[Warning 15+]
Part Two~Save That Old Energy Only For Me, Seriously!~Chapter 53Lunch All by Myself, Just Like Before
After splitting up with Kaidō Kazuki and heading back to the classroom, Hayato was immediately swarmed by the boys.
"Wh-What gives?"
"Yeah, yeah, way to go, Kirishima!"
"You're a straight-up hero for stopping a total beauty from getting snatched up by that good-looking boy."
"Alright, you're free for lunch and after school today, right?"
"We gotta have a deep, man-to-man talk about 'melons' at some point."
"And don't think we forgot about Nikaidō-san's childhood buddy, either!"
The boys were acting all buddy-buddy, throwing their arms around Hayato's shoulders and hounding him with stupidly high energy, but their eyes were dead serious. You could tell they weren't gonna let him slide.
Hayato looked around for help, but all he saw was Mori Iori giving a "don't look at me" shrug and Haruki mouthing the word "Idiot" at Hayato. Hayato's head dropped in total defeat.
Knowing Hayato'd brought this on himself by acting out in front of everyone, he prepared himself for the "interrogation marathon" about to go down.
Meanwhile, Haruki was watching Hayato scramble, and her mood was hitting an all-time high.
Haruki knew the rumors about Kaidō Kazuki among the girls.
But based on Haruki's own gut feeling, she knew Kazuki wasn't actually into her.
That whole thing was just people around them making a big deal out of nothing.
Even from Haruki's perspective, it was obvious that Kaidō Kazuki had to be a total chick magnet. With specs like his, it's actually harder to find a reason not to like him.
But Haruki was pretty sure Kazuki was just as fed up with all that noise as she was. If everyone else is busy hype-training a rumor, it actually keeps other people from getting too close—she felt a weird sort of kinship with him, like they were both using rumors to keep people at bay.
Which is exactly why Hayato's sudden "interruption" caught Haruki so off guard, and also—
(Wait... ...why am I so happy about this...?)
Haruki found herself totally tripped up by her own emotions.
That whole thing where Haruki'd started acting out and whaling on Hayato's back earlier—it definitely came from this weird surge of excitement.
But man, it didn't feel bad at all.
Through the next break, and the one after that, every time Haruki saw Hayato getting grilled by the boys for what he did, she couldn't help but smirk.
And whenever Haruki made a face like that, even if their eyes met, Hayato would just huff and look away like a total pouter.
(Hehe~.)
Since Hayato had been getting the better of her lately, Haruki let that smug smirk on her face grow even wider.
But then, lunch break hit.
And thanks to their second-time visitor of the day, Haruki's smile completely stiffened up.
"Is Kirishima-kun around?"
"Kaidō...?!"
Wearing a bright, charismatic smile that everyone loved, Kaidō Kazuki had dropped by specifically to see Hayato.
Not Haruki. Kazuki was there for Hayato.
The sudden turn of events didn't just stun Haruki—the entire classroom went dead silent, like someone had just hit the mute button.
Even Kaidō Kazuki himself couldn't help but let out a dry, awkward laugh at how heavy the vibe had suddenly become.
"...What do you want with me? I mean, why are you even here?"
"Well, to get to know you better, Kirishima-kun. You got a bento for lunch? Mind if I take a seat?"
"Oh, hey... ...for real, man."
"Yeah, yeah, those veggie photos from earlier—you got any more?"
"I mean, I guess so, but..."
"Sweet, show 'em to me."
Kaidō Kazuki was totally acting like himself.
With an almost innocent vibe, Kazuki slid right into the circle of boys already swarming Hayato.
"Oh, Kirishima, now that I think about it, you had that photo of the shrine maiden (miko), right?"
"Mori, you prick... ...I mean, yeah, I have it."
"Heh, shrine maidens are great, right? Festivals too. I'm also kinda into maid outfits and stuff like that."
That was the trigger for the other boys—and even some of the girls—to chime in.
"Oh? To be honest, I'm a nurse outfit kind of boy."
"Chinese dresses are where it's at, too!"
"Whoa, Kaidō, you're actually chill as heck!"
"Wh-What about Gothic Lolita? I'm, uh, actually kind of into that myself."
"I-I actually feel the same—"
Maybe it was because Kazuki's unexpected chillness just killed the tension, but now everyone—not just Hayato—was jumping into the convo with Kazuki at the center. Talk about a popular boy; Kazuki was flexing that charisma like it was nothing.
Seeing that, Haruki was just... ...lost.
Haruki couldn't wrap her head around it.
Seeing Hayato and Kaidō Kazuki hitting it off and chatting away made Haruki have no idea how to handle the feelings swirling inside her.
Plus, from the people who weren't part of the circle, Haruki could feel all these eyes bouncing between her and Hayato.
"O-Oh, right. I gotta get going."
Haruki wasn't talking to anyone in particular, but she made sure to mutter it loud enough as she stood up.
It was totally normal for Nikaidō Haruki to have "stuff to do" during lunch. No one even blinked.
As Haruki left the room, she caught a glimpse of Hayato putting a strained, awkward smile. For some reason, it just wouldn't leave her mind.
....
Haruki'd bailed on the classroom, but there was only one place she was ever gonna head.
The secret base. The sanctuary. That cramped, six-tatami-sized empty room in the old Club Building.
"...Feels kinda empty in here."
The words just slipped out of Haruki's mouth.
Haruki spread out her floor cushion and plopped down in a rare, girly "W-sit" pose. Then, she sluggishly pulled out a salad chicken bar—her excuse for lunch—and started munching on it.
(....)
For some reason, the food just wouldn't go down—it felt like it was stuck in Haruki's chest.
Haruki managed to force a swallow and checked the clock, but she hadn't even been there for two minutes. There was still a ton of time left for lunch break.
Looking at the floor cushion Hayato usually used just reminded Haruki of how everyone was swarming him back in classroom.
"Well, Hayato's kind of tied up right now, I guess..."
Haruki knew that wasn't really the point, but she couldn't help feeling like the odd one out, like she'd been totally sidelined.
Haruki wasn't sure if it was the right way to put it, but it felt like Hayato had been snatched away from her.
In her loneliness, Haruki's hand instinctively reached for her head—and the second she remembered the feeling of Hayato stroking her hair, she started shaking her head like crazy to snap out of it.
(Ugh, seriously! ...Wait?)
Right then, Haruki's smartphone buzzed with a notification. It was from Hayato.
'My bad, don't think I can make a break for it. I'll owe you for today, okay?'
Haruki scowled at the screen, her brow furrowed.
Honestly, escaping that mosh pit back in classroom would be a miracle at this point.
And it's not like Haruki could talk—she'd been stuck in the exact same spot just a few days ago.
"Oh, I see..."
The second it fully sank in that Haruki was all by herself, she felt this sudden, hollow ache in her chest.
It wasn't even Hayato's fault, but Haruki couldn't help but feel a little salty toward him, though.
Eventually, it wasn't just time she had too much of—Haruki was starting to feel totally overwhelmed by her own emotions. She bailed on the room and just started wandering around aimlessly.
But since Haruki was trying to stay out of sight, her options for where to go were pretty slim.
So, in a way, it was pretty much inevitable that Haruki'd end up right there.
"...Oh."
Standing there was a petite girl in a tracksuit and a straw hat that stuck out like a sore thumb in a place like high school—Mitake Minamo.
The second Haruki spotted Minamo, for some reason, Haruki instinctively ducked out of sight.
It looked like Minamo was totally in the zone taking care of the veggies in the flower bed, so she didn't seem to notice a thing.
There wasn't really any connection between Haruki and Mitake Minamo. They were in different classes, and at most, they just knew each other's names.
Since Haruki was trying to avoid people anyway, she should've just beaten it and left the area immediately.
'—Getting your hands dirty in the soil is the absolute best!'
But then, Haruki remembered Hayato saying he was gonna join the Gardening Club—the same club activity Minamo was in. Before Haruki knew it, her feet had practically moved on their own, leading her straight to them.
"Oh... ...hey, there, Mitake-san."
"Wha?! Kirishi-... ...N-Nikaidō-san?!"
Man, Mitake-san's still such a little squirrel, Haruki thought. Minamo's reactions are way too cute.
But then it hit Haruki—Minamo had almost blurted out 'Kirishima-san.' Realizing that made Haruki's heart give a sharp, painful little tug.
Author's Notes:
Ba~
・ /⌒⌒⌒ヽ
/~´ ⌒ヽ
( /⌒⌒⌒ヽ )
( ⊂´・ ・`つ )
( 、 ェ ノ )
( ヽ------´ )
( )
``し--------Ｕ`
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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After splitting up with Kaidō Kazuki and heading back to the classroom, Hayato was immediately swarmed by the boys.
"Wh-What gives?"
"Yeah, yeah, way to go, Kirishima!"
"You're a straight-up hero for stopping a total beauty from getting snatched up by that good-looking boy."
"Alright, you're free for lunch and after school today, right?"
"We gotta have a deep, man-to-man talk about 'melons' at some point."
"And don't think we forgot about Nikaidō-san's childhood buddy, either!"
The boys were acting all buddy-buddy, throwing their arms around Hayato's shoulders and hounding him with stupidly high energy, but their eyes were dead serious. You could tell they weren't gonna let him slide.
Hayato looked around for help, but all he saw was Mori Iori giving a "don't look at me" shrug and Haruki mouthing the word "Idiot" at Hayato. Hayato's head dropped in total defeat.
Knowing Hayato'd brought this on himself by acting out in front of everyone, he prepared himself for the "interrogation marathon" about to go down.
Meanwhile, Haruki was watching Hayato scramble, and her mood was hitting an all-time high.
Haruki knew the rumors about Kaidō Kazuki among the girls.
But based on Haruki's own gut feeling, she knew Kazuki wasn't actually into her.
That whole thing was just people around them making a big deal out of nothing.
Even from Haruki's perspective, it was obvious that Kaidō Kazuki had to be a total chick magnet. With specs like his, it's actually harder to find a reason not to like him.
But Haruki was pretty sure Kazuki was just as fed up with all that noise as she was. If everyone else is busy hype-training a rumor, it actually keeps other people from getting too close—she felt a weird sort of kinship with him, like they were both using rumors to keep people at bay.
Which is exactly why Hayato's sudden "interruption" caught Haruki so off guard, and also—
(Wait... ...why am I so happy about this...?)
Haruki found herself totally tripped up by her own emotions.
That whole thing where Haruki'd started acting out and whaling on Hayato's back earlier—it definitely came from this weird surge of excitement.
But man, it didn't feel bad at all.
Through the next break, and the one after that, every time Haruki saw Hayato getting grilled by the boys for what he did, she couldn't help but smirk.
And whenever Haruki made a face like that, even if their eyes met, Hayato would just huff and look away like a total pouter.
(Hehe~.)
Since Hayato had been getting the better of her lately, Haruki let that smug smirk on her face grow even wider.
But then, lunch break hit.
And thanks to their second-time visitor of the day, Haruki's smile completely stiffened up.
"Is Kirishima-kun around?"
"Kaidō...?!"
Wearing a bright, charismatic smile that everyone loved, Kaidō Kazuki had dropped by specifically to see Hayato.
Not Haruki. Kazuki was there for Hayato.
The sudden turn of events didn't just stun Haruki—the entire classroom went dead silent, like someone had just hit the mute button.
Even Kaidō Kazuki himself couldn't help but let out a dry, awkward laugh at how heavy the vibe had suddenly become.
"...What do you want with me? I mean, why are you even here?"
"Well, to get to know you better, Kirishima-kun. You got a bento for lunch? Mind if I take a seat?"
"Oh, hey... ...for real, man."
"Yeah, yeah, those veggie photos from earlier—you got any more?"
"I mean, I guess so, but..."
"Sweet, show 'em to me."
Kaidō Kazuki was totally acting like himself.
With an almost innocent vibe, Kazuki slid right into the circle of boys already swarming Hayato.
"Oh, Kirishima, now that I think about it, you had that photo of the shrine maiden (miko), right?"
"Mori, you prick... ...I mean, yeah, I have it."
"Heh, shrine maidens are great, right? Festivals too. I'm also kinda into maid outfits and stuff like that."
That was the trigger for the other boys—and even some of the girls—to chime in.
"Oh? To be honest, I'm a nurse outfit kind of boy."
"Chinese dresses are where it's at, too!"
"Whoa, Kaidō, you're actually chill as heck!"
"Wh-What about Gothic Lolita? I'm, uh, actually kind of into that myself."
"I-I actually feel the same—"
Maybe it was because Kazuki's unexpected chillness just killed the tension, but now everyone—not just Hayato—was jumping into the convo with Kazuki at the center. Talk about a popular boy; Kazuki was flexing that charisma like it was nothing.
Seeing that, Haruki was just... ...lost.
Haruki couldn't wrap her head around it.
Seeing Hayato and Kaidō Kazuki hitting it off and chatting away made Haruki have no idea how to handle the feelings swirling inside her.
Plus, from the people who weren't part of the circle, Haruki could feel all these eyes bouncing between her and Hayato.
"O-Oh, right. I gotta get going."
Haruki wasn't talking to anyone in particular, but she made sure to mutter it loud enough as she stood up.
It was totally normal for Nikaidō Haruki to have "stuff to do" during lunch. No one even blinked.
As Haruki left the room, she caught a glimpse of Hayato putting a strained, awkward smile. For some reason, it just wouldn't leave her mind.
....
Haruki'd bailed on the classroom, but there was only one place she was ever gonna head.
The secret base. The sanctuary. That cramped, six-tatami-sized empty room in the old Club Building.
"...Feels kinda empty in here."
The words just slipped out of Haruki's mouth.
Haruki spread out her floor cushion and plopped down in a rare, girly "W-sit" pose. Then, she sluggishly pulled out a salad chicken bar—her excuse for lunch—and started munching on it.
(....)
For some reason, the food just wouldn't go down—it felt like it was stuck in Haruki's chest.
Haruki managed to force a swallow and checked the clock, but she hadn't even been there for two minutes. There was still a ton of time left for lunch break.
Looking at the floor cushion Hayato usually used just reminded Haruki of how everyone was swarming him back in classroom.
"Well, Hayato's kind of tied up right now, I guess..."
Haruki knew that wasn't really the point, but she couldn't help feeling like the odd one out, like she'd been totally sidelined.
Haruki wasn't sure if it was the right way to put it, but it felt like Hayato had been snatched away from her.
In her loneliness, Haruki's hand instinctively reached for her head—and the second she remembered the feeling of Hayato stroking her hair, she started shaking her head like crazy to snap out of it.
(Ugh, seriously! ...Wait?)
Right then, Haruki's smartphone buzzed with a notification. It was from Hayato.
'My bad, don't think I can make a break for it. I'll owe you for today, okay?'
Haruki scowled at the screen, her brow furrowed.
Honestly, escaping that mosh pit back in classroom would be a miracle at this point.
And it's not like Haruki could talk—she'd been stuck in the exact same spot just a few days ago.
"Oh, I see..."
The second it fully sank in that Haruki was all by herself, she felt this sudden, hollow ache in her chest.
It wasn't even Hayato's fault, but Haruki couldn't help but feel a little salty toward him, though.
Eventually, it wasn't just time she had too much of—Haruki was starting to feel totally overwhelmed by her own emotions. She bailed on the room and just started wandering around aimlessly.
But since Haruki was trying to stay out of sight, her options for where to go were pretty slim.
So, in a way, it was pretty much inevitable that Haruki'd end up right there.
"...Oh."
Standing there was a petite girl in a tracksuit and a straw hat that stuck out like a sore thumb in a place like high school—Mitake Minamo.
The second Haruki spotted Minamo, for some reason, Haruki instinctively ducked out of sight.
It looked like Minamo was totally in the zone taking care of the veggies in the flower bed, so she didn't seem to notice a thing.
There wasn't really any connection between Haruki and Mitake Minamo. They were in different classes, and at most, they just knew each other's names.
Since Haruki was trying to avoid people anyway, she should've just beaten it and left the area immediately.
'—Getting your hands dirty in the soil is the absolute best!'
But then, Haruki remembered Hayato saying he was gonna join the Gardening Club—the same club activity Minamo was in. Before Haruki knew it, her feet had practically moved on their own, leading her straight to them.
"Oh... ...hey, there, Mitake-san."
"Wha?! Kirishi-... ...N-Nikaidō-san?!"
Man, Mitake-san's still such a little squirrel, Haruki thought. Minamo's reactions are way too cute.
But then it hit Haruki—Minamo had almost blurted out 'Kirishima-san.' Realizing that made Haruki's heart give a sharp, painful little tug.
Author's Notes:
Ba~
・ /⌒⌒⌒ヽ
/~´ ⌒ヽ
( /⌒⌒⌒ヽ )
( ⊂´・ ・`つ )
( 、 ェ ノ )
( ヽ------´ )
( )
``し--------Ｕ`
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Your donations really support us to finish this novel from here until the end, so please consider to support us.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages:
• Indonesian / Bahasa Indonesia
←Previous Table of Contents Next→