[Warning 15+]
Author's Notes:
Updating three times today, and this is the second one.
Updating three times today, and this is the second one.
Part Two~Save That Old Energy Only For Me, Seriously!~Chapter 83I Won't Lose
At that same time, a sudden downpour was hitting Tsukinose too.
Even if it was just passing through, the rain was coming down hard enough to wash away the topsoil, and it'd probably end up splashing mud all over the fields and ruining the furrows.
'So anyway, earlier Big Bro just suddenly bolted out of the house... ...wait, Saki-chan?'
"Eh, oh, I'm listening~. Yeah, yeah, I'm totally listening, but..."
In a room at the shrine residence halfway up the mountain. While the sound of rain drumming on the roof echoed around her, Murao Saki had her tablet propped up on her open textbooks, holding her smartphone in one hand while talking to her bestie, Himeko.
But Saki's face looked absolutely devastated—like a farmer staring at a field that didn't just get hit by a shower, but was completely wiped out by a hurricane.
(Wh-Wh-Wh-What the heck is this supposed to mean~?!)
Saki's attention wasn't on her bestie (Himeko) on the line, but was glued to the image that had been sent to her tablet.
In the photo, Hayato was right in the center with a mic in one hand, looking totally stressed and overwhelmed. Right next to him was Haruki, dressed up to be as cute as humanly possible, teasing him with a smirk. And then there was this boy with striking, handsome features—someone so good-looking he even made a girl in love like Saki let out a sigh—who was casually resting a hand on Hayato's shoulder while holding back a laugh.
The fancy, sweet-looking honey toast on the table in front of them, halfway eaten, showed just how much fun they were having.
The file name was '♪Today's Karaoke♪'.
The picture told exactly that story, but inside Saki's head, all sorts of things were spinning at high speed.
(Wh-Wh-Wh-Why karaoke~?! Wasn't he supposed to go to the movies with Himeko-chan~?! And omigod, Haruki-san is so cu—ugh, that outfit is totally bait to catch a boy's eye, and that boy next to them... ...wait, those eyes, I mean, who the heck is he~?!)
Saki had been smiling to herself, thinking the siblings had just gone on a sweet little trip to the movie theater together, so this photo was a total bolt from the blue.
Not just Saki's thoughts, but her heart was racing like crazy too. Trying to stay cool and not jump to conclusions, she let out a little cough to clear her throat and then started talking to (interrogating) her bestie (Himeko).
"Um, Hime-chan? You went to see a movie today, right~?"
'Yup! It was an anime movie that Haru-chan recommended, and let me tell you, it was so freaking good!'
"Heh, heh, a recommendation from Haruki-san... ...eh? Wait... ...about Haruki-san, her look today was way different than usual, wasn't it~? Like, totally trying to get a boy's attention~?"
'Oh that, Haru-chan is honestly way too calculated when she wants to be~. She even said she did it on purpose just to shock everyone. Plus, to double down on the shock factor, she was wearing some seriously sexy lingerie!'
"Wait, s-sexy?!"
'Yeah, Haru-chan gave a little peek of the top part, this racy black lace thing. Man, Big Bro was totally losing his cool over it.'
"H-Haruki-san showed your Big Bro too!?"
'Ahaha, crazy, right? All that effort just to mess with people.'
Without thinking, Saki let out a teary-eyed groan of "Ugh" while checking her own lingerie.
What Saki was wearing was just some cheap stuff she'd bought at a discount store down from the countryside in Tsukinose—the only selling point was the price, with zero sex appeal whatsoever.
Saki couldn't help but glare resentfully at Haruki in the photo. At least, luckily, the face of the boy Saki crushed on (Hayato) next to Haruki looked kinda annoyed.
'Saki-chan?'
"Nnng, i-it's nothing~. Um, well, I was just wondering who this boy is... ...oh, could it be that he's like, Hime-chan's b-boyfriend or something?"
When Himeko called out, suspicious of Saki groaning and then going silent, Saki diverted the conversation toward something else she was curious about to cover it up.
From Saki's perspective, Himeko was a girl with a very well-put-together look (leaving aside the parts that still had some "growing" to do). Even though Himeko was a bit ditzy, slow on the uptake, and shy, once she warmed up to someone, she was super affectionate and had a personality everyone loved.
Even though Saki'd just blurted it out to change the subject, Saki couldn’t deny the possibility. She felt like it would be great if her bestie found someone so soon after moving, but at the same time, she felt a little lonely.
'Ahaha, nope. If anything, it'd be more accurate to call him Big Bro's boyfriend!'
"Mmm~?! Wh-Wha-Wh-What the heck is that supposed to mean~?!"
That's why Saki couldn't help but scream at Himeko's totally unexpected reply.
'See, the thing is, this Kaidou-san boy is a total hottie, but that also means he's been dealing with a lot of haters, and then Big Bro—'
"Yeah... ...uh-huh..."
While sounding a bit exasperated, Himeko told Saki all about what went down at the diner today.
About the time they got hassled, what Hayato did about it, and how Kazuki told Hayato straight to his face afterward that Kazuki wanted to be friends.
'—And then, get this, Big Bro actually said, "I can't stand that part of you," but even as he said that, he totally naturally switched to calling him "Kazuki." Seriously, he's such a total tsundere.'
"I see, so that's how it was..."
The story Himeko was telling was the exact same Hayato that Saki was head-over-heels for. It actually made Saki feel a little bit proud.
At the same time, Saki finally realized what that weird sense of déjà vu was that had been bugging her about the boy in the photo.
(I bet this boy is just like me......)
The boy'd probably been saved by some random words from Hayato, just like Saki had.
Thinking that made Saki feel a certain kinship with this hottie, but at the same time, she had a momentary "Wait, there's no way it's like a 'boy-on-boy' crush thing, right?!" thought. She quickly shook her head to beat those rotten delusions out of her brain.
Still, Saki couldn't help but think.
"That's so not fair..."
The feelings swirling inside Saki suddenly slipped out of her mouth.
Saki looked back down at the tablet again. There he was—Hayato, her bestie's big bro—right in the middle of such a fun-looking atmosphere, showing a side of him she'd never seen before.
Saki knew she shouldn't rush things.
Saki's parents had already given Saki the green light to live on her own in the city for high school next year, and from what she'd heard from her bestie, it didn't seem like anything major was going to happen between them anytime soon.
Even so, just the thought of them stacking up memories in a time where Saki wasn't there made her feel like she was being consumed by anxiety, like she was being left behind.
'Oh, sorry... ...I feel like I'm the only one out here having a blast and acting all hyper...'
"No, it's not that... ...it's just, I'm a little jelly, I guess..."
'Saki-chan...'
As Saki looked away from the tablet, her eyes fell on a notebook where she'd been drafting and re-drafting messages over and over for the last few days.
(...Oh.)
It felt like that notebook had become a total outcast.
Saki hadn't been able to get in touch with Hayato even once since then. When she started hallucinating that she'd just end up buried and forgotten without being able to do a d*mn thing—just like that notebook—a feeling that she couldn't let things stay like this began to boil over inside her.
When Saki looked back at the tablet screen, there was Haruki, looking as "calculated" and cute as Himeko had described.
To anyone else, it looked like Haruki was just teasing Hayato, but to Saki, it looked like a straight-up provocation.
(I won't lose... ...to Haruki-san...!)
A fire started to blaze in Saki's heart, replacing the anxiety that'd been eating at her.
Trying to psych herself up, Saki gave her own cheeks a massive slap.
"Ow, that hurts—?!"
'S-Saki-chan?!'
Rubbing her cheeks, which had turned bright red from hitting them too hard, Saki mustered up all her courage and made a suggestion to Himeko.
"Hey, Hime-chan! Why don't we start a group chat for everyone back in Tsukinose?"
'A group chat?'
Author's Notes:
Next update will be tonight.
I was wondering if squeezing in a Saki chapter here would mess up the pacing, but I really wanted to show how things are gonna go starting from Part Three. So, I just figured as long as I keep the updates coming back-to-back, it'd be fine. That's how this chapter came to be.
※This is a totally useless bit of info, but Saki is the type who goes braless whenever she's wearing a yukata.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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Donations are very much appreciated.
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At that same time, a sudden downpour was hitting Tsukinose too.
Even if it was just passing through, the rain was coming down hard enough to wash away the topsoil, and it'd probably end up splashing mud all over the fields and ruining the furrows.
'So anyway, earlier Big Bro just suddenly bolted out of the house... ...wait, Saki-chan?'
"Eh, oh, I'm listening~. Yeah, yeah, I'm totally listening, but..."
In a room at the shrine residence halfway up the mountain. While the sound of rain drumming on the roof echoed around her, Murao Saki had her tablet propped up on her open textbooks, holding her smartphone in one hand while talking to her bestie, Himeko.
But Saki's face looked absolutely devastated—like a farmer staring at a field that didn't just get hit by a shower, but was completely wiped out by a hurricane.
(Wh-Wh-Wh-What the heck is this supposed to mean~?!)
Saki's attention wasn't on her bestie (Himeko) on the line, but was glued to the image that had been sent to her tablet.
In the photo, Hayato was right in the center with a mic in one hand, looking totally stressed and overwhelmed. Right next to him was Haruki, dressed up to be as cute as humanly possible, teasing him with a smirk. And then there was this boy with striking, handsome features—someone so good-looking he even made a girl in love like Saki let out a sigh—who was casually resting a hand on Hayato's shoulder while holding back a laugh.
The fancy, sweet-looking honey toast on the table in front of them, halfway eaten, showed just how much fun they were having.
The file name was '♪Today's Karaoke♪'.
The picture told exactly that story, but inside Saki's head, all sorts of things were spinning at high speed.
(Wh-Wh-Wh-Why karaoke~?! Wasn't he supposed to go to the movies with Himeko-chan~?! And omigod, Haruki-san is so cu—ugh, that outfit is totally bait to catch a boy's eye, and that boy next to them... ...wait, those eyes, I mean, who the heck is he~?!)
Saki had been smiling to herself, thinking the siblings had just gone on a sweet little trip to the movie theater together, so this photo was a total bolt from the blue.
Not just Saki's thoughts, but her heart was racing like crazy too. Trying to stay cool and not jump to conclusions, she let out a little cough to clear her throat and then started talking to (interrogating) her bestie (Himeko).
"Um, Hime-chan? You went to see a movie today, right~?"
'Yup! It was an anime movie that Haru-chan recommended, and let me tell you, it was so freaking good!'
"Heh, heh, a recommendation from Haruki-san... ...eh? Wait... ...about Haruki-san, her look today was way different than usual, wasn't it~? Like, totally trying to get a boy's attention~?"
'Oh that, Haru-chan is honestly way too calculated when she wants to be~. She even said she did it on purpose just to shock everyone. Plus, to double down on the shock factor, she was wearing some seriously sexy lingerie!'
"Wait, s-sexy?!"
'Yeah, Haru-chan gave a little peek of the top part, this racy black lace thing. Man, Big Bro was totally losing his cool over it.'
"H-Haruki-san showed your Big Bro too!?"
'Ahaha, crazy, right? All that effort just to mess with people.'
Without thinking, Saki let out a teary-eyed groan of "Ugh" while checking her own lingerie.
What Saki was wearing was just some cheap stuff she'd bought at a discount store down from the countryside in Tsukinose—the only selling point was the price, with zero sex appeal whatsoever.
Saki couldn't help but glare resentfully at Haruki in the photo. At least, luckily, the face of the boy Saki crushed on (Hayato) next to Haruki looked kinda annoyed.
'Saki-chan?'
"Nnng, i-it's nothing~. Um, well, I was just wondering who this boy is... ...oh, could it be that he's like, Hime-chan's b-boyfriend or something?"
When Himeko called out, suspicious of Saki groaning and then going silent, Saki diverted the conversation toward something else she was curious about to cover it up.
From Saki's perspective, Himeko was a girl with a very well-put-together look (leaving aside the parts that still had some "growing" to do). Even though Himeko was a bit ditzy, slow on the uptake, and shy, once she warmed up to someone, she was super affectionate and had a personality everyone loved.
Even though Saki'd just blurted it out to change the subject, Saki couldn’t deny the possibility. She felt like it would be great if her bestie found someone so soon after moving, but at the same time, she felt a little lonely.
'Ahaha, nope. If anything, it'd be more accurate to call him Big Bro's boyfriend!'
"Mmm~?! Wh-Wha-Wh-What the heck is that supposed to mean~?!"
That's why Saki couldn't help but scream at Himeko's totally unexpected reply.
'See, the thing is, this Kaidou-san boy is a total hottie, but that also means he's been dealing with a lot of haters, and then Big Bro—'
"Yeah... ...uh-huh..."
While sounding a bit exasperated, Himeko told Saki all about what went down at the diner today.
About the time they got hassled, what Hayato did about it, and how Kazuki told Hayato straight to his face afterward that Kazuki wanted to be friends.
'—And then, get this, Big Bro actually said, "I can't stand that part of you," but even as he said that, he totally naturally switched to calling him "Kazuki." Seriously, he's such a total tsundere.'
"I see, so that's how it was..."
The story Himeko was telling was the exact same Hayato that Saki was head-over-heels for. It actually made Saki feel a little bit proud.
At the same time, Saki finally realized what that weird sense of déjà vu was that had been bugging her about the boy in the photo.
(I bet this boy is just like me......)
The boy'd probably been saved by some random words from Hayato, just like Saki had.
Thinking that made Saki feel a certain kinship with this hottie, but at the same time, she had a momentary "Wait, there's no way it's like a 'boy-on-boy' crush thing, right?!" thought. She quickly shook her head to beat those rotten delusions out of her brain.
Still, Saki couldn't help but think.
"That's so not fair..."
The feelings swirling inside Saki suddenly slipped out of her mouth.
Saki looked back down at the tablet again. There he was—Hayato, her bestie's big bro—right in the middle of such a fun-looking atmosphere, showing a side of him she'd never seen before.
Saki knew she shouldn't rush things.
Saki's parents had already given Saki the green light to live on her own in the city for high school next year, and from what she'd heard from her bestie, it didn't seem like anything major was going to happen between them anytime soon.
Even so, just the thought of them stacking up memories in a time where Saki wasn't there made her feel like she was being consumed by anxiety, like she was being left behind.
'Oh, sorry... ...I feel like I'm the only one out here having a blast and acting all hyper...'
"No, it's not that... ...it's just, I'm a little jelly, I guess..."
'Saki-chan...'
As Saki looked away from the tablet, her eyes fell on a notebook where she'd been drafting and re-drafting messages over and over for the last few days.
(...Oh.)
It felt like that notebook had become a total outcast.
Saki hadn't been able to get in touch with Hayato even once since then. When she started hallucinating that she'd just end up buried and forgotten without being able to do a d*mn thing—just like that notebook—a feeling that she couldn't let things stay like this began to boil over inside her.
When Saki looked back at the tablet screen, there was Haruki, looking as "calculated" and cute as Himeko had described.
To anyone else, it looked like Haruki was just teasing Hayato, but to Saki, it looked like a straight-up provocation.
(I won't lose... ...to Haruki-san...!)
A fire started to blaze in Saki's heart, replacing the anxiety that'd been eating at her.
Trying to psych herself up, Saki gave her own cheeks a massive slap.
"Ow, that hurts—?!"
'S-Saki-chan?!'
Rubbing her cheeks, which had turned bright red from hitting them too hard, Saki mustered up all her courage and made a suggestion to Himeko.
"Hey, Hime-chan! Why don't we start a group chat for everyone back in Tsukinose?"
'A group chat?'
Author's Notes:
Next update will be tonight.
I was wondering if squeezing in a Saki chapter here would mess up the pacing, but I really wanted to show how things are gonna go starting from Part Three. So, I just figured as long as I keep the updates coming back-to-back, it'd be fine. That's how this chapter came to be.
※This is a totally useless bit of info, but Saki is the type who goes braless whenever she's wearing a yukata.
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: