Part Two~Save That Old Energy Only For Me, Seriously!~Chapter 42Hmph!
Lunch break.
The time when students, finally liberated from boring-*ss lectures, are unleashed into total freedom.
You could hear cheers and voices erupting all over the classroom, everyone hyped to make the most of it.
"C'mon, Nikaidō-san, this way!"
"Did you bring a lunch box? Or hittin' the cafeteria? Doesn't matter, 'cause you're comin' with us anyway!"
"For real, I've been dyin' to get to know you for ages, Nikaidō-san."
"Wait, uh, my bag... ...Mya?!"
And just like that, a pack of girls with literal stars in their eyes—acting like a bunch of winged tigers—snatched Haruki up and dragged her off to their hangout spot.
Hayato gave Haruki a silent prayer in his head while he scrambled to their secret base.
Luckily for Hayato, the hungry-*ss boys in class cared way more about filling their stomachs than nosing into his business. Mori Iori was the worst—he bolted for the cafeteria the second the bell rang, not even waiting for the teacher to dismiss 'em.
The secret base, which doubled as their 'Shelter', was an empty room about the size of six tatami mats in the Old Club Building, now used for Storage.
"...Man, this place is pretty bleak."
The words just slipped out.
The place was surprisingly tidy, probably 'cause Haruki kept up with the cleaning, but all that was in here was a single broom leaning against the door and two naked foam cushions without any covers. Maybe that's why, even though it was the dead of summer, the room felt kinda chilly and depressing.
"Guess I'll go pick out some cushion covers or something next time."
Hayato muttered his thoughts out loud while opening his lunch. Eating without anyone to talk to felt totally robotic, and he finished his meal way faster than usual.
When Hayato checked the time, it hadn't even been five minutes since he got there, and he still had a ton of lunch break left.
Normally, just shooting the breeze with Haruki in here made the time fly by. But for some reason, the clock felt like it was moving in slow motion today. Hayato was totally at a loss for what to do with himself.
On top of that, the room felt way too big all of a sudden.
(...Haruki... ...has she really been spending every lunch break in this room all by herself until now?)
That thought just hit Hayato out of nowhere.
Faking being a "good girl," living all alone in a whole-*ss house.
There were a lot of things weighing on Hayato's mind.
But since it felt like Hayato was gonna fall down a total rabbit hole if he kept overthinking, he just scratched his head like crazy and stood up.
Then, Hayato headed off to a certain spot.
◇ ◇ ◇
Lunch break under the blazing sun. There was a flower bed with raised rows at the far edge of the school building's backyard.
Over there, Hayato saw a petite girl with her signature curly hair.
"Yo, Mitake-san."
"Oh, Kirishima-san!"
Despite the heat, Mitake Minamo was busily tending to the veggies she'd planted, not looking bothered by the sun at all.
But Minamo's face told a different story—she looked pretty worried. When Hayato glanced over at the garden to see what was up, Hayato saw the veggies lookin' all limp and lifeless. Noticing Hayato's gaze, Minamo started explainin' her struggle with a troubled look.
"Um, I've been watering them every day so the soil doesn't dry out, and I've been pruning them whenever needed, but they all seem so drained lately..."
"Oh, you don't actually need to water 'em every day. It's better to give 'em a good soak every few days so the moisture really gets deep into the soil... ...if you just give 'em a little bit every day, it evaporates way too fast, and they end up dehydrated."
"Wait... ...for real?!"
"But honestly, looking at 'em, this isn't a water problem. These boys have been blooming and fruiting a ton lately... ...which means they've burned through a lot of energy. So, what do you think that means?"
"E-Energy? Eh, well..."
Minamo took Hayato's riddle-like question and tilted her head, pressing a finger to her chin while humming in deep thought.
Hayato narrowed his eyes as he watched Minamo, a nostalgic look washing over his face.
(Man, Mitake-san really is a dead ringer for them.)
Seeing the veggie blossoms and fruits, combined with the way Minamo's curly, sheep-like hair bounced around, Hayato couldn't help but be reminded of Old Man Gen's sheep back in Tsukinose—the ones that were always after the garden's flowers and crops. It gave him a serious case of homesickness.
Before long, like a lightbulb went off, Minamo blurted out, "Oh!"
"They're missing nutrients, right? You mean fertilizer!"
Minamo looked up at Hayato, her eyes sparkling with pure excitement.
Minamo looked exactly like a tiny animal practically begging for a "good girl" and a pat on the head, and Hayato almost reached out to pet her before catching himself just in time.
"Yup, exactly. It's hard to tell, but veggies get totally wiped out when they use up too much energy. Got any fertilizer? I'll help you out with the top-dressing."
"So veggies are just like people... ...Oh, I've got fertilizer right here! Let's see..."
"Try not to get it directly on the roots or stems. It's best to sprinkle it in a circle around the plant."
"Got it! Here goes..."
It was pretty big for a flower bed, but as far as actual gardens go, it was just a hobbyist plot. With the two of them splitting the work, they finished fertilizing the place in no time.
Still, they were doing this right under the blazing summer sun.
Even though Hayato was used to working in the heat back in Tsukinose, he was still drenched in sweat, and his uniform was sticking to his skin like crazy.
"All done! Thank you so much!"
"Oh, eh...?!"
"Um, is something wrong...?"
"No, it's just..."
As Hayato wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and glanced her way, he realized Minamo's blouse was sticking to her body just as much as his was. Her slender but feminine curves were on full display.
Minamo might be petite, but something with way more volume than his little sis Himeko—and even more than Haruki—suddenly flashed into Hayato's vision, making him look away instantly.
Watching Hayato act all suspicious like that, Minamo just tilted her head in total confusion.
(...I totally let my guard down.)
No matter how much she reminded Hayato of the sheep back in Tsukinose, Mitake Minamo was still a girl his own age.
Hayato didn't have much experience hanging out with people his age and usually went out of his way to ignore that kind of stuff, but seeing Minamo look so defenseless like that definitely had him feeling all flustered.
On top of that, up until now, Minamo'd always been totally indifferent to fashion, just digging in the dirt with her messy, curly hair—but if you looked closely, she actually had a really cute face. She was basically a diamond in the rough.
"H-Hat!"
"Huh?"
"I mean, I think you should probably wear a straw hat or something. It's scorching out, and I'm worried about you getting heatstroke."
"Oh, you're right. It has been getting really hot lately."
Minamo took Hayato's words—which he only blurted out to cover his tracks—as genuine advice and slumped her shoulders, feeling like she’d been careless.
Since Hayato was just making up an excuse, seeing Minamo look so down actually made him feel guilty.
Right as that awkward vibe was settling over the two of them, a hand towel was suddenly thrust between them.
"Mitake-san, the hat is a good idea, but you might want to do something about your outfit too. This is a bit much for a boy's eyes to handle, don't you think?"
"Wait... ...Nikaidō?"
"Wha?"
Before they knew it, Haruki had appeared beside them, handing a towel to Minamo with a pleasant smile.
Haruki's eyes were fixed right on Minamo's chest, where the lace pattern of Minamo's bra was clearly visible through the blouse sticking to her skin from the sweat.
"P-Pya!!"
"Oh!"
Once it was pointed out to her, Minamo realized exactly what was going on and her face turned bright red in a heartbeat. She clutched the towel Haruki gave her to her chest and bolted.
After watching Minamo run off, Haruki turned back to Hayato with a major side-eye and muttered under her breath.
"...Oh, really?"
"No, wait, hold on, it's not what it looks like..."
"Creep."
"That's not... ...I mean..."
"...Pervert."
"..."
"..."
"...I'm sorry."
"Hmph!"
Those weren't the kind of words or the kind of attitude you'd ever expect from the usual Haruki.
But, sensing that he was in some seriously hot water, Hayato just blurted out an apology as a reflex.
Author's Notes:
Running low on ideas, so I'll just talk about my recent trip to the home center.
It's been a minute since I hit up the home center. And you know, home center means pet corner. I'm always getting my soul healed by the kitties there.
The Russian Blue girl is still the same—every time we lock eyes, she gives me a "meow" and tilts her head. The Siberian girl is a total tomboy, chasing balls all over the place until her batteries die and she just passes out. Then there's the newcomer, an American Shorthair boy only 6 or 7 weeks old. He's so tiny he fits in one hand. Like, seriously, what is this? Too cute.
It's actually pretty cool to see these new faces grow up. Everyone's gotten way bigger since I first saw 'em. Uh-huh. Wait... ...that Scottish Fold boy looks smaller than he did before, doesn't he? If you're a picky eater, you're never gonna grow up— hang on, did he just go through a gender swap?! He's a girl now?! And he was supposed to be born in March, but now it says May?! Looks like the original kitty found a new home while I wasn't looking and got replaced. Totally caught me off guard!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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Lunch break.
The time when students, finally liberated from boring-*ss lectures, are unleashed into total freedom.
You could hear cheers and voices erupting all over the classroom, everyone hyped to make the most of it.
"C'mon, Nikaidō-san, this way!"
"Did you bring a lunch box? Or hittin' the cafeteria? Doesn't matter, 'cause you're comin' with us anyway!"
"For real, I've been dyin' to get to know you for ages, Nikaidō-san."
"Wait, uh, my bag... ...Mya?!"
And just like that, a pack of girls with literal stars in their eyes—acting like a bunch of winged tigers—snatched Haruki up and dragged her off to their hangout spot.
Hayato gave Haruki a silent prayer in his head while he scrambled to their secret base.
Luckily for Hayato, the hungry-*ss boys in class cared way more about filling their stomachs than nosing into his business. Mori Iori was the worst—he bolted for the cafeteria the second the bell rang, not even waiting for the teacher to dismiss 'em.
The secret base, which doubled as their 'Shelter', was an empty room about the size of six tatami mats in the Old Club Building, now used for Storage.
"...Man, this place is pretty bleak."
The words just slipped out.
The place was surprisingly tidy, probably 'cause Haruki kept up with the cleaning, but all that was in here was a single broom leaning against the door and two naked foam cushions without any covers. Maybe that's why, even though it was the dead of summer, the room felt kinda chilly and depressing.
"Guess I'll go pick out some cushion covers or something next time."
Hayato muttered his thoughts out loud while opening his lunch. Eating without anyone to talk to felt totally robotic, and he finished his meal way faster than usual.
When Hayato checked the time, it hadn't even been five minutes since he got there, and he still had a ton of lunch break left.
Normally, just shooting the breeze with Haruki in here made the time fly by. But for some reason, the clock felt like it was moving in slow motion today. Hayato was totally at a loss for what to do with himself.
On top of that, the room felt way too big all of a sudden.
(...Haruki... ...has she really been spending every lunch break in this room all by herself until now?)
That thought just hit Hayato out of nowhere.
Faking being a "good girl," living all alone in a whole-*ss house.
There were a lot of things weighing on Hayato's mind.
But since it felt like Hayato was gonna fall down a total rabbit hole if he kept overthinking, he just scratched his head like crazy and stood up.
Then, Hayato headed off to a certain spot.
◇ ◇ ◇
Lunch break under the blazing sun. There was a flower bed with raised rows at the far edge of the school building's backyard.
Over there, Hayato saw a petite girl with her signature curly hair.
"Yo, Mitake-san."
"Oh, Kirishima-san!"
Despite the heat, Mitake Minamo was busily tending to the veggies she'd planted, not looking bothered by the sun at all.
But Minamo's face told a different story—she looked pretty worried. When Hayato glanced over at the garden to see what was up, Hayato saw the veggies lookin' all limp and lifeless. Noticing Hayato's gaze, Minamo started explainin' her struggle with a troubled look.
"Um, I've been watering them every day so the soil doesn't dry out, and I've been pruning them whenever needed, but they all seem so drained lately..."
"Oh, you don't actually need to water 'em every day. It's better to give 'em a good soak every few days so the moisture really gets deep into the soil... ...if you just give 'em a little bit every day, it evaporates way too fast, and they end up dehydrated."
"Wait... ...for real?!"
"But honestly, looking at 'em, this isn't a water problem. These boys have been blooming and fruiting a ton lately... ...which means they've burned through a lot of energy. So, what do you think that means?"
"E-Energy? Eh, well..."
Minamo took Hayato's riddle-like question and tilted her head, pressing a finger to her chin while humming in deep thought.
Hayato narrowed his eyes as he watched Minamo, a nostalgic look washing over his face.
(Man, Mitake-san really is a dead ringer for them.)
Seeing the veggie blossoms and fruits, combined with the way Minamo's curly, sheep-like hair bounced around, Hayato couldn't help but be reminded of Old Man Gen's sheep back in Tsukinose—the ones that were always after the garden's flowers and crops. It gave him a serious case of homesickness.
Before long, like a lightbulb went off, Minamo blurted out, "Oh!"
"They're missing nutrients, right? You mean fertilizer!"
Minamo looked up at Hayato, her eyes sparkling with pure excitement.
Minamo looked exactly like a tiny animal practically begging for a "good girl" and a pat on the head, and Hayato almost reached out to pet her before catching himself just in time.
"Yup, exactly. It's hard to tell, but veggies get totally wiped out when they use up too much energy. Got any fertilizer? I'll help you out with the top-dressing."
"So veggies are just like people... ...Oh, I've got fertilizer right here! Let's see..."
"Try not to get it directly on the roots or stems. It's best to sprinkle it in a circle around the plant."
"Got it! Here goes..."
It was pretty big for a flower bed, but as far as actual gardens go, it was just a hobbyist plot. With the two of them splitting the work, they finished fertilizing the place in no time.
Still, they were doing this right under the blazing summer sun.
Even though Hayato was used to working in the heat back in Tsukinose, he was still drenched in sweat, and his uniform was sticking to his skin like crazy.
"All done! Thank you so much!"
"Oh, eh...?!"
"Um, is something wrong...?"
"No, it's just..."
As Hayato wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and glanced her way, he realized Minamo's blouse was sticking to her body just as much as his was. Her slender but feminine curves were on full display.
Minamo might be petite, but something with way more volume than his little sis Himeko—and even more than Haruki—suddenly flashed into Hayato's vision, making him look away instantly.
Watching Hayato act all suspicious like that, Minamo just tilted her head in total confusion.
(...I totally let my guard down.)
No matter how much she reminded Hayato of the sheep back in Tsukinose, Mitake Minamo was still a girl his own age.
Hayato didn't have much experience hanging out with people his age and usually went out of his way to ignore that kind of stuff, but seeing Minamo look so defenseless like that definitely had him feeling all flustered.
On top of that, up until now, Minamo'd always been totally indifferent to fashion, just digging in the dirt with her messy, curly hair—but if you looked closely, she actually had a really cute face. She was basically a diamond in the rough.
"H-Hat!"
"Huh?"
"I mean, I think you should probably wear a straw hat or something. It's scorching out, and I'm worried about you getting heatstroke."
"Oh, you're right. It has been getting really hot lately."
Minamo took Hayato's words—which he only blurted out to cover his tracks—as genuine advice and slumped her shoulders, feeling like she’d been careless.
Since Hayato was just making up an excuse, seeing Minamo look so down actually made him feel guilty.
Right as that awkward vibe was settling over the two of them, a hand towel was suddenly thrust between them.
"Mitake-san, the hat is a good idea, but you might want to do something about your outfit too. This is a bit much for a boy's eyes to handle, don't you think?"
"Wait... ...Nikaidō?"
"Wha?"
Before they knew it, Haruki had appeared beside them, handing a towel to Minamo with a pleasant smile.
Haruki's eyes were fixed right on Minamo's chest, where the lace pattern of Minamo's bra was clearly visible through the blouse sticking to her skin from the sweat.
"P-Pya!!"
"Oh!"
Once it was pointed out to her, Minamo realized exactly what was going on and her face turned bright red in a heartbeat. She clutched the towel Haruki gave her to her chest and bolted.
After watching Minamo run off, Haruki turned back to Hayato with a major side-eye and muttered under her breath.
"...Oh, really?"
"No, wait, hold on, it's not what it looks like..."
"Creep."
"That's not... ...I mean..."
"...Pervert."
"..."
"..."
"...I'm sorry."
"Hmph!"
Those weren't the kind of words or the kind of attitude you'd ever expect from the usual Haruki.
But, sensing that he was in some seriously hot water, Hayato just blurted out an apology as a reflex.
Author's Notes:
Running low on ideas, so I'll just talk about my recent trip to the home center.
It's been a minute since I hit up the home center. And you know, home center means pet corner. I'm always getting my soul healed by the kitties there.
The Russian Blue girl is still the same—every time we lock eyes, she gives me a "meow" and tilts her head. The Siberian girl is a total tomboy, chasing balls all over the place until her batteries die and she just passes out. Then there's the newcomer, an American Shorthair boy only 6 or 7 weeks old. He's so tiny he fits in one hand. Like, seriously, what is this? Too cute.
It's actually pretty cool to see these new faces grow up. Everyone's gotten way bigger since I first saw 'em. Uh-huh. Wait... ...that Scottish Fold boy looks smaller than he did before, doesn't he? If you're a picky eater, you're never gonna grow up— hang on, did he just go through a gender swap?! He's a girl now?! And he was supposed to be born in March, but now it says May?! Looks like the original kitty found a new home while I wasn't looking and got replaced. Totally caught me off guard!
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: