Asahina Wakaba to Marumaru na Kareshi Volume 1 Chapter 1

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I found this series thanks to its ongoing and consistent manga translation from Akatsuki Scans (Big thanks to them) here (Link might be broken depending on mangadex’ mood), so if you want to see more until I catch up, feel free to check out the manga.

Asahina Wakaba and the Rumoured ‘Him’

1

—I’m scared of waking up in the morning.

No, more accurately, I’m afraid of waking up the next day. I want to doze off inside my futon the entire day. And if possible, live inside a happy dream. But of course, reality is always cruel.

“Mm…Hm…?”

The shrilling sound of my alarm clock pulled me out of my slumber. And, it announced that a new day had begun. I don’t want to wake up. But, I have to, yet again. Because I don’t want to worry my parents, my little sister…my precious family.

One, two, three, I counted as I laid in my futon. It’s something like a self-suggestion, but it works. Now, it’s time to get up. Come on, I can’t stay like this, Open…your eyes—

“…Morning, huh…” I could feel a strained smile on my own face. “Better wash my face…” Still feeling gloomy, I headed to the bathroom.

Twisting the faucet, I put a bit of cold water into my hand, and splashed it against my face as hard as I could. At least my mood had to improve this morning—But, I had no idea how much effect this even had.

“…Aha, hahaha. What a horrible expression. I can’t show this in front of the others.”

In the mirror, I could see my—Asahina Wakaba’s pale face. As I bit my lip, I splashed another wave of water against my face, hoping that it would wash away the uprising anxiety inside of me.

When I stepped into the dining room, I heard joyful voices conversing with each other. Apparently, everyone had already sat down at the table. I’m the last one to arrive, as always, making me feel a bit lonely.

“—Good morning, everyone!”

As if to blow away all the gloominess inside my chest, I raised a loud voice. In doing so, three familiar faces turned towards me.

“Good morning, Wakaba. You’re brimming with energy as always, I see.”

“Fufu, she’s still a sleepyhead though. With such great weather we’re having, would it hurt you to get up a bit earlier?”

Dad had the newspaper in one hand, as he showed me an invigorating smile. Next to him was Mom, putting some rice in a bowl as she rebuked my habits of sleeping in. That reminds me, because it rained the entire last week, we couldn’t dry the laundry properly. If Mom is happy, then that’s all that matters. It makes me feel happy as if something good happened to me. And, the same seemed to be the case for my little sister, sitting across from my parents.

“Morning, Onee-chan. It’s been raining all the time last week, so now that it’s cleared up, I’m feeling so much better!” Futaba waved about her arm, showing a smile brimming with energy.

The twintails hanging down to her left and right made her look cute and adorable. Just by watching her, my cheeks relaxed, and softened. Even though she’s got the same face as me, except the hairstyle, why does my little sister’s smile look so dazzling to me? Following Futaba’s gaze, I directed my face over at the window. The sunlight was reflected in the window’s glass, shining brightly. It was a refreshing morning sunshine.

Yeah, I can see that. This scenery is wonderful to look at. I understand how she’s feeling so energetic. I turned back, and returned a warm smile to my little sister.

“Really, it makes you feel great.”

“Right right, exactly that. Last week was a mess, right.” Dad reacted to my words, nodding several times. “It’s gotten more cold recently, so the rain really doesn’t help.” He held his shoulders, faking himself shaking from the cold.

Seeing this, we both burst out laughing.

“Now, enough of the jokes. You have to hurry and eat, or you’ll be late to school.”

—School. When these words passed by my ears, I felt my chest growing heavier.

“Ah…Y-Yes! It’d be bad if we ended up late!”

Not good. I stuttered. They didn’t think of my reaction as weird, right? I glanced at my side, only to find Futaba narrowing her eyes. She must have thought of this reaction as something odd. She always had good intuition.

“T-That reminds me! Did you buy something again, Dad?”

“Indeed, I found a great bargain!”

I changed the subject to cover my slip-up, to which Dad nodded along happily.

“You’re at such an age, and you still go around buying plastic Mandam models?”

“Not Mandam, Bandam! Bandam! I keep telling you that the real name is much cooler!”

“They’re basically the same, so what does it matter?”

“They’re not similar in the slightest! How many times do I have to tell you! You don’t understand a man’s romance at all! What a terrible time this is…!”

“Ahahaha…I-I don’t really get it, but this Bandam thing sounds pretty cool. The name makes it seem really…well, strong.”

“You really are a good girl, Wakaba…Alright, I’ll give you my treasured Red Jack as a present.”

He must have been happy to find an ally in me, as he kept blabbering on about his own hobby. I have to be honest, I’m not too interested in that. When I was lost on how to politely decline, Futaba raised her voice.

“Onee-chan! We’re gonna have to hurry!”

Not good, I got too focussed on the conversation!

“I’m leaving!”

“Me too!”

I quickly cleaned up after my breakfast, took my school bag in one hand, and dashed out of the entrance door. Once outside, I was greeted by a blue sky, and a comforting morning sunshine.

“Then, see you later!” Futaba waved her hand at me, as she ran into the opposite direction.

Our schools are different. Unlike me, who had chosen a school close to our home, Futaba is attending a school three stations from here. And yet, because of her wanting to leave together, I find it a bit easier to get up in the morning.However, this feeling of bliss ends here. After all, what awaits me now is undoubtedly—

—Hell.

2

“Hey, you saw my message last night, so respond to me, will you.”

“Sorry, sorry, I accidentally fell asleep!”

Even this early in the morning, the classroom was brimming with energy. Although only a few minutes were left until the beginning of homeroom class, everyone was talking with somebody about something interesting—except me.

I can’t just enter into the various groups already built in this class, and I don’t feel like doing so either. Because everyone already knows that you won’t get a proper response from me, even if you tried anything.

“So then…Ah, pffft, look at that Asahina!”

The second I heard that voice, my body instinctively tensed up.

“Ahaha, what’s with her. She’s acting like the honor student first thing in the morning!”

“Maybe her workbooks are the only friends she has? Haha, what a poor girl!”

“Don’t be like that. It’s the same as always. Nothing new, right?”

My ears hurt. The voices of the trio reverberated inside my chest, trying to tear apart my heart.

“Also, I’m shocked you actually come to school. That is some iron will there. I definitely wouldn’t be able to stand it.”

“Kuhyuhyuhyu, I’m sure that unlike you, Nanase-san, she’s actually an M. Don’t you agree, Torimaki-san?”

“Haha, now that you say it! Then, aren’t we the good guys? Wakaba-chan’s a pervert who gets all excited when she gets bullied! …Also, Ria, can you do something about that laugh of yours? It’s disgusting.”

I could feel three gazes stabbing my body everywhere. I didn’t even have to check to find out who it was. Ever since she transferred here, in merely half a year, Nanase Ikumi-san, with the help of the other two, she managed to perfectly grasp the reign of this class’ hierarchy. Being clever beyond what you would imagine from her, Shouji Ria-san manages to keep the 2nd place of the student year on a consistent basis. And there’s the satirist Torimaki Mii-san.

I don’t know what I ever did to get them so dead-set on me, but they are devoting most of their attention towards harassing me at every chance…Seriously, how did things end up like this. Thinking back on it, I was always bad at talking with others. Only my family and people close to me I could talk to. That’s why I barely had any friends.

I had a bit of hope when I started attending high school. That something maybe would change. That’s why I worked hard and tried talking with my classmates…But, this is how things ended up as. Every single day for the past half a year, I have to suffer through this slander and abuse, as well as their shrill laughing voices. My ideal high school life should have been much more bright, and enjoyable. This is wrong. This is not what I imagined!

“Asahina!? You better not be ignoring us!”

“—Eeek!?”

Suddenly, someone slapped their hand on the desk in front of me. I raised my head in shock, only to find Nanase-san glaring down at me.

“Ah, Nanase…san…how can I…help you?” I knew myself that my voice was shaking.

My body tensed up naturally.

“You’re always so depressing. Can’t you do something about that!?”

“Ah, I-I’m sorry…” Unable to bear the glare directed down at me, I was forced to avert my face.

“What? What is that look? Do you have something to say? Why not spit it out then? Come on, out with it!”

“I-It’s nothing…”

“You’re always quiet, always gloomy, and seriously disgusting. You think you’re something better than us just because your looks are the only thing good about you, right?”

My own appearance apparently was the same as Mom’s when she was younger, and the people around me often praised me, saying that I will surely grow up to become a beauty. But, here I am, unable to figure out if this is a good thing or not. Nevermind the fact that I have problems dealing with boys. Of course, it’s not that I hate boys, but the way they gesture, and their choice of words is just…It’s probably something like a feeling of discomfort more than anything.

It’s not like I have a reason for this, I just end up tense whenever I stand in front of them. To my surprise, this was regarded as cute and lovable in the rows of the boys, which is why I got confessed to several times in middle school. However, this sense of discomfort did not only stay with me, but even got worse. So, when I was thinking on what to respond with, rumours started to spread about me being a ‘haughty woman’.

This is the appearance I got from Mom, so how could I ever act that proud about it! I want to argue with these words. But, as always, I can’t force out any words. I worry about their rebuttals, worry about me unable to find anything to argue with, which leads to my body and brain freezing up. In the end, the best I could do here was keep quiet, and continue to shake my head left and right.

3

Fourth period came to an end, and the chime to announce the lunch break filled the classroom. I grabbed my lunch, waited for the teacher to leave the classroom, and used this as a chance to quickly escape. I headed to the back of the school building. It was dark and dimly lit, a location that would see no sunlight or anybody’s eyes. No student would come there to eat, especially not in such a cold season such as this. Nobody except me, that is.

I did eat inside the classroom before. But, after they played with it again and again, I gave up on eating there. I’m always being bullied, so I want to at least relax during my lunch break.

“Alright, nobody’s there…have to hurry up and—Ah wow! It looks delicious!”

Omelet with boiled vegetables, adding chicken meat dressed with sesame sauce…When I opened my lunch box, a thousand colors greeted me. Just because of this scenery, my face relaxed a bit. Only this time is what I can actually enjoy at school. It makes me feel like Mom and everyone is with me.

…I really don’t want to come to school anymore. But, if I told them about my wish, my problems, they would definitely worry about me. More than anything, I don’t want them to know what I’m going through. In four months, we’ll move up a grade, and the classes will change. Then, it should get a bit better. With this thought, my fingers holding the chopsticks shook a bit less, as I carried some food to my mouth.

And, it happened the second I started to enjoy Mom’s lunch.

“Buhyahyahya! You don’t get it at all! Ryouichi, is this all you are?! Buhahaha!”

My body twitched. What was that loud voice just now!? I peeked out of the shadows, looking around, only to find a few male students gathered in a group, causing a ruckus. Subconsciously, I almost let out a voice. I remembered their faces.

“What’d you say, Haruto!? Say it to my face one more time!”

“I’ll tell you as many times as it takes. You don’t understand the true value of gal games at all! Your sight is stolen by the outer appearance…What a foolish man you are.”

“Shit, why do I have to receive such insults! Also, I only said ‘That girl with glasses, she’d definitely look much better without them’, so why do you have to tick out like that!?”

“I’m about to announce total war on you…!”

“Why!?”

…Not good, their arguing was so nonsensical, my consciousness just cut out for a second. Apparently, a tanned boy and a slightly overweight boy were having a verbal fight. Were they talking about some TV show by any chance?

At the same time as I thought that, the third boy of the group, who had stayed silent this entire time, let out a long sigh. While shaking his head, he broke between the two.

“Calm down, you two. Ryouichi-kun, you know that you can’t respond to his provocations. Haruto-kun, no more, okay?” He wore glasses, giving off a more invigorating vibe.

It’s Namikawa Shun-kun. He’s a genius with top grades all across the board. On top of that, he even got upper ranks in the national mock exams, pulling along the overall score of this school by far. In short, he’s an amazing person.

“As if I could calm down! I’m being humiliated here! Come, Haruto! I’ll fix that eroge nature of yours!” The long-haired boy’s face burned right red in anger.

His name is Bizen Ryouichi-kun. He apparently is very skilled in the field of athletics, and although he’s a first-year with only half a year of experience on the soccer club, he’s become a regular. On top of that, he always has a maid with him, or so the rumours goes, making him sound like the son of a rich family. In a different sense, he’s just as amazing.

The problem however is the last of the three.

“Weird? What are you saying, you muscle freak! I’m surprised you have the guts to say that, you spoiled brat! Come at me! I’ll show you that this stomach of mine isn’t just for show!” The boy spoke, as he repeatedly tapped his own belly.

He possessed pure white skin, with a close haircut. On top of that, wide lips, and drooping eyes. His appearance seemed to be one step before being overweight. It’d be hard to praise him for it, even when trying to be nice. No girl would probably be able to accept this appearance. At the very least, the rumours about him seem to be true in that regard.

“Iruma…Haruto-kun…”

Fatty – Otaku – Disgusting – These three words were often used to describe him, making him the most hated person in school. Halfway through the entrance ceremony, he talked about lewd games, and was forcefully removed. Even in the long history of this school, he’s made himself a legend fairly quickly. From this irregular appearance originated nicknames such as ‘White Meat Bun’ or ‘Rentou Academy’s Daifukumochi’.

I’m not participating in this, but inside the girls’ circles, he’s the top spot of people you wouldn’t want to have as your boyfriend. As the other two before, he’s a very special person. In the sense that I don’t want to get closer to him.

“You know what I mean! A game has to be healthy! Like fighting games, or fighting games!” Bizen-kun roared.

“You absolute moron! What’s a life’s worth without eroticism in it! You darned virgin striker! I mean, fighting games can be just as lewd, so I’ll gladly take them!”

“When will you ever realize that this kind of talk is what makes you this unpopular!”

“I’m offering my body to the 2D world! I’m not interested in 3D!”

The argument grew more and more heated. Bizen-kun started kicking for real, which was intercepted by Iruma-kun’s belly. Then there was Namikawa-kun, watching these two as he shrugged his shoulders. These three are pretty famous at our school. It’s my first time seeing them in action like this, but they do have an overwhelming impact. They call it the Special Trio, but now I finally understand why.

…Worst of all, they’re loud. They ruined my one joy at school…And, why is that Iruma-kun…looks so happy, even though he knows he’s being hated by everyone? Even I haven’t laughed like this once ever since I started attending this school. I know what this is. This is jealousy, a cruel and selfish emotion.

I rushed to eat my lunch, and walked away from the backside of the school. However, this gloomy, hazy feeling inside my chest would remain—

4

On my way home from school, my feet felt much lighter compared to this morning. Possibly because I’m finally freed of everything. I just want to hurry home, and relax. I’ll go and take the shortcut by taking the corner at the new convenience store. Making this decision, I closed in on the convenience store, when a familiar face appeared from the entrance.

“Futaba…?”

Met with this sudden wink of fortune, I felt my cheeks relax. Unlike me, she is actually in a club. The kendo club of all things as well. Since she often has training until late, we rarely get to walk home together, And yet, I was lucky enough to run into her here. All my heavy feelings I accumulated over the day vanished. Since she’s here, we might as well walk home together.

—That’s what I thought.

“It’s gotten so cold recently, didn’t it.”

“You think so as well, Yukari? I guess fall is about to end soon. Gotta bring out the sweater.”

“It felt like summer passed by in a second. What’s with this place, is time passing more quickly here? Or am I just getting old?”

“Ahaha! China-chan, you sound like an old woman! Ahahahahahaha, cough cough, ugh!”

“Wah, Futaba!? Was that supposed to be this funny? You don’t have to force yourself like this…”

Surrounded by three other girls, presumably her friends, Futaba looked like she was smiling from the bottom of her heart. Yeah, I often forget, but Futaba actually has a lot of friends. She’s on an entirely different level from me. Even though we’re twins…why does it have to be like this.

—Not good. I can’t be like this. It’s weird for me to feel jealous of my little sister.

I shook my head, and turned around. I didn’t even feel like I could call out to her. I took a detour instead, and went home. When I opened the entrance, Futaba’s shoes weren’t there to greet me. I tried to take my time, but even so, I was home faster than her. Wiping away the tears about to burst out from my eyes, I tried my best to create a smile.

“—I’m home!”

“My, welcome back. You’re still brimming with energy, I see.” Mom came to greet me.

Just by watching her invigorating smile, I felt my heart healing. It reminded me that I finally made it home, to my safe space.

“Yup! I’m always brimming with energy, you know?”

That wasn’t a lie. In front of my family, I can always smile. That is why I’m scared of the thought that this day will soon end again. My blissful time is always short. It reminds me of the quick passage of time.

“I made a cake as a snack today. Wash your hands, and then you can have a slice.”

“Waah! I love Mom’s cakes!”

Everytime I come home, everytime I hear my mother’s voice, the decision I made at school only grew more solid. Just half a year…But, that alone is plenty long still.

“For dinner, we have left-overs from yesterday. But, tomorrow, I’ll make your favorite pasta, so you better be looking forward to it.”

—Ahh…

“Yes! I-I’m looking forward to tomorrow!”

—If only tomorrow never came.

Intermission

“You know, it’s really boring as of late. Like, all peaceful.”

The time of day was early morning, as people to their left and right exchanged greetings on their way to school. Although it had gotten fairly cold, the drowsiness wouldn’t vanish that easily. While rubbing her eyes, Nanase Ikumi yawned, and muttered these words.

“Right. The exams are pretty close, so I’d love to take a breather for now~”

Voices of agreement swiftly followed, coming from Shouji Ria and Torimaki Mii, who walked next to Nanase.

“That’s right, that’s right. Ahh, is there nothing interesting going on? Like, something to just—”

“All normies should just explode!”

“Woah!? What was that!?”

A roaring voice loud enough to burst one’s eardrums arrived at the group of girls. The relaxing morning atmosphere was blown away in an instant. Even the other students around were at a loss on what went down.

“C-Calm down, it’s the same as always.”

“As if I could! They’re flirting about every single morning!”

Nanase and the other two exchanged gazes.

“Aren’t those Iruma and Bizen in front of the school gate? They’re causing a ruckus this early in the morning again.” Torimaki let out a sigh, shrugging her shoulders.

Looking over at the direction she pointed at, a few boys were having a verbal fight, without showing any consideration to the people around them.

“…Don’t make me repeat myself all the time. Just get used to it already.”

“That’s right, Haruto-san. This is nothing that you should get upset about.”

Next to Bizen Ryouichi stood a woman with a calm simple, wearing an apron dress.

“Now, Ryouichi-sama, this is today’s lunch. I made sure to put in lots of your favorite fried food.”

“Ohh, now this one I’m looking forward to! Lunch break is gonna be great!”

The woman wore western clothes, with contrasting white and navy blue colors. She had a maid’s headdress on her head, looking like a real maid. Someone said that these types of clothes don’t look good on Japanese people, but she was wearing it just fine. She looked like she came straight out of a manga or movie.

“A priceless, love-filled, and handmade lunch box…! This difference in standing is agonizing! What is the Japanese government doing!”

“There you go again…Just stop it already, Haruto-kun.” Namikawa Shun tried to calm down the enraged Haruto.

“But, but! Aren’t you jealous of him!? Being served every single day by such a cute maid! Not fair!”

“Really, you’re a difficult fellow, Haruto. She’s my important family. She’s like an older sister, like a mother. Right, Yui?”

“…Hmpf.”

“Eh, why are you pouting now? Did I do something?”

“I feel like I’m starting to understand Haruto-kun’s feelings a bit. Ryouichi-kun is so dense at times.” Shun tapped Haruto on the shoulder. “We shouldn’t be forcing it onto him. For now, we have to be men, and watch over a friend’s love, okay?”

“What are you talking about, you closet-pervert bastard! I know about it, okay! You and Mifuyu were talking on the phone until late night, right!” Iruma pointed at Shun.

“Ah, you knew? It’s really not like that, step brother.”

“Don’t just naturally call me like that! Your face and words don’t match up, you bastard!”

As the two were fighting, Haruto apparently had cooled down a bit, and dropped his shoulders in defeat.

“Shit! 3D really got nothing on the 2D! I have lots of 2D waifus, and they all love me!”

Or so people were led to believe, but he burst out into another fit right away. That just now might have been the calm before the storm.

“None of you can tell me I’m wrong!!!” He howled like a sore loser, making watching his unbearable.

“Ugh, being forced to see a disgusting scene like this so early in the morning…” Nanase stuck out her tongue in disbelief, as her friends joined in.

“You can say that again! Why was trash like this even allowed to join our school! I can’t believe it!”

“Right! Aren’t we getting too many disgusting otakus as of late? They think they can do anything just because they walk around with Bizen…Isn’t there anything…” Nanase stopped her words. “Wait a second? Can’t we use this?”

“Eh? What do you mean?” Sensing something interesting in the brewing, Shouji pushed her body forward with sparkling eyes.

Nanase saw this reaction, and felt even more confident. She had found a way to deal with this disgusting otaku pig, as well as to clear their own boredom, a ‘Game’ that would get them two birds with one stone.

“This is going to be interesting. Kuhyuhyuyhu, let me have a bite at it as well.” Shouji showed a grin, letting out her usual maniacal laugh.

Things would become very interesting soon. Their gloomy feelings of boredom had cleared up, and a burning excitement had replaced it. It felt like Nanase had fallen in love, that’s how strong this passion was.

“Fufu, seems like we’ll avoid being bored to death for now.”