“Ah, Kanbara-kun, you pervert.”
“Sorry!”
It’s because you pressed against me.
That’s what I said in my heart, but all the real me could do was apologize while flustered. Pathetic, even to myself.
While holding her chest with her hand, Kazama looked at me with half-lidded eyes.
“That was on purpose, wasn’t it?”
“No, it was an accident!”
“Really?”
“Really!”
I forgot we were in the middle of class and raised my voice. Because of that, I got unwanted attention from my classmates and felt awkward.
I glanced at Kazama next to me with a hint of resentment, and she was laughing, looking amused.
“They found out we’re flirting, didn’t they?”
She had the nerve to say that.
If she had said this before I knew her true nature, I might have felt excited, like we were sharing a secret. But now that I know Kazama’s secret, I can tell it’s a form of attack.
At that moment, I distracted myself by thinking about my favorite idol.
There were many direct attacks like physical contact, but sometimes she’d come at me from different angles.
“Kanbara-kun, your handwriting is so neat.”
“My parents were strict about it.”
“People with neat handwriting are great, aren’t they? They look smart.”
“I guess there’s some truth to that.”
It’s just an impression, but people with neat handwriting do tend to seem intelligent somehow.
“Kanbara-kun, you seem unassuming but you’re actually surprisingly high-spec. You’re smart, fun to talk to, and you’re not bad at sports either. Acting unassuming while actually being high-spec—you’re like a manga protagonist.”
This comment made me cringe.
Unfortunately, my brain is just average, and my athletic ability is ordinary too. My conversation topics are all anime-related and not particularly interesting by any stretch.
And yet she used to mock me, calling me “Mob Character-kun.”
Since I knew her true nature, disgust won out, but if I hadn’t known, I might have fallen for it. She’s terrifying.
The attacks grew more intense with each passing day.
Even knowing there was malice behind them, I couldn’t treat Kazama, my target, coldly. If I rejected her carelessly, she might distance herself from me. Then I’d have to start over from making contact with another princess. That would be problematic.
So I continued enduring the attacks. The days of enduring while knowing there was malice, while knowing her words were lies—it was bad for my mental health.
But then, I thought about it.
Ayane had said I didn’t necessarily need to date her. She also said it would be fine to just get along and make people around us misinterpret.
Our classmates were seeing us getting along.
Couldn’t this be considered a successful operation?
I thought that for a moment, but it was completely wrong.
This level of skinship was apparently routine for Kazama, and no one paid it any mind. Looking back, Kazama had been flirting with whatever guy sat next to her before too.
In the end, there was nothing I could do.
Today as well, I was attacked from morning until after school, praised endlessly with insincere words.
Now that school was over, I was slumped over my desk, completely worn out. My past self who thought I could endure if I knew her true nature must have been out of his mind.
But seriously, would anyone normally go this far?
At first I thought it was just a stupid game, but there was something like obsession in Kazama’s actions. I could sense a strong determination to make me fall for her no matter what.
Could there be some clue to breaking through to Kazama in that?
I couldn’t find an answer just by asking myself.
However, one thing was certain: a long-term battle was impossible.
Not just mentally, but if we ended up in distant seats at the next seat change, our relationship would fade. I had to make my move while sitting next to her. Kazama seemed intent on conquering me too, but I didn’t know how persistent she’d be. I had to go on the offensive too, or this would be bad.
I needed an opportunity. An opportunity to break through this stalemate.
“Um, Kanbara-kun.”
Kazama called out to me after most students had left.
“What is it?”
“If you’re free, want to walk home together?”
“With me?”
“Yeah. I want to talk with Kanbara-kun more.”
An event that could serve as an opportunity had arrived.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
The walk-home event is a staple in romance simulation games.
Talking alone together can increase intimacy. Combined with the feeling of liberation after school, it’s a chance to have deeper conversations than usual.
However, it’s also an event where you can fail.
If the conversation doesn’t flow, you’ll be seen as boring and your rating will drop. That’s in games, but it’s probably the same in reality.
I used to walk home with my childhood friend in elementary school, so maybe this was a familiar event, but back then I hadn’t realized my romantic feelings yet, so it wasn’t a special event.
At school there were eyes around us, but now there’s no one. This is the perfect situation to make a move.
“Is your house nearby, Kanbara-kun?”
“If you walk straight from here, I reach home in a few minutes.”
“That’s close. Did you choose Himegasaki because it’s close to home?”
“That’s the main reason.”
As we walked while making small talk, a park came into view.
This was a park I used to play at when I was young. It’s a small park with just a swing set and a sandbox.
“Let’s stop and talk for a bit.”
I followed her invitation into the park.
Kazama headed for the swings and started pumping happily. I sat on the swing next to her.
“It’s fun riding these after so long.”
Whether she wanted to show a childish side or was genuinely enjoying it, Kazama looked delighted.
Alright, this is where I make my move.
A prolonged battle is impossible. I can’t pass up this opportunity when there are no obstacles.
“Isn’t playing the game of making the guy next to you fall for you more fun than swings?”
“Eh—”
Kazama stopped swinging and froze for a moment.
“Wh-what’s this all of a sudden?”
“Sorry. I happened to see you getting confessed to before.”
“Confessed to?”
“A few days ago, Yamada confessed to you in an empty classroom, right? After that, I overheard you talking happily to yourself.”
With that, she must have understood everything.
“…Oh, so you knew.”
She let out a big sigh.
“So that’s why nothing worked no matter how much I pushed. Ugh, I gave all that service for nothing. If you heard that, of course you wouldn’t fall for it. I’ve been thinking I need to do something about my habit of running my mouth when I get carried away.”
Kazama’s atmosphere completely changed. The smile disappeared from her face.
“Actually, if you knew, you should have said something earlier. I worked hard for nothing. Or was my service what you were after? Ew, Kanbara-kun acts like a mob character but your personality is terrible. You’re the worst.”
I’m the last person who wants to hear about bad personalities from you.
“So, what are you going to do? Blackmail me?”
“Unlike you, I have a good personality, so I wouldn’t do something like that. Besides, even if I threatened you, no one at school would believe me.”
“True. But people who call themselves good people are usually no good.”
“Shut up.”
I can’t let this devolve into a verbal fight.
I cleared my throat and forcibly changed the flow.
“Hey, what’s the reason you target guys who sit next to you?”
At first I thought it was just a malicious game, but partway through I sensed something like obsession. I don’t think someone would go that far for just a game.
“You want to know?”
“Of course I’m curious.”
“Well, since you found out anyway, I guess it can’t be helped.”
After kicking a stone that was lying in front of her, Kazama slowly began to speak.
“You know, I used to be gloomy. I was a plain, gloomy kid. No one paid attention to me, and I was the type who just stayed quiet in the corner of the classroom.”
Hard to imagine from how she is now.
“Surprised?”
“Very.”
“…I see. I guess so.”
For some reason, Kazama looked satisfied.
“Plain, gloomy me fell in love with the boy who sat next to me. Oh, by the way, this was my first love. That boy was popular in class and would talk even to plain kids like me. He was cheerful, sociable, cool, and back then I felt like he was like the sun.”
That type exists everywhere.
The central figure of the class, the loud and energetic type. And incidentally, also the type who gets carried away easily.
“One day when my romantic feelings exploded, I confessed to him. Back then I didn’t have a smartphone or anything, but I didn’t have the courage to confess directly either. So I wrote a love letter.”
Kazama stopped speaking.
“What happened?”
“When I got to school, it was posted on the blackboard.”
“That’s cruel.”
“The whole class laughed at me. That broke my heart.”
What an awful person.
Yep, handsome guys are the enemy.
“I was so shocked I became a shut-in. In my dim room, all I thought about was ways to get revenge on him. How I would get revenge.”
“……”
“But the situation changed quickly.”
Changed?
“My parents divorced and we moved. I saw this as an opportunity to reinvent myself and put in effort. I learned fashion, became more cheerful, and studied hard. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by lots of people. People started calling me a beautiful girl, and guys started fawning over me. Then even girls started sucking up to me because they were after the guys who wanted me.”
So she became who she is now through self-improvement.
“Did you get revenge on your first love?”
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