Chapter 5: Wow, nerdy hobbies sure do make money. — Part 2

Translated and Edited by: ynlucca.

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.

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Ice cream girl’s POV; one day after they met.

From there, all I did was stare at my phone’s screen. No matter what I felt, I couldn’t afford two cards. Two months’ worth of pocket money could nab me one, but I’d have no choice other than to win the other in a tournament.

Yeah, our goal is to win a tourney…

No need to tell me. I completely understand how crazy I must sound. Well, there may be other ways to get a second card, but that was the only idea I could come up with my dumb brain. Nothing I can do about it.

With all that said, once a decision is made, all that’s left is action.

I say that, but I’m currently just a wee baby who doesn’t know right from left. The rules of this game may as well be Greek to me, and I don’t even have any cards.

I mean, how do you even start with this game? Where do I get beginner cards? I don’t know what I’m doing, but I said I would regardless. Following through is necessary. That’s why, since I’m at such a low level, I should be looking for a teacher.

My aim is winning the tournament, but I’ve never so much as played a single match. It’s more than an impossible feat for someone such as I, by myself no less.

I should be doing this by myself, with my own “power”, but that’s not the case here. It’s the same with anything else, right? You get someone better to teach you the ropes, and eventually, you’ll get better at it, no matter what it is.

Still and all, I’ve been desperately looking for someone like that, if they even existed in the first place. None of my friends even play this game, I’m sure. Though anyone in class would help me if I asked them.

Unfortunately, though, my sister told me this year’s competition will be extra tough due to how serious everyone is about the prize. I’d feel sorry for involving them in something that I have such slim chances of winning. I mean, it’s a tournament, for crying out loud! Who there wouldn’t be doing their best?

It’s selfish, and it could ultimately just be a waste of time… And besides, I just don’t want other people to know I’m dabbling with cards. I have my own reasons for doing this, namely my sister, but if they know what I’m dealing with, they might find out she likes cards.

That’s the worst possible outcome.

I know it’s a bad way of thinking, I really do, but I can’t understand or get along with this kind of geekiness…

No, that’s just part of it. You see, for the longest time, I felt my sister was stolen by these pieces of paper. I’ve said it many times before, but my sister might not have become as healthy as she currently is if it weren’t for this game. I am so, so grateful for that.

But I’m a big sister, so I selfishly hoped she might’ve gotten interested in the same hobbies as me. I would go with her to look at clothes, eat cute sweets at trendy cafés, and walk around the city while talking about the most random things—that would’ve made me the happiest girl in the world.

That’s why I’m so frustrated…

Losing to some scribbles like that, ugh, I don’t know how to put it… I’m just stupid, sulking like some little kid. It’s uncool and lame, and I don’t want anyone to find out I’m like this.

I know I’m a bigot and hard-headed; that’s why there’s nobody who’d help me. There is no such a convenient guy who would go along with my selfishness without a single complaint.

I’m an idiot, you know, and if I don’t practice that difficult game right away, I won’t be able to play it in time. The more I think about it, the more impatient I get, and although I try to act normal in front of everyone, inside I feel like I’m melting into a puddle of cold sweat.

That being the case, I decided to look for a teacher on the internet. Tapping, I tried searching on my phone, but it would be terrible if the person I asked to teach me were someone who looked like some shady skirt-chaser. I would prefer someone as close to me as possible, but the more I put up conditions, the narrower my choices become.

Guh, what am I going to do? I hit a wall…

But that’s when it happened.

Please, whoever you are, higher being… I beg you, God, Buddha, or even aliens. I need your help. Not only that, but I’ve reached the point where I’m so out of options that I have no other choice but to ask God for help—after all, there is a God or a Buddha, right?

…Then, a coincidence happened.

Between mundane conversations with my friends, I overheard a lone sentence. It was a small lead, almost as if I’d found a needle in a haystack.

“You’re going all out for this weekend’s competition, huh.”

What? What did you say? With all that’s happened, just hearing the word “competition” flared my senses up.

Yay! Victory! The small me inside my head screamed as she skipped around.

At the other end of that voice, there were a few boys hanging out while cracking jokes; a group of nerds I’ve never really gotten involved with. However, with their wording and their image, I’m certain. They were definitely talking about the card game.

If it wasn’t in the classroom, I’m sure my heart would’ve popped out of my chest. That’s how much I was shaking with joy.

Yup, there are unidentified geeks in this class. I’ve been trying to find a teacher within my own personal circle, so it isn’t surprising that I’ve had a tough-a*s time finding one. Moreover, my sis also told me that a lot of people play that game, so there must be at least one among those nerds who play that card game.

Looking through them, I saw the “creep” from yesterday.

I was planning on paying him back for the ice cream, so one plus one is two. This whole thing would go even faster. “Thanks for the ice cream last night,” I’ll just go with that. But can I manage switching from thanking to asking? No, I’d be too overbearing.

I’ve never so much as talked with that geek group, and they seem to dislike extroverts like me for some odd reason.

Well, I’ve been calling him “creep” because everyone does so already. I don’t think he’d be offended by that, would he? I’ll just ask him later. (T/N: Creep in this case is Kimota, which is basically “disgusting nerd”, and is also his nickname online.)

I feel terribly uneasy when I imagine what would happen if he says no, but at that time I would have no choice but to apologize sincerely. Regardless, I still have to meet him.

Now it’s just a matter of when to cut to the chase.

I had so many questions, I wanted to jump right into that conversation and dig down to the root of it, but if I force my way in and made it awkward, I might miss the opportunity. Even I know that. I know that haste is key.

For a while, I listened and gathered information while pretending to go about my day. I hate to sound like a gossipy old lady, but give me a break this one time, will you?

I felt half embarrassed and half pathetic, but I couldn’t help myself. It would be worth it in the end.

From the information I’ve been getting, it seems that this creep is pretty good at card games. I have no idea how amazing he is, but he seems to have stood out in the top ranks many times in the past, and the surrounding geeks were excitedly talking about him being pretty darn strong. Looks like he’s even a contender to win this year.

I really don’t understand what the nerds are talking about, but if the cards are always strong, it means they will also be strong at the next tournament, right?

Yay, yay! I’ve found my golden goose. I may have even been number one in today’s horoscope. I haven’t looked, but I’m sure it’s true. Luck isn’t usually on my side.

Chuckling internally and in a good mood, I had the whole operation worked out by the time lunchtime rolled around.

First, I’d go after him while he was alone—he’d hate it if there were more people around.

Next, I’d return him yesterday’s money and thank him in a place as inconspicuous as possible—exchanging money in public may arise weird rumors, which he’d certainly hate.

Finally, I’d ask him to teach me how to play—I’d really like to do this in a place where no one’s looking. I mean, it’s embarrassing, and I don’t want anyone to know I play with cards.

It was the perfect plan. Rehearsing my flawless ideas, I couldn’t help but smile. I might just be a genius! Heh, heh, I wonder if this talented hawk—me—has shown a bit of its claws.

…However, despite searching for the right timing, the school had ended before I knew it. It’s funny, even.

“Ughhhhhh,” I haven’t groaned like this in a really long time. Why isn’t that creep ever left alone? Despite eyeing him like a predator, why is there always someone next to him, morning to night?!

He talked with his friends while excited about some manga. Well, they talked about it as if it was the sh*t, so I’m kind of curious.

But come on, this is too depressing, I can’t even. Everyone knows that idol “oshi” is cute or whatever, so can’t you go back to manga? What the hell is an “oshi” anyway? I can understand Japanese and all, but c’mon, “oshi?”

Also, I have no clue when or why it happened, but the creep’s face was scrunched up in annoyance. I’d love to tell him his displeasure is showing, but then he started going full-blast machine gun on them with words.

Whenever I tried to glare at his cronies, the creep himself would look at me at the perfect moment, as if he sensed what I was doing, and then he would unnaturally look away, making it all very awkward—this wasn’t easy at all.

I thought about approaching him normally several times, but to follow my plan I had to call him in an inconspicuous place. If I just up and went, people would think I’m coming onto him or something.

That’s a no-no!

I mean, it’s not like I hate that group of nerds or that “creep” in particular, but no matter how much I’d deny my involvement, rumors would spread and people would know I play with silly cards.

All I need is to play for this one moment, that’s all. Nothing more. I don’t want to keep getting nipped and prodded about it in the future.

—That’s why I’m sorry for what happened after.

I turned down one friend’s invitation to go home together with some random lie, and when I looked back, I saw how fast he bolted out of the classroom. The creep wasn’t in the classroom anymore. No way, he was here just a second ago! I thought.

Quickly, mad dashed to yesterday’s convenience store, determined not to let him get away. But even though I rushed ahead of him, he didn’t come no matter how long I waited in this cold weather.

That’s why I’m not good with nerds…

With the way he disappeared so quickly, you’d think he had some business to attend to and had to get home as soon as possible. But why didn’t he come? Did he leave the classroom in such a hurry for no reason or else? Why? Is he an alien from another planet? I really can’t read his behavior at all.

“Ughhhhh!” I groaned for the umpteenth time today.

Everything I do just spirals out of control, I thought. While I waited and waited impatiently, I got awkward by the second.

I mean, y’know… A girl is waiting for a boy, so they could walk home together after school. That’s a development right out of a romance manga, isn’t it? The hell am I, some kind of girl in love? Embarrassing! I’m embarrassed!

The wait got me in such a floundering, flowery state of mind that I don’t even know what meaning, means. When he arrived, I was a mess. At first, I pretended everything was fine, but the truth is, my heart pounded and pounded, and I felt like throwing up.

I don’t understand it myself. It’s not like I’m going to confess my feelings to him, but I was so awkward and nervous that I ended up swinging him around.

—Honestly, I was just thinking about some things like how I’d say “thank you,” the situation, so on and so forth. I’m not lying, I swear.

Look, I know I keep making excuses, and there’s nothing I can do about it, but I did my best. I was going to properly thank him for yesterday, return the money, and then ask for a serious favor. Believe me.

The road home that I have walked many times, a familiar convenience store, a card game I know nothing about, and a boy in my class whom I talked to for the first time yesterday…

With my head boiling in embarrassment, as well as with the sky above almost drowning completely in the black of night, I said,

“Could you teach me how to play that card game?”

Is that fine? I really, really did my best. Fortunately, I managed to squeeze these words through my embarrassment as best as I could.

You see, I’ve never been in a situation like this before, okay? Get that right, seriously…

The bursting tension that had been building up for a while culminated in his wide, rounded eyes. Meanwhile, I held that little envelope with slightly quivery fingers, and that went on for a few moments.

“Don’t tell anyone though. This stays between us, okay?”

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