Chapter 33: The Two Strawberries
The week ended and the morning of Valentine’s Day finally arrived. All the boys were nervous, and their conversations seemed to be even more restless than usual. The girls, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying their exchange of individually wrapped chocolates with their friends. However, there was a fire in their eyes, and it seemed like they were restraining each other.
And me? I feel like I’m going to fall into a dream if I don’t think about something to help make me stay awake.
“You look sleepy this morning. What’s wrong?”
It was Shinji who refreshingly called out to me while I was lying face-down at my desk. I’d like to ask him how he manages to have the same fresh smile every morning.
“It’s because I call Akiho every day before I go to bed. So why does Yuya look so sleepy? Did something happen to you that you couldn’t sleep?”
“Oh… well. I’ve been through a lot since that day. I just couldn’t sleep very well.”
Last weekend I had spent dinner with Shinji and his friends. After they had left, something had happened. That night, Kaede and I had hugged each other.
After that day, the distance between me and Kaede at home became even closer. To be more specific, we don’t sleep hugging each other, but we do sleep closer, literally.
“Shinji, you should listen to Otsuki-san’s cute sleep breathing in your ear. It’ll make your sleepiness go away in an instant.”
” Heh, … so you sleep with Hitotsuba-san every day. And that’s at a distance where you can ever hear her breathing in her sleep.”
“Oh, no no…, … that’s not possible.”
Watch out, watch out. I almost inadvertently told Shinji again. People are creatures that learn. They will never play the same trick over and over again.
“Well, it’s like you’re half-confessing…”
Shinji laughed and took out his textbook from his bag and started to prepare for the first period. I better get ready, too. I stretched my stiff back and pulled out my textbook from the bag as well. I used to leave my books at home, but I changed my mind when I came to live with Kaede. She’s studying so hard. When I see that every day, I knew that I couldn’t afford to lose.
“That’s not important, Yuya. Shouldn’t you be really looking forward to the extracurricular camp next week? It’s rare to have a camp this time of year, and that’s even with skiing and stargazing. I’m sure it’ll be fun!”
“… I guess so. I’ve never skied before, so I’m not sure if I can ski well. And, what’s stargazing? … A forced push for youth?”
“If that’s a sales pitch from Yuya-kun, I’ll gladly buy it up myself.”
Whoa! Where did you come out of the blue, Kaede? And as usual, Otsuki-san is with you? It has become a norm for the four of us to have conversations in every morning’s HR.
“It’s a three-day extracurricular camp at the end of the month. Unfortunately, we’re in different classes, so we’ll have to take separate buses to get there, but we’ll be together there!”
“Yeah, I guess so. It’s a little sad that we’ll be separated, but I guess it won’t matter once we get there. Yes, I’m looking forward to it, Kaede. Let’s look at the stars together.”
“Yes, ……! I’m also looking forward to seeing the stars with you, Yuya-kun!”
Her smile I see at home is good, but Kaede’s big smile at school is also great. It’s fresh, or perhaps it has a different feel to it.
“Hey, hey, Shin-kun. What is this sweet atmosphere that suddenly started? Why are all the boys looking like zombies?”
“It can’t be helped, Akiho. The two of them are in the same state they were when we started dating. Well, the boys look dead, but the girls are looking at them enviously.”
“After all, Yoshi is cool. … The truth is that Kaede-chan came here because —”
“Akiho-chan! Don’t say anything else! You promised not to tell anyone about it, didn’t you!? Is your mouth helium!?”
A mouth lighter than air. (Footnote: Helium is a gas lighter than air. That’s the pun. And now, the pun is ruined because of this explanation.) I guess I can’t ask Otsuki-san for advice. I was going to ask her what I should buy for White Day, but I guess I shouldn’t.
“Ehhhhh — why not? It’s fine to say that you were worried that Yoshi would get Valentine’s Day chocolates from other girls and you got anxious.”
“You’re such a baaakaaa, Ahiiikooo-channn!! Why are you revealing everything!? If you do this, Yuya-kun will think I’m a controlling girlfriend!”
No, I didn’t misunderstand you. It’s just that your objective was quite forceful. (Footnote: Originally an idiom, which meant: to remove obstacles in the way of one’s objective.) Well, if I look at the other side of the coin, the constraints are proof of how much she loves me. It is a man’s good fortune of mine that Kaede thinks so much of me. I’ve never been happier. [TN: This is one of Yuya’s quicks, NOT a wisdom/moral.]
“Mouu, you’re such a baka, Yuya-kun…”
Kaede smiled with a blush on her face. Ah, her embarrassed face is cute too.
“Yes, yes. Thank you for this morning’s feast! I’m going back to class soon, Kaede-chan! Let’s meet again at lunchtime!”
“Ah…! Don’t pull me away, Akiho-chan. Yuya-kun, see you later!”
She waved us off, saying she’d see us later. Hey, Shinji. What’s with that scowl? Do you have a problem with me?
“… Couple.”
That’s the last thing I need to hear! You’re the only one I don’t want to hear it from!
“You really should be more careful about giving off an unconscious strawberry air, okay? People will get hit by the sweetness and will faint sooner or later.”
What do you mean by ‘strawberry air’? But my question was mercilessly drowned out by the chime.
Chapter 33: The Two Strawberries
The week ended and the morning of Valentine’s Day finally arrived. All the boys were nervous, and their conversations seemed to be even more restless than usual. The girls, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying their exchange of individually wrapped chocolates with their friends. However, there was a fire in their eyes, and it seemed like they were restraining each other.
And me? I feel like I’m going to fall into a dream if I don’t think about something to help make me stay awake.
“You look sleepy this morning. What’s wrong?”
It was Shinji who refreshingly called out to me while I was lying face-down at my desk. I’d like to ask him how he manages to have the same fresh smile every morning.
“It’s because I call Akiho every day before I go to bed. So why does Yuya look so sleepy? Did something happen to you that you couldn’t sleep?”
“Oh… well. I’ve been through a lot since that day. I just couldn’t sleep very well.”
Last weekend I had spent dinner with Shinji and his friends. After they had left, something had happened. That night, Kaede and I had hugged each other.
After that day, the distance between me and Kaede at home became even closer. To be more specific, we don’t sleep hugging each other, but we do sleep closer, literally.
“Shinji, you should listen to Otsuki-san’s cute sleep breathing in your ear. It’ll make your sleepiness go away in an instant.”
” Heh, … so you sleep with Hitotsuba-san every day. And that’s at a distance where you can ever hear her breathing in her sleep.”
“Oh, no no…, … that’s not possible.”
Watch out, watch out. I almost inadvertently told Shinji again. People are creatures that learn. They will never play the same trick over and over again.
“Well, it’s like you’re half-confessing…”
Shinji laughed and took out his textbook from his bag and started to prepare for the first period. I better get ready, too. I stretched my stiff back and pulled out my textbook from the bag as well. I used to leave my books at home, but I changed my mind when I came to live with Kaede. She’s studying so hard. When I see that every day, I knew that I couldn’t afford to lose.
“That’s not important, Yuya. Shouldn’t you be really looking forward to the extracurricular camp next week? It’s rare to have a camp this time of year, and that’s even with skiing and stargazing. I’m sure it’ll be fun!”
“… I guess so. I’ve never skied before, so I’m not sure if I can ski well. And, what’s stargazing? … A forced push for youth?”
“If that’s a sales pitch from Yuya-kun, I’ll gladly buy it up myself.”
Whoa! Where did you come out of the blue, Kaede? And as usual, Otsuki-san is with you? It has become a norm for the four of us to have conversations in every morning’s HR.
“It’s a three-day extracurricular camp at the end of the month. Unfortunately, we’re in different classes, so we’ll have to take separate buses to get there, but we’ll be together there!”
“Yeah, I guess so. It’s a little sad that we’ll be separated, but I guess it won’t matter once we get there. Yes, I’m looking forward to it, Kaede. Let’s look at the stars together.”
“Yes, ……! I’m also looking forward to seeing the stars with you, Yuya-kun!”
Her smile I see at home is good, but Kaede’s big smile at school is also great. It’s fresh, or perhaps it has a different feel to it.
“Hey, hey, Shin-kun. What is this sweet atmosphere that suddenly started? Why are all the boys looking like zombies?”
“It can’t be helped, Akiho. The two of them are in the same state they were when we started dating. Well, the boys look dead, but the girls are looking at them enviously.”
“After all, Yoshi is cool. … The truth is that Kaede-chan came here because —”
“Akiho-chan! Don’t say anything else! You promised not to tell anyone about it, didn’t you!? Is your mouth helium!?”
A mouth lighter than air. (Footnote: Helium is a gas lighter than air. That’s the pun. And now, the pun is ruined because of this explanation.) I guess I can’t ask Otsuki-san for advice. I was going to ask her what I should buy for White Day, but I guess I shouldn’t.
“Ehhhhh — why not? It’s fine to say that you were worried that Yoshi would get Valentine’s Day chocolates from other girls and you got anxious.”
“You’re such a baaakaaa, Ahiiikooo-channn!! Why are you revealing everything!? If you do this, Yuya-kun will think I’m a controlling girlfriend!”
No, I didn’t misunderstand you. It’s just that your objective was quite forceful. (Footnote: Originally an idiom, which meant: to remove obstacles in the way of one’s objective.) Well, if I look at the other side of the coin, the constraints are proof of how much she loves me. It is a man’s good fortune of mine that Kaede thinks so much of me. I’ve never been happier. [TN: This is one of Yuya’s quicks, NOT a wisdom/moral.]
“Mouu, you’re such a baka, Yuya-kun…”
Kaede smiled with a blush on her face. Ah, her embarrassed face is cute too.
“Yes, yes. Thank you for this morning’s feast! I’m going back to class soon, Kaede-chan! Let’s meet again at lunchtime!”
“Ah…! Don’t pull me away, Akiho-chan. Yuya-kun, see you later!”
She waved us off, saying she’d see us later. Hey, Shinji. What’s with that scowl? Do you have a problem with me?
“… Couple.”
That’s the last thing I need to hear! You’re the only one I don’t want to hear it from!
“You really should be more careful about giving off an unconscious strawberry air, okay? People will get hit by the sweetness and will faint sooner or later.”
What do you mean by ‘strawberry air’? But my question was mercilessly drowned out by the chime.
