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3. A Situation Where All Your Allies Are The Opposite Sex Isn’t A Harem, It’s Just Hell
Throughout Saturday, Takawashi still keeps sending me LINE messages.
I’ve received [still thinking] seven times. And I respectfully reply [got it] each time. If I called this communication, I’m sure I would anger the god of communication.
On Sunday, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I messaged her [they say it’s the spice of life, so could you add some variety to your messages?].
A loner learning to use LINE with a girl is a sign of growth worthy of two military promotions. But in this case, there’s nothing particularly exciting about it.
At this rate, I think, there’ll be no progress on Monday, too. I place my phone on the desk.
If I knew I would have this few contacts, I would’ve just picked a bargain bin model.
I’ve actually had a mobile phone since I was in grade school. (It was replaced by a smartphone eventually.)
The reason wasn’t for protection, or because of doting parents.
It’s all because of my ability.
Of course, my drain doesn’t travel over electromagnetic waves. So my parents gave me a phone so I wouldn’t be left out of the group. People who are left out in grade school and middle school tend to be easier bullying targets.
As you can see from the result, it was meaningless.
First off, on the matter of bullyingā it never happened.
On the contrary, people were afraid of me.
No bullies ever came close to me. If they actually came close, then they’d lose. I wouldn’t be a target for their bullying, but a final boss to fight.
Also, just because you have a mobile phone doesn’t mean you won’t be left out.
So in the end, my smartphone sits on my desk, used for pretty much only conversations with family.
As I flop on the bed and read some manga, my phone vibrates.
“It’s probably just gonna be [still thinking] again.”
Well, I can’t just ignore it, so I get up and check my LINE notifications.
[I think I’ve found a sucker.]
I guess she was [still thinking] of something crazy. That’s right, that girl has a huge vocabulary when it comes to spiteful words. That’s where her variety is the greatest…
[Stop sending messages that would get you in trouble if they got leaked]
[There’s another loner. A girl in another class. Seems like she’s well-known among the girls, but I didn’t notice.]
[That’s because you don’t fit in with the other girls…]
[I’ll let you know the details tomorrow at the usual simulation room]
“She hyped it up so much, but she’s gonna hold off on saying it…”
While I shook my head at this situation, I replied [I’m hoping for a painless resolution.]. If I reply [got it] here, she’ll probably remark on how my replies are by the numbers.
“Seems like the both of us are managing to chat normally on LINE. It pisses me off sometimes, though.”
I want to see a future where the entire world can only talk through social media.
The next morning, I entered the 5th floor room (a.k.a. the Simulation Room) with Takawashi.
Why do we have to act so secretive when talking about a schoolmate? This is all our abilities’ fault.
The two chairs we used last time don’t appear to have moved at all. This might just be a sanctuary for us loners.
Takawashi doesn’t like it when people are facing her, so I place the chairs more than one meter apart (probably two meters) and make them face the window. They’re not that close to the window, so we can’t see the grounds. If someone walked in here right now, it’d probably give them quite a fright.
“At first I wasn’t sure how to find other isolated people, but I found a secret site that people in each class use. That made it simple.”
“Wha-, that really exists…?”
“There’s nothing to worry about. No one in this class should be able to find it. And if they did, they wouldn’t badmouth you, Gure-kun. They just wouldn’t talk about you at all.”
“I’ll just interpret that as your way of reassuring me.”
“That interpretation is correct. It was 30% reassurance and 70% insult. So you can interpret it as either.”
“So the majority of it’s an insult…”
As I quickly glance to my side, I see Takawashi being arrogant as usual. I think she’s 80% insults today.
“They say one out of three is amazing in baseball. So reassuring you 30% of the time is a big chunk of goodwill.”
“I know you’re trying to con me here, but your argument is persuasive enough to annoy me.”
I wish you’d at least smile when you do that. But I guess if Takawashi smiled more often, it’d drive the value of her smile down. I’d be happy to see it once a week.
“Let’s get back to the topic of the site. By the way, I’ve found a site for two other classes, too.”
I don’t know how she managed to find them, and I’m too scared to ask.
“It’s only a few regulars that tend to write there. So it’s a mystery as to how much pull it has on the class, but it’s a good way to get a look on what’s going on. That’s where I found myself a nice catch.”
Maybe it’s because her family name has āeagleā in it, but she seems to subconsciously view everyone as a target to hunt.
“I’ve managed to copy the targetās class anthology.”
From her chair, Takawashi flips through a stack of papers.
A class anthology is a collection of surveys taken by the students in the class and compiled into a booklet. Classes with a lot of responsible and showy types tend to do this near the end of the year.
“Hey, where’d you even get that…? No one’s just walking around with the first year anthologies in the middle of May.”
“One of the teachers left it on a desk in the faculty room. I took it and made a copy of it. It’s not something I’m proud of, but consistently having top marks earns me a lot of trust from the teachers.”
So that’s how it is…. If the top scorer just acts like they’re looking for something, even copying the anthology wouldn’t make the teacher suspect they were stealing private information….
“Here, Gure-kun. Look at this.” Takawashi stands up and puts the paper on my desk.
On there is a photo and profile of a girl.
“There… must be some mistake here, right…?”
The confusion probably showed plain on my face.
“No matter how you look at it, she’d be one of the normies…”
The picture is of a girl with both arms outstretched and making a peace sign.
Her tongue is stuck out in a cutesy way, giving off an extremely strong impression.
Her hair looks lightly dyed, with a warm color. A loose perm is shaped into a side ponytail, and a scrunchie keeps it neatly in place. We’re clearly dealing with a fashion expert,
You could debate on whether she’s the cute type or the pretty type, but she’s easily cute enough to be an amateur model.
Her skirt is fairly short. Shorter than Takawashi’s, that much is obvious. She’s a character that you would call a “JK” instead of a high schooler.
“You’ve got a good eye. Yes, on the surface, she’s our enemy. One of those who’ll be burned at the stake.”
She wants normies to pay with their life. Noted. I need to flick her forehead if she tries anything funny.
“It’s not as bad as the karaoke, but I don’t know if we’d get along…. Umm… Ayameike Aika…”
“So you don’t know. She’s well known among the guys too, but you might not know because she’s in a different class. Information from other classes wouldn’t reach a loner. Ohā I didn’t mean to single you out, that applies to me too.”
Takawashi waves her hand in an appeal to say that it’s just a misunderstanding. Nah, she obviously intended to insult me.
I do get what she’s trying to say. I’ve never heard anything about this Ayameike student.
That’s just what happens when you have no friends.
It doesn’t really make life inconvenient, but it does make it feel empty. Even though school is a place of learning, without all the other aspects, school feels excruciating.
And life doesn’t end at high school. If we don’t manage to make any friends, we’ll just suffer the same hardships in college and at work.
“It’s easier for you to see for yourself. We’ll start tailing her at noon.”
“You’re really getting into this detective work…”
I stand up and return the papers to Takawashi, who’s somehow very lively. Please dispose of these properly.
“I’ll use any means to make a friend. That’s just how much we’ve been backed into a corner. That’s what being in May of our second year means.”
I see a warrior woman in Takawashi’s faceā Jeanne D’arc herself. However, Ms. Jeanne… I wish there was a more noble reason for why you’re backed into a corner.
During lunch, we walk up to the classroom of Class 2-5.
But just standing in front of the classroom draws too much attention.
Using our two-man unit to our advantage, we take on the appearance of two people having a conversation.
“The 66th Yokozuna was known at the time as the Circus Sumo. He claimed victory by holding his ground at the very edge of the ring. That being said, it was a brawl like Sumo had never seen before, and he just barely claimed the title. It goes to show that you need a bit of luck to become a Yokozuna, too.”
There’s no need for me to be part of a conversation, but Takawashi sends me a deluge of information anyway. With how much she’s talking, you’d think she’s forgotten what our objective is, but it really does a lot for our camouflage. And Takawashi is, in fact, glancing around at the classroom. Though from a stranger’s perspective, two people far apart and not looking at each other looks really suspicious.
“So that’s… Ayameike Aika.”
We find our target (a.k.a. Friend Candidate) seated near the back row.
She’s eating a sandwich and reading what looks like a fashion magazine.
The school regulations here are pretty lax.
Well, when your students are all ability users, there’s no way you can firmly prohibit anything.
An earth ability user gets dirty easily, so they wear a jersey to class.
An ability user that generates a lot of static electricity should always wear rubber gloves.
A special ability is a power that’s different from the norm. If a school built for ability users doesn’t acknowledge these quirks, then it’s missing the entire point.
As Ayameike-san finishes her meal, she takes a manga out of her bag and brings it to a guy’s desk.
“This Retsuen Paradox manga was really good! I really liked how the rival fought with all his strength even with all those death flags!”
It seems like she borrowed a manga from that guy. It sounds like she had a lot of fun reading it.
“And sumo wrestlers from back then used to retire really early. It wasn’t uncommon to see one retire in his twenāā”
“Hey, can someone who talks to a guy that effortlessly really be a loner?”
“Hagure Fuji, hold your tongue. Otherwise, I’ll drop you to Jonidan rank.”
I know you’re mad because I interrupted your lecture, but please don’t give me a stage name. And don’t lower my ranking.
And just to exacerbate my worries, Ayameike Aika walks over to a different guyāā and extends a finger right at his face.
“Hey, you’ve got a bit of rice stuck there, you know? A bit too hungry when eating your bentÅ, were you~?”
And with a “Hmm~?”, she thinks about the grain of rice for a second, then tosses it in her mouth.
Let me say that again. She put it in her mouth. A grain of rice that was stuck on a guy’s cheek.
“Takawashi, there’s got to be a mistake! Normie or not, they’ve gotta be dating, right!?”
However, the guy with the rice just calmly says “Yeah, I’ve been told I have bad table manners~” without breaking a sweat. Now that I look closer, he seems like a handsome and sporty type of guy. He’s got a bag on his table that looks like it’s got shoes in it, so probably a soccer player.
I’m so jealous.
“Tomorrow, maybe I should come to school with rice on my face.”
“Gure-kun, if I had to pick between saying you’re gross or you’re not gross, I’d say you should die.”
“There was a third option!?“
Despite being already in a safe range away, Takawashi takes two more steps backward. Her glare is in full contempt mode.
“It’s just a joke…. And besides, no human being would come close enough to me to reach my cheek…”
“That’s true. I almost thought somebody used an ability to make my ears bleed.”
Please stop covering your ears like that.
“But this is just as my investigation indicated. Hagure Umi, turn your eyes to the other girls in the class.”
I have no idea why she changed my stage name. But it was the right call to look at the surrounding girls. Several girls are staring at Ayameike Aika with animosity on their faces.
She probably doesn’t notice it herself, but a loner like me can tell instantly. They look like Ayameike-san just killed their family.
All those girls walk out, like they’re going to the restroom together.
Takawashi approaches me for a second, and says “We’re pusuing them.”.
Takawashi trails two meters behind them, and I follow two meters further back. I’d need a wider hallway if I wanted to avoid lining up like this. The girls don’t seem to suspect anything, though.
“Jeez, that Ayameike is really pissing me off!”
“She really is a succubus. Why is she always trying to seduce guys!?”
Succubus? Did she really say succubus just now?
“There’s a limit to how flirty you can be! Just because she’s a little cute, it doesn’t mean that she can act that way!”
“And even though she does that, I heard she just rejects anyone who confesses to her. Anytime guys ask her out, she says āMy curfew is at 5, so I have to leave soon,ā and slips away.”
“A 5 PM curfew is just an excuse, obviously. She doesn’t date. But she keeps them around as reserves. It’s so stupid.”
After that, two of the girls enter the restroom.
After a delay, Takawashi enters, too. I’m sure you’ll be a detective in the future. You sure aren’t lacking in gumption.
Since I can’t enter, I take out my phone and check LINE, looking like I’m waiting for a friend. Takawashi’s the only one who would contact me, and I don’t have any friends, so it’s all pretend. I’m doing well only on the outside. I wanna cry. Or am I supposed to be thankful that my power doesn’t drain my phone’s battery!?
After some time, Takawashi comes out.
“They’ve just been slandering her the whole time. They’ve got problems with their personalities too. Both of them are nobodies.”
“It’s amazing how you can say that, considering your own personality.”
“Sorry. I have a hard time hearing the voice of spineless people.”
With her face kept cold, Takawashi gestures to me to “Go to hell”.
“We’ve gotten all the information we need. It’s time for us to leave.”
“They said succubus earlier. Like the demon that does erotic things with guys…?”
“That’s right, the girl called Ayameike is unnaturally hated by the other girls. To be treated like a snake by people of the same sex means that she’s a loner.”
“I guess the two of you are similar in that regard.”
“That’s false. I am feared. They react as if I were a god. We’re as different as a snail is to a crab. Gure-kun, you’d best start your life over as a snail.”
Takawashi raises her hands in an exasperated pose, and this time even shakes her head, too. I guess a snail is my larval stage now.
Setting aside the accuracy of that comparison, I get what Takawashi’s trying to say.
If a guy doesn’t have any male friends at all, there’s no way girls would put a meaningful amount of trust in you. That only happens with main characters of really old dating sims who hide their face with their bangs. And usually the other guys don’t hate him, they just don’t appear in the story.
As we walk by Class 2-5 again, Ayameike-san is playing cards with a guy.
We keep walking without stopping. We’ve got no plans to join their card game.
“After school, we’ll start our attack on her.”
“Yeah…. But… becoming friends with someone that the girls hate… is a bit risky…”
It’s not my place to say as a loner, but they say that when you hate someone, you end up hating everything they stand for. I hope that doesn’t happen to us. I’m especially afraid they’ll target Takawashi, too.
“To my ally Gure-kun, I have three words regarding friend-making that I will give you.”
Takawashi stops and stands still. She might have thought it would be hard to focus on someone talking two meters away from you while walking. She holds up her left hand, three fingers raised.
“Tolerance. Resignation. Compromise.”
“…Aren’t those all similar to each other?”
“You’ll never find the perfect friend who’s flawless in every way. We’re not hoping to pull Ultra Rares, we should be trying to get Commons.”
The three fingers are now folded down into a fist.
I’d like to make a few remarks to that, but it would be insensitive to say to a Takawashi that’s this enthusiastic right now.
After class, we once again take our place near Class 2-5.
They already finished short homeroom, so I was afraid our target would have gone home by now, but Ayameike-san is there working on a handout.
It’s just Ayameike-san by herself in the classroom now.
I think this is the time for Takawashi to enter and approach her. She’s staring at her phone with a grumpy face, but her eyes wander around every so often. After looking at the hall aimlessly, she goes back to viewing her phone.
Well, walking up to someone and asking to be their friendāā that’s something you rarely do in life.
For some, it’s even rarer than confessing your love.
Alright, go on, Takawashi. I’ll cheer you on as a fellow loner. I’ll wait here as long as it takes. Make sure to be in your best condition.
āāTen minutes pass.
Takawashi still hasn’t left her spot.
Jeez, shouldn’t you be making an attempt now…?
Takawashi approaches me without warning. Hey, aren’t you invading my one meter space?
She brushes her hair with her hand, then stares off into the distance.
“It’s your turn, Gure-kun.”
“Hold on just a second! I’m pretty sure the situation calls for you here!”
It’s a hundred times more difficult for a guy to ask a girl to be friends!
“First, you can start by saying “What nice weather we’re having today.”.”
“Nobody walks into a classroom and talks with a stranger with that intro!“
“How about inviting her with, “We’re from a club called the Human Relations Research Club. Would you like to join us? Oh, don’t worry. We’re not suspicious at all!”.”
“That’s way too suspicious! And if you’ve got a plan, why don’t you do it yourself then!?”
I feel someone’s gaze from the classroom.
“Oh, is anyone there?”
Ayameike-san noticed us. That’s what we get talking so noisily.
Very lightly, Takawashi strikes me on the back. Even if you only tap me slightly, you’ll still get tired, you know. But I guess this means she really wants me to do it.
“Please. I’m scared of high school girls.”
“Aren’t you a high school girl!?”
As I turn towards Takawashi, she’s making an X with her arms and staring somewhere along the ceiling. She wants to forfeit this match.
Well, what can you do? It’s a request from my ally, so I gotta give it a shot.
I force myself to enter the classroom. But man, most of the open space in a classroom is near the entrances. If she approaches, I’ll have to back off this way and leave a bad impression.
“Sorry to… bring this up so suddenly! I’m Hagure Narihira! I and Takawashi Enju behind me are part of Human Relations Research… which is… sort of a club we have. Just like the name implies, we look into Human Relations… and, uh… try to find out how to build ideal Human Relationships…”
I think my voice is starting to crack. If I knew about this beforehand, I could have tried rehearsing it…
“That is to say… um, would you like to join us…?”
Ayameike-san takes the trouble of standing up and listening to my story. But she smiles a sad smile and says,
“I’m sorry.”
Yeah, I understand.
Nobody would ever say yes to that. I’d probably be a bit hesitant to be friends with someone who would.
“It’s probably because of Aika’s special ability. It’s Aika’s fault you’re confused. I’m really sorry.”
Why is she the one apologizing?
“If it’s fine with you, can we start as friends?”
Huh? Doesn’t this mean we cleared our objective?
She flashes a pure, radiant smile at me, and quickly holds out her hand.
“Hagure-kun, was it? That’s a cool name!”
This might be the first time in my life I’ve felt my heart skip a beat.
“R-Really? It sounds like I’m an outcast, so it paints a bad image.”
“Well, if you become friends with Aika, you’ll never have to be an outcast! Right?”
Seeing this pure and genuine smile right in front of me might be the highlight of my year.
To think angels weren’t in the western version of Heaven, but right here in my school.
My head is captivated by the baseless thought that this girl would accept everything I am.
I find it almost impossible to look directly at her, but I steal a glance. She’s cute. I can say that with full confidence. From the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Her sneakers, her socks, her necktie, āāeven the air she breathes is cute. And her chest is… there’s a certain warm, fuzzy feeling coming from it. Rather than something passionate, I feel a calm, loving feeling for it… like looking at something noble and sacred…
“Umm… I know I just met you… so this might be crazy…”
Huh? What? Huh??? Is a loner like me trying to skip a few steps here? There’s no way I can say it. However, my mouth moves before I can think to stop it. Being a loner already stopped mattering!
“I like you, please go out withāā”
“I’m sorry!”
I was rejected before I could finish.
What… just happened…? This must be a world record. Confessing isn’t something loners are entitled to…
“You’re under the effects of Aika’s ability, aren’t you? Aika’s power increases your emotions of affection by around 20 times!”
“Huh…?”
“That’s why… I’m sure your real emotions right now… don’t actually want you to confess! Aika doesn’t want to deceive you, so I’m not going out with you! I’m sorry if I did anything that could be misunderstood!”
Ayameike-san bows her head in a way that could be easily misunderstood. I’m still trying to fully grasp the situation, and I somehow feel guilty for making a girl apologize.
From behind me, I hear the sound of shrill footsteps.
“Good job, Gure-kun.”
The mastermind who just tried to sacrifice me unashamedly enters the room. But from the other door.
“Keep it up. Be sure to keep working yourself to the bone.”
“That’s not a phrase you should say to others!“
So this was the truth behind the “succubus“.
Ayameike Aika has a special ability that drastically increases the affection others have toward her.
So that meansāā anyone who thinks she might be a nice person will end up falling for her.
And since she feels wrong doing something akin to brainwashing, she politely rejects anyone.
Most of the guys who know about her situation stop themselves from confessing to her, and hold themselves back when interacting with her.
The other girls see her as an enemy for seducing the guys.
And since she can’t make friends with any of the girls, she ends up being a lot more friendly with the guys.
And the guys don’t have the heart to deny the cute Ayameike-san, so in the end, the only people she talks to are guys.
“It’s the very definition of a vicious spiral…”
In our usual lonely 5th floor classroom, one more chair has been set up, forming a triangle with the others. I know it looks like we’re doing something occult, but we’re just talking. Having a ghost as a friend is a bit too high level for us.
Well, Takawashi prefers having the high ground as usual, so she’s standing up. But it’s not much of a problem.
“Yes…. Because of this power, Aika can’t make any real friends…”
āāAyameike-san says dejectedly.
She’s in a bigger slump than I thought. I guess it’s possible for even extroverted people to end up alone. And in this case, being extroverted isn’t helping her solve the problem.
Normally, you need to take action in order to escape being a loner.
But if action is what’s causing you to be a loner, it’s a lot harder to navigate out of. You can’t just become an introvert at the drop of a hat.
“āāAyameike-san, you’re not alone.”
I end up saying that, seeing her close to tears.
In a fictional setting, this is where someone would grab the other’s hand. But reality doesn’t always go by the script. Only the really popular guys can pull that off. A normal guy doing that would be close to harassment territory. And for me, I can’t even get close to people.
So I stand up, and say this instead.
“I don’t think I can say that I understand your feelings. But both I and Takawashi have been isolated due to our special abilities. Compared to people with no problems with their ability, or even people with no ability, I think we’re a lot more similar.”
I’m not confident I can get through to her with words.
If words could convince everyone, we wouldn’t need police, and wars wouldn’t happen.
But even then, even as someone with a special ability, the best I can do is use my words.
“My ability is called Drain. It fatigues anyone who gets within one meter of me…. Takawashi’s ability is called… umm… Takawashi, can I tell her?”
“I- I don’t want you to…”
Takawashi hangs her head and murmurs that embarrassedly.
Takawashi has a right to her privacy. There’s nothing wrong with exercising that right. Butāā
“Ayameike-san already told you her ability. If you don’t do the same, do you think it’s fair to ask her to get along with you…?”
“A-Alright! I get it! You can tell her…”
Takawashi crosses her arms and nods. She disapproves of me cornering her like that, but it seems like she can’t disagree, so she backs down.
“Takawashi’s power is called Kororo Open. If she makes too much eye contact, then others can read her thoughts.”
“I see…. The two of you have been through so much…”
I can see a hint of empathy in Ayameike-san’s eyes.
Telling her was the right thing to do. Solidarity comes from people who know the same suffering.
At the very least, I can make myself believe that we managed to reach her.
However… Ayameike-san is different from the two of us.
She abruptly stands up, moves to where Takawashi is standing, andā
“Takawashi-san, please be Aika’s friend!”
She suddenly holds Takawashi’s hand firmly in both her hands.
“Hyaaa-!“
That’s a sound I’ve never heard from Takawashi before. It’s the highest-pitched one she’s made so far.
“I-I… umm… If someone like me is… umm…”
A perfectly done appeal for friendship. And this hurls Takawashi into a maelstrom of joy and confusion. Ayameike-san’s actions forcefully break open Takawashi’s shell.
That’s right, there’s never been a girl before that’s been able to break through Takawashi’s Don’t Bother Me aura. And Ayameike-san just crushed it to bits.
And even worse, she’s standing on tiptoes to try to get closer to Takawashi’s face. I-Is she trying to kill a loner!?
So this is just how close a JK can be comfortable with! Oh yeah, I even see JKs holding hands sometimes!
Yeah, the natural distance is different for guys and girls.
If two guys hold hands with each other, it’s very likely their relationship is something special. Even if I had a guy friend who wanted to hold hands, I wouldn’t want to. For girls, it’s not unthinkable.
I remember some survey which asked girls if they’ve ever kissed any of their girl friends, and of the ones who answered, about 60% said yes. That was a shock to me. It seems likeāā
High school girl ā Cute ā Stuffed animals are also cute ā It’s not strange to kiss a stuffed animal, even though you’re not in love with it ā High school girls are cute, so it’s not strange to kiss them
āāmight be the train of reasoning behind it.
Unfortunately, this distance is a big problem for Takawashi.
“Hey, can you please stop staring at me with those big, glistening eyes…?”
“Huh? Why? Is Aika doing anything weird?”
“D-Didn’t Gure-kun just reveal my secret earlier…? Well, if you didn’t hear it, that’s good then…”
Ayameike-san’s aggressive approach leads to Takawashi’s ability activating.
(vć«ć«vć«pvćpsfćŖćsfć»sfć³bćć¶sbfb)
She’s so flustered that she doesn’t even know what she’s thinking!
(Calm down, calm down, calm down calm down calmdowncalmdownjustcalmdown)
When you tell yourself to calm down this much, you’re definitely not calm. But hey, at least you’re trying.
Takawashi not only looks away, but closes her eyes too. She’s planning to wait it out until Kokoro Open disappears.
Ayameike-san lets go of her hand and backs away.
To keep holding someone’s hand when they stop talking to you just makes the mood real weird.
Kokoro Open finally disappears. Once Takawashi looks behind her and confirms that, she once again turns to face Ayameike-san. Now that she’s got her calm back, she’s back to her old sour face.
“Understood. I shall make your acquaintance with the intent of becoming friends.”
In other words, she doesn’t see her as a friend yet.
It sure is amazing how she can go back to being condescending after that shameful display earlier…
“Hooray! Aika’s become friends with Takawashi-san!”
“You misheard me. We’re not yet friends. To put it simply, it’s like you still have a written and practical exam to do.”
Anyone who requires a written exam to be friends with someone definitely doesn’t have any friends.
“Well… Takawashi, congratulations on finding a friend candidate.”
Even if she doesn’t acknowledge her as a friend, it’s pretty much the same thing.
Though I was too preoccupied to remember that I’m a part of this, too.
“Then, next up is Narihira-kun!”
She breaks through my one meter barrier without hesitation, and grabs my hand like she did with Takawashi.
Her hands move with the skill of an experienced store employee wrapping gifts.
“Become Aika’s friend, Narihira-kun!”
“Uh, that’s fine with me, but… can, you please back away…?”
“Hold on! You’re calling someone you just met by their first name? Shouldn’t you be learning proper social conduct first?”
That’s a weird place for Takawashi to get her attention caught on.
“Hooray! Now you’re friends with Aika! I’m super happy right now!”
She enthusiastically shakes my hand up and down.
I might be fine, but this situation needs to be over, quickāā
“Oh… I feel a little tired…”
She starts to lean onto me. Drain is working just as it’s supposed to. It’s like giving several blood donations at once.
However, however… this might be the exact wrong time, but my mind notices how soft her body is. It’s not limp or flabby. It’s soft. What is this amazing sensation…? Compared to this, a guy’s body seems like a weapon. I might have experienced it a bit when I caught Takawashi, but this is 30% softer!
And this sweet smell. I thought it was just a myth that girls smelled sweet! Wasn’t that just a delusion from people who’ve never been close to a girl? Like the divine scent when one is on their deathbed and is about to meet the Buddha?
A strange throbbing starts in my chest. It’s… it’s not heart failure. My life isn’t in danger. Quite the opposite, I’m enveloped by calm. I’m filled with a mysterious warm feeling. Since I’m not in some decades-old romcom, I can put a name to this feeling quite easily.
Is this……love?
Have I fallen in love with Ayameike-san?
If only I could, I’d hold her tightly in my arms and say, “Please go out with me! Let’s go on a date to the Skytree or to a movie!”. The only this stopping me is my accursed Drain ability. That’s right, I’ve got to move away fromāā
“So your Drain is real…. But Narihira-kun is so nice and warm… it makes me feel calm.”
Ayameike-san says that in between feverish breaths.
I’ve fallen for her. I have to confess to her. I won’t regret being rejected. I’d regret it more if I didn’t confess. Ayameike-san… I… I…āā
“Gure-kun, that’s the effect of her special ability!”
Takawashi’s words snap me back to reality.
Yeah. That’s right.
My affection is being increased twenty-fold.
In a normal state of mind, a friendless loser wouldn’t be this desperate to fall in love…
Takawashi pulls Ayameike-san away from me and carries her back to her chair.
That seemed to also have an effect of lowering my infatuation. I guess Ayameike-san’s distance from me has an effect on it.
“How are you feeling, Gure-kun? Well, your face doesn’t look lovestruck anymore.”
“Good job… Takawashi…. I was completely taken in by her ability…”
To have something as precious as a confession be under the control of a special ability… it’s just horrible.
But I know better than anyone that Ayameike-san didn’t mean to do anything wrong.
“Auwwww… I’m sorry…”
Ayameike-san exhaustedly bows her head. She’s even drooping her hands like she’s pretending to be a ghost. If a guy did this, it’d be pretty embarrassing, but she’s cute, so I’ll let it slide. Actually, I’m glad that she did it.
“Even though Aika’s like this, would you be my friend? Narihira-kun and Takawashi-san?”
Her teary eyes render both of us frozen in place. For real? She managed to tear up in this situation? This is beyond cunning, she’s almost like a professional actress. Plus, a beautiful girl with tears in her eyes is way too powerful.
But at the very least, it seems Ayameike-san is doing well, and is, well, positive.
Would you be my friend?āā Those words make Takawashi’s lips quaver.
Probably because of Ayameike-san staring at her, the message board appears again.
(Those are the words I want to hear spoken. Become my friend. But it’s better if someone else says them instead of me.)
Even her real feelings don’t want her to be honest. But even so, for me, and for Takawashi, it’s a big step forward.
“I… I still don’t consider you a friend, but… I’m sure Gure-kun would be happy to do so.”
“Well… if you’re fine with me…”
Ayameike-san answers with an immediate “Of course!”. I want to save her voice, her face, and the mood at that moment.
In the May of my second year of high school, I finally made a friend. That’s when the world started to change. Or at the very least, my heart started to move. If I was in front of a shrine offering box right now, I’d put in a 1000 yen bill.
I’ll mark this day as an anniversary from next year onward. Even if it’s not a holiday, I’ll be sure to celebrate it.
CClaw Translations 