Chapter One: “It’s too late for him”
Shoyo High School. Class 1-B. That’s my class.
For us freshmen just entering high school, introducing ourselves to a new class can be a crucial event that determines our future. Whether to get through it safely or to make a splashy high school debut, the piercing stares of new classmates trying to discern, “Is this person a friend or a foe?” bored me to tears.
But don’t worry. I’m a harmless, brooding loner!
The school caste selection had already begun. I’d like to have a good laugh here, but I don’t intend to take such a risk. If I could get through this safely, I planned to come off perfectly as someone with little presence, an iron wall.
I was well aware of this, but the words that came out of my mouth were the exact opposite.
“Thank you for everything so far. I’m quitting school.”
I blurted out impulsively. The air froze and everyone looked at me strangely.
Well, I can’t blame them. I was thinking the same thing.
I turned around to see my homeroom teacher, Sayuri Fujishiro, with a face contorted in disbelief.
Since this was the first time she was assigned a homeroom as a new teacher, she was quite young for the job.
“H-hey, what’s going on? If something’s bothering you, I’m listening.”
This teacher is much too nice, isn’t she? Her speech is rough, but I can tell from her expression that she’s really worried.
I can only be thankful for this wonderful, wonderful teacher.
“No, I’m sorry. I just impulsively said that because I felt the unbearable irrationality of the world for a moment, I have no other intentions.”
“Although I think it’s asking too much to tell you not to worry about it…”
Why are YOU in this class!
Ideally, I didn’t want to see their faces again, but I can only think of this as the mischievous machinations of the gods.
Unable to accept reality, I kept checking the class roster.
As a result, my field of vision went pitch black and half of my money disappeared. Daylight robbery.
Just one word: gloomy. Of course, I have reasons for this sudden outrage, but I can’t say them here.
“My name is Yukito. I want to be the dark loner of this class. From now on, I’m going to spend my time pretending to sleep, so I’d appreciate it if you recognized me as an air-like being. By the way, I’m very open-minded, so even if you say things like, “He gives me unpleasant vibes,” I won’t mind. Feel free to talk to me to your heart’s content. Not that anyone would talk to a gloomy guy like me! Ahahahahaha!”
I laugh with a straight face. My classmates have already taken their eyes off me.
My perfectly timed appeal seems to have gotten the point across. Being a quick learner is also a secret to surviving in life.
“Hey, don’t talk like you’re throwing away your first year of school right after enrolling!”
“I’m fine, Sensei.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“I’ve already thrown my life away.”
“What the hell are you? You sound strangely realistic, and that’s scary!”
My perfect appeal has fully conveyed my intention. Being able to understand is the secret to surviving life.
“Oi, I understand that you’re going to be a problem child in your first year!”
I can’t help but be outraged by my teacher’s absurd statement.
“What part of upright me is a problem child! Aren’t we close, teacher?”
“We haven’t even been together an hour!”
“Yet you said such kind words to me earlier!”
“Don’t act like my friend! And you’re way too serious, it’s creepy!”
“I could live with you as my teacher.”
“I’d barely tolerate you either, scum!”
–Gah! Before I knew it, I found myself in a comical situation with the teacher.
This isn’t the time for that. I don’t want to stand out.
After taking pointless damage, I return to my seat. The refreshingly handsome guy sitting next to me is giggling hard. His face is glowing.
He looks like he will be the center of the class, but who is this guy?
“Ahaha! You’re funny!”
“Do you have eyeballs? That was clearly a safe self-introduction.”
“Safe? But still, if you’re here, this year will probably be fun.”
My first impression is that he’s a protagonist-like annoying guy.
While the other classmates continue to introduce themselves, I boot up a mobile gaming app. Reading the code I just bought at the grocery store this morning, I eagerly make my purchases. There’s no way I’m going to blow it all in 100 moves. What percentage is 3%?
“Yukito, let’s exchange contact information!”
When the school caste selection ceremony ended, the refreshingly handsome guy next to me called out to me as I rolled the gacha. The light is blinding.
Calling me by my first name so easily is a move that only handsome guys are allowed to make. I can’t believe he’s the same species as me.
“Coming at me right out of the bushes, huh, Tanaka?”
“The hell! I’m Kouki Mihou. I introduced myself earlier, right?”
“Sorry, I didn’t hear anything.”
“What the hell did you come to school for anyway? Skipping too much on the first day…”
I really didn’t hear anything, but I’m a little curious why this Kouki who introduced herself tried to talk to me.
“Did you even listen to what I said? What are you trying to achieve by talking to the king of introverts, the ultimate introvert like me? I plan to crawl through the bottom of the school caste in this class like I’m licking it.”
“I have no idea where you got the idea that you were an introvert, but you were clearly the most conspicuous one. I can’t remember anyone more interesting than you. Well, whatever. Let’s be friends?”
What is this guy talking about? After hearing my perfect pitch, he still comes up with something like, “Let’s be friends. He must have an ulterior motive.
For the time being, I stare intently at the handsome guy in front of me. And then it hit me.
I see, I get it. So he plans to use me as his comic foil?
By having me, a dark loner, sitting next to him, this protagonist-like guy plans to maximize his refreshingly handsome appeal. That’s right, I’m a mafia character.
“Kouki, how sinister. But someone who talks to me with an ulterior motive might be easier to deal with than someone I can’t read at all.”
“I have the feeling that you’re bad-mouthing me, but you’re definitely doing something wrong, aren’t you?
“What do friends do? Is it okay if I pay you?”
“Don’t say things that make me immediately uncomfortable!”
“My dark loner plan is already ruined…”
“I’ll tell you up front, your first impression is definitely of a shady guy.”
“Well, no problem. Nice to meet you, Mihou.”
“Oh, uh. Suddenly back to casual. What kind of mental state are you in…? Ah well, nice to meet you for now!”
A handsome man’s smile suddenly flashes. I feel like my soul is being cleansed for a moment, but he seems decent enough, so I slightly revise my impression of him in my heart.
“By the way, Yukito, what are you doing after school?”
“Huh? Something going on?”
“Well, since we’re in the same class, I was thinking about getting a group of people who can make it together for a welcome party, so Yukito, do you want to come karaoke with us?”
While I was talking to Mihou, a girl called out to me from behind.
A bob haircut matched her fluffy auburn hair. Since she took the lead in planning a class reunion event so early, she gave off the vibe of being sociable.
She’s the opposite of me, a dark loner. To call her my rival wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Like a mongoose and a cobra. An opponent I’ll have to face at some point. She’s dangerous.
“The sunny leader, or should I say queen, since you’re a girl? May I call you Elizabeth?”
“I’m Carne Sakurai, why Elizabeth?”
“We’re incompatible… But I’m surprised you invited me.”
“Talking to Kouki-kun, you didn’t seem so bad…”
When I turned around, several classmates had gathered behind the Elizabeth who called out to me. They must be the participants. Looking at the faces gathered there, I decided.
Impossible. This is hell, right? A group overflowing with killing intent like the underworld.
“Sorry, Sakurai-san. I have to do something today, so I can’t go. Thank you for inviting me. Have fun for my part, too.”
“Aw, too bad, but it can’t be helped! I’ll invite you again!”
“Yeah, looking forward to it. See you…”
I slip out of the still tense classroom, where everyone is still sizing each other up.
It was true, I had something to do. It looks like Mom will be home late tonight, so I have to prepare dinner.
But more than that, I didn’t want to be with those girls.
“No way, Kokonoe-kun is so… dark?”
Watching Kokonoe Yukito’s back as he walked out of the classroom, Carne Sakurai held her head over the overly intimate impression.
“It’s rare for someone to be able to say such lines casually…”
“But was Yukito always like that? What the hell happened…?”
Kouki Mihou also watched his back with his eyes. To be honest, he hadn’t expected anything.
A complete coincidence. Unfulfilled days. He thought that his school life would be boring, but it seems that his worries were for nothing. The guy he unexpectedly reunited with had changed a lot, but that change shot straight up.
He was curious what had happened so far, but at the moment, his anticipation was greater.
“Well, shall we go then?”
And so the classmate welcoming party began, but no one had yet realized that it would cause turbulence.
◆
Twelve people gathered in the karaoke room. One third of the class participated. Thanks to Kouki and Sakurai taking the lead and inviting all of their classmates, the membership was balanced without any particular members or groups becoming entrenched.
The group that went to karaoke got two rooms and enjoyed interacting as they pleased.
“But man, what happened to Kokonoe-chan back there?”
“Yeah, I wanted to ask, but it sucks that he couldn’t come.”
After singing for a while and chatting for about an hour, when everyone’s guard had gradually been lowered, the subject of Kokonoe Yukito came up casually.
Kouki and Kazunari Takahashi, who was the ace of the soccer club in middle school, joined the conversation between Miki Mineta, who looked like a gyaru, and Sakurai.
“He’s definitely dangerous. Suddenly declaring that he’s going to quit school in his intro, no way.”
“Don’t worry, Yukito is an interesting guy.”
“Kou-chan, you strangely like Kokonoe-chan, but is there something between you two?”
“Something happened a while ago.”
“Huh, do you know him?
“No, he probably doesn’t remember me and it was the first time I talked to him today. But I know he’s a great guy.”
“Kouki-kun, you’re good at all sports, right? If you say that about Kokonoe-kun, can he play sports?”
Many of his classmates already knew that Kouki Mihou was good at all kinds of sports. The upperclassmen had even come to the classroom to scout him for their clubs right after he enrolled.
Even though they hadn’t had a gym class yet, there were things they could sense.
“Could it be that Kouki-kun played basketball in middle school?”
A voice suddenly cut in from another direction.
It belonged to Shiori Kamishiro.
With long hair tied in a ponytail and an extraordinary height of over 170 cm for a girl. Even over her uniform, her large bosom asserted its presence.
“Oh, you know me?”
“No, but knowing about Yuki means that you might be…”
“Ah, right. Could Kamishiro have played basketball as well?”
“Yes. I went to the same middle school as Yuki. I played girls’ basketball, so…”
“Oh, I see. Do you maybe know why Yukito dropped out?”
“Sorry… I can’t talk about it.”
“I see…”
Sakurai and the others watched with interest as the two had a conversation full of implications.
“Were you close to Yukito-kun, Kamishiro-san?”
“More like…I’m not liked by Yuki.”
“Huh, huh? What do you mean, Kamishiro-chan?”
The cheerful atmosphere that Kamishiro had shown until now faded away, replaced by dark shadows.
For those who had interacted with Kamishiro Shiori, it was an unnatural sight.
“It’s definitely because I was here that Yuki didn’t come today–“
“That’s wrong. Yukito didn’t come because I was here-“
A sharp voice ripped through the air.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
The one who suddenly appeared and said the exact same words was Hinagi Suzurikawa.
Together with Kamishiro, she had already established her status as one of the parallel glories of the class.
But for some reason, she too had completely changed her mood and was casting dark shadows.
“You both know Kokonoe-kun?”
“What about this guy? Tell me what kind of guy he is first.”
Whether they couldn’t hear Takahashi’s question or not, the two glared at each other.
“Sorry, Kamishiro-san. I didn’t quite understand what you meant by it being your fault?”
“Just what is your relationship with Yuki, Suzurikawa-san?”
The atmosphere became tense and hardly seemed like a welcome party anymore.
(H-hey! Why is this suddenly turning into a showdown?!)
(No idea! Those two seem to know Kokonoe-chan, something happened?)
Whispers were exchanged here and there, but the two ignored them.
“Yukito, what did you do this time…”
With only Kouki laughing loudly beside them, the welcome party had begun to turn thorny.
Kokonoe Yukito belonged to the basketball club in middle school. Since both the boys’ and girls’ clubs used the gym, there was some interaction between the same clubs. But that didn’t mean that everyone knew each other.
In my first year, I didn’t know anything about Kokonoe Yukito.
I, Kamishiro Shiori, didn’t become interested in him until the summer of my second year.
I don’t know what happened to him. I don’t even know when it started.
But it was around that time that he improved rapidly in basketball. It definitely wasn’t talent or anything like that. To call it that would be to deny his effort.
He got better because he practiced more than anyone else. That’s probably all it was.
Kokonoe Yukito threw himself into basketball. As if he was trying to shake something off, he threw himself into it single-mindedly. He practiced even after school ended, just him.
During the summer vacation, sometimes he was the only one practicing. Not only at school. I’ve seen him practicing at outdoor courts in parks.
As one of the taller girls, I played power forward.
At that time, I wasn’t very enthusiastic about club activities. Our team wasn’t strong enough to compete in tournaments. Our school wasn’t one that put much emphasis on sports clubs, and both the boys and girls on the team only moderately enjoyed their club activities.
But he was different. He was the only one who held onto the ball as if he were possessed and shot the basket relentlessly.
As if driven by something, as if trying to forget something.
Perhaps inspired by his behavior, our boys’ club had gradually begun to exude a level of passion and seriousness never before seen. He had become one of the top point guards on the team. The anticipation that we might be able to go far in tournaments with him had finally transformed the basketball club.
-Amazing, I thought.
It was a really simple praise. An extraordinary person who could influence someone just by his attitude.
Unlike someone like me, who was mediocre. I felt both envious and dazzled, wanting to watch him from behind forever. At the same time, I was worried about the vulnerability of not taking care of myself. Since I couldn’t take my eyes off him, I started talking to Kokonoe Yukito.
After a while, I became close to him and our conversations increased.
We had begun to talk casually even outside of club activities.
It was a very pleasant time for me, who didn’t have many friends of the opposite sex. He was very kind and had a deep heart, and seemed more enlightened than someone our age.
He was a cherished person who made you feel comfortable just by talking to him.
Now I can see it clearly. I was attracted to him even then.
But I wasn’t mature enough to admit these feelings openly.
Unable to sort out my initial feelings, I was overwhelmed and approached him with ambiguous feelings.
As a result of averting my eyes from my own feelings, I ended up doing something like this.
Looking back, that was my biggest mistake. I should never have approached him in the first place.
I should have been content to watch him from a distance.
In the end, I betrayed him in the worst way, hurt him, and took everything away from him.
“…I am Yukito’s childhood friend.”
In the inappropriate silence of this place, Suzurikawa announced.
“Could it be, Suzurikawa-san, that you were the reason why Yukito changed?”
“Well, yes. But what about you? What did you do to Yukito? Speak up!”
“W-Well, I…”
“Stop, stop!”
Seeing the two of them seriously confronting each other, Sakura stepped in as a peacemaker.
“It’s a social gathering today, right? Can’t you two get along?”
“Ugh, I’m leaving.”
“Sorry for making things uncomfortable, Sakura-san. I’ll go to the other room as well.”
As the two of them left, an unbearable tension filled the room.
“What are we going to do about this atmosphere?”
“Come on, Kazunari. Sing something.”
“Huh? You want me to sing?”
“We’ll hear Kokonoe-chan’s side of the story in detail next time.”
“At this rate, it’s definitely not going to end well…”
What had happened to the three of them? With the sudden clash between the two great beauties, the classmates were in no mood to enjoy karaoke, and the atmosphere had become quite awkward.
Yes, there’s already an English translation of this novel. The reason I’m doing this is because I love this series so much, and I want to translate the latest book, Volume 4, which will be out on November 25th, roughly three weeks from now.
That’s why I’m starting from the first volume because I think it’ll be fun to post one volume each week as a countdown until Volume 4 release date. Don’t worry; I actually translated these chapters some time ago, so it won’t affect the release of other LN/WN on this website.
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