Chapter 7: Lonely soul.

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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.

Work has been a bit hectic as of lately, sorry for the unstable updates.

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“Kou-kun invited me on an after-school date today. After that whole thing, he messaged me on Line with a ‘You free after school?'” Her voice came from my phone.

“I see. Just as planned.”

“Yeah. It followed the pattern of ‘Day 1, After School E’. The conversation we had was mostly as you’d imagined, Shinji-kun.”

“Did you go to that popular cake shop downtown?”

“Yeah. It was delicious! Oh, by the way, do you like chocolate cake, maybe?”

This idiot still doesn’t get it.

“…Before you go to bed, make sure to send him a message. Even casual conversations are effective now that he’s more aware of you.”

“Geez, can’t we have a bit of small talk? C’mon—”

I quickly hung up the call and began summarizing info about Hareta’s alleged ex-girlfriend. Long story short, it’s highly doubtful they were ever in a proper relationship. There was just no convincing evidence to support them actually having “tied the knot.” An indication of that is that there were no rumors or retellings of them actually having confessed, despite being close since childhood. This information came directly from someone who knows both of them well.

Confessions are important, said and done. It’s crucial for both parties in a possible relationship to voice out their intentions, or else they’d only feel like they were going out; a placebo of sorts. Honestly, I don’t understand why some people don’t appreciate the beauty of a confession.

As an avid believer of pure love, it was quite a challenge for me to wrap my head around their vague “relationship.”

“…Phew, my eyes hurt.”

Besides, women are way more sensitive than men when it comes to these things. It’s entirely that guy’s fault for getting complacent, letting their relationship linger, and not holding onto his childhood friend when he had the chance.

That being said, this lack of evidence bothered me. Such scarcity meant there also wasn’t much evidence to indicate they weren’t in a relationship either.

If someone intentionally cleared their tracks and removed evidence, the situation could take a completely different turn. Or perhaps, there’s some narrative misdirection at play here. With the limited information I have, it’s hard to pinpoint any specific mistake. Regardless, a vague unease still lingered.

“Can’t be bothered to care about what-ifs now. I’m also not interested.”

In any case, I can’t just have Tsukino confront him with these facts. If she starts being hated by the guy, there won’t be anything left for her. Not even crumbs.

What I should do instead is to not belittle him. After all, he’s convinced he was (tentatively) c*cked, based on assumptions. Instead of confronting, I should figure out how to use this info to benefit her love life.

“In essence, I just need him to forget the trauma…”

His fundamental complex is, objectively speaking, a misunderstanding in which his tentative relationship was broken, and that he was cruelly betrayed. Hareta believes that, and I must remember this whenever we deal with him.

In other words, there’s a high chance he’ll assume the girl he likes, whoever it may be, is already in a relationship with him. If that’s the case, even if Tsukino were to ask him out, he’d respond with a, “Why now?”, believing they were already in a relationship to begin with.

Considering all that, Tsukino’s confession should be the following, “We’re already dating, aren’t we?”

There is no sweeter phrase for Hareta than this, and no greater joy than receiving the words he’s longed for all this time. Even if one knows it’s a trap, stepping into it might be irresistible for someone on his side.

He was an insensitive dude who only showed interest in things pertaining to him. While that personality was certainly troublesome, it was also a weakness that made him giddy whenever someone put him first.

His demeanor could be called a craftsman’s disposition or, less favorably, a developmental disorder. Depends on who you ask. Still, if my analysis is correct, Tsukino’s story will undoubtedly head towards a happy ending.

Patting myself on the back and enjoying the sensation, I updated the manual for the second day to version 1.02, all while sipping on some sweet milk coffee.

Oh, how sweet and cloying. Such tenderness made the inside of my mouth and stomach shudder with glee, always and without fail. This is a parent-less and sibling-less boy’s only happiness — and I loved it to no end.

There was still plenty in the fridge, but I only drank one a day. It was a directive left by my late grandmother and something I couldn’t ever forget. It was one of the few promises that bound this lonely soul to the person who raised me with all the love.

“Phew.”

All things considered, this incident has become a good pastime in my otherwise boring life. I never would’ve thought helping someone else’s love life could be this interesting.

…But why is it?

Is it due to the feeling of superiority that came with manipulating people at my will? Or is it an awakening of some sense of service that lay deep within my heart? Maybe it was the satisfaction of guiding a beautiful, yet lost girl like Tsukino?

Truthfully, I’ve been aware she relied on me to solve her troubles. And I’ve also been aware that I’d been freely playing the role of the villain, and doing so more than necessary. I knew all that. Still, I just couldn’t put my finger on what gave me so much satisfaction in doing all these things.

What is this, exactly? I asked myself.

Ever since my grandmother died, I never once looked inside my own heart. This had been the first time in a long, long time.

Still, I didn’t understand. If there was an answer in my grandmother’s wisdom, I’d be delighted to see it surface as a dream tonight.

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