Chapter 4: Frontline of the Childhood Friend Strategy
- Childish body types are a no-go.
- Prefer a girl who can play sports and games together.
- Higher rating if she can cook delicious meals.
“~♪~♪”
At eleven o’clock on a quiet night when her family was fast asleep,
Lily Machigane hummed a tune while jotting down today’s insights in a certain notebook.
Its title: The Childhood Friend Strategy Notebook.
Lily started writing in this notebook at the end of April, when she first realized her feelings for her childhood friend, Saito Minazuki. The notebook contained records of her daily approaches, new information she gathered, and plans for her next moves.
She knew it was a bit creepy,
but she couldn’t help it.
Without these notes, she felt she wouldn’t be able to get her oblivious childhood friend to notice her.
Believing that all the data she accumulated would eventually bear fruit, Lily continued writing.
“Today was such a big win. Especially finding out that Saito doesn’t see a loli as romantic interests – that means Mizuki-chan is no threat. And I meet all his criteria. I’m so happy… But wait, if I meet all the criteria and he still doesn’t notice me, does that mean I have no chance? If someone else meets these criteria, they might steal him away. That’s no good. I need to make Saito notice me fast.”
Because they had a deeper conversation than usual, Lily wrote a bit more today,
and her emotions were more turbulent than ever.
She discovered she fit Saito’s preferences, but the problem was he didn’t see her that way.
Lily knew Saito cherished her and liked her,
but as a family member, not as a potential girlfriend.
The trust they built over the years since childhood felt like a curse now,
skipping over the important romantic steps that should naturally occur between a boy and a girl.
If Lily asked, Saito would surely stay by her side.
But as a childhood friend, not a boyfriend.
She believed he would be there for her until they grew old and died.
But Lily, the main heroine, didn’t want that.
A while ago, she might have been fine with it.
As long as he stayed by her side in any form,
she would have been content. But then, a seed sprouted within her –
a seed of love.
She thought it would never sprout after her first disastrous relationship, but Saito made it bloom again.
Now, she couldn’t be satisfied with the status quo.
“Ahh, I want to hold hands like lovers, intertwine our fingers, and walk to school together. I want to kiss him whenever I want. I want to spoil him and be spoiled in return. I want to tease him and be teased back. I want him to hold me tight, kiss me, and make me his.”
She wanted a deeper, more intimate relationship.
She wanted to make him fall head over heels for her.
She wanted to have him all to herself.
She wanted to be his.
These feelings overflowed uncontrollably.
“I have to work even harder… though I have no idea what to do.”
It was only her second experience with love in her life,
She knows a little bit about it, so she was still a novice.
And her target was a romance-ignorant “childish monster” of the highest difficulty.
Most of what she learned about love didn’t apply to him, and she was always at her wits’ end.
Hence, her strategy section was mostly empty.
- Try making a bento lunch.
- Increase physical contact.
- Should I just confess and kiss him already? Impossible!
She had a few standard strategies and some desperate ones driven by emotion.
She had tried the first two but with little effect.
So far, it seemed like she was the only one getting nervous or excited, while Saito remained oblivious.
She knew she had to think of something new quickly,
but good ideas weren’t coming to her.
With a sigh, she closed her notebook.
It was already past midnight, and she should go to bed.
“Maybe I should read.”
Even though she wasn’t sleepy, Lily grabbed a romance manga her father, Masanori, had left behind.
The title was Living with My Childhood Prince is Surprisingly Down-to-Earth.
Lily read many books because of her father’s job, but she rarely read light novels or romance manga.
Popular ones often had harem or impure elements
it reminded her of her awful and cheating ex-boyfriend which made her feel sick.
However, Masanori had assured her this was a one-on-one pure love story, and the word “childhood friend” piqued her interest.
“The art is so beautiful. And it’s funny how the childhood friend prince mistakenly breaks through the wall of the apartment.”
A book she initially left unread,
but when she started it without high expectations, she found it incredibly interesting.
[Why don’t you go to school together if you live in the same house?]
[Well, um, because people might misunderstand and think we’re really close.]
[But everyone knows childhood friends are close, right?]
[Yes, but still!]
[This is delicious.]
[I’m glad you like it despite being such a simple dish.]
[I get to eat this every day. I’m a lucky guy.]
[Ahh!]
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
The character emotions were depicted with care, and there were some fresh twists on common romance tropes. The childhood friend prince’s cluelessness about love, similar to Saito, made it even more endearing.
The heroine’s feelings resonated deeply with Lily, making her nod in agreement multiple times.
That’s why she thought:
“This might be a good reference.”
If she mimicked the events in the manga, she might make Saito notice her.
Reopening her notebook, she noted down ideas she could use.
“Alright, I think this could work.”
Her strategies, previously three, doubled to six, leaving Lily quite satisfied.
She stored her notebook in her desk drawer, jumped into bed, and closed her eyes.
The next morning,
as usual, she made a bento and waited for her childhood friend at the station.
Using her phone’s front camera, Lily checked her appearance.
Today, she looked slightly different.
Her hair, usually left down, was tied in two braids, and she wore glasses.
She wasn’t trying to avoid getting hit on.
This was her new strategy:
[Try a different look.]
The strategy was simple:
change her usual appearance to alter Saito’s perception.
Within the bounds of the school dress code, she aimed for the maximum possible image change.
From the classic blonde beauty, she transformed into a bookish, literary girl who seemed to be gazing out a window, lost in thought.
This created a considerable gap in her appearance.
“Um, excuse me?”
“…”
Hoping Saito might see her differently, Lily felt a bit nervous inside when an unfamiliar boy approached her.
The slight smile she had turned into a cold, aloof expression as she directed her icy blue eyes at him.
The boy seemed to be a quiet high school student from a private school two stations away.
“Um, if you don’t mind, would you like to have some tea at the rotary? I saw you reading a book I love and wanted to talk about it. It’s rare to find someone who’s read it.”
He seemed interested in the book she was reading to pass the time,
You and the Cicada, a bestseller her father published years ago.
(Again?)
continue
Indeed, few high schoolers read pure literature.
But this book is so popular that it was featured on the TV news and sold out within two weeks of its release and was featured on the news.
There should be many readers besides Lily, so this was clearly an attempt to hit on her.
Before she could change Saito’s perception, she inadvertently altered how other boys saw her.
The quiet demeanor might have made them think she was an easy target,
If they really thought which was infuriating for Lily.
“I’m waiting for someone. If you want a discussion, do it online. Though it’s an old book, there are plenty of fans.”
“Uh!”
With a clear rejection and a glare, the boy was visibly shaken.
“Well, you see, online conversations lack the personal touch. It’s scary not seeing who you’re talking to. So, uh, ugh! This is annoying! Just shut up and come with me!”
Trying to justify himself, the boy suddenly revealed his true nature,
switching from a timid demeanor to a rough, obnoxious one.
He reached out to grab Lily’s arm.
Just as Lily was about to deal with him, an arm appeared and grabbed the boy’s wrist.
“Hey, stop right there.”
Accompanied by a nonchalant voice, her childhood friend Saito appeared.
(Why is he here?)
He shouldn’t have arrived this early by his usual train.
Surprised by his unexpected arrival, Lily widened her eyes.
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.
Love this story..but seeing the machigane rin behavior like possessive..quite turn off..
well Saito saved her life and genuinely a good guy unlike her harem having ex