“I’ll confront it head-on to learn more about my friend. Even if it ends up scratching their wounds… What’s important is not the middle but the end, I think.”
Sara has become really strong.
Previously somewhat lacking in confidence, now she was encouraging Haruya with full confidence.
“Is the end what’s important?”
“Yes. Just like Akasaki-san sincerely faced my problem.”
The problem Sara had was about matchmaking.
And the fact that she couldn’t voice her opinions.
Sara said it was because Haruya confronted Sara and Sara’s foster father that the problem could be resolved.
///
scene transition
///
“Because Akasaki-san sincerely faced my problem, I am who I am now. I had some unpleasant feelings along the way, but in the end, I was able to look forward.”
Actually, because he had thought about distancing himself from Sara, Haruya was filled with guilt.
He wished she wouldn’t give him such a pure smile.
“So please face your friend like yourself.”
“…Thank you.”
Then he silently apologized in his heart, feeling guilty.
“Yes. Oh, that reminds me, my father wants to invite Akasaki-san over again───”
“No, refuse that.”
“Why!?!”
The atmosphere somehow became damp, but maybe Sara was being considerate.
Then they exchanged light-hearted small talk for a while.
Night.
It was around 20:00.
Haruya went to his usual coffee shop.
Entering the retro atmosphere of the shop, he was greeted by the familiar female staff member from the back.
“Welcome~”
With a cheerful voice, she led Haruya to his usual seat, like always.
Looking around, there seemed to be no other customers except Haruya.
“Would you like your usual order?”
“Oh, I already ate at night, so just the blend hot, please.”
“Yes, understood.”
After nodding, the staff member whispered to Haruya.
“By any chance, do you have something to talk to me about?”
Nodding, Haruya replied, “Please wait a moment. I’m about to finish my work.” Then she disappeared into the back of the shop.
She probably went to ask the manager (master) for permission.
Although he had been here for a while, Haruya had never spoken to the manager, who seemed shy.
He wanted to ask about the manager’s coffee preferences at least once, but as he was thinking about it, the female staff member, Kohinata, who brought the product, approached Haruya.
“Here you go. It’s the blend hot.”
“Thank you.”
As Haruya tried to enjoy the scent of the delivered product, Kohinata sat down at the opposite seat.
“That’s it for today’s work… and…”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Thank you. Since I’ve got permission from the manager, don’t mind it. …So, what business did you come here for today? Love talk? It’s love talk, right?”
With a provocatively devilish smile, Kohinata provoked him.
Whether she was in a good mood or not, her expression seemed somewhat joyful.
“If you unintentionally came to see my face, I’ll feel a little excited.”
“…While saying that, if you really mean it, I’ll quit my part-time job.”
Haruya retorted with a sarcastic look, and Kohinata answered as if there was no ill will.
“As expected of you, Onii san. But it’s a deduction. If you were serious, it wouldn’t be me quitting, it would be you being banned.”
“No, that’s scary…”
Haruya’s face twisted in an immediate response.
But Kohinata added.
“You’re not a misunderstood ball, after all.”
“Well, yeah…”
“So, what did you really come here for today? Is it a consultation? A love consultation?”
(The pressure is intense… as usual, she’s always interested in other people’s love stories.)
Although his face twisted, Haruya answered seriously.
“Actually, I have a consultation───”
“Eh, is it another troublesome thing?”
Kohinata’s lips twitched in a somewhat bored expression.
“Sorry. But I really need to ask you something.”
With hands clasped together, Kohinata made his proposition.
“So, how’s it going with the girl you talked to last time? If you update me on your progress with her, I’ll be happy to offer my advice.”
The girl he was referring to, the one from our previous discussion, was Sara.
In other words, Kohinata seemed interested in the progress with Sara.
“Well, we’ve become friends who occasionally spend time together during lunch.”
I wasn’t lying.
I tried to convey something that Kohinata would likely be pleased to hear.
As expected, she then asked eagerly, “Have you already eaten her lunch or something?”
“Yeah, and we even share our lunches sometimes.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
This wasn’t a lie either. It was the truth.
Kohinata seemed taken aback by this unexpected information.
“S-So, she’s practically your girlfriend already…!”
“Well, it’s not like that.”
“So… are you just leading her on, you bad Onii san?”
Being accused like that, I couldn’t strongly deny it in many ways.
She chuckled as if to say it was obvious when I inadvertently looked away.
Now, setting aside such banter, I promptly got to the point with her.
Just like how I told Sara, I prefaced it with “This is about a friend of mine,” before explaining to Kohinata about Yuna’s situation and my desire to help her.
///
***
***
///
“…That story sounds similar to what my friend is going through.”
“Similar?”
“Yeah. She’s a friend in my class. Probably going through something unpleasant in her club… I just had a feeling, though.”
“I see…”
“Well, that’s not relevant now… Going back to what you were saying… If your friend truly loves basketball, it must be tough for her not to admit her true feelings.”
Kohinata wore a pained expression. “Just wait a moment,” she said, then retreated to the back of the store.
In the meantime, I enjoyed the now lukewarm coffee.
After a few minutes, Kohinata returned with a casual demeanor.
──Whoa.
But I couldn’t help but widen my eyes… and hold my breath.
Well, it’s because I’ve never seen such a sight before.
Instead of her usual monotone maid outfit, Kohinata returned wearing casual clothes.
She was dressed in subculture-style clothing with pink and black as the main colors.
It was the kind of outfit that might be described as “explosive,” and would typically conjure up the term “landmine style.”
Her hair was parted in the middle, and even to me, her thighs peeking out from her miniskirt seemed somewhat provocative.
“How do I look? Onii-san, this is my casual outfit.”
“I think it suits you, but…”
“Thank you! I love this outfit too.”
It was as if she wanted to say she was wearing it because she liked it. Kohinata said proudly.
She flashed a gentle smile and twirled her skirt.
Resisting the urge to look at her legs, I prompted her to continue.
“But, well… I get the feeling that society doesn’t look favorably upon this fashion.”
While I didn’t have any particular issues with the landmine style, I also had a vague sense that it might attract strange looks.
It’s a look that attracts attention in both good and bad ways, no doubt.
“I’ll wear it regardless because I like it. But… I just feel like not everyone can openly admit what they like. External influences have a significant impact, you know. But that makes it really tough to live.”
I agreed with her point.
While I liked shoujo manga, if asked whether I could openly admit it, I probably couldn’t.
While seated, Kohinata continued.
“…It’s painful to imagine not being able to admit liking something despite enjoying it. I don’t know if your friend is in the same situation, but if she’s being stifled by external voices, it’s important to face it head-on and help her be able to admit what she likes.”
Well, and then she added.
“…But facing it head-on is the most difficult part.”
“Well, you helped a lot. Thanks.”
“I’m glad I could be of help.”
Helping someone admit what they like.
It might seem obvious, but… it’s incredibly difficult.
Though I received advice from both Sara and Kohinata, they both emphasized the same thing.
That is, facing the issue sincerely.
Having finished coffee in one gulp, Haruya reaffirmed his determination.
He closes his eyes and organized the flow of events so far.
Identifying the problems and considering them.
This time, Nayu’s biggest obstacle is likely her past with basketball.
The piece to resolve that is Onoi.
There was someone from Nayu’s middle school days who had some kind of connection with her──Onoi.
Haruya heard the story directly from her when he happened to meet Onoi at the offline meeting.
Fortunately, it seems that there will be a basketball practice match between our High School and Onoi’s high school soon. He heard this at the shoe lockers and also at the offline meeting.
There’s no way he could miss this opportunity.
If so, there’s no other choice but to pit Nayu and Onoi against each other in the practice match.
In other words, Nayu has to join the basketball team.
And that’s with the added bonus of having it done before the practice match.
Haruya took a deep breath on the spot and gathered his thoughts.
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.
