Chapter 139: I Want to Know Everything

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Translator: Soafp

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As the time for the volunteer cleanup drew near, people started arriving little by little. Since the meeting point was the courtyard, Ginji figured the map in the booklet might be a bit unclear. So he made direction signs on drawing paper and put them up along the path.

Thanks to that, the event started without issues. The current student council president announced the corrections to the booklet, and as more student council members and helpers arrived, drinks were distributed, and the volunteer cleanup kicked off smoothly.

“We're in charge of the area around the pool and along the gym, right?”

“Yup! It's my old school after all—I'll show you around while we clean.”

Fired up and ready, Ginji and Sora started picking up trash, armed with garbage bags and tongs.

…Watching them from a short distance were three figures, whispering among themselves. One was Hiroshi Tai, wearing a shaved head and the baseball team uniform. With him were Yuki Nagahara, a short-haired manager with glasses, and Sachiko Kitayama, another manager with braided hair and sharp eyes.

“That's Gin-senpai, right? …Kinda hard to tell from here, but is that his girlfriend next to him?”

“Probably… She's about our height. Gin-senpai might've gotten a bit taller though… Ugh, is she really his girlfriend? He's too nice, so…”

“Right? Tai-kun, go talk to them.”

“Eh? He said he'd come by the club later anyway… You go talk to them, Nagahara.”

“Quit whining and go. You're a guy, aren't you?”

Pushed by the two girls, Hiroshi reluctantly made his way over, glancing back multiple times.

Even though only about 10 minutes had passed, Ginji and Sora had already gathered a decent amount of trash. Spotting Hiroshi, Ginji waved with a grin.

“Yo! Hiroshi! I saw your name on the same group list and was looking for you. How's it going?”

“Good, Gin-senpai!”

Though Hiroshi had been nervous, he relaxed and smiled as he got closer thanks to Ginji's friendly tone.

“Man, this brings back memories. We were forced to do this as part of the baseball club, huh? I'll drop by the club later too.”

“Yes! Tetsu told us—everyone's really looking forward to it! We've been doing well this year, even winning in the prelims. I've been holding on tight to the stuff you taught me about calling out to teammates.”

“Glad to hear that. I saw the results too. You guys are doing great.”

“Nah, it's all thanks to you, senpai… uh…”

A strange pressure was radiating from behind Ginji. Sora was glaring with half-lidded eyes, giving him an intense stare.

“Oh, right. I haven't introduced you. You probably heard from Tetsu, but this is, um… my girlfriend, Sora.”

Maybe feeling a little embarrassed, Ginji stumbled over the words as Sora stepped out from behind him.

“…I'm Takagi Sora. Good morning.”

“That's the morning greeting drill line…”

Ginji chuckled at Sora accidentally using the school gate greeting.

“Th-thanks for your hard work! Your girlfriend… seriously… uh, e-excuse me!!”

Hiroshi quickly dashed off.

“Huh? Where's Hiroshi running off to—”

“Ginji!”

Sora popped her face close to his.

“Tell me about your middle school days!”

Still holding her cleaning tools, Sora looked serious.

“Uh, okay? What's going on?”

“I wasn't sure if I should ask, but… I really do want to know everything about you. Seeing you talk with someone about things I don't know… it kinda makes me feel weird.”

She wanted to know everything about the person she loved—and love all of it. That desire pushed her forward.

“I get it… it's kinda awkward to talk about while we're cleaning though. Can it wait until we're done?”

Ginji scratched his cheek awkwardly, and Sora grabbed his arm.

“It's a promise.”

“Alright. But in return, you have to tell me about yourself too.”

“…Fine. But I've already told you the tough stuff, like about Aika-chan and my mom. The rest is just my dark, lonely life… Are you sure you want to hear that?”

“Of course. I want to know everything about you too.”

“O-oh… okay then… I'm happy.”

“Alright, let's hurry and finish cleaning.”

“Let's do this!”

Sora would never forget the slightly sad look on Ginji's face when he'd said he wanted to eat meat.

She didn't think she could heal or save him—but she could stay by his side. With that resolve, she gave a determined look that Ginji found dazzling.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi had regrouped with the two girl managers.

“S-so? How was it?”

“She was cute. Like, seriously cute. Nothing like I imagined! Stylish too. Just really cute! I'm still shocked! I gotta tell the others!”

As Hiroshi shouted in excitement, the two girls looked at each other.

“Okay, we get that she's cute. But are they really dating?”

“What type is she? Like, which celebrity would you compare her to? Or what kind of animal?”

“Ginji-senpai did introduce her as his girlfriend, and she didn't deny it. As for what type… I don't know! How should I know that?! Animal? Um… I dunno… maybe like some sleek foreign cat or something…”

Battered by questions, Hiroshi tried his best to describe Sora—but truthfully, he'd only said hi, so he didn't have much to go on. Once the girls finished grilling their scout, they began discussing.

“Wait… so he seriously ended up with a super cute girlfriend? Well, he is the older brother of Tetsu, who's insanely popular. And he has gotten cooler since he stopped shaving his head. Still kinda scary-looking though.”

“He's a nice guy, so it's possible… but I didn't think he'd be the type to get a girlfriend right after starting high school…”

“…Wait. Sachi, don't tell me—”

Seeing Sachiko clearly downcast, Yuki gave her a worried look. But Sachiko quickly shook her head.

“No, no, it's just respect! Like, how he didn't give up even after that happened… or like, the line of his traps, or the way his calves bulge just above the long socks… stuff like that! I could eat a whole meal just from looking at his back when he's in his undershirt. That's all!”

“…Riiight. That's very you, Sachi.”

Yuki already had a decent idea of her friend's quirks, but hearing them all out loud still made her a little uneasy.

“Hey, can I go now? If they catch me slacking off, our coach is gonna kill me…”

“Yeah yeah, we've got afternoon practice prep too. Let's break for now. We'll meet again at lunch… I want to see Gin-senpai's girlfriend with my own eyes. If Hiroshi's saying she looks that good, I need to check she's not tricking him.”

“Yeah. Guys can get fooled by appearances so easily.”

Hiroshi tilted his head as the girls nodded seriously.

“She didn't seem like that kind of person though… Honestly, I just wanna ask Gin-senpai how to get a girlfriend.”

“…You're probably never getting one.”

“Why not?!”

With that, the three of them agreed to meet up again at lunchtime and went their separate ways.