Chapter 22 Part 1: Investigation.

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Translated and Edited by: luccayn.

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you're close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it's cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one's older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

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Aoyama Miki, Haruna Kokomi, Yusa Kanae.

These three are undoubtedly owners of outstanding looks that would likely secure them a spot in the finals if a beauty contest were held at our school. Why exactly they all gathered in my class 2-B, let alone became part of Hareta’s harem like idiots? Honestly, I have no idea.

…Not that I really want to know.

Anyway, it seemed that Tsukino’s consultation was about them and some other stuff related to Hareta. I sat with her at a shop.

“These sesame dumplings are really good.”

“Good to hear.”

“Yeah. But hey, munch, are you really not going to treat us? It’s kinda late to say that after eating quite a bit, munch munch. But, you know.”

“Yeah. Because, Shinji-kun, you don’t have money, right? You can order as much as you want.”

“Seriously? That helps.”

It was after school.

I was completely hooked on Tsukino’s overly obvious strategy of feeding me silly. Starting from shrimp dumplings and assorted spring rolls, followed by noodles and enjoying the refreshing sweetness of Chinese tea with dessert, it was irresistible.

Sorry, but it looks like the talk about that harem will have to wait a little longer. Food calls.

“You eat a lot, huh?”

“I can’t really eat properly at home, y’know? If I don’t eat when I can, I won’t grow taller either.”

Taking advantage of the situation, I ordered additional dumplings, pepper buns, and almond jelly from the waitress. I thought of canceling if she made a displeased face, but Tsukino just smiled gently.

Yup, she was rich. I’m envious.

“Shinji-kun, you’re really skinny. I feel bad saying this, but you look really weak.”

“I’m scraping by on various things. Because prioritizing health is a luxury for the rich.”

“Oh, I see… It must be really tough.”

“I started reading books because it didn’t cost money at first, and it killed time. It takes time to read, and it wasn’t lonely even when my grandma was at the nursing home.”

As I said that, Tsukino poured Chinese tea from the teapot into a teacup adorned with peach blossoms and then looked at my face intently. It was an oddly vacant, innocent, and careless expression.

“Seeing Shinji-kun talk about himself is a first.”

“No, no, didn’t I talk to you about my views on romance? That was totally about me.”

“Oh, now that you mention it.”

“Anyway, I talk quite a bit about myself. Since I’ve had various experiences in the past, I never run out of stories.”

“That’s something men usually do, right?”

“…Now that you mention it, maybe. After all, most of the customers at my part-time job are middle-aged men,” They always tell unfortunate stories to kill time. Certainly, they didn’t have much chances to speak to women, either.

“Part-time job? What do you do?”

“I work as a staff member at a small izakaya¹. I’m grateful for the staff meals they provide. The hourly wage is 1,150 yen, and I work 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, from 5 PM to 11 PM.”

“I see. What kind of work do you do there?”

“I skewer yakitori, fillet fish, and stuff like that. Well, the main task is preparing ingredients.”

“Oh, I see. I didn’t take you for a cook, really.”

“I only make miso soup and one side dish at home, but I pride myself on having a decent repertoire. My specialty is decorative turnip carving into chrysanthemum shapes. Oh, and then there’s customer service. The owner is taciturn, so when the atmosphere darkened after the landlady Yoko-san passed away, I started working there to talk more.”

“Hehe, I see. Where did you meet the owner?”

“At the suburban racecourse. I used to work as a janitor there in middle school. When Yoko-san passed away and the owner looked gloomy, I persuaded him.”

For some reason, Tsukino was looking at me with soft eyes. It resembled the gentle smile a mother gives to her son in town. Could it be that she’s one of those women who enjoys belittling men?

“You really help anyone in need,” she said softly.

“Yoko-san and my grandma were friends and knew each other. It was just coincidence.”

“…That’s, that’s really cool. Really. Hehe.”

It’s kind of awkward; if you’re going to praise me, do it more boldly. Being bashful will make me bashful.

“Do you work part-time, Tsukino?”

“I work as a race queen. Surprisingly, they even cover transportation expenses. It feels like a little vacation!”

Being a race queen seems less realistic than being a model or actress. Motorsports seem to require a lot of money, and it’s a world I have no connection to.

“I see. Why do you do that kind of job?”

“My dad sponsors a racer. When I went to watch a race with him, I was scouted on the spot.”

“I see. Well, if you’re there to see them off, the racers must be happy too.”

“D-Don’t praise me so much.”

I thought I knew about her, but my information network is still lacking. That guidebook for conquests wasn’t as perfect as I thought it was.

“…Phew, I’m stuffed. Thanks for the meal, Tsukino.”

“Yeah, don’t mention it.”

“Well then, I’ll be heading off.”

“No, no, no! That’s not it, right!? The main topic starts from here, doesn’t it!?”

“Oh, uh, sorry, I totally forgot. I was just too happy.”

“H-Happy? Don’t say things that are hard to get angry at. Geez.”

And then, after the waitress in the Chinese dress cleared our plates and refilled our tea, I urged Tsukino to speak. It’s a shame that I have to soil this pleasant feeling of satisfaction from the delicious food with the messy quarrels of the harem.

Damn it, I really hate Hareta.

Even if it’s hard, I’ll still say it as a thank you for the meal. It shouldn’t hurt to be a little considerate.

“Basically, Hareta has fallen for you, so the balance within the harem is disrupted, causing tension between Aoyama and the others, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“On top of that, you began distancing yourself from the group. The original motive of jealousy towards you and the frustration of losing the outlet for it are resulting in lashing out. So the whole atmosphere is tense, and classmates are getting tired of trying to gauge the moods of the three.”

“Did you know all of that?”

“Of course, Haruta seems as clueless as ever and doesn’t seem to notice.”

The core issue lies in his lack of self-awareness. I hope he realizes that his obliviousness is truly infuriating for those around him.

To blatantly brush off blatantly otherworldly events with a “Isn’t this normal?” proclamation would surely cause even the most normal person to be exasperated and walk away.

It’s not just a matter of who benefits; it’s a total loss even for oneself. Being someone that isn’t pointed out about it is kind of being a genius in itself, but in a way, it’s also pitiful.

…Ugh, I’m a kettle calling the pot black. Damn it.

“Don’t be too harsh on him, Kou-kun is struggling too.”

“I know he’s struggling. That’s why we need to do something about it, right?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

First, a sip of tea. The fragrant aroma unique to Chinese tea wafted through my nose.

“Do you remember the cause of Hareta’s trauma, the childhood friend who rejected him?”

“Yeah, of course I do. The girl who rejected him back in middle school, right?”

“That’s right. How about reuniting him with her to help him regain his sanity?”

At that, Tsukino placed the teacup she had been holding on the table and tilted her head.

“Regain his… sanity?”

“Yeah. You see, Tsukino, I find it hard to believe that Hareta, who was born into a normal family, had such an irresponsible personality from the start.”

“Why is that?”

“There’s a limit to being oblivious. It’s just not plausible for someone to be that unaware. I mean, if it were something innate, his parents would have been worried and taken him to the hospital.”

Tsukino neither denied nor affirmed. Since she’s not interested in her opinion, let’s take her silence as agreement.

“So, I came up with a hypothesis. Maybe, as a result of his trauma, he killed his emotions, isolated himself from others, and convinced himself he was lonely, eventually developing that kind of mentality.”

“So, you’re trying to uncover the truth and make him realize Kanade-chan and the others’ feelings?”

“Exactly, take a look at this.”

With that, I took out my smartphone and handed over a data file. Displayed on the screen was the profile of a certain female student. The face photo was taken from social media.

“Wow, Shinji-kun, you went this far?”

“It was necessary to set up the route for conquering Hareta. And besides, now is not the time to discuss ethics.”

“That’s creepy. You were telling Saori she was ‘going too far,’ but you’re pretty extreme too, Shinji-kun.”

“Shush, let’s not talk about that! Look at the screen! The screen!“

The piercing gaze of the girl who was clearly repelled by my actions stabbed into my heart. I quickly diverted her attention and decided to focus on devising a strategy.

“Shizuku Kumoi, huh. Mugesusuki Commercial High School, isn’t that the big school near the station four stops away from our high school?”

“That’s right. The average score is mediocre, and they have active clubs like rowing and several cultural clubs. You know, those narrow rowing boats run along the river near the railway tracks.”

“Oh, so those boats belong to Mugesusuki Commercial. I had no idea.”

Is it too twisted to find it annoying how obvious they are about enjoying their youth in that scenery?

I briefly entertained the delusion of enjoying an obvious youth myself, but it made me feel sick immediately. I shook my head to clear it and reconstructed the steps to explain once more.

It’s 1000% impossible for me to be passionate about sports.

No way José.

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1 — TL;DR: A traditional sort of bar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya

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