E-Book Bonus: Original Short Story
[The Fifth One]
I couldn’t react immediately. I had to admit that much.
To the underclassman girl in front of me—Tsuchikura, as far as she was concerned—I must’ve seemed awfully suspicious.
“Senpai?”
Tilting her head slightly, she peered up at me from below,
her large, curious eyes silently demanding an explanation for my silence.
“Sorry. It’s nothing, Tsuchikura.”
“You can just call me by my name, y’know? Oh, wait—are you blushing, senpai?”
“Nah, not really.”
“Ehh? Reallyyy?”
She grinned mischievously, teasing.
For a middle school underclassman, she was surprisingly bold.
“I mean it. I just have a personal rule about not using the first name when it comes to someone named ‘Natsuki’.”
“Pfft! Yeah, right!”
Tsuchikura burst out laughing, taking it as a joke.
Well, it was actually true, but whatever.
“Anyway, what was it again? You needed a guide or something?”
“Yep! Pleaaase take care of me!”
She struck a playful salute with her right hand flat, making her request.
There wasn’t a shred of deference toward an upperclassman, but for some reason, it didn’t bother me at all.
Her cheerful, unpretentious attitude helped me relax into a more natural tone.
“Alright, let’s head back toward the gate.”
“Coming right behiiind!”
“…You’d have to be really lost to not know where the gate is. The training hall’s right next to it.”
“Huh…? Waiiit…?”
“Don’t tell me you suddenly lost all your memories.”
“Nahahaha!”
“…You laugh a lot, huh.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. Tsuchikura just giggled again.
“Says the senpai who’s been smiling this whole time!”
“Smiles don’t cost a thing.”
“Huh? What, like a burger joint?”
“Nope.”
“Ahahaha! Well, smiling’s always better than not, right?”
She pressed her index fingers to her cheeks, striking a deliberately adorable pose.
I wished the guy who practiced scowling in the mirror could hear that.
…Then again, maybe his case was just job-related. Most people don’t actively train their expressions. And off-duty, he’s got zero intimidation factor.
“Cute, right?”
“Sure, sure.”
I gave her a half-hearted nod.
Seemingly satisfied, she remained in high spirits.
“Exactly! Consider this a free service, on the house!”
“Wanna open a burger stand together?”
“Ooh, yes! I’ll handle the buns!”
“Guess that makes me the patty.”
“Eh…? Senpai, are you saying… you wanna get sandwiched by a cute underclassman?”
“You shot down my setup, you traitor.”
“Ack—hahaha!”
“Also, who calls themselves a ‘cute girl’?”
“It’s fine if you say it too! Like, ‘I’m a pretty boy’—”
“I don’t have the guts for that.”
“Yeah, figures!”
“I’ll punch you.”
“Some tea with that?”
“Not the kinda ‘tea’ I meant.”
“Nyahaha!”
“…Seriously, you never stop laughing.”
She seemed like the type who cracked up at everything—a real giggle monster.
Not that I minded. It was kinda refreshing. You don’t meet many like her at this school.
“Laughing’s a good thing, y’know.”
Suddenly, Tsuchikura stopped walking and turned to me.
“Oh? Is that, like, your life motto?”
“Hmm… I guess you could call it that.”
“Huh… Well, yeah, it is a good thing.”
“Right? —Oh, senpai, can I get your contact info?”
“Hm?”
As I tilted my head, she pulled out her phone.
“If you ever feel like laughing, just hit me up!”
“Wait, what? Are you a comedian?”
“Nope, not at all! I’m just a smile delivery service!”
“…Well, if it’s free.”
“That depends on your phone plan.”
“Not what I meant.”
“Giggle.”
With a childlike laugh, we exchanged contacts.
For a moment, she stared silently at her screen, registering my info. Then—
“Okay, I’ll be waiting for your message, senpai!”
“Uh… sure, if I feel like it.”
“You better feel like it.”
“Tell that to my mood.”
“I hate that answer.”
“Fine, fine.”
“Ehehe. Yay!”
Beaming, she tucked her phone away.
Wait, did I just get adopted? She did say she hated my answer, though…
Either way, making a new friend wasn’t a bad thing.
“Alright, looking forward to it, Tsuchikura.”
When I said that, she looked up and replied—
“I told you, ‘Natsuki’ is fine!”
“And I told you, no.”
“Ehhh—”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
TLNOTE : Sadly the LN is likely sold not great. There’s no second volume in sight and the author is writing brand new novel already
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