Chapter 22: Volume 1 - CH 4.1

Yamabuki Karen and Fujinami Shiho

Translated by 64990022

Chapter 4: Yamabuki Karen and Fujinami Shiho

Part 1

New week began and I was back to observing Minato at school.

If she likes someone, I would write down their interaction and the surrounding at that time, as detailed as possible. All the while trying to deduce the hypothesis by recording her feelings at the time.

Slow but sure-fire process. Little by little, we uncovered the Falling-in-love Peculiarity.

Or that was the plan.

“I’m out of ideas”

“…”

We came to a complete standstill.

At the usual café, with her facing me across the table. Around ten days had passed since the start of the operation. The catch was more than I had imagined, an astonishing speed.

But I’ve got no clue from them.

“Sorry..”

“No, you did a good job. Rather, sorry…” I ruffled my hair in frustration.

As if synchronized, we both shook our heads and sighed. 

Honestly, I thought it was going to be easier than this. Or at the very least, hore hint would come to the surface. Unfortunately, the more data there was, the farther we were from the answer. 

There was nothing resembling consistency in the data.

Instead of falling for ikemen whom she talked with several times a day, she would fall for a plain guy she hadn’t even talked to. And yet, she never fell in love at first sight, or that was supposed to be, until she fell for a boy from another school who walked past her on her way to the café.  

It was like I was thrown into the air. The earth was blue, the expanse beyond black.

[TN: My poor man’s delusive now…]

“There’s no helping, I’ll preserve and keep going. In the meantime, I’ll try poking at other possibilities.” I leaned back.

“Y-yup… yeah, I’ll do something.”

The atmosphere was heavy. But there’s no helping with that either.

Both talking to people she wasn’t familiar with and visiting another class to make observations every break were onerous tasks. And despite the effort, the absence of results could be discouraging.

“By the way, how’s Fujimiya taking it?”

“Hmm, yeah… She noticed something was off, but nothing yet,” she answered, lacking her usual confidence. 

According to her, a few days ago, her best friend, Fujimiya Shiho, noticed her unusual behavior. Well, given the length of their friendship, that was to be expected.

“You two are sure close,” I mused.

“Yup…She’s, that girl’s important to me. I don’t want to hide anything from her but…” She screwed her face a little.

From her point of view, coming clear of her situation– the Peculiarity, the consultation– wasn’t a choice for her either.

After that, I sent her back by herself and helped out at the cafe.

Wait and see, that was the conclusion we had reached. However, the ideal scenario and reality are different, there was no luxury for such things, it appeared.

That was, she would get involved in an incident some time later.

◆　◆　◆   

Phweee!! 

The shrill wail of the whistle signaled the end of the match. Students shuffled in and out of the courts as they swapped places. Each of the courts now hosted two students facing each other.

The afternoon class was gender-segregated badminton. Two classes were combined then divided into several groups for the matches. This was one of the lighter classes.

And class seven and eight were paired in this joint class. Thankfully, the courts we were using were right next to each other. Thanks to this, the observation was way easier.

The whistle blew again and the next match started. I, who just switched out, looked sideways at Minato’s court. 

Minato was dressed in a simple navy blue jersey with her hair in a ponytail. The contrast between her white nape and black hair was dazzling. Even in a plain outfit, she clearly stood out from the rest with her elegant glamor.

“I– o—”

Reiji’s calling pulled me out of my stupor. As he sat down beside me, I noted the missing earrings. With that out of the way, his well-shaped face made him look like a proper sportsman.

By the way, he was in the basketball club, though not in a good standing due to his tendency to slack off.

“Yuzuki-chan again?” He nudged his head her way.

“What’s with that ‘again’?”

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“Oi, oi, don’t think you can get away this time. You’re always looking at her lately. No, more of going to see her.” He grinned his sly smile.

Well… As expected, Reiji can’t be fooled.

“Work, like usual. Take a hint,” I scowled.

“‘Like usual’, huh? You’re cute, Io.”

He smirked and asked nothing more, probably because he knew he would get nothing if it’s about the Angel.

Then, a sharp cracking sound came from nearby.

In succession, the “Oohh”s came from the surrounding area.

Minato had just released a smash that grazed the corner of the court.

“Oooh, nice shot. She’s like someone from the badminton club,” commented Reiji.

“That court’s getting a lot of attention,” I observed.

“Well, it’s the matchmaking,” he shrugged, “the other side’s Yamabuki.”

The other side, Yamabuki Karen, was just as attention grabbing as Minato. Short explanation: She’s one of the Plus Four, another beauty.

Her eyes were large and almond-shaped, her outline shapely, and her lips thin. Her atmosphere resembled Minato’s a little, they must be in the same lineage. But she didn’t stop there, she armed herself to the fullest with makeup. In terms of image, she was no different from that of idols.

In addition, her semi-long hair was around dark blond to light brown, and unlike Reiji, she kept her red earrings on. Combined with her pink jersey on top and bottom, she was a true gal. Her popularity among the boys was different from Minato’s but she was quite popular.

Last year, I had a consultant who wished to confess to her. And that was what made Minato hone on me

[TN: Callback from Ch1 P3]

Yamabuki deftly scooped up the shuttlecock with her racket and glared at Minato at her opposite. Her mouth mounted something. Probably “Sod off”.

From her serve, the shuttle soared high. Minato also returned with the same ferocity, trying to pin Yamabuki. However, Yamabuki stepped back and jumped, smashing the shuttle back.

Bending at almost an impossible angle, Minato barely managed to return. From there, Yamabuki took offense and scored a point. The glee in her eyes was as if to say that this was payback.

The other side was also a fine opponent, it seemed.

When Minato reached down to grab the shuttle, Yamabuki looked down at her. Her mouth moved again. Maybe “Yuck” this time. On the other hand, Minato retained her cool expression as she prepared for the next round.

Uhh, what’s with this tension in the air?

“Ooh, she’s crackling. Well, she doesn’t want to lose to Yuzuki-chan and all.”

“What do you mean?”

When I asked, Reiji only laughed amusedly. It was as if everything was fun and games to this guy.

“That girl, she hates Minato. She usually faults her, gossiping behind her back. Well, Yuzuki-chan seems unaffected.”

“And the reason for it?” I urged for more.

“Dunno. Maye jealousy. She’s Plus Four, Minato’s Kuze’s Top Three. That doesn’t sit well with  the princess-type Yamabuki.”

“So, she hates her because M–Yuzuki’s more popular ?”

“Yup, and better in terms of grades and sports despite Yamabuki being in the sports club. She loses to her all round, so to say.”

“I see…”

So, one-sided jealousy from Yamabuki. You sure had it tough, Minato.

“Oh, match point.”

The match was eleven points to win, and before long, the scores were already ten to nine, with Minato leading and one minute left.

With the same composure, Minato hit a long serve. Yamabuki, who was pitching forward, was caught by surprise and her return ball was weak.Minato smashed the shuttle that came to her fore side but Yamabuki returned with tenacity.

Minato caught up just in time and raised a lob to buy time. Good strategy.

But, Yamabuki jumped, reached out and forced a smash.

The sharp strike went straight for her face.

“Uwah, body!”

Too late. I thought so. However, Minato changed her stance, leaped and redirected the shuttle. It was as if she could see it coming

The shuttle landed with a thud, even before Yamabuki reached the ground. 

Just then, the whistle signaled the end of the match. The matches that were still going on were forced to stop and swap places with the rest.

With one fluid movement, she left the court quietly. Signaling to Fujimiya, she sat down on the bench.

But the Yamabuki on the other side was still glaring at Minato, unbeknownst to the surroundings.

Some time later, the chime for the end of the school day rang, students lined up and bowed. At Kuze High, homerooms were held after lunch break, so students were free to go.

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