TN: Toasty
ED: Toasty
It seems you don’t remember, however, that isn’t the first time I talked with you, Oshio-kun.
That is, because we’re in the same class, we should have greeted each other, but we haven’t.
As for wanting to talk, the first time I met you was that day.
The day of the entrance exams of Sakuraniwaba High School.
For me that day, certainly I was the most nervous I was in my whole life.
Even though I had studied until the day of the exam. Even though my teachers gave their stamps of approval.
But, miserably above all, I had maximum stage fright.
「……」
During the noon break, I couldn’t even stand up from my chair.
Even though I only finished the first half, I already reached my limits.
Feeling bad, like I wanted to throw up, my whole body is wrapped in a strange floating sensation, and the sound of the same middle school students gathering for lunch was heard extremely distantly.
……I don’t have an appetite to eat. Even one mouthful, I had confidence I would throw it up.
Round and round, round and round, my thoughts went.
When I was looking down at one point on the desk, I felt something similar to the optical illusion of being sucked completely into the desk.
It’s an absurd story, however, at that time, I felt like I was the only person in the world to feel lonely.
Help me……
Finally, I became unable to endure it, and mumbled a little with my mouth. Even if I did that, it doesn’t mean someone will come to save me……
However, at that time, something came from outside my field of vision.
That something was slender and pretty hand, but certainly I understand it was a guy’s, that sort of hand.
「Eh……?」
For me who was brought back to reality, I quite naturally followed the presented hand with my vision.
As it is, when I raise my head and look, it’s a middle school boy, looking down at me with a curious seeming face, it seems.
Right after he observes my face, he mumbles 「What an terrible complexion.」
……gachin, came a noise.
「Please leave me alone.」
I coldly said it straight out, making a declaration of intent to not talk to me.
However, he, with somewhat drowsy eyes, stares at me, and presents a small bag with some kind of intention.
I looked at that, and then unconsciously furrowed my eyebrows.
「……what is this?」
「It’s konpeito.」
「If I look, I can see that.」
Inside the bag are several pieces of konpeito.
White, yellow, pink, when I am looking at those frightfully childish colors, somehow I get the feeling as if I was being judged as an idiot……
「Do you need it?」
No, it’s different, I’m not having a feeling of it—he’s definitely making fun of me.
「Please do not tease me, I’m serious.」
I even express my discomfort.
But, still, with those drowsy eyes, he……
「Your hand, it’s trembling, you know.」
「……!」
I become panicked, and then withdraw my hand back to the desk below.
At that slight embarrassing disgrace, I once again tightly close my lips, 「……do I have a relation with you?」and clearly make an intention of refusal.
But, you, still—」—we do, you know, have a connection. After this, we might become classmates, after all.」If you think about it, it’s easy, it’s an only natural truth.
But, even so, for me, after speaking about something absolutely normal, finally I was able to come back to reality.
The deep haze in my head clears up, and my field of vision improves.
Everyone’s voice, the world, returns to my side.
That’s it, my surroundings right now, several months after, these people might become my classmates.
Naturally, so might the boy in front of my eyes.
Up to the minute I lost sight of such a simple thing, my field of vision had narrowed, and finally I realized.
「Here, my father gave these to me.」
Facing me, who was stiffened like I was confused, he said it with a gentle tone.
「If your head gets tired, I heard something sweet is good, and the effect is something small, the truth is it can’t, but, well, it’s delicious.」
「…….is it okay to have two of them?」
「Here you go.」
He opened his pouch, and on top of my open hand, dropped two pieces of konpeito.
Pink, it’s an especially childish color, but I rolled it over in my hand.
Konpeito….. which reminds me, how long have I been seriously staring, I wonder
I look at it for a short while, then toss in the piece of candy that looks like a small, glittering star, into my mouth.
Rolling it around on the top of my tongue is unexpectedly pleasant, then—unconsciously, I unintentionally smile.
「……it’s an ordinary piece of sugar, isn’t it?」
「That is it.」
He carefully crushes the zipper attached to the opening of his pouch while saying something like a joke.
That sort of thing, when I’m watching that carefree gesture, naturally, words popped out of my mouth.
「……are you nervous?」
「Hm?」
「For the exam.」
「Even if I appear this way, I’m nervous.」
「It doesn’t look that way to me, you know….. what to do if you fail, you don’t think about it?」
「I already thought about it.」
「For example, then.」
「First of all, I’ll apologize to my dad.」
「……Eh.」
At that excessively anticlimactic reply, I stare in wonder.
「……that’s it?」
「That’s it, you say…… it’s something important, isn’t it, because I got money from him for this.」
「No, that isn’t what I meant to say…… a, anxiety for the future, or something like that, that sort of feeling……」
While kneading my fingers together, I convey the anxiety that’s in my chest.
Afterwards, after he’s silent for a little while, he then faces me,
「—well, if that happens, think about it, you know, particularly if you fail, you won’t die, right?」
While smiling, he says that.
……Ah, surely you don’t know.
In the middle of my solitude that I couldn’t do anything about, that mischievous, gentle smile, how much did it save me?
Then, at that time, I used 「love」for the first time in my life—」Then, because I, your friend, will be waiting, do your best.」At the time I looked at the profile of the boy who was hurriedly leaving while making his farewells, not thinking as much as before, I moved my mouth.
「U, um—!」
He turns his wonderful seeming face towards me.
At that, I relax my cheeks, and compared with his, make an extremely awkward smile— 「It was very sweet. Thank you very much.」The results after the test…… it goes without saying, doesn’t it?
Everything is thanks to him.
This is embarrassing, and I haven’t told anyone, however, with that exchange of only several minutes, to me, I was able to pass with the reason that by all means, I wanted to be accepted into that high school.
♠
It seems you don’t remember, however this isn’t the first time I’ve talked with you, Sato-san.
That is, because we are in the same class, saying something like greetings has been done—is what I think, it seems, but it doesn’t seem like that has happened.
You, with your always tranquil face, were a flower at a height no one can reach. To that, of course, I’m not an exception.
Well, anyways, as for when I want to talk to her, the first time I met her.
Sakuraniwaba High School, the day of the entrance examination.
With your face that had become incredibly pale, only one person did not move from their desk when it became the lunch recess.
The first time I was only observing out of curiosity, but when I saw your trembling, shivering hand, I unconsciously made a voice.
「What a terrible complexion.」
After that, we had a short exchange.
I immediately understood you weren’t welcoming, I couldn’t leave you alone by any means.
So I gave it, oly a small piece of konpeito.
Konpeito, for a person who is about to become a high school student, is konpeito.
Even for myself, I didn’t really understand what I was doing.
But, you turned only a piece of konpeito in your mouth as if it was completely a prized treasure, and then— 「It was very sweet. Thank you very much.」It’s completely bitter to my simplicity.
No way, with only facing that smiling face once, for the first time in my life I used the word 「love」.
Anyways, the results after the test… it goes without saying, doesn’t it?
With everything about that girl, it’s thanks to my simplicity.
In any case, the results are all right, however I should apologize to my father.
After all, it’s because, while I prepared to talk with Sato-san, I didn’t even give one millimeter of thought about my father during the second half of the exam.
As for what was in my head, there was only one selfish reason. [T/N: The kanji is “wicked”, but it comes across as too strong.]
—One more time, I want to see that smile of hers. That was my only motive.
Not a ton to say here. I’m about halfway through the next chapter, but I’m almost at the point that I originally started translating the original Sato-san web novel. It’s been a wild ride, huh?
And as always, thanks for reading, and if you want to help support these continuing translations from a one-man shop, then do think about helping spread the site around. Or, if you’d prefer to help keep the site up/domain registered, then hit up my Ko-Fi which can be found at the top.
See you all next chapter!
Toasty Translations 