Chapter 2 – Reason For Each
Now, with the withdrawal letter discreetly tucked away in the folds of my pocket, I made my way through the imposing gates of the university. It was a bittersweet moment, leaving the university I had only just enrolled in yesterday.
However, as I passed through the main entrance, I ran into a group of senior students from the Economic Department hanging out by the building.
A curious gaze fell upon me, and one of them spoke up.
“Ah, you must be one of the new students, am I right?” He inquired, a friendly smile adorning his face.
“Yes, well, actually, I’ve already de–” I started.
“Ah, I see, I see. I’m Mizumoto Taiki, the head of the Economics Department’s welcoming committee! We’ve got a party planned after orientation today, so be sure to gather in front of the Economics Department building at 5 p.m.! Don’t forget!” he exclaimed.
“Um, well, you see, I…”
“Don’t worry,” Mizumoto reassured me with a dismissive wave of his hand. “This celebration won’t cost you a thing! There won’t be any alcohol, so you can relax and join us without any concerns! It will be held in lecture room 102 in the Economics Department building.”
Ugh… This guy was the type who never listened to what others had to say.
On one hand, I had already made up my mind to leave this place behind. The withdrawal letter burned a hole in my pocket as a reminder of my initial intentions.
But if I were to quit this university without even tasting the essence of a typical college experience, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of emptiness. I mean, my whole drive to ace those entrance exams was fueled by my grudge against women.
Hmmm… still, a welcome party, huh? Well, since it’s free, maybe I’ll just experience it and then drop out, yeah.
“Understood. Thank you very much,” I replied, my thoughts already drifting away to the other side.
***
Skipping the boring stuff, it was time for the new student welcome party. Whether it was normal to have it in a lecture hall with the university’s permission or not, that was another story.
“Oh hey, nice to meet you, Kamimura Yuuta-kun!” someone greeted as I walked in.
“Yeah, uh… sorry, what was your name again…?” I asked awkwardly, still lost in my own thoughts.
“Didn’t you catch my self-introduction? Well, no biggie. There are a hundred people in the same department. I’m Makata Makoto. Just call me Mako,” he said casually, like it was no big deal.
Man, what a mouthful of a name. And seriously, who likes being given a nickname like “Mako” out of nowhere? But for some reason, he had a refreshing smile and an aura of positivity that made it hard to dislike him.
“Hey, Yuuta-kun, what do you think of the girls in this department?” Mako asked suddenly, catching me off guard.
*Cough!*
I take back what I said earlier.
Why were we suddenly discussing girls? I had no interest in such matters. Well, if those three weren’t in the same department, it would be a different story.
“I always thought the literature department would be where all the cute girls gather, but damn, the ones here this year are pretty impressive, don’t you think?” Mako said smoothly.
“Yeah, sure,” I replied, not really paying much attention.
“You see, like that group over there?” Mako pointed to a group of girls.
Curious, I followed his gaze, only to find Kimura Airi, Kurabayashi Mii, and Kojima Aki, all three together. Sure, they’re good-looking on the outside. But on the inside? Total mess.
“Kimura-san, Kurabayashi-san, Kojima-san, right? Especially those three are top-class in this group, right? They each have different types, but who does Yuuta-kun like?” Mako nudged me with a mischievous grin.
“What’s important is inside, not just the appearance,” I interjected, biting my tongue to prevent further words from escaping.
“Not just the appearance? Haha, well, that’s true. But I think appearance is important too, don’t you? What kind of girls does Yuuta-kun like?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Well, if I ever had my eye on someone, I wouldn’t want to compete with Yuuta-kun for her. Just in case,” Mako explained with a sly smile.
“I prefer girls who won’t be stolen away,” I muttered under my breath.
“Huh?” Mako’s brows furrowed in confusion.
What was I even trying to say? The silence stretched between us, and Mako, sensing my discomfort, hesitated for a moment before heading over to talk to a different group.
Oh, am I a loner here too?
Well, it’s fine. I’m planning to drop out anyway. But thanks to that, I end up overhearing the conversation of the three people who are a bit further away.
“I see. So, it’s Kurebayashi-san, right? Why did you choose to come to this university?”
“I’m here because I’m chasing after someone, someone I really need to apologize to…”
“Huh!? Is it a guy?”
“It doesn’t really matter, does it?”
“Suspicious. Well, I’ll have to hear more about that story another time! And why is Kojima-san here?”
“…”
“Kojima-san?”
“I… wanted to run away.”
“Oh, haha, I see. Everyone has their own reasons, huh?”
Oh, their student numbers must be in alphabetical order, hence the conversation order.
Feels like Airi-chan’s been in her own little world since earlier. Meh, not my problem. I’ll just let her be….
In the end, being a loner makes stuff like welcome parties feel pointless. These three girls are definitely why I’ve turned into a bit of a social mess.
Guess I don’t need to share that with anyone, huh?
Can’t hang around here like this. Time to bail. With a heavy sigh, I turned away from the lively chatter and headed for the exit, feeling the weight of that withdrawal letter in my pocket.
officialkarmalibra
April 18, 2024 at 11:05 amYes,be cold with anyone,nice sigma there
Atomicsuffer
April 18, 2024 at 8:14 pmCringe
Jorge
April 18, 2024 at 11:33 pmI hope that our protagonist does not let himself be fooled by any of the girls and stays away from them…. especially the last two, they do not deserve consideration. The first girl did not cheat on him, but from my point of view she is not girlfriend material for this innocent boy, her character expressed in sleeping at such a young age with one of the delinquents at her school already says a lot about the girl’s character.
CJ Lou, the Otaku
April 19, 2024 at 4:56 amRemember, “Betrayal is NOT from your enemies, but from the people you trusted in a very long time.”
It’s very painful when you got betrayed by the people you trusted (especially from your childhood friend and so-called ‘best friend’) OUT OF NOWHERE. It’s way more painful than death, IMO.
That’s why (I had said this before somewhere outside in Soafp, but I will say it again) NTR makes me have Trust Issues on anyone, especially women that I predict (and have vision) that my future girlfriend will betray me.
Anyway, I hope MC won’t get involved with 3 b**ches again… or else he will teach them the lesson. MC (who got NTRed) deserves get revenge and justice!
Xson
April 24, 2024 at 2:12 pmSubmit this f*****g letter already