Chapter 1: I’ll make you happy

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Translator: Soafp

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Someone once said that school is a small society. Within that narrow society, there exists a caste system, with the top and bottom clearly divided, and among them, a special and exceptional individual known as the school idol.

Here, in a moderately prestigious school in the prefecture, there is someone referred to as the school idol.

Her name is Aika Shiki. Naturally, she’s beautiful, with stunning features, excelling in both academics and sports. She's the kind of girl who perfectly fits any suitable four-character idiom of praise.

She’s a first-year student. From the moment she entered the school—no, even before that—she was the talk of the campus. Her appearance is striking; whether she’s half-Japanese or a quarter, no one knows, but her silver hair, like something out of an anime, stands out among a sea of black-haired students. Her facial features are well-proportioned, and she has a slender, feminine figure. Her hobbies include violin and oil painting, and in the art world, she's repeatedly won awards, performing at a near-professional level. On top of all that, she’s ranked in the top ten academically at this prestigious school, and her communication with others is flawless. She’s also from a wealthy family, the epitome of a perfect lady. That's why she's known as the school idol.

A single pair of eyes glared at this idol. They belonged to a boy with a stern expression, clearly displeased as he stared at Aika. His eyes were sharp, and though his short hair was clean, it was a bit unkempt, giving off a slightly rough impression. He had a solid build, standing about 170 centimeters tall.

“I really don't like her…”

The boy's name was Ginji Momoi. His friends often teased him, saying his name sounded like it came from the Showa era.

His gaze seemed directed at Aika, the school idol. But… it wasn't.

“When is he ever going to…”

His gaze was actually focused on a short boy. With long bangs, he anxiously darted his eyes around, trembling as if fearing his surroundings. His voice was thin, and he wore large, black-framed glasses. Whenever Aika, with a maternal expression, glanced at him, the boy would flinch. Seeing this, a nearby group of girls started whispering.

“Hey, why is that ‘Creepy Cat’ always hanging around with Shiki-san?”

“You don't know? He's her cousin. Apparently, Shiki-san has been looking after him since they were little.”

“Eh, poor Shiki-san.”

“Right? ‘Creepy Cat’ should know his place and transfer schools already. Actually, we've been doing things to make that happen.”

“Wait, are you bullying him?”

“Not really. I'm not the main one, I'm just helping out.”

Suddenly, there was a loud bang as a desk was slammed.

“Eek!” “Ah!”

The girls jumped, but Ginji didn't seem to care. He stood up and left the classroom. Words were thrown at him from behind, but he paid them no mind.

Meanwhile, Aika was, as usual, surrounded by other students, busy responding to them.

“Hey, Shiki-san! That contest piece you made is trending on social media! You're amazing!”

“Haha, I just got lucky. But thanks.”

She smiled at the smartphone being held out to her and gave a shy, embarrassed grin.

Whenever there was a brief pause in conversation, another student would jump in. This time, it was a boy.

“Shiki-san, thanks for the student council documents. You're also designing the main signboard for the cultural festival, right? Isn't that a lot of work?”

“I'm doing it for everyone, so I'll do my best. But it's a bit much for me to handle alone, so help me out, okay?”

“Y-yeah! I'll do anything I can to help.”

Leaving the blushing boy behind, Aika sat down, and a crowd formed around her.

Even when tasked with difficult work, she never showed any signs of displeasure, always responding with a smile. She truly lived up to the title of idol. Meanwhile, the small boy nicknamed “Creepy Cat” trembled, glancing at her, trying to read her expression.

That afternoon, after school, in an empty student council room, a boy in a school uniform sat on his knees in front of Aika, who was sitting at a desk.

“Hey, Sora. Why haven't you finished designing the main signboard for the cultural festival?”

Her tone was completely different from the one she used earlier, not so much accusing as savoring the pleasure of tormenting the trembling boy in front of her.

“Because I was working on the other designs you asked me for, Aika-chan! There were three of them, so I was doing those instead.”

“Oh, really? You can't do anything without me, can you? You're not even fulfilling your duties, and I also told you to tell me what's going to be on this month's mini-test, and you still haven't done that.”

“Eh? But it's impossible to figure out all the questions! I can't predict everything from just the trends!”

“I thought maybe I was asking too much of you, but now I realize that's not the case.”

Aika took a sketchbook from the bag she'd left behind her. When Sora saw it, his face turned pale.

“Th-that's mine…”

“Hey, this isn't a drawing I asked for, is it? You prioritized your own work over mine, didn't you?”

“I just… came up with a great idea for a drawing! P-please give it back! It's not finished yet…”

“Nope. You know, you're such a useless, worthless little human. That's why I'm giving you a purpose, a reason to exist. I don't actually need you to help me with tests or drawing; I could do all of that perfectly well on my own. But I'm busy, so I let you do it instead. You should be grateful that I even bother to use you. And yet, here you are, trying to do something no one's going to care about. It's really infuriating.”

Tossing her hair back dramatically, Aika jumped off the desk, stretching her long limbs in a graceful pose. If it weren't for her expression, she might have looked beautiful.

“That's why I'm going to punish you. It's about time, isn't it?”

“P-punish me? Aika-chan, what do you mean by—”

“One two three, riiip!”

She tore the still-unfinished drawing from the sketchbook and scattered it around the room.

“Ah…”

“Pupupu, what a silly face. But this is just the beginning.”

Before Sora could finish gathering the torn pieces of paper, footsteps echoed from the hallway. The door opened, and several male and female students entered the room. Leading them was the same boy who had been talking to Aika earlier about the festival signboard.

“Shiki-san, I saw your post on IINE.”

In the next instant, Aika’s face turned into one of distress, her eyebrows lowered as if she was about to cry, and she clung onto the boy's arm.

“I’m sorry! Sora ripped the picture I made for the festival preparation! I… I just don’t know what to do…”

Seeing Aika’s behavior, the students glanced around the room, taking in the situation that had been staged. One of the boys, gently placing his hand on Aika’s shoulder, spoke softly to her.

“It's alright here. Shiki-san, why don’t you go outside with the girls?”

“He’s the worst.”

“Poor Aika-chan.”

“…Creepy cat.”

Aika turned around, and with a grin that no one could see, she immediately put on her tearful expression and left the classroom with the other female students. Left behind were three boys and Sora, who was hanging his head in silence.

“Hey, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Jealous of Shiki-san and trying to sabotage her? You think it’s fun?”

“….”

Still clutching the torn sheets of paper, Sora remained silent, which infuriated one of the boys, causing him to reach out.

“Say something!”

“….”

“Damn, the silent treatment?”

The enraged boy raised his fist in anger.

“Hey, don’t use violence. You’ll get in trouble with the teachers.”

“I know… but at least apologize to Shiki-san!”

“….”

“You little…!”

Though he had initially stopped his fist, the boy couldn't hold back anymore in the face of Sora's continued silence, and once again raised his fist to strike. But before it could land, a loud bang echoed from the back of the room, like someone pounding on the wall.

“What the—?”

“Sensei! Over here!”

At the sound of the boy's voice, the expressions of the three boys in the room changed to panic. This was a prestigious school, and anything that could affect their academic record was something they couldn't afford to let slip.

“Sensei? Crap, we’re in trouble.”

“Yeah, we better go.”

“Tch, we’ll remember this.”

The boys ran out of the classroom without looking back, disappearing in haste. Left alone, Sora trembled as tears streamed down his face. A shadow fell over his body.

“Oi.”

The voice was gruff and unkind.

“…”

Sora, still crying in silence, was roughly pulled up by the shoulder. The torn sheets of paper spilled from his arms.

In the classroom bathed in the evening sunlight, Momoi Ginji stood, glaring down at Sora with an irritated expression.

“That picture—you drew it, right? Are you okay with letting Shiki do whatever she wants with it?”

At those words, Sora finally looked up for the first time. There stood Ginji, staring down at him.

“You were watching?”

“Yeah, I've been watching. Not just now, but the whole time. Listen closely, I can’t stand it any longer.”

“…?”

Sora, confused, looked at Ginji, who continued speaking.

“You've been trying hard. That's why you deserve to be happy. That's how it should be. But I was a complete idiot for thinking it would just happen naturally, like in some novel. I’m sorry. I don't know if this will make up for it, but I'll—”

Ginji paused to catch his breath before grabbing Sora's shoulders and pulling him closer.

“—make sure you're happy, no matter what.”

“…Fue—?!”

With a dumbfounded look and flushed cheeks, Sora stared in shock, while Ginji flashed a wide, confident grin.