[Warning 15+]
Part Two~Save That Old Energy Only For Me, Seriously!~Chapter 50I-I'll Do My Best!
In Tsukinose, where beetles swarm the streetlights and the duet of owls and frogs fills the air, lights in the houses go out pretty early.
But in one room of the Murao Household—situated halfway up the mountain at the shrine—the light was still on late into the night, partly because the girl living there had entrance exams coming up this year.
The owner of that room, Murao Saki, was groaning in front of a major problem, her already pale complexion looking practically ghost-white.
"Ugh~"
The thing is, it wasn't a textbook in front of Saki—it was her smartphone. And she wasn't at her desk; She was flopping around on her bed, kicking her legs in frustration.
As Saki rolled onto her back, the hem of the yukata she wore as pajamas flew open, and her pale flaxen hair, usually tied in twin tails, spilled out across the bed.
"Why do I always have to sound so totally un-cute in my texts...?"
With that thought swirling in her head, Saki started replaying what happened earlier.
'So, like, Big Bro really wants your contact info, Saki-chan. What do you think? I'll go ahead and give you his address, but if you're not feeling it, just ghost him.'
That message had popped up about three hours ago.
To be honest, for Saki, this was a total godsend.
Saki'd already heard through Himeko that her big bro—Hayato—had finally gotten a smartphone, but since it just came up as casual small talk, Saki'd missed her chance to ask and felt like it was too late to bring it up now.
Saki'd rushed to send a message after that, but it took a whole hour for Hayato to reply. She spent that time agonizing over whether she sounded too formal. And even when his reply finally came—even though it was about Himeko, a topic they both knew well—she ended up giving him the cold shoulder and killing the convo.
Now that Saki thought about it, it had always been this way. Whenever she was around Hayato, she'd lose her words and end up acting all blunt and icy. Even over a smartphone screen where she didn't have to look him in the eye, she was still making the same mistakes, and she was honestly starting to hate herself for it.
(Why am I like this...?)
Saki let out a long, heavy sigh that just sort of drifted away into the empty room.
～～～～♪
"!"
Then Saki's smartphone buzzed again.
Saki lunged for it, hoping it might be him, but it was just a text from her bestie, Himeko.
'So you actually hit up Big Bro? He said your advice was a total lifesaver, but what'd you guys even talk about?'
'Eh, just some diet menu stuff. I pretty much just told your Big Bro how to look things up, I guess...'
'Oh, gotcha. Anyway, get this! I asked Big Bro to make me a diet meal, and this is what he actually served me?!'
'...A-Ahahaha.'
The photo Himeko sent was basically a spread of cold tofu, edamame, miso cucumber, and chicken skin with ponzu—the ultimate summer bar food lineup. It was the exact kind of stuff Saki always saw at the shrine's parishioner meetings during this time of year.
No wonder Himeko was complaining; It made total sense why a clueless Hayato would reach out to someone for help. While Saki felt a rush of joy knowing that she was the one he turned to, she also felt a deeper sting of regret for not giving him a better answer earlier.
And then, Saki noticed something felt a little off.
'That looks like a ton of food, doesn't it?'
'Huh? It's for three people including Haru-chan, so isn't this like a normal amount?'
"...Wait, what?"
A weird noise actually escaped Saki's throat in real life.
'Even Haru-chan was complaining, and that's saying something. Usually, she just wolfs down whatever's put in front of her like it's the best thing ever.'
"U-Usually?!"
That was news to Saki.
'U-Usually? You make it sound like Haruki-san comes over to your place to eat every single day, Hime-chan.'
'I mean, yeah? Did I not mention that? Since Haru-chan's living on her own now, it was just like, "hey, might as well eat together."'
'Oh... ...I see...'
Saki's heart was pounding harder than ever.
Saki was somehow managing to keep her cool while replying, but inside, she was a total wreck.
(Wait, they are eating together every day?! And on top of that, Haruki-san's living by herself?! Nobody told me about this!)
Saki became painfully aware of the massive gap in physical distance between her and Haruki, and Saki felt a wave of something like pure panic spreading through her chest.
Luckily, Saki hadn't heard any juicy romantic rumors from Himeko just yet.
But even from the photos she'd seen, Saki knew Haruki was such a total knockout that even another girl couldn't help but be impressed.
Haruki was the kind of girl who made you think it'd be totally fair if Hayato ended up falling head over heels for her over some random little thing.
(Stupid, I'm so stupid!)
That's why Saki couldn't afford to be all cold and distant like she was earlier.
Since Saki finally had a way to make a move, there was absolutely no room for cold feet now.
"A-Alright!"
Saki sat up straight in a formal seiza position on her bed, notebook in one hand and her smartphone in the other, getting into the zone.
Saki was going to look up diet recipes that were quick to make but still looked amazing.
Fortunately, Saki already knew what Himeko liked for the most part, so Saki was sure this would be a huge help to Hayato.
(I-I'm not gonna lose to Haruki-san when it comes to girl power!)
....
....
In the end, Saki spent several hours carefully picking out 10 different recipes and photos before sending them off to Hayato. It was safe to say it was quite the masterpiece.
For a while, Saki just stared at her smartphone while still sitting in her formal seiza position, but it stayed silent. Well, obviously. The date had changed a long time ago, and for a student on a school night, it was way past bedtime.
However, Saki tilted her head as she looked over what she'd sent.
(This also feels kind of cold... ...or like, too businesslike, doesn't it...?)
Even if it was a well-organized masterpiece, looking at it from another perspective, it was really just a list of recipes with the bare minimum info.
There was no way a conversation was going to get hyped after that; At best, Saki'd probably just get a "thanks" in return.
Worst case scenario, the chat would just die right there, and Saki might lose her chance to ever strike up a convo again—and that just wouldn't do.
(This is exactly how it's been up until now, and Haruki-san is totally gonna steal Big Bro away...!)
Saki knew that right now, Hayato only saw her as his little sis' bestie.
Exactly—if Saki didn't take the initiative and make a move herself, it was game over.
"A-Alright!"
The moment Saki untied the heko-obi sash in the front, her yukata slid right off. In its place, she pulled out her familiar white hakui and red hibakama, slipped on her chihaya robe, and even put on hair ornaments like kazashi and a maetengan crown before doing her makeup.
Looking in the mirror, Saki saw a girl with an ethereal beauty that could only be described as something like a fairy or a spirit. Even for Saki herself, with the help of her ritual outfit, she was pretty satisfied with the look.
(Big Bro said he liked the Festival dances, and he even complimented me on my outfit before, didn't he?)
But honestly, anyone with half a brain knows that the middle of the night is no time to be putting on a full face of makeup.
You could say this was just a total freak occurrence—a weird side effect of that "natural high" you get from staying up way too late, mixed with being exhausted from all that research.
Riding that high, Saki got totally carried away taking selfies, posing and flashing smiles for the camera until the sun was almost up.
◇◇◇
The next morning. Right in the middle of that typical post-sleep grogginess.
Saki remembered the selfies from last night—and the fact that she'd actually sent one to Hayato—and started thrashing around on her bed in pure agony.
(Why, why, wh-wh-wh-why did I do something so stupid?!)
It was a textbook case of "Midnight Love Letter Syndrome."
The fact that Saki'd hit send before her brain could reboot was just the dark side of living in an age with such high-tech gadgets.
～～～～♪
Then Saki's smartphone buzzed. It was from the boy she'd sent those selfies to.
Part of Saki wanted to check it, but another part really didn't... ...her mind was spinning in circles, and with a "just k*ll me now" kind of vibe, she finally opened the screen.
'Thanks, Himeko's gonna love these. Also, that outfit looks great on you. You look really cute.'
It was probably just a normal sentence. Maybe Hayato was even just being polite.
"It suits me... ...cute... ...wehehehe..."
But for Saki, those words were enough to blow away all the doubts and inner turmoil she'd been feeling.
"Saki—it's morning! Time to wake up!"
"Uehehehe-yeah!!!"
"S-Saki?!"
Turns out, Saki was actually a pretty simple and easy-to-please kind of girl.
Author's Notes:
Regarding Saki's look, when I say her "pigmentation is light," I'm basically picturing her as a "fox miko" (kitsune miko).
Kon.
∧ヘ
从ミ ‘｀プ
(∧)/｀"i´
ゞ'、__゛)_b
Next update's probably on Wednesday.
Translator's Notes:
This note is straight from the Author, guys. No set date for Chapter 51 yet, so as for my translation, it might be tomorrow, it might be the day after—honestly, just hang tight and keep an eye out!
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.
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Read in other languages:
• Indonesian / Bahasa Indonesia
←Previous Table of Contents Next→
In Tsukinose, where beetles swarm the streetlights and the duet of owls and frogs fills the air, lights in the houses go out pretty early.
But in one room of the Murao Household—situated halfway up the mountain at the shrine—the light was still on late into the night, partly because the girl living there had entrance exams coming up this year.
The owner of that room, Murao Saki, was groaning in front of a major problem, her already pale complexion looking practically ghost-white.
"Ugh~"
The thing is, it wasn't a textbook in front of Saki—it was her smartphone. And she wasn't at her desk; She was flopping around on her bed, kicking her legs in frustration.
As Saki rolled onto her back, the hem of the yukata she wore as pajamas flew open, and her pale flaxen hair, usually tied in twin tails, spilled out across the bed.
"Why do I always have to sound so totally un-cute in my texts...?"
With that thought swirling in her head, Saki started replaying what happened earlier.
'So, like, Big Bro really wants your contact info, Saki-chan. What do you think? I'll go ahead and give you his address, but if you're not feeling it, just ghost him.'
That message had popped up about three hours ago.
To be honest, for Saki, this was a total godsend.
Saki'd already heard through Himeko that her big bro—Hayato—had finally gotten a smartphone, but since it just came up as casual small talk, Saki'd missed her chance to ask and felt like it was too late to bring it up now.
Saki'd rushed to send a message after that, but it took a whole hour for Hayato to reply. She spent that time agonizing over whether she sounded too formal. And even when his reply finally came—even though it was about Himeko, a topic they both knew well—she ended up giving him the cold shoulder and killing the convo.
Now that Saki thought about it, it had always been this way. Whenever she was around Hayato, she'd lose her words and end up acting all blunt and icy. Even over a smartphone screen where she didn't have to look him in the eye, she was still making the same mistakes, and she was honestly starting to hate herself for it.
(Why am I like this...?)
Saki let out a long, heavy sigh that just sort of drifted away into the empty room.
～～～～♪
"!"
Then Saki's smartphone buzzed again.
Saki lunged for it, hoping it might be him, but it was just a text from her bestie, Himeko.
'So you actually hit up Big Bro? He said your advice was a total lifesaver, but what'd you guys even talk about?'
'Eh, just some diet menu stuff. I pretty much just told your Big Bro how to look things up, I guess...'
'Oh, gotcha. Anyway, get this! I asked Big Bro to make me a diet meal, and this is what he actually served me?!'
'...A-Ahahaha.'
The photo Himeko sent was basically a spread of cold tofu, edamame, miso cucumber, and chicken skin with ponzu—the ultimate summer bar food lineup. It was the exact kind of stuff Saki always saw at the shrine's parishioner meetings during this time of year.
No wonder Himeko was complaining; It made total sense why a clueless Hayato would reach out to someone for help. While Saki felt a rush of joy knowing that she was the one he turned to, she also felt a deeper sting of regret for not giving him a better answer earlier.
And then, Saki noticed something felt a little off.
'That looks like a ton of food, doesn't it?'
'Huh? It's for three people including Haru-chan, so isn't this like a normal amount?'
"...Wait, what?"
A weird noise actually escaped Saki's throat in real life.
'Even Haru-chan was complaining, and that's saying something. Usually, she just wolfs down whatever's put in front of her like it's the best thing ever.'
"U-Usually?!"
That was news to Saki.
'U-Usually? You make it sound like Haruki-san comes over to your place to eat every single day, Hime-chan.'
'I mean, yeah? Did I not mention that? Since Haru-chan's living on her own now, it was just like, "hey, might as well eat together."'
'Oh... ...I see...'
Saki's heart was pounding harder than ever.
Saki was somehow managing to keep her cool while replying, but inside, she was a total wreck.
(Wait, they are eating together every day?! And on top of that, Haruki-san's living by herself?! Nobody told me about this!)
Saki became painfully aware of the massive gap in physical distance between her and Haruki, and Saki felt a wave of something like pure panic spreading through her chest.
Luckily, Saki hadn't heard any juicy romantic rumors from Himeko just yet.
But even from the photos she'd seen, Saki knew Haruki was such a total knockout that even another girl couldn't help but be impressed.
Haruki was the kind of girl who made you think it'd be totally fair if Hayato ended up falling head over heels for her over some random little thing.
(Stupid, I'm so stupid!)
That's why Saki couldn't afford to be all cold and distant like she was earlier.
Since Saki finally had a way to make a move, there was absolutely no room for cold feet now.
"A-Alright!"
Saki sat up straight in a formal seiza position on her bed, notebook in one hand and her smartphone in the other, getting into the zone.
Saki was going to look up diet recipes that were quick to make but still looked amazing.
Fortunately, Saki already knew what Himeko liked for the most part, so Saki was sure this would be a huge help to Hayato.
(I-I'm not gonna lose to Haruki-san when it comes to girl power!)
....
....
In the end, Saki spent several hours carefully picking out 10 different recipes and photos before sending them off to Hayato. It was safe to say it was quite the masterpiece.
For a while, Saki just stared at her smartphone while still sitting in her formal seiza position, but it stayed silent. Well, obviously. The date had changed a long time ago, and for a student on a school night, it was way past bedtime.
However, Saki tilted her head as she looked over what she'd sent.
(This also feels kind of cold... ...or like, too businesslike, doesn't it...?)
Even if it was a well-organized masterpiece, looking at it from another perspective, it was really just a list of recipes with the bare minimum info.
There was no way a conversation was going to get hyped after that; At best, Saki'd probably just get a "thanks" in return.
Worst case scenario, the chat would just die right there, and Saki might lose her chance to ever strike up a convo again—and that just wouldn't do.
(This is exactly how it's been up until now, and Haruki-san is totally gonna steal Big Bro away...!)
Saki knew that right now, Hayato only saw her as his little sis' bestie.
Exactly—if Saki didn't take the initiative and make a move herself, it was game over.
"A-Alright!"
The moment Saki untied the heko-obi sash in the front, her yukata slid right off. In its place, she pulled out her familiar white hakui and red hibakama, slipped on her chihaya robe, and even put on hair ornaments like kazashi and a maetengan crown before doing her makeup.
Looking in the mirror, Saki saw a girl with an ethereal beauty that could only be described as something like a fairy or a spirit. Even for Saki herself, with the help of her ritual outfit, she was pretty satisfied with the look.
(Big Bro said he liked the Festival dances, and he even complimented me on my outfit before, didn't he?)
But honestly, anyone with half a brain knows that the middle of the night is no time to be putting on a full face of makeup.
You could say this was just a total freak occurrence—a weird side effect of that "natural high" you get from staying up way too late, mixed with being exhausted from all that research.
Riding that high, Saki got totally carried away taking selfies, posing and flashing smiles for the camera until the sun was almost up.
◇◇◇
The next morning. Right in the middle of that typical post-sleep grogginess.
Saki remembered the selfies from last night—and the fact that she'd actually sent one to Hayato—and started thrashing around on her bed in pure agony.
(Why, why, wh-wh-wh-why did I do something so stupid?!)
It was a textbook case of "Midnight Love Letter Syndrome."
The fact that Saki'd hit send before her brain could reboot was just the dark side of living in an age with such high-tech gadgets.
～～～～♪
Then Saki's smartphone buzzed. It was from the boy she'd sent those selfies to.
Part of Saki wanted to check it, but another part really didn't... ...her mind was spinning in circles, and with a "just k*ll me now" kind of vibe, she finally opened the screen.
'Thanks, Himeko's gonna love these. Also, that outfit looks great on you. You look really cute.'
It was probably just a normal sentence. Maybe Hayato was even just being polite.
"It suits me... ...cute... ...wehehehe..."
But for Saki, those words were enough to blow away all the doubts and inner turmoil she'd been feeling.
"Saki—it's morning! Time to wake up!"
"Uehehehe-yeah!!!"
"S-Saki?!"
Turns out, Saki was actually a pretty simple and easy-to-please kind of girl.
Author's Notes:
Regarding Saki's look, when I say her "pigmentation is light," I'm basically picturing her as a "fox miko" (kitsune miko).
Kon.
∧ヘ
从ミ ‘｀プ
(∧)/｀"i´
ゞ'、__゛)_b
Next update's probably on Wednesday.
Translator's Notes:
This note is straight from the Author, guys. No set date for Chapter 51 yet, so as for my translation, it might be tomorrow, it might be the day after—honestly, just hang tight and keep an eye out!
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→