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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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The next morning…
I drove to Miyuki’s house, and I spotted her twisting and turning in front of her home.
Perhaps she was immensely embarrassed about yesterday, because even after spotting my car, she couldn’t bring herself to approach it.
*honk.*
I pulled up in front of Miyuki and gave her a brief honk, which made her shoulders jerk noticeably.
She carefully opened the passenger-side door and gave me an awkward greeting.
“Hello… Matsuda-kun… You came early today…?”
“I told you I’d come early, didn’t I? Why do you look so down? Hurry up and get in.”
“Okay…”
She climbed into the car slowly and cautiously placed her hands on her lap.
Unable to resist a snicker, I playfully tousled Miyuki’s bangs.
“Ah…! I told you not to do that…!”
I suddenly wondered why she looked so cute when she complained in that tiny voice.
“Did you manage to get into your house yesterday?”
“Get in…? I got home just fine…”
“I noticed you were having trouble finding your keys.”
“…”
Miyuki’s face instantly flushed red.
She only stuttered without saying anything more, seemingly quite embarrassed about calling me by my first name yesterday.
Seeing Miyuki turning her head toward the window just like yesterday, I chuckled and started the car.
As we entered the road leading straight to the school after circling the neighborhood, Miyuki asked in a puzzled tone.
“Where’s Tetsuya-kun…? Aren’t we picking him up?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Why…?”
“Let’s just go like this from time to time.”
As I subtly revealed my feelings, Miyuki swallowed hard and pursed her lips.
After a brief pause, she said,
“But, what about Tetsuya-kun…?”
It seems you feel guilty for leaving him alone.
Well, we’ll be going just the two of us not just occasionally, but every day. So you might as well start getting used to it starting now.
I entertained the thought that it might not be bad to slide my hand between Miyuki’s thighs as we sneaked past Tetsuya.
A scenario where Miyuki, her body heating up, is startled as she spots Tetsuya, getting even more excited by a yet unfound sense of immorality…
That wouldn’t be so bad.
“I told him I had somewhere to be this morning, so he should go on his own.”
“So, did you tell him you’d be picking me up?”
“No.”
“Then… I should be receiving a message soon…”
*buzzz!*
Right as Miyuki finished speaking, her phone buzzed.
It must be Tetsuya. He’ll probably ask her to go with him, as expected.
I glanced at Miyuki and asked,
“Is it a text or a call?”
“A text…”
“What does it say?”
“He’s asking if I’m awake…”
Miyuki hesitated for a moment as her hand hovered over her phone.
She seemed to be contemplating an excuse to send to Tetsuya.
After a moment of deep thought, her fingers swiftly moved across the screen.
“Haah…”
Eventually, a long sigh escaped Miyuki’s lips.
She must have felt guilty for sending a lie.
This time it must have been really hard for her since I had already lied in advance, making it difficult for her to provide a plausible explanation.
I understand her feelings completely.
She may be consumed with guilt now, but in time, she might become numb to the lies.
She might even find it thrilling.
He’s the jerk who rejected your confession, which took so much courage from you.
It’s only right for him to be on the receiving end of this, so don’t feel guilty.
I extended my palm towards Miyuki, who was shuffling uncomfortably.
“Give me your hand.”
“Why…?”
“What do you mean ‘why?’ I want to hold it while driving.”
“…”
After hesitating briefly at my straightforward words, Miyuki gently placed her hand on top of mine.
She even intertwined our fingers on her own.
With our hands locked like that, I gently set them down on her thigh.
But the instant my hand made contact, her body flinched.
Though she seemed taken aback, she made no move to pull away.
Glancing at her while driving, I remarked,
“I put it there because it’s tiring to keep holding it up.”
“Wha, what are you talking about…?”
“I’m saying this just so you don’t misunderstand.”
“Misunderstand what? I’m not… thinking anything weird! Stop having such weird thoughts… You’re such a pervert, Matsuda-kun…”
Alternating between flaring up and mumbling to herself…
This is how Miyuki expressed her awkward feelings. She then took her other hand and slid it beneath the back of my hand that was resting on her thigh.
With both of her hands enveloping mine, she said,
“It’s dangerous to drive with just one hand… Didn’t you say you barely passed your driving test?”
She kept on muttering all kinds of nonsense all the way to school, all while caressing my hand as if she were handling a doll.
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“Starting next week, we’ll need to begin preparing for the cultural festival, okay?”
At the words of the Class 1-A teacher, the entire classroom buzzed with excitement.
The Cultural Festival…
A clichéd but quintessential event worn out in countless love comedies.
An event where students can choose from activities like a maid café, haunted house, theater, bands, or dance, and compete against other classes. Once the event is over, enjoying the festival with the heroine is a typical trope.
It’s also an event where catfights among the heroines unfold.
Normally, such an event would be a crucial juncture to pick the “true heroine” in a typical love comedy scenario.
But I plan to share my love with all three of them.
However, the only person with whom I’ve established a meaningful relationship at the moment is Miyuki.
So for this year’s festival, I suppose I’ll only have fun with her.
As for Class 1-A…
“You guys seemed pretty excited when we suggested doing a haunted house last time, right? How about we do that this time?”
Just as the teacher said, it was unanimously decided that the class would run a haunted house.
Miyuki, being the main heroine, would play the role of a Yuki-onna–a snowwoman–which would highlight her beauty and fair skin.
This would also allow for a fan-service cut where her warm image is supposed to undergo a complete transformation, and some small clothing incidents may occur.
I’ll make sure to enjoy it my way later.
As for Tetsuya, he’d go for a stylish Shuten-doji cosplay, which could be said to be cool in its own way, but this time it will be different.
I’ll definitely make sure to have him dress up as a Kappa instead. That bastard…
Renka, Chinami, and the Kendo Club will run a skewer stand. I’ll have to drop by later.
After all, I’m going to need to buy some yakitori, which Miyuki loves.
“As for the festival, the class president and vice president will lead the team… Let’s start the class.”
“Boooo-!”
The classroom bursted into unified booing. The veins on the teacher’s wide temple bulged noticeably, forming a crosshair mark. The sight of it immediately hushes the students.
A passionate teacher who seems to be hot-tempered but has a warm heart…
There’s another cliché.
Thankfully, there was no “snap!” sound when his vein bulged.
I let out a quiet, light laugh and focused on class.
As the first period ended and the break began, Miyuki conversed with the vice president about various matters.
Then, they came toward Tetsuya and me, holding a paper and a pen.
“Miura can be Shuten-doji. He’s lean, so it should suit him well.”
Those were the words of the class’ vice-president, who had been looking at Tetsuya’s stupid-looking face.
So, they had been discussing the theme of the haunted house earlier.
“Shouldn’t Shuten-doji be a bit more imposing? I think the character should give off a sense of intimidation,” Miyuki instantly countered.
Her gaze was not on Tetsuya, but on me.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
I, who had been mildly indifferent, frowned at Miyuki’s subsequent words.
“Matsuda-kun, you’re going to cosplay too, right?”
“Nah, it’s too much of a hassle.”
“If you’re not planning on participating, I’ll have to ask you to change your mind. Unless something important comes up, everyone in the class is expected to take part.”
“Who said I’m not participating? I’ll be at the entrance, checking tickets. If any problematic customers show up, I’ll handle them. Isn’t that better?”
At this, the vice president nodded, as if agreeing with my point.
“That actually sounds like a better idea. Matsuda-kun seems trustworthy… If he’s at the entrance, I doubt there would be any customers wanting to cause trouble.”
The class’s opinion of me seemed to be shifting.
Since I’ve been quietly attending lectures, and Miyuki—who is not only the class president but also part of the student council—treated me amicably, others also began to warm up to me.
It’s about time for that jealousy-inducing cliché, the love letter, to make its appearance…
Or perhaps I should wait a little longer.
“We can’t leave ticket checking solely to Matsuda-kun. If we leave him alone, he might just skip it and go enjoy the festival himself.”
Ignoring Miyuki’s playful jab beside me, I slid my chair back and stood up.
Seeing this, Miyuki asked,
“Where are you going?”
“To the cafeteria.”
“Could you get me some strawberry milk? And one for Makoto too… I’ll give you the money when you get back.”
Who was Makoto again?
Ah… It’s the vice president sitting next to us, flashing those bright eyes of his.
Wearing a slightly annoyed look on my face, I nodded and strolled out of the classroom. Behind me, I could hear the soft conversation between Miyuki and Makoto.
“I still can’t get used to it, no matter how many times I see it.”
“What?”
“Matsuda going to the cafeteria… He used to bully other people into going to run errands for him. And yet there he goes off to the cafeteria himself to buy stuff for others.”
“He’s gotten a lot better lately, hasn’t he? No more trouble-making…”
“Yeah. He seems like a different person.”
Little do they know, my hearing is sharper than they think.
I could hear every word they said.
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During lunchtime and after-school activities…
No matter where I go, everyone’s talking about the upcoming festival.
It’s a once-a-year event, so it’s understandable why people are excited. I am looking forward to it too, but…
‘Ugh, this is getting old.’
I’m getting tired of hearing the same thing over and over.
Why all the fuss? Just make your preparations for it quietly.
Of course, I’ll make exceptions for Miyuki, Renka, and Chinami.
“Matsuda-kouhai, what will you be doing at the festival? Which group will you be participating with?”
Chinami asks while holding a shinai that seemed to be much longer than it really was due to her being so petite.
I replied after one practice round of pushing in all directions,
“I’ll be with my class.”
“Is that so? Miura-kouhai also said he’d be participating with his class… What’s your class planning?”
“A haunted house.”
“Oh…?”
Chinami looks up at me with intrigued eyes.
The difference in our heights is more than 30 cm, so the angle at which she lifts her head to look up is kind of amusing.
But this made me curious about something.
I’ve heard that Chinami is really skilled, but…
How does someone with such a small frame manage to dominate opponents larger than herself?
I know that there are no mixed-gender matches in middle school or higher-level competitions, but…
I’ve heard that even the male kendo team members in their third year struggle against her during practice.
Is her technique that good? I’d like to see it for myself.
“A haunted house… that sounds really interesting! Exciting, actually! Will you be dressing up as a ghost too, Matsuda-kouhai?”
“No, I’ll be at the entrance, checking tickets.”
“Oh? You’re tall enough that you’d make a great ghost, though… Such a shame.”
“I heard from other senpais that the Kendo Club is running a skewer shop… But once you get a break, you and Inoo-senpai can come to the haunted house and have a look.”
“Uh… I’ll think about it. Oh, speaking of which…!”
She clapped her hands as if she just remembered something important.
“Your pushing stance earlier was really good. Have you been practicing on your own?”
“No, Inoo-senpai gave me some pointers yesterday.”
“Really? When?”
“When you went to check the equipment yesterday.”
“I see. Isn’t she a better teacher?”
“No, Inoo-senpai’s teaching is too harsh. I prefer my Master’s kind teachings.”
“Hehe~.”
Chinami bursts into a contented laugh.
Then she placed her hand on her hip as she chided me.
“Renka is the captain of our Kendo Club, so it’s only natural that she shows a strict attitude. She’s also the ace, so you should be grateful for her instruction. Don’t you think so?”
While saying that, a smile formed at the corners of Chinami’s mouth.
This told me that she wasn’t entirely displeased by those facts.
She considered Renka a good friend, but it seemed like she also sees her as a bit of a rival…
If I played my cards right, this could be useful to me.
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