Chapter 3: Progress

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

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“G-Good morning, Kuon-kun. Did you just finish morning practice?”

As I wiped the sweat from my neck with a towel and headed towards the classroom, I heard a voice from behind… no, below.

I turned around but saw no one.

“Huh?”

“Uh, down here, I’m right here.”

Lowering my gaze slightly, I saw Miyuki standing there, looking small and nervous.

“Oh, sorry. Good morning. Um… Hayakawa-san.”

Whether she was too nervous or naturally close, she stood quite near. And, as I thought yesterday, she really is cute.

I managed to greet her, but the conversation didn’t continue. Miyuki, looking down and fidgeting, didn't seem to have a particular reason for approaching me.

“Well, see you later then.”

Unable to bear the awkward silence any longer, I turned to leave, but…

“Hmm?”

She gripped the hem of my shirt, pulling me back.

“Uh, um, do you… like books?”

“Books?”

Caught off guard, I took a moment to understand, but it seemed she was trying to start a conversation.

“Yes, books. Do you like reading?”

“Yeah, I guess I read quite a bit. By the way, since we're the same age, why don't we drop the formalities? Or does my appearance scare you?”

At 183 cm, I towered over the petite Miyuki, who was maybe around 150 cm. My face, widely recognized as stern, often intimidated kids, repelled girls, and made teachers wary.

“Oh, no, it's not that… it's just that I'm not used to it yet (Desu). I mean, I'm just not used to it yet (Dayo).”

She must have thought I was offended. Her effort to meet me halfway made me smile involuntarily.

“I see.”

“Oh, you smiled.”

Noticing my change in expression, Miyuki sighed with relief and smiled back.

“….What?”

Embarrassed, my tone turned harsh, but Miyuki just giggled.

“Sorry, Kuon-kun, you're not scary at all. You're actually kind of cute.”

“Come on, don't tease me.”

Caught off guard by her words, I raised my hands in surrender.

“Ah! Miyuki, Takumi-kun. Good morning! What's going on here?”

Seeing Miyuki laugh and me surrender, Nagisa came up from behind and hugged Miyuki.

“Good morning, Nagisa-chan. Well, you see, Kuon-kun…”

“Stop it, don't tell her. She'll tease me about it for a while.”

As I realized how much Miyuki affected me, I couldn't help but think that this situation wasn't so bad.

“Hey, don't you think it's mean to exclude me?”

Nagisa pouted playfully, and then someone called out to me from behind.

“Then, how about I join you? That way, it’ll be two-on-two.”

I turned around to see who the smooth-talker was and saw a familiar face since our entrance ceremony.

“Oh, it's you, Shinobu. I thought it was some pickup artist.”

“That’s harsh, Takumi. I just saw you all having fun and thought I'd join in. So, how about introducing me to these lovely ladies?”

Though I thought he might be a pickup artist after all, he wasn't a bad guy, so I went ahead with the introductions.

“This is Morimoto Shinobu, my classmate and fellow soccer club member.”

“Hi, I’m Morimoto. So, is this Takumi's girlfriend? Just kidding, right?”

I couldn’t even retort because, well, it wasn't true.

“I’m Nagisa Hayashi, Takumi’s childhood friend. Just a childhood friend, so don't get the wrong idea. I'm in class 5 and on the basketball team.”

Nagisa cheerfully introduced herself, detaching herself from Miyuki's back. Meanwhile, Miyuki seemed to grow even more flustered, like a small animal.

“So, you're just a childhood friend, huh? Just. You emphasize that too much and Takumi might cry himself to sleep.”

As expected of a social butterfly, he easily maintained the conversation.

“Haha, Morimoto-kun, if you keep dissing Takumi-kun, he might get back at you later.”

“Oh, just call me Shinobu. I'm not used to being called by my last name. And you're Hayakawa-san, right? We went to the same middle school.”

“Y-Yes, I'm Hayakawa. You remembered me?”

Miyuki’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yeah. We never talked, but I at least know the faces and names of the girls in our grade.”

“See? He is a pickup artist!”

I couldn't help but blurt it out.

---

That evening, Nagisa suggested we all go to a café together. I was thrilled at the chance to get closer to Miyuki, but there was a slight concern.

“Shinobu is quite the handsome guy.”

While he would probably help get Miyuki talking, there was a risk he might accidentally charm her. Knowing him as a good guy made it all the more plausible that Miyuki, with her pure heart, might fall for him.

A charming, handsome Shinobu versus a stern-faced guy who couldn't even crack a good joke—who would Miyuki be more drawn to?

Still, this was a golden opportunity for someone like me, who had little experience with girls.

“Stay calm, stay calm. Just be yourself.”

I kept telling myself this as I headed to our meeting spot at the school gate.