Chapter 10: People I Don't Like


TL: Akabane


***


[Yuki's POV]


"So, how are things going with Takarada-kun?"


In the morning, as I was checking today's assignment at my seat, my friend Ao approached me.


She smiled happily.


"Yeah ......."


She asks me about Takarada, and I think for a moment.


I've only met him properly twice, but I really enjoy talking to him.


I feel more nervous than when I talk to Ao or my other friends, and I feel a sense of excitement that makes my heart skip a beat, that kind of feeling.


It's a feeling I've never felt before, and I think that just being the opposite sex changes how friends feel about each other so much.


But what does he think of me?


I can't really look him in the eye, so I don't know all the details, but he always seems to be a little hesitant when he talks to me, and I get the feeling that he doesn't seem to be having a good time.


"I don't know. I don't know much about him. ......"


"I don't understand. ....... How can he not like spending time with Hana?"


"Yes, I do. I don't think he doesn't dislike it, but it doesn't seem like ...... fun."


Hearing that, she crossed her arms grimly, "Hmm."


"What a guy! Hana is trying so hard!"


"No, no, Takarada-kun, he's kind. He listens to a lot of my boring stories."


"Even he can do that much. He need to be more of a man and go for it."


"A man?


I knew that Ao misunderstood my relationship with Takarada.


We are not in love at all.


"Oh, that's right. Why don't you ask him out on your next day off or something?　Maybe a date."


Slam! And I fall out of my stance.


D-Date!


"T-That's!　We don't have that kind of relationship, it's more healthy ......."


Even though I don't know what I'm saying, but anyway we are normal friends.


"But you want to have more fun with Takarada-kun, not just at the café after school, don't you?"


That's true, but .......


"I don't know how to ask him out on his days off, and ......."


"Ah, Hana basically never asks people out herself, right?"


"Yes, that's right. Besides, when it comes to asking Takarada-kun out, I feel a kind of nervousness in my heart. ......"


If this is what it takes just to ask him out, there's absolutely no way I can go out with Takarada.


I don't feel like I can breathe normally.


...... But sure, I'd love to go to a movie theater or something with him.


Sounds like fun.


"Okay, then you should ask him out even more!　You'll go to that café again after school today!"


"Ehh?　But, but---"


"That's fine!　Just make sure you ask him out today, okay?　If you don't, don't consult with me again!"


"Heee. ......"


Ao just said what she said and went back to her seat.


Wait, aren't you being a little too pushy?


She said she won't discuss it again with me. ......


But only Ao that can talk about this kind of thing, and it's hard to lose someone to talk to.


The sound of the bell rings in the classroom.


I realized that it was time for morning HR.


The homeroom teacher, Sawada-sensei, entered the classroom right on time and was dressed in a suit, even though it was before July.


He looked as hot as ever.


......What should I do about Takarada?


I certainly want to go out and have fun with him too.


But I don't know how to ask him out, which is the key.


I thought about asking him out with a message first, but I feel like he would probably, or definitely, turn me down.


Because from the way he always seems to be, I'm sure he's not interested in having fun on his days off.


However, I think there is a possibility if it's face to face rather than by message.


It has only been a short time since I started working with Takarada, but he has a tendency to be pushy.


If I pressured him face-to-face, he wouldn't refuse.


So, I need to meet him after school today.


However, I feel that if I ask him to go to a café three days in a row, he will be attracted to me.


I don't want Takarada to dislike me, and I don't want to do anything that will lower his favorability.


"......Yes."


Suddenly, it occurred to me.


I don't have to invite him to the café, I can just talk to him directly.


Takarada had said before that he didn't want to talk to me at school.


So I could wait for him to come out of the school gate and talk to him there.


...... Oh, but he also cares that there are students from school around him.


Then, if I take the same bus to the front of the station ...... this makes me sound like a stalker.


Oh, what should I do?


I plopped down on my desk.


***


It was after school.


I was now in front of the door of an empty classroom.


The nameplate of the classroom read "Audiovisual Room No. 3".


I have never seen either the first or the second classroom.


I mean, why do we need three audio-visual rooms?


I tried to escape from the reality by making a proper joke in my mind, but in the end, what I am going to do is the same.


I took a deep breath and opened the door.


It felt a little heavier than the usual classroom door.


At that moment, I felt the cold air.


The cool air in the room, which was much cooler than the staff room, cooled my body, which was on fire from the tension.


The classroom was about half the size of my usual classroom.


The long desks are arranged in tiers so that every seat has a view of the projector in front of it.


There were two figures at a long desk right in the middle of the classroom.


"Oh, you're here. Takarada."


"......"


They were Miyako-sensei, the class homeroom teacher, and Godo, the central figure of the class.


Miyako-sensei gave me a smile, but Godo still stared at me with narrowed eyes.


Why does she hate me so much?


"Excuse me."


Today, I'm supposed to be briefed on some kind of first-year student social event that I'm forced to attend.


"Come on, sit here. I'm sure you know this, but today I'd like to go over the details of the social event. Did you bring your notes?"


"Ah, yes, I'll just write them on the appropriate loose-leaf paper."


I take out a sheet of loose-leaf paper and a ballpoint pen from my bag.


"Okay. Let's start with the purpose of the social event. The purpose is to get to know each other better among first-year students. Should I have Saki explain this to you?　I mean, she's the planner."


Immediately, Godo looked uncomfortable, but reluctantly blotted out her voice.


"Yes, I know. It's been three months since they started school, but I think some of them are still having a hard time adjusting to school. I wanted to create an opportunity for them to make friends and enjoy school more."


...... I guess I'm the one who is not adjusting.


Obviously, I don't fit in. Well, I don't want to fit in.


No, I even fit in the most in the sense that I assimilate the air as an invisible person.


Well, that's OK.


But what about this?


What you are saying is certainly great, but to be honest, I don't think the kids who don't fit in with the class would go out of their way to participate in this event.


If they can participate in this event, they should already be in the class.


Therefore, this event is likely to be fun only for the core group of the class, the so called "bright" group.


I wonder if they are taking this into consideration and thinking about it.


"You probably don't have many friends either, so you would be happy to have an event like this, right?"


"Hmm, I guess so."


...... Somehow, you don't seem to be thinking about it.


I am sure this is only from Godo's point of view.


So, is Miyako-sensei aware of the stones?


"Yes. That is why I am going to hold this event. Do you understand the purpose?"


I couldn't read Miyako-sensei's intention from her expression because she was the same as usual.


"So, there are two main things I'm actually going to ask Takarada to help with. The first is planning. There are many things we can do to deepen our friendship, whether it be games or sports. I'd like you to consult with Saki and decide on the event."


Events, huh?


It's going to be just an event for bright person, so it's going to be a normal sport or something like that.


"Second, we need to prepare in advance. If we're going to play games, we'll need the equipment, and if we're going to have a sports tournament, there are a lot of things we need to prepare in advance, such as which classes will fight, what team divisions we'll have, and so on. I'd like to ask you to take care of that."


I see. I understand a lot.


It's a bit of a pain, but it's also a simple task, so I guess it's not impossible.


If I had to refuse and get a bad grade, this would be a problem for me.


"Of course, I don't have to go out in public. Saki will send you the details of the work as needed via message."


"Ha?　Does that mean I'm going to exchange contact information with this guy?　I absolutely hate that."


Godo stares at me in amazement.


"......"


......You say that much. It's been a while since I've been so pissed off.


I don't want to exchange with her if she says that much.


"Then, we can go through Sensei."


"......?"


"I can't help it. I understand. I'll contact Takarada myself."


"Yes, I understand."


"Okay. Then, do you have any other questions about the work?　Oh, one thing I forgot to mention. We'll be using the computer a lot more for the work."


......Oh?


This could be a lie if I say I don't have a computer.


"By the way, I'm connected to your sister. I know you have a computer and you touch it every day."


"......."


Then, why did you ask?


You just played with me.


I mean, why are you connected to my sister?


Oh, by the way, she went to the same high school as me.


She's connected to Miyako-sensei, isn't she?


When I lowered my face as if I had given up, Miyako-sensei smiled with satisfaction.


"Then, it looks like we're going to be okay. To be honest, we haven't even decided on the timing of the event, but the three of us will do our best to make it happen."


"......Yes."


"......Hmph."


Two out of the three of us are not doing well, but are we going to be okay?


I was so worried, but Sensei continued in a cheerful voice.


"I've got a lot of work to do, so let's call it a day. I'll check the contact information tomorrow."


With that, Miyako-sensei quickly walked out of the classroom.


Inevitably, a hellish atmosphere flowed between me and Godo.


I don't know what it is, but Godo is looking at me and glaring at me.


It's troublesome for me to be hated by Godo, the central figure of the class, when I'm trying to become "invisible," but on the other hand, I don't think she'll like me after this far, so I'm not going to get involved with her.


"...... Okay."


"I'm sorry. I said too much."


"......"


I was surprised. That abrupt apology.


I'd always thought she was a pretty overbearing woman, and I didn't think the word "sorry" was in her lexicon.


"You must have been annoyed for a moment. Your expression changed a little and your voice sounded a little angry."


She seemed to be paying close attention to her surroundings.


I didn't think my expression changed much.


"No, I don't mind. I know you don't like me."


I mean, you can apologize to someone who hates you, can't you?


Is Godo a more decent person than I thought?


No, if she were a decent person, she wouldn't have said those words.


"It's not that I don't like you. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I have a tendency to lose my temper easily, and that's why I bumped into you."


She so different from the person she was a moment ago that I'm at a loss.


How am I supposed to react?


"Well, you're like the person I hate the most  ....... I just hit you a little too hard. Sorry."


Oh, because we look alike.


Come to think of it, I think Miyako-sensei said something similar.


I can't help but feel sorry for that person who resembles someone like me and is also disliked by Godo.


I hope he lives with a strong heart.


"Well, I just wanted to say this. I still don't like you because when I look at you, I remember that guy and I hate him. But I don't hate you, and I'm grateful for your help."


Godo's expression was fragile, a shell of a smile that looked as if it would fall apart at any moment.


I had no idea what was going on with her, but I could imagine some of it.


That's how heavy Godo's expression was.


But I would never ask her about it.


I had no intention of knowing about that.


So I put my bag on my shoulder.


"Well, I'm going home. I'll ask you again about the social gathering."


With that, I opened the classroom door.


And then...


"...... Oh, hey!"


Godo stopped me.


"After all, you should exchange contact information with me too. If you go through Mi-chan, it's going to cause trouble for her too."


Godo shows me the QR code on her phone.


Surely, it would be easier to get Godo to contact me directly.


I scanned Godo's QR code and added her as a friend.


This is the second girl in my contact list.


Yuki and Godo.


If a boy sees me, I'll get stabbed.


"Well, see you later."


"See you later. Bye."


With that, I left the classroom.


I was still surprised at how much Godo had changed.


I remember that she was a bit dejected yesterday when Miyako-sensei confronted her in the staff room, and I wondered if she becomes like that when she reflects on her actions.


If possible, I would be more comfortable with her usual high-handedness, since I am used to it. ......


I was thinking about this when I came out to the entrance to the elevator and changed my indoor shoes to a pair of black sneakers.


Today is the first day after school in a while that Yuki hasn't asked me out.


I was thinking of going to an anime store in my "invincible mode."


I was thinking about it, but...


"Um, Takarada-kun, it's been a while. ......"


For some reason, Yuki was waiting for me in front of the school gate, looking grumpy and not at all like it's been a long time.



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