V2Ch5: Weird like a puppy. Akane and Mio’s encounter.

Translator: Soafp

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It was time for lunch break.

Now it’s time for lunch! I want to say that, but I was exhausted at my desk.

“Fuwaa, I’m so hungry!”

Yes, everything is because of that girl who transferred here today.

Every time the break time comes, she starts talking to me incessantly. I try to give short replies to avoid prolonged conversations, but she never seems discouraged.

Even during class… Well, it’s her first day, so maybe I can’t blame her entirely, but she keeps asking all sorts of questions. It made the already boring class even more uninteresting and troublesome.

If I tell her to be quiet or leave me alone, she momentarily shows a disappointed expression, but annoyingly enough, she forgets about it after a few minutes. I can’t tell if she’s just overly positive or simply clueless, but either way, it’s quite bothersome.

What’s worse is that this girl has already become close to Mio.

As soon as she saw Mio approaching me during the break, she exclaimed, “I lost! I’m completely defeated! Tokyo girls are too cute!” and seemed impressed on her own, instantly taking a liking to Mio.

On the other hand, Mio, whether due to her outgoing nature or shyness, seemed to really enjoy the girl’s energetic approach and they quickly became comfortable with each other in this short time.

This transfer student… She’s really something. How did it end up like this?

Well, let’s just have a peaceful lunch with Mio.

At Kisaragi Academy, we have the option to either eat at the school cafeteria or bring our own lunch. Mio and I usually have the lunches our mothers make on the rooftop.

When Mio came to my desk as usual, I invited her to go to the rooftop, but the transfer student grabbed my hand.

She pleaded with her eyes. “Please take me with you. I feel lonely.” Her eyes were watery, like those of a puppy in a certain commercial.

It’s no use. Even with those eyes, I won’t budge.

“Of course, I planned on that from the beginning. Fufu, Akane-chan is so expressive and cute.”

“I’m so glad! I really like Mio because she’s kind! Unlike the cold Yagami!”

Well, I guess it would turn out this way… Even if I try to refuse, there’s no way Mio, who is kind-hearted, would allow it.

I gave up, and the three of us headed to the rooftop. Along the way, I noticed other students whispering about me, but when I glared at them, they awkwardly scattered.

I’m being avoided quite a bit. It’s like I’m treated as something fragile, something delicate.

Although my false accusation was proven wrong, I have become quite famous. Those who used to avoid me or speak ill of me don’t have the guts to approach me anymore.

On the other hand, a small group of students who didn’t do anything in particular are either genuinely kind or simply uninterested in others. The kind ones understand what I want right now.

So, no one approaches me. It’s actually convenient for me.

“Yagami, are you some amazing person!? Everyone runs away just by looking at you… It doesn’t seem like they hate you either…”

“Well, I guess so.”

It’s troublesome to explain, and it’s not a cheerful topic to discuss with the girl who just arrived at this school today. Moreover, it seems like she’s looking forward to making many friends at this school.

As we walked, I felt like I was being looked at with admiration, so I replied casually and we arrived at the rooftop.

The usual scene greeted us. Couples were relatively common, but there were also a few groups of friends scattered around.

Since our usual spot where Mio and I eat was empty, the three of us sat down there.

Mio and I took out regular-sized lunch boxes from our bags, while the transfer student pulled out a surprisingly large lunch box with a smile.

“Wow, Akane-chan, that’s amazing… Do you eat that much every day for lunch?”

“Yes! I’m aiming to be the epitome of femininity, a strong and resilient girl, so I need to eat a lot to replenish my energy! I may have slipped up during my self-introduction, but my determination is genuine!”

What does she mean by an “epitome of femininity”? Doesn’t she gain weight from eating so much? I had various doubts, but I didn’t have much interest in hearing the details, so I ate in silence.

It seems like Mio had the same thoughts because she asked instead, and she learned that no matter how much she eats, Akane doesn’t gain weight. Also, being an “epitome of femininity” means being a cool and admirable woman that everyone aspires to be.

She aims to become like her older brother, who became the epitome of a man to protect himself.

Yeah, the more I hear, the less I understand.

“Akane-chan, you must have been really popular at your previous school because you’re so cute, right?”

“Well, no, I had a lot of female friends because it was an all-girls high school, but I didn’t talk to boys at all. I heard from my friends that I was popular in middle school, but no one approached me because of my brother…”

After finishing the conversation about the transfer student and Mio, I brought up what I had been planning to say. I didn’t want to initiate the conversation, but I felt like I had to say this.

“Transfer student, can I ask you something?”

“What’s up? Huh? Oh, you finally talked to me, Yagami! You can just call me Akane instead of the transfer student, Aka–“

“Quit that creepy standard Japanese”

“Gufoh!”

I couldn’t stand it anymore, and the moment I said that, the transfer student spit out a grain of rice, which landed on my face. I brushed it off silently and continued.

“I don’t mind if you use the Kansai dialect. For the record, you’ve been acting weird this whole time.”

“Guh-ah!”

“What made you think that would work?”

“Please, Taiga, stop! I’ve always felt something was off too, but I tried not to say anything.”

“Guh-beah! Even Mio! I was trying so hard, but was it really that weird…?”

“”Yeah, it was weird. It felt uncomfortable,””

Our voices harmonized. In response, the transfer student exaggeratedly reacted. For some reason, she said, ‘I’ll kill him when my brother gets home,’ but let’s not pay attention to that.

After that, it seems like the transfer student decided to speak casually in Kansai dialect when she’s with me and Mio. It seems she wants to practice standard language as well and intends to use it when talking to people she’s just meeting.

“Hey, Yagami! How long are you going to call me the transfer student? We’re already friends, right? We’re eating together, so we’re friends! Right?”

She said with a puppy-like excitement and a sociable smile. I think she’s a good person. I’m honestly happy that she’s getting along well with Mio.

But that’s not the same thing.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not going to happen.”

“Why not?! How can you reject me with such an expressionless face in this situation?! Ah, but you just called me by my last name for the first time! Yaaaay! Mio, did you hear that?!”

Seeing the innocent Todoroki happily hugging Mio, I wondered if I could at least have a conversation with her.

Even if we’re not friends, we can have a proper conversation.