The flow of how an innocent girl (Watanae Yuuka) and a gyaru (Nihara Momono) became friends
On a three-day and two-night field trip during the summer holiday.
Hiding behind the rocks by the river, I tried to control my breath.
Right now, by the river, Watanae Yuuka stood with a surprised look that she usually doesn’t show.
God damn it, what’s with this mess?
“...Erm, if you’re a tokusatsu fan, does that mean you like tokusatsu works?”
“Y-yeah! I like Cosmo Miracle Man, Masked Runner, Super Corps Series... and of course, I like all the spin-off series too!”
“I-Is that so..? Do you have an older brother or younger brother?
“I-I’m an only child! So it’s not like I became a fan of tokusatsu due to my brother’s influence... I just feel like I’ve liked this kind of thing since I was a kid...”
Right now, Nihara-san looks really nervous as she talks about her hobby.
Well, I’m also the type of person who isn’t very good at being open about my hobbies, so I can understand why she was that nervous.
If it was Nihara-san’s usual character, then she would speak bluntly... so well, it felt a little weird seeing her nervous like that.
“I see... then, what works do you find interesting?”
Towards Nihara-san who looked nervous, Yuuka spoke to her in a soft and warm tone that seem to ease Nihara-san’s nervousness.
“What’s interesting to me lately is... Kamen Runner Voice. To fight the ‘Shraker’, a form of dark life that grows by consuming the sound of human sorrows and screams—the main character uses the power of the ‘Voice Spirit’ created by humans in ancient times to transform himself and fight for the peace of mankind! That’s Kamen Runner Voice!”
In the middle of her words, Nihara-san started to speak very fast. Seeing her like that, how should I put it... she looks different than usual, or rather, she looks like me and Masa.
“That toy you’re holding... Is that the Voice Spirit Gun, ‘Talking Breaker’?”
Facing Nihara-san who was different than usual, Yuuka immediately responded to her.
Watanae Yuuka, a girl who is considered salty and difficult to approach, right now just mentioned the name of the weapon used by Kamen Runner..., for some reason, it feels strange.
But on the other hand, suddenly, Nihara-san’s eyes lit up.
“W-Watanae-san? You know about the Kamen Runner Voice?”
“I-I don’t know too much... I only know a little.”
“No, no, no. Just now you said the Voice Spirit Gun, ‘Talking Breaker’, right? In the film this might be called ‘Talking Breaker’, but ‘Voice Spirit Gun’ is the name of this toy only. You won’t be able to tell unless you look at the description on this toy or find out what it’s called on the internet.”
I don’t know what she’s talking about, but what’s clear that when Nihara-san said that, her tone of voice was very fast.
Well, Yuuka might indeed be involved in the sound recording of the toy, so it’s only natural that she would know the official name... but, I guess she’s not very familiar with the work itself.
“Erm... sorry, but I really don’t know much about the work, I’ve only ever held that toy.”
“Hee~, it’s rare that someone in the shop will enter the side where the toys are sold! But well, indeed, the ‘Talking Breaker’ gimmick is quite unique, so I can understand why this toy might catch your eye!! ...Eh, sorry, I got carried away and got too excited...”
“It’s fine, you can continue what you want to say.”
Yuuka smiled at Nihara-san who lowered her tone as if she felt bad.
Yuuka, who usually had a nonchalant expression in school—now showed a gentle expression towards Nihara-san.
Seeing the expression Yuuka showed, Nihara-san nodded her head and took out a mic-shaped, pink item.
When she stuffed the item into the back of the gun, the muzzle started emitting light.
And then, Nihara-san pulled the trigger of her gun.
[Voice Bullet [Fairy]—Charming Fairy!]
Izumi Yuuna's voice echoed in the forest, making the perched birds immediately fly away.
“The item I like the most is this [Fairy Mic]. It’s only used once in the film, and since it’s not a major item, it probably won’t be used again. By the way, you know, about this mic, I finally got it the other day at a shopping mall a few stations away from where I live.”
Come to think of it, when Yuuka and I met Nihara-san at the shopping mall before, that time she was carrying a bag from the toy shop.
“..Why do you like small item like that?”
“Because the voice is so cute!”
Hearing Nihara-san’s unexpected words, Yuuka’s eyes suddenly widened. And I think, I can see that Yuuka’s cheeks are getting a little red.
“This fairy attribute and the voice is really matched very well, right? Even though it’s not as strong as the other attributes and doesn’t have an important effect in battle, but the sound of this item is soothing enough to make like it.”
With a twinkle in her eyes, Nihara-san made a powerful speech.
...Honestly, I didn’t expect Nihara-san to be this energetic. When she talks about what she likes, it feels like she’s no different from me and Yuuka when we talk about anime.
“But I think, if it was you Nihara-san, people would still accept you even you if you say you’ve this kind of hobby.”
“...Well, when I was little, I didn’t mind to talking about this. But, if I’m not mistaken, when I was in sixth grade, my classmate made fun of me and told me ‘You’re a girl’ or ‘Just like a kid’... that’s unforgivable, isn’t it? But well, I don’t care if anyone says bad things about me, but it’s really unforgivable if someone says bad things about my favorite hero!”
Nihara-san’s words were filled with a lot of emotion.
Absentmindedly, when I heard her words... I felt sympathy.
——Both Masa and I, we can restrain ourselves from the bad words that are thrown at us. But, we can’t let people say bad things about our waifu.
And here, Nihara-san has the same feelings that we have for Alice Stage.
And to protect what she believed—she decided to keep her hobby as her ‘secret’.
“In general, I also like my friends who usually hang out to have fun with me. That’s why, if I talked about tokusatsu and they make fun of my hobby even if it’s just a joke... I’m sure I’ll get angry, and that will make our friendship worse. So, since both tokusatsu and my friends are important... I decided to keep this hobby a ‘secret’.”
“...But why did you tell me that important secret of yours?”
“Didn’t I already say that I want us to have a heart-to-heart talk? And besides, you’re cool you know, Watanae-san? That’s why, I’ve a feeling that you won’t make fun of me, and you certainly won’t tell anyone about this hobby of mine.”
After saying that, Nihara-san started giggling.
“You know, Watanae-san... it’s only when you’re looking at Sakata that your facial expression calms down a bit. Sakata is still Sakata, in middle school he was injured because he was involved in various things, so I want him to be happy. That’s why, if you like Sakata, then I want to do something for you two...”
“...Fufufu, you’re already like a hero, aren’t you?”
“It’s not like that, I’m just... just meddling. Thanks—no, I think I just made you uncomfortable. I’m sorry, for being so careless as to act like this.”
“...Mm.”
——From here, what will Yuuka say to her?
For me who knows Yuuka’s true character... I can more or less predict what she will say.
“I like Sakata-kun.”
As sincerity to Nihara-san who revealed her secret, Yuuka too—revealed her secret.
Hearing what was Yuuka said, Nihara-san suddenly smiled happily.
“So I was right, huh.”
“Nihara-san, can I ask you something too?”
“What is it, Watanae-san?”
“Nihara-san—doesn’t you also like Sakata-kun?”
I was taken aback by the unexpected statement that Yuuka made.
No, no, no, that’s impossible, right?
The only reason why Nihar-san likes interacting with me is because she will have fun when she sees my reaction. There’s no way she’d be attracted to an introverted guy like me.
“Hmm... well, you’re right. I think I do like him.”
...Eh?
When my ears heard those words I couldn’t believe, I was at a loss for words.
“So I was right too, huh. You keep blabbering about me liking Sakata-kun, but you actually like him too.”
“Eh? What did you say? So cute! Say it again, Watanae-san?”
“Shut up.”
[TN: Just now, at the end of Yuuka’s words, she used the ending ‘じゃんよ’ (jan-yo). Basically, that’s the ending that girls who act cutely usualy use.]
Right now, Yuuka was using an innocent way of speaking that she never used at school.
Feeling happy to see Yuuka like that, Nihara-san then continued to speaks.
“Just, this liking I have... I don’t think it’s the same as the liking you have, Watanae-san. You know that I’ve known Sakata since we were in middle school, right? Therefore, I want Sakata to be able to smile like when we were in middle school, or I also want Sakata to be even more cheerful... Well, I think my liking is based on sister’s perspective?”
“Isn’t that leaning more towards a hero’s perspective than a sister?”
Yuuka giggled, then looked straight into Nihara-san’s eyes.
And then, very clearly—Yuuka gave a statement to Nihara-san.
“Whatever kind of 'like' do you have, but one thing is for sure, I like Sakata-kun much more than you. That’s why, no matter what happens... I’ll not leave him to you.”
She’s not expressive, doesn’t talk much, and has a solid impression. Yukka who was in that school mode—said something extraordinary.
After being stuck in silence for a while... suddenly Nihara-san burst into laugther.
“Ahahaha! What a bold words... You’re so cute, Watanae-san!”
“You too, when you’re talking about tokusatsu, you also so cute, Nihara-san.”
Just like Nihara-san, Yuuka also started laughing too.
And then, I don’t know what they were talking about, but for a while the two of them sat by the river and chatted intimately.
---
By the time we finished eating the curry we had made, the sun had already set in the western sky. However, Masa, he didn’t even touch his curry at all and just laid his upper body on the table.
He must be depressed. After all, his phone was confiscated by Gousaki-sensei who caught him doing gacha. Well, on the other hand it’s also his own fault anyway.
“Sa~Ka~Ta!”
After finished cleaning the cutlery and so on, when I was about to go back to my tent...
Nihara-san, who seemed to be in a good mood, ran towards me with a smile as her long brown hair hung over her chest.
——I think I do like him.
When Nihara-san was talking to Yuuka in the bank, I clearly heard her say that.
Normally, I’d always be wary of her because she had the image of a gyaru, but... after I heard those words, I became a little more aware of her.
“...Sakata-kun, your gaze is too much!”
Suddenly, from behind Nihara-san, I heard a voice that sounded annoyed. Apparently, the one who said that as she looked at me from behind her glasses was Yuuka.
“Calm down, Watanae-san, calm down.”
“After all, those eyes kept looking at your breasts...”
Right now, Yuuka’s interaction with Nihara-san seemed more relaxed than before.
Silently, I kept watching the interactions between the two of them, and just when I thought that this was a refreshing sight...
Suddenly, Nihara-san pushed Yuuka towards me.
“Kyaa!”
Yuuka staggered and then ended up clinging tightly to my arm. As a result—I was able to feel Yuuka’s soft and warm touch on my arm.
“Hey, Sakata, take a good look at Watanae-san, okay? She’s really cute, right?”
“N-Nihara-san!”
When I turned my gaze towards Yuuka, she who was currently in school mode had a red blush on her cheeks and looked awkward.
At home, she would normally always look like this, but it was so rare to see her being like this when she was in school mode. If I had to say, this feels like a gap.
“Hey, Sakata? Isn’t it about time for you to become sane?”
“S-Sane? Eh, do you think I’m insane?”
“How can a high school student who has a lust for his ‘sister’ be called sane?”
Aah... I see. As for as I know, Nihara-san misunderstood that even though I had forgotten about Raimu, I became insane cause had a lust for my sister, ‘Nayu’. Then, to wake me from having such unnatural lust, and to make Yuuka and me happy, she tried to unite us.
But, the thing is, the ‘sister’ she thought of and Watanae Yuuka was the same person.
“Indeed, ‘Nayu’-chan is cute! Her eyes are clear and his nose is also well-defined. But... look at Watanae-san! Even though it’s a bit difficult to see through her glasses, but she also has clear eyes, and a well-defined nose, and sure enough, she’s not inferior to ‘Nayu’-chan, right?”
Of course she wouldn’t inferior, after all the person you’re talking about here is the same person.
And then—the night of the same day.
“Yahoo~, Sakata!”
In the cottage, while I was relaxing with the other students in the men’s room, Nihara-san came and entered our room.
Suddenly, Masa and the other boys immediately became excited.
“Sakata, you’re called by Gousaki-sensei.”
“Eh... why?”
“I dunno? But, I saw that he seemed to be in a big hurry, so shouldn’t you go to see him soon?”
Did something happen to make Gousaki-sensei call me out?
With that thought, I left the room, but... when I came out, I found Yuuka standing there in her jersey.
“Y-Yuuka?! Why are you here?”
“Erm... Nihara-san told me that she was going to call you, so she told me to wait here.”
I see. So what Nihara-san said about Gousaki-sensei calling me that was just a lie, and her real goal was to get me and Yuuka to be alone.
“Haa~... Nihara-san really like to meddle more than I thought.”
“Geez, Nihara-san is a good person, you know~”
To my complaint, Yuuka responded to me softly.
“Oh yeah, Yuu-kun, let’s come over here!”
As if she remembered something, Yuuka pulled my hand and started walking fast. Every time she walked, her ponytail swayed lightly and smoothly.
And then, as I continued to follow her—the place she was aiming for was the back of the cottage.
“...Oooh.”
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? All the visible stars look so sparkly!!”
In the cloudless night sky, there were many stars that could never be seen in urban areas.
While standing side by side, for a while, Yuuka and I enjoyed the beautiful sight that appeared in front of us.
“...You know, I want to become closer with Nihara-san.”
Muttering that, Yuuka took off her glasses and revealed her clear eyes.
“This is the first time for me to talk about my feelings to my classmates without being nervous. Besides, this is also my first time sharing a secret with someone. It feels... it’s already like we’re best friend, which make me really happy.”
“...I see.”
Well, Nihara-san even went so far as to reveal her secret about her having a fondness for tokusatsu. And she also came to have thoughts of meddling between me and Yuuka so she could unite us.
——She knows about what happened to me when we were in third-year middle school, and she wants me to able to wake up from my past.
——She even thoughts of extending her hand to Yuuka who was usually nonchalant in case Yuuka had hidden feelings.
As Yuuka said, Nihara-san is a good person. Maybe she did it all because of her fondness for tokusatsu, or maybe it’s because she thinks like a hero. Well, she looks like a gyaru, though.
“Oh look at that, Yuu-kun! It’s a shooting star!”
Enthusiastically, Yuuka suddenly pulled the hem of my shirt.
Then, she started to put her hands togethere...
“Hopefully I can always be together with Yuu-kun. Hopefully I can always be together with Yuu-kun. Hopefully... aah, the shooting star has disappeared before I’ve time to pray three times. Geez~!”
I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw Yuuka hurl her dissatisfaction towards the sky.
And after that, together with Yuuka, we continued to looked up at the star-filled sky.
Well, for now...
I want to thank Nihara-san for giving me the opportunity to see this very beautiful night sky alone with Yuuka.
😍😍
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chapter!
ReplyDeleteAnyway I hope this doesnt up as a love triangle
how cute
ReplyDelete