Chapter 26: Volume 1 - CH 26

Posted on March 29, 2022by Soafp

Translator: Soafp

“Well then, thanks for all your hard work on the final exam!”

Nekoda raises a glass of juice. Mahiro and I follow her action.

Our voices overlap in a toast.

Now, I, Mahiro, and Nekoda are at a karaoke bar. It was the launch of the final exam. The test results were posted on the wall, and the heavy atmosphere that had been hanging in the air had disappeared, so it was decided to hold the party.

“Well, it’s finally over.”

Phew, exhaled Nekoda.

Even after the test was over, the air in the school was heavy until the results came out. I know how you feel. After Nekoda, Mahiro and I also let out some of our frustrations. I felt a sense of relief.

Nekoda avoided a red mark.

She was overjoyed. When the test was returned, she gave me and Mahiro a carefree smile and thanked us profusely.

“It’s thanks to Nijitani and Nazuka that I am able to successfully finish the course. Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I got into the top ranks thanks to the study group.”

“Yes, we improved our grades, too. I’m glad it seems to have worked for all of us.”

We chatted for a while, reflecting on the content of the test.

I heard that overall scores were up on this test, due in part to the influence of the competition. In addition, the effect seemed to be felt not only in the second grade but in all grades.

For some reason, the teachers thanked me for instigating this contest. I couldn’t help but smile when my homeroom teacher, Mizushima-sensei, patted me on the shoulder and gave me a thumbs-up.

We talked about such things for a while.

“—Thank you for waiting. Sorry I’m late!”

Suddenly the door opened and Akazawa entered.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Yuuhi!”

“I’m sorry I’m late, I’ve been in the middle of some stuff.”

After saying this, Akazawa sat down next to me. The sweet scent of her red hair tickled my nose.

“Uhm, …… Akazawa?’

“Why are you here, Akazawa-san?”

Me and Mahiro questioned at the same time. That’s right. Originally, the three of us were going to launch together. We were not told that other people would join us.

Then Nekoda apologized.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I invited her. Yuuhi was studying hard, and I thought we should all get together and have a good time. It would be lonely at the party with just the three of us.”

There was no way I could answer ‘no’ under the circumstances. It would be against the rules to tell her after she had entered the room. I had no choice but to agree with her while smiling and laughing.

“Thanks. I wanted to come to karaoke with Nijitani.”

“With me?”

“That’s why I’m so excited today. I’m going to sing a lot.”

Did she have an image of me being a good singer? I had been to karaoke at my previous high school, but it was never a topic of conversation. I was neither good nor bad.

….I never thought I’d see the day that I’d come to karaoke with Akazawa.

“Good job on the test. Although you didn’t win, Yuuhi. You were so close.”

“I guess so. But I thought it couldn’t be helped.”

“Has it been decided that the closing address will be given by Renji?”

“It was decided a little while ago. He is willing to do it.”

It seems that the contest was won by Renji, the male god, and it was officially decided that the closing ceremony speech would be given by Renji. Now that the results have been announced, no one can complain.

I had no contact with Renji.

To be honest, it was hard to make up my mind, but I decided to hide my true identity. I have to, because I have no reason to contact him. I left Renji with only a letter. In the state of mind I was in at the time, that was my only choice, but from his point of view, it would have been an act of betrayal. Even though I had kept my distance from him because of the rumors, I was transferred to a different school suddenly. If I were in the opposite situation, I would have wanted to complain to him.

The four of us chatted for a while.

Akazawa had put a lot of effort into the test this time, and said that she had studied hard even at home. It was quite refreshing to see Akazawa complaining that she really wanted to win.

“Okay, then, let me see Nijitani’s graduation album.”

“What, Nijitani-kun’s graduation album?”

“That’s right. We’re having a graduate exchange today.”

I quietly take out my graduation album.

Nekoda’s eyes sparkle as she turns the pages. The number of students at my new junior high school is much smaller than at Eastern Junior High School. A slight view of the landscape on the school’s introduction page shows that there are no buildings around. The rural school seemed surprised, and Nekoda’s mumbled voice echoed, “It’s really rural.”

“Hey, hey …… can I have a look too?”

“I don’t mind.”

Akazawa, too, is curious and peeks at the graduation album.

The two of them were looking at the portraits and talking about how handsome and beautiful the girls were.

And then they came to the page with my picture.

“Ah, it’s Nijitani. You haven’t changed much.”

“…… yeah.”

By the time I graduated from junior high school, I had outgrown my past looks. It doesn’t matter that they see me.

“Hey, why did you erase your name?”

Nekoda asked.

My name appears below my graduation photo, but I have erased my own name with a pen.

Why?

That’s because it says Shota Mukawa. As soon as we decided to show each other our graduation photo, I painted it in with a black pen.

“It was a youthful indiscretion.”

“Oh, black history?”

“It was sharp as a tack. It’s meant to be a kind of a smear job on the past.”

“Nothing seems out of place.”

Neither Nekoda nor Akazawa seemed to notice and continued on with the page. Thank God.

“Nijitani isn’t in the picture much, huh?”

I was thrilled by the simple question. There was no way I could have been in the picture. I was a guy who wasn’t there until halfway through middle school.

“…… Actually, I’m not very good at having my picture taken. See, I’m a shy boy.”

“I don’t know about that, but isn’t it a shame for a guy who’s so handsome?”

“I appreciate the compliment, even if it is flattering.”

“I’m not flattered you. Nijitani is a pretty good guy. Right, Yuuhi?”

“I think he’s good-looking, too.”

You never showed any interest in me when I transferred to a new school, but now I am reborn.

“Speaking of which, did you have a girlfriend over there?”

As soon as Nekoda asked the question, there was a loud thump and a loud noise on the table. It seems Akazawa hit her foot on the table. Surprisingly, she is a clumsy girl.

“Unfortunately, I’m afraid I wasn’t very popular with the girls.”

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“I’m surprised. Nijitani seems to be popular.”

Seriously?

“You think so too, huh?”

“I think Shota is popular too. You’re fresh, easygoing, and kind.”

“Right. Nijitani was really cool when he saved our friendship. I thought he was a saint for helping a complete stranger like that.”

I will not correct her on that.

But it is true that I was not popular. Right after I transferred to the new school, I was mentally rattled by the trauma of that time. When I was about to graduate, I was still trembling when I talked to girls, although I had mended my appearance.

“Oh, yes. Nijitani, take a look at this.”

The graduation album from Nekoda of Eastern Junior High School is placed on the table.

Opening the page, I found a nostalgic school building and familiar faces. She flips through the pages, but Shota Mukawa is not there.

I was the only one who was not in the picture among the familiar people and buildings. I felt a little pain in my chest at the discomfort.

The fact that I was not in the place I used to take for granted made me feel empty. I have no good memories of junior high school, but it seems that I am still lonely.

As the pages were being rolled up, a particular boy caught my eye.

“…….”

Renji Inuyama. My best friend and childhood friend.

Come to think of it, I never found out what Nekoda said to Renji. Since then, we never talked about it.

I was curious about the relationship between Nekoda and Renji.

“Hey, Nekoda.”

“What’s wrong?”

“You like Renji Inuyama?”

“…… heh?”

A large number of heart marks were drawn on Renji’s face in her graduation photo.

When I pointed this out, Nekoda looked at the graduation album in surprise, and as if remembering something, her face turned bright red and she stormed out.

“Unyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Did this girl like Renji?

“No, you got it wrong!”

“As I recall, he was a male god. He’s handsome and you can’t help falling in love with him.”

“Uugh……. I was so careless with I forgot to take if away.”

He is handsome, good-looking, studious, athletic, and kind. He is the hero of this world. How could she not fall in love with him?

Huh, is Nekoda in love with Renji?

If that’s the case, I’m starting to wonder what the trouble was with Akazawa. I heard she said hurtful words, but what did she say to Renji, whom she is in love with? Maybe they were in a relationship once and an affair happened or something like that?

Did they get into a fight because of romantic entanglements?

Or maybe a love triangle got complicated?

I am inclined to ask her, but with Akazawa there, I’d rather not. It would be too stupid to make things worse after having made up with him at the last moment.

“Oh, this is the old Kuromine-san.”

Mahiro, who has been looking at the graduation album for some time, points to a person in the overall picture.

It was the sober girl who had once brought me down, cheering me on at the gymnastics festival. I feel nostalgic at the sight of her, but I make a face of deliberate surprise.

“Seriously? That’s a totally different impression.”

“Right?　That is definitely a man!”

Akazawa interrupted with a bite.

“Don’t assume anything.”

“It’s definitely a man. I know it. The cause of a woman’s change is definitely a man!”

She assured me.

I was strangely persuaded, although I was not sure where the evidence came from.

“But when rumors about her started circulating, you denied it, right?”

“That’s different from this. That girl is a man. So, Nijitani, you’d better stay away from him. See, there was a strange rumor before. If you get close to him, some scary guy might come out.”

“I see. …… I’ll be careful.”

There’s no need to be stubborn, I’ll fold.

By the way, Akazawa hasn’t changed much. It’s like a legitimate beautiful girl evolved into a legitimate beautiful woman as it is.　

There was also Aoyama in the class beside her. She too hasn’t changed much.

“……I had a great time in middle school.”

I heard a mumbled voice from next to me.

From this girl’s point of view, that’s probably true.

She had Renji, whom she was in love with, and Shota Mukawa, whom she used as a sandbag to relieve stress, so it must have been fun. It must have been very cramped after she entered high school because she couldn’t relieve her stress anymore.

I pretended not to notice and rolled up the page.

“Tsu”

Then my hand stops.

It was a picture from eighth grade. It was a group photo from the school festival. It was of me as I used to be.

A dark guy wearing glasses and hiding his face with his hair was standing like a ghost in the corner of the photo. I was a creepy guy.

Rumors were already spreading and I was completely isolated at that time.

“……”

I silently tried to go to the next page.

But Akazawa stopped my hand.

“What’s wrong?”

Akazawa’s eyes were on the picture in which I was reflected.

Is she looking at me?

……, I thought, but I was mistaken.

There is a ghost named me at the edge of the photo. In the center of the photo was Renji. Next to him is Akazawa. They looked like the hero and heroine. It seemed that she was looking at Renji.

After that, I finished looking at the graduation album without seeing anything in particular.

I think again. The old me is nowhere to be found. The person I was before, the person with no personality and no color, is completely gone.

“…I’ve decided”

As I was lost in sentimentality, Akazawa stood up with a determined look on her face.

Decided?

“I’ll sing.”

You’re talking about the song you’re going to sing?

It seems like the song was put on before I knew it and the music starts playing.

After that, the graduation viewing party was over and everyone enjoyed karaoke. Akazawa, Nekoda, and Mahiro were all pretty good, and I was the only decent one. But for some reason, Akazawa was really excited to hear me sing.

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