Episode 15 – Seriously Aiming to be Normal
In the elementary school classroom, I made a friend – a dog. When I petted its head, it would wag its tail happily. We ran around and played together. We even ate our meals together.
The adults watched us with delight.
I thought I had finally made my first friend. But then, the dog left me behind and disappeared. I searched all around the school but couldn’t find it anywhere. My chest ached. I thought we would be together forever, but… I couldn’t bear the sadness anymore…
–I reset my emotions.
I felt strangely numb. I was walking to school in the morning. Hanazono and Tanaka were on either side of me. Recently, the three of us have been going to and from school together a lot. It’s a lively and fun commute.
“Hanazono-san, see you later! At the company tour, please look after Toudou for me!”
“Oh right, Tanaka-san doesn’t have to go since you’re in the special class. See you at lunch break!”
Hanazono and I saw off Tanaka’s back as she headed to a different school building.
Come to think of it, Hanazono and Tanaka interacted like they had been friends for a long time already.
“Hey, Tsuyoshi, let’s go to class,”
“Yeah…”
“What’s wrong? You don’t sound very energetic,” she remarked.
As I touched the haircut Hanazono had given me, I glanced around. It feels nice to touch my new hairstyle.
For some reason, the female students of the academy were buzzing excitedly. The amount of stares I’ve been getting has grown tremendously since the other day. It’s almost scary.
“Woah, is that guy the rumored one?”
“Yeah yeah, he’s super hot!”
“He’s close friends with Tanaka-san from the special class. They look great together.”
“Is he an idol or something?”
“But you know, I’ve never seen him before right?”
“Yeah yeah, and he’s tall with a nice figure. He can’t be a model?”
“Someone should go talk to him!”
“Ehh, he’s hot but he looks cold. Scary!”
I understand their chatter is about me. …I’ve never been called hot before. They must be mistaken about something. It’s best to ignore strangers’ words. Misunderstandings can arise otherwise.
Hanazono always makes a strange expression at times like this. I can’t tell if she’s happy or angry – it’s an awkward look.
“Hanazono. What exactly is going on with our surroundings?” I asked.
“You wouldn’t understand. I’ll explain it to you properly later. More importantly, we’ll be late if we don’t hurry to class!” Hanazono trotted off, so I also headed to the classroom.
After parting with Hanazono, I entered my own classroom. Here too, I sensed odd stares.
Lately, I feel like my school life is going smoothly. Of course, I’m alone most of the time, but unlike before, I can have conversations with students other than Hanazono.
In the past, it was just Hanazono and me – our world was complete with the two of us. Now it’s different. Like this morning, I’m also deepening my interactions with Tanaka.
But why does my heart beat slightly faster when Tanaka is around? …I should ask Hanazono about it later.
I mentally shut out my classmates’ chatter. I pretend not to hear even though I do hear it. That way, I won’t have any strange reactions or cause problems.
Extra words tend to lead to misunderstandings. It’s from experience.
With so many eyes on me, I’m starting to feel anxious. I should confirm the reason with Hanazono.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
When I got to my seat, Sasaki-san softly greeted me.
“Oh, good morning, Toudou-kun. R-reading some novel?”
I’m having a normal conversation with a classmate. It’s great progress for me.
I see, common hobbies expand the conversation.
On Sasaki-san’s recommendation, I started reading novels. Stories in novels, movies, and manga tend to be difficult for me, so I had avoided them before. Reading academic papers was simpler.
But like with the movie last time, decoding a narrative is interesting. While I have trouble understanding the feelings of characters, I can learn their patterns.
“Yeah, I’m properly reading through it. I plan to read this book today,”
I said, taking out a book from my bag to show Sasaki-san. I don’t need to carry books around since I have an eidetic memory and can instantly recall the words. However, slowly tracing the letters on a physical book provides a different sensation. So I bring real books with me.
“Oh, that’s Ken-sensei’s new work. Sensei is known for portraying emotions well,”
“Yeah, the first-person perspective makes it easy to understand the feelings of the uncle protagonist.”
“It’s hardboiled but easy to read, right?”
“Sasaki-san, what kind of book are you reading now?” I asked.
“Me? Well–“
Before she could continue, Sasaki-san’s friends came over.
“Miki~, good morning! Oh, rare to see you chatting with Toudou-kun– “
“Miki, I brought that coupling book you wanted! I’ll give it to you later, ‘kay?”
“Oh, thanks…I’ll take it later…”
While I can talk one-on-one with Sasaki-san, I haven’t spoken to her friends before.
I feel uncomfortable. Sasaki-san continues conversing with her friends.
I started reading the book in my hands. That way, I don’t have to talk.
“Hey, Toudou-kun, you know…”
“Miki-sa~, there’s no club activities today, right? Let’s go somewhere after school!”
“I’d love karaoke! Miki, you’re into Vocaloid, right?”
Karaoke, huh? Come to think of it, I’ve never actually been. I can sing songs from the choir competition at school. I can even sing the school anthem. What’s the point of singing?
I’m reading a book, but the content just won’t stick in my head. Why is the protagonist so self-deprecating? Is alcohol really that delicious? Why does he simmer stew so obsessively?
“And you know Toudou-kun, I’m also reading that book! I’m unexpectedly into books, you know?”
“…………”
Is she talking to me? Or is she talking to Sasaki-san? I couldn’t tell. In times like this–it’s best to retreat into my shell.
“Huh? Did I say something unpleasant? M-Miki~”
Sasaki-san tapped my desk and looked at me perplexedly. What does she mean by that?
“Toudou-kun, Fujie-chan was talking to you,”
When I lifted my head, my classmate Fujie-san had an awkward expression – one I’m used to seeing.
“S-Sorry. I didn’t think you were addressing me,”
“Ah, no, it’s fine! I mean, I was surprised Sasaki-san and Toudou-kun can chat normally now! You never talk and I only hear weird rumors, so I thought, wow you can actually talk normally!”
“Yeah, I also got to know him through Igarashi-kun. Toudou-kun isn’t weird at all. He’s very kind to Hanazono-san – when I see those two together, it makes me blush!”
“Hmm, so those were just groundless rumors from Rokka huh. That’s just like her to bully the boy she likes~. Speaking of which, Miki is always with Igarashi-kun right? Aren’t you two sus~~?”
“Ehh!? I-Igarashi-kun is just…my track club teammate…”
I tried to find a way to enter the conversation. Talking to strangers is scary. But I promised Hanazono I would move forward.
Besides, they are Sasaki-san’s friends. Surely they can’t be bad people.
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated.
Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
Thanks for translating this series