Chapter 2: The Girl Who Was Once Nice
My first encounter with Yuuka Hanazono was in the spring of my third year of middle school.
After a failed confession attempt, I found myself in the odd situation of becoming isolated from those around me starting from my third year of middle school. I was searching for a place to find solace outside of school.
But I was certain that place wasn’t cram school.
Why? Because cram school was a drag.
What was a drag? Everything.
I knew I had to study.
I understood that studying would be advantageous for my future, and there wasn’t a single third-year middle school student who didn’t know that.
Still, I had nothing I wanted to do in the future, nor did I have a high school I particularly wanted to attend.
If I had to name one condition, it would be not ending up in the same school as the girl who rejected me and spread strange rumors.
I did want to get into a good high school for that reason. However, my parents nagged me to study every time we met.
I know it’s out of parental concern, but being told to do something makes a kid not want to do it.
I felt bad about wasting the money my parents paid, but I couldn’t bring myself to have the virtuous mindset of studying proportionally to the money spent.
Ah, geez.
Unable to concentrate during self-study after the lecture, I lowered my gaze.
There, a fateful message awaited me.
“…Hm?”
On the long desk, small letters were written.
[It’s a drag]
A negative comment in cute handwriting.
The gap was amusing, and I couldn’t help but smile a little.
…What a coincidence.
This most succinctly expressed my feelings.
At school, people avoid me.
Even at cram school, a sub-community, I’m just attending out of obligation. But unable to escape the rational understanding that studying is important, I reluctantly accept the environment.
Yeah, it’s a drag.
Feeling a sense of kinship with this simple phrase, I drew an arrow and added a comment.
[I get it]
The next day at cram school, surprisingly, there was a reply.
[Right? lol]
More than the surprise of getting a reply, I felt a sense of elation at connecting with someone I didn’t even know.
It was the first time I felt so close to someone with just a single word.
Since it was the same seat as yesterday, it must have been the person sitting in front of me.
I go to cram school about three times a week, but in a self-study room where even grade levels are mixed, I can’t tell who sits where.
It’s a cram school attended by people from different schools and age groups.
This person doesn’t know that I’m avoided by girls at school.
That’s why it felt easy.
[I know, right? It’s bad enough having to study at school, why do we have to study at cram school too? lol]
I ended up writing quite a bit.
Is it annoying?
They might not even reply.
However, my prediction was wrong, and our conversation through writing continued.
[Exactly. We already spend so many hours at school]
[Well, I don’t really pay attention in class though]
[You don’t?! But I can’t talk either lol]
[I end up falling asleep… I’m tired from club activities]
[Oh, you’re in a club. What do you do? I get falling asleep lol]
[Handball club! You understand about falling asleep, does that mean you’re always up late? When I don’t have club activities, I end up staying up late playing games or reading manga lol]
[Handball! That’s unusual, right? My middle school doesn’t have that club. But I had a feeling you were in a sports club lol By the way, I’m the type to stay up late reading novels]
Gradually, our messages got longer, and the topics increased.
Sometimes the arrows would fly in strange directions, or parts of messages would disappear, making me feel a bit lonely.
Before I knew it, I started looking forward to our exchanges, and somehow going to cram school wasn’t so bad anymore.
It wasn’t so bad to make my way to the corner of the spacious self-study room.
Maybe it’s because I could tell from the writing that it was clearly a girl.
Since the winter of my second year, when I was rejected by the girl I liked, my school life had been gray.
The only bearable time was supposed to be during club activities, but to think such color was hiding at cram school.
[Want to come watch my handball game next time?]
I said that to someone whose face I didn’t even know.
I guess I wanted to share the only remaining bearable time in my school life with the person who had brought new color to it.
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The next day, there was no reply.
The day after that, all our accumulated exchanges had been erased.
…Oh no, I messed up.
For me, who had no enjoyment at school other than club activities, this was a big blow.
Did the instructor notice our exchanges?
Or did the other person get sick of talking to me?
I couldn’t exactly go around cram school looking for who my message partner was.
I cursed myself for not even asking for contact information.
But, a week later:
[Sorry, I couldn’t reply and then I was absent last week! I’ll come, where is it? I should tell you my name, right?]
Spring had arrived.
It felt like the monochrome scenery was transforming into something overflowing with color.
Her name was apparently “Yuuka Hanazono”.
The spelled-out name seemed to shine brilliantly.
And then — on the day of the game.
I was incredibly nervous.
I’m surprised at myself for inviting her, considering I had been rejected so badly just a few months ago that it threw my school life into disarray.
The other person must have known I was a boy just from our first exchange and my handwriting.
But it would be troublesome if she had expectations.
It’s weird to say this after inviting her to the game, but I’m not particularly confident about my looks.
Even if that’s not the purpose, I wonder if she’ll be disappointed. Will she be put off?
As I was caught up in various thoughts, the moment finally came.
“Found you. Number 19.”
I reflexively turned around when my jersey number was called.
It felt like a warm spring breeze had blown.
As if I had floated away from the real world.
There stood a girl, cute as a doll.
“Yes, number 19. You’re Yoshiki-kun, right?”
“—”
“I’m Yuuka Hanazono.”
I was at a loss for words.
Th-this person is—
Hanazono blinked, then said a bit flustered:
“Oh, are you not Yoshiki-kun? Are the numbers random today?”
“Ah, no, no! I’m Ryota Yoshiki!”
I stammered out the words.
Hanazono looked a bit surprised, then relaxed her cheeks as if relieved.
“Oh, so I was right. Were you teasing me? Geez.”
No, wait, wait, wait.
I wasn’t told that “Yuuka Hanazono” would be this cute.
Of course I’m happy, but I feel five times more unprepared.
“Ha-Hanazono-san.”
“Yes. That’s my name.”
“Um… well, yeah. The game’s about to start, so I hope you enjoy it today.”
Wait, wait, that’s something a pro player would say, what’s a mere middle school student saying!
My head is in chaos due to her cuteness.
Even to my words full of things to retort to, Hanazono smiled.
“Yeah, I was looking forward to today. I searched on YouTube and watched various handball games. I still don’t really understand the rules, but cheering for your school should be fine, right?”
It’s just a middle school practice game.
Even for third-years, it’s unusual for someone of the opposite sex to come cheer.
As I was wondering what to say, I heard the call, “Gather up!”
Wow, I barely got to talk to her.
It would be terrible if I couldn’t see her after the game and we just dispersed.
We finally got to meet, only for awkwardness to linger.
Please don’t leave.
As I was heading towards the call, praying this, Hanazono called out, “Yoshiki-kun.”
“Huh?”
When I turned around, Hanazono showed a slightly hesitant gesture before modestly raising her palm.
“Good luck in the game. Is it okay if I wait outside the school gate when it’s over?”
“Oh… yeah!”
Hanazono smiled brightly.
As we high-fived, I felt the touch of a girl.
My palm grew hot.
I feel like I can do anything in this game.
It didn’t take long for me to think my relationship with Yuuka Hanazono was going well.
I alternately recall the time I met Hanazono and the time I was restrained.
After being rejected on the day I talked to her for the first time in a while, I was dragging my feet on the way home.
…I wonder where I went wrong.
Maybe she sensed my unconscious, indirect approaches and was put off.
I was so happy to talk to Hanazono after a long time that I did something I would never normally do, but the result was the worst.
…We might become distant again.
At times like this, I want to go home talking about stupid things with other guys, but all my friends including Takeru are busy with club activities, so I’m alone.
Because of that, my conversation with Hanazono keeps replaying in my head.
Ah, this is going to become another trauma.
“Found you—!”
I heard the noisy voices of a gyaru group from behind and turned around.
…………A blonde gyaru is dashing towards me at full speed.
“Chaaarge——!!!!”
“Whoooooa!?”
I spread my arms to catch her, but it was too late.
I felt a tremendous impact around my collarbone, and in an effort to dissipate it, I desperately spun around once, twice.
After pulling off a rotation worthy of a figure skater, I gently lowered Yuzuha to the ground.
Landing with a thud, Yuzuha gave me a thumbs up with a proud face.
“This is – Yoshiki’s Attraction!”
“That’s dangerous! What are you doing, are you crazy!?”
“Yoshiki’s good at sports, it’s easy peasy!”
Yuzuha patted my shoulder repeatedly, then turned around and waved her hands vigorously at the two gyaru girls behind her.
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