[Warning 15+]
Part One~She Only Acts Like Her Old Self When She's with Me... Wait, Hold Up!~Chapter 17See? I Told You So, Didn't I?
Since Hayato had ditched his umbrella halfway through to help with the harvest, he'd ended up pretty soaked.
"Look at you, the big-shot handsome boy dripping with water, huh, Kirishima?"
"Shut it, Mori."
"So, what's with the loot?"
"Veggies. Someone shared 'em with me."
"How in the world does a boy even end up getting handed stuff like that…?"
"Wait, you don't just get given stuff normally?"
"Heck no!"
Trading quips like that, Hayato took his seat. The rain wasn't that heavy, but his uniform was wet enough to stick to his shoulders, and a few drops of water were dripping from his hair onto the desk. It felt a bit gross, but he figured it'd dry eventually.
"Are you okay, Kirishima-kun?"
"Eh, oh…"
Haruki called out to Hayato, sounding all concerned.
In the eyes of everyone else, Haruki was the sweet, approachable angel of the school. Since they were desk neighbors, it was only natural for "Nikaidō Haruki" to check on Hayato.
But there was a slight glint in Haruki's eyes, like a kid who'd just found a brand-new toy to play with. Hayato didn't miss it for a second. He immediately went on guard, figuring she was about to pull something on him.
"Didn't you bring an umbrella? Here, you can use this if you want."
"N-No, I'm good, don't worry about it! It'll dry off on its own in no time anyway."
"No way, you're gonna catch a cold like that."
"Hey, wait—Haru... Nikaidō!!"
Of all things, Haruki pulled out her handkerchief and started wiping Hayato's face.
Haruki was a total beauty with idol-tier popularity. To have a girl like her check on a boy with that worried look and then manually wipe his face?
The sound of chairs screeching back echoed through the whole classroom, and some boys were so lose-it that they actually bolted out the door to charge straight into the rain.
(Th-This brat!)
A smug little smirk played on Haruki's lips. She knew exactly what she was doing.
Jealousy, shock, agitation… …all sorts of emotions from the class' stares were stabbing into Hayato.
Realizing he couldn't take it anymore, Hayato scrambled to snatch the handkerchief away.
"Th-Thanks! Eh, I'll wash this and give it back to you!"
"I really don't mind if you just give it back as is, you know?"
"Ngh! N-No way, I can't do that! Right!?"
"I see… …well, in that case, so we can make the return go smoothly, why don't you give me your phone info…?"
"What—hey, you!!"
Talk about a forced narrative. They're desk neighbors, so Hayato could just give it back tomorrow, and Haruki definitely already knew he didn't have a smartphone—there were just so many things wrong with this picture that he wanted to call her out on.
But before he knew it, Nikaidō Haruki had spun this minor thing into a whole scene where she was trying to get the transfer student's contact info.
Stares filled with spite, envy, and jealousy were practically burning holes in Hayato's skin. Haruki was looking down in front of him, but only Hayato could see that smug grin on her face that totally didn't match her sad-sounding words.
"S-Sorry, I don't have a smartphone… ...wait, hey!"
"Oh, I see… …I'm sorry for being so pushy and making you feel uncomfortable…"
"Oh, no, that's not it! I seriously don't own a smartphone!"
At this point, Hayato was basically making excuses to the rest of the class.
All Hayato could hear were whispers from around the room like, "Kirishima's really going that far just to avoid giving Nikaidō his ID…?", "Poor Nikaidō-san…".
No matter how much Hayato insisted he didn't have one, everyone looked at him like he was full of it—which only served to piss them off even more, especially the boys.
"Kirishima, let's go have ourselves a little convo, shall we?"
"Since you just transferred here, it seems like there's still a lot we don't know about each other."
"Don't worry, all you gotta do is answer a few simple questions."
"Wait, I… …hey, Mori! You traitor!"
"Haha!"
Hayato was hauled away by the boys to have a nice, long "convo."
Haruki watched Hayato go with a smug, satisfied look on her face, sticking her tongue out just a little bit.
◇◇◇
After school that day, he was immediately "hauled away" again—this time to Haruki's house.
"See? I told you so! You're the weird one for not having a smartphone, Hayato—there! Watch out!"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it now. I went through heck back there. I also realized just how popular you really are—whoop!"
"Hehe, well, I do put in the work, you know? …Wait, crap, my HP!"
"You're rushing in too much! Heal up… …oh wait, I'm outta MP."
"Agh!"
By the way, they were playing because they wanted to try out a new action RPG. Playing an RPG with two people is a bit unusual, but it seemed like Haruki had made up her mind to only progress in the game when she was with Hayato.
The game was a remake of a title released before they were even born. Haruki was playing as a beast-man martial artist, while Hayato was playing as a mercenary swordsman. Basically, it was a total "all brawn, no brains" playstyle, leaving all the healing to the third CPU-controlled character.
Anyway, after pushing their luck way too hard, their party got wiped out. They both just laughed it off, realizing they'd both been way too reckless.
"By the way, Hayato, where'd you get those veggies?"
"They were a gift. From Mitake-san. As a thank-you… …want me to split some with you?"
"…Nah, I'm good. It'd be a waste if I couldn't finish 'em all by myself."
"Huh? If you say so."
There was a bit of a weird vibe in Haruki's voice. But Haruki brushed it off instantly, changing the subject like nothing happened.
"Anyway, why don't you have a smartphone? Is it like a family rule or something?"
"Nah, nothing like that. Himeko:s basically a pro with hers… …oh, that reminds me, Himeko said she wants to see you. You should swing by our place sometime."
"Whoa, Hime-chan said that?! Heck yeah, I'm in! …But seriously, why don't you have a smartphone?"
"Ugh… …well, the thing is…"
"Stare…"
"Eh, well, just 'cause, I guess."
"…What?!"
Haruki's voice rang out in her room, totally blindsided.
Hayato looked away, looking pretty embarrassed.
"Even though they're so convenient?! Weren't there plenty of people using 'em back where you came from?!"
"I mean, yeah… …some people used apps for farm management, or uploaded videos of 'em plowing the fields… …but anyway, Haruki-san, will you listen without laughing?"
"Very well, what is it, Hayato-kun? Do tell."
"It's just, there were way too many types… …I couldn't figure out which one to pick, and, well…"
"Pfft… …ahaha!"
"Don't laugh! I was seriously stressing over this! D*mmit, you owe me five more points!"
"Sorry, sorry. I get it now. You were so overwhelmed and confused that you just couldn't pull the trigger on buying one."
"Is that a crime or something?"
The timing just wasn't right. Yeah, that was definitely part of it.
"Hehe, I see… …Well then, why don't I come with you this weekend and we'll pick one out together?"
"You sure?"
"Yep, it's a promise."
"…Alright!"
Trading promises for the weekend while gaming away—it was a scene that looked exactly like the old days.
Author's Note:
I actually went through this three whole times before I started this series…
Next update will be tonight.
Translator's Note:
This note's from the Author, guys, not me. See ya later!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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