Chapter 4: 3

Why Does It Feel Like I’m Tricking Her!? – Hasegawa Soichi

──Half a year ago, in the middle of April, the first library committee meeting of the year was being held in an empty classroom.

“──Nice to meet you.”

I sat down next to a first-year girl who would be in charge of Wednesdays with me.

“You are… Misuno-san right?”

The girl sitting next to me was Misuno-san.

Without shifting her gaze from the paperback book she was reading, she answered me curtly.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Hmmm. It seemed like she wasn’t really the sociable type.

I casually glanced at her. She had short hair and tightly closed lips. She seemed to be reading a pure literature book, and I had a hunch that she was more of an introvert.

She was the type of person that you might expect to find in a library. Maybe she was what they called a “literary girl”. However… looking closely, that wasn’t all there was to her.

Under her uniform, she was wearing a hoodie, and her hair was styled simply but also stylishly. It looked like she wore a light layer of makeup around her mouth and eyes, and her facial features were also well-proportioned.

“I’m a second-year student also in charge of Wednesdays. My name is Hasegawa Souichi. Looking forward to working with you.”

“… I’m Misuno Saki, a first-year student. Likewise, I’m looking forward to working with you.”

As usual, Misuno-san replied without looking at me.

… Ahh, maybe she was just nervous? After all, not even a day had passed since she’d started at this school, and she also happened to be talking to a boy one year older than her.

Then… all of a sudden, I realized something. To this girl, I was her senior.

Until last year, I was just a freshman, so no matter where I looked, I would only find people older than me.

However, now I was a second-year student. In other words, it was my responsibility to teach Misuno-san and follow up for her. If she was troubled or had a concern, it was my job to help her out.

… Somehow, a strange sense of responsibility started welling up inside of me!

Okay, in that case, I should start by helping her relax a little more. The job wasn’t that difficult, so she might as well just take it easy!

“I was on the library committee last year, so I’m familiar with the usual responsibilities. If there’s anything you aren’t sure about, please ask me.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

Nodding once again, Misuno-san turned the page of the book she was reading.

“… You sure like reading.”

“… I suppose.”

“That’ll be a great help, people like that often come here.”

Feeling reassured all of a sudden, I continued.

“I’m not really knowledgeable about novels you see…”

I didn’t know why, but I had a feeling that this would work out well. The two of us would definitely make a good library committee member combo. Not that I had any basis or reason to think that; it was just my intuition speaking.

However, in reality, Misuno-san continued to remain cold to me. She hadn’t turned to look at me even once, and her form of speech remained formal.

It was clear that she wasn’t going to open up to me. However, for some reason, I was convinced that this year would definitely be fun.

And then──Misuno-san lifted her head and looked at me. Her long, slit eyes turned straight to my face. Her eyes were clear and deep, just like the atmosphere of the book she was reading.

I didn’t really remember what she said or what we talked about after that. I felt like we just made some random small talk and talked about her job responsibilities. I also didn’t think we talked for that long.

However, the look on her face as she looked straight at me was something that I could still clearly remember.

──That was the beginning of the curious duo of the curt and unsociable junior, Misuno Saki, and the unassuming and ordinary senior, Hasegawa Souichi.

*

“──It’s been half a year since then…”

It was Wednesday, just before midnight.

While playing the guitar in my room, I reflected back on the day I first met Misuno.

Thinking back on the conversation that we had in the library, and Misuno’s expression at that time… certainly, I did feel there was something there. I had a strange feeling that this girl and I would become special friends.

However, the reality was that since that day, Misuno had been wary of me. She hardly ever looked my way, and she rarely approached me.

In spite of that, my premonition didn’t go away, and in the end we became friends.

Nevertheless,

“I didn’t think it would end up like this. I accidentally stumbled upon her stream… and what’s more, in the stream she said she liked… Ughh…”

Unexpected. That was completely unexpected.

I didn’t have any romantic intentions towards her, I just thought that we’d make a good combo as library committee members.

I just thought that we could cover for each other’s weak points and have fun talking to each other…

… What was I supposed to do about this?

“… Hah…”

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

In a situation like this, what was the best way to behave…

As I thought about it, the time approached midnight.

“It’s almost time for it to start. I wonder if she got a broadcast slot1 yet…”

I put down my guitar, opened my smartphone, and started searching for Misuno’s stream.

At the same time, there was a knock on the door to my room.

“──Onii, I listened to the chorus that you sent me. Is it okay if I come in?”

“… Yup, go ahead.”

Before I finished answering, Nico opened the door and entered the room.

“Man, that was great. It might even be my favorite so far.”

It seemed that she had just listened to the file I sent her. Maybe I was just tensing up, but her voice sounded like she was singing.

“So, can we record a tentative song on Saturday or Sunday?”

“That works for me. As usual, you can write the lyrics however you like.”

“Got it.”

Then, she glanced at my phone.

“… Huh, are you listening to that stream this week as well?”

“Ahh, yeah. I’m kind of interested in it…”

Somehow, I answered Nico in a muffled voice while hiding the screen.

“I’m sorry, but it’s kind of like you’re spying on her.”

… True, doing this was probably not a good idea. It’s not like Misuno wanted me to overhear her, and even if I listened to it there wasn’t much I could do.

However, in the end, I was just too curious. My will wasn’t strong enough to resist the temptation.

But it seemed that there was something else bothering Nico.

“Hmm, how interesting…”

She peeked at me with a meaningful smile.

“… What do you want?”

“I thought this song was a bit more romantic than the others… I see, so that’s how it is…”

“… T-that has nothing to do with this!”

I cried out loud at the unexpected misunderstanding.

This girl… what was she misunderstanding! There was no connection between the two at all!

However, Nico didn’t show even a millimeter of remorse,

“Fufufu, I guess you’re going through puberty too after all…”

She put her hand over her mouth happily and left the room quietly.

“Then, I’ll leave it at that! Good night!”

The door slammed shut. I was left alone in the room, unable to digest what just happened…

“… What’s with her. That has nothing to do with the lyrics at all.”

Why was she so eager to tie everything to love? Was she a middle school girl or what… (She was)

What’s more, she was only quick to flee at times like this…

When I saw her tomorrow, I’d have to thoroughly explain to her that it wasn’t like that…

──Just when I was thinking that,

“… Ah crap, the stream’s already started!”

Before I knew it, the clock had already struck twelve.

I touched the smartphone in a panic and clicked on the thumbnail for Saki’s stream. After a short pause, her voice came out of the speakers.

“──Now then, let’s start reading the first email. It’s from the radio name Unagi-chan in love. Unagi-chan… it is the one in Hamamatsu?”

“Thank god, she’s still on the first mail…”

I missed the start of the stream, but that was ok. If anything important happened, she’d probably talk about it in the second half, so I decided to continue listening while aimlessly playing the guitar.

“‘Good evening, Saki-san.’ Good evening to you too. ‘Although I chose this radio name, I have almost no experience with love. I do have someone that I’m interested in, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it’s love.’”

Ah, I totally get that. Sometimes it feels like there’s a hurdle you have to cross first.

Even if you’re interested in someone, there’s a big hurdle before you can say that you like them or that you love them. It’s really difficult to be sure of that.

“‘How can I fall in love with someone? Saki-san, what made you fall in love with your current crush?’ is what they wrote but…”

“Ohh! That’s just what I wanted to know!”

Yeah, that had been bothering me ever since the stream last week. On the day we met, and even up to this day, Misuno had been cold to me.

And yet, at some point she began liking me. There had to have been some kind of trigger for those feelings…

Nice assist, Unagi-chan! It seems like we’ve been on the same page since earlier, haven’t we?

“Um, what made me fall in love with him… Yup, it’s because of something that left a deep impression on me. Even now I can still remember it, it was something special…”

“Eh, special? Did something like that happen…?”

“It happened … about two weeks after I first met him? As always, we were gathered together in the library as part of the library committee…”

──And then she… Saki started to explain in detail what happened at that time.

*

──It was a Wednesday in early May. As always, I arrived at the library to fulfill my duties as a member of the library committee. At the reception counter, we were beginning to prepare for work.

“… Ah, se-senpai… Thanks for the hard work!”

I heard the sound of the library door opening, and looked up. Sure enough, the boy who was also in charge of Wednesdays was standing at the entrance. He was a senior with a gentle smile and his hair styled carelessly. He slowly made his way to the counter and kindly nodded at me.

“Yeah, thanks for the hard work, Misuno…”

“I’ll be counting on you today as well. I’ll do my best to not cause trouble for you…!”

I stood up and bowed my head repeatedly.

Perhaps finding the desperate look on my face amusing, he laughed lightly.

“It’s fine. Let’s take it easy okay?”

With a practiced hand, we started preparing for work.

*

“At that time, I didn’t have any confidence as a committee member, and I hadn’t opened up to senpai yet. I was pretty nervous…”

“Wait, aren’t you kind of glamorizing me!?”

──Without thinking, I cried out at the smartphone.

“Aren’t you kind of portraying me as your Prince Charming!? And for some reason you made yourself seem strangely meek… you’ve actually been cold to me ever since that time!”

… Certainly, something like that may have happened in reality. It’s true that I may have told the nervous Misuno something along the lines of “let’s take it easy”.

However… wasn’t she somehow romanticizing what actually happened a bit!? In actuality, the conversation was probably a lot shorter and messier!

“And then,”

Saki continued talking in spite of my complaints.

“Around this time, I was reading a book. It was a historically famous book from overseas…”

*

“… Misuno, you’re always reading books aren’t you?”

We were lined up behind the library counter doing work. When the wave of people ended, he quietly asked me,

“Is it interesting?”

“… Ahh, this!?”

I returned the question with a startled look on my face.

Oh no, I was concentrating too deeply on the book and ended up giving a weird reply…

After taking a deep breath to calm down, I answered the question.

“Yes, it is. … It’s interesting…”

And then,

“… Huh, then I guess I’ll try reading it as well.”

“Senpai will!?”

Once again, I let out a loud voice.

I put my hand over my mouth in a panic, but I was too late.

He gave me a quizzical look, and then,

“… Should I not? Would it be better if I didn’t read it?”

“… No, that’s not the case, but…”

That’s right, there wasn’t really any issue. It would be perfectly fine if he read it but… there was a certain reason I was hesitating. However, I wasn’t able to explain it properly… so in the end, I promised to lend him the book.

*

“──Just like that, senpai decided to read the book as well.”

Leaning back on my backrest, I nodded in agreement.

… Yeah, something like that certainly happened. I did end up borrowing a book that Misuno was reading all the time…

Well, as usual, everything aside from the overall sequence of events was embellished though. What I said was probably a lot more random, and Misuno probably didn’t behave as cutely…

At the time, I was just surprised by how engrossed she was by the book. If anything, I just wanted to try reading it because of how much she seemed to enjoy it.

However, while I was reflecting back on those days,

“But, in truth…”

For some reason, Saki spoke as if she were about to say something difficult,

“I… I didn’t like reading that book at all. If anything, I wasn’t really able to understand it…”

“… Is that so!?”

Without thinking, I got up from my chair.

She didn’t like reading it? She wasn’t able to understand it!? Geez, it didn’t seem like that at all to me!?

“However, because it was considered a masterpiece, I thought I should force myself to continue reading it. In fact, I struggled quite a bit with it. But for some reason, I felt like I had to be able to understand it, that not being able to understand it wasn’t an option. If I didn’t read it, it would be like I didn’t have any taste in literature, or something like that…”

“Ah… I totally get that…”

Finally convinced, I sat back down in my chair.

“I’ve also tried to force myself to like famous songs before…”

In fact, I think most people have had this kind of feeling before. The feeling of forcing yourself to say that a work you don’t understand, even after trying your hardest, is good.

I see… so Misuno also tries to show off like that sometimes. I thought that she was the type of person who didn’t care about that kind of thing at all. I thought she was the type of person who followed her heart and just read whatever books she liked.

“That’s why, when senpai said he’d read the book as well, I felt guilty for recommending something to someone else that I didn’t even enjoy.”

As if she were confessing her sins, Saki continued.

“What’s more, he’d probably try his hardest to read it, and he might force himself to praise it. He’s a kind person after all…”

“So that’s what happened. I didn’t realize at all.”

After letting out a deep breath, I leaned back on the backrest once again.

“I totally thought Misuno was into it…”

“And then, the next week…”

*

“──I tried reading the book you recommended me, Misuno.”

He called out to me the week after I lent him the book.

We had finished our library committee responsibilities, and were in the middle of cleaning up.

… So fast! He already finished it…!?

“Is that so…”

While nodding… I nervously asked him.

“… How… was it?”

──I prepared myself for things to get awkward.

You are reading story Koi wa Yozora wo Watatte at novel35.com

I was sure he’d squeeze out a few words of compliment. While talking, he’d definitely notice I felt overwhelmed by the book.

My heart ached with guilt. I’m really sorry. If I knew it was going to end up like this, I should have just honestly said, “I don’t really like this book”…

──While I was thinking that.

“About that… to be honest, I didn’t get it at all, hahaha!”

“Eh…”

Upon hearing the unexpected──I was at a loss for words.

“I guess it was too difficult for me. Sorry, even though you went to all the trouble of recommending it to me.”

“No, that’s fine… But wasn’t there anything you liked about it…”

When I asked him with a blank stare, he crossed his legs and looked a bit thoughtful.

“Let’s see… I couldn’t help but admire how deep it was. No wonder why they call it a masterpiece.”

Upon hearing these words, I couldn’t help but agree. I could also clearly see the value in the words written in the book.

“But the way that it was expressed didn’t suit my tastes.”

Even still, he spoke bluntly without a trace of shame.

“It was a bit too explicit, which I think causes a lot of people to drop it before it conveys its message. Especially for young people like us──”

*

“──Those words… Yeah, they made me feel a lot better. Even if something is considered a masterpiece, sometimes it just doesn’t click for you. I didn’t need to feel ashamed of that.”

… She spoke in a dreamy, cheerful tone, as if she were reminiscing about her past, or talking about a favorite book.

After clearing her throat in embarrassment, Saki continued telling her story.

“… Senpai might also have seen through me. I wonder if he noticed that I didn’t enjoy reading it, and said that to reassure me. And then at that moment, I had a feeling as if he had slipped inside the shell surrounding my heart. That’s when… I realized that I had fallen in love with him…”

──At that, I, who had finally figured out how she fell in love with me──

“T-that’s not true…!”

I got out of my chair (again) in a hurry.

“I actually just couldn’t read it normally and told Misuno that! I actually felt pretty pathetic about it! And I didn’t even say it in such a cool way! It was probably more like ‘I had a feeling they were trying to convey something important, but the description was too gross for me. It’s too difficult for a high school student.’ or something like that!”

I mean, technically speaking, she got the general gist of things right. Misuno recommended me a book, and I tried reading it. In less than a week, I gave up and told Misuno. That much was the truth. As the person in question, I remembered what happened well.

However… she thought I said that because I wanted to reassure her!? I didn’t have that intention at all!

“So, Unagi-chan in love, I think what you need is for a wonderful event like that to happen to you. But this depends solely on your own luck──”

“──How did it end up like this!?”

I stood up and held my head in my hands.

“Somehow, it felt like I meant to deceive her!? Even though I didn’t mean to do that all… Wow, this scenario seems like it came right out of a story.”

… No, Misuno was the one who went ahead and misunderstood the meaning behind my actions, so I bore no responsibility.

However… for some reason I felt this immense sense of guilt! How should I put it… it’s like I lied in order to make myself look good…

This misunderstanding… I have to clear it up! It would probably be really bad if I let Misuno continue misunderstanding like this!

“But how should I clear this up… How do I tell her the truth…”

Yeah──I didn’t really have any means of doing that.

Of course, I had kept my knowledge of this stream a secret from Misuno. I had no choice but to continue hiding this from her, and I shuddered to think about what would happen if she found out.

What would happen… I wonder.

At any rate, there was no mistaking that the cozy relationship we had until now would no longer exist. To put it simply, there were a lot of things I couldn’t tell her about. And I didn’t have a way to tell her the truth about what happened at that time…

Then, how should I clear up this misunderstanding…

“──Everyone, if you have something you’d like to discuss, please send it to me.”

Over the speaker, Saki carefreely announced her email address.

“My address is , I repeat, Looking forward to hearing from you.”

──While listening to that.

“… Hm?”

I suddenly had an idea.

The only way to clear up Misuno’s misunderstanding──

“I see, that’s it! It’s a little scary, but I don’t have any other choice!”

I sat back down in front of my computer and opened the browser. Then, I took a deep breath and began typing furiously on my keyboard. It was probably the fastest I’d ever typed in my life!

Even if it was only one minute or one second faster, I still wanted to finish as quickly as possible.

Tens of seconds later, I finished composing the message at a speed as if I were aiming to break some kind of world record.

After quickly reviewing the full text, I pressed the enter key with vigor.

After a few seconds of silence──

“… Ah, another mail came just now.”

Saki’s voice came through the speakers.

“I wonder if they’re listening in real time. Thank you for the email.”

In my head, I responded, “You’re quite welcome.”

──That’s right, it was the email I had sent. I had sent an email to the program posing as a listener, and I even went to the trouble of creating a new e-mail address.

To be frank, this was the only thing I could do.

Right now, there was no other way I could point something out to Saki. In the email, I mentioned the possibility of the story she told just being a misunderstanding…!

It felt a little risky, but I couldn’t turn my back on this situation!

… I hope she’ll read it. And I hope she’ll properly understand the meaning of what I wrote…

As I held my breath and watched (listened?),

“… Hm? This seems kind of interesting, I’ll read it out loud.”

… Alright, she took the bait!

Without thinking, I clenched my fist in front of the smartphone.

“Um, from radio name Haseriba-san2… ‘I was kind of envious hearing the story that caused Saki-san to fall in love. It was a wonderful episode’. Hehe, wasn’t it? ‘However, based on my impression of the senior you usually talk to, it’s possible that he didn’t think that deeply about what he said. To put it bluntly, he might just not have liked the book.’”

Yeah, that was the truth.

I hadn’t thought that deeply about it. I just wasn’t able to read that book normally.

“Haha, that’s certainly true.”

She seemed receptive to the idea. Misuno laughed from the other end of the speaker.

“Senpai can be quite insensitive sometimes. Now that I think about it, your explanation seems a lot more convincing. You’re quite sharp, Haseriba-san.”

“It’s because they’re the same person! Haseriba is the senior in question!”

Of course they’d know them like the back of their hand! Since they’re the same person!

“Continuing the email, ‘What’s more, that novel has a peculiar style and violent content, so that senpai probably couldn’t even finish it. In other words, the spark that caused Saki-san to fall in love could just have been a simple misunderstanding. That’s still a wonderful thing though, so I couldn’t help but be so touched that I sent you an email.’ is what was written, but…”

Misuno took a deep breath. She seemed to be taking some time to think.

By the way, the part about “That’s still a wonderful thing though” and so on in the second half of the email… well, it was something like insurance. If I didn’t include some thoughts like this, then it would seem unnatural for such an email to come from a listener. It was kind of embarrassing to say that about something involving myself though…

After a moment of silence, Saki spoke in a serious tone,

“… You might be completely right.”

… Yes!

Did you understand what I wanted to say…!? That you had simply misunderstood what actually happened…!?

“When I started high school, I was super nervous. Maybe I just went ahead and imagined things about the senpai that was always kind to me.

Yes, that’s exactly right! You just romanticized what happened back then!

“But you know, like you said, this might be nice in its own way. The trigger may have been a misunderstanding, but the feelings that grew after that are real…”

After hearing that, I exhaled. It seemed like my mission was complete.

Although I didn’t have any confidence that I performed it smoothly, and I thought it was unlikely a single impromptu email would lead her to the truth… it seemed like I had succeeded.

Fufufu… This could prove useful in the future.

If I had any other comments or corrections after this, it could be a good idea to pose as a listener and send her an email──

“──Hm…?”

Suddenly, someone raised their voice. It was Saki’s dubious voice, coming through the speakers.

“… Huh? What’s wrong?”

“There’s something strange about this email…”

Saki was looking back over the email. A series of mouse clicks and scrolling sounds could be heard.

And then she──

“‘That novel has a peculiar style and violent content’… what they said was true but… did I ever mention the name of the novel?”

“… Ah, crap!”

… That’s right, she never mentioned it! She never mentioned it in the stream!

Since I remembered what the novel was like, I wrote it down like it was obvious…

On top of that,

“What’s more… This radio name. Haseriba… Eh… senpai!? Don’t tell me it’s actually him!?”

“Crap! I was in a rush so I wrote whatever came to mind!”

“Did senpai send this…?”

Inside of Saki’s head, doubts began to grow and grow.

“Don’t tell me… he was listening to this stream….”

“… Ugh…”

I broke out into a cold sweat.

This was bad… she might have found out about my email, and the fact that I was listening to her stream!

What should I do…!? Should I send another mail to try to fool her!? “It’s just a coincidence that the email contents and radio name seem similar!” or something like that… No, it’ll definitely sound like a lie! If anything, it would make her more suspicious!

In that case, would it be better if I revealed my identity here and now!? “You’re right! It’s-a-me! Hasegawa-senpai!3” … No, if I do that, then it would all be over! Misuno wouldn’t show up to the library room next week!

Then… instead of doing something weird, would it be better to avoid making any moves!? Would that help prevent her from confirming her suspicions!?

What should I do… what should I do…!

──However, in the next instant.

“… Just kidding.”

… Eh?

“It was probably just a coincidence. If he were actually listening, I wouldn’t want to be alive anymore. Ahahaha. And with that, let’s continue onto the next email.”

While saying that, Misuno moved on to the next email about love advice as if nothing had happened. She continued speaking in the same tone that she usually did. The tension I felt earlier completely evaporated──

“… Haaaaaaaa~…”

With a deep breath, I rested my weight on my chair. The energy started leaving my body… My breaths that had been choked with tension slowly began to be released…

“That was close. I seriously thought she had found me out…”

No, I really thought it was all over… If she found out that I had listened to her stream and listened to her talk about love… It would have been super awkward. In the worst case, we might not have been able to continue being library committee members together…

… Thank goodness. Thank god Saki was too naive to connect the dots. Although, she wasn’t the only one who was naive. Even if it was on short notice, I should have taken a little more care before sending out that email.

“… However.”

I sat back down in my chair, but I found I still couldn’t shake off my anxiety.

“Did things really end that smoothly? What if she just pretended to be joking around on stream, but still had doubts privately…”

I had a feeling that this was possible. After all, there was no proof that I wasn’t Haseriba. Saki just let it slide for no reason. She just ended the discussion so she could move on to the next message in the stream.

If that was the case… then she must still be suspicious after all. Even now, she would be suspecting me deep down inside…

When I thought about it that way, my anxiety started growing,

“… Please, don’t let the email bother you.”

I mumbled to myself in my small room, as if offering a prayer.

*

──The next week, at the library counter.

“Hey, good work, Misuno.”

“You too.”

Misuno, who had arrived a little late, looked… just like she normally did: a petite build with short, well-groomed hair, a cool expression, and a tightly shut mouth.

She placed her belongings inside the counter and sat down next to me. I couldn’t see anything different about her. I didn’t feel anything had changed from last week.

“… Today, Misuno will take care of lending out books, and I’ll handle returning them to the shelves.”

While feeling relieved inside, I called out to her.

“I see. I’ll be counting on you.”

Misuno answered me in a pretty flat tone.

… Hmm, looks like I was worrying for no reason. Misuno seriously seemed like she didn’t have any suspicions. It seems I was just overly concerned.

In that case… Yeah, I’ll just behave like I normally do!

It was October. The lingering summer heat was now a distant memory, and it was a sunny day with a pleasant breeze. With the weather being like this after school, there’s no way you wouldn’t be in a good mood!

“… Um, senpai?”

Maybe she happened to feel the same way? It was rare for Misuno to strike up a conversation with me.

“Hm? What’s up?”

“Earlier, you said that you wanted to try streaming right? What happened afterward? Did you make any progress in it?”

“No, not really. Nothing much came of it.”

… Well, that was a lie after all. It wasn’t as if I actually had some interest in streaming, it just happened to come out of my mouth. There was no way there’d be any progress.

Still… why would she ask something like this. Maybe she wanted to say that she’d listen to it if I did try it out, or something like that.

“Is that so.”

Misuno nodded slightly without looking at me.

Then, she said──

“Still, you must have at least listened to someone else’s stream before right?”

──She turned her head to face me. She stared me right in the face and said,

“For example… on last Wednesday.”

“… No, I never did anything like that.”

“Is that so.”

“Then, I’ll be off to the preparation room for a bit. I need to get the books from the return box.”

“Sure, I’ll be counting on you.”

I got up from my seat and left the counter. I entered the preparation room from the back of the library and tightly closed the door. The room was about half the size of a classroom, and housed materials, resources, and equipment for library operations.

After making sure that I was the only one there, I sighed.

“… She’s suspecting me! She’s totally suspecting me!”

──I cried out in a whispering voice, as if I was about to fall apart.

“And what’s more, she’s been questioning me pretty heavily…!”

It was totally obvious. Just as I had done a little while ago, she was probing me in such an obvious manner.

Why would you ask, “Did you happen to listen to any streams last Wednesday?”…

Even though I don’t really have the right to say this, at least try to be a bit more subtle… If you do it like that I’ll realize your intentions right away…

… And the fact that she was asking me so directly… and almost immediately after she came to the library…

“This probably won’t be the end of it… She’s going to continue doing this isn’t she…”

That was probably what would end up happening. From now on, Misuno would continue trying to find out whether I had listened to her streams or not…

“… What am I going to do. I secretly listened to her radio stream, and now she’s trying to question me about it… Geez… We can no longer maintain the relationship that we once had…”

Without thinking, I held my head in my hands.

Man, what a situation we were in. While hiding our true selves, we had to interact with and question each other…

If that’s what ends up happening, if that’s how this is going to end…

“There’s no way I’m letting you find out, you hear me!”

I once again cried out, while paying attention to keep my voice low enough so that Misuno wouldn’t overhear.

 

Translator Notes

1. Raw uses “枠”, which apparently comes from Nico Nico Live streams. A fixed number of users can stream at a given time in Nico Live, so in order to stream you must first acquire a broadcast slot. In particular, during prime time (8 PM to 2 AM), broadcast slots are often full, so viewers may need to wait for the streamer to acquire one.

2. His last name is 長谷川 for Hasegawa. The last part, 川, can be translated as “river”. Hence, Haseriver, or Haseriba (japanese pronunciation).

3. He starts talking in Kansai dialect in the raw, which apparently is used a lot in Japanese comedy. Since it’s for comedic purposes rather than indicating a character is from a specific region, I replaced it with a meme instead of an English accent.

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