The first Monday after the vacation.
Normally, I would say, “It’s too much hassle,” but today I was feeling really good.
Because I had my first date with Chinatsu-chan yesterday!
Even after I got home, I was still so excited about the date that I couldn’t change my facial expression from a smile. I didn’t care if my sister called me “gross”.
“Good morning, Masataka-kun.”
“… Oh. Good morning Matsuyuki.”
The one thing that stopped me from smiling that seemed like it would never end was Matsuyuki’s greeting.
It wasn’t a special greeting. I bumped into Matsuyuki on my way to school. We saw each other, so we exchanged greetings. That was all.
“May I walk with you to school?”
“Not a good idea.”
“Ara, are you embarrassed? Fufu”
I was not embarrassed. Rather, My mood dampened after seeing her.
I and Matsuyuki definitely did not have a special relationship.
We were just in the same class last year in the first year, and even though we talked to each other normally, our relationship was too shallow to be called friends.
It was not that I originally disliked Matsuyuki. But I couldn’t forgive her and Osako for ganging up on Chinatsu-chan together.
“Are you getting a good night’s sleep, Masataka-kun? You seem to be in a bad mood, perhaps you are not getting enough sleep? Don’t stay up late.”
Before I could even say anything, Matsuyuki decided that I had stayed up late and warned me with a “Meh”.
(T/N: Okay so here “Meh” aka “めっ” is something used when scolding children, so here it means she was scolding him like he was a little kid)
It was true that I didn’t get enough sleep, but I didn’t want Matsuyuki to tell me what to do. This lack of sleep was the result of the sweet time I spent with Chinatsu-chan.
“I’m in a good mood today. Or rather, don’t get too close.”
“You’re shy, aren’t you, Masataka-kun?”
“I’m not shy. I just don’t want to be misunderstood.”
Matsuyuki’s unique sense of distance was not my cup of tea.
When we were talking, we were very close to each other. It was the same for everyone, and it did not matter if it was a boy or a girl.
Not only that, but if they were classmates, she would call them by their names, regardless of whether they were boys or girls, and irrespective of how close they were. Thanks to this, a number of boys misunderstood. Even if they didn’t, the guys who wanted to be friendly with beautiful girls gathered around Matsuyuki.
A beautiful girl who was close in many ways. That girl was Ayano Matsuyuki.
“Even you don’t want to be misunderstood by your boyfriend. There are many who will misunderstand the situation just because you are alone with a boy. If you understand that, then leave.”
“Um, boyfriend ……? What do you mean by ‘misunderstood’?”
Matsuyuki looked at me with a strange look on her face. I believe I looked at her with a puzzled look on my face, too.
“No, you can imagine how uncomfortable I would be if my girlfriend was with another man, right?”
“Girlfriend …. is it me? Was Masataka-kun my boyfriend?”
“Not me. Don’t feign ignorance. Your boyfriend is Osako, isn’t he?”
This time, Matsuyuki blinked. I couldn’t even blink at the sudden bad feeling I had.
“No way. I don’t have a lover.”
Matsuyuki laughed in an elegant manner. The girl with long black hair and a funny smile looked like an innocent young lady.
“There’s a rumor going around that you guys are dating. And Osako said he’s dating you, too.”
“Ah, come to think of it, Kentaro-kun kept me company yesterday as well.”
“Huh? Accompanied you ….?”
I was getting kind of confused. I couldn’t help but feel we haven’t been on the same page since a while ago.
“I was having trouble getting home late yesterday. I was worried that I would have to walk the streets alone at night. That’s when Kentaro-kun came to pick me up.”
“Came to pick you up………? Didn’t you have some kind of appointment?”
“Well, we exchanged messages, but Kentaro-kun is kind. Maybe he saw me in trouble and wanted to take me home.”
(T/N: LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO)
“……”
“What’s the matter, Masataka-kun? Ah, we’ve already arrived at school. Time flew by as we talked. Fufu~ Well then, please talk to me again, Masataka-kun.”
I parted from Matsuyuki at the main gate of the school. I was rather stunned.
Is that it? “Please go out with me”, “Okay where do you want to go?”. a pattern of not recognizing a confession as a confession…
No, no, no, no! I’ve only seen that in manga!
“So, Osako misunderstood ……?
Recognizing the current situation, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Osako as a fellow man. I pity him. Even though I couldn’t forgive him for abusing Chinatsu-chan, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
“Should I tell him about this? ……”
It would be a pity to leave him like this. No matter how low Osako falls, as a man I couldn’t help but feel sympathy.
But even though I was able to close the distance with Chinatsu-chan. If I told her, she might end up reconciling with Osako.
“What should I do…”
It’s a situation where me with a good heart and me with an evil heart may have a showdown. If they did, it might give me a little something to think about, but I was the only one who was worried.
*****
When I entered the classroom, Chinatsu-chan was already in her seat.
It was unusual for her to arrive at school earlier than me.
When she used to come to school with Osako, she was late because of her inept childhood friend, and recently she was even later than before because she was avoiding Osako.
“Ah.”
My eyes met Chinatsu-chan’s.
She quickly turned her face away, but stopped moving as if she gave up. Then, she slowly turned her face toward me.
“G-Good morning…Sano, kun….”
She greeted me with a small wave, her cheeks flushed.
“G-Good morning. …… Chinatsu-chan …….”
I was smitten by her cuteness. While being aware of the heat gathering on my face, I managed to return the greeting.
The change in Chinatsu-chan’s attitude toward me. Sensing this, my lowered spirits broke through the ceiling again and flew high into the sky.