Chapter 61: To stand on my own.

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.

---

Michiru’s POV

It was night.

During dinner in the main hall, Shinji-kun told me, “Come to my room later.” My breath literally stopped. Of course, the fact that I took a bath first had nothing to do with that. It was just that my turn for the bath happened to come first.

I mean, there’s no way he meant anything suggestive by those words. I’m not such a hopelessly naïve girl that I'd get my hopes up over something like this. Most likely, he was trying to tell me that there’s something we need to do—either tomorrow or later tonight.

“M-Michiru, what's with that face?”

“Eh~? Dehehe~”

By the way, Shinji-kun never told me where his room was. I asked Yamakawa-kun, but he said he didn't know. Which means no one else but Shinji himself must know.

I could just message him and ask, but if I'm going to do this, I'd rather turn it into a little mystery to solve and find my way there myself. I messed up in the deduction game on the bus, but this time, I'll figure it out on my own.

…Or so I thought, but when I stopped by the souvenir shop after my bath, I found Shinji-kun staring seriously at the merchandise.

On a completely unrelated note—why is he wearing a yukata?

“Were you waiting for me?”

“You don't know where my room is, right? If you were in the bath, your phone's probably in your room too.”

“I see.”

Between his school uniform, gym clothes, and now a yukata—Shinji-kun is always in some sort of outfit. His room is completely devoid of personality, too.

Honestly, I don't think I really know what makes him him.

If he dressed terribly, at least I could make him look cool, but as always, he’s just not very human-like.

Well, that aloha shirt was funny, though.

But that was a gift too, apparently.

“What are you looking at?”

“I was thinking about getting a souvenir for my boss at work. Even in a place like this, there might be some hidden gems.”

“What kind of things does your boss like?”

“Horse racing and cooking.”

“Mm-hmm. So basically, we have no clue what he'd want.”

“He's a man of few words. I've known him for a long time, but I've only ever heard short replies and single words from him. He's a mysterious old guy.”

But one thing was clear—Shinji-kun really liked and respected this man.
Normally, he makes decisions in an instant, but here he was, groaning and struggling to pick something. That alone was proof enough.

On a side note, is the name of his workplace the same as that yakitori stall from the summer festival, Youko?

If so, then I bet his boss is a devoted husband, too.

“Maybe something like a keychain would make him happy?”

As I spoke, I picked up a small Mayumaro keychain—Kyoto's official mascot.

“He's a guy. He wouldn't want that. Something more practical would be better.”

“I think he'd be happy just knowing that his grandson-aged Shinji-kun went out of his way to bring him something… How about a knife, then?”

“He already has a blade he's been using so long it's worn down to a sliver. If I got him a new one, he'd probably punch me.”

Shinji-kun held his fingers about 1.5 centimeters apart to demonstrate.

How many years would it take for a blade to get that thin?

I wouldn't know—I'm hopeless in the kitchen.

“Anyway, let's head to my room. Saori should be coming soon.”

“…Ah, so that's what this is about.”

Inside the elevator, feeling embarrassed by my own misplaced excitement, I impulsively grabbed Shinji-kun's hand. But he just sighed in exasperation and pulled away with a teasing smile.

“Don't do stupid things.”

This is how it is, even when I just hold his hand.

What do I have to do to make him fall for me?

“Ugh, why are you always so cold?”

“If you really want to know, just imagine the most painful thing I could say to you.”

“You're seriously the worst…”

“I'll take that as a compliment.”

But I can't give up.

Saori, Kou-kun, Miki-chan, Kokomi-chan, Kanae-chan…

Everyone who’s in love is doing their best.

They're all betting their hearts on this school trip, trying to make something happen.

Kou-kun called out to Shinji-kun in the classroom. He mustered the courage to say he wanted to try seriously. That determination spread to everyone, inspiring them to chase their own happiness.

That's the kind of energy that's swirling around this trip.

“I wasn't complimenting you~.”

I have to give it my all, too.

I want to grasp my happiness in my own hands and hold it tight.

“Yo.”

“Hey, hey.”

“Sup.”

We exchanged brief greetings with Saori, who was staring blankly out the window of the fifth-floor elevator hall, and without much conversation, we headed to Shinji-kun's room.

I wondered if this was what people meant by stepping into a harem scenario—something he supposedly hates. But knowing these two, they wouldn't do anything without careful thought, so I kept my mouth shut.

There was probably some kind of line Shinji-kun had drawn in his mind. Well, no matter how this plays out, there's no way anything weird will happen with this group.

“So, what did you come up with?”

The moment we entered his room, Shinji-kun tightened his obi and sat down on a small chair, keeping some distance. He looked at us expectantly. Saori and I sat on the bed and glanced around the tiny, unremarkable single room.

“First of all, we realized that we can't pull this off. Maybe you could, Shinji, but as we are now, even if the four of us worked together, we wouldn't stand a chance.”

“I don't dislike your honesty. So, what's the plan?”

“You don't have to pretend you don't know. You already gave us the answer earlier today—‘Set the stage for the client.'”

What does that mean?

The question rose to my throat, but I swallowed it back.

I want to catch up to Shinji-kun. To stand beside him, I can't afford to lag behind—even to Saori.

That means I can't play the submissive role.

I need to figure out the answer myself, to stand on equal ground and voice my thoughts alongside them.

---

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.