Chapter 42: Silver immersed in self-serving dreams

Translator: Soafp

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After-school had arrived… Today’s classes seemed to end much earlier than usual for some reason. Homeroom was over, and as I sat at my desk, feeling dejected, I heard a voice calling me from the classroom door.

“Izayoi, Moegi wants to talk to you.”

The classroom began buzzing with excitement. I couldn’t help but shudder at the fact that I was starting to get used to this phenomenon. Hihara Karen and Kikawa Moegi —two of the most beautiful girls in the school.

Hihara Karen still doesn’t seem to know about the sexual harassment… I have no idea what will happen next. All I know is that it’s going to be terrifying.

“Yes… I’ll go now.”

I approached the door where they were waiting, feeling somewhat gloomy. Hihara Karen had a smile on her face, but Kikawa Moegi looked suspicious. And there, Gindou Kohaku joined the scene.

“Wait a minute. What do you need from Izayoi-kun?”

“Oh, right. Moegi said she has something to talk to you about.”

“Me too? …What is it that you need from me, Moegi-senpai?”

“I think it’s better to go outside for now, just in case. It’s not something we should talk about in a loud voice here…”

“Well, I guess… But… Is it going to be something disrespectful to Izayoi-kun again?”

“I-It’s okay… I-It’s just that… I have something I want to confirm, and I want both of you… to… listen…”

Gindou seemed worried that it might turn into a misunderstanding like the incident the other day, and she pressured Kikawa. Kikawa was trembling in fear, avoiding eye contact while continuing to speak. She was definitely quite scary.

She had an incredibly cute face, but for a brief moment, I felt like I saw a deep darkness in her eyes. It might have been just a moment, so it could have been a misunderstanding.

“Calm down. Anyway, let’s not talk here. How about going to a café?”

“Yes, you’re right. We can confront her there and get the answers we need.”

“Y-Yeah, let’s go to a café…”

Thanks to Hihara stopping her, Gindou backed off for now, but it seemed like we were going to a café after this… I felt anxious, but I headed towards the café.

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I ended up at a coffee shop. It was the coffee shop where I had talked with Hihara Karen before and immediately parted ways with her.

“Welcome. Oh! So you two have made up!”

“Yes, well, sort of… Uhm, I’m sorry for causing a disturbance at your shop the other day.”

“It wasn’t your fault, it was mine. I apologize.”

We apologize to the café staff. We should have done so earlier, but we were too confused at the time.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you two have made up.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Thank you!”

After apologizing for the previous incident, we take our seats. There are a few other customers in the café, and they seem surprised by the presence of three beautiful women.

Are they thinking it’s a harem situation? That couldn’t be further from the truth… There’s absolutely no such thing happening. These women are on a completely different level compared to me. I have no interest in a harem or anything of the sort.

“Alright, I’ll sit next to Izayoi, and you two can sit on the other side.”

“What are you saying? I have no choice but to sit with him!”

Gindou Kohaku, who still has some tsundere tendencies, is quite adorable. Her usual refined and ladylike demeanor is the best, but occasionally, this side of her is also charming. Hihara Karen’s yandere, which was also interesting, but her level of scariness was a bit too much.

However, I can’t let them disturb the calm atmosphere of the café any further. It might inconvenience the other customers…

“That works.”

“The coffee here is delicious.”

“Beautiful women arguing and coffee really go well together.”

Ah, so you’re actually enjoying this. But I can’t let them continue fighting.

“Uhm, both of you are inside the café, so let’s calm down.”

“Then, Izayoi, you decide. If you choose me, then it can’t be helped, and I’ll sit next to you.”

“Yes, please decide. If you choose me, then, uhm, it can’t be helped, and I’ll sit next to you.”

“…”

What should I do? Whichever one I choose…Kikawa Moegi… I glanced at her.

“!”

She vigorously shook her head back and forth. It conveyed her strong intention not to involve her in this mess. It seems it would be a bad idea to involve her. It might complicate things. So, what should I do…

“Uhm, here’s your iced water.”

The server brings the iced water and places it on the table. It might have been inconvenient since we still haven’t taken our seats.

“”””Thank you.””””

“You are welcome”

The server places the iced water on the table, and then…

“If you can’t decide on the seats, why not draw lots? Look, there are four pairs of chopsticks here, with short and long ones. If you can’t decide easily, this might be a good option.”

What an unexpected helper. Did she notice my dilemma and reach out to lend a hand?

“Drawing… Well, we can’t stay like this forever, right? I’d prefer if Izayoi could make a decisive choice though…”

“I’d prefer if Izayoi-kun could make a decisive choice, but he’s not good at making decisions in situations like this…”

Both of them look at me, appealing to me with their eyes. Are these two really close?

“Well, in that case, please go ahead.”

All four of us drew chopsticks from the server’s hand. And the result is…

“No way… Why?”

“Why am I paired with you?”

“That’s my line!”

I drew the short chopsticks with Kikawa, while Hihara and Gindou drew the long ones. We take our seats for now. I sit next to Kikawa by the window, and Hihara sits on the opposite side by the window, with Gindou next to her.

“Well, shall we start ordering?”

“Wait, I’m still looking!”

“I’m looking too!”

“…”

The two tsundere girls fight over the menu. Kikawa is examining it. Since there are only two menus, they have to share and look at it.

“Oh, a parfait.”

“You’ll get fat.”

“Ha?”

“Ah?”

“I won’t be fat, even if I eat a little. On the contrary, I should eat more. I have a completely blank physique”

“Shut up…”

Saying that, Hihara pinches Gindou’s side.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“It seems like you have quite a bit of excess fat, right? Piggy?”

“Ah?”

“Ha?”

I can’t concentrate.

“I’ll have this black coffee!　What about you, Kikawa-senpai!”

“Eh?　Ah, well, I’ll have cocoa.……”

“Then, that’s all right, isn’t it?　Please use this!”

I handed over the menu. This will break them up once and for all. I’ve been trying to get these two to get along with each other for a long time, but I haven’t made any progress at all.

They each begin to look at the menu, and when they seem to have made up their minds, I call the waiter.

“Have you decided what you want to order?”

“I’ll have cocoa, please.”

“I’ll have a parfait.”

“I’ll have orange juice.”

“I’ll have a black coffee, please.”

The waiter takes away our order. So then the fight breaks out again.……”

“Calorie overload.”

“Infantile system.”

“Pig.”

“Flat-chest.”

“Enough already! There are other customers around, you know!”

“”R-Right””

Finally, it seems like the two of them have calmed down.

“It’s really inappropriate to do something like this in front of other customers, you know?”

“Yes, you’re right. It’s bothersome, so let’s stop.”

The surrounding customers seem slightly disappointed but have settled down.

“By the way, Moegi, what did you want to talk about?”

“I said there’s something I wanted to confirm.”

Without even a moment’s rest, events keep happening one after another. Well, please help me, dear divine intervention.

“Have you two ever had him do naughty things to you or anything?”

“Eeh!?”

“W-Why all of the sudden?!”

“Because it’s an important matter, I want to know.”

What will these two say…

“N-No, he hasn’t… done anything like that.”

“Neither to me…”

Phew, that’s a relief! Thank you both! With this, the misunderstanding should be cleared up! Probably.

“Oh, is that so… Then, what happened today, was it just an accidental incident? I guess…”

“What do you mean by ‘accidental incident’?”

“I’m curious too.”

Crap, the atmosphere seems to be getting tense…

“Oh, uhm, yeah, well, today, he touched me…”

“”……….What did he touch?””

“Uhm, my chest…”

“”What do you mean?””

Both of them turned their wide-eyed gazes towards me.

“Well, I can’t really determine if it was intentional or not. But maybe, amidst the chaos, I got worried if both of you were also victims of harassment or something, so I wanted to hear your opinions on it…”

“”What do you mean?””

It seems like they completely ignored what Kikawa Moegi said. They only focused on me. They grabbed each of my shoulders and leaned in, as if they wouldn’t let me escape, bringing their faces closer.

“It… it was an accident.”

“”Really?””

“Y-Yeah…”

“Shall we hear the whole story from start to finish? Hihara-senpai, you agree too, right?”

“Yes, I want to hear the whole story…”

“Please don’t lie to us, okay?”

“If you do, then…”

“I-I understand!!”

It took about an hour to finally clear up the misunderstanding. I had to explain the situation over ten times until they finally understood and accepted it. The bees attacking, coincidental incidents overlapping, and the accident that occurred. The black coffee didn’t even have a taste.

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[Moegi PoV]

In the end, it seems to have been an accident. It doesn’t appear that anything of that nature happened between the two of them, and as I watched him repeatedly explaining the situation, I couldn’t help but agree that it made sense.

Karen-chan and Kohaku-chan. They may seem like they have a bad relationship, but they actually seem quite close. They empathize with each other and appear like comrades. It’s different from me. I felt a sense of alienation in that coffee shop.

Kohaku-chan and Karen-chan have feelings for him. I can’t empathize with that.

I’m disconnected from the other girls. Today’s events have made me feel even more isolated. I’m easily swayed by the internet and rumors, unable to distinguish them from reality. I’m not normal. I’m tall, and there are prejudices against me. My way of thinking and my physique are different from others…

“I’m out of sync.”

It’s lonely… Am I going to be alone like this?

No, I can’t dwell on it too much. If I start thinking about it, I won’t be able to stop. It will become an eternal spiral of negativity. Sometimes I ponder about it, but every time, I gain nothing from it. I only end up with a negative impression of myself.

I should go to sleep now.

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[Gindou PoV]

What kind of lucky pervert are you, Izayoi-kun? I recently learned the word lucky pervert.

But thank goodness it was a misunderstanding.

I can’t imagine what would have happened if it hadn’t been a misunderstanding. I can’t imagine it myself. Well, I believed that Izayoi-kun would not be a person who would do such a thing, but I only suspected …… just to be sure.

Let’s go to bed today, then. I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes, I saw him walking in his school uniform on his way to school. Huh?　I feel like I was sleeping a while ago.…… I have a strange feeling that my body is somewhat full of air.

“Gindou-san!”

This voice is Izayoi-kun. I recognized it immediately.

“Izayoi-kun. Good morning.”

“Good morning. If you like, would you like to go to school with me?”

I-It’s been a while since Izayoi-kun invited me… I feel a bit nervous.

“I don’t mind at all…”

“Yes!!! Then let’s go!!”

He took my hand. Eeeehhhh?! Isn’t he being too forward?!

We walked together towards the school. It’s so embarrassing… Everyone around us is staring.

Even when we arrived at school, he didn’t let go of my hand. Finally, he reluctantly let go as we entered the classroom.

Wha-what is happening?! This is so different from usual! I’m happy. I’m so happy!

He went back to his own seat… And at that moment, the scenery suddenly changed. I found myself standing on the rooftop of the school, bathed in the light of the setting sun. In front of me, Izayoi-kun gazed at me with intense eyes.

“Gindou-san, please go out with me!”

W-what’s going on?! Is this a dream?!

“Y-yes… please take care of me from now on…”

I-If we’re going out, there’s something I need to do.

“Uhm, Izayoi-kun. First, can you tell me your phone password?”

“Sure! The password is 0721!”

“Thank you. And starting from tomorrow, I’ll be making your lunch, so please don’t eat at the cafeteria, okay?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!”

“Also, please refrain from talking to other girls without my permission. Promise me that you’ll ask for my approval before you talk to them.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!”

“Well then, even though I’m inexperienced, please take care of me…”

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Likewise!”

Yay!! We’re in a special relationship?! I added some minor conditions for us to date, like the size of a water flea, but since Izayoi-kun expressed his desire to go out with me, there shouldn’t be any problem. Izayoi-kun… my boyfriend… suddenly appeared right in front of me.

“Now that we’re dating, can I kiss you?”

“Eeeh?! Isn’t that too sudden?!”

“In that case, right away.”

“Wait, my heart…”

He hugged me and put his lips on my ……

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Beep beep beep beep beep!!

I jolted awake from my bed. The sound of my alarm clock reverberated through the room. W-was it a dream?

If my alarm had gone off three seconds later… I would have …

Just thinking about it makes my cheeks burn. Honestly, I wish Izayoi-kun would come on to me like that once in a while. Because it’s embarrassing for me to always be the one initiating things. I want him to understand more about a girl’s heart. I pout my cheeks slightly.

Slightly frustrated about him. But that dream was a good dream.

–I’ll make this dream a reality someday……