Chapter 10: Aizawa… Aizawa!?!?

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Translator: Soafp

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“Touya, Nakajima.”

“What?”

“What's up?”

“Don't you wanna be popular with girls?”

“!?!”

“What… did you just say!?”

They're way too simple-minded.

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“I knew it'd be something like this!”

“I figured it out the moment you said to bring gym clothes!”

“And yet, you still came, didn't you?”

Voices echoed from my left and right — Touya on the left, Nakajima on the right.

All three of us were wearing gym clothes, sweating buckets as we moved our legs on the treadmills.

(I didn't think they'd take the bait this easily though…)

We were at a sports gym.

The reason I asked them to come wasn't just because I wanted company — it was my first time coming to a gym like this, and honestly, I didn't want to go alone.

But the real reason was that even though I could rely on the NetoraSensor app, I thought I should at least strengthen myself a bit, just in case something unexpected happened.

“Since we're here, let's work hard and get popular with girls!!!”

“YEEEEEAH!!!”

Even after finding out we were at a gym, they didn't turn back. Instead, they ran on the treadmills with all their might, driven by pure desire to be more attractive.

Seriously, these two are way too simple.

“Sorry for yelling so loud just now.”

“It's no problem. Seeing young guys working hard like that brings back memories… You know, I used to be so fat my weight had three digits.”

“What!?”

The trainer who was teaching us how to use the treadmills — this fit, handsome guy — used to weigh over a hundred kilos!?

“That was back in high school, so… about ten years ago now.”

“Whoa…”

“There was a girl I liked back then. I started working out so I could confess to her.”

“Really!?”

“S-so what happened after that?”

Not just me — Touya and Nakajima both leaned in, still running. It was kind of funny seeing everyone jogging in place while talking about something so dramatic.

“Well, I only started dieting after realizing I wouldn't see her anymore once we graduated… so by the time I lost weight and gained confidence, we had already gone our separate ways.”

“Ah…”

“That's… kinda sad.”

Yeah, that sort of thing happens.

But from his expression, I could tell the story wasn't over yet.

“But we met again at our class reunion. Nobody in the class recognized me at first… except her. Somehow, she realized who I was.”

“Whoa!”

“That's amazing!”

I wondered if the trainer noticed — the entire gym had gotten quieter. People were subtly listening.

With a gentle smile, he continued.

“We hit it off again, started talking… and I remembered how I felt back then. I gathered my courage, confessed again — and now, she's my wife.”

“Congratulations!”

“That's awesome, congrats man!”

“Haha, thanks.”

The three of us clapped for him — while still running.

And we weren't the only ones. Other gym members applauded too.

“So keep working hard, guys. You said you wanted to be popular, right?”

“!!”

“…Hah!”

The trainer's words lit a fire in Touya and Nakajima's eyes.

They jumped off the treadmills, shouting “Let's do this!” and headed toward the weightlifting area.

“They're pretty motivated, huh? Your friends.”

“Yeah… um, that story was true, right?”

“Of course.”

The wedding ring on his finger gleamed brightly.

“…I think I'll go work a little harder too!”

Guess I'm just as simple-minded.

Sure, I came here to get stronger — but it's not like I don't wanna be popular.

I joined the others who were pushing themselves so hard the trainer started worrying about them, and together we worked out until we were drenched in sweat.

“Whew, that was a great workout!”

“Yeah! We really went all out today!”

We spent almost two hours at the gym.

After sweating buckets, we washed off in the gym's bath and went our separate ways.

Even Touya and Nakajima, who are normally homebodies, said they wanted to come again — that trainer's story must've really inspired them.

“Now… what should I do next?”

It was around 4 p.m.

If I went home now, it'd be perfect timing, but for some reason, I wasn't in the mood to head straight back.

So I wandered around the city.

Then suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder.

“!?”

It wasn't hard, but it startled me enough that I spun around — and there she was, someone I didn't expect to see.

“Aizawa…?”

“S-sorry… I didn't think you'd be that surprised.”

“No, no — anyone would jump if you suddenly poked their shoulder.”

“Yeah… you're right. Sorry, Kamiki-kun. I should've just called out to you normally.”

“Don't worry about it…”

“What were you doing?”

Aizawa tilted her head, and something about her felt off.

Her light summer dress — instead of the usual school uniform — caught my eye for a moment, but what really stood out was the faint unease I felt.

“Did… something happen?”

“……………”

The moment I asked, she looked down.

That alone was enough to tell me something was wrong.

Maybe I was being nosy, but as a classmate, I couldn't just ignore her.

I led Aizawa to a nearby bench, and then suddenly realized—

(No, no, this isn't like that! I'm just worried, that's all!)

I took a breath, calmed myself, and waited for her to speak.

“…Will you listen for a bit?”

“Yeah.”

“You remember when you helped me before, right?”

“Ah…”

She meant that time she was almost attacked.

“That really scared me… so I talked to him about it, hoping he'd comfort me. He said it must've been tough, and that was it.”

“…………”

“You told me I was beautiful, Kamiki-kun. That made me so happy. Even if it was just flattery, it made me feel better. So I asked him to say something nice like that sometimes too — but he said I'd become annoying.”

“…Seriously?”

What kind of boyfriend says that?

Tokunaga wasn't a bad guy — no bad rumors, popular in class, and despite punching me once, I never thought of him as a terrible person.

“He's not a bad person… really. Maybe it was selfish of me, wanting him to comfort me or say something sweet. So maybe it's my fault he got irritated…”

“Aizawa?”

Suddenly, she swayed — and fell against me.

The sudden weight against my body made my heart race, but I also noticed something else — she was burning up.

“Aizawa… do you have a fever?”

“…Eh? Maybe…?”

She was clearly unwell, and I started to panic.

Luckily, help arrived — someone ran up, calling out her name.

“Runa!? What happened!?”

The woman looked just like Aizawa — I realized instantly that this must be her mother.