Chapter 1 – I Just Can't Get Along with My Childhood Friend

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Highschool Arc

Suddenly, and maybe it was random as hell to bring up, but whatever—I grew up in a single-mother household.

My parents got divorced when I was a kid.

Not that I enjoyed sitting around listening to my mom get drunk and rant about how unfair life was, but at the end of the day, she was all the family I had. No way around it.

And every time she drank, she started in on the same lecture.

“The ones who win in the end are men with high academic backgrounds. Got that, Yuuya? You need to study hard, get into a good high school, and then a good university. That way, you'll end up on top in life.”

I didn't necessarily think that was all there was to life, but when you heard something over and over again, it stuck.

So I believed her. Took those words to heart. From the time I was little, I devoted myself to studying.

The result? I consistently ranked at the top in elementary, middle, and high school. No failures. No distractions. Just grinding my way to be the best.

But then puberty hit.

And that was when I learned something crucial—being smart alone didn't make you popular.

***

“Sorry, Yuuya. I really appreciate the thought, but I've never seen you that way. I actually like someone else. So… I can't go out with you.”

Those words shattered everything.

I stood there, fists clenched, trying to keep my face from twisting. I had spent my whole life focused on studying, but even I only had one youth. And if I had a chance to enjoy it, I damn well wanted to.

That desperation had pushed me forward in my first year of high school, during the season of those triangular chocolate pies. A dumb little romantic moment, straight out of a cliché. I built up every ounce of courage I had, called my childhood friend, Yoshikawa Mahiro, to meet me under the legendary tree in the school courtyard, and then—I confessed.

Heart pounding. Breath shaky. Words honest.

And she crushed me. Completely, utterly, without a shred of hesitation.

I should've seen it coming. Hell, I did see it coming. But knowing and feeling were two different things.

“I see… Sorry for saying something weird. Just forget it.”

“No, really, I'm sorry.”

“Don't worry about it. Well, uh, see you.”

And just like that, it was over.

I turned on my heel and walked away. No, ran. Anyone watching would've seen nothing but a pathetic loser retreating with his tail between his legs. My chest felt hollow, like someone had reached inside and scooped out everything I thought was there.

My eyes weren't tearing up. No, my eyes were just sweating. Because I was a man. And men didn't cry over stupid s**t like this.

Right?

We'd been childhood friends. I thought we were close. But that was over now, huh?

Whether for better or worse, a confession was a gamble. And sometimes, it didn't just end in rejection—it ended in total annihilation.

I wandered behind the school building, loitering like an idiot, letting the weight of it all settle. An hour passed before I convinced myself that standing there like some heartbroken jackass wouldn't change anything.

Pathetic as it was, at least I had taken a step forward.

But fate wasn't done f*****g with me just yet.

On my way home, I ran into Mahiro again.

She was walking with two of her friends.

She didn't notice me.

Good. I was about to slip away quietly when their conversation stopped me dead in my tracks.

“Wait, seriously?! Nakanishi confessed to you?!”

“HAHAHA! What the hell was he thinking? That's some delusional high-reaching!”

“Right?! Just ‘cause you're childhood friends doesn't mean he should even try. He's the complete opposite of your type.”

Oh yeah, by the way—my full name? Nakanishi Yuuya.

And you two extras—Mob A and Mob B? You thought you could just openly mock a named character like that?

But all of that didn't matter. One phrase hit harder than anything else.

The complete opposite of your type.

“Mahiro likes guys who are strong and make her feel protected. Of course, she'd reject a scrawny little nerd like Nakanishi.”

“For real! And Mahiro, you've been way too nice to him just ‘cause you've known him since you were kids. That's why he got the wrong idea and pulled that stupid stunt.”

“It's not like that… We just live close to each other, that's all. It's just… Yuuya's way too scrawny and weak for me to even consider him as a guy. There's no way I could ever think of him as a boyfriend.”

“Whoa, that's basically the same as saying he's ‘physically repulsive'!”

“Mahiro, that's cold.”

“……”

Funny.

I wanted to go home. But my feet wouldn't move.

And now my eyes were sweating even more.

So that's how it was.

Mahiro only ever talked to me because we lived nearby. I was never even on her radar.

And weak? Weak? That word stung the most.

I clenched my fists.

This was reality.

And reality hurt.

My eyes wouldn't stop sweating, but I had to accept it.

With that in mind, I went home, skipped dinner, and collapsed onto my bed.

By the time I woke up, I had already made up my mind—I'd cut back on studying just a little and start training at a Shorinji Kempo dojo.

I'd never let myself be called weak again.

***

After about a week of getting my a*s kicked at the dojo, the muscle soreness had finally started to fade.

That was when a certain rumor started making rounds in my class.

“Hey, did you hear? That girl from Class A, Yoshikawa, started dating Hashizume from the soccer team.”

“Wait, for real?! I heard she was the one who made the first move!”

“That's right. Damn… So Yoshikawa's gonna end up full of holes now…”

Full of holes, huh?

I mean, sure, girls did have more holes than guys, but was he talking in a literal sense?

Like, ear piercings? Nose piercings? Maybe even down there? Or was he talking about… you know, getting wrecked in every possible hole?

Like, was she gonna get a reputation as the Queen of Holes? Was her boyfriend gonna start calling her ‘Holey-chan'?

Maybe she was gonna end up stuffed with toys in every last opening.

…S**t. I needed to stop.

If I let my imagination run wild, my cowardly Gundam was gonna rise to the occasion.

But yeah, I guessed it was understandable.

The soccer team at our school was notorious for being a gang of delinquents.

People called them the ‘F****r Club' instead of the soccer club.

Seriously, why was it that high school soccer teams in the countryside always ended up like this? Maybe it was just my area, but it was definitely one of the Seven Mysteries of rural schools.

And among them, Hashizume Yusuke stood out—tall, ripped, and the wild, ruggedly handsome type.

Meanwhile, I was just a measly member of the ‘Go Home Club,' and I'd only just started training at the dojo. No way I could compete. Different leagues entirely.

…Well, as long as Mahiro was happy, I guessed.

I was just a scrawny nerd, so I'd stay out of her way.

She could go ahead and f**k all she wanted—pounding, thrusting, whatever.

As for me… well, I stuck to jerking off for a while. Everyone loved their own hand.