go together, so I went home slowly.
However, I had no intention of following her.
As I wanted to stop by somewhere on my way home.
I took the street beside the convenience store towards the east exit of my school near the station and walked straight for 3 minutes.
My destination was precisely where I heard it would be.
As expected of Tachibana, the description of the place was extremely accurate.
“Hitorimi”, an individual dining yakiniku restaurant.
(TL: Yakiniku- grilled meat)
It was the restaurant Tachibana has talked about being her favourite.
“Welcome”
I was greeted by a cheerful voice of a waitress and sat down on the nearest seat I saw.
Each seat was only for one person with a roaster in front of each seat.
It seems like you can order from the tablet placed on the table.
“Please take your time”
The waitress seemed to be unconcerned about seeing me in my school uniform.
It’s as if she understood the feelings of customers who came alone.
I ordered some meat, a drink, white rice, and placed the tablet back while taking a deep breath.
The only reason I came here after school was because I was hungry.
I was just in the mood for yakiniku, so I decided to go to the restaurant which Tachibana recommended.
Sooooo…
“Why are you here…?”
The presence of Tachibana seemed to be a complete miscalculation.
“To eat yakiniku, of course”
“Well…that’s right…”
What kind of obvious question am I asking?
“I had come here to eat yakiniku alone. There was absolutely no other reason. That’s why sitting together with Tachibana-san is just a coincidence. It happens all the time, right?”
(TL: Did our MC…JUST GET FLUSTERED??)
I spoke all that in a single breath while Tachibana stared at me.
But I could only stare at the flames flickering in front of me.
“I came here to eat alone because….it’s ‘alone-yakiniku’”
“That’s right”
After a while, the meat came to our table.
While I had a moderate amount of meat, Tachibana had an extremely large quantity of it around her roaster.
As it was my first time in the restaurant, I just mindless cooked the meat on the roaster copying what Tachibana was doing.
The smoke was taken in by the exhaust and went up the ceiling.
The sound of the meat getting roasted and the savoury aroma it was release increased my appetite even though I wasn’t really hungry.
“…”
“…”
Tachibana was completely silent while eating her meat.
I also ate my meat in silence.
Since we were eating alone, I suppose it’s natural.
So, I’d say that this wasn’t a conversation, but just 2 people talking to themselves.
(TL: So…were they silent or not??)
“Your cheek is red”
“It doesn’t hurt”
“But you have tears in your eyes.”
Tachibana’s shoulders started shaking.
She wiped the corners of her eye’s and blew her nose with a hand towel in a hurry.
“…that’s was just some smoke”
“Really?”
“…”
“…”
“Kusuba-san…”
“Yes?”
“…Am I a jerk?”
Tachibana spoke in a small voice, her sound almost downing because of the cooking meat.
“No, you are a nice person, you know?”
“But…there are people who feel uncomfortable talking to me. Even today…”
I felt as If I had been let down.
That was what she was worried about?
No matter how others saw her, she never cared.
That is what should’ve been her strength.
“Are you really going to take their words seriously?”
“It’s not just their words. I’m not as good at socializing as you are and I don’t have many friends. So everything those people said, though rude, was not out of line.”
(TL:Our mc is what?)
“You’re surprisingly sensitive.”
Hearing that, Tachibana’s lip unhappily twitched.
She put 2 pieces of meat in her mouth and chewed on them.
Tachibana had said that this restaurant is the perfect place to come when she had a “bad” day.
It had no relation about me coming here but it showed that Tachibana thought of the incident as a “bad” thing.
But Tachibana is not a person who would take offence over such a thing.
In other words, there is something else that was hurting her heart.
But apparently, this was Tachibana.
But is that really so?
“That person, Ichinose-kun…I’m sure he was also attracted to my appearance.”
“If you wanted to know, you could’ve asked him.”
“I didn’t think of it at that time. It’s too late now.”
“Hmm…”
Now that I think about it, that guy never said what he liked about Tachibana and why he liked it.
If he was sincere, he would’ve told his feeling properly after he got rejected.
But yesterday, when he got rejected, he seemed to have given up completely and looked refreshed.
(TL: Romance lessons from a loner. Yeah, right.)
I don’t how these normies think.
At least a shady guy like me can’t understand.
I wonder if Kyoya could get it a bit?
“I think it’s not it…”
“hmm…?
“He seemed like a nice person. I don’t think he’d just confess because he fell in love with your appearance.”
“Is that so…?”
“Yeah, even Susami-san and Hinata-san like you as you are”
“Yes…you’re right”
Even after all this, Tachibana’s expression was still dark.
It seems it was more serious than I thought.
“Be honest, you don’t like me either…”
It was a small voice…but that just line reached my ear clearly through the sound of the cooking meat.
Surprised, I turned my head towards Tachibana.
“Eh? What?”
Even though I said that, I knew what Tachibana was trying to say.
Because I knew, the tone of my voice became a bit rougher than I had expected.
“I’m always unreasonable, unfriendly and boring. That’s ‘Rika Tachibana’, right?”
I was about to yell but I managed to suppress my anger.
But it didn’t subside.
“I’m sure Kusuba-san feels the same way about me. A disgusting woman who only has good looks. Isn’t that right?”
“…”
I put my hand on my chest.
There was a large amount of resentment in me.
Was it Tachibana? The Tachibana who was supposed to be strong acting this way?
Or was it the girls who hurt her?
Or was it the stupid me who didn’t know the answer to her question?
I don’t know
But I can say this much.
I had to say this much.
“I like you, Tachibana”
(TL: FINALLY, I think I’m gonna cry…)
“…What?”
“Regardless of what you think about yourself. I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart. Really.”
“This…”
“The Tachibana I like is too strong, cold and serious. She is the one who accepted me for who I am regardless of what I am.”
Tachibana couldn’t hide the surprise on her face.
She covered her mouth with her small hands and kept silent with her eyes wide open.
But it was my true feelings.
And I would have never said something like this if I hadn’t been stuck in this situation.
The way I said it sounds a bit misleading, but I’m sure Tachibana will understand what I meant to say.
(TL: Nevermind, I wanna kill the MC now)
“If you believe their words over mine, there is nothing I can do. But they are strangers, and I am your friend. My words are definitely true compared to them… Tachibana is a nice person”
“…”
“That’s why I want to be friends with Tachibana. You told me that.”
(TL: For those who don’t understand, Tachibana was the one who told Kusuba to be friends with her)
After saying that, I dropped the burnt meat in the flames through the gaps in the roaster.
I couldn’t look at Tachibana because of my embarrassment.
The cola I drank to cool my face has become lukewarm.
“…Kusuba-san”
“Yes…?”
“…Thank you”
“…You’re welcome”
That’s all we said as we then ate our meat in silence.
Glancing at Tachibana’s face, she had become totally cheerful.
Was it not as big of a deal as I thought?
(TL: And here we have the typical dense protag!)
By the time both of us left the restaurant extremely satisfied, Tachibana has become her usual self once again.
“So the effect of yakiniku is tremendous.”
“Yes, I’m glad.”
Tachibana spoke in a good mood as we walked side by side.
It’s a good thing she’s feeling better, but this girl has some serious ups and downs.
(TL: Ok, that made me laugh)
“Kusuba-san?”
“What is it?”
“I figured it out.”
“I understood it”
“After all, a human can’t be liked by everyone. It’s completely natural to have your own likes and dislikes. But when it comes to relationships, people tend to forget that.”
“…and?”
“So…I’m fine as long as the people I like, like me back.”
“…That’s right”
That’s exactly as I think of it.
Its thanks to Tachibana I came to think this way.
“Also, you seem to be feeling better now.”
“Really?”
“That’s right”
“I don’t think so”
“But you do”
I felt like I was going to burst a nerve, so I decided not to peruse the matter any further.
It must be my imagination that Tachibana’s face looks red.
So it’s also my imagination that my face feels hot.
