Chapter 57: The end of fried horse mackerel

Translator: Soafp

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“So, about your recent recommendation, ‘The Unrivaled Heroic Tale of the Weakest Sage.’ The title may seem contradictory, but in light novel titles, ‘weakest’ and ‘strongest’ are almost synonymous, so there’s no problem there. And with the addition of ‘unrivaled,’ it’s a book that makes you want to pick it up. It looks interesting, doesn’t it?”

“As expected of you, Izayoi! You really understand these things deeply!”

“Oh, well, not really.”

“It’s fun talking with you again, Izayoi… By the way, I have another recommendation!”

The first half of her words were spoken in a small voice, but I could hear them clearly, making it difficult to respond. It makes me happy, but… When I parted with her at the school entrance, other students were talking about “Hero,” and I can’t help but feel uncomfortable.

---

As I entered the classroom, all the students looked at me. Some with admiration, some with concern, and some with eyes that treated me like trash. I glanced at Gindou Kohaku ‘s seat and saw her back.

And then, a pitch-black aura…

Not good, I’m being misunderstood. And if things go wrong, it might turn into some kind of dream-like development. Well, I don’t think that would actually happen.

“You… You managed to show up, huh?”

“It’s been a while, Sasamoto.”

“Took a week off and went to a festival with a girl. It’s quite impressive. Look at the admiring gazes from these guys and the eyes of the girls that treat you like trash.”

“I can’t say anything.”

“At least do something about Kohaku-chan. She’s even worse than during the sports festival.”

“I know… And here, I brought this as a souvenir.”

“What’s this?”

“An erotic novel.”

“Thanks!”

Now, how should I approach her and start a conversation… Lunch break seems like a good time when we have some free time.

---

“Uhm, Gindou-san…”

During the lunch break, I gathered my courage and spoke to her. The class had been abnormally long, and the atmosphere in the classroom was terrible. I felt intense stares from everyone, as if they were blaming me.

“…Is there something wrong!?”

In an instant of silence, she cheerfully replied. That, in turn, was terrifying. Behind her smiling eyes, I sensed something unsettling, almost madness.

“Well, do you have a little time?”

“Of course, I do!… I was actually planning to come and get you during the lunch break too…”

She skillfully used the high-and-low tone of her voice. It made me break into a cold sweat even more, and my legs began to tremble uncontrollably. I wanted to run away out of fear, but if I postponed it now, I had a premonition that things would only get worse. So, I needed to clear up her misunderstanding.

“Well, then… Let’s go to the rooftop…”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Alright! I managed to call her out! As I was about to head to the rooftop with her, I locked eyes with Noguchi Natsuko, who was sitting behind Gindou Kohaku’s seat.

She held up a piece of paper with some words written on it, trying to make it visible to me. What could it be? Advice, perhaps?

[Die once]

…Well then, let’s go to the rooftop.

---

The clear blue sky should have continued endlessly, creating a bright and refreshing atmosphere. However, the pitch-black aura emanating from her made me feel as if I were in the demon realm.

No one was on the rooftop. And she hadn’t said a word until now.

“Um, you see… I believe you’re misunderstanding, Gindou-san.”

“Yes? Misunderstanding? I don’t quite understand.”

“That girl with the blue hair I appeared with on TV, she’s more like a friend…”

“Fufufu… Ahaha… Izayoi-kun… You don’t need to panic like that. Izayoi-kun, you’re not at fault…”

“Eh?”

I’m not at fault? Does that mean she’s not angry? That’s a relief. I was afraid she might stab me if things were misunderstood…

“There are only two things that are bad. That woman and the male instincts within you.”

“Hmm?”

“You were deceived by that woman, right? Don’t worry, I will free you from her spell… First, let’s live together, become lovers, and deepen our understanding of each other’s virtues…”

“U-uhm…”

“Hah! I’m sorry. I was in the middle of explaining. The other thing is the male instincts, but that can’t be helped. Izayoi-kun is a boy, so it’s natural for him to be attracted to girls. Yes, it can’t be helped, can’t be helped… Men and women are drawn to each other by instinct. It can’t be helped, can’t be helped, can’t be helped…”

If it can’t be helped, I wish she wouldn’t come with such a terrifying atmosphere… As I silently listened to her, she took out a large pair of scissors she had been hiding.

“Do you know what these large scissors are used for? They’re called fabric-cutting scissors used for handicrafts, you know?”

“Y-Yes. But why?”

“Oh, right, right. I got sidetracked. It can’t be helped by male instincts… But if things continue like this, Izayoi-kun might be deceived by a bad woman and his life could become a mess.”

“I-Is that so?”

…Not good, not good, not good! It’s really scary when she takes out scissors and says things like that. And I have a pretty good idea of what she wants to say, which makes it even scarier. Even though she’s smiling on the surface, her eyes aren’t smiling.

“That’s not good. Absolutely not… That’s why I thought about cutting off the source of male instincts… I thought maybe I could just snip it away with these scissors…”

“W-What do you mean by ‘source’?”

“What do you mean? It’s obvious what it means.”

.……….…Haha Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!?! This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad! This is bad! Even though I had a vague feeling about it, hearing her say it out loud is terrifyingly shocking!

“T-That will be a problem!! I’ll turn into a girl, you know!?”

“In that case, I’ll still love you, okay?”

“N-No, even if you say ‘okay’…”

“Don’t be selfish. It’s for your own sake. I’ll take responsibility, okay?”

“No, no, it’s not okay! I mean, I do want to get married and have children!”

Regardless of everything, I do want a girlfriend, and I do have a desire to get married. After all, I was an introverted person in my past life…

“Marriage… Children… I also want to get married and have children… In that case, I can’t use these scissors right….”

She put away the scissors with a disappointed expression. Hasn’t this situation gotten out of hand? Or rather, her yandere level, so to speak. But then again, it might be my fault that she became a yandere in the first place.

“Uhm, actually, I haven’t been deceived either. The person who appeared on TV with me is just a friend, and we don’t have a special relationship.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes. The TV person misunderstood when we were talking about her giving me tour guide and I treating her as a way of saying thanks.”

“I see…”

“Do you not believe me?”

“…It’s complicated. I want to trust everything you say, but there’s a part of me that doubts it…”

“But the girl in blue also said in the interview that we are not a couple, didn’t she?　Since both parties denied it, doesn’t that give it a lot of credibility?”

“I guess so. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions…”

“No, no, I’m glad I could sense your concern for me. Oh, and here, this is a souvenir.”

“Eeh?! For me?!”

I gave her a manju, thinking that if I bought something related to Hihara Karen, it might get messy. It’s a really delicious manju, but I have bad taste, so I wonder if she’ll get upset?

“I’m sorry. I wish I could have bought something better.”

“No! Just the fact that you bought something for me… makes me happy! A gift from Izayoi-kun… I’ll never eat it in my life!!”

“Please eat it before the expiration date. There might be some issues with it…”

“But I can’t bear to eat it because it’s too precious!!”

“Well, bugs might start appearing in it, you know?”

“I’ll put it in ten Ziploc bags to preserve it!!”

“U-uhml, I’ll give you another gift next time, so please eat that one…”

“Eeeeeeh?! Another gift?! Thank you so much. Then I’ll enjoy this manju!”

“Please do.”

Her smile became as beautiful and delicate as a flower. That’s a relief… What time is it now?

It’s around the middle of the lunch break. I still have a little time, but I don’t have enough time to eat in the cafeteria. Should I go to the school store?

What about Kikawa Moegi? She probably doesn’t have much interest in me…

“That’s settled then, shall we go to the cafeteria, Izayoi-kun? Sorry, it’s my fault that we’re running out of time.”

“Don’t worry about it. I occasionally feel like having something from the school store too.”

“Fufu… Well then, shall we go to the school store?”

“Yes.”

“Ah.”

At that moment, she seemed to remember something and stopped. Her smile suddenly took on a dark tone…

“What’s the matter?”

“Could you please explain in detail and concisely why you walked to school with Karen-senpai this morning? Why didn’t you invite me? Why didn’t you come looking for me? Please tell me all about it. Come on, I believe in you, Izayoi-kun, so there must be a valid reason, right? Please tell me quickly.”

We skipped lunch that day. I used the remaining time to try to justify myself, but I couldn’t find a reason that would satisfy her. In the end, I resorted to giving her compliments and managed to deceive her until the chime rang…

I’m hungry… But even though she’s a bit scary, she also shows concern for me in her own way. I could never dislike her.

---

After school. The atmosphere in the classroom has improved, and we are about to leave. Do I need to explain myself to Kikawa Moegi? She doesn’t seem interested in me or jealous or anything… But if I tell her that it’s not what she thinks… it’ll just be creepy.

“Izayoi-kun, let’s go home together!”

“Yes, that sounds good…”

She invites me to walk home together after a long time. I can’t refuse, but even Hihara Karen…

Suddenly, the classroom door swings open.

“Izayoi! Let’s go home together!”

Hihara Karen is here too. And Kikawa Moegi is with her… She seems to be giving me a little glare. With Gindou Kohaku by my side, we all head out into the corridor. Gindou Kohaku and Hihara Karen are locking eyes.

And then I get glared at by Kikawa Moegi…

“Hey, can you two give us a moment? I have something I want to say to him. Just five minutes.”

“What do you want to say?”

“Yes, what do you want to say?”

The two of them give off an intimidating vibe that hits Kikawa Moegi all at once.

“I-it’s okay, it’s not something that you two would think! I swear to god!”

“Alright, but just five minutes.”

“Just one second late, and you’ll be our plaything for ten minutes, Senpai.”

“Ehehe, I’m fine being your plaything, but… Ten minutes for every second is way too much!! Five minutes of being your plaything is more than enough! Anything longer will just make me feel weird!”

Well, it’s a complicated request from Kikawa Moegi, but I like that about her. I’m totally on board with this request!!

“I’m sorry, five minutes is enough.”

“Yes, five minutes is enough. It’s because playing with Moegi after five minutes is enjoyable.”

“I understand.”

“Eeh!? So you two are sadists!? Well, I guess that’s fine, but…”

I want to keep watching their world forever, but that’s impossible. Maybe I should capture it on video. Before I record their world on my phone, I ask them.

“Can I take a picture of the three of you with my phone?”

“””Eeh?”””

All three of them tilt their heads in confusion. If someone suddenly asked to take a picture with their phone, they would naturally be puzzled.

“You can, but can we take it in a different location?”

“Yes, not in the hallway.”

“Okay.”

“More importantly, Moegi, what’s up? You said you had something to talk about?”

“Oh, right. Come with me for a moment.”

“If Senpai does anything weird…”

“You know…”

“I-I won’t! Come on, let’s go.”

Together with her, I head up to the rooftop…

When we reach the rooftop, the blue sky is still there. What does she want to talk to me about?

“There’s something I want to ask you, something I want to say, and something I want to request.”

“W-what is it?”

“First, about that guy I saw before. What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything in particular. He attacked me out of nowhere…”

“…Haa, you won’t tell me the truth, huh? I knew it… Next is the request.”

“What request?”

What does she mean by “request”?

She handed me a piece of paper. This is…

The cost of stomach medicine, the amount for the ramen discount that couldn’t be applied, and the fee for being groped on the train. A total of 30,000 yen… Well, I guess it’s okay to pay this much. It’s partly my fault, after all.

I don’t really understand the first two items though…

“Can I pay you back tomorrow?”

“Why are you offering to pay?! It was just a little joke! That’s what I’m talking about, your bewilderment!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes!”

She becomes emotionally unstable and snatches the paper back from me.

“First of all, you groped me! And because of you, I forgot to apply the ramen discount!! My stomach hurts too!”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“But I’m grateful to you too! You idiot!”

She crumples the paper and slams it on the floor. Then she picks it up again.

“Because of you, every day is fun in one way or another! You idiot!”

And she slams it again. And picks it up again.

“Because of you, my heart is all complicated and messed up!! You say weird things, you grope me, you grope me again!! You forgive me quickly even if I say terrible things, and I don’t know what you’re thinking!! You won’t answer when I ask!!! You’re such an incomprehensible receptor!!”

“I apologize.”

“But when you came with me to the restroom, I felt relieved!! And I got along with those two too!! You idiot!”

She slams the paper. She picks it up again.

“Ah, that’s why I don’t know what I’m trying to say… I’ve never felt this way before! I’m grateful, but you are a man, and yet I feel reassured… you are a man, but it’s all so confusing and I’m feeling all muddled. You idiot!!”

She slams it again. This time, she doesn’t pick it up.

“…I feel a bit relieved now. I didn’t really know what the incomprehensible muddle was that I wanted to say…”

“I-I see…”

“I don’t even know what I was really trying to say, but I think this is what I wanted to say… Even though I don’t even know what I’m saying myself…”

“Well, that’s just how humans are. Expressing your feelings with words is a difficult task, so don’t worry about it too much.”

“That’s why those things make me feel all muddled… No it is fine, forget it. I feel a bit relieved now, so should we go back to where the two of them are?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Did she want to express her gratitude? Or… No, let’s forget about it. It would be awkward if I got it wrong.

When we returned, the two of them were waiting with big smiles.

“Moegi, you were three minutes late!”

“Which means… 1,800 minutes, so congratulations on thirty hours!”

“Aah!? I forgot!! Wait a minute, you two, that’s going a bit too far!!!”

“We know.”

“We know.”

“Yeah, we shouldn’t push it too far…”

“We’ll use it in small doses.”

“Eeeh!? What’s that!?”

“‘Karen-senpai and I will go and use it when we want to see Moegi-senpai writhing in agony.”

“The supplementary explanation is outrageous!?”

The three original members of “Masou Shhoujo” with Kataumi Aoi and with the upcoming fifth. I know how their fate will unfold. I’ve seen it many times. I’ve gone back and watched it again.

But I never get tired of watching them.

“Hey, hey, can you say something too? If you say something, the two of them will calm down! I want them to tease me, but there’s a limit to it!”

“Yeah, let’s take a picture. On the rooftop.”

“Eeh!? Ignored!? Ignored by me!?”

“Sure, why not.”

“I’m okay with that too.”

“Why do you two always unite at times like this!?”

The four of us go to the rooftop. With the blue sky and the fence in the background.

“Alright then, say cheese.”

With a click, I take a photo with my smartphone, surrounded by the beloved three girls.

I did things for them, but it was what I wanted to do, driven by my own selfish feelings, so there will be no rewards or compensation. But I tried my best, even if I’m just a mob.

For now, this should be enough, right?

I take a hundred screenshots of the photo with the girls… and set it as my wallpaper…

A precious treasure.

“After this, would you like to go to that café? I’ll treat you all!!”

“Of course, let’s go.”

“I’m coming too.”

“I’ll go with you!　If you are treating, I’ll eat a lot and take it out on you!””

“Moegi?”

“Moegi-senpai?”

“Hii, s-sorry. I was just joking…”

It’s fun. It was tough, but fun, exciting, and full of dreams. A world with wonderful fantasy and charming characters.

This is such a world.

End of the ocean arc