《Takane-san, Kimi no Koto Sukirashii yo》 CH prologue 1 Saki Takane is a mysterious girl, all her classmates say that. According to one classmate, no one has ever seen her smile. According to another, misfortune befalls those who succeed in talking with Saki Takane. Someone said that she is actually a full-time model for a famous fashion magazine. And someone said that she is connected to some underground individuals. Some even say that she conducts secret experiments in the upper high school annex in secret. And so on, and so forth¡­ Almost an urban legend, isn¡¯t she? But, putting aside the ¡°urban legend¡± point of view, Saki Takane is a female student, who is the subject of endless rumors, at the Kamimura High School in Niigata Prefecture. ¡°Hey, is it true that you have a sugar daddy, Takane-san?¡± It was a complete coincidence that I, Kengo Mashima, heard such a rumor. It was after the opening ceremony on April 7th. While making my rounds in the school, I saw four figures in a dark corner of the bicycle parking lot. ¡°I heard about it from a friend of mine, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just wondering if it¡¯s really true.¡± ¡°What do you think? Is it really profitable? I mean, how does it work? What¡¯s up with that?¡± The three girls asked questions one after another. Needless to say, the other party was Saki Takane herself. Her skin was as translucent and white as porcelain. Natural, sharp eyes. A smooth, straight nose. Slender, yet feminine body. Her fingers were like white fish. Each strand of her beautiful hair, which extended all the way down her back, was shiny like silk threads and danced lightly in the spring breeze. The beauty of this somewhat inhuman figure was probably born from her consistent expressionless face, no matter the occasion. The phrase ¡°A face like a Noh mask¡± means not only expressionless but also beautiful. (TL Note: https://internationalnohinstitute.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/20201126_200827.jpg) This is a perfect description of her. She did not even move her well-defined face, but said ¡°I don¡¯t do that.¡± It was such a simple and clear answer. Beautiful, even. However, the answer was too brief, so their curiosity didn¡¯t stop. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay! It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to tell anyone about it!¡± ¡°We¡¯re just purely curious!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re embarrassed, just tell us a little bit! Okay?¡± The girls lean forward to question Saki Takane. They are thrilled to see a pinch of ¡®spice¡¯ in a rural and uneventful high school. That¡¯s why¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t do that¡­¡± I felt a slight shiver at the end of Saki Takane¡¯s words as she repeated them one more time. I breathed in as much as my chest could hold. As hard as I could. ¡­I shouted. ¡°Guidanceee¡­!!!!!!!!¡± My angry voice rang out on the bicycle parking lot, causing all four of them, including Saki Takane, to leap to their feet. I later learned that my angry shouts echoed all the way to the third floor of the school building, causing a flock of sparrows that had been lined up along a nearby power line to flee all at once. ¡°What, what, what, what!?¡± ¡°Class of 2C, Rika Kanaya! Kokomachi Shizuku! Mai Hanadachi! The first section of the dress code in the student handbook states that skirts should be long enough to cover the knees! All of you clearly exceed three centimeters above the knee! That¡¯s a violation of the school rules! I will issue an immediate warning!¡± The girls all turned to me at once, startled as if they had seen a ghost. ¡°And? There it is! Public order freak!¡± ¡°How can you tell how long someone¡¯s skirt is just by looking at it from that distance!?¡± ¡°Run, run! If you get caught, he¡¯ll give you a big lecture!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already issued a warning once this month to Rika Kanaya and Mai Hanadachi! The first one was a warning! The second one is to submit a written statement of your reflection! One sheet of writing paper for every centimeter of skirt length above the knee!¡± ¡°Gah¡­!! He¡¯s got a ruler!!¡± ¡°Run!!!¡± The girls were cornered, and they were on the run. The three of them turned their short skirts around and quickly scattered and ran away¡­¡­. Soon they were out of sight. ¡°They are running away so fast. Do they really hate it so much when the skirt is a few centimeters lower?¡± I groaned in frustration, but the targets of my guidance were already far away. Thus, she and I were the only ones left in the deserted bicycle parking lot. ¡°Okay, class 2B, Saki Takane.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Saki Takane¡¯s shoulders jumped when her name was called. When she turned around, her face was still ¡°like a Noh mask¡±. It was difficult to tell what she was thinking from the expression on her face, which did not change much. ¡°The length of your skirt is just about knee-length, and standard is always the most beautiful. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± ¡°What?¡± Saki Takane¡¯s eyes widened slightly. Her eyes looked as if they were going to suck me in. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to lecture me?¡± ¡°You saw that, didn¡¯t you? The subjects of my guidance got away from me.¡± ¡°You heard our conversation earlier, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t hear it.¡± ¡°You were listening to it¡­ weren¡¯t you?¡± Saki Takane stared at me intently. I couldn¡¯t stand being stared at with those eyes that seemed to absorb me, so I immediately looked away. I¡¯ve never been good at telling lies. ¡°¡­ Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to overhear you, but no, that¡¯s an excuse.¡± ¡°You were helping me?¡± ¡°I apologize if I interfered in your conversation.¡± ¡°No¡­ I was just curious.¡± ¡°Curious?¡± ¡°If you listened to our conversation earlier, I think you should know that I¡¯m the one who needs to be instructed¡­¡± Saki Takane was unusually blunt. But I, on the other hand, was very clear. ¡°¡­Why? You said earlier that you don¡¯t do that yourself, didn¡¯t you? There is no need for guidance.¡± The person in question, Saki Takane, denied the rumors, which had no basis in fact. That was the end of the story. ¡°Nothing takes precedence over the words of the person in question.¡± So I just said what I thought was perfectly natural. That was my intention. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ve never heard anyone say that to me before¡­¡­.¡± For some reason, Saki Takane was shocked. Well, it could¡¯ve been just my misunderstanding, since she still wore a ¡°Noh mask¡± as usual. ¡°Anyway, I have some committee work to do, so I¡¯ll leave you.¡± As I was leaving, I bowed to her. Then she said, in a small voice. ¡°Thank you¡­.¡± And she thanked me. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± I replied, and then walked away. ©¤ ©¤ Misfortune befalls those who succeed in talking with Saki Takane. On my way back to the school building, my mind was filled with a joke I had heard somewhere sometime ago. ¡­How ridiculous. She is a normal, well-spoken girl. Naturally, nothing unfortunate ever happened to me, and I even forgot that there was such a rumor in the first place¡­ until one week later. The incident occurred in the middle of the ¡°Greeting Week¡± led by the Public Discipline Committee members. ¡°¡­Hey, I heard that Takane-san likes you.¡± It was a Monday morning in the mild spring weather, in front of the school gate. Yuka Sesenami, a somewhat small animal-like girl from Class 2A, said to me with a nasty smirk on her face. I hold my head and sigh. I see¡­ I see¡­ That¡¯s how it is. Forgetting that I had been standing in front of the school gate since 7:00 a.m. to instruct the students regarding dusting, I let out a deep, deep sigh that didn¡¯t seem to be appropriate for a brisk morning. ¡°Eh, what¡¯s with that reaction ¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who you heard it from, but that rumor is a hoax.¡± ¡°Ehh?! You¡¯re sure about it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± However, Yuka Sesenami was not convinced. ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± ¡°Why? I hear crazy things often. Look at this.¡± The timing may or may not have been good, but the person in question, Saki Takane herself, was on her way into school. ¡°¡­It¡¯s Takane-san, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that is Saki Takane.¡± I¡¯ve already described Saki Takane¡¯s excellent looks, so I¡¯ll spare you¡­ She was as beautiful as ever today. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been thinking about something.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why is it that all I hear about are rumors about Takane Saki?¡± ¡°Ha, what¡¯s on your mind?¡± ¡°First of all, Saki Takane is very good-looking.¡± ¡°How can you say such a thing while being serious, Mashima-kun¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that she¡¯s quite popular with the boys. I heard a rumor that when she was a freshman, a whole class of boys confessed their feelings for her.¡± ¡°Ha-ha-ha, no kidding, even Takane Saki is not that popular.¡± ¡°I guess a rumor is just rumor.¡± ¡°A dozen boys, to be exact. She turned them all down.¡± ¡°What?¡± I didn¡¯t know of any other culture that counted the number of opposite gender confessions by the dozen. ¡­Be that as it may. ¡°One thing, she¡¯s mysterious.¡± ¡°Mysterious¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Saki Takane is a solitary, silent person, and despite her high profile, she discloses as little information as possible to those around her- a gap that has led to a lot of speculation. Look at that calm and collected expression on her face.¡± ¡°To me, she just looks like she¡¯s not thinking¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s a high pinnacle.¡± The flower of a high peak. I just said the phrase that popped into my head, but it fit better than I thought it would. A single flower blooming on a high peak that no one can reach¡­ That was Takane Saki. ¡°How about me on the contrary?¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the hated, uptight, discipline committee president.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ what about that¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need flattery, I¡¯m aware of it.¡± Foolishly honest and immensely serious ¨C that was the evaluation given to me. Perhaps it was because of these qualities that I was given the great role of Discipline Committee President in my second year, and I have been nagging and ¡°instructing¡± many students. I knew that I was the complete opposite of popular, and I knew that I was being looked upon with disdain. On the one hand, she was a flower of high reputation, and on the other hand, I was a stiff and hated president of the Discipline Committee. ¡°There¡¯s no way we could ever match.¡± We live in different worlds to begin with. ¡­It¡¯s not hard to imagine the hardships Takane Saki must have been going through if she kept getting bombarded with false rumors one after another. As I thought about that to myself¡­ ¡°Yes, no~¡­? I guess you can¡¯t exactly say ~?¡± I raised my eyebrows at this. ¡°Why do you insist on going that far¡­?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s, umm, a woman¡¯s intuition¡­?¡± Yuka Sesenami¡¯s eyes flashed, and my eyebrows clenched together. ¡°¡­Wait a minute. Who told you about the rumor? You can¡¯t be the source, can you?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s different! It¡¯s different¡­ Hmm? No, is it¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Student Handbook, Section 1, ¡°Daily Principles¡±. Always maintain dignity in speech, action and behavior, and do not be rude ¨C spreading rumors of unknown truth just for the fun of it is not the way to go. If you are the source of a rumor, please refer to¡­.¡± ¡°My friend! I heard it from a friend, but I forgot who told me! But it¡¯s true! I heard that rumor!¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡­But the bad thing is that it¡¯s all over the place. If what Yuka Sesenami said was true, it seems that rumors were beginning to spread again. Then, as a school discipline committee member, I couldn¡¯t just overlook it. ¡°All right, if you insist that much, I¡¯ll check it out.¡± ¡°Eh? What do you mean by check out¡­.?¡± ¡°©¤Good morning, Saki Tanake-san, I suddenly heard a rumor claiming that you have feelings towards me.¡± ¡°What are you doing¡­!?!?!?¡± A blue-faced Yuka Sesenami jumps around, trying to block my mouth. Sadly, she and I were more than 20 centimeters apart in height, so that¡¯s not going to happen. Besides, there was a reason I had to check with Saki Takane right here and now. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Takane-san¡¯s being detained by the Discipline Committee president.¡± ¡°I heard something about ¡®Takane-san liking Mashima-kun¡¯?¡± ¡°Uso, you must have misheard me. If it were the other way around, that would be one thing.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not possible for it to be the other way around! It¡¯s that ¡°Public order freak¡±!¡± Now, as I had hoped, the students on their way to school began to pay attention to us. Just as I had hoped¡­ Yes, this situation was just as I had hoped. Rumors, I believe, are only half-way unofficial, which stirs people¡¯s interest and spreads the rumor. If that would be the case, then Saki Takane herself would deny the rumor outright in front of the public, as she did the other day. Then, this rumor, which I don¡¯t know how far it had spread, could be eliminated once and for all. ¡°¡­.Saki Takane, I ask you again, is there any truth to this rumor?¡± The onlookers surrounding her naturally leaned forward as I asked the question again. The attention was enough. The next step is for Saki Takane to answer the question again with a firm and resolute ¡°It¡¯s a hoax.¡± and I¡¯ll take it from there. I will follow up from there so that this will never happen again. ¡°Oh.¡± Soon after, Saki Takane opened her mouth. Surrounded by such a large number of people, she was still as no-nonsense as ever, not the slightest hint of mental agitation. And then she said in her beautiful voice, ¡­ ¡°W-w-w-why w¡­ why would you ask me that?¡± ¡­Hmm? Probably everyone there had the same reaction as me. Only Yuka Sesenami seemed to have her head in her hands in a half-amused manner, though I did not know why. ¡°¡±Saki Takane?¡± ¡°What, what, what, what? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my line¡­¡± Saki Takane¡¯s face remained as beautiful and expressionless as a statue, but¡­ Her voice was shaking, her whole body was trembling. She looked like a frightened rabbit. ¡­I have to respond first. ¡°¡­Why would I ask such a question?¡± ¡°Hic.¡± Was that hiccup-like sound an affirmation, Saki Takane? ¡°The state of rampant baseless rumors can be taken as a sign that public morals on campus are in disarray.¡± ¡°Hic.¡± ¡°If it can be proven that this is a hoax, then I and the other members of the Discipline Committee will be able to take action¡­¡± ¡°Hic.¡± ¡°Are you listening to me, Saki Takane?¡± ¡°Do you have any idea who might be spreading this kind of false information?¡± Saki Takane paused for a moment, then came to her senses. ¡°N-n-no¡­ I don¡¯t know anyone who would spread such false rumors.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s not true?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Her mouth was tightly closed and she fell silent. ¡­Saki Takane was acting strangely. Her cheeks were flushed and she was vocalizing a lot more than I would normally expect from her. CH prologue 2 Perhaps she knew the person who started the rumor and was protecting them? Or maybe she didn¡¯t want to believe in the existence of such a rumor? I couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine¡­ ¡°Listen, Saki, you¡¯re a very charming girl, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡± Saki Takane¡¯s voice was strangely faint, and several of the onlookers, including Yuka Sesenami, erupted. ¡°You have a beautiful appearance, excellent grades, good manners, a warm and gentle personality, and a strong sense of obedience and compliance with the rules¡­ you are truly a talented, colorful, and well-rounded person.¡± ¡°Obedience¡­?¡± Yuka Senami, who was listening next to me, twisted her head. ¡°It¡¯s the spirit of following the rules.¡± I explained politely. ¡°I know what it means, I¡¯m just surprised because it¡¯s a word that doesn¡¯t often make it into the lineup of words of praise for girls.¡± ¡°Saki Takane is so obedient that she has never violated the school rules or any other equivalent as far as I have been able to observe. Even without makeup or a folded skirt, her noble spirit shines through beautifully.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not because you are the Discipline Committee President?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­Ahhh!!!¡± What happened was that right after Yuka Sesenami¡¯s meaningless comment, Saki Takane suddenly strangled Yuka Sesenami from behind. Of course, she kept her ¡°Noh mask¡± on. The two of them were held like teddy bears, and Sesenami Yuka seemed to be getting fed up with the whole thing. ¡°¡­Do you think that me being the Discipline Committee President has anything to do with Saki Takane¡¯s character?¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Saki Saki¡­ Can I just tell him the full story? I¡¯m getting tired¡­¡± ¡°Full story? What?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing, nothing. Don¡¯t worry about it. Just keep talking.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use me as a shield.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you mind having me between you and her?¡± ¡°No, It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m more comfortable like this.¡± ¡°Well, if you say so, then let¡¯s talk like this.¡± ¡°Oh uh¡­ no, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s me, it¡¯s me who is the person in question¡­. and I want you to confirm my intentions¡­¡± ¡°As I said before, Saki Takane, you are very attractive.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ he¡¯s really starting like this¡­¡± ¡°Both as a human being and as a girl. I can assure you of that. But that is why some people may have ill feelings toward you. If you don¡¯t feel comfortable telling me now, you can do it later, but if you ever need help, I¡¯m always here for you.¡± ¡°Please¡­ before you start spouting off your cool lines, try to be objective about this situation¡­¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Sesenami Yuka exclaimed in an exhausted voice, but there was no reply from Saki Takane, who hid behind her. Again, she was silent. After waiting for a while Yuka Sesenami let out a loud sigh. ¡°¡­Mashima-kun.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re probably a very dull, serious and honest person.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to be humble, but I¡¯ll accept your honesty.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s why you don¡¯t understand this situation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you how to make sense of it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Look at the expression on Saki¡¯s face behind my back, and you¡¯ll probably know the whole truth.¡± ¡°Face?¡± Isn¡¯t it the usual Noh mask? I leaned forward and peeked behind her as I was told. Saki Takane had her face right up against the back of Sesenami Yuka. Naturally, I couldn¡¯t see her expression. The only thing I could barely make out was that her ears were dyed bright red like autumn leaves. ¡°¡­¡­ Saki Takane, I¡¯m sorry, can I see your face?¡± ¡°Bufufu.¡± She seemed to be saying something, but I couldn¡¯t make it out. ¡°My back is so warm, it¡¯s uncomfortable.¡± Sesenami Yuka blurted out. ¡°Saki Takane, if I have done something to offend you, I apologize, so please let me see your face.¡± ¡°Bufufu¡­¡± ¡°Saki Saki¡­ it¡¯s easier to just give up¡­ because Mashima-kun is that kind of person¡­ He¡¯ll never get it unless you say it clearly¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°?¡± The meaning of Sesenami Yuka¡¯s persuasion was unclear to me, but it seemed to have at least touched Takane Saki¡¯s feelings. ¡°¡­¡± She finally moved away from Sesenami Yuka. Her face was still down, so I couldn¡¯t see her expression¡­ Saki Takane slowly began to speak. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the rumor you heard earlier, Mashima-kun.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not a rumor.¡± ¡°Not a rumor?¡± The onlookers all gasp. Everyone present was waiting to hear what Saki Takane had to say. ¡°Well, that is why.¡± Saki Takane squeezed the words out of her chest. Her voice is not the usual indifferent one. The words she uttered seemed to have some kind of heat in them. ¡°I¡­ I¡­!¡± She eventually raised her face with determination and strength. Her expression was no longer the usual ¡°Noh mask¡±. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about you, Mashima-kun¡­!¡± As soon as our eyes met¡­ ¡°Ah!¡± The flame of determination within her seemed to have somehow been extinguished in a single instant, and Saki Takane¡¯s face instantly reverted to a ¡°Noh mask¡±. ¡°¡­Ugh, it¡¯s not a rumor, it¡¯s a complete hoax.¡± Silence¡­ Silence once again enveloped the morning in front of the Kamimura High School. ¡°¡­Hmmm, I knew it.¡± In the silence, as if time had stopped, I nodded my head in agreement. ¡°You heard it, people! I¡¯ll let you off the hook this time, but this is the kind of malicious gossip that needs to be addressed! And you¡¯d better stop gossiping! That¡¯s all!¡± With these words, I felt the tension that had been building up among the onlookers suddenly dissolve. ¡°What a stupid hoax.¡± ¡°What a surprise, I really thought a confession was in the works.¡± ¡°I was so jealous I was close to killing Mashima.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve never seen Takane-san talk so much.¡± ¡°She seemed very different from usual, maybe she¡¯s not good at talking about her love life?¡± ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case, maybe Takane-san is easier to get along with than I thought.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to class.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a dental checkup today¡­¡± The crowd in front of the school gate was scattered in groups, each returning to their normal routine. Daily routine was restored as if nothing had happened. ¡­Now, it was time for me to get back to being a part of the daily routine. ¡°Thank you for your honesty, Saki Takane. From now on, I will work to improve public morals and maintain public safety on campus so that this kind of thing will never happen again. If you need any help, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯m gonna excuse myself.¡± And so, we at Kamimura High School returned to our normal, flawless routine. ¡°¡­What are you doing, Saki?¡± I could hear Yuka Sesenami¡¯s voice coming from behind me, but it was a small whisper, so I couldn¡¯t make out the full content of her words. In any case, peaceful and quiet ¨C peace is the greatest of all. ¡öSaki Takane¡ö Have you ever heard of the ¡°Windsor Effect¡±? It is a line of dialogue by the Countess of Windsor in the mystery novel ¡°The Countess is a Spy.¡± written by the American author Aline Griffith. ¡°Compliments from a third party are always the most effective.¡± This refers to a psychological effect. The simple explanation is that ¡°word-of-mouth¡± is more trustworthy than what you hear directly from a person. This method is mainly used in marketing, but it is also very effective in romance. If you communicate your feelings to a third party, even the shyest, the most suspicious, and the most skeptical of guys may instantly fall in love with you. ¡°It was written on the website¡­¡± I wailed in an empty classroom on the third floor of the Kamimura High School annex building, which was not in use at that moment. Here, no matter how much I cried or screamed, I could rest assured that no one would hear me¡­ However, the way Yuka has been looking down at me since a while ago was painful. ¡°¡­You act so differently in front of everyone, Saki Saki.¡± ¡°Hey! You know I can only speak properly with Yuka here at the school, so don¡¯t be so mean to me!!¡± ¡°If you could have been that honest about your feelings, maybe you would have started dating right then and there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible! It¡¯s not possible to express your feelings directly in front of that many people! I can¡¯t believe I really like M-Ma-Mashima-kun¡­¡± ¡°All you had to do was say, ¡®Yes, the rumors are true¡¯. If you can¡¯t do it after all that preparation, then maybe it is impossible?¡± ¡°¡­Snob¡­ Snob¡­¡° ¡°Don¡¯t sob quietly! You¡¯re depressing me all morning!¡± Of course I want to sob. Because¡­ ¡°It was a perfect strategy, but¡­¡± ¡°If he were a normal boy, he would not fit you. The guy you like is that insensitive, serious, public morality freak.¡± ¡°Ma! Shi! Ma! Understand!! Do not call him weird nicknames, not even you, Yuka-chan!!¡± ¡°Oh, yes, yes, Mashima-kun. Saki¡¯s crush is Kengo Mashima.¡± ¡°Can you please not say it out loud!? What if someone hears you!?¡± ¡°It¡¯s such a hassle.¡± Well, did you all understand by now? ¡°Takane-san Seems to Have a Crush On You¡± These words are not a rumor, not a hoax, not even a legend, it¡¯s 100% true. Because this is exactly how I feel, I, being a bit of a tight-lipped person, asked Yuka to convey it directly to him!! ¡­Well, the result was a disaster. ¡°I tried so hard to be brave¡­¡± ¡°Hey wait, it¡¯s not called bravery to use your one and only best friend to steal a guy you like. It¡¯s called psychological effect, and it¡¯s called plausible deniability, but what you¡¯re doing is so goofy.¡± ¡°Imamote said this would definitely make him conscious of me¡­¡± ¡°Ignore it.¡± I took out a book from my school bag that was covered with sticky notes. Imamote ¨C a how-to book on romance written by popular online romance author, Mori-sensei, ¡°Now you can be popular!¡± It also stands for ¡°Super Love Psychology Course¡± and it was my bible¡­ ¡°¡­Always that weird book.¡± ¡°What are you talking about!? This book has everything you need to know about romance!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never been in a relationship before.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll prove it to you!¡± Yuka¡¯s insensitivity made me totally angry. ¡°I won¡¯t depend on Yuka any more. There¡¯s more than one way to approach someone listed in Imamote, you know. Next time, I¡¯ll definitely make Mashima-kun turn to me¡­¡± ¡°¡­Now that you mention it, what do you like about Mashima-kun, Saki Saki?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s see! First of all, his eyes are long and sharp, like he has a strong will! The wrinkles between his eyebrows are also very refined! The serious expression on his face when he is giving instructions to someone is just irresistible! And then, there¡¯s the other ones! His forehead peeking out from his center parted bangs is so smooth that I just want to touch it, and his eyelashes are surprisingly long when you look at him up close, and in terms of his character, he has a great personality.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, okay, okay! I was wrong, so make it quick!¡± ¡°¡­He rescued me.¡± Mashima-kun was the hero who rescued me. The reason why I fell in love with him was, after all, pretty simple. But even though I was aware of it, I still loved him so much that I couldn¡¯t stop. That¡¯s why I definitely desired to have a relationship with Mashima-kun. I wasn¡¯t going to be discouraged by one or two failures. After all, according to Imamote, ¡°Ninety percent of the factors that make a relationship work are courage and perseverance!¡± I¡¯m going to use my courage, perseverance, and love psychology to capture Mashima-kun¡¯s heart! ¡°Why don¡¯t you just tell him in person instead of going through all that trouble?¡± ¡°If you confess to someone up front and they turn you down, you won¡¯t be able to get over it! You need to be 100% sure that the answer will be positive¡­¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t have the courage~~~¡± ¡°¡­Eh?¡± ¡°What? Did you suddenly grin and smile? I¡¯m scared of your smile.¡± ¡°I was just thinking about how Mashima-kun said I¡¯m attractive¡­ Heheheheh.¡± ¡°Congratulations~~~¡± Of course, a maiden in love is invincible, so Yuka¡¯s wasteful eyes didn¡¯t help either. ¡°I mean, Saki Saki, Mashima-kun aside, are things okay on your end?¡± Yuka-chan¡¯s expression turned mysterious. ¡°My end?¡± ¡°You see, ¡­¡­ Saki, I heard some strange rumors about you again, right?¡± ¡°¡­.Ah.¡± Seeing the unusually sharp-tongued Yuka-chan, I immediately guessed what it was. It must¡¯ve been about that rumor that the three girls asked me about a week ago at the bike parking lot. Yuka-chan was always the first to worry about me, no matter what. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve gotten used to it.¡± ¡°How can you get used to it? If I ever find someone spreading rumors like that, I swear to God¡­!¡± After saying that much, Yuka stopped talking. ¡­It is true that there is someone who is spreading terrible rumors about me behind my back. But I am sure that Yuka knows this. It is impossible to find the source of a rumor that has spread so widely. ¡°Rumors are rumors for 75 days, and if you leave them alone, everyone will forget about them.¡± ¡­The truth is that it has been going on for nearly a year, not 75 days. The fact that there are people who have definite ill will towards me is more distressing than the groundless rumors¡­ I won¡¯t dare to say that, because it would worry Yuka. ¡°I¡¯m not a good talker and I¡¯m not very sociable.¡± ¡°¡­That is not true.¡± Since it was her, I could show my pained expression. I sincerely wished I could express my emotions as richly as Yuka does. ¡öKengo Mashima¡ö ¡°©¤Mashima-kun, did you confess to Takane-san and get rejected?¡± ¡­I was on my way back to the classroom after finishing my work for the committee. When a familiar face spoke to me like that, I couldn¡¯t hide my annoyance. ¡°There was a rumor about you! They said you were hitting on Takane-san at the school gate early in the morning!!¡± His name was Tatsuki Iwasawa, a small guy who looked up at me excitedly. With his handsome face, white skin, and youthful voice, he could easily be mistaken for a woman. ¡°Eh!? Is that for real, Tatsuki!?¡± And next to him, peering up at me with eyes wide in shock, was Kawariku Arakawa. In proportion to his voice and loud reaction, he was so tall that I, a 175cm guy, had to look up to see his face. He wasn¡¯t a very smart guy, but he was the ace of the basketball team and was very popular with girls. Tatsuki Iwasawa and Kawariku Arakawa. Although they were complete opposites, the armbands on their left arms indicated that they were members of the same Discipline Committee, and have been my best friends since middle school. But that did not mean I was going to give him a pass. ¡°Iwasawa.¡± ¡°Mashima-kun, what are you doing!?¡± I grabbed Iwasawa by the shoulders, and his baby face instantly distorted in fear. The same goes for Arakawa, who was standing next to me. This is what they used to say, although I am not aware of it¡­ Apparently, when I am in a bad mood, I have a very scary face. ¡°Wha¡­ What!? Did I say something wrong!?¡± ¡°Iwasawa¡­ Who told you that ridiculous rumor?¡± ¡°I heard it from Souta, who¡¯s a member of the 1st year C class. Just now, at the central entrance!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but did you tell the rumor to any third party¡­?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it, I didn¡¯t do it!! Now! I told someone, you, for the first time!¡± ¡°¡­Arakawa.¡± ¡°Oh, I just heard that for the first time as well. Really!¡± ¡°Oh well¡­ sorry about this.¡± I finally let Iwasawa go at that point. ¡°I¡¯m so pissed off¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I haven¡¯t seen Kengo lose his temper in a long time¡­¡± ¡°They say that rumors have fins and tails, and it looks like they¡¯re about to grow wings.¡± Just when one rumor was squashed, a new one was born. I could only imagine what Saki Takane had been through. ¡°The truth is that I confirmed the unproven rumor that Saki Takane has feelings for me in front of the school gate in the morning, and she denied it. Nothing more, nothing less.¡± The thought of having to explain every single one of these things to everyone was depressing to me. It seemed the two of them were in for quite a shock, though. ¡°¡­ Eh!? Kengo, did you ask Saki-chan directly!? In front of everyone!?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the fastest way to kill a rumor?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s true, but¡­ This sounds like a very Mashima-like episode¡­¡± I¡¯m not sure if ¡°I-like¡± is the right word, but whatever it is, I must have done the right thing. As I was thinking that, Arakawa suddenly said¡­ ¡°But if you just look at the result, it¡¯s the same as Kengo getting rejected by Takane-san, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­Hah?¡± ¡°¡­That? That¡¯s exactly what Arakawa-kun says.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, I didn¡¯t confess to Saki Takane, so how can that be true?¡± ¡°Because she told you to your face that the rumor is false. That¡¯s like being rejected in public, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Iwasawa started giggling. ¡­Oh, so that¡¯s how it is, I thought ¡°I see, Arakawa has a point.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you would be interested in a love, though, ha ha ha¡­¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never had my heart broken before, but¡­ I see, it¡¯s a lot more bearable than I thought.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The two guys screamed in dumbfounded disbelief. After a short, strange pause¡­ ¡°Do you possibly like Takane-san?¡± ¡°Yeah!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak too loudly in the hallway.¡± It wasn¡¯t against school rules¡­ But it was embarrassing even for me, as expected. Fortunately, no other students were in sight¡­ ¡°Well¡­ I thought Mashima-kun was not a man who would be so keen on that kind of thing.¡± ¡°Have I ever said that to you? I¡¯m the same age as you.¡± ¡°But, look, if it were usual, you would say something like, ¡®Student Handbook, Regulations and Rules, Section¡­¡¯!¡± ¡°At our Kamimura High School, healthy relationships between guys and girls are not forbidden. Not to mention, I also have feelings for the opposite gender.¡± And that rugged face is my imitation, Iwasawa? ¡°What? Is it so bad that I have feelings for a certain girl?¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s not a bad thing, but¡­! Then why are you acting like that to the girl you like!?¡± ¡°My behavior? I don¡¯t know about you, but my favoritism and my activities as a Discipline Committee President are two different things.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too serious¡­!¡± Iwasawa and Arakawa were in a state of shock, ready to have a stroke at any moment. They were a so-called ¡°mismatched duo¡± but at times like this, they were in sync with each other. ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with that. I had no intention of telling Saki Takane how I felt from the beginning.¡± ¡°Why!? Healthy relationships between men and women are allowed, aren¡¯t they!?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing in the school rules about it, it¡¯s just¡­¡± I scoffed at myself inwardly for giving such an obvious answer. ¡°Even if I like her, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m suitable for her.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two looked at each other for a moment. ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but laugh as the two of them said the same thing as Yuka Sesenami. Apparently, I was surrounded only by nice people. ¡°Now, now, now, enough of this idle chatter, let¡¯s get to class.¡± ¡°Mashima-kun, I¡¯ll buy you a cup of coffee or something during lunch.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind paying for coffee, but I don¡¯t like receiving it. Besides, coffee doesn¡¯t appeal to me.¡± ¡°Kengo, do you want some throat candy?¡± ¡°Homeroom is about to start. I¡¯ll just take your sentiments.¡± Although I said that¡­ I was honestly grateful for their kindness. Apparently, I was a more sensitive person than I thought. I should have known that it would never happen anyway¡­ ¡­I never thought my heart would be so shaken after only three years of one-sided love dissipated. ¡°I¡¯m still immature¡­¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re cool.¡± ¡°I think so too.¡± It¡¯s almost a miracle that I, the hated, uptight Discipline Committee President, have friends who comfort me in times like these. CH 1 ¡öChapter: Takane Saki¡ö ¡­Have you ever heard of the ¡°3-Month Confession Rule¡±? <¡±The ¡°Super Love Psychology Course¡±, also known as ¡°Imamote¡±.¡±> According to Chapter 1, ¡± The Mechanism of Love You Don¡¯t Understand¡±¡­ Surprisingly¡­ (I really was so surprised I fell out of my chair.) The longer you wait after meeting someone, the less likely you are to succeed in confessing your feelings to them! This was truly a revelation out of the blue. (I was really, really surprised and let my mind drift for a while.) It was a revolutionary concept. Because usually, the longer you know each other, the better you understand each other, don¡¯t you think? Then you can fall in love with each other more, right? Beginners in love like me might think so¡­ But this is a theory backed by data¡­ According to statistics by Imamote, the most successful pattern of confession is ¡°within 3 months of the first meeting¡±. The success rate peaks in the third month and then declines steadily. In other words¡­ ¡°¡­I have to con-c-¡­confess my feelings to Mashima-kun within the next three months!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even say the word ¡®confession¡¯ properly, can you?¡± Yuka pointed this out to me in a half-amused tone, and I felt my face heat up. ¡­By the way, this was my room, where Yuka and I were having a meeting after school to reflect on the painful failure of that morning¡¯s rumor campaign¡­ Yuka-chan and I were sitting on my bed reading manga. ¡­Well, I can¡¯t say I had the right to complain because I was asking her for advice on my love life, but she could have helped me out a little more. I¡¯ve known her since junior high school, after all¡­ ¡­I need to get back on track. ¡°I have less than two and a half months to go, to be exact. It was April 7 when I spoke with Mashima-kun at the bicycle parking lot, and today is April 25, so¡­¡± ¡°How short~!¡± Yuka-chan said as she flipped through the pages of her manga. Is it really that interesting? The manga¡­ ¡°¡­Hmm? But didn¡¯t Mashima-kun go to junior high school with us in the first place? I think it¡¯s been more than three months since it happened.¡± ¡°Back then¡­ I didn¡¯t know much about romance or anything like that, so no thank you!¡± ¡°The longer you wait, the more like a friend you¡¯ll become, rather than a romantic partner. I agree with you that it¡¯s better to settle things early and sometimes that stinky book of yours has some good things to say.¡± ¡°I! Ma! Mo! Te! It¡¯s not some stinky book!¡± ¡°Saki Saki won¡¯t ever confess unless we set a deadline.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ You can¡¯t be so sure about that¡­¡± ¡°I can bet on it.¡± Yuka-chan looked at me with a sideways glance. ¡°We¡¯ve been at Kamimura High School for a year now¡­ Saki Saki, have you been able to speak properly with anyone in high school other than me?¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± My eyes involuntarily started to move around, as I was struck in a painful spot. She was completely right. Yuka-chan let out a deep sigh. ¡°Do you know what Mashima-kun thinks of you?¡± ¡°W¡­W-what!? What Mashima-kun thinks of me!!¡± ¡°Close, close, close, close!! Mysterious! He thinks you¡¯re mysterious!¡± ¡°Eh!? Could it be that he also likes¡­ me?¡± ¡°Congratulations! Kora! Don¡¯t smirk! It¡¯s not a compliment! I¡¯m perceived as ¡®someone who doesn¡¯t know better¡¯ because I¡¯m so outspoken at school!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± I was unintentionally subjected to the Windsor Effect myself. I was too shocked to find the next words to say¡­ ¡°Look! That¡¯s it! Whenever you don¡¯t know what to say, you immediately shut up with a serious face! Unless you fix that, you¡¯ll be mysterious for the rest of your life!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°No, it seems that it¡¯s impossible.¡± Yuka said in a dazed manner and went back into the world of manga again. I know that, too¡­ If I am just shy and timid, it¡¯s okay, but if I don¡¯t even talk much like this, even the things that are supposed to be communicated don¡¯t get through¡­ But still¡­ ¡°I think it¡¯s much better than spouting mindless words¡­¡± That was my true feeling, which I squeezed out over a long period of time. ¡°¡­¡± Yuka-chan looked at me again with a sideways glance. Phew¡­ and she let out a long sigh and said. ¡°¡­I get it! I get it!¡± After all, Yuka-chan has been my only close friend since junior high school. Although sometimes she says terrible things. ¡°Well, let me hear it!¡± In the end, we always end up going along with my selfishness. ¡°Imamote¡± says ¡°How do we get that obtuse, serious, public morality freak to fall for it?¡± ¡°¡­I have a plan¡­ And please don¡¯t call Mashima-kun strange nicknames.¡± I¡¯m sorry for the long introduction, but the time has finally come for me to unveil the plan. I¡¯ve learned from Imamote, my winning strategy to win in love. The day after the meeting (two of us), during the slightly longer break between 2nd and 3rd periods. I was watching from the shadows, trying to carry out the winning strategy that I had stressed to Yuka-chan yesterday. It was not very difficult to find Mashima-kun on campus. Because his voice comes through so well, and his imposing stance is one-of-a-kind. ¡­It¡¯s purely because he stands out. ¡°¡­There! Yuya Kotani, Class 2C! The student handbook¡¯s dress code, section 4, ¡°Ornaments¡± states that ear piercings are forbidden!¡± ¡°Geez! How can you see them from that distance!? But these are ear cuffs! Too bad!¡± ¡°Well, okay then! But change it to something a little less conspicuous, and take it off during class! Wait there! Class 2A, Yashiro Shinaraya! Using your phone while walking and using your phone in the hallway are both forbidden!¡± Even if it was recess time, Kengo Mashima, the Discipline Committee President, was in full force. Walking down the corridor, Mashima-kun would instantly spot anyone violating school rules with his blade-like sharpness and cut them down with a wry smile. I could not help but let out a sigh when I saw his serious expression¡­ ¡°¡­I can¡¯t get close to him.¡± ¡­What should I do? The gap is too big. I was second-guessing with all my might here. ¡°Rika Kanaya! You¡¯re folding your skirt again! How many times have I told you that in the Student Handbook Dress Code, Section 1, ¡°Clothing,¡± the skirt length should be knee-length¡­¡± ¡­Mashima-kun seemed to be busy, so I¡¯ve decided to try again some other time. The winds of timidity have begun to blow. But¡­ I shook my head vigorously to rid myself of my cowardice! Imamote says, ¡®Action is the only way!¡¯ Look! Now is my chance, now that there are no more people around Mashima-kun! I gathered up all my courage and jumped out from the shadows! ¡°Hello, Mashima-kun!¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± When he turned around, his gaze was as dignified as ever. As soon as he turned to me, my heart leapt and I felt a choking sensation in my throat¡­ I tried to keep a poker face in accordance with the teaching of the Imamote, which said, ¡°Avoid revealing your love for someone at an early stage as much as possible.¡± ¡°Oh, Takane Saki.¡± Mashima-kun called my name. As usual, in a quiet but clear and calm tone of voice. His expression, behavior, and mood were extremely¡­ usual. ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡± Why doesn¡¯t he care a little bit about me after what happened the other day?¡­ It¡¯s kind of unfair that I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s upset! I almost pouted, but I must have a poker face, a poker face¡­ ¡°Can I help you?¡± Mashima-kun wrinkled his eyebrows in a suspicious manner. And I have been waiting for this very moment! ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing serious¡­¡± I also put all my energy into my eyebrow roots and wrinkled them! ¡­The mirroring effect. Also known as the ¡°tuning effect¡± or ¡°postural echo¡± it is a psychological term. According to Imamote, ¡°Humans unconsciously perform the same behavior as people they like. It refers to the psychological effect of unconsciously feeling a sense of familiarity and liking toward people who perform the same actions as oneself.¡± There is a psychological technique to shorten the psychological distance between a person and another person by intentionally mirroring (imitating) the other person¡¯s behavior, aiming for this effect! In other words, if the other person crosses their legs, we cross our legs too. If they scratch their cheek, we scratch our cheek. If they wrinkle their eyebrows, we wrinkle ours, too! By simply imitating the other person¡¯s movements and gestures, the other person will feel a sense of familiarity with you¡­ Next thing they know, they¡¯re in love! This is a winning strategy that even an awkward girl like me can execute! I call it the ¡°Mirroring Strategy¡±! It was supposed to be like that, but¡­ ¡°¡­ Did I do something to offend you?¡± ¡°What?¡± I was at a loss for words because of the unexpected response. I felt like we were even a little bit further apart, rather than closer to each other¡¯s hearts. That¡¯s ridiculous¡­? That¡¯s not what I was planning¡­ ¡°If it¡¯s about the incident in front of the school gate the other day? I thought I was doing my duty as the Discipline Committee President, but if I have unknowingly hurt you, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Oh, no, no, no, it¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°Then why are you glaring at me with such intensity?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m, you know, staring at you, it¡¯s just that, you know, it¡¯s not, you know, a mirror.¡± ¡°Mirror?¡± Mashima-kun tilted his head curiously. Ah! Mirroring! I inwardly panicked, but I ritually tilted my head at the same angle as Mashima-kun¡¯s! I tilted my head 30 degrees to the right, glared upward at Mashima-kun and started fidgeting¡­ It would be a long time before I would notice how terribly strange it looked from another person¡¯s point of view. ¡°No, I, well, I, I wanted to talk to you today, Mashima-kun.¡± ¡°What do you want to talk about? If it¡¯s something you don¡¯t want people to hear, we can move to a different location¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Mashima-kun suddenly looked around, and I followed his lead. And then¡­ before I knew it! There was no one here a moment ago, but now a crowd had gathered around me and Mashima-kun! ¡°Oh, Takane-san is getting tangled up with Mashima again.¡± ¡°Could it be that he¡¯s trying to confess again?¡± ¡°Wow, he¡¯s so passionate. I thought Mashima wasn¡¯t interested in romance.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Takane-san staring at him?¡± I heard such voices from the crowd, and I felt my face heat up. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I¡¯m attracting attention!? Perhaps a confession!? I don¡¯t understand, but am I going to get a confession from Mashima-kun!? I¡¯m trying my best to keep a poker face, but inside my head I¡¯m already in a complete panic! ¡°You really do get people¡¯s attention.¡± Mashima-kun said sincerely and scratched the area above his temple. No, that¡¯s not it! It¡¯s Mashima-kun who stands out, not me¡­! ¡­Oh! Or rather, mirroring! I reflexively tried to imitate Mashima-kun and scratched my head¡­ ¡°What!?¡± ¡­I stop my hand just in time. Careful! The bangs I worked so hard to style in order to talk to Mashima-kun were about to be ruined! But if I don¡¯t do the mirroring, the strategy I¡¯ve learned from¡­ Following Imamote is a winning strategy! ¡°Damn¡­!¡± After such a struggle, my fingertips scratched at the empty void. It doesn¡¯t make complete sense anymore. ¡°What are you¡­ doing?¡± ¡°What am I doing, I¡­¡± I finally spoke up. I¡¯m getting a lot of attention from everyone, and my embarrassment has long exceeded the boiling point. I bet Mashima-kun thinks I¡¯m weird¡­! Oh, if this is what it¡¯s like, I shouldn¡¯t have done the mirroring in the first place. In front of everyone watching me, I was¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Embarrassed, embarrassed, embarrassed! As soon as I became aware of the gazes around me, I felt so much embarrassment that my eyes were burning. It¡¯s no good. I know I shouldn¡±t be doing this, but I¡±m supposed to be doing this. Regardless of my intentions, a hot drop of water started to trickle down from the back of my eyes, and I couldn¡¯t¡­ ¡°Oh¡­¡± I did it. I finally lost control and a large drop fell from my right eye. At that moment¡­ ¡°¡­Don¡¯t move.¡± I thought I heard a small whisper from Mashima-kun. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± The next moment, a handkerchief was placed on my right cheek. The people surrounding us all burst out in unison, ¡°Oh!¡± I could do nothing but stare wide-eyed at Mashima-kun and freeze. Huh? What happened to me just now?¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it was a spur-of-the-moment conversation. I don¡¯t know what happened, but I don¡¯t think you want to be seen.¡± Mashima-kun muttered in a volume that only I could hear. ¡­That calm tone of voice, as usual. His right hand, held behind a handkerchief. It was so warm. ¡°The handkerchief is cheap, don¡¯t give it back, let¡¯s just move somewhere else for now.¡± I just¡­ My right hand¡­ ¡°¡­Yeah?¡± Mashima-kun raised his voice. ¡°What is it?¡± Everyone around us peeled their eyes away. ¡°¡­¡± And I just froze, unable to comprehend the scene before me. Time passed slowly, in slow motion. And in the slow motion of time, I remembered a sentence from Imamote. ©¤ ©¤ The mirroring effect. ©¤ ©¤ Humans unconsciously perform the same behavior as those they like. ¡°¡­A¡­Ah¡­!?¡± I finally understood the situation and my face turned pale. Perhaps it was because I had unconsciously placed my right hand on his cheek, just as Mashima-kun had wiped away my tears with a handkerchief. What a strange scene! A man and a woman facing each other, each with their right hand on the other¡¯s cheek¡­ ¡°Takane Saki¡­?¡± As expected, Mashima-kun could not hide his bewilderment at my strange behavior. ¡°Ah¡­ eh, it¡¯s different, Mashima-kun, this is¡­¡± What is the difference? I don¡¯t know either. The only thing I am sure of is that shame and embarrassment like hot magma is bubbling up from the bottom of my stomach¡­ ¡°¡­Eh? Are those two going to kiss?¡± ¡­The moment I heard such a voice from somewhere, the magma inside me finally erupted. ¡°¡­Kesaran Pasaran.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Kesalan Pasalan is on¡­¡± ¡°Kesalan Pasalan is on¡­?¡± ¡°Bye, goodbye!!¡± ¡°Saki Takane!? (TLN: Kesaran Pasaran¡­ This is that white seedball from dandelions that floats. In some cultures you can make a wish with it. Japan treats them as living things¡­ idk what to say. She probably wanted to say there was one on his cheek.) I couldn¡¯t stand even one more second under the eyes of the people around me, especially the curious eyes of Mashima-kun. I turned on my heels as quickly as I could and ran down the hallway. But¡­ ¡°¡­Saki Takane! Don¡¯t run down the hallway!¡± I heard Mashima-kun¡¯s voice calling out to me from behind. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Even in my panicked state of mind, I had enough time to think about the fact that Mashima-kun would hate me if I violated the school rules. I panicked and applied the emergency brake, but this was not a good idea. ¡°Ahh!¡± I fell down in the middle of the hallway in front of everyone. There was a huge gasp among the gathered crowd. ¡°Ugh!? She fell!?¡± ¡°It looked like it hurt¡­¡± ¡°¡­What happened to Takane-san?¡± I could hear everyone¡¯s voices and I was no longer even embarrassed. In addition, I even twisted my ankle when I fell, and the misery almost brought tears to my eyes again. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± What am I really, really doing¡­? I just want to vanish into thin air¡­ My mind was filled with such thoughts, and that¡¯s when it happened. ¡°¡­Are you okay, Takane Saki?¡± ¡°Whaa!?¡± I heard Mashima-kun¡¯s voice from above, I was honestly glad for his kindness, but at the same time I couldn¡¯t let him see my face right now¡­! ¡°Sorry for yelling all of a sudden. You twisted your ankle, didn¡¯t you? Can you stand?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t even answer him because I was afraid if I opened my mouth I would start crying. Then he, the kind man, probably assumed that I was ¡°unable to speak because of the pain¡± or something like that. ¡°All right, hold on.¡± ¡°Whaa¡­?¡± Before I could even comprehend what he meant, my body was lifted into the air. ¡°Eh¡­¡± I could see everyone¡¯s surprised faces. I could see the two arms supporting my body. Mashima-kun¡¯s face was right there. ¡­I was being carried like a princess. ¡°~~~~~~~~Wha!?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll carry you to the infirmary! Everyone, scatter! Get out of the way!¡± While everyone¡¯s eyes were fixed on us, and strange cheers were pouring down on us. I did not see Mashima-kun¡¯s face even once until I was brought to the infirmary. Mashima-kun¡¯s treatment was surprisingly fast and precise. ¡°¡­Yeah, this is about right.¡± In no time at all, my ankle was patched and bandaged. ¡°When I was in junior high school, I used to do this a lot in club activities, and my hands remember it.¡± I was made to look rather obnoxious. In front of everyone, I was princess-carried. And had my bare feet treated by the person I liked. I was indeed over the embarrassment threshold with a series of events that allowed me to experience a lifetime¡¯s worth of embarrassment as a girl. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Sitting on the bed in the infirmary, I thanked Mashima-kun for going out of his way to kneel on the floor to tend to my leg. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. By the way¡­?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You wanted to tell me something, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± I kept my poker face on and smacked my forehead internally, ¡°Ouch.¡± The main purpose of talking to Mashima-kun this time was to practice the mirroring effect, and I had no idea what I wanted to ¡°talk¡± about. Mirroring each other¡¯s hearts and minds, but with some kind of a lived, witty talk¡­ I could only resent my own shallowness in thinking such a thing. ¡°¡­Uh, you know,¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going out of your way to talk to me, it¡¯s probably about the last rumor, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°Hard to say? But we¡¯re in the infirmary and Shinjuku Sensei is out and won¡¯t be back for a while. No one will hear you now.¡± ¡­It definitely was hard to say. It was getting to the point where I could no longer say, ¡°I just wanted to have a chat with Mashima-kun!¡± in confidence! Or rather, I was! I didn¡¯t realize it, but I was alone with Mashima-kun in the infirmary right now! Oh no! I¡¯m getting nervous all of a sudden! ¡°Mashima-kun, um, I¡­¡± ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can do to help you, please don¡¯t hesitate to tell me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aaahhh, I can¡¯t, I can¡¯t, I can¡¯t! There is absolutely no way I can honestly communicate with Mashima-kun with such a serious expression on my face! Above all, I don¡¯t want to worry him any more! ¡°¡­ I¡¯m used to it.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m used to having strange rumors spread about me, so don¡¯t worry about it, Mashima-kun. The Discipline Committee President is very busy and has other things to do¡­¡± ¡°¡­This is not true.¡± Mashima-kun looked me straight in the eyes and stated clearly. ¡­Oh, I forgot. He was unashamedly, and to no end, straight to the point. That he is someone who can say such cool things. ¡°¡­But since I¡¯m not a psychic either, I can¡¯t respond to something I wasn¡¯t asked to consult about.¡± Mashima-kun stood up and turned his back to me. ¡°I will go for now, just let me know when you¡¯re ready and I¡¯ll be happy to talk to you. Take care.¡± And with that, he left the infirmary. ¡°¡­¡± Left alone in the infirmary, I dropped my shoulders and sighed in relief. I was so nervous all the time, and as expected, I was tired too¡­ ¡°It was really embarrassing¡­¡± Operation Mirroring was a complete failure. The only redeeming thing was that apparently Mashima-kun still barely disliked me. ¡­What in the world went wrong? ¡°I need to go over it again¡­¡± I picked up the Imamote that had fallen under the bed¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± ¡­Strange. Huh? Come to think of it, did I bring my Imamote to the infirmary? In fact, this Imamote had no sticky notes on it, and it looked older than mine¡­? ¡°Oh, um¡­ that¡¯s my book¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I turned towards the voice¡­ My eyes met those of a girl with long hair peering at me from behind the cream-colored curtain that separated my bed from the one next to it. ¡°Hyaaaaaah!?¡± I screamed. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to scare you!¡± She had long hair and she lowered her head in a panic. My heart nearly stopped, but she¡­ ¡°¡­ H-¡­Hi-¡­Hirabayashi-san?¡± ¡°Haha, yes¡­¡± The one who answered in a trembling voice was Keiko Hirabayashi, a student from Class 2A. I had never spoken to her directly, but I had the impression that she was a mature girl¡­ who was usually sitting in the corner of the classroom, always reading quietly by herself. ¡°I got a stomach ache during gym class, and I¡¯ve been staying in here sleeping since then, but it seemed like Mashima-kun and Takane-san were going to start talking about something serious, I couldn¡¯t leave the room¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± I didn¡¯t notice at all¡­ and Mashima-kun didn¡¯t seem to notice her either¡­ No, more importantly¡­ ¡°¡­Is this yours, Hirabayashi-san?¡± I pointed to the Imamote I had just picked up from the floor. She nodded her head and I immediately smiled! ¡°Hirabayashi-san, do you read this book too? Imamote?¡± I asked, leaning forward. Hirabayashi-san seemed surprised by my change at first. ¡°Well, yeah¡­ for the time being.¡± I smiled even more when she answered. Normally, Yuka has been constantly berating me about my book, saying things like, ¡°stinky book¡± and ¡°What is a romance creator?¡± but¡­ I finally have a friend that reads Imamote! I even felt like we¡¯ve been friends for a decade, even though I¡¯ve almost never actually spoken to her before! ¡°I¡¯m kind of glad to hear it, you¡¯re like me¡­!¡± ¡°Hey, are you crying¡­? I heard rumors about you, Takane-san, but you are different from the person I had heard about¡­¡± ¡°I cry too! But more than that! It¡¯s a great book, isn¡¯t it!?¡± ¡°Is it? I guess so¡­¡± ¡°I knew it! Finally, someone who understands everything finally appeared¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡± I was moved and trembled with emotion. Seeing me, Hirabayashi-san became silent and pondered for a moment, then suddenly¡­ ¡°¡­Takane-san, do you like Mashima-kun?¡± ¡°What!? How did you know that¡­!?¡± I started to think. But then I thought back to the fact that it would be obvious if she saw me holding Imamote in my hand right after my earlier exchange with Mashima-kun. ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right, I¡¯m ashamed to admit it.¡± It¡¯s Imamote¡¯s goodwill. I confided my secret to her, whom I had never spoken to before. Then she said¡­ ¡°¡­Mashima-kun, I don¡¯t think you should¡­¡± ¡°Heh?¡± I felt like I was being poured cold water on my head by the shocking words uttered by Hirabayashi-san. She looked somewhat downcast. Could it be that¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re also trying to get Mashima-kun to fall for you using the techniques you learned from Imamote?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not true, I can¡¯t stand guys taller than me.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± That¡¯s unusual. ¡°It¡¯s not that, I warned you because Mashima-kun himself is the problem¡­¡± As I was blushing from the failure of my theory, Hirabayashi-san spoke up again with a shocking line. ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°People don¡¯t seem to know about it, but I¡¯ve heard rumors about Mashima-kun¡­¡± ¡°Rumors about Mashima-kun¡­?¡± ¡°Takane-san is from¡­ I believe it¡¯s Kamikami Village, Murahigashi Junior High School, right? If so, don¡¯t you know about it? That rumor¡­¡± She said with a hint of dread in her voice, as if she was telling a ghost story, but unfortunately, this was really the first time I had heard of it. ¡°By the way, may I ask what kind of rumors you are referring to?¡± ¡°I heard that Kengo Mashima was such a delinquent in junior high school that even the teachers couldn¡¯t handle him!¡± The quiet and reserved Hirabayashi-san raised her voice, turning pale. ¡°He would break the windows of the school building and destroy other people¡¯s belongings because he didn¡¯t like them! I even heard a rumor that he was suspended from school for almost killing a classmate right in front of the teacher! I know they call him the ¡°public morals freak¡± now, but that¡¯s just a cover! His eyes are like a mad dog¡¯s!¡± She said in a single breath, and her shoulders rose and fell. I, on the other hand, was stunned. ¡°Mad dog¡­¡± I repeated Hirabayashi-san¡¯s words. Mad dog, mad dog¡­ Mashima-kun, mad dog? ¡°¡­ Pfa, ahahahaha!¡± I¡¯m sorry Hirabayashi-san, but I couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing. Because it was just too funny! I couldn¡¯t believe that story came across that way! ¡°What, what¡­!?¡± ¡°Sorry! I¡¯m just trying¡­! I know where that rumor is from! I¡¯ve never heard of ¡°Mad Dog Mashima¡± before, but¡­!¡± ¡°Well, then¡­¡± ¡°¡­Of course it¡¯s a hoax! Mashima-kun is not that kind of person! In fact, I wouldn¡¯t fall in love with someone that horrible! Not me!¡± ¡°A hoax¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± When I affirmed this, Hirabayashi-san¡¯s shoulders relaxed. I had an idea of the source of the rumor fire, but then I witnessed an amazing conversation¡­! My stomach is almost twisted¡­! As I was laughing like this, Hirabayashi-san looked like she had been tricked by a fox. ¡°I think I may have misunderstood you, Takane-san.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± I ask back, trying to hold back my laughter. ¡°I had an image of Takane-san as being calmer and not at all interested in romance¡­¡± ¡°Eh? Is that so?¡± I unintentionally let my mouth hang open lazily. Heh, I guess I seem cool to people, ehehehehehe, aren¡¯t you a little taken back, Hirabayashi-san? ¡°¡­ Oh, and I was also wrong about Mashima-kun. It¡¯s a hoax¡­, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m ashamed that I believed that hoax¡­¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t remind me¡­!¡± Kengo Mashima of Murahigashi Junior High School. It¡¯s really too funny. I¡¯ll have to tell Yuka about it later¡­! ¡°But I¡¯m glad we cleared up the misunderstanding, because¡­ it¡¯s pretty scary if the current Discipline Committee President would have been suspended from school after almost killing a classmate¡­¡± ¡°¡­Oh, that much is true.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± Hirabayashi-san¡¯s face suddenly turned pale. I was so amused by her reaction that I burst out once again. ¡öChapter: Kengo Mashima¡ö After I finished treating Saki Takane, I came out of the infirmary. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± I met with Kawariku Arakawa, who was leaning against the wall looking bored, and Tatsuki Iwasawa, who seemed to have just put his ear to the sliding door of the infirmary. After a few moments of tension. ¡°It-¡­it¡¯s different!?¡± I haven¡¯t said anything yet, but Iwasawa started making excuses on his own. ¡°I was genuinely worried about Mashima-kun and Takane-san!¡­ I wasn¡¯t eavesdropping or anything! I wasn¡¯t trying to be funny!¡± ¡°Eh? You told everyone that Kengo kissed Saki earlier, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You idiot, Arakawa, you¡¯re squishing me!?¡± No questions asked, I shut down my short, gossipy, chatty best friends. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you ever mention such a ridiculous rumor again.¡± ¡°P-painful.¡± ¡°Uh-oh¡­ Tatsuki¡¯s face is turning white like tofu¡­¡± ¡°Takane Saki just took a kesaran pasaran from my cheek.¡± ¡°I¡­It is not Gezalan Bazalan¡­¡± ¡°Student Handbook, Section 1, ¡°Daily Principles¡±. Always maintain dignity in speech, action and behavior, and do not be crude.¡± ¡°It¡¯s selfish¡­ It¡¯s already funny and weird rumors are exciting.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I finally let go of Iwasawa. Aside from Iwasawa crumpling to the floor like kelp washed up on the beach¡­ ¡°Arakawa!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong Kengo?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a strange rumor going around again!?¡± ¡°Eh? I was watching it too, but I thought you were going to kiss her rather seriously¡­ Oh, no! I wonder why! That¡¯s so weird!¡± ¡°Damn, what am I supposed to do¡­!¡± I¡¯ve been trying to stop all the rumors about her since the incident at the school gate¡­ ¡°Somehow! Every time I take action, there¡¯s a new rumor!¡± ¡°Pure standouts, both Saki and Kengo.¡± ¡°¡­ I had a¡­ blind spot!¡± Arakawa¡¯s statement was absolutely spot on. It was not only Saki Takane who was the center of attention. I was no different in the sense that I am a bad publicity seeker. ¡°I wonder if it would be better for Saki Takane if I didn¡¯t get involved with her at all in the future¡­¡± There is a saying that goes, ¡®A rumor lasts 75 days.¡¯ After all, what else can we do but sit back and watch? As I racked my brains like that, I heard¡­ ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± Arakawa said matter-of-factly. ¡°Why, why?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard some of the rumors about Saki before, but many of them were terrible, you know? Something like that.¡± ¡°¡­ Well, I can¡¯t deny that.¡± ¡°But the rumors about Saki that are going around now are pretty cute compared to that, aren¡¯t they? Kengo confessed his feelings for her, kissed her, etc.¡± ¡°¡­Mmm.¡± That being said, is that so? Certainly the rumors and accusations being circulated did nothing to discredit Takane Saki herself¡­ ¡­ Or perhaps the subject of the rumors has somehow been switched from ¡°Takane Saki¡± to ¡°me¡±! Also, I never tried to kiss her! ¡°I think your actions may have helped to overwrite the rumors.¡± ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, it¡¯s dishonest to overwrite one false rumor with another! And nobody wants to be the subject of a rumor about a person they don¡¯t like!¡± ¡°Hmm~~~ well, in general, that¡¯s true¡­¡± Arakawa seemed somewhat baffled. ¡°I wonder what Saki came to talk to Kengo about after all¡­¡± ¡°Again with the obvious.¡± There is only one reason why Saki Takane would approach me, the Discipline Committee President. ¡°Of course she came to me for advice about the last rumor. I¡¯m sure she must have summoned up a lot of courage. And when the onlookers were swarming around her, she was so emotional that she started cr-¡­¡± ¡°Oh, what?¡± ¡°¡­No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± I decided to keep the crying part to myself. I was unworthy. When I thought of how Saki Takane was feeling, I felt ashamed of my inability to even consult with her. What was I supposed to do ¡°to improve public morals and maintain public order on campus¡± after making a student cry? I must fulfill my duties as the Discipline Committee President. ¡°In any case, the Discipline Committee members must continue their investigation into the defamation of Saki Takane! That¡¯s all! Now, go away!¡± ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I told Arakawa (and Iwasawa, who was stretching), and¡­ slowly touched my own cheek. ¡°Eh? Kengo, what are you doing?¡± ¡°¡­I was wondering if there was any more Kesaran Pasaran left¡­¡± CH 2.1 ¡öChapter: Takane Saki¡ö ¨CLuncheon Technique The luncheon technique is a psychological process revealed by the American psychologist Gregory Razran. I¡¯m sure everyone is familiar with it. Family meetings, blind dates, business meetings, social gatherings¡­ Negotiations are always held at meals. Why? It is because ¡°negotiations conducted over a meal are more likely to succeed¡±. Human beings are simple creatures, and they seem to associate the pleasure they derive from satisfying their hunger with their impressions of the other party¡­ The positive emotions such as ¡°I¡¯m happy because I¡¯m full!¡± And ¡°I¡¯m happy that the food is delicious!¡± Are linked to the positive image that ¡°He¡¯s a good person!¡± Furthermore, since people who are focused on eating tend to have impaired judgment, they are less likely to form negative opinions about the other party. In other words, sharing a meal together creates a positive impression on the other party, and at the same time reduces the failure rate of negotiations¡­ ¡°A perfect strategy that combines offense and defense!¡± I call it ¡°Operation Lunch Together¡±! I announced my plan, which I had carefully worked out during the long Golden Week break, in the familiar empty classroom! ¡°The cherry blossoms are in full bloom.¡± ¡°¡­Yuka, can you at least listen to me? I¡¯m so lonely¡­¡± ¡°I heard you said that you were going to have lunch together and get to know each other. And what are you negotiating?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Huh? No, you¡¯re going to negotiate something with Mashima-kun, right?¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I figured it would be something like that.¡± Indeed, I was so focused on the means that I hadn¡¯t decided on the essential details of the negotiation. What should I say¡­ ¡°Please go out with me¡±? No, I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t¡­ ¡°Wanna go out somewhere for the weekend?¡± ¡­No, too much skipping, too much skipping¡­ Then¡­ ¡°Ma.¡± ¡°Ma?¡± ¡°Exchange MINE IDs¡­¡± Though it was just a preliminary exercise, my face heated up just by saying it out loud. ¡°¡­Oh, I¡¯m surprised that it was a pretty safe idea for Saki Saki. It¡¯s a good idea to exchange contact information, the barrier is not that high, and it¡¯s the first step in a romantic relationship.¡± ¡°Oh, really? For the first time in my romantic relationship, Yuka-chan praised me. Ehehehe~.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just one problem with that strategy.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know about that rumor? ¡°The Discipline Committee Chairman, Kengo Mashima, disappears during lunch break.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that ¡­?¡± ¡°As the legend goes, Kengo Mashima disappears at lunchtime. No one knows where he is or the reason for his disappearance.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of ¡­ something like that before.¡± I was always alone, having lunch in this empty classroom¡­ ¡°Do you know Yuka-chan? ¡­Where Mashima-kun is during lunch break?¡± ¡°Why do you think I know where the public morals freak is?¡± Please don¡¯t refer to Mashima-kun with a strange nickname¡­ this is not the time to say that. ¡°Wha¡­wha¡­ what should I do ¡­¡­!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic at every turn, it¡¯s obvious what we¡¯re going to do.¡± Yuka-chan pointed a finger at me. Her index finger was definitely pointing in my direction¡­. ¡°Saki Saki is going to ask him herself.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..Eh?¡± So that day at lunchtime. I did not go to an empty classroom as usual, but went to Class C. Normally, I am a true loner who rushes to the empty classrooms as soon as the fourth period chime rings, but today was different. ¡°¡­¡± I peek inside the classroom while suppressing the palpitations in my chest. Then, as Yuka-chan told me, those two were arguing with each other in a corner by the window, with their desks pressed together. ¡°¡­ Tatsuki, are you still drinking that protein?¡± ¡°Leave me alone! You¡¯re over 180 centimeters tall, you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going through.¡± ¡°Protein doesn¡¯t make you taller.¡± ¡°Hmm! ¡­What, a lie?¡± Kawariku Arakawa and Tatsuki Iwasawa, members of the Discipline Committee. They are members of the same Discipline Committee as Mashima-kun and have been close friends of his since junior high school. They are probably the two people who know the most about Mashima-kun here at Kamimura High School. They are the perfect people to ask about Mashima-kun¡¯s whereabouts. But ¡­ ¡°I¡­, I¡¯m afraid¡­¡± When I finally came to the front of the classroom, my heart started to race. No, to tell the truth, my heart has been palpitating ever since we decided on this plan. I¡¯m extremely shy, and the only person I can really talk to at school is Yuka-chan. Such is the case with me, I venture into another class all by myself. On top of that, talking to two boys I barely know is too¡­ ¡°¡­Hey, isn¡¯t that? Isn¡¯t that Takane-san?¡± ¡°No way!? What¡¯s she doing in our class?¡± ¡°She looks as beautiful as ever.¡± Aaah! And since I was stuck in front of the classroom, I started to attract the attention of the C class students! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I clutch the Imamote full of sticky notes that I brought with me as a good-luck charm. I was so scared that I was already in agony. ¡°¡­¡­ Scary.¡± I am afraid. I am afraid of people¡¯s eyes. I am afraid of strangers. Men even more so. I can¡¯t help but cower, at a loss for words, and then¡­ remember. I want to forget about my junior high school days. ¡°¡­¡± ¡­ Shall I just stop for the day? When I closed my eyes tightly, such a negative feeling appeared in my mind. If I think about it, I have a little more than two months to go before the time limit for my confession to Mashima-kun. Then wouldn¡¯t it be wiser to look for other means? There is a safer, more reliable, and less stressful way that I can try¡­ ¡°¡­No.¡± My legs stop shaking. Safe? Reliable? A way that won¡¯t hurt me? Who do I love and who am I going to confess to? ¡°¡­Imamote says so.¡± I look down at the Imamote I have brought with me as a good-luck charm. The sticky notes are filled with my thoughts and feelings¡­ ¡°¡®Ninety percent of the factors that make a relationship work are courage and perseverance¡¯ ¡­¡­!¡± I chanted softly in my mouth, and there was no longer any doubt in my mind. I walked into the classroom by myself and headed straight for the two members of the Discipline Committee. ¡°Huh? Saki Takane¡­¡± ¡°What are you¡­¡± ¡°Hey, hey¡­¡± I think everyone in Class C who saw me said something to me, but it was all just background noise. As soon as I reached their seats through the crowd, I said to them. ¡°Excuse me for interrupting your meal.¡± ¡°So! Protein these days is not only protein, but also calcium and vitamin D are added to help skeletal muscle growth. ¡­ Yeah?¡± ¡°¡­Saki-chan?¡± Tatsuki Iwasawa and Kawariku Arakawa looked up at me in unison. I can feel the surprised gazes of the entire class focused on me. My face is hot, I am sweating strangely, and my breathing must be disturbed. But ¡­ that¡¯s nothing compared to the embarrassment I felt when I chatted with Mashima-kun in front of the school gate! ¡°¡­I have something to ask you two.¡± CH 2.2 ¡öChapter: Kengo Mashima¡ö The city of Kamimura is a so-called snow district, and every winter, there is a ridiculous amount of snow, so much so that until April, there was still muddy, d***y snow all over the town. Because of this, the cherry trees bloom very late in the year, and therefore, in early May, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. I look down at the schoolyard from the window. It is dimly lit, musty, and not exactly a good place to eat, but I like the ¡­ quiet. The quietness lets me feel the changing of the seasons. ¡°¡­ I might try making Sakura-mochi.¡± I wonder if I too have been hit by the spring weather. I peck at a lump of sesame paste of rapeseed blossoms in the corner of my lunch box, talking to myself. The same taste as usual, the same lunch break as usual. Just when I thought that everything was peaceful and safe¡­ ¡°¡­Mmm.¡± I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and I put down the chopstick at once. ¡­Has someone come here again? ¡°The door is locked. You can¡¯t go up to the roof.¡± The owner of the footsteps stopped. Usually, this is enough to make them turn back around¡­ Somehow, the footsteps were getting closer. ¡°?¡± Did they not hear me? I was about to warn them again when ¡­ I recognized the unexpected figure coming up the stairs. ¡°Takane Saki?¡± ¡°¡­Hello.¡± I called out her name, and she bowed and bobbed her head, still looking as no-nonsense as ever. ¡°Why are you here ¡­?¡± Her appearance was so unexpected that I froze in my seat. Then she came silently up the stairs. She came up the stairs without saying a word and sat down next to me. ¡°Oh, hey¡­¡± ¡°I asked ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Tatsuki Iwasawa-kun and Kawariku Arakawa-kun.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I was told that Mashima-kun has lunch here on the staircase in front of the rooftop during his lunch break.¡± Surely, only those two would know that I have lunch here. So¡­, you¡¯re saying¡­ ¡°Did you come all the way out here to see me?¡± ¡°I wanted to return ¡­ this.¡± Saki Takane offered me a neatly folded handkerchief. ¡°From that time ¡­, thank you very much ¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, I see.¡± I understood. The handkerchief was the one I gave to Saki Takane about a week ago. ¡°I told you you didn¡¯t have to return it.¡± It smelled like fabric softener. The fabric had been washed and carefully ironed. How very neat. I see, she wanted to return this to me. Then I can understand why she wanted to return it to me at lunchtime when I would be alone. Ah, I feel better now¡­wait. ¡°Takane Saki, why are you opening that sweet bun?¡± ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime. I¡¯ll eat here, too.¡± ¡°No, but¡­¡± ¡°But? What is it?¡± When she stared straight at me with those absorbing eyes, I looked away. ¡°¡­ If you stay around ¡­ me, you¡¯re going to start up some more strange rumors.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Nonsense. How can you not be bothered by rumors that have no basis in fact?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t mind.¡± I looked at her in surprise at her strong refusal. Saki Takane was ¡­ somehow looking away only from the neck up¡­ I cannot see her expression, but her barely visible left ear is tinted red like an unseasonal autumn leaf. Come to think of it, something like this has happened before¡­ ¡°Either way, no one would come to such a musty, moldy place.¡± ¡°I see, that¡¯s true too.¡± I¡¯m finally running out of reasons to adamantly refuse her. Besides, I have another idea as to why she would bother to visit me, the Discipline Committee Chairman. In all likelihood, she probably came to me for advice regarding the previous issue¡­ the rumors about the previous incident. If that was the case, of course, I couldn¡¯t let her down. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take your word for it and continue with my lunch.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, please don¡¯t mind me.¡± I pick up the chopsticks again and resume eating in silence. There is also the matter of the last time I was in the crossroads. This is a more sensitive topic than I thought. Let¡¯s refrain from forcing her to talk about it. Wait for her to start talking naturally. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡­But still, it was a strange situation. For some reason, I, the hated and stiff Chairman of the Discipline Committee, am having lunch alone with that ¡°Takane Saki¡±. We are having lunch alone together, almost touching each other¡¯s shoulders at this very moment. Of course, I understand that Saki Takane is not having lunch with me because she likes it. However, if you ¡­ think about it, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve had lunch with someone since I entered high school. ¡°¡­Mashima-kun.¡± Suddenly, Takane Saki opened her mouth. ¡°Why are you having lunch here?¡± I understand that this is a chat to relieve tension before getting down to business. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone in the class would feel more at ease without me.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°As the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, it is my duty to point out any disorder in the class. But at the same time, I think it¡¯s okay to relax a little at lunch time.¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°In short, it would be stifling for everyone to have a rigid person like me in the classroom during the lunch break.¡± So during lunch break, I have lunch here by myself. And I warn the occasional ¡°student who, under the influence of a drama or anime, tries to enter the off-limits rooftop.¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t think Mashima-kun is disliked by anyone.¡± ¡°The same thing was said to me by Yuka Sesenami, Tatsuki Iwasawa and Kawariku Arakawa.¡± ¡°But you still think you are disliked?¡± ¡°I¡¯m flattered, but that¡¯s what being a Discipline Committee chairman is all about.¡± ¡°Why did you go to such lengths?¡± ¡°Someone has to be hated in order to maintain order.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a hard thing to do.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Conversation is interrupted. The hustle and bustle of classrooms in the distance, the sound of cherry trees swaying in the wind, the shouts of the soccer team practicing on their own in the schoolyard, the chirping of birds, and the sound of the tennis team hitting a white ball with their rackets¡­ A fresh breeze blows in through the window. ¡°¡­ That bento, is it homemade?¡± ¡°This? I¡¯m embarrassed to admit that it looks like an old man¡¯s meal.¡± There are sesame paste with rapeseed, saury grilled in saikyo style, pickled turnip, and Japanese butterbur boiled and seasoned. I can¡¯t say it myself, but it was not a very high-school-like lunch. ¡°It¡¯s not that. It looks delicious.¡± ¡°Thank you, today¡¯s was rather well done.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Is it homemade by Mashima-kun¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, really? You¡¯re so good at it, I thought your parents made it for you¡­¡± ¡°My parents are gone, I¡¯m at my aunt¡¯s house, helping her with her housework.¡± ¡°Oh, ¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± After I said that, I thought I was done. Takane Saki¡¯s expressionless face was still the same, but even I could tell. I made a mistake in my response. Just because I myself am accepting, it doesn¡¯t mean that the people around me are too. I am in the position to consult with others, but I can¡¯t believe I made someone feel awkward by talking about myself¡­ ¡°Sorry¡­¡± ¡°No, you mustn¡¯t¡­¡± I¡¯m not suited for this kind of chatting¡­ Anyway, if this continues, Saki Takane¡¯s mind will remain closed. Something, something that will change the subject ¡­? ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that, the big pufferfish like¡­¡± ¡°Maritozzo.¡± ¡°Mari¡­¡± ¡°Maritozzo.¡± She answered me with a devouring smile. ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of the name, but is this it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a new product from Daigoya. It¡¯s a very popular sweet on social networking sites right now.¡± ¡°¡­ Popular on social networking sites right now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know much about it, but I think that trend ended a long time ago.¡± Kamimura City is a rural area, too rural to stay in touch with the latest trends. Recently, such trends have been whispered about among the citizens of Kamimura¡­ ¡°Maritozzo is a traditional Italian pastry whose origins date back to ancient Rome. In Italy, where it originated, it was customary to hide an engagement ring inside this sweet, which is how the word ¡°maritozzo¡± came to be¡­¡± ¡­ Whatever it is, Takane Saki seems to be enjoying it, so I won¡¯t say anything outlandish. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you talk so much.¡± ¡°Wow, was I talking that much?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t realize it? You seemed to be having a lot of fun.¡± ¡°Did I look like I was having fun¡­?¡± Saki Takane, perhaps having something on her mind, began to rub her cheek with her fingers. The way she rubbed her fingers across her well-groomed face was so baby-like it was comical. ¡°I¡¯m not a big fan of fashion, so I¡¯ve learned a lot. By the way, aren¡¯t you going to eat it?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to eat it, but¡­¡± Saki Takane stared at the Maritozzo with a small crease between her eyebrows. What on earth is she doing? I thought for a moment and then realized. I thought about it for a while and then realized that it was too big for her little mouth. ¡°How about splitting it in half, top and bottom, and scooping the cream with the top half?¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Saki Takane immediately started scooping the cream as she was told. She must have been very hungry, and although her Noh mask is as usual, her eyes still sparkle as she takes a bite of the bun. ¡°It¡¯s delicious, with berries and walnuts. This is revolutionary.¡± She split the bread in half and even gave me a report on the results, her cheeks puffing out like a hamster. The cream was sticking to the edges of her mouth because she had eaten it all at once. Her mysterious and unexpectedly childlike side made me involuntarily smiled¡­ ¡°Ah!¡± My eyes meet Saki Takane¡¯s. Oh shoot, it¡¯s not a good idea to stare at a girl eating. I was about to rush to utter an apology when¡­ The next moment, I was so shocked that my thoughts were blown far away. ¡°I have never seen¡­ Mashima-kun¡¯s smiling face before, hehe.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡± It was a shock, a shock. It was like being struck by lightning, and all I could do was to be at a loss for words. ¡­Saki Takane is laughing. With some cream on the edge of her mouth. She was as innocent as a child, mischievous and innocent. She was so innocent and mischievous like a child, she was so shy that she would ¡°crumple¡± up her well-prepared Noh mask and her beautiful face without hesitation. And that smile¡­ directed at me, of all people¡­ ¡°You look like that when you smile.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ nothing out of the ordinary.¡± There¡¯s no way it¡¯s normal. I looked away and did my best to return the gesture, barely able to do so. At ¡­ such close range, I saw the smile of the person I love for the first time. ¡°¡­? Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, nothing, I was just spaced out.¡± I feigned composure and went back to my lunch again. Am I an idiot? Saki Takane had come to me for serious advice, so why am I getting carried away? First of all, I was rejected by Saki Takane, wasn¡¯t I? I shoved the sesame paste with rapeseed blossoms, which had turned into a lump, into my mouth in one go. ¡°Thank you for the food.¡± I chanted with my hands together, gathered up my bento, and stood up. ¡°Eh!? Are you going already?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry for interrupting.¡± No, it was Saki Takane who came later. ¡°But,¡­ but isn¡¯t there still half of the lunch break left¡­!?¡± I¡¯m sorry, but I have to do my job as a Discipline Committee member, I have to go around the school and change the bulletin boards¡­ and also think about the motto for May. ¡°Motto¡­¡± Although it is not well known, the creation of a monthly motto is one of the important jobs of the public discipline committee members. Incidentally, the motto for April was ¡°Connect with greetings and egos by the way.¡±. ¡­I was frightened to think that such a motto had been posted all over the school for a month. It was a rare occasion when Kawariku Arakawa wanted to do it, so I gave him a try, and this is what I got. How could ¡°by the way¡± possibly come at the end of a sentence? I was so annoyed that he wasted syllables like that. ¡°So that¡¯s why I¡¯ve got to go. That was the most enjoyable lunch I¡¯ve had in a long time.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°As I said before, I¡¯m always available for advice for students as the chairman of the Discipline Committee. Now, I know this is a moldy place, but please take your time.¡± I concluded with an unusual joke and walked down the stairs. I knew it would be better if I and Saki Takane didn¡¯t spend time together. It¡¯s because they will spread strange rumors and gossip again. ¡­ But today¡¯s lunch was the most enjoyable I¡¯ve had in a long time, and I mean it. It was so unlike me that I will be sad to eat lunch alone again tomorrow¡­ ¡°¡­Well, wait a minute!¡± I was just about to reach the landing of the staircase. I was startled by the sudden loud voice and turned to see Saki Takane looking down at me from the top of the stairs. She looked like she was in a hurry or something. ¡°I! Today, there¡¯s something I really want to talk to you about¡­!¡± Saki Takane rushed back to her feet. That¡¯s when it happened. ¡°Ah!¡± She stood up, and as she did so, a book slipped from her lap. ¡°Oh, shoot, oh, my God, oh, my God.¡± She reflexively reached for the falling book, but ¡­ this was not a good idea. If she had left it alone, the book would have simply fallen at her feet. But her right hand, which she thrust out vigorously, hit the book, and it was launched high into the air. ¡°Oh¡­¡± In a world moving in slow motion. A book soared up, drawing a beautiful parabola. It made a nice sound. It landed at my feet right on the dance floor. I was on the dance floor. ¡°¡­¡± Just as everything on earth cannot defy gravity, my gaze naturally fell to my feet. Then I saw ¡­ A book with so many sticky notes that it might be better to describe it as ¡°growing¡±¡­The cover of the book. ¡°Waaaaaa!?!?!?!?!?!?¡± ¡°Whoa!?¡± Where in the world does such a voice come from in her slender frame? A scream so loud that it echoed throughout the school came roaring from overhead. The volume of the voice was so loud that it made my shoulders shake with fright. ¡°What the ¡­?¡± ¡°¡«¡«¡«¡«¡«¡«¡«Tsu tsu tsu!!!!.¡± Saki Takane runs down the stairs at a tremendous speed. Her face was red like a boiled octopus, and she was squeaking violently in her shoes. And then, in the blink of an eye, she reached the landing. ¡°Hmph!¡± The ¡°book¡± was retrieved from under my feet, where I was standing in a daze, with a speed that was almost too fast for my eyes to notice. ¡°Hmph¡­! Whoo¡­!¡± ¡°¡­ That, Saki Takane.¡± ¡°Did you see that!?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°Did you see thaaat!?¡± ¡­ The very definition of the word ¡°fierce¡±. ¡°No, well, I saw ¡­¡± ¡°You saw ¡­!¡± This time, Saki Takane¡¯s face turned pale. If there were a contest to describe a face that looked like the end of the world, she would be sure to win. And it was precisely because she was so convincing that I was overwhelmed. ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s anything to be ashamed of.¡± It took me a while before I could utter my next words. ¡°I was rather impressed that you not only studied schoolwork, but psychology as well.¡± ¡°¡­ Heh?¡± Takane Saki raised her voice and looked at me. ¡°¡­ Psychology?¡± ¡°I saw the word psychology on the cover, no?¡± ¡°What, ah, that ¡­¡­ ho, what else?¡± ¡°What else? It was only for a moment, so I didn¡¯t know if it was ¡­ Oh, there were sticky notes on it, you¡¯re a studious person.¡± ¡°He¡­¡± Saki Takane made a distracted sound and collapsed in place nimbly. I don¡¯t know what it is, but ¡­ ¡°Anyway, we have mid-term exams next week. I know this may be an unnecessary intervention for you who have excelled in your grades, but don¡¯t forget about that one too.¡± ¡°Hyahi!¡± That airy sound is a reply? Saki Takane. Anyway. ¡°See you later.¡± This time I went down the stairs and left the place. It was the middle of the lunch break. The dust and dirt flying in the air shines in the sunlight coming in through the window. I¡¯m sure ¡­ it¡¯s all right now. ¡°It was a close call¡­¡± I know I¡¯m repeating myself, but I¡¯m not very good at telling lies. That book that Saki Takane dropped. How could the word ¡°psychology¡± be so small among all those fancy words in the title of the book? ©¤ ©¤ Say goodbye to timid love! A new generation of love strategies! Be irresistible from now on! Super Love Psychology Course! For the girl you¡¯re interested in, for the boy you¡¯re interested in©¤ ©¤ ¡°I read the whole thing¡­¡± And even the full paragraph in the obi! ¡°Is Saki Takane trying to be irresistible¡­?¡± No, it¡¯s hard to imagine that, since she is still outrageously popular. If that is the case, it is natural to assume that she has a liking for someone in particular. It¡¯s for you, that girl I¡¯m interested in. ¡°I see that¡­ Saki Takane has someone she likes too.¡± A self-mocking smile broke out. Of course, that¡¯s right. Even Takane Saki falls in love. This is not an unexpected aspect, it¡¯s just a normal thing. And I am a fool for recognizing such a natural thing after all this time. Even so, a guy who is thought of so much by Saki Takane is a very lucky guy. I don¡¯t know who Saki Takane is interested in, but if I look at the sticky notes all over that book¡­, I can see it. She likes this guy a lot. What kind of person does ¡­ Saki Takane like? Is it someone I know? Someone my age? How long have they known each other? Is he smarter, better at sports, more pure of heart than anyone else? I felt a sudden urge to pull my cheeks into a tight line. ¡°It¡¯s not my problem.¡± What was wrong with me? Whoever Saki Takane falls in love with has nothing to do with me, right? This kind of onlooker¡¯s guts, the same kind of people who are happy to spread false information about Takane Saki, is not nice. ¡­ No, it¡¯s not the same as onlookers¡¯ guts. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m jealous of someone she likes¡­ ¡°Whoa.¡± Just as I was coming down to the first floor, I felt a shock on my back. I turned around to see what was going on, and there was¡­ ¡°Hah ¡­ haha ¡­!¡± ¡°¡­ Saki Takane?¡± There she is. I guess that she still hurried to follow me, even though she was in such a public place and someone might spread strange rumors about her. Breathing hard and drenched in sweat ¡°I ¡­ also ¡­ always eat lunch alone ¡­ and I ¡­¡± Still exhaling in agony, she spun her words in a broken, frantic fashion, and then, with a few words, she said. ¡°You said ¡­¡­ that you had a good time ¡­¡­?¡± Then she looked me straight in the eye with those jewel-like eyes of hers and said strongly. ¡°Then¡­! Let¡¯s have lunch together again!¡± I wonder who told me that Saki Takane is a mysterious girl. Apparently, everyone was wrong about her. Saki Takane falls in love. She learns about love from how-to books, is embarrassed when her love for someone is revealed, is hurt by unscrupulous rumors, cries, and even smiles like a child when she smacks her cheek with the most popular sweet treats. She may even feel lonely eating lunch alone. Maybe she is a much more normal girl than I thought. ¡°¡­ Cream, it¡¯s on you.¡± ¡°What!?¡± Saki Takane immediately blushed and covered her mouth with both hands. Of course, she would be embarrassed if someone of the opposite s*x pointed out that she had whipped cream on her mouth. Such a gesture was so cute that I couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing. ¡°From 12:50 to 1:10, that¡¯s 20 minutes. I have lunch there every day.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you later, if you don¡¯t mind me going to that moldy place with you.¡± Saki Takane, who had proposed the idea herself, didn¡¯t think I would actually agree to it. She was stunned for a while, but as she looked at me, her expression brightened¡­ ¡°¡­Yes!!¡± She replied with a smile like a beautiful sunflower. ¡­ Apparently I need to change my mind. The hated chairman of the Discipline Committee and the flower of the school. There was no way we could have matched, but we lived in the same world. After all, what does it mean? ¡°I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± Apparently, even though I¡¯m a jerk and she rejected me, I¡¯m allowed to call myself a friend of Takane Saki¡¯s until her problems are resolved. ¡°¡­How could this happen?¡± Fifteen minutes before the end of lunch break. When I returned to my classroom, I had a deep crease between my eyebrows. As soon as I took my seat, I was quickly surrounded by all the boys in my class, well, if you look closely, there were a few boys from other classes as well, including Tatsuki Iwasawa and Kawariku Arakawa. It was a perfect encirclement, as if to say that not even a single mouse would escape. And then¡­ ¡°¡­Hey, Mashima! What¡¯s your relationship with Takane-san?¡± As you can see, I am being interrogated in a tormenting manner. ¡°How can you people be so stupid ¡­!¡± I let out a loud sigh. I should have known this was going to happen when¡­ Saki Takamine asked Tatsuki Iwasawa and Kawariku Arakawa about my whereabouts¡­ I underestimated the influence of Saki Takane¡­! ¡°Takane-san¡¯s came to Class C! She was looking for you!¡± ¡°I heard she had a really worried look on her face!?¡± ¡°Seriously, did you call Takane-san to a place where no one would be looking?¡± ¡°Some of us saw Mashima dragging Takane-san around the school!¡± ¡°Have you kissed her yet!?¡± ¡°Is this a breach of the rules!?¡± ¡°Is she under your supervision!?¡± I held my head in my hands and groaned. I was so dumbfounded that I couldn¡¯t even say anything. How can they come up with one made-up story after another without getting tired of it¡­? If I couldn¡¯t talk back to Saki Takane, who went out of her way to consult with me in public, in consideration of her reputation, I would have just said whatever I wanted to say¡­! And then, after thinking this much, I had a flash of inspiration. Oh, yes, Saki Takane¡­? I managed to peek through the noisy opposition surrounding me to see the window seat where she was sitting. There, I found a ¡­ surprising sight. She was also surrounded by girls in her class, though not as much as I was. ¡°The boys are so bad.¡± ¡°Saki, are you okay?¡± ¡°If that monster does something weird to you, just talk to us right away!¡± ¡°What? Ah, that, I¡­separately¡­¡± ¡°What? Come to think of it, I think this is the first time I¡¯ve talked to Saki.¡± ¡°Oh, actually, me too.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah! Let¡¯s exchange MINE! There¡¯s a group of girls in our class, and I wanted to invite you, too!¡± ¡°Oh, uh, um, ¡­¡± Although her Noh mask remained unchanged, the image of Saki Takane communicating with the girls was there, albeit in a timid manner. ¡­<¡±Maybe Kengo¡¯s work has helped to overwrite the rumors.¡±> ¡°¡­ I see what you mean.¡± Now I think I finally understand what Arakawa was talking about. I am a stiff and hated chairman of the Discipline Committee anyway. It doesn¡¯t make much difference if everyone hates me a little bit more now. If I can make the person I love happy, that¡¯s great. She won¡¯t have any more trouble finding someone to talk to. But what the heck, it¡¯s a little disappointing to think that Saki Takane no longer needs to have lunch with me after what just happened¡­ ¡°And you know what? Saki Takamine came into C class with a bloodthirsty look on her face and asked me and Arakawa! She asked us where Kengo Mashima was! The look on her face! I knew it! That¡¯s right! The beginning of Mashima-kun¡¯s special guidance¡­¡± ¡°You again, guidance¡­ !¡± ¡°Gheeee!¡± ¡°Whoa! Mashima¡¯s out of control!¡± ¡°Hold him down, hold him down!¡± ¡°Tatsuki¡¯s face is like a traffic light.¡± I was tightening the screws on Iwasawa, my classmates were trying to restrain me, Arakawa was laughing at me, and the girls were giving me cold stares from afar. There was no such thing as public morals at all, and the lunch break of Class B was very noisy. ¡°¡­ Gross.¡± ¡­And in the midst of all this commotion. My gaze caught the figure of a guy walking out of the classroom, looking very displeased. ¡°¡­What are they getting excited about, they¡¯re really ¡­stupid?¡± Second floor, men¡¯s restroom. Voices are leaking from the locked stall on the far side of the restroom. The occasional dull sound and vibration heard is probably the sound of him kicking the wall. I also hear some other strange clicks and noises, but I don¡¯t know what ¡­ this is. ¡°I feel bad¡­It¡¯s cold¡­¡± With a clunk, the door to the stall opens and he steps out. Then he looks at me. ¡°What ¡­?¡± He let his voice trail off. ¡­Oh, I get it. I know what that mysterious clickety-clack sound is. It was the sound of nail biting. Behind me, Iwasawa gasped, ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard ¡­, nail biting is often triggered by psychological stress and pressure. I¡¯m genuinely curious because I use instruments to trim my nails¡­ What do people with a biting nail habit do with their bitten nails? Do they spit them out there? Or do they just swallow them?¡± ¡°What the ¡­!?¡± ¡°In any case, as chairman of the Discipline Committee, I can¡¯t recommend it from a hygienic standpoint.¡± Takumi Tsubone, 2nd year class B¡­ He backed up and slammed his back against the wall. ¡°The Discipline Committee¡­? What do you want¡­!?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing important¡­ I¡¯ll tell you straight out¡­¡± With a refreshing smile, Arakawa answered his question. ¡°To be honest, you were the one spreading rumors about Saki, weren¡¯t you? Takumi Tsubone¡­¡± ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! I don¡¯t know!¡± Takumi Tsubone raised his voice in a biting tone. The childish intention to overpower with a loud ¡­ voice is obvious. ¡°What¡¯s the point!? What is the basis for such comments¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see, Class 2A: Ryohei Kumikei, Shinaraya Shirou, Class 2B: Kawahaba Tougo, Kokode Ide, Akebono Michika, Shima Mizuho, Class 2C: Kinkana Yarika, Momokawa Kawayasuno, Sasahira Masaya.¡± Iwasawa listed the names in an unobtrusive manner, the blood drained from Takumi Tsubone¡¯s face at once. ¡°There were a few others my memory is a little fuzzy on, but I think this is the only one I can confirm with certainty. They all said they heard rumors about Takane Saki from you. I think you spread it around a little too loudly.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, I heard it from a friend, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. The malicious rumors about Saki Takane are definitely coming from you.¡± ¡°How do you know that!?¡± ¡°Our Iwasawa¡¯s love of gossip has led him to have an unusually wide network of contacts, so much so that he has acquaintances in every class, not only in our upper high school, but also in the middle and lower secondary schools.¡± ¡°After all, rumors can only be passed on by word of mouth, right? Then, once you have some idea of the source of the rumors, you can trace them one by one, just like unraveling tangled earphones, and you¡¯ll find out who the source is, right?¡± ¡°¡­!?¡± Takumi Tsubone exclaimed. ¡­That¡¯s easy to say, but as far as I know, the only person who could pull off such a tedious and daunting task in just a few weeks is Tatsuki Iwasawa. Perhaps because of his amiable personality and appearance, he is very good at getting inside people¡¯s heads, and he enjoys doing so. His drawback is that he tends to be a troublemaker, getting involved in unnecessary matters and spreading rumors¡­ ¡°When you were a freshman, you went around spreading strange rumors about Takane because you were upset that Saki had rejected you. You were so flamboyant that your name came up right away. The only reason I kept you in the dark until today was simply to solidify the evidence.¡± He is the biggest contributor to this case¡­ ¡°Eh¡­¡± Takumi Tsubone grunted in frustration and glanced toward the exit. I don¡¯t know what he was going to do, but he gave up as soon as he saw Arakawa, the ace of the basketball team, waiting behind us. ¡°Takumi Tsubone, I want to say at the outset that we are not here to sanction you, much less to criticize you. That would be an overstepping of our authority. We¡¯re just here to inform you.¡± ¡°Come on, man! Just say it!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you in a nutshell, I¡¯m going to report this matter to the class B homeroom teacher, Onnukuide-sensei.¡± ¡°What!?¡± His face turned white as he went beyond pale. ¡°Subsequent disciplinary action will be under the jurisdiction of the homeroom teacher¡­ I will be going to report to them after homeroom today¡­ It may be inappropriate for me to mention this, but I encourage you to accompany me.¡± Malicious slander and defamation of classmates with clear malicious intent. This is clearly beyond the scope of the Discipline Committee members¡¯ supervision. Iwasawa¡¯s work had provided more than enough evidence, and there was no way for him to get away with it now. The reason why I told him in advance is because I was trying to show him some warmth, but he didn¡¯t want to do that¡­ ¡°¡­No, that¡¯s not right.¡± Apparently he was not convinced ¡­ Takumi Tsubone turned his bare hostility into a crooked, sneering smile. ¡°Well, I¡¯m only human, so I¡¯m bound to gossip a little or two¡­! You guys do it too! ¡­ No! I don¡¯t remember. I don¡¯t remember, but you¡¯re right, I may have spread a few bad rumors about Takane Saki¡­ but not all of them!¡± Did he find some kind of chance to win in that ¡°not all¡± part? Takumi Tsubone¡¯s eyes immediately lit up with a sparkle. ¡°Not all ¡­ of them! Not every single one of the rumors about Saki Takane came from me!¡± ¡°I heard from Iwasawa ¡­ that all the rumors, especially the malicious ones, seem to have originated with you.¡± ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make it an offense! Everyone does it! It¡¯s just that it escalated a bit¡­ Why just me? Why me? Why should I be the only one to be blamed? And you know what they say, where there¡¯s no fire, there¡¯s no smoke! Maybe it¡¯s true!¡± ¡°¡­ I see your point.¡± ¡°Right? Then ¡­¡± ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s not up to us.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Since it appears that he still doesn¡¯t understand, I¡¯ll make it clear. As I said before, this is just a notice. Everything I have just told him is a final decision, nothing more, nothing less. ¡°If you wish to accompany us to Onnukuide-sensei to report, please speak to one of the members of the Discipline Committee before going home , okay?¡± Thus, our work is now done. ¡­The end of lunch break is near, so let¡¯s leave early. ¡°Wait!!!¡± He grabbed me by the ¡­ shoulders. Takumi Tsubone changed his expression to one of anger and a devilish look on his face. ¡°In the first place¡­, it¡¯s that girl¡¯s fault!¡± Iwasawa let out a sigh for the first time in several occasions. The usually breezy and bashful Arakawa had a look on his face that I¡¯ve never seen before. ¡°That girl ¡­ is so stuck up! She doesn¡¯t even have any friends! She¡¯s always alone and probably doesn¡¯t even have a boyfriend! She was so pathetic that I told her that I wanted to go out with her, but she just rejected me so easily!¡± ¡°¡­ Hey.¡± I said in a low voice. But Takumi Tsubone showed no sign of closing his mouth. ¡°She said she¡¯s apologizing because she has someone she likes! You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! You¡¯re a bum! You can¡¯t do it anyway, so why don¡¯t you just go with me¡­!¡± ¡°Stop with the ¡­¡± ¡°But why are you coming here of all people¡­! You know him? You know about the guy Takane Saki likes and you came here to make fun of me, right? You really have a bad personality!¡± ¡°Stop it.¡± ¡°What about ¡­? You really don¡¯t know? Ha ha! Then I¡¯ll tell you! She¡¯s got really bad taste! You know something? Saki Takane likes¡­¡± Takumi Tsubone was not able to say what he wanted to say. I had grabbed him by the chest before he could say the name. ¡°I¡¯m suggesting that you stop while I¡¯m still speaking rationally.¡± I¡¯ve said it before, but it seems that when I¡¯m in a bad mood, I have a very frightening look on my face. Takumi Tsubone opened his eyes and let out a brief shriek, ¡°Hee¡±. ¡°You are free to think what you want about Saki Takane, but¡­¡± Saki Takane fell in love. She learned about love from how-to books, is embarrassed when her love for someone is revealed, is hurt by unscrupulous rumors, cries, and even smiles like a child when she smacks her cheek with the latest sweets. ¡­And sometimes I feel lonely eating lunch alone. So¡­ ¡°You¡¯re the only one who feels that way, don¡¯t force it on anyone else.¡± Flatten. Takumi Tsubone falls to the tile floor, falling without effort. The series of commotion surrounding the malicious rumors about Saki Takane has thus come to an end. ¡­Ten days have passed since then. The mid-term exams were over, and after the holidays, the atmosphere in the class had calmed down. Even in a snow bound country like Japan, the cherry blossoms have almost completely fallen and become foliage. Flowers are for leaves. ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t make any sakura-mochi after all.¡± The dimly lit staircase in front of the rooftop. In other words, I was spending my lunch break at my usual place and muttered to myself. In my hand was the Maritozzo I had bought yesterday. This was a seasonal product, with brightly colored green tea cream and azuki beans sandwiched in between instead of fresh cream. It was the first time for me to buy this kind of sweet bun, but when I tried it, I was surprised to find that the rich cream was not too sticky and tasty. The matcha flavor that came through my mouth was refreshing. It was a new discovery. ¡°I guess anything can be tried.¡± Maritozzo, eaten while overlooking the leafy cherry trees in the schoolyard, was also surprisingly pleasant. ¡°¡­ Maritozzo, summer is here, and milk for tea¡­.¡± ¡°Did you say something?¡± ¡°Whoa!?¡± I almost lost my Maritozzo when a voice suddenly called out to me from a blind spot. This voice is ¡­ ¡°Takane Saki ¡­?¡± ¡°Yes¡­? It¡¯s Saki Takane¡­?¡± There was Saki Takane, coming up the stairs somewhat shyly. ¡°¡­Why?¡± I tracked down the person who was spreading malicious rumors about Saki Takane, and now Saki Takane could speak in class. Shouldn¡¯t she no longer have to have lunch with me¡­? ¡°You said we¡¯d have lunch together again¡­ Could it be that you were joking?¡± Seeing her eyes moisten slightly, I hurriedly deny it. ¡°No! I thought you had forgotten about it because it had been so long since then¡­¡± ¡°How could I forget? I was studying during my lunch break because it was before the exams.¡± ¡°Oh, well, that¡¯s very impressive¡­¡± I am puzzled, but Saki Takane sat down next to me and started to spread her lunch box on her lap. Today is not Maritozzo day, it seems. ¡°¡­ Homemade?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t usually cook, but when I saw that you were making it, I thought I¡¯d give it a try.¡± ¡°I love cooking. I love the fact that if you follow the recipe exactly, you won¡¯t fail. The feeling of accomplishment you get when you follow the recipe exactly, and it tastes exactly the same as the last time¡­ Hey, wait! What is that warning-colored thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an omelet! I tried to sweeten them and failed!¡± ¡°Oh, I see, the sugar must have burnt, or you put too much in it.¡± ¡°I like my omelets sweetened about as much as dessert! ¡­? Is that Maritozzo?¡± ¡°I saw you eating it and thought I¡¯d give it a try. I don¡¯t usually eat this kind of sweet buns¡­, but it¡¯s better than I thought it would be. It goes well with strong tea.¡± ¡°¡­Fufu.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, I just thought we were thinking along the same lines.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Silence fell between us. I pondered in silence as I chewed on my Maritozzo. One possible reason for Saki Takane to have lunch with me ¡­ is that some problem she has is still unresolved. I was devastated, unbeknownst to others. What kind of trouble is ¡­ she in? ¡°¡­That, what?¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°¡­Speaking of which, how did you do on your exams?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m terrible at world history.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not good at modern writing, I can¡¯t possibly understand the author¡¯s feelings, and it doesn¡¯t make sense that there is more than one answer.¡± ¡°¡­Mashima-kun, you¡¯re in first place in your class, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Do you enjoy eating with me ¡­?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s fun.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What is it¡­?¡± ¡°Actually, there¡¯s someone I like.¡± ¡°Geee!!¡± I choked. I try to get a glimpse of Saki Takane with my eyes going black and white, but she is poking at a black egg omelet with her familiar Noh mask. I can¡¯t read her emotions. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s a one-sided love of mine, though.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, that¡¯s tough¡­¡± ¡­ Not good. I¡¯m sure I made a big show of it in the infirmary and said that there is no right or wrong in asking for advice, whether it¡¯s about love or anything else,¡­ I was just making an analogy, I didn¡¯t expect to be asked for advice in this area! ¡°¡­¡± I am in a headache. I don¡¯t mean to boast, but I¡¯ve never been involved in any kind of love conversation in my life, so I have no idea what to do! I mean, isn¡¯t Takane Saki asking the wrong person for advice? I¡¯m that uptight Discipline Committee chairman! Saki, you¡¯re 100 times more popular than me! But ¡­ ¡°It¡¯s hard to get noticed ¡­¡± I¡¯m glad she went to the trouble of relying on a person as disliked as I am. And to get that kind of look on her face¡­ I was not going to stop myself from answering. ¡°Have you ever heard of the ¡­ Stinzer effect?¡± As soon as I said those words, Saki Takane for some reason got very defensive. ¡°Shhhh, shhhh, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Well, you were reading a psychology book the other day, so I was wondering if you knew about the Stinzer effect, which is a psychological effect that changes the impression you make depending on your position relative to the person you¡¯re talking to.¡± ¡°Ha, huh ¡­¡± ¡°For example, if there is a table for four people, the person sitting directly in front of you is ¡®hostile,¡¯ the person sitting diagonally across from you is ¡®neutral,¡¯ and the person sitting next to you is ¡®friendly¡¯. Well, to put it simply, if you sit side by side, you are more likely to have a close relationship with the person you are sitting next to.¡± Yes, just like we are now. ¡°Some say it¡¯s simply because of the physical closeness, but in my opinion it has more to do with eye contact.¡± ¡°Eye contact¡­?¡± ¡°If two people sit side by side, they can see the same thing.¡± Our eyes naturally turn to the fresh greenery in the schoolyard through the window. There are some things that can only be understood from the same point of view¡­ ¡°Mashima-kun¡­¡± So¡­ ¡°You might want to start by sitting next to the person you like.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Yeah?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re an attractive girl, so I don¡¯t think you have anything to worry about.¡± I don¡¯t know what kind of guy Takane Saki is interested in, but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine. I think it¡¯s okay¡­ why do you look at me like that? ¡°I feel ¡­ kind of heartbroken.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re the hardest worker of all. I¡¯m rooting for you.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± After all, anyone who is thought of this way is a lucky guy. As I chewed on a green Maritozzo, I was deeply jealous of him. Anyway, for the time being, I was allowed to call myself Saki Takane¡¯s friend. CH 3.1 ¡öChapter: Takane Saki¡ö June 1. It is getting much hotter and humid in Kamimura. I am very happy about the change of clothes around this time. ¡°Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t heard any bad rumors about Saki Saki recently, have I?¡± During a slightly longer break between second and third periods, Yuka-chan suddenly said in an empty classroom. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°The proof is that people are talking to you in the classroom.¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± Is it because people stopped spreading rumors about me? I don¡¯t have any friends that I can talk to on a friendly basis, but even so, recently all of my classmates have started to talk to me in a normal way. I would say that they are no longer blatantly distancing themselves from me as before¡­ Why is that? I tried for a minute to figure out why, and then I said to myself. ¡°It¡¯s been 75 days, hmmm.¡± I decided not to think too much about it. ¡°¡­ Saki Saki, you¡¯re in a good mood, huh?¡± ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t think so. Hmmm.¡± ¡°In any case, you only think about eating lunch with the public moron during lunch break, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Ppppppppplease don¡¯t call Mashima-kun funny nicknamesssssssssss.¡± ¡°Wow, your smile is the weirdest ever.¡± That would be the biggest smile ever. ¡­Almost a month has passed since I had lunch with Mashima-kun for the first time, and our secret lunch meetings have continued. We eat lunch together on the stairs in front of the rooftop for 20 minutes during lunch break. It is still awkward, but we have conversations, and it is tremendous progress compared to before when it was difficult to even talk to each other. ¡°It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say that we are already in a relationship.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an exaggeration.¡± ¡°Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.¡± ¡°Please, please, please communicate with me.¡± I¡¯m sorry, Yuka, but to tell you the truth, I¡¯m in a bad mood right now. Every day at the end of lunch break, I am already thinking about tomorrow¡¯s lunch break! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Saki Saki, but it seems you haven¡¯t read Imamote lately, haven¡¯t you forgotten something important?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­What is it, hmmm¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you and Mashima haven¡¯t exchanged MINE contacts yet.¡± My smile hardened. ¡°I had completely forgotten about ¡­¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± The fact that Mashima witnessed the Imamote, I had completely lost sight of the original purpose of the event. But soon recovered my original smile. ¡°¡­Well, if we keep up our current good relations, we¡¯ll be able to exchange MINE sooner or later.¡± ¡°Ah!! Saki Saki, now that you get to have lunch with Mashima-kun, you¡¯ve gone soft!?¡± ¡°And if we exchanged contact information, I¡¯ll be in trouble.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the kind of thing that gets you in trouble, then high school kids are nothing but sinners.¡± ¡°And I don¡¯t want our current relationship to be ruined¡­¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s the way you really feel!!¡± Yuka-chan let out a loud sigh, almost as if she had a steam engine inside her. ¡°I know you¡¯re happy with the success of your first mission, but what do you ultimately want to do with Mashima-kun, Saki Saki?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d like our current relationship where we can have lunch together and chat¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to hold hands!?¡± ¡°Ugh!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go on a date!?¡± ¡°Ugh!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to kiss and stuff!?¡± ¡°Aah!?¡± Yuka¡¯s breathless three-stage verbal assault nearly knocked me over. I certainly would like to ¡­¡­ kiss him! ¡°If I¡¯m following the teachings of Saki Saki¡¯s favorite Imamote, the time limit for confession is only a little over a month left! ¡­ No, maybe even shorter.¡± ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Saki Saki may not be the only one who likes that¡­ freak of nature.¡± ¡°!!!¡± I felt like cold water was poured on my head. Yuka, you are right! I have long wondered why no one has come forward to discover the charm of Mashima-kun and, come to think of it, how can I be so sure! I just don¡¯t know, but perhaps she is already out there. She may have already started some kind of approach, or she may be thinking of confessing her feelings to Mashima-kun tomorrow¡­ If that were to happen, there is no chance that I, with zero experience in love, would be able to compete! ¡°W-What should I do!? They¡¯re going to take away Mashima-kun!?¡± ¡°Putting aside the fact that he¡¯s not yours in the first place ¡­ calm down! Don¡¯t panic so easily!¡± ¡°Hiyahi!¡± ¡°You know, Saki Saki, all you can do is to get closer to Mashima-kun, little by little, and you know what you have to do for that, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, exchange MINE ¡­?¡± ¡°See, you know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± ¡°But what if I ask him about MINE and he pulls away ¡­?¡± ¡°On the contrary, I¡¯d like to ask you, is your favorite ¡°public morals¡± guy the kind of guy who would withdraw just because you ask him for his contact information?¡± ¡°Oh¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I meant.¡± Yuka nodded deeply. Yes¡­ Mashima-kun is not the kind of person who would change his opinion of someone like that! ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to ask Mashima-kun during lunch break!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°And we¡¯ll be exchanging MINE contacts!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a piece of cake!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to use some of the techniques I¡¯ve learned about romance from the Imamote!¡± ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s all right.¡± Yuka, who had been so vigorous, had a slightly vague expression on her face at the end of the session. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late.¡± Fifteen minutes had passed since the start of lunch break. Unusually, today, Mashima-kun was late and appeared on the staircase to the rooftop. Well, not only the rarity, but I was also surprised to see Mashima¡¯s muscular arms peeking out from his short sleeves in his summer uniform, and my mind went blank¡­ ¡°What¡¯s wrong ¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, no! I didn¡¯t see anything!¡± ¡°? I see.¡± Mashima-kun sat down next to me and spread his bento on his lap. He is always so composed, but today he looked unusually tired. ¡­ Well, I have to be ready for this soon. ¡°I¡¯m behind when it comes to clothing instruction, and the timing of the change of clothes brings a whole lot of instructional material, and that¡¯s what happened last year too.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Those who come to school in long-sleeved shirts by mistake ¡­ it¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll just remind them not to forget tomorrow. However, those who get carried away and lose their uniforms or shorten the hem of their skirts will have to be given proper guidance.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The first section of the student handbook, ¡°Daily Principles.¡± Always dress neatly and cleanly, and do not be inappropriately elegant or fashionable. If you underestimate the importance of dressing properly, it will lead to a disturbance in the public order.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­ You really are a role model in this regard, and I wish everyone else were as well dressed.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­ Takane Saki?¡± ¡°I have a favor to ask you, Mashima-kun.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite unexpected.¡± ¡°¡­ This Sunday, would you like to go shopping with me?¡± ¡­ Now, those of you who are watching this are probably wondering if I¡¯ve gone on a suicide binge, or if I¡¯ve gotten a headache from the heat and humidity of the past few days. But! This is a legitimate strategy backed up by psychology! The door-in-the-face technique. It is a negotiation technique also known as the compromising request method! First of all, human beings have the principle of ¡°if the other party does something for us, we have to do something in return.¡± Door-in-the-face is a technique based on this principle. ?Prepare a genuine request and a request that the other party is likely to refuse. ?First, you present the request with a high refusal rate and make the other party refuse it. ?Then you present your real demand as if it were a compromise ?Then, the other party will feel bad about refusing repeatedly even though the other party has gone to the trouble of making a compromise. ?They will give you their OK for your main request. That is why!! This is a negotiation technique often used by salesmen, and studies have shown that by following this procedure, the other party is more likely to agree to your request than if you just make your real request straight away! And as you know, for me, my real request is to exchange MINE with Mashima-kun! So, after this, Mashima-kun should be like, ¡°Eh~ I can¡¯t go shopping with you on a Sunday, so I have no choice but to exchange MINE with Takane-san.¡± ¡­! ¡°Okay, June 5th, I¡¯ll leave it open.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°Next week there¡¯s the gymnastics festival, and I¡¯ve just been asked to do some shopping by the committee members.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, I don¡¯t have your contact information yet. I¡¯ll exchange it with you on the day, in case you need it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°By the way, what are you planning to buy?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re like a puppet with broken threads sometimes¡­¡± ¡°So, for some reason or other, I¡¯m going shopping with Mashima-kun this weekend¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re packing too much in all of a sudden¡­!¡± Yuka-chan said with her head in her hands in the empty classroom. And to top it all off, somehow we were able to exchange MINE as well. I still can¡¯t believe what¡¯s going on. I myself still don¡¯t understand the situation¡­ ¡°¡­ No! Let¡¯s just be honest now and thank Saki Saki¡¯s stupidity and the teachings of Imamote! Not only did you exchange MINE with him, but you even got him to go on a date with you, which is way too good for Saki Saki.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ D-date ¡­¡­?¡± ¡°A date is when a man and a woman meet alone at a certain time and date.¡± As soon as I heard the word ¡°date,¡± I immediately felt hot from the bottom of my stomach to the top of my head like a kettle boiling. ¡°No, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible! It¡¯s too early for a date!¡± ¡°It¡¯s already too late. You¡¯ve got to make up your mind.¡± ¡°Even if you told me that, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do it!¡± ¡°You said so yourself.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­!!¡± I couldn¡¯t even get a word out. I bite my lower lip and clutch the hem of my skirt in silent protest. Of course, it¡¯s completely pointless to do that to Yuka¡­ ¡°Breathe, breathe, breathe.¡± ¡°Waa¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, now that you¡¯ve said it, it can¡¯t be helped, Saki Saki, let¡¯s start by getting ready for the date one by one, shall we?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s my first time to go on a date with a guy, and I¡¯m so ¡­ nervous I¡¯m going to throw up now¡­¡± ¡°Top priority is to buy some stomach medicine ¡­ and. By the way, does Saki Saki have any casual clothes for a date?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like you¡¯re a chihuahua. Let¡¯s go clothes shopping together this Saturday, okay?¡± ¡°Ho¡­ really, I¡¯m going on a date with Mashima-kun¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going on a date, do you think that public morals freak is the type to break a promise?¡± ¡°Yuka-chan, you could follow us¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­ too bad, I have to eat, brush my teeth, and take a bath that day. ¡°¡­Which is, in essence, the same thing as always.¡± ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re going alone. If you miss this opportunity, you may never have an outing alone with Mashima-kun again.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m happy or scared right now, if I¡¯m soaring or nervous, I¡¯m definitely feeling sick right now ¡­ anyway ¡­¡± ¡°Oh, stop crying, stop crying, you have me and Imamote with you.¡± ¡°¡­ Imamote?¡± ¡°That book has all the know-how on how to find love, doesn¡¯t it? Then there¡¯s nothing wrong with it.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s right! I have Imamote!¡± Imamote is packed with all kinds of relationship know-how. It also contains all kinds of dating tips and tricks! ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel like I can do this! I¡¯ll follow Imamote¡¯s teachings and make our date a success for sure!¡± ¡°¡­ Saki Saki, I think you¡¯re going to fall for some shady business seminar or something in the future.¡± ¡­ Anyway, the operation has begun! CH 3.2 After school, I, Arakawa, and Iwasawa were changing the bulletin board. ¡°Oh, by the way, Mashima-kun, I think you were asked by the committee to do the shopping for the festival, right? Do you want us to help?¡± ¡°Thanks, but Takane Saki is going to accompany me on the shopping trip, so I¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Because we only need to buy what¡¯s missing, we don¡¯t need much manpower. ¡­¡­Arakawa, you should stick the studs at a 45-degree angle to the wall surface. It will also make it easier to remove the studs when changing the board.¡± ¡°Hey¡­¡± ¡°Even so, the person who designed this particular poster has a wonderful artistic sense. I¡¯d like to tell them what I think of it personally, and next time introduce me to them¡­¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go on to the next topic!!¡± Arakawa and Iwasawa interrupted me in some panic. What happened¡­? ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Eh!? What!? Mashima-kun, you¡¯re going shopping with Takane-san?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± ¡°Yes, but!?¡± ¡°Which one of you asked first?¡± ¡°You mind the strangeness of it all, don¡¯t you? Saki Takane. She has some shopping thing to do.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Iwasawa and Arakawa looked at each other for a moment, and then, hushing their voices, they began to whisper in each other¡¯s ears. ¡°(Hey, Arakawa¡­, I guess those rumors are true¡­)¡± ¡°(I think so too, but strange things do happen¡­)¡± ¡°(I¡¯m sure it¡¯s getting interesting.)¡± ¡°(I agree.)¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a nice thing to whisper in someone¡¯s ear in public.¡± I said, and they glanced at me, exchanged some eye contact, and then turned to me with a deliberate smirk on their faces. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Mashima-kun, you¡¯ve been getting along well with Takane-san lately.¡± Iwasawa said with a weird smile. I was about to answer honestly about my relationship with Saki Takane, but kept my mouth shut. The two of them would not say anything if I directly told them¡­ But even with that, it¡¯s better to keep quiet about Saki Takane¡¯s relationship advice. I was personally asked for advice on that one. ¡°If you mean that there are more opportunities to talk ¡­, well, then yes.¡± ¡°What do you think about that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried that people will start rumors about us again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it? What else?¡± ¡°What else? ¡­Oh, maybe I¡¯m not as hated as I think I am.¡± I¡¯m even asked for advice on love matters, which is an extremely personal matter. I guess she trusts me more than a little. ¡°What do you think about the fact that she asked you out shopping?¡± ¡°Was this some kind of psychological test? I just wanted a girl¡¯s opinion on the shopping trip, so I honestly think it is helpful.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± After a short pause, Arakawa and Iwasawa began their secret conversation again. ¡°(It¡¯s not like he¡¯s shy or anything¡­ Kengo is ¡­)¡± ¡°(Does this guy really like Saki-chan ¡­¡­? I¡¯m just not convinced¡­)¡± ¡°(Well, for a guy like Kengo, things are going quite well.)¡± ¡°(Whatever it is, it¡¯s funny.)¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel good about this.¡± And then they look at me again with smiling faces. What on earth is going on? ¡°Well, that¡¯s good! Have fun on Sunday.¡± ¡°I am only shopping for a school event. As a student of Kamimura High School, I will be aware of this and spend my time off in a moderate manner.¡± ¡°Oh, no! A holiday is a holiday! Everything should be in good spirits! Oh, come to think of it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen Kengo in his regular clothes! Kengo wears a uniform even on his days off. So? What are you going to wear on that day!?¡± ¡°The uniform.¡± ¡°Whaa!? Ah¡­!! For a da-¡° ¡°Hold it, Tatsuki!¡± Suddenly, Iwasawa was on the edge but the next moment, Arakawa was blocking his mouth. What have they been doing all this time? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Da-?¡± ¡°Oh no! Hmmm ¡­ see! That¡¯s right! Iwasawa said it too! As a member of the Discipline Committee, I think that you should keep a clear distinction between your school life and your daily life!¡± ¡°¡­Ha?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a TPO, you know? Kengo also never sees a businessman in a suit on his day off, right?¡± ¡°Well, not that I know of¡­¡± Arakawa¡¯s words are unusually on target. I had never really thought about it, but now that they mention it, isn¡¯t it a bit disorganized to be in uniform all the time? In essence, isn¡¯t it no different from wearing pajamas all day long? And in the unlikely event that we are involved in some kind of incident with uniforms that are recognizable as Kamimura High School uniforms, it is our Kamimura High School that will be troubled¡­ ¡°I see, you are absolutely right. You are brilliant, Arakawa, and I am honestly impressed. I¡¯ll wear casual clothes on Sunday.¡± For some reason, the two of them seemed relieved by my comment. I¡¯ve never gone out with someone in casual clothes since I entered high school¡­ Thinking about it, I¡¯ve experienced a lot of firsts with Takane Saki. ¡öChapter: Takane Saki¡ö Sun Tzu said In short, the essence of warfare is ¡°preparation,¡± and victory or defeat is already decided before the battle even begins. ¡­, it was written in Imamote. Not only psychology, but also the teachings of Sun Tzu are quoted. ¡­¡­ The author, Mori-san, must be a very powerful and invincible popular person who is well versed in all kinds of studies, ancient and modern, East and West. But aside from that¡­ ¡°It¡¯s too perfect¡­!¡± I was dressed in a white lace blouse and a fresh, green one-piece dress that looked like early summer. On Saturday evening, I couldn¡¯t hide the smile that broke out in front of the full-length mirror in my room. I paid 1,500 yen for a round-trip train ticket to the heart of the city, and chose this dress at an unfamiliar clothing store! On the way there, Yuka-chan almost had a stroke because of my devastating fashion sense. Yuka-chan helped me when I was out of range of the store staff. Yuka-chan was angry at me for trying to buy a cheese haddock even though we were on a tight budget. Many hardships (mainly Yuka-chan¡¯s) befell me, but ¡­ it was worth it! ©¤ ©¤ Ah~~~ Yes, isn¡¯t it nice? It looks great on you. I¡¯ll take you for next year¡¯s Paris Collection. By the way, can I go home now? Yuka said so, too! ¡°Fufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufufu.¡± I even did a complete spin in front of the mirror for nothing. I even fluttered the bottom of my one-piece dress. I couldn¡¯t stop laughing! ¡°It¡¯s too perfect¡­!¡± The season, the size, the clean and neat look¡­ The skirt is just knee-length, which is great! If this is the case, I think Mashima-kun will like it too! By the way, it¡¯s just after 9:00 p.m¡­ I finished my dinner, soaked in the bathtub, and didn¡¯t forget to apply the face mask my sister gave me after the bath! And that¡¯s not all! On my desk, I had my makeup kit and hair iron ready to go as soon as I woke up. And a cool eye mask on my pillow! I¡¯m ready to fall asleep anytime! ¡°I¡¯m having too much fun ¡­!¡± At first, my stomach was constantly churning with nervousness and fear, but¡­ Thanks to careful preparation and an all-nighter last night memorizing the entire ¡°Must-Do¡¯s for Dating¡± of Imamote, my expectations somehow won out! Henry Ford famously said, ¡°The secret of success is to prepare first and foremost¡± ¨C well, this was also written in Imamote, and it¡¯s a good quote! And I will make one last move! ¡°After all, I now have Mashima-kun¡¯s MINE¡­!¡± I changed into my pajamas, rolled over in bed, and immediately opened up Mashima-kun¡¯s chat. I¡¯ve already spent two whole days thinking about the text I¡¯m going to send, referring to Imamote¡¯s section on ¡°MINE Strategy Techniques for People You Like¡±! To Mashima-kun, Excuse me for my first MINE, I¡¯m Takane Saki (bowing down emoji). Did you have a good rest today? (Emoji tilting head) Tomorrow, you¡¯ll be at Kamimura station at 9:00 a.m., correct? Actually, it¡¯s the first time for me to go out with a boy on a holiday, so I¡¯m looking forward to it, but at the same time I¡¯m a little nervous (laughter). Do you often go out with girls? (Cute rabbit emoji) After pressing the send button, I smiled winningly. Perfect¡­ it¡¯s too perfect, isn¡¯t it? If a final exam asked you to write a MINE to a boy you like the day before a date, your answer would be too perfect and would be posted in the hallway. First, you should begin with a polite dusting and greeting. Next, a statement of concern for your friend, and then a casual mention of tomorrow¡¯s appointment. The girlish and cute emojis are also used, and the best part is the flowing question and finish that makes it easy for the other person to reply!!!! 10 points 10 points 10 points High school girl representative, Saki Takane, is a new world record¡­ ¡°I ¡­might be too good at it¡­!¡± I gradually became afraid of my talent and flapped my legs on the bed. ©¤ ©¤ Anyway! Now I¡¯m ready to go this time! I put my phone in sleep mode, connected it to the charging cable, and turned off the lights. I put on my eye mask and crawl under the covers! ¡­¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. My eyes are cold. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. ¡­¡­¡­. ¡­ I shifted my eye mask and turned on my phone. The message was sent at exactly 21:00, three minutes ago now, and not yet marked as read. ¡°Haha, I¡¯m too excited, aren¡¯t I?¡± Even Mashima-kun doesn¡¯t have his phone with him at all times, and he won¡¯t reply so quickly. Come on, come on, there¡¯s no point in waiting. Tomorrow, I had to wake up early and put on makeup, which I¡¯m not used to, referring to makeup videos on I TUBE. Let¡¯s go to bed. ¡­Good night¡­ CH 3.3 I was writhing under the covers like a caterpillar and couldn¡¯t stand it any longer, so I slipped off my eye mask. In the darkness, the display on my phone glowed brightly. I see no read mark¡­ ¡°¡­Hahaha, I care too much about it.¡± I mean, it¡¯s not unusual for someone not to get a reply for 30 minutes! Maybe he¡¯s having a slightly late dinner or taking a bath, or maybe he¡¯s the type of person who turns off his phone while he¡¯s studying. There is even a possibility that ¡­ he may be sleeping very early! Does he look like the type of guy who carries his phone around with him all the time!? Ah!? Or maybe he is preparing for tomorrow!? Mashima-kun said he was ¡°just shopping¡± but if so, ¡­ it would make me ¡­ kind of happy! I¡¯m sure a reply will be coming soon. All I can do is sleep now! Yes, good night this time¡­ I lie face down in my futon and stare at my phone screen. The cool eye mask has been cooling my forehead for a while now. And of course, there is no read mark. ¡°¡­ Haha.¡± Around this point, a nasty sweat starts to trickle down my back. Why is it that just by not having the word ¡°read¡±, my heart starts to race so much? ¡°No, no, no, ¡­1 hour, it¡¯s only been an hour, if he is busy, that¡¯s all there is, normally¡­¡± Who am I talking about? I care too much, really¡­ too much, really!! Too much! What¡¯s scary is that I¡¯m aware that I care too much, but I can¡¯t stop my fingers from opening and closing MINE, opening and closing! ¡°Oh, yes! I should deactivate the silent mode!¡± I see, this is a good idea! Then even if I¡¯m wearing an eye mask, I¡¯ll be immediately alerted by the ringtone when there¡¯s a reply! Okay, I¡¯m going to sleep! Let¡¯s go to bed this time! I¡¯ll be up at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow! Good night¡­ The eye mask given to me by my sister has now left its rightful place and was cooling the shelf on the headboard of my bed alongside the wall outlets. Despite the somewhat melancholy coolness, my eyes are already sparkling. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Impatience¡­ The pleasant sleepiness after bathing had somehow disappeared and only impatience was in me¡­ ¡°Could it be that I have upset Mashima-kun¡­?¡± I knew it couldn¡¯t be, but I couldn¡¯t shake the uneasiness. Looking back on it now, my message isn¡¯t so good, is it¡­? If you look closely, you can see that I repeat the question twice, the first question seems to be trying to find out what he does on his days off, the joke is not as funny as it should be, it¡¯s stiff, lengthy, and in some ways it¡¯s more of an appeal¡­ The message seemed so perfect at first, but now it seems to be the worst ever, with so many things to fix! I can¡¯t tell you how many times I¡¯ve stopped my bad fingers from trying to send a message to Mashima-kun again!! I am desperately trying to restrain myself by recalling Imamote¡¯s teaching that a follow-up message when there is no reply is one of the worst things you can do¡­ ¡°Well, it¡¯s useless¡­! If I don¡¯t think of something else, I¡¯ll lose my mind!¡± I¡¯m wasting the most time turning my phone on and off in the dark! ¡°Oh!¡± I flung off the covers, got up, and turned on the light. If I can¡¯t sleep anyway, I should spend my time on other useful things to distract myself from MINE! That way, maybe Mashima-kun will reply to me at some point¡­ Yes, that¡¯s right! That would be great! First, let¡¯s check my clothes again! It¡¯s not often I get to change out of my pajamas at this hour, so I¡¯m kind of excited! ¡°¡­ Ah! I forgot my adhesive plaster!¡± I looked up on my phone, ¡°A must for every girl! List of Things to Bring on a Date¡± page on my phone. Certainly there¡¯s a chance of shoe slip-ups in unfamiliar shoes, and besides, in the unlikely event that Mashima-kun gets hurt, I can tend to him! ¡°Well, with Mashima-kun¡¯s personality, I¡¯m sure he carries them around with him on a regular basis¡­ Fufufu.¡± It seems likely. And if anything, I¡¯m the one who is likely to get hurt. ¡­¡­. As soon as I mentioned ¡­ Mashima-kun¡¯s name, I felt an urge to check the MINE¡­ and I was tempted to check, but I managed to resist. Let¡¯s continue preparing for tomorrow until I get a little more sleepy! And if I go to bed before midnight, I¡¯ll have at least 6 hours of sleep¡­ Yeah! And who knows, I might forget something like I just did! Let¡¯s do that¡­ Let¡¯s see, what is it¡­ Ideally, a second date should be arranged within a week of the first date. The best time is during the meal of the first date. There is also a psychological term called the ¡°Twilight Effect¡± in which people¡¯s ability to think and make decisions is at its slowest around 6 p.m. In other words, making an appointment for an early lunch will have the highest success rate¡­ ¡°I see¡­ I see¡­¡± So it¡¯s a combination of the luncheon technique. Love psychology is a very deep subject. ¡°Let¡¯s see, the best time to confess is on the third date ¡­ third date!? No, no, no, it¡¯s too early! Me and Mashima-kun are still such ¡­¡± I was squealing and giggling all by myself as I read Imamote. While browsing Minsta, I discovered a stylish coffee shop just a few minutes¡¯ walk from Kamimura station! Apparently, homemade hardened pudding is their signature dish! Hardened pudding is good, isn¡¯t it? It looks so minsta-worthy with whipped cream and cherries on top! The glass is also decorated with orange dots and looks retro cute¡­ I have an image of Mashima-kun liking retro things, and I might try to ask him out here for a second date¡­? I feel sleepy when I¡¯m told I¡¯m ¡­ sleepy, and I don¡¯t feel sleepy when I¡¯m told I¡¯m not. But the only thing I was sure of was that I couldn¡¯t sleep. My body was tired, but only my consciousness was awake¡­ I feel numb ¡­ heavy ¡­, like Like ¡­ sweet? How can I say it¡­ it¡¯s like the contents of my head have all turned to clay¡­ I can¡¯t even think of a good analogy for it¡­ Anyway, I¡¯ve never stayed up this late ¡­ This is my first time¡­ ¡­ Cold ¡­ ¡­¡­. I have a¡­ stomachache¡­ ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­.Mashima-kun¡¯s reply, I haven¡¯t received it¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­MINE ¡­¡­ from ¡­¡­¡­¡­ from the beginning ¡­¡­¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have sent ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. I guess¡­¡­¡­¡­.. It¡¯s a morning in the worst mood, as if my whole body has been soaked in mud. As I stood there watching the pale light streaming in through the window, listening to the cool air and the cawing of the early crows. A light electronic sound, different from the auditory hallucination from sleep, did indeed ring under my pillow. ¡°HUH!!!¡± I jump up and pick up my phone. It was the reply I had been waiting for. ¡°¡­¡± My heart was pounding so fast it hurt. Saliva caught in my thirsty throat, and my fingers trembled as I tapped on the chatroom. I willed myself to tap the display. To Takane Saki. Sorry for the late reply, I just woke up. I usually go to bed a little earlier than other people because I have lessons around this time. Yesterday, I went shopping with Arakawa and Iwasawa. It¡¯s questionable whether I¡¯m rested, but there¡¯s no problem. This is the first time I¡¯m going out with the girls on a holiday. So, 9:00 a.m. at Kamimura Station. It is very difficult to describe in words the feeling that filled my heart at that time. But if I had to use one word to describe it, it would be ¡°relief¡±. ¡°Good, that¡¯s good¡­¡± My whole body relaxed and sank into the bed. Ah, now I can go ¡­ on a date ¡­ without worrying. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Eh?¡± I could not understand what had happened to me. I felt my thoughts, heavy as lead, squealing and spinning. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.?¡± I didn¡¯t get up for a while and just stared up at the ceiling. ¡­ Morning, or is it noon ¡­? Huh? Wait a minute, why am I in bed¡­ Today, I believe, was a date with Mashima-kun¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Date ¡­¡­? I woke up the sleep mode of my phone with a movement that almost sunk into my body¡­ ¡­My heart nearly jumped out of my mouth when I saw the history of incoming calls from Mashima-kun every 30 minutes. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!!!!!!!¡± The biggest, most gigantic mistake I¡¯ve made this century. ¡°Hah ¡­¡­ hah ¡­¡­!¡± My body is heavy. I can¡¯t think straight. I am breathing hard and sweating. My hair is flapping, my stomach hurts, I feel like crying, and my chest feels crushed with guilt¡­ But I can¡¯t stop this. I ran through the open blue sky, as if I was being targeted, and then¡­ I recognized his figure. ¡°¡­Mashima-kun!¡± I recognized him immediately, even from a distance, even though he was not in his usual uniform. He was still standing there, more than two hours after the appointed time, waiting for me. ¡°Oh, so ¡­ wait, Takane Saki is here! I¡¯ll call you later!¡± As soon as Mashima-kun noticed me, it seemed he was on the phone with someone else, he put the phone away from his ear and rushed over to me. During the time it took for Mashima-kun to utter his first words and for me to catch my breath, my mind was filled with various thoughts. I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Mashima-kun¡­ for inviting you out. You¡¯re angry¡­ you don¡¯t like me¡­ of course¡­ I¡¯m sorry that I ruined your day off¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ It¡¯s all my fault¡­ all my fault¡­ really¡­ Anyway¡­ I have to apologize. ¡°Are you okay!?¡± He always acted so resolute, but as soon as he saw my face¡­ He looked at me and, before I could say a word of apology, he sounded terribly impatient. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯re sweating like crazy! You don¡¯t even look good¡­! Wait a minute, let me get my handkerchief out! Can you walk alone? Can I get you a drink ¡­ or better yet, move somewhere where you can rest first?¡± He started looking around for a place to rest. Surprisingly, after waiting outside for over two hours in this heat, his reaction was neither angry nor dismayed¡­. He was seriously concerned for my well-being. ¡°You didn¡¯t show up at the meeting place and suddenly I couldn¡¯t reach you, so I was contacting everyone I could think of who knew you to see if you were in some kind of trouble¡­¡± ¡­ How did I feel last night before I received a reply from Mashima-kun? Did I upset him? Did I make him hate me? Maybe I didn¡¯t write a good message? If this is the case, I should have never sent a message on MINE in the first place¡­? I am a fool. It¡¯s all about me, isn¡¯t it? If he can¡¯t get in touch with someone, he worries about them first¡­ ¡°¡­Sorry¡­¡± In between the turbulent breaths, I force myself to say the apology in a screwed up way. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Sorry? I don¡¯t need an apology. You need a place to rest first.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I repeated it even though Mashima-kun stopped me. Really, I hate myself. I don¡¯t think I can be like him just by repeating the words of apology like a Buddhist prayer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry-y ¡­¡± And with those words, my consciousness was suddenly interrupted. CH 4.1 ¡öChapter: Takane Saki¡ö ¡­ I heard the sound of something tapping irregularly in the darkness. No, apparently I had been hearing that sound for a long time, and my consciousness is gradually beginning to awaken. The softness I feel on the right side of my body ¡­ leather? Warm¡­ It appears that I am lying on the couch, covered with a blanket. Also, what is it? There is a peculiar smell in the air. I think I¡¯ve smelled it somewhere before¡­ Karaoke? Yes, I think I¡¯ve smelled this smell at a karaoke place I once went to with Yuka. ¡°¡­?¡± I slowly opened my heavy eyelids. In the shadow of a table, dimness prevails in my field of vision. I slowly raised myself up and crawled out of the darkness beneath the table and ¡­ I saw a woman sitting in front of me. ¡°Is it ¡­6 characters ¡­6?¡± She looks quite young, but I would say that she is in her mid-30s¡­? To be honest, I was more than a little intimidated when I first saw her appearance. Her blonde hair, darkened at the roots, was what is commonly referred to as pudding. Her sharp eyes peeking out from under her hair were so powerful that it made me cower even if they were not directed at me. If she were to walk past me from across the street, I would keep my eyes down and pass her on the street as quickly as possible. That is the kind of woman she is. Fortunately, she doesn¡¯t even look at me, although she is glaring at some kind of text as she taps the table with the bottom of her ballpoint pen with a clunky sound¡­ ¡°Hey, high school girl.¡± ¡°Hii!?¡± I didn¡¯t expect to be accosted and my voice trailed off. The pudding girl, whose name I didn¡¯t even know, continued in a low voice. ¡°What do you think a beef patty sandwiched between buns is called ¡­?¡± ¡°Heh¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s six characters long.¡± What is this all about? I don¡¯t understand the situation at all, ¡­but I know the answer to the question. ¡°I think it¡¯s a hamburger ¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it! What a trick question, it¡¯s given me a hard time¡­¡± What in the world could she have been stuck on¡­? Despite my doubts, she writes the six characters of ¡°hamburger¡± in the space provided. ¡­ It seemed to be a crossword puzzle with a prize. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve solved two puzzles, I¡¯m done for the day, brain training complete¡­¡± She closed the textbook, which was full of blank spaces, and stretched. ¡­ Apparently, she¡¯s not as scary as I thought she was, but for goodness sake, I want to know who she is. ¡°Are you ¡­?¡± ¡°Kaoru Mashima, you can call me whatever you like.¡± ¡°Ha, Kaoru-san¡­¡± ¡­ Huh? Mashima? Wait a minute, then¡­ ¡°Are you by any chance Mashima¡­ Kengo-kun¡¯s aunt?¡± ¡°Well, Kengo calls me his sister, but¡­¡± ¡°Hello, nice to meet you! I¡¯m Saki Takane!¡± My mind instantly switched to ¡°Greeting Saki mode¡±. I tried to straighten my posture in a hurry, and then something fell from the blanket in an avalanche. ¡°Ah, what is that!?¡± ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s body warmer, body warmer, disposable body warmer.¡± ¡°A disposable body warmer ¡­?¡± It¡¯s almost summer, so why such a large amount of them¡­? Seeing me puzzled, Kaoru-san laughed. In contrast to Mashima-kun, she laughs a lot. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? When the high school girl had a stomach ache, that idiot started gathering disposable body warmers from all over the house and stuffing them into a blanket. It was funny, so I kept quiet and watched.¡± ¡°Mashima-kun¡­?¡± ¡°Kengo, who is always so serious about his work, came back home with a bloody look on his face. And he was carrying a girl on his back! I heard she collapsed all of a sudden. Lucky we live so close.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Yes, I passed out in front of the train station and¡­ ¡­Mashima-kun brought me in¡­ ¡°By the way, this is a snack bar that I run, and it¡¯s called ¡®Leo¡¯ after a cat I used to have.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know what a snack bar is, but it¡¯s for adults, right?¡± Of course, I¡¯ve never been in one, but if you ask me, I have a dim image of a long counter with beautiful bottles of liquor lined up like jewels on the shelves. ¡°I know it¡¯s not a place for high school students, but it¡¯s not open yet, so it¡¯s a special day¡­ Oh, don¡¯t tell Senko or anyone else, okay? I¡¯ll get in trouble.¡± ¡°Senko ¡­?¡± Kaoru is ¡­ kind of a mysterious woman. But more than that, now I remember what I have done to Mashima-kun, and I feel deep self-loathing. ¡°¡­Um, Mashima-kun is ¡­?¡± ¡°He said he was going to finish the shopping he asked me to do. I think he should be back by this time.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I have done terrible things to ¡­ Mashima-kun. I even caused trouble for Kaoru-san¡­ I don¡¯t have any face to match¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind it at all, and he¡¯s not the kind of person who cares about that kind of thing either.¡± ¡°¡­So I am sorry.¡± I myself know very well that Mashima-kun is that kind of person. It is because of that I cannot allow myself to take advantage of his kindness. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should worry too much about it. Here you go.¡± ¡°Is this¡­?¡± ¡°My painkillers, and this is room temperature water.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry for everything¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just doing brain training here. Kengo was the one who took care of you.¡± At first, I couldn¡¯t help but be surprised to learn that this man was Mashima-kun¡¯s upbringer¡­ But now I can understand. ¡°I will thank Mashima-kun in person when he comes back.¡± ¡°Smile like me! Saki is so beautiful, but with Kengo, she¡¯s too expressionless¡­ Wait a minute, Takane¡­ Saki?¡± ¡°Yes? What is it ¡­?¡± Kaoru-san leaned forward over the table and stared at me intently. Then she furrowed her brow. ¡°Takane Saki, could it be that Saki Takane?¡± ¡°¡­Ah.¡± It was only natural, when you think about it. ¡­Because she was the one who raised Mashima-kun. So of course she knows about the incident that happened. The incident that got Mashima-kun suspended from school¡­ ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry about that!!¡± ¡°Ha-ha-ha, you¡¯ll apologize again soon, or rather, why are you apologizing? Saki, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± ¡°Because of me, Mashima-kun is ¡­!¡± ¡°Kengo is not a kid, no one made him do it, he took responsibility for what he did, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°But, Saki! I heard you go to Kamimura High School, but you¡¯re such a pretty girl! Your skin is so smooth, you look like a doll! You¡¯re so cute!¡± ¡°What, wow, hey¡­!¡± ¡°Damn, that idiot never talks about that kind of things!¡± My shoulders jumped. ¡°¡­ Well, Mashima-kun, did he say anything about what happened at school?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t say anything until he is asked. He says things like, ¡®I changed the bulletin board today¡¯ or ¡®I did dusting exercises¡¯ or ¡®I had a mid-term exam¡¯. That lack of interest is definitely a reflection of his father.¡± ¡°¡­I see¡­ haha¡­¡± ¡°Really? Um, I¡¯m sorry! How else would Mashima-kun¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m back, sister.¡± ¡°Welcome back, Kengo.¡± ¡°Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?!?¡± I screamed involuntarily and immediately hid the painkiller that Kaoru-san had given me. I was so lucky that Mashima-kun didn¡¯t notice it. When he saw me, his eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re awake!? Your complexion ¡­¡­ looks better, but what about your body? Anything wrong!?¡± ¡°Oh, ah, it was just¡­. anemia!¡± ¡°Ahhhhh, it¡¯s just anemia, she just woke up, so don¡¯t be too loud. Kengo¡¯s voice is so low it echoes.¡± ¡°I see, that¡¯s good¡­¡± Mashima-kun expressed his relief. There was definitely a sense of relief in his expression that I was safe. Mashima-kun is the kind of person who can really worry about others and really reassure them¡­ ¡°Do you have an appetite?¡± ¡°Yes. Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re hungry. It¡¯s getting pretty late, but I¡¯m going to prepare lunch. Can I use your kitchen, sister?¡± ¡°You can use it all you want, I¡¯m sleepy.¡± ¡°All right, then, Saki, you wait right here.¡± ¡°Ah! I¡¯ll help you, Mashima-kun.¡± ¡°Sit back.¡± I was about to follow Mashima-kun, who disappeared behind the counter with a shopping bag in his hand, when Kaoru stopped me. ¡°Our kitchen is too small to accommodate two people. You are a sick girl, so please take it easy on yourself.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not going to let you take care of me and cook for me¡­¡± ¡°¡­What do you like about Kengo?¡± I spewed out my guts. ¡°W-What? No, w-why?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a rush, my ventilation fan is old and makes a ridiculously loud noise, so he won¡¯t be able to hear you in the kitchen if you scream.¡± ¡°How did you know? How did you know that? No one has ever ¡­ found out, not even one person¡­!¡± ¡°I knew it right away, didn¡¯t I? What is it? Who¡¯s an old woman, huh?¡± Aside from Kaoru-san¡¯s rhetorical questioning, I wonder if I¡¯m quite easy to understand. Now, if there was a hole here, I would like to crawl in it¡­! ¡­Anyway, there¡¯s no way to get away with anything now that I¡¯ve come this far. ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ that kind of direct ¡­ open-mindedness¡­¡± ¡°Hu-hu-hu!¡± Kaoru-san stirred me up and I immediately felt hot all over. I¡¯ve only met her for a few minutes, but what am I being made to say? CH 4.2 ¡°Please be good to him! He¡¯s my proud son, he would never like a strange woman, and there is no way that Saki-chan, who likes Kengo, is a strange woman! So no worries! Go out quickly!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, is that right? Ehehe¡­¡± The words ¡°parent-approved¡± came to mind and my cheeks involuntarily loosened up. ¡­ Hmm? Did Kaoru-san just say something strange in the midst of all this ¡­? ¡°I mean, it¡¯s the easiest thing in the world to get him. It¡¯s easy. It¡¯s easy.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? ¡­ Haha.¡± For me, it¡¯s like a stronghold that is difficult to attack and difficult to get rid of. I think it¡¯s amazing in many ways that Kaoru-san is able to say such a thing about Mashima-kun, who is like a son to her¡­ ¡°Well, Saki-chan, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine, but as a senior in life, let me give you a little strategy for that guy.¡± ¡°A S-strategy!?¡± I involuntarily leaned forward. Even with the most powerful and invincible love guidebook, ¡°Imamote¡±, what kind of strategy can I use on Mashima-kun, whom I still can¡¯t find a clue to conquer!? ¡°It¡¯s easy. Look him in the eyes and say what you want to say. He is a zero or one hundred kind of guy, so what you don¡¯t put into words won¡¯t be understood at all, but as long as you put it into words, he will accept everything you say.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡­Kaoru-san is a psychic in her own right, and in fact, she may have been able to predict everything from the very beginning¡­ ¡°¡­ Really, thank you for everything.¡± ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡± Kaoru-san said jokingly and got up from her seat with a ballpoint pen tucked over her ear. ¡­Now that I think about it, Kaoru-san may have always been concerned about me and treated me in such a casual manner. ¡°Well, I¡¯m already sleepy for real, so I¡¯m going to go sleep until it¡¯s time for work¡­¡± ¡°¡­? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Do you want some ¡­ rubber? I have one that my ex-boyfriend left¡­ Ah, no, you don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean!!¡± For the first time in my life, I snapped at someone. Seeing me angry, Kaoru-san laughed like a devil, ¡°Heeheehee¡­¡± and left the snack bar like the wind. ¡­I take back my previous comment. I knew it. After all, I have a feeling that she is usually in that kind of mood¡­ ¡°¡­ You¡¯ve gotten to know my sister pretty well in such a short time.¡± ¡°Hi-yaaaa!?¡± I heard Mashima-kun¡¯s voice coming from right behind me, even though he was supposed to be in the kitchen, and I screamed out loud. I think I screamed for the rest of my life just today! ¡°Ma¡­ma¡­ Mashima-kun, did you hear what we were talking about¡­?¡± ¡°? No, I just got back from the kitchen.¡± ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± My heart is still pounding loudly in my chest¡­ It¡¯s not good¡­ ¡°Anyway, lunch is ready, just a simple one.¡± Saying this, Mashima-kun brought a steaming bowl to the table. The fragrance of the steam, a relaxing and appetizing aroma¡­ ¡°¡­Is it Ochazuke?¡± ¡°Salmon Ochazuke. I¡¯m sorry to be so impromptu, but here, take this.¡± Mashima-kun handed me a spoon. How can he be so kind to people, no matter what? I couldn¡¯t even keep my promise to the person I love, I¡¯m ¡­ pathetic ¡­ His kindness touches me, and once again an uncontrollable self-loathing swelled up inside me. ¡°I¡¯ll have lunch while we¡¯re at it. I¡¯ll sit here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really ¡­ sorry about today.¡± When I said it again, my eyes immediately started to burn. Oh, my emotions, again, are no good. I am especially bad today. I didn¡¯t want Mashima-kun to see me like this. ¡°I made a promise to you and¡­ I said it out loud and I didn¡¯t keep it¡­ I lied and lied again. I¡¯m sorry, really, I¡­¡± Mashima-kun never lies. I lied to such a Mashima-kun. I have betrayed his praise¡­ And yet¡­ and yet, he continued¡­ ¡°¡­What could be more important than your physical condition?¡± Looking me straight in the eyes, as if it were the only truth in the world. ¡°I¡¯ve heard more than enough apologies, I¡¯m not angry at all, the shopping trip is complete, and that¡¯s the end of it.¡± He said it once and for all. ¡°It¡¯s getting cold.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡­ Ah, I¡¯m still no match for him. I chanted a small ¡°Itadakimasu¡± and took a scoop and slowly brought it to my mouth. The aroma of the brown rice whetted my appetite, and the thick, salty salmon melted in my mouth. It was warm and gentle, a taste that made me feel relaxed from the inside out. ¡± ¡­ I had my first non-instant Ochazuke.¡± ¡°The rice was, of course, Niigata-grown Koshihikari rice, so how could it not be good?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the best in the world.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit much?¡± ¡­ No, no, no. It¡¯s the best in the world. ¡°You must really like to cook.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can call it cooking, but my sister¡­ aunt loves to cook, and she taught me most of it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, I brewed some Kamimura tea, and since it¡¯s served lukewarm, the sweetness is enhanced and it¡¯s delicious.¡± ¡°¡­ Do you like tea as well?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not very proud of it, but I have the first level of the Japanese Tea Proficiency. Eventually, my goal is to become a Japanese Tea Instructor.¡± (TLN: This is a real thing btw I had to check¡­) ¡°I don¡¯t know about all that, but it sounds impressive.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not there yet.¡± He looked somewhat proud as he said this. ¡°¡­¡± I picked up the teacup and sipped the clear green tea. Like young leaves sprouting in early summer, a fresh, lush, sweet aroma wafted through my nose, and I suddenly thought, ¡°I still don¡¯t know anything about Mashima-kun.¡± ¡°¡­ Mashima-kun.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°¡­ I want to talk with Mashima-kun.¡± ¡°We always do that at school, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about that. I want to get to know you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Mashima-kun seemed unusually puzzled. ¡°My life story isn¡¯t interesting.¡± ¡°Anything you want to talk about, anything you like, anything you remember from the past.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not very good at talking about myself to begin with¡­¡± Mashima-kun was at a loss for words. He looked me in the eyes and seemed to hesitate about something, but after a moment¡¯s pondering. ¡°¡­ No, it¡¯s nothing. Yes, it would be helpful if you could put it in the form of questions.¡± ¡°Then, first question, what is your favorite food?¡± ¡°I like a sweet called Bandai Taiko, a famous Niigata sweet made by Osakaya. New flavors such as strawberry, pear, lemon, and mango are only available seasonally, but I have never eaten anything other than the plain ones. I think the standard is supreme in everything.¡± ¡°What is your favorite TV program?¡± ¡°I watch mostly NHK, and I like animal documentaries. I like the inorganic manner in which they mechanically lay out only the facts, without any preachy subjectivity. For the same reason, I also like reading illustrated books. When I was a child, I spent a lot of time at the library reading them all.¡± ¡°¡­You look good in casual clothes.¡± ¡°This? Yesterday I had Tatsuki Iwasawa and Kawariku Arakawa accompany me to choose. Shirt, pants, and sneakers, as simple a design as possible and made of the best materials. They are comfortable.¡± ¡°What temperature do you take your bath at?¡± ¡°40 degrees¡­ Hey, is this really fun?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fun.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Interesting, yes.¡± I looked him straight and said emphatically. Mashima-kun locked eyes with me for a moment, and then, as if defeated. ¡°¡­ Okay, what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Right¡­ then.¡± We talked about many things. Where would you like to travel? What is your favorite season? What was the first book you read? Well, basically I asked the questions and Mashima-kun just answered them¡­ Even so, I was enjoying this time. Rumors at school, the eyes of others, the psychology of love, and so forth¡­ I really enjoyed the time I spent exchanging words with Mashima-kun in this small space alone with him, far away from such various things. I even wished that this time would continue forever. ¡°What is your favorite song?¡± And when I asked him a question for what seemed like the millionth time¡­ ¡°¡­ Favorite song.¡± For the first time, Mashima-kun was at a loss for an answer. He had been able to answer any question without hesitation, but suddenly he became silent. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­ Please wait here for a moment.¡± Mashima-kun abruptly got up from his seat and walked straight to the counter. Then, using a touch pen on what looked like a thick tablet that was propped up. ¡°Do you know this song?¡± As if on cue, the screen of the TV mounted on a very high position switched to a different display. The title of a song was displayed on the screen. ¡°I know ¡­!¡± It was a long, long time ago, probably when I was in kindergarten. This is a song that was played on a children¡¯s music program¡­ a five-minute animation and music show for children in the evening¡­ It was so popular that it became a social phenomenon when it was featured on this program at the time¡­ ¡°Wow!!! I miss those days!¡± The animation on the TV was just as it was back then, and I was so thrilled! ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know¡­ what the popular songs of the day are, but this one left a lasting impression on me.¡± Saying this, Mashima-kun pulled something out from under the TV. It was two microphones. ¡°In the past, my sister used to sing to me here. For me, who was always crying, over and over again.¡± ¡°You were crying ¡­? Mashima-kun?¡± CH 4.3 ¡°There was a time when I was like that, you see.¡± Mashima-kun held out one end of the microphone to me. Finally, I realized that this was ¡°karaoke¡±. ¡°Eh, what¡­?¡± ¡°I turned on the microphone, do you remember the lyrics?¡± ¡°Somehow ¡­. no! Can we sing without permission!?¡± Maybe, but this is a snack bar! I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s any payment or anything¡­ ¡°As long as no one finds out, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t believe my ears when Mashima-kun replied in such an uncharacteristic manner. I couldn¡¯t comprehend the meaning of his words and froze like an ornament. ¡°Look, the intro is almost over.¡± ¡°Well, Mashima-kun¡­?¡± ¡°Oh heavens.¡± And then I looked at him. And then I looked at him. And then I saw Mashima-kun looking back at me, He looked back at me with a playfully mischievous smile, A shy smile on his face, I saw that face. ¡°Even I¡¯m embarrassed to sing nursery rhymes by myself.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± It was the first time I saw this side of the person I had a secret crush on. I was so shocked that I was in a daze for a while, and I started the duet with Mashima-kun from the second verse. I am sure that Mashima-kun has many more aspects that I don¡¯t know about him. And every time I see one of them, I will like him more and more. ¡­By the way, this is an aside, but it seems that neither Mashima-kun nor I are very good singers¡­ I ended up chatting with Mashima-kun until 6:00 p.m., the opening time of ¡°Leo¡±. I didn¡¯t notice it when I was inside the windowless bar, but when I went outside, the sky over Kamimura was tinged with a light purple color. It was dusk, the magic hour, the so-called ¡°twilight hour¡±. ¡°Thank you very much for your time today, Mashima-kun.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Mashima-kun, walking next to me on the sunset-colored road home, replied. At first, I declined, saying, ¡°I¡¯m fine to go out of the bar alone.¡± but Mashima-kun said, ¡°I¡¯m concerned about you because you¡¯re sick, so I¡¯m going to walk you home.¡± so I took him up on his offer. ¡°I would appreciate it if you could pass on my thanks to Kaoru-san as well.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let her know.¡± ¡°I really enjoyed myself today¡­¡± I can¡¯t thank Mashima-kun enough. After all, the worst day of my life turned into the best day of my life. ¡­It really was a dream come true. ¡°We just chit-chatted and sang one song, but I¡¯m glad you enjoyed it. Speaking of which, your shopping trip?¡± ¡°Oh, uh, ¡­ it¡¯s okay, I suddenly didn¡¯t need ¡­ anything.¡± The truth was, there was nothing I really wanted, and if I could go on a shopping date with Mashima-kun today, I was going to buy a lip balm that I saw at random, I could never say that. ¡°Oh, well, that¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡­ I look up at Mashima¡¯s face, trying not to be noticed. Strong-willed, narrow eyes. The crease between the eyebrows. The serious expression on his face. The smooth forehead peeking out from the center parted bangs. And up close, the eyelashes are surprisingly long. I could list them one by one, and then I lost count again. Today, I am convinced. I like Mashima-kun. More than anyone else in the world, I am sure. ¡°The days are getting much longer.¡± ¡°Eh¡­, yes, they are.¡± I was so nervous; I was in a daze. Because the words ¡°twilight effect¡± had been dancing in my head for a long time. The twilight twilight effect¡­ human thinking and judgment are at their slowest around 6:00 p.m¡­ In other words, now is the time when confessions are most likely to succeed¡­ ¡°¡­¡± I gulped. Do I confess¡­!? I am¡­!? No, but Imamote said the best time to do it is at dinner on the third date! Today is only our first date! I doubt that it was even a date in the first place! ¡­ But I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever have a better time than this again,¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve grown closer to Mashima-kun over the course of today, and I even greeted his aunt one step ahead of schedule¡­ And now¡­ things are kind of going well! I was walking next to Mashima-kun, and I¡¯m sure from the outside I looked like my usual unsociable self, but on the inside I resembled a storm. My head was like a boiling pot, my heart was beating fast, and my knees were shaking without control! My heart would spill out of my mouth the moment I uttered a single word, let alone a confession! ¡°¡­¡± As I was walking calmly, somehow trying not to be noticed, I caught sight of Mashima-kun¡¯s left hand swinging like a pendulum. It was a man¡¯s hand, bony and veiny. (TLN: Bony and veiny?? Hah???) ¡°¡­¡± ¡­Even I, timid and shy, can¡¯t say a single word. ¡­If it was an action. ¡­Maybe I could do it¡­? ¡°¡­!¡± I clenched my fists once and then slowly extended my hand. The sound of my heartbeat becomes so loud that I could hear it right next to me. How would Mashima-kun react if I held his hand? I am so scared. If he shakes me off, I am sure that I will never recover. But even knowing that, I still mustered up the courage to do it, Ignore Imamote¡¯s teachings for once, I reached out with my hand¡­, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s one of our students in the jersey.¡± ¡°Hic!?¡± I reflexively hid behind Mashima-kun as he said this just as our fingers were about to touch each other. Fortunately, they were walking on the opposite sidewalk and didn¡¯t notice us, but passed by while chatting and laughing¡­ The timing was too bad! I summoned all the courage I had! ¡°I-I was surprised¡­¡± The words, which came out with a resigned sigh, did not mean anything more than that. But I wonder why. Mashima-kun took one look at me with a somewhat sad look in his eyes¡­ Once again, he turned his gaze in the direction he was going and said a few words. ¡°¡­ You don¡¯t want to be seen with me after all, do you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­ What?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s meet and talk for the last time.¡± I couldn¡¯t understand, I couldn¡¯t keep up. My mind just went blank and I stopped right there. The only words that came out were, ¡°¡­ Why?¡± That was all. Mashima-kun also stopped. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been thinking about it all day.¡± But he doesn¡¯t look at me. ¡°¡­I was worried about you until you showed up at the meeting place, so I contacted quite a few people, mainly students of Kamimura High School, to see if they knew anything about Saki Takane. Not only that, but I ran from the station carrying you on my back.¡± That¡¯s something I really ¡­ appreciate from the bottom of my heart, Why do you sound so sad, Mashima-kun? ¡°Kamimura is small,¡­ and in fact, several Kamimura High School students saw us while I was carrying you into Leo. By the end of the week, you might be the subject of rumors at school.¡± Well, sure, that might be embarrassing. If Mashima-kun says he doesn¡¯t want such rumors to be spread, I will apologize to Mashima-kun as many times as I can, and I will correct the rumors that have been spread by talking to each of them personally. But then, why? Mashima-kun is so¡­ Sad¡­ ¡°You¡¯re in love with someone else. You don¡¯t want any rumors about us to get out.¡± ¡­ ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­? ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know who it is, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine. You have a beautiful appearance, excellent grades, good character, warmth and softness, and a strong sense of compliance with the guidelines¡­ I¡¯m sure that your charm will be conveyed to the other person.¡± Blank. Blank. ¡°And I¡¯m ashamed to admit that I¡¯ve never been in a relationship. There must be someone better qualified to consult with you.¡± Blank. Blank. ¡± If you still want to talk to me, please contact me¡­. Yes, on MINE. No, I can consult with you now if you want. I don¡¯t think I can give you much advice¡­¡± Blank. Blank. ¡°Yes, that would be good. Just for reference I¡¯d like to ask you.¡± ¡°What sort of person is the person that Takane Saki has feelings for?¡± ¡­That moment. In a world that seemed endless and blank, Something violently colorful, Something burst, Me. ¡°¡­16 years old.¡± ¡°Same age as us, then?¡± ¡°Standing 175 centimeters tall, weighing in at 62 kilograms.¡± ¡°? That¡¯s a very specific number.¡± ¡°Blood type A. Birthday is May 3rd, Constitution Day.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah?¡± ¡°He has center parted bangs that don¡¯t reach her eyes, long lashes, straight eyebrows that are well groomed, deep creases between the eyebrows, a straight nose, and thin lips.¡± ¡± ¡­ Saki Takane? What are you¡­¡± ¡°¡­He carries his student handbook with him at all times and can recite the school rules and school anthem by heart. He also has the ability to memorize people¡¯s names and birthdays in one go.¡± ¡°A conservative personality, he values discipline and tradition, but he is not a fan of the new and novel, and is reluctant to change. However, he is not negative, and is flexible enough to accept change if he finds it good.¡± ¡°Especially in Japanese tea, he holds the first level of the Japanese tea ceremony certification. His dream is to become a Japanese tea instructor in the future.¡± ¡°His favorite food is Niigata¡¯s famous sweets, Bandai Taiko, and he only eats plain food. He doesn¡¯t add any toppings to his beef bowl, and he takes a bath at exactly 40 degrees Celsius. He is not the adventurous type.¡± ¡°He only watches NHK TV and likes animal documentaries.¡± ¡°He punishes others harshly for their mistakes, but he never dismisses their character. Everyone knows this, but he has a twisted side that considers himself unlikable.¡± ¡°During lunch break, he usually eats his lunch alone on the staircase in front of the rooftop.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a person who notices other people really well, but when it comes to himself, he¡¯s devastatingly dull.¡± ¡°¡­If I didn¡¯t go so far as to say¡­, wouldn¡¯t you understand?¡± ¡°¡­¡­You.¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s you.¡± ¡°You, you, you, you, you, you, you.¡± ¡°¡­How could there be anyone else but you!?!?¡± My voice echoed through the gap between day and night in Kamimura. There was no one else in the world but me and Mashima-kun. ¡°The reason I was late today was because I was so happy to be able to talk on MINE with Mashima-kun that I couldn¡¯t sleep!¡± ¡°I went out of my way to find Mashima-kun because I wanted to have lunch with you!¡± ¡°I cried in front of Mashima-kun because I was worried that you might think I was weird!¡± ¡°In short.¡± ¡°In short¡­¡± (Illustration: I like you!!¡±) After I let out every single thing in my heart, a deep silence fell around us. ¡°Hah ¡­¡­ hah ¡­¡­!¡± I let my shoulders move up and down, turning the steam that was turning my head white inside out into a hot breath, and exhaled it onto the asphalt ground. And after I repeated it a few times¡­, Suddenly, I snapped back to myself. ¡°¡­¡­?!¡± I looked up and saw it. I¡¯ve never seen that expression on Mashima-kun¡¯s face before¡­ ¡± ¡­ Sorry¡­¡± I don¡¯t know what his intention was in saying those words. But as soon as I heard those words, hot drops of water spilled from my eyes and hit the asphalt. ¡°Ah!!¡± ¡­From there, I don¡¯t remember anymore. I ran home in a grueling way, not caring if anyone saw me¡­ I found myself crying under the covers. And like a fool, I kept crying until dawn. The young-leaf-colored one-piece dress I had gone to the trouble of buying became wrinkled in just one day. CH 5.1 ¡öChapter: Kengo Mashima¡ö There is a jinx among the citizens of Kamimura that the Kamimura Grand Festival always turns out to be a rainy festival. First, let me explain about the Kamimura Grand Festival. The Kamimura Grand Festival is a traditional festival that has been going on for nearly 400 years since the Kan¡¯ei era, when Kamimura was a castle town. The festival lasts for three days from July 6 to 8. Countless stalls line the streets, and the sight of the many ¡°Oshagiri¡± carts parading through the town is truly a sight to behold. Today is July 7, the main day of the festival. This is the most lively day of the year in the rural town of Kamimura. ¡­ However, at this time of year, Kamimura is in the middle of the rainy season. The Kamimura Grand Festival is usually held in the midst of dampness and long rains, which is why it is called a ¡°Rain Festival¡± ¡­ Today, however, the weather was clear and sunny, which was truly unusual. So unusual, in fact, that the citizens of Kamimura mentioned today¡¯s weather as if it were a dust storm, and even the main topic of the students was ¡°Today¡¯s Weather¡±. However, despite the pleasant blue sky, I was ¡­ ¡°Oh ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤, Kengo ©¤©¤©¤©¤!¡± I was sitting at my desk with my cheek resting when I was startled by the sound of Arakawa¡¯s voice coming near my ears. I looked and saw Iwasawa next to him. ¡°Oh, ah ¡­ you guys, what¡¯s up with the classes? Why are you here?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What are you talking about, Mashima-kun, homeroom is over.¡± I was surprised and looked around. There were only a few ¡­ people around. The hands of the clock pointed to 15:30. ¡°Oh, I see, it¡¯s after school already¡­¡± I said, and Arakawa and Iwasawa looked at each other suspiciously. ¡°¡­Kengo¡¯s been in a daze for the past month or so.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been since the day he went shopping with Takane-san and such¡­, hasn¡¯t it? Even at the gymnastics festival, I felt like your mind wasn¡¯t in the right place, so what¡¯s going on?¡± When he mentioned Takane Saki¡¯s name, I felt as if my heart had been directly touched. ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ nothing.¡± ¡°Well, this is the fifth time you¡¯ve said that.¡± ¡°Today we have the big task of making the rounds at the main festival.¡± ¡­The main festival of the Kamimura Grand Festival usually attracts a large number of people every year. The event attracts not only students from Kamimura High School, but also from other high schools in the prefecture and beyond, such as Nakayama High School and Shimokawa High School¡­ As such a large scale event, there is always some kind of trouble every year. It was also the important task of the Public Discipline Committee members to make sure that our Kamimura High School students were not involved in any problems. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful day and there¡¯s a lot of people here, and I don¡¯t like the way you¡¯re acting.¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to give up and talk to us, okay?¡± ¡°No, but¡­¡± There is no way I would be willing to talk about such a thing to others, for her own reputation¡¯s sake. Besides, this is a matter for me to solve alone¡­ ¡°I know what Kengo¡¯s thinking.¡± ¡°How do you know!?¡± ¡°Kengo¡¯s too easy to understand.¡± ¡°¡­I mean, you can¡¯t solve your problems by yourself, which is why you¡¯re in this situation right now, right?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± It was painful to hear him say that. ¡°There¡¯s a difference between telling everyone and asking for help, so trust us and ask for help.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, trust us, we won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± ¡°If Tatsuki tells anyone about this, I¡¯ll beat him up for you, okay?¡± ¡°¡­ Hahaha.¡± ¡°You guys¡­¡± Trust and consultation, huh? Sorry, Saki Takamine, I apologize for any number of things. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go somewhere else.¡± So let me borrow their help this one time¡­ In the darkest recesses of the bicycle parking lot. As a chorus of cicadas and the clouds watched over us, I finished telling them as accurately as I could how I came to have lunch with Takane Saki on the stairs in front of the rooftop, what happened at ¡®Leo¡¯ a month ago, and what happened on the way home from there. ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± ¡°Are you serious¡­?¡± The first words of Iwasawa and Arakawa were exactly the same. They were holding their heads in their hands, starting to say something and then stopping, and letting out a sigh. ¡°Wow©¤©¤Seriously©¤©¤¡­, it¡¯s getting really complicated¡­¡± ¡°Saki is amazing¡­ how did she manage to do that much against Kengo?¡± ¡°¡­ Just to make sure I¡¯m not mistaken, this is all my fault, right?¡± ¡°U¡­h¡­ What do you think ¡­ Arakawa?¡± ¡°Personally, I¡¯d give Saki-chan the benefit of the doubt, but ¡­ Kengo is Kengo, you know.¡± I don¡¯t know what he meant by that, and it didn¡¯t answer my question, but Iwasawa seemed convinced. ¡°Well, whatever it was, in the end it was Kengo¡¯s fault for making a girl cry.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s right.¡± Even I knew that much. ¡°So? Did you respond to her confession?¡± ¡°¡­ No.¡± ¡°Eh!? It¡¯s been almost a month if I remember correctly! You haven¡¯t spoken to her since then!?¡± ¡°I ¡­ know, too, that I have to say something to her. ¡­ But since that day, she¡¯s been avoiding me. Saki Takane runs away at the mere sight of my face.¡± ¡°Well, I know how you feel, Saki-chan.¡± ¡°¡­And even if I were able to talk to her, I wouldn¡¯t know what to say to her.¡± I don¡¯t think it¡¯s typical of me. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m more immature than anyone else, so I can only stay on the straight and narrow.¡± But once I start talking, the weak self that I have been suppressing in my chest inevitably peeks out. ¡°I am an imperfect human being who cannot make any decisions without dividing myself into right and left, white and black, good and evil. ¡­That is why I thought I had chosen to do only what was right.¡± But the truth is, I knew. This is not a digital world of 0s and 1s, but a more analog world of ambiguity and vagueness. There is an overabundance of the in-between, the near-black, the gray, and the hypocritical. I knew that there were more of them than anything else. I knew that, and I thought it would be an act of arrogance for me, an inexperienced person, to judge for myself. But still¡­ ¡°¡­It seems I¡¯ve made a mistake again, I¡¯ve hurt Takane Saki deeply.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Arakawa andIwasawa looked at each other. And ¡­ Arakawa looked at me and said, ¡°¡­ Well, let¡¯s put that nitty-gritty stuff aside, shall we?¡± ¡°Put it aside!?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but raise my voice. I thought I was talking seriously, but I wasn¡¯t. ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside.¡± ¡°What¡¯s important right now is what Kengo wants to do, not what¡¯s right or wrong, okay?¡± The two of them let out a sigh at the same time and continued in a very theatrical manner. ¡°Hmm? If I remember correctly, Mashimaa-kun also likes Takane-san¡­ Oh, my gosh, Arakawa, I think I know the solution to this problem.¡± ¡°What a coincidence, I think I know the solution too¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I had no idea that there was a magic phrase that could repair your relationship with Takana-san with just that¡­¡± ¡°What should we do? Tatsuki, can I say it? Can I say it?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, but we can¡¯t help you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t do anything about it. Please tell me.¡± After I raised the white flag and there was a short play in which Iwasawa gave up the right to answer to Arakawa, Arakawa pointed his index finger at me and said, ¡°Kengo hasn¡¯t said anything to Saki-chan yet, it hasn¡¯t even started yet.¡± I haven¡¯t said anything to Saki Takane yet¡­? ¡°¡­ Really.¡± Those were the very words, the magic words. ¡°¡­ Well, that¡¯s certainly true¡­¡± I repeat it over and over again, as if chewing on it. ¡­Yes, that¡¯s right. What should I say to her? Saki Takane had conveyed herself so clearly and with so many words. I have not conveyed a single word of my own to Saki Takane. ¡°Should I have just told her¡­ how I feel?¡± If I was going to worry, I would have to start first. It was as if a ray of light had shone into the darkness with no way out. Arakawa and Iwasawa are smiling with satisfaction at me. ¡­ Well, trust and consultation are good! ¡°Arakawa! Iwasawa! Thank you! When I¡¯m done making the rounds today, I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to let Takane Saki know how I feel!¡± ¡°Ah¡­thank goodness, Mashima-kun is finally back to his usual self.¡± ¡°All right, let¡¯s just do a quick patrol today, and then we¡¯ll go to the stalls and think about how we can create a place for Kengo and Saki to talk.¡± ¡°Arakawa, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll have a candy apple.¡± ¡°Chocolate bananas.¡± While Arakawa and Iwasawa were enjoying laying out their favorite street foods, I was still trembling with the lingering emotion of the event. ¡­It was so easy. I just tell her how I feel without any strings attached. ¡°Such a simple ¡­ thing, I can¡¯t believe I had a crush on someone for three years and didn¡¯t realize it ¡­¡± ¡°Baby castella¡­ hmm?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Both of them responded to my casual mutterings. What is it? ¡°¡­ 3 Years? You¡¯re talking about Saki-chan?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°¡­ No! I have a lot of questions I want to ask you! First of all, did you two know each other for that long?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but raise my eyebrows. ¡°What are you talking nonsense? Me, Arakawa, Iwasawa, and Saki Takane were all students at the same middle school.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t remember ¡­ do you? We were together for three years and you¡¯re a bunch of heartless people, remember the summer of our third year when I got suspended from school, that girl was Saki Takane.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­?¡± The two people, whose faces looked like pigeons that had been shot by a peashooter, froze for a moment in silence. Then¡­ ¡°¡±Oh ©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!?!?!?¡±¡± They both screamed in unison. ¡°Takane-san was that girl!? No way!? I don¡¯t know, but if you ask me, she certainly had a name like that¡­!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, the impression I got was so different! I thought she came from some other middle school¡­¡± ¡°¡­ You really are a bunch of heartless people, you should at least remember the students in the same school, even if they¡¯re in different classes.¡± ¡°No, but we were¡­ back then, huh?¡± ¡°Back then, we didn¡¯t care about ¡­, you know, we didn¡¯t care about school¡­? We were kind of a bunch of hotheads¡­?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Don¡¯t act cool.¡± ¡°No, but¡­! When I heard this story, it all made sense to me! The reasons why Takane-san likes Mashima-kun and everything else¡­!¡± ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s time to make the rounds, so let¡¯s cut the idle chatter and get to the event.¡± ¡°¡±You¡¯re being too serious©¤©¤©¤!¡±¡± Iwasawa and Arakawa looked as if they were about to have a heart attack. As I think I have mentioned before, they are an uneven duo, but they are always in sync with each other at times like this.