Chapter 12: Despair and Salvation
Everything until now feels like it just broke down.
If I were to say, it feels like everything until now has been a futile effort.
“Hiiragi...san?”
I understood everything after seeing her.
The person I met at the toilet was Sanjou-senpai.
He’s the ace of the soccer club, and has a well proportioned face.
Although not at the level of being the top of his year, he has decent grades.
“Hee, Haruto-kun also goes to karaoke, huh.”
“...”
“Could it be you’re doing solo karaoke lololol? That’s hilarious!”
The one grinning at me while talking to me mockingly was Yoshino Natsumi.
She’s in the same class as me and HIiragi-san, she’s always around Hiiragi-san.
With her blonde hair in a ponytail, she looks exactly how you’d imagine a gyaru to be.
“...”
“He-y, are you listening?”
“Hey Natsumi, I’d feel bad for bothering Haruto-kun, so let’s go. Bye then Haruto-kun.”
She quickly glared at me, and then went back to their room while dragging Yoshino-san.
“...”
I felt pathetic for not being able to say anything.
“Haha… As expected, Hiiragi-san would just talk to me normally…”
It was exactly as I expected that I laughed.
ーーーーーーーーーーーー
“You’re still here.”
About 3 minutes passed, and when I turned around, Hiiragi-san, who should have returned to their room, was there.
“What? Do you have something you want to say to me?”
“...You have quite the nerve to call out to me. Even though you were the one who said to treat it like you didn’t confess at all.”
After a few seconds of silence, the words that came out was...
“So what? I’m telling you to treat it like it never happened. I’m telling you to act like I never confessed to you. Do you understand what that means? You’re just a v*rgin who hasn’t been confessed to before, isn’t it fine like that?”
What is this person saying?
I can only say that there’s something wrong with her head.
“Could it be that I hit the bullseye?”
She giggled as she looked at me.
“Aah, would it have been better if I didn’t call out to you? I’ll apologize, I’m sorry.”
It was an empty apology.
“By the way, it’s no use even if you tell people in class. Who do you think they’ll believe, me or you, the introvert? You understand, right?”
On top of that she threatened me.
I endured the feeling of wanting to hit her.
I passed by Sanjou-senpai at the toilet.
If I pick a fight here I’ll lose, and it will even spread through the class.
“So you won’t do anything, aren’t you frustrated?”
Endure it, me.
I clenched my fists and endured it.
“How boring. Hmph.”
Maybe she got bored that I didn’t react, Hiiragi-san returned to their room.
“Fuuuu-”
I took a deep breath, and calmed myself.
“Slow.”
Maybe it’s because I took too long, Konoha got impatient and went to where I was while puffing up her cheeks.
“Sorry sorry, I met a classmate so we talked for a bit.”
“You talked for a while, and you looked like you were gonna cry.”
As expected of my childhood friend.
“Well a little bit.”
“We’ll become a hindrance if we talk here.”
Saying that, we went back to the room while I held the orange and apple juice.
Do I really have to talk about this in front of Lumi-chan as well…?
I really don’t want to show her such a pathetic sight, though.
“Guhe-!?”
What awaited me when I got back to the room was Lumi-chan’s tackle.
Due to the difference in height I took a heavy blow to my stomach.
“What what what??”
“Punishment for the slow Haruto.”
“It’s too heavy of a punishment.”
I replied to Konoha with teary eyes.
“Now, let me hear about it.”
With the orange juice on one hand, and crossing her legs, Konoha rested her chin on her hand.
Which place’s big shot are you? Also that’s a seat for more than two people so you don’t have anywhere to place your elbow on.
“?”
Lumi-chan, who doesn’t know anything, tilted her head.
“First of all, that woman, who is she?”
“Um… What’s with the way you’re talk-[Shut up, answer quickly]”
Without letting me finish, Konoha pressured me.
“...A classmate.”
“What were you talking about?”
“...Fine, I’ll explain from the start.”
I talked about how I was confessed to on LIME and how I was rejected, and about the contents of the earlier conversation.
“I don’t understand.”
Those were Konoha’s first words.
“Did you go on a date?”
“We didn’t, I was rejected with [Sorry] when I was about to reply.”
“What’s with that, I don’t understand at all.”
Lumi-chan nodded her head.
“You’re better off forgetting about that kind of woman. She probably just thought she was into you.”
“It’s probably like that… I was just happy because it was the first time I was confessed to.”
“Life is long, if you live properly you’ll probably get confessed to a number of times. Don’t get carried away from getting confessed to like that.”
“A number of times!?”
“If all you want is a confession, I’ll do it any number of times [I wuv you♡]”
“Ueeee”
“Don’t get carried away.”
“Guhe-!”
I got a serious punch to my stomach.
T,That was my solar plexus, though!?
“...The truth is I just didn’t want my friends to decrease.”
Hiiragi-san, even to an introvert without a lot of friends like me, treated me kindly.
Also, Although I just heard it from Tenrai-kun, I was happy that she said that she liked the novel I wrote.
“But, why did she have to say all that to me?”
I’d rather she just wouldn’t call out to me.
Although it might be because there was another person around, but don’t come back out after that.
“If I said anything, she threatened to spread weird rumours, and I’m not strong at fights. What should I have done!?”
Tears came out.
“Sorry… I’m going home.”
I feel bad for Lumi-chan too.
“Ha? I’m not letting you run away, though?”
The one who won’t forgive this pathetic me… was Konoha.
“For me, all I can say is [Give up and just live a normal school life]. But I don’t think Haruto can easily do that, so first.”
“...first?”
“We’ll sing. We’ll sing until we forget about what happened a while ago. Sing to forget.”
For the Konoha that rarely smiled, she let out a gentle smile.
I got a message from Lumi-chan.
[Let’s sing! I’ve never experienced love before, but just as Konoha-san who has a lot of love experience said, let’s forget about all of that and just sing!!]
Lumi-chan also smiled.
“Un, thanks you two. I don’t think I can easily forget about it, but I’ll do my best and sing today!”
I got the mic from Konoha, and sang a bunch of anime and vocaloid songs.
“Sorry, Haruto, you suck at this!!”
I thought I heard a scream from Konoha, but it must have been my imagination.
Thanks for the new chapter!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chapter ~
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chap!
ReplyDeleteI don't know what he's all depressed over. She seems like a pretty awful person. He didn't dodge a bullet but a full blown orbital bombardment.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I feel the same, I don't think a woman like that is worth the emotional investment, it shows the MC's lack of romantic experience at least.
Deletehot anime girl tho
DeleteMan.. even the overly anxious me. Can atleast pretent something never happen, or totally ignoring someone. If you smart enough, her confession in the first place can be used as blackmail material.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chapter ��
ReplyDeleteTL is so edgy, wow
ReplyDelete