I got a girlfriend.
Strangely enough, I did. I don’t know her face or her name. But then again, there are people who meet online and get married, so I guess it’s not so strange.
There was a girl, rarer than a horseshoe crab, who liked my boring inner self.
I was so happy.
I even felt like I was getting a little cooler.
I’m glad to be alive.
Sunday.
When I came home from my part-time job in the afternoon, Saionji-san was eating a fried chicken set meal at the restaurant.
“Hey… Saionji-san, what are you doing?”
After swallowing a mouthful of fried chicken, Saionji-san said shyly,
“Sorry. I was planning to return the jersey… I thought I could go back before Sakura-kun returned.”
“Eat a lot. Yuria-chan. This one too! And also this.”
I’ve got the flow somewhat. The jersey, she should have thrown that thing away. No, the trash can at Saionji-san’s house would get dirty.
“Itadakimasu. Ah, I’ll pay for it today.”
“No, no. I can’t take any money from Yuria-chan. Here, have some vermicelli salad.”
She seemed to be at ease with my mother. She was still eating her food with relish.
Saionji-san put a small amount of rice on top of her chopsticks and brought it to her mouth. She bit off a bite of fried chicken with her teeth and licked her lips, which were covered with oil. She blew on the miso soup and drank from her bowl. A satisfied exhale. The sound of crunching pickles. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Her cheeks tinted slightly, and I could tell she was absorbed in her meal.
Somehow, I kept looking at her until she finished eating.
“Souji, take her home.”
“Yes. Saionji-san, can I walk you home?”
“Eh, sorry for the trouble… Thank you.”
This city is not that safe. It’s not that bad, but at least there are a lot of people who are not as classy as those in Saionji-san’s town. Besides, in her case, there is a precedent.
“It’s okay if you walk me till the station, okay?”
She whispered to me as we left the store.
Maybe she just didn’t want to say no to my mother, but maybe she was actually a little annoyed. I nodded honestly.
“Did you meet the guy you like, by the way?”
“Yes!”
Somehow, I had gotten that feeling from looking at her face. She seemed very happy.
“He’s in high school, isn’t he?”
“Yeah…he’s kind, cool, tall, athletic, a good cook, and… an amazing person.”
He sounds amazing.
I’m sure that even if he’s a high school student, he’s no ordinary person.
I’m sure he’s extremely witty and handsome. He must be so handsome that everyone who makes eye contact with him becomes pregnant. Two meters tall. He must have got a gold medal. He must be able to talk for thirty-six hours straight, can cook a variety of foods from sixteen different countries like a pro, and must be a member of Mensa. He must be kind enough to give his umbrella to Jizo-statue on a cold snowy day. (TN: Mensa is the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world)
“…Are you imagining something weird?”
“Eh, I don’t think so.”
Did I look like I was imagining something dirty? I’m embarrassed. Maybe it’s because I’m colorblind now.
Saionji-san, who stared at me lightly with a dubious look, had a very pretty face in general, but my heart was not moved. I’ve never seen Hiria-chan’s face before, but for some reason, I found her a few times cuter.
There’s no need to compare her to Saionji-san, and it would be rude of me to do so. But I felt strangely guilty about looking at Saionji-san and thinking she was cute.
Hiria-chan was probably not as beautiful as Saionji-san, but she was a very pretty girl who smiled a lot.
She probably doesn’t have good grades, is shy, and doesn’t have any friends. She accepts people like me, and she can help people like me. She fell in love with me.
My girlfriend.
The other day, Warako-chan came out of the woodwork and smacked me vigorously on the head while saying “Disgusting, disgusting”, but that didn’t bring me back to my senses at all.
But sometimes Warako-chan would say in a small voice,
[“When are you going to tell her your name?”]
[“Won’t you show your face?”]
Her voice was so quiet that I pretended not to hear it.
But ever since the day she confessed to me, I’ve been hearing that little voice.
“Sakura-kun.”
As I was walking with Saionji-san, I heard a girl’s voice. I looked over and saw a girl who was my classmate in eighth grade.
“Wow, you’re still the same! You must be popular in high school.”
“Nah…”
“Surely? I’m sure the ratio of pursuers is huge!”
She smiled brightly. Then she noticed Saionji-san a little behind me and stared at her with a surprised face. And her voice faltered a little.
“Girlfriend? That’s amazing..!”
“Eh?”
“She’s so cute, you guys look great together!”
“It’s not like that…”
“Sakura-kun, you’re amazing! You’re good at your studies, you’re athletic, you’re tall, you’ve got a good face… and even your girlfriend is a beautiful girl!”
She squealed, chattered busily, looked at her watch suddenly, and left in a hurry.
After a while, a thick male voice called out, “Sou, Sou!”. It was one of my few friends. We had gone to elementary and junior high together, and he knew my views on women. We were good friends, but we hadn’t seen each other that much since I entered high school. I missed the opportunity because I thought I could meet at any time since we were in the same neighborhood.
“Mino, huh? How’s high school?”
“It’s okay I guess. What about you? Maybe you got a girlfriend or something?…. of course not, right?…”
After saying that much, he noticed Saionji-san behind me and looked at her with a surprised face. His mouth gaped open in astonishment for a while, but he couldn’t close it. Then he started screaming.
“Ehh, Eeeeehhhhhh! It’s a lie! That Sou…?”
“….Wait. you must have misunderstood something.”
“Nooo~! No way~! Do humans have faces like that~? Noooo~!”
Mino, who had turned into an onee in shock, staggered away. (TN: onee is a type of female persona. I’m too tired to explain)
“…Sakura-kun, are you perhaps a pretty bad guy in your essence?”
Saionji-san, who had been watching the whole thing, cocked her head and blurted out without much interest.
A life of being misunderstood on all fronts.
＊
Exactly five minutes after the text, I left the classroom.
I was in a hurry.
As soon as I slammed the door of the second library shut, I heard a voice.
“Nekura-kun!”
“Yes.”
“I missed you! I like you!”
“M-mm… I lik…”
“Yeah.”
“I… lik..”
There was a moment of waiting silence, but then I heard the sound of a resigned breath.
“Yesterday, I cleaned my room. It was terrible.”
“What’s your room like, Hiria-chan?”
“There’s a cute little raccoon figurine.”
“A raccoon? … From Shigaraki-ware?”
There’s a small one in front of our store.
“Eh, mm? I saw one outside and it was cute, so I bought a small one. But I wanted a big one too, so I cleaned up!”
“I-I see”
A gorilla, a raccoon. The designs are always wild, but I guess she likes animals. I’ve learned another new side of her.
“What about your room, Nekura-kun? What’s it like? Do you have any ornaments?”
“Not in my room. There’s a wooden bear in the doorway.”
“A bear?”
“It’s one of those souvenir bears with a fish in its mouth.”
“Ah… I think I’ve seen one of those.”
“At a friend’s house?”
“Ye-yeah…well”
I don’t know why Hiria-chan was clamoring. Maybe she doesn’t like bears that much.
“What’s your favorite animal, Nekura-kun?”
“Panda.”
“Wow… It suits you! It suits you really well.”
Hiria-chan giggled.
I laughed along with her.
Our days were peaceful, happy, and fun with such casual conversation.
I never imagined that our relationship would be destroyed so easily, and I also never imagined that the flower garden that had spread all over my head would suddenly be burned to the ground.
I got a girlfriend.
Strangely enough, I did. I don’t know her face or her name. But then again, there are people who meet online and get married, so I guess it’s not so strange.
There was a girl, rarer than a horseshoe crab, who liked my boring inner self.
I was so happy.
I even felt like I was getting a little cooler.
I’m glad to be alive.
Sunday.
When I came home from my part-time job in the afternoon, Saionji-san was eating a fried chicken set meal at the restaurant.
“Hey… Saionji-san, what are you doing?”
After swallowing a mouthful of fried chicken, Saionji-san said shyly,
“Sorry. I was planning to return the jersey… I thought I could go back before Sakura-kun returned.”
“Eat a lot. Yuria-chan. This one too! And also this.”
I’ve got the flow somewhat. The jersey, she should have thrown that thing away. No, the trash can at Saionji-san’s house would get dirty.
“Itadakimasu. Ah, I’ll pay for it today.”
“No, no. I can’t take any money from Yuria-chan. Here, have some vermicelli salad.”
She seemed to be at ease with my mother. She was still eating her food with relish.
Saionji-san put a small amount of rice on top of her chopsticks and brought it to her mouth. She bit off a bite of fried chicken with her teeth and licked her lips, which were covered with oil. She blew on the miso soup and drank from her bowl. A satisfied exhale. The sound of crunching pickles. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Her cheeks tinted slightly, and I could tell she was absorbed in her meal.
Somehow, I kept looking at her until she finished eating.
“Souji, take her home.”
“Yes. Saionji-san, can I walk you home?”
“Eh, sorry for the trouble… Thank you.”
This city is not that safe. It’s not that bad, but at least there are a lot of people who are not as classy as those in Saionji-san’s town. Besides, in her case, there is a precedent.
“It’s okay if you walk me till the station, okay?”
She whispered to me as we left the store.
Maybe she just didn’t want to say no to my mother, but maybe she was actually a little annoyed. I nodded honestly.
“Did you meet the guy you like, by the way?”
“Yes!”
Somehow, I had gotten that feeling from looking at her face. She seemed very happy.
“He’s in high school, isn’t he?”
“Yeah…he’s kind, cool, tall, athletic, a good cook, and… an amazing person.”
He sounds amazing.
I’m sure that even if he’s a high school student, he’s no ordinary person.
I’m sure he’s extremely witty and handsome. He must be so handsome that everyone who makes eye contact with him becomes pregnant. Two meters tall. He must have got a gold medal. He must be able to talk for thirty-six hours straight, can cook a variety of foods from sixteen different countries like a pro, and must be a member of Mensa. He must be kind enough to give his umbrella to Jizo-statue on a cold snowy day. (TN: Mensa is the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world)
“…Are you imagining something weird?”
“Eh, I don’t think so.”
Did I look like I was imagining something dirty? I’m embarrassed. Maybe it’s because I’m colorblind now.
Saionji-san, who stared at me lightly with a dubious look, had a very pretty face in general, but my heart was not moved. I’ve never seen Hiria-chan’s face before, but for some reason, I found her a few times cuter.
There’s no need to compare her to Saionji-san, and it would be rude of me to do so. But I felt strangely guilty about looking at Saionji-san and thinking she was cute.
Hiria-chan was probably not as beautiful as Saionji-san, but she was a very pretty girl who smiled a lot.
She probably doesn’t have good grades, is shy, and doesn’t have any friends. She accepts people like me, and she can help people like me. She fell in love with me.
My girlfriend.
The other day, Warako-chan came out of the woodwork and smacked me vigorously on the head while saying “Disgusting, disgusting”, but that didn’t bring me back to my senses at all.
But sometimes Warako-chan would say in a small voice,
[“When are you going to tell her your name?”]
[“Won’t you show your face?”]
Her voice was so quiet that I pretended not to hear it.
But ever since the day she confessed to me, I’ve been hearing that little voice.
“Sakura-kun.”
As I was walking with Saionji-san, I heard a girl’s voice. I looked over and saw a girl who was my classmate in eighth grade.
“Wow, you’re still the same! You must be popular in high school.”
“Nah…”
“Surely? I’m sure the ratio of pursuers is huge!”
She smiled brightly. Then she noticed Saionji-san a little behind me and stared at her with a surprised face. And her voice faltered a little.
“Girlfriend? That’s amazing..!”
“Eh?”
“She’s so cute, you guys look great together!”
“It’s not like that…”
“Sakura-kun, you’re amazing! You’re good at your studies, you’re athletic, you’re tall, you’ve got a good face… and even your girlfriend is a beautiful girl!”
She squealed, chattered busily, looked at her watch suddenly, and left in a hurry.
After a while, a thick male voice called out, “Sou, Sou!”. It was one of my few friends. We had gone to elementary and junior high together, and he knew my views on women. We were good friends, but we hadn’t seen each other that much since I entered high school. I missed the opportunity because I thought I could meet at any time since we were in the same neighborhood.
“Mino, huh? How’s high school?”
“It’s okay I guess. What about you? Maybe you got a girlfriend or something?…. of course not, right?…”
After saying that much, he noticed Saionji-san behind me and looked at her with a surprised face. His mouth gaped open in astonishment for a while, but he couldn’t close it. Then he started screaming.
“Ehh, Eeeeehhhhhh! It’s a lie! That Sou…?”
“….Wait. you must have misunderstood something.”
“Nooo~! No way~! Do humans have faces like that~? Noooo~!”
Mino, who had turned into an onee in shock, staggered away. (TN: onee is a type of female persona. I’m too tired to explain)
“…Sakura-kun, are you perhaps a pretty bad guy in your essence?”
Saionji-san, who had been watching the whole thing, cocked her head and blurted out without much interest.
A life of being misunderstood on all fronts.
＊
Exactly five minutes after the text, I left the classroom.
I was in a hurry.
As soon as I slammed the door of the second library shut, I heard a voice.
“Nekura-kun!”
“Yes.”
“I missed you! I like you!”
“M-mm… I lik…”
“Yeah.”
“I… lik..”
There was a moment of waiting silence, but then I heard the sound of a resigned breath.
“Yesterday, I cleaned my room. It was terrible.”
“What’s your room like, Hiria-chan?”
“There’s a cute little raccoon figurine.”
“A raccoon? … From Shigaraki-ware?”
There’s a small one in front of our store.
“Eh, mm? I saw one outside and it was cute, so I bought a small one. But I wanted a big one too, so I cleaned up!”
“I-I see”
A gorilla, a raccoon. The designs are always wild, but I guess she likes animals. I’ve learned another new side of her.
“What about your room, Nekura-kun? What’s it like? Do you have any ornaments?”
“Not in my room. There’s a wooden bear in the doorway.”
“A bear?”
“It’s one of those souvenir bears with a fish in its mouth.”
“Ah… I think I’ve seen one of those.”
“At a friend’s house?”
“Ye-yeah…well”
I don’t know why Hiria-chan was clamoring. Maybe she doesn’t like bears that much.
“What’s your favorite animal, Nekura-kun?”
“Panda.”
“Wow… It suits you! It suits you really well.”
Hiria-chan giggled.
I laughed along with her.
Our days were peaceful, happy, and fun with such casual conversation.
I never imagined that our relationship would be destroyed so easily, and I also never imagined that the flower garden that had spread all over my head would suddenly be burned to the ground.
