|| TL: Tori |
We set up in our usual quiet little spot, getting ready to eat lunch. But first, I decided to ask the two of them what was bothering them.
“So, what was it like?”
“”Scary.””
Manabu, a diligent student, looked dejected, and Keisuke, a communication disordered kid, looked anxious. Something must have happened in each of their classes.
“Which part?”
I then looked at them and asked for a reply. Manabu made a gesture to put his glasses back on, but I noticed that they were soft lenses, and he cleared his throat before opening his mouth.
“Because until now I’ve been getting blank stares from the guys and girls in class, but now suddenly you’re talking to me with a gleam in their eye.”
“Heh, isn’t that a good thing?”
“No, I mean, they changed their attitude so much suddenly that I was afraid of them.”
“I also…… the same…….”
“Oh, I see,…… Keisuke, are you all right?”
“tatsumi-kun…..I was so scared…….”
Keisuke suddenly attached himself to me and trembled. When you look into his eyes, you will see that he was on the verge of crying.
Well, it’s not hard to see why.
No matter how much he worked out or how beautifully he styled his hair (though his bangs were still long), he was not going to change anytime soon.
I quietly contemplate their reactions, then after a few moments of thought, I open my eyes and speak softly.
“This is normal.”
“What?”
“The world is usually like this. But we’ll always be us, even when we were dull. That’s what’s important. So don’t worry too much about what’s going on around you. I want to cherish the relationship I have with you guys.”
“Tatsumi-kun……”
“Tatsumi……I have a feeling that this is going to raise a different flag…….”
The two had been looking very gloomy earlier, but at some point they looked at me with warm smiles on their faces.
“What are you staring at? Let’s have lunch now.”
The two of them rolled their eyes at my words and each opened the lid of the lunch box they had brought with them. One of them, Manabu, seemed to have thought of something and spoke to me, saying, “Ah! By the way, Tatsumi.”
“Hmm?”
“Aren’t you going to a maid cafe?”
“Maid cafe?”
“Yeah. You haven’t been going there at all since you were working out during the summer vacation, right? I’m ranked VIP now, but I’ll go down if I don’t.”
“……”
X X X
Classroom after school
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. I’ll do all the rest…….Kondo-san can go ahead of me…….”
Today is the day I’m on duty. Since we do it in order of attendance number, I am paired with a boy who is always verbally abusive to me, but he is very quiet today.
I used to be with this guy.
“Hey, pig! You’re gonna have to take out all the trash.”
“What? Why?”
[Because you’re like a cancer cell in my class. If you don’t do your job, you should just die.]
[……]
[What the hell are you wasting my time with? Get on with it! I’ll leave you to it. If you don’t take out the trash, you know what I mean?]
We were having a conversation like this.
I suppressed the veins rising in my face and spoke in a low tone.
“I thought you were going to throw it in my face like you always do.”
“…….”
“Wasn’t it?”
“I’m sorry…….”
“Sorry for what?”
“For……saying terrible things all the time.”
He bowed his head and said in a trembling voice. Well, in fact, the one who has been treated badly is Kondo Tatsumi before my reincarnation.
Besides, I have to get to the maid cafe as soon as possible.
“The words you’ve been saying will probably stay in my memory until I die.”
“…..”
“Give me half the garbage bag.”
“I’m sorry….I’m sorry.”
“Watch your mouth next time. It scares the shit out of me when I’m angry.”
“Tsu! I-I understand.”
I took a piece of garbage bag from his shaking body and went to the dumpster.
X X X
After finishing my duty, I put on my backpack and left the classroom. To be honest, I didn’t feel very good. If Hayama had apologized for slandering me, the reincarnated Kondo Tatsumi, that would have been fine, but that was the first time I had talked to him. I don’t know if I’m qualified to say something like that.
It’s complicated.
As I was about to pass through the main gate of the school with a heavy expression on my face, I heard a familiar voice.
“Kondo-kun!”
And then I feel soft fingers on my shoulder.
I turned around to see Kanzaki’s beautiful face.
“Kanzaki-san?”
“You can call me Kanna.”
“Eh?”
“Kanna.”
“No, that’s a bit……”
“Buuuh……”
Kanzaki’s plump cheeks puff out and sulk at my reaction. Even though I walk without slowing down, Kanzaki keeps following me.
I don’t think she’s going to let go of me until she gets what she came for.
“Ka, Kanna…..”
“Hm!” [TL/N: Idk if she is moaning or what. So I’ll just leave it like this.]
“Hm?”
Kanna stopped suddenly, her body twitching. I stopped, curious, and urged her to continue with a glance. She smiled shyly and moved her glossy lips.
“Then I’ll call you Tatsumi-kun.”
“Oh, ah……please call me whatever you like.”
“Ehehe.”
She smiled happily. And we start walking again.
“By the way, Tatsumi-kun, is something wrong?”
“Hm? Nothing.”
“You looked so troubled.”
“I-I see.”
“Yes.”
Her round blue eyes seem to have a hint of worry in them.
But…
“Nothing’s really going on.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmmm.”
She looks at me with a hint of expression, and lets out a small exhale. Then, silence fell.
It’s a little awkward.
“Is Kanna going home now?”
“Yes, I am. And you, too?”
“I have a promised appointment, so I’m not going to…..home yet.”
“Promise?”
“I’m going this way today. I’m going this way today, so I’ll see you later.”
“What?”
I couldn’t keep Manabu waiting any longer, so I walked quickly to the nearby bus stop. The bus came just in time and I quickly went inside.
X X X
Kanzaki side
Kanna Kanzaki, a beautiful black-haired girl, is feeling upset as she watches the bus leave. She had a complicated expression on her face as she approached Kondo Tatsumi, the benefactor who saved her, wanting to get to know him better.
And.
A promise.
What kind of promise was it? As she searched for an answer, her eyes widened as if something had just occurred to her.
“….Eh?”
A scene from a shoujo manga I read the other day.
A scene where the male protagonist, who has offended his girlfriend, promises to go on a date with his girlfriend to make up.
In other words, Kondo has a girlfriend.
I don’t know if it was in the past, but now he is very handsome and has a nice body.
If he were to walk down the street, he would probably be picked up by someone of the opposite sex.
When she thinks about this, an indescribable feeling of frustration runs through her mind.
However, she is not so sure.
[Ka, Kanna……]
For some reason, remembering him saying my name in a shy tone, I feel at home.
“I just want to be friends with you, Tatsumi-kun, and return the favor.”
She talks to herself with a defeated look on her face, but eventually, she blurts out with a confident look on her face.
“Ha, that’s really all there is to it…….”
Postscript. (Author’s Note)
I forgot to set the tag until now (edited now).
I can’t believe it’s #3 on the romantic comedy weekly list despite that: ……
I’m so happy.
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