Chapter 31: The Noisy Neighbor

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Translator: Soafp

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“Yamato  Makino-kun, are you feeling better now?”

“Yeah… yes…”

A gentle voice.

“I think things will be difficult from now on, but please don't forget to take care of yourself.”

From now on… I…

“I… don't have any confidence… in myself…”

“This may sound like the irresponsible words of an adult, but I know that you are an exceptional person.”

“I'm… not exceptional at all…”

I was just a loser.

I had always been confident in my academics, but… in the end, I failed…

“I guess… there was never… anything special about me…”

“And what if there wasn't? That's perfectly fine. There aren't many people who can keep fighting through adversity the way you have. That's why I call you exceptional.”

Someone who can keep trying…?

What good was that…?

No matter how hard you try… if there are no results…

“It's alright. You can believe in yourself.”

It's alright…?

I couldn't think that way.

But even though I had barely spoken to this person before…

For some reason, they felt dependable.

Into my empty heart…

Just a little…

Tono-san's words found their way in.

---

“Aizawa… hey.”

Lately, I found myself spacing out a lot.

“Aizawa, are you listening?”

At home, at school…

It happened everywhere.

“Huh…? Yes…”

Hearing my name, I snapped back to reality.

“Aizawa, translate this English passage.”

Ah… right…

Now I was Aizawa Yamato.

I answered the translation question from the textbook.

There was nothing difficult about it.

Just a standard application problem.

“As expected of you, Aizawa. Correct.”

After I answered smoothly, the teacher smiled and nodded.

“Hey, Aizawa-kun is really smart, isn't he?”

“Yeah, seriously amazing.”

A few classmates whispered among themselves about me.

I didn't really care what they said.

It had been a little while since I transferred to this school.

My new classmates had welcomed me warmly, especially after hearing I came from a famous prep school.

But I…

“Hey, Aizawa-kun. Got a minute?”

During break time, several classmates approached me while I was sitting alone.

“A bunch of us are hanging out after school. Come with us.”

This feeling…

It was so different from Kaimei Academy.

“I'm… okay. Thanks for inviting me, though.”

The students here seemed to do the minimum required academically and prioritize their own lives and free time.

“Ah… I see.”

Since transferring, I'd been invited out like this several times.

And every time, I turned them down.

Mom gave me a little spending money now, but it wasn't a situation where I felt comfortable using it carelessly.

More than that…

I simply had no desire to go out and have fun.

“Aizawa-kun, you're really good at studying, right? A few of us sometimes get together for study sessions. If you're free, could you teach us sometime?”

“Ah… sure. If our schedules line up…”

I felt bad for the classmates who kept trying to talk to me.

But honestly, I wished they'd leave me alone.

Too many things had happened before I transferred.

Now that I finally had free time, it felt like there was a giant hole in my chest.

“Move. You're in the way.”

A girl spoke sharply to the classmates gathered around my desk and glared at us.

“Ah, s-sorry… Saito-san.”

Saito.

The girl ignored the apology completely, walked right past us, and left the classroom.

“Saito's pretty, but… she's kind of isolated in class. You're better off not getting involved with her.”

“…I see.”

I appreciated the whispered advice, but it was unnecessary.

I had no intention of getting close to anyone anyway.

Still…

“Did Saito-san do something that made everyone dislike her?”

“Not really. It's more like… she doesn't work well with others. We don't really have delinquents at this school, but… well, Saito's kind of like that.”

So she wasn't a troublemaker.

Just someone who pushed people away with her attitude.

Well…

I wasn't one to talk.

The people who invited me places and tried to include me annoyed me too.

Maybe I wasn't so different from Saito-san.

---

When classes ended, I headed straight home.

After my parents divorced, my surname changed.

The apartment I now lived in was about a twenty-minute walk from school.

My daily life consisted of nothing but going back and forth between school and my apartment.

Mom's income had improved compared to before, and our situation was slowly stabilizing.

I'd considered finding another part-time job, but Mom told me:

“Enjoy being a student for a while.”

So I listened to her.

Honestly…

In my current state, I had no desire to work anyway.

I had gotten used to life here.

But mentally, I was still hurting.

“I wonder… how she's doing…”

I really was an idiot.

After everything that happened…

After reality had been shoved in my face…

“Haah… I should just go home.”

I couldn't keep thinking about it.

The negativity drained all my energy.

It would be better not to remember any of those dark memories anymore.

That was how my days had been lately.

But recently…

Things had changed a little.

“Hey. Wait.”

Just as I unlocked the door to my apartment, someone called out from behind me.

“W-what?”

When I cautiously turned around, the person staring at me was frowning.

“What's with that reaction?”

“N-no, it's nothing…”

There hadn't been anyone this forceful at my old school.

I still wasn't used to it.

“Tch… whatever. More importantly, you were talking about me with the class today, weren't you?”

“You heard that? You've got scary good ears…”

“So what? Talking trash about me?”

“Not really. I just heard that you're the classmate who doesn't get along with people and stands out.”

“That's basically talking trash!”

“I-I didn't say it!”

“Hmph. Sure.”

The girl who lived in the apartment next to mine.

Her name was Shizuku Saito.

Beautiful.

Socially isolated.

And rough around the edges.

“Hey. I'm studying at your place today.”

“Huh? …You're coming again?”

“My mom's working the night shift, so she's sleeping right now. Your mom's on the day shift today, right?”

“Yeah, but…”

We were both being raised by single mothers.

Just with different work schedules.

“What's with that annoyed look?”

“Well… even when I teach you, you're not exactly quick to learn…”

“You little—are you calling me stupid!?”

“N-no! That's not what I meant!”

She always raised her voice so fast.

“I told you before. Stop calling me Saito-san. You call my mom that too, and it gets confusing.”

“Then… should I just call you Saito?”

“Are you an idiot!? That's still confusing!”

I didn't think it was confusing at all.

“Fine, fine… just stop yelling.”

If she stayed quiet, she'd look like a graceful, beautiful girl.

“Anyway… I'll teach you math and classical Japanese…”

Calling a girl by her first name…

The only girl I'd ever done that with was her.

“Just make sure you actually focus today. Shi…zuku.”

Saying her name made me a little nervous.

“Hah? I always focus!”

Even though she always got frustrated and gave up halfway through.

“Tests are coming up, so you'd better be prepared! I'm making you teach me everything today, Yamato!”

After throwing that declaration at me like a challenge, Saito-san—

No, Shizuku—

headed into her apartment next door.

Watching her go, I let out a long sigh.