Chapter 27: Volume 3 - CH 3

(TN: I significantly spent more time editing/proofreading this chapter so the TL quality should be better.)

Translator, editing/proofreading: NaCl

Silence. The living room of an apartment building was filled with silence that made it hard to believe that there were three high school kids hanging out.

The only sounds that could be heard was the sound of the rain and the air conditioner blowing.

And the faint sound of a pen moving on paper. That was it.

The quiet atmosphere in the room, combined with the humidity and temperature controlled by the air-conditioning, would make anyone feel like taking a nap…

“Still not humid enough!!!”

…However, one of the high schoolers, Takeshi, stood up and shouted instantly, breaking the quiet atmosphere.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why are you in such a trance that you’re hitting the table so hard?

Masachika and Hikaru, who were sitting across from him, looked at Takeshi with astonished gazes.

“What? Do you not like dehumidification mode? Should I change to AC?”

“It’s not about the AC setting, you know! That’s not the humidity I’m talking about!”

“Then, which humidity are you referring to?”

“Well, I can somehow guess what you mean…”

Takeshi exclaimed fearlessly, even though his two companions were looking at him with a

gentle gaze.

“Isn’t this too sad, why do the three of us have to study together on a holiday like this! Even if you want to do it, the study together event is usually held by inviting girls too, right!”

“Oi, oi, don’t say something like that either.”

“No, I don’t mean in the Otaku sense, okay? But in general!”

“By general you mean general for riajuu, right? We,

who don’t usually hang out with girls, can’t possibly do that.”

“Hoho~, as if you have the right to say that, huh? You who are usually close

with the two prettiest girls in our year, still want to say that you rarely hang out with girls?!”

“No, well… I do”

The two prettiest girls of the class Takeshi was referring to were Alisa “the Princess

loner” and Yuki “the Princess of Nobility”.

From Takeshi’s point of view, Alisa was the girl sitting next to Masachika,

and they’ve promised to run for student council president next year. As for Yuki, she is a fellow student council member and their relationship was quite close because they are both childhood friends.

Although Yuki is actually Masachika’s younger sister, but from the perspective of

Takeshi who doesn’t know it, Masachika’s position must look very lucky.

“You, who is clearly very close to Suou-san, and often interact with

with Princess Alya, dare to say that you rarely hang out with girls? Hurry

apologize to all the mob guys in school!”

“I’m really sorry that I’m good friends with pretty girls. Are you jealous?”

“You son of a bitch!”

Takeshi slammed his hands hard on the table as he glared at Masachika, who was grinning infuriatingly, as if he was his nemesis.

“I envy you so much! Therefore, please call them here!”

“How honest”

Masachika smiled bitterly at Takeshi, who bowed his head.

“Just so you know. I can’t just call them on a day off either, you know?

Yuki’s probably busy with her tutoring, while Alya

and I hardly ever communicate in person. Besides, you would be too nervous to study if I invited both of them.”

“Well, it’s true…”

Realizing this, Takeshi sat back in his chair. He looked at his textbook irritably while resting his cheek on the table, and then

raised his face again as if he had just realized something.

“Then, what about that girl?”

“That girl?”

“That’s the girl who helped Suou-san at the debate the other day.”

“Ahh…”

When she realized that she was referring to Ayano, the maid and partner of Yuki in the student council president election, Masachika responded unconsciously.

“At first glance, she looks inconspicuous, but when I look at her closely, she has a really cute face. Since I’ve never seen her before, is it possible that she’s a transfer student from outside who just entered high school?”

“Not really? She’s been coming here for a while?”

“Eh? Really? Then, is it because she made her high school debut?”

“…Not really, she’s been like that since middle school.”

“Hee~… Oi, the way you talk! Don’t tell me that you’ve known that girl since middle school!?”

“Well, rather than saying from middle school… she and I are childhood friends.”

“Haa~~~!?”

Hearing Masachika’s confession, Takeshi leaned forward

with a half-exasperated sigh and looked at Masachika from a close distance.

“You little bugger, what are you trying to do? How many beautiful girls have

have a relationship with you!?”

“You’re really jealous, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’m really jealous!? Are you satisfied, huh!!”

Takeshi hit the table hard while making an expression, as if biting his handkerchief in annoyance, and raised his face.

“Therefore, please introduce me?”

“No!”

“Why!”

“Does anyone want to introduce their precious childhood friend

to a pervert monkey?”

“Who are you calling a pervert monkey!”

“That means you, go buy a mirror to look in. Anyway, if you’re interested,

why don’t you meet her in person?”

“Uh… No, talking to a girl I’m meeting for the first time… won’t

that would make me nervous?”

“What an innocent guy you are!”

Masachika looked sharply at Takeshi who was stuttering with embarrassment.

“Even though you can talk to the girls in class normally, why do you feel nervous when talking to other girls?”

“No, it’s not the same… with talking classmates, it feels completely different when talking to a girl you don’t know in another class. Besides that…”

“Other than that?”

“…I usually just talk to a bunch of girls, and not one-on-one…”

“…Is that so? So you have no problem saying “Oi you guys~” to a group of girls, but can’t handle one-on-one conversations.”

“It makes you nervous, doesn’t it~”

“I told you, are you really that innocent?!”

Masachika and Hikaru looked half amused and half smiled wryly at Takeshi’s unusual attitude who usually acts pretentious around girls.

“Gosh, if it weren’t for that weird nervous attitude of yours, I’m sure you could get a girlfriend or two.”

“That’s right~”

“O-Oi, oi, what are you guys talking about all of a sudden…”

As his two familiar friends criticized him, Takeshi scowled and looked a bit confused.

“Come to think of it, you have a cheerful and sociable personality, you’re not the type to be hated easily, and your face isn’t bad either… well, although sometimes you can’t read the atmosphere, anyway. And more importantly you have a strong desire to have a girlfriend, so I think if you get rid of that weird nervous attitude of yours and become a true carnivorous guy, you can definitely get a girlfriend.”

“That’s right. In my opinion, having a straightforward and honest personality is your

your good points too. … But yeah, you can’t read the atmosphere sometimes.”

“I don’t feel like being complimented! What the heck, if you want to praise me, praise me properly! Why do you have to add words that are not important!”

“You’re just like that…”

“You know yourself right…”

As they exchanged glances with wry smiles, Takeshi sat down

with an annoyed expression on his face. Then, after a while, he muttered,

“After all, I am a KY guy~” (TN: I think the KY here stands for “Kuuki Yomenai” which means “can’t read the atmosphere”. Basically used to describe dense characters.)

Takeshi turned his attention to Masachika.

“…What about you, Masachika? You have high specs and if you want, you might be able to get a girlfriend, right?”

“Hmm? Me?”

“As for Hikaru… well, I’ve heard of various events

before, and I can understand if he doesn’t want to have a girlfriend… What about you?

What about yourself? Don’t you think you want a girlfriend?”

“Hmm~…”

Hearing Takeshi’s question, Masachika crossed his arms and thought for a moment.

“…I guess I don’t really want a girlfriend.”

“Why? Don’t tell me that you’re seriously only interested in 2D girls?”

“No, that’s not the case… for some reason, it just feels too unrealistic that I could have a girlfriend.”

“So what? Although it feels embarrassing to say this, if it wasn’t for your lazy and unserious attitude, you’d be a pretty perfect super human, right? As for looks, although not as handsome as Hikaru, your face is pretty decent…”

“No, the matter of looks depends on each person’s taste…”

“Is that so? In my opinion, Masachika has a cute face too.” (TN: BL route maybe? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) )

“You’re seriously saying that? But yeah, I guess his style isn’t bad either…”

As for the matter of appearance, he seriously thought that it depended on the taste of

of each person. That said, Masachika had a lot to say

about his face if he wanted to compare it to Hikaru, but… he didn’t dare to protest anything about it because Masachika felt that it was because that was what people thought.

“But still, you don’t deny your superhuman qualities that are pretty perfect.”

“…Well, I realize that I’m quite athletic and intelligent.”

Masachika could only shrug his shoulders in response to Takeshi’s sharp gaze. Masachika was not unaware of his own talents. Although he often

used the expression “not bad” in front of his friends, but he realized that he had a talent far greater than “not bad”.

His otaku sister, Yuki, often jokingly calls him a cheater with 10 times more experience points (excluding ball games), but Masachika’s talent in all fields is so capable that it cannot be undeniable. Thanks to that, the servants in the Suou family often called him ‘child prodigy’ in the past.

But, that was…

“After all, it’s just a natural talent from birth. It’s not something to be to be proud of”

“No, I think you can boast about it, you know…”

“Takeshi… I’ll tell you something good. There is no character that the reader hates more than a person who doesn’t try hard and instead uses the cheat talent given to him by his parents to make them ‘Ore Tueeee’ (TN: “Ore Tueeee is a slang to describe a character as OP).

Then, the heroine who easily falls in love with that asshole character is usually called “choroin” and beaten up.” (TN: “Choroin” is a combo of two words, “choroi” and “heroine”. Choroin means “easygoing” or “easy to win over” and combined with heroine it describes a heroine as someone easily won over)

“Well, I can somehow understand that…you’re not showing that ‘Ore Tueeee’ attitude.”

“Because I know that I’ll get beaten up if I act like that, that’s why I’m living my life casually~”

While saying that with an unmotivated tone, Masachika leaned against the back of his chair.

(But still, it can’t be denied that I’m living an easy life

thanks to the talent I received from my parents)

Utilizing his extraordinary intelligence and dexterity, he was able to enter one of the most prestigious schools in Japan without much effort. He

has a good track record in student council activities and has a good foundation for the future.

That’s called living smoothly without a hitch. He makes fun of people who take life serious and live a hard life. If he easily gets a girlfriend as beautiful as a 2D heroine, he would be severely criticized for it.

“The goddess of love smiles at the man who tries hard to conquer a girl’s heart…”

“What’s that?”

“Is that a line from a manga?”

“No, it’s not. If I’m not mistaken it’s a quote from my grandfather? Or a saying? That sentence

means “In romance, the one who never gives up is the one who succeeds.”

By the way, the “Grandfather” in question is the grandfather on the family side of Masachika’s father (TN: aka not Suou Gensei from the prologue).

He was a funky old grandpa who loved all things Russian and was the one who recommended Russian literature and movies to Masachika when he was a kid. Despite being over 70 years old, his grandfather still dreams of one day being able to drink vodka with beautiful Russian women on either side of him. However, if he tried to drink vodka, he would end up a drunkard with acute alcohol poisoning.

“Hmm~, there might be some truth to that too… Hm? Wait a minute. Then what about Hikaru?”

“Except for people born and loved by the Goddess of love.”

“Though I’m not happy at all, you know.”

When Hikaru replied with a flat face, Takeshi laughed while feeling the corners of his mouth twitch.

“But, well… in Hikaru’s case, somehow it feels like the Goddess of love who dotes on him like a Yandere, huh.”

“There’s a saying that Goddesses get jealous easily… is this about that? A pattern that when Hikaru really does not trust women anymore, the Goddess

will come down and say, ‘I’m all you’ve got, right?’”

“Isn’t that the devil?”

“Indeed.”

“I don’t care whether it’s the Goddess Yandere or a demon, I don’t mind at all! I mean, just once, I want to feel approached by a girl!”

Masachika and Hikaru smiled bitterly at Takeshi’s unwavering desire.

“Well, I don’t think it’s good to be passive and expect to be approached either…

My grandfather also said that being aggressive is important, you know?”

“Aggressive attitude huh… alright, I get it! I’ll try to be a real carnivore! And I’ll try to get close to girls!”

“Ohh~ I’m excited~”

“Just don’t overdo it, okay…”

Anyway, since it was someone else’s business, Masachika gave his support to Takeshi. … He didn’t know that in the future, his irresponsible comment would come back to haunt him in the form of responsibility.

◇◇◇◇

“…Haa~”

After Takeshi and Hikaru went home, Masachika continued studying for the exam tomorrow in his room. But…

“No motivation at all~…”

Masachika could clearly see that he couldn’t concentrate. He was indeed studying. However, the contents of his textbooks could not enter his head at all. Even though he directed his gaze at the textbook, and tried to analyze it, he couldn’t store the information in his head. It can be clearly seen that his learning efficiency was declining.

“Ah… it’s already 11pm…”

He had been studying for about two hours since he showered, but he wasted so much time that his study progress was not progressing at all.

“Soon Blaze Hazard will begin…” (TN: Probably some reference to a LN, manga or anime idk)

Masachika’s heart wavered as the late-night anime he looked forward to every week was about to air.

(There’s no point in studying when my concentration is broken like this, so why not take a break and study later?)

Thoughts like that popped into his mind, but Masachika knew that as soon as he escaped to watch anime, he would never go back to studying.

(But yeah…it’s not good to study for too long. I’ve already finished studying the exam material, and all I need to do is review it tomorrow morning. I mean, it’s obvious that I can’t concentrate when thinking like this)

As Masachika leaned back in his chair and searched for excuses in his head, the anime he was looking forward to had already started airing.

“It’s started, huh…”

…… But in the end, Masachika never turned on the TV.

After waiting for about five minutes, he turned back to his desk as if he was giving up.

“Haa… since when did I become such a lazy person…”

Masachika sighed to himself as he waited for the anime to start and finally stepped out. In the past, he would have worked hard for his mother or that girl (TN: Referring to his Russian childhood friend). But after several years of inaction, apparently he had forgotten how to try hard.

He… had a desire to respond to Sayaka and Alisa’s determination. There was also a sense of

mission that for the sake of both of them, he had to become a student council vice president candidate who would not embarrass anyone. At least until a week ago.

(But… Even if my grades went up a little, it felt like “So what?”. First of all, I set the goal to raise my grades myself, and I didn’t make any promises to anyone.)

However, that feeling has faded to the point where such thoughts now come to mind.

After all, that was the extent of Masachika’s current level of motivation.

(At the end of the day, it’s all about self-satisfaction… well, for the most part, any

You are reading story The Neighboring Aarya-san who Sometimes Acts Affectionate and Murmuring in Russian at novel35.com

endeavor is about willpower and self-gratification. As the saying goes… Your greatest enemy is yourself. Alya is indeed amazing, to be able to keep doing this without stopping)

It’s not something that most people can do, trying hard to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself, to become the person you want to be. In short, it can be called

ambition, but there’s a dazzling brilliance in Alisa that can’t be expressed with such words.

“Well, I don’t have any ambition myself, … in fact, I don’t even have greed.”

He did not particularly desire status, honor, money, or women. As long as tomorrow is still the same as today, a peaceful and pleasant daily life where fun continues, that alone is more than enough. In fact, he does not need status or honor if it loses that peace, nor does he intend to destroy it.

That was Masachika’s basic attitude. The reason Masachika decided to run with Alisa was

because… he felt a vague sense of urgency that he couldn’t go on like this, and he also

go on like this, nor could he leave Alisa alone.

“But, in order to do that…at least, I should be able to do half of Alya’s hard work…”

Masachika growled as he flopped down on his desk and pressed his forehead against his textbook.

“Fight myself…at least I’m not holding Alya back because of my reputation…”

Currently, Masachika was just a lowly student with a poor attitude and poor grades, but if his grades improved…especially if he could get into the

the top 30 rankings that were commonly posted in the corridor, his evaluation of himself would definitely change.

(Yes, I’m aiming for the position of the male character in shoujo manga, the one who usually sleeps in class but gets good grades!

(The type of male character who gets poked by the hardworking heroine!)

People admire great talent rather than great effort.

Unfortunately, most people in the world tend to think of people who don’t seem to study at all but get good grades as extraordinary or geniuses, rather than people who study hard and get good grades.

From Masachika’s point of view, “Huh? Of course people who try hard are far greater and better than those who don’t make an effort.” … but

unfortunately that’s the fact, so what can I say? And given his character, he thought he would aim for that position. In fact, that was the reason why he was studying in the inconspicuous student council room.

“Therefore, I have to fight… just a little bit more.”

As he encouraged herself and lifted his face, his smartphone that was placed on his desk vibrated.

“Hm? Phone?”

With a series of buzzing vibrations, Masachika hurriedly picked up his phone… and was surprised to see the name displayed on the screen.

“Uh… Alya!?”

Masachika was both surprised and astonished when he saw this name, as he thought the person calling was his father or Yuki. After all, he rarely called

or even exchange messages with Alisa. Especially now that it was already midnight.

For a model student like Alisa, calling at this late hour of the night was very unusual.

“Eh? She hung up.”

However, just as he was about to answer, the phone hung up. Judging from the call being disconnected after only ten seconds, it seemed that Arisa herself had disconnected it. If

that was the case, it probably wasn’t a very important affair, but… For this time, Masachika decided to call back. Immediately after dialing, the phone was connected before the second ringtone sounded.

“Ah, hello?”

[…Good evening, Kuze-kun]

“Oh, good evening too… What’s up? Do you need anything?”

[… Not really, I don’t really have any business with you right now…]

Upon hearing Alisa’s reply, Masachika started grinning and immediately started teasing her.

“So what’s up? Do you suddenly want to hear my voice?”

[……]

When he said it in a teasing tone, the reply Masachika got was only silence. The silence, in which he could clearly imagine Alisa’s cold gaze, made Masachika feel uncomfortable, and tried to change the subject by clearing his throat.

{……So I’m not allowed?}

…… But he flopped onto the table with a thud when he heard Alisa’s Russian mumbling.

[…? What was that sound?]

“It’s nothing… By the way, what did you just say?”

[I just said ‘Ba-ka’]

“I see… so, what’s the need?”

[…Umm, you said that if you study alone, you’ll be lazy, right? I just want to make sure that you’re studying properly]

“…..”

Masachika was at a loss for words because his situation was now guessed correctly. Then, from the other side of the phone, he heard a voice with a tone of voice that was somewhat lower.

[…Don’t tell me…]

“No, I’m not being lazy, okay? I was shaken up by the temptation of anime, but I got over it well. Seriously, seriously.”

[……]

After a few seconds of utterly suspicious silence, a small sigh of small breath could be heard.

[The exam starts tomorrow, you know? Now is not the time to slack off]

“Well, sorry for not having the guts like this.”

[I wouldn’t go as far as saying that, but…]

“I can’t muster my motivation… Instead, how can you maintain your motivation at times like this?”

[…I don’t know about how to maintain motivation because I’ve never lost motivation.]

“…Seriously? That’s great, oi.”

Masachika’s cheeks twitched at the incredible comment that came out so

quickly. Then, after a short pause for thought, Alisa slowly began to start speaking.

[Hmm… maybe it’s because I feel busy all the time. I don’t have time to worry about motivation when I’m always thinking about what’s missing or if there’s anything I can still do.]

“… that’s really great”

You could say, as expected of a perfectionist? Masachika applauded her attitude of continuing to pursue her own goals. At the same time he felt a little ashamed of himself for thinking, “I’ll review it tomorrow morning.”

“Then that’s it, I feel bad for making you anxious…

I will try to imitate Alya and try a little harder. Thank you

thank you for bothering to call me”

[Uh, umm…]

“Hmm?”

Just as he was about to hang up, Masachika heard a voice that was a little impatient and he pressed his smartphone to his ear.

“What’s wrong?”

[……]

“Hmm?”

Masachika tilted his head and wondered what was going on, but what he heard was a painful voice in Russian

{… no… not yet…. }

After hearing that whisper, Masachika fell backward as if he was shot in his forehead and collapsed from the chair. The whispering voice that suddenly entered

his ears, making him numb from the ears to the brain.

(Ga-This girl!! What is this girl whispering in my ear!!! What does she mean with, [… no… not yet….]!? No, I think she means [Don’t hang up yet]! But her words are too abstract and it’s making me think of strange things!?)

The soft whisper that made his ears vibrate made the train of thought of Masachika’s brain run wild! The image of Alisa turning her face away with a shy expression began to appear in his brain, and the whisper he had just heard came back to his mind!

(Isn’t the phrase … ‘no… not yet’ …. common in the scene where a boy and girl are about to kiss!? The scene where the girl holds the boy’s mouth with her hand while he tries to get close to her face? The scene where they’re on their third date, and the time when they’re about to go home!

[… Kuze-kun?]

“Then, that new character usually knows the past secrets of one of the two people in question, and somehow makes him suspicious. The more cheerful and familiar the first impression, the less you have to trust him.”

… What are you talking about?

“Eh? Aren’t there more evil characters in the transfer students of manga shojo compared to transfer students in shounen manga? That’s what I’m talking about”

[…. I can understand that you haven’t been able to concentrate on your studies at all]

“Ah, that’s… yes”

When Masachika fell silent due to the awkwardness of his strange delusions, Alisa sighed a light breath and then said to change her mood.

[Well… Well then, if you don’t feel motivated, how about we make a bet?]

“Bet?”

[By the way, what is your objective this time?]

“Objective? You mean in the exam?”

[Yes]

“…For now, I’m aiming for a top 30 ranking.”

[…. That’s pretty high too. Well, that’s good. If you can achieve that goal, I’ll comply with whatever your one request is.]

“Hmm? You just said ‘Anything’, didn’t you?”

[…. Of course, within the limits of common sense]

“Ah, no, sorry. As an otaku, I think I should react to what you said just now.”

As soon as she reacted to the word, “whatever” was the reply he got with Alisa’s cold voice, and Masachika made excuses while directing his eyes everywhere.

[…. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but well anyway, how about that proposal?]

“Well, of course, if I can’t achieve it…”

[Of course, you have to comply with my one request.]

“…I’m actually a little interested in that one.”

[Kuze-kun?]

“Ah don’t get me wrong! It’s not like I want to be ordered around like a masochist or something, okay? It’s just that, I’m really interested in the request like what you’re asking me!?”

As Masachika hurriedly corrected the misunderstanding, Alisa muttered in Russian after a suspicious pause of silence.

{……name}

“Eh?”

[Instructions]

“…No, I wouldn’t understand even if you said it in Russian.”

[I know]

She said it while laughing, but Masachika, “No, but I understand Russian?” did tsukkomi in his heart. However, even if he understood Russian, he couldn’t understand the instructions, and that made Masachika tilt his head.

[In that case, it’s decided, okay?]

“Well, alright… so the bet is, if I make it to the top 30,

you’ll comply with my request. But if I can’t, I’ll be the one to listen to your request. That’s all, right?”

[Yes, that’s right.]

“Okay, who’s scared!? Guhehehe, I’ll make you regret it for daring to make this bet…”

[Well, do your best.]

“…It turns out that your ignorant skill has gone up a level, huh. Onii-chan is feeling a bit lonely, you know…”

[Since when did you become Onii-san? After all, we’re the same age.]

Masachika tilted his head against Alisa’s dumbfounded words.

“No… it’s true that we’re in the same class, but I’m older than you.”

[Eh?]

“Eh?”

The surprised voice from the other side of the smartphone could be heard, along with the

confused expression on her face. After replying with the same expression, Masachika asked just to make sure.

“…Your birthday is November 7th, right?”

[Yeah, right… how did you know?]

“Didn’t you talk about it when you first moved here? I think that’s where I heard it…well, it’s fine. As for me, my birthday is on April 9th.”

[….]

“So, I’m already 16 years old, you know…?”

[….]

There was an awkward silence, Masachika cleared his throat as if to cover up the awkwardness, and decided to end the call.

“Ah hmm~~, then, since it’s late at night…”

[… That’s right]

“Thank you for calling me, Alya”

[This is nothing…]

“Alright, see you tomorrow”

[Yes, see you tomorrow.]

Masachika hung up the phone and stretched his body.

“Hmm… Well, cheer up!”

Renewing his spirit, he turned back to his textbooks. His motivation, which had fallen to its lowest point a few minutes ago, had recovered completely after the phone call with Alisa.

It wasn’t that he was interested in his bet with Alisa. It was just that Masachika was happy that his partner had bothered to take the time out of her study time to call him at this late hour of the night to express her concern.

(Unfortunately, I didn’t expect her to correctly guess that I was lacking motivation…)

He felt both embarrassed and happy that Alisa could find out about his situation to that extent. The saying “heart-to-heart” naturally came to mind, and Masachika felt his heart flutter.

“Thank you very much, Alya”

He smiled shyly and quietly expressed his gratitude

to his partner. Masachika began to make the final push.

◇◇◇◇

Meanwhile, the partner in question, Alisa.

“It’s fine… everything will be fine…”

She opened the door of her room quietly and whispered something to herself.

If asked what was going on, originally nothing happened. She was just trying to go to the living room to get a drink of water.

The reason why she was so scared, even though she just wanted to get a glass of water… It all started a few hours ago, when she was eating dinner.

‘There are many creatures beyond the limits of human comprehension lurking in this

this world. They cause horrendous metaphysical phenomena…

Tonight, let me take you into the world of horror…’ (TN: narration from the TV)

Frightening images mixed with the noise from an eerie BGM could be heard.

As they were sitting at the dining table, she just happened to turn on the TV, and since it was already summer, a special program about ghost sightings started.

Maria, who is not a horror fan, hurriedly finished her dinner and went back to her room. But… Alisa’s competitive nature caused her to stay,

“Geez, Masha is so scared. …… Me? I’m fine.”

She ate her dinner leisurely and went back to her room with a nonchalant, “Well, it’s no big deal”.

And, as expected, she felt frightened in the middle of the night. To the point that she couldn’t stand in front of the pitch-black corridor.

(I-I feel like there’s a white face floating…)

The images of the ghostly apparition that she had just seen on TV came back to mind, and Alisa couldn’t leave her room.

However, how could Alisa dare to call out to her family members so miserably at this time. Feeling depressed, Alisa called Masachika at an inopportune moment to ease her fears. As for studying for exams, that was just an excuse she made up on the spot.

Alisa was not like someone who feels shy because they think it’s “heart to heart”, but in reality, it wasn’t like that at all. After all, that’s how the world works.

“Fine… okay, yosh!”

Bracing herself, Alisa tightly grasped the smartphone she had just used to call Masachika on her chest like a talisman and began to tiptoe into the dark hallway. Without seeing the darkness around her, Alisa just looked straight ahead and ran into the living room, she then gulped down a glass of water at the sink, and quickly returned to her own room.

“Fuu~~~…”

After returning to the brightly lit room, Alisa let out a long sigh of relief.

As soon as her fear faded, a sense of dissatisfaction arose within her. If asked what made her so, it was because Masachika had just told Alisa about when his birthday was.

“What the heck… If only he had told me, I could have at least wished him a happy birthday at the time.”

If Masachika was here, she would have answered,

“No, if I tell you when my birthday is, it feels like let’s celebrate. Give me a gift”. However, what can be done? This was due to the issue of different cultures and customs.

In Japan, birthdays are generally celebrated by close friends and family, while in Russia, where Alisa was born, it’s very different. In Russia, the birthday person usually organizes his/her own birthday party and invites family and friends to celebrate. You could say it feels like, “Today is my birthday! Eat and drink as much as you want and celebrate my birthday!”

In other words, in Alisa’s mind, “I wasn’t told it was his birthday” = “I wasn’t invited to his birthday party”.

“That’s all he thinks of me”.

“Even though he himself said that we were friends.”

Even though she said that, even Alisa herself didn’t invite Masachika to her birthday last year. But that was that. No, to be honest, Alisa had the desire to invite him, but… if she only invited Masachika, her family would make fun of her, and she didn’t have any other friends she could invite, so Alisa decided against it.

…… She didn’t cry at all. It wasn’t that she felt sad when

compared to Maria’s festive and lively birthday party. It’s not surprising that Maria’s birthday was more festive because her birthday was on Christmas Eve. Alisa did not console herself that, that was the difference in the festivity of Maria’s birthday party!

“…Hmmph, I don’t care anymore.”

Alisa grumbled and threw herself onto the bed to vent her frustration. She hugged the pillow tightly to her chest and buried her face. Then, after relaxing herself, her lips pouted and muttered…

“…Kuze-kun no baka.” (TN: Not a miss translation. The “no” is meant to be part of the sentence but read in Japanese. Basically the whole sentence means: “Kuze-kun you idiot” or something like that)

You can find story with these keywords: The Neighboring Aarya-san who Sometimes Acts Affectionate and Murmuring in Russian, Read The Neighboring Aarya-san who Sometimes Acts Affectionate and Murmuring in Russian, The Neighboring Aarya-san who Sometimes Acts Affectionate and Murmuring in Russian novel, The Neighboring Aarya-san who Sometimes Acts Affectionate and Murmuring in Russian book, The Neighboring Aarya-san who Sometimes Acts Affectionate and Murmuring in Russian story, The Neighboring Aarya-san who Sometimes Acts Affectionate and Murmuring in Russian full, The Neighboring Aarya-san who Sometimes Acts Affectionate and Murmuring in Russian Latest Chapter