Chapter 48: Djutb.

Reading Settings

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.

---

After returning the championship flag and catching my breath, I was summoned by Mishima-senpai, who even went so far as to use the school broadcast. On my way to the courtyard, I felt terribly embarrassed by the glances from students of other classes.

Let's just forget about the rumors. Every time I think about them, I get a strange feeling.

“You really helped me, Takatsuki. Thanks a lot. Because you returned it, no one noticed anything.”

“No, it was something that would've gone back on its own anyway. It wasn't a big deal.”

“Haha, you're a lot more humble than the rumors suggest. Be careful, though—too much humility can come off as sarcastic.”

I know that, but I still feel strangely itchy when praised. Even though I recognize it as a flaw, I have no confidence in fixing it. Maybe it's because I'm such an introvert.

“…Sorry, Mishima-senpai. I'll gratefully accept your kindness.”

“Yeah, that's the spirit!”

It seemed Mishima-senpai knew that Tsutsusaki-senpai and Ponytail-senpai were the culprits. However, he neither pursued them nor asked me about the details. He simply smiled while watching the first-year students’ group gymnastics.

What a magnanimous person.

“Well, I'll take my leave now.”

“Sure. I'll thank you properly another day.”

“No, really, there's no need. I acted on my own, so I mean it—don't bother.”

“Haha. I see. Then, take this as a token of gratitude, and we'll call it even.”

With that, senpai handed me an unopened can of black coffee and left. I never drink bitter things, but since it was a gesture of his goodwill, throwing it away felt wrong.

“…Oh, right.”

With that thought, I placed the black coffee on Haruta's desk. If I remember correctly, he drank black coffee when he went to a café with Tsukino. I'll just say it's either a reward for his 100-meter sprint win or an apology for the trouble I caused him with Kumoi.

“What the—Takatsuki?”

Surrounded by his usual group of heroines, Haruta instantly went on guard. But at least on a festive day like this, we can pause our usual bickering. Without throwing out any barbed remarks, I simply said:

“You like bitter stuff, don't you? I bought it by mistake, so take it.”

Saying that, I returned to my seat.

“…Why does he know what I like?”

“Beats me.”

The harem all tilting their heads in unison was an amusing and satisfying sight, but I didn't plan to keep watching. My next event was the scavenger hunt. I'd try my best not to embarrass myself too much as I ran.

“Hey, Shinji-kun, there's something that's been bugging me.”

As I was tying my shoelaces, Tsukino, who had been chatting with Yamakawa and the others, approached me with small, hopping steps. I've been wondering—how does she tie those bunny ears?

“What is it, Tsukino?”

“What does djutb mean? Do you know?”

“Oh, it's an encryption of two people's names. If they wrote the actual names, it'd be obvious right away.”

“So, djutb is a last name? No way! That doesn't sound Japanese at all!”

“Switch the alphabet letters to the kana shown on a keyboard.”

“Huh? I can't just do that on the spot. Wait, let me grab my phone.”

Muttering, Tsukino started fiddling with her phone. She must have been searching for a keyboard layout to figure it out.

“…Oh, it's Shimanakako. But it's supposed to be two people, right? That's only one name.”

“Exactly. It's the names of two people.”

“So, Shima-senpai and Naka-senpai?”

“If they used their real names, it'd be a problem if someone figured it out, right? This is a shared name with a double meaning.”

“Huh?”

Tsukino tilted her head, clearly failing to grasp the shared-name concept. But once the trick was revealed, it was nothing complicated.

They went to the trouble of creating this convoluted incident to hide their mischief. Such a scheme isn't something an ordinary person would think of easily. Wit doesn't just materialize out of thin air.

“I don't get it!”

Watching Tsukino barking like an excitable puppy, I was called to line up for the scavenger hunt by one of the event organizers. As I stood in line, waiting for my turn, I distracted myself from the tension with metaphysical musings—why do I have to queue up to do something I don't even want to do?

Finally, the race started.

While the other runners reached their envelopes quickly, I stumbled over to the last one, opened it, and found myself far behind. I just hoped I wouldn't come in last place. Hopefully, the task wasn't too challenging.

“A member of the Manga Research Club.”

It seemed I wouldn't have to embarrass myself too badly in front of the crowd this year.

Without hesitation, I headed to the white tent at the commentary booth and showed the envelope to the two seniors holding the microphone.

---

Thank you for reading! Feel free to comment your opinions below!

Also, if you enjoyed my translation and would like to feed my caffeine addiction, click on the button below and graciously give me my fix—I mean, a cup of coffee.