Chapter 165: Hinako's Questioning [side Yukari Tomonaga]
The next day after school, first-year Hinako Ootori appeared at the eting bench, her eyes brimming with tears.
Satsuki laughed at the contrast from yesterday, saying, "Leave it to !"
Satsuki: "What was with all that bravado? And now look at you?"
Hinako's eyes were teary,
Hinako: "You never told she was a Japanese Yakuza Girl!"
Maybe because Hinako's a returnee? Her sentence endings are so quirky. The girl who dreams of being a strategist is a cute girl with chestnut hair that flips out at the ends—that's her trademark.
She seed like the cheerful, fearless type... but it looks like Osada-san was a tough opponent.
Hinako: "rciless! Thug! Her eyes are wild! Japan is scary!"
Any more than that would be...
Hinako: "Yukari-senpai, were you so kind of bullet? Scary! Yakuza Girl is terrifying!"
Osada: "Who are you calling Yakuza Girl?"
Hinako: "...She's here!"
Osada-san appeared from behind Hinako! Did Hinako know Osada-san was coming and still diss her? What is she thinking—!
Osada: "...Yukaricchi? Can I strangle this one?"
"No... Hinako just started school, and we only just t... Plus, she grew up overseas, so I'm sorry. Please let it go this ti... I'll make sure to talk to her properly..."
When I apologized, Osada-san nodded and turned to Hinako,
Osada: "...Saito-kun, aka Kousuke-kun, is in Class 1, you know? Wasn't that a bit too straightforward? Can't you read the room? Do you get it?"
Did Hinako ask Osada-san directly about Kousuke-kun?
Satsuki looked annoyed as she said,
Satsuki: "...Acting all high and mighty..."
Satsuki! Have you already forgotten she helped you?!
It's already tough enough with just Satsuki! And now Hinako!
Hinako started telling us what happened during lunch today.
Hinako: "...I went to second-year Class 1 to see either Osada-senpai or Kousuke-senpai, but Kousuke-senpai wasn't there. Osada-senpai was heading out, so I followed her and saw her eting up with a refreshing upperclassman guy, and her expression got all gentle... She was in such a good mood! I thought it was my chance and went to talk to her, but... her face turned all Yakuza..."
"That was her boyfriend, Ryo-kun. You absolutely must not interrupt when she's with him."
Hinako nodded, teary-eyed, at my explanation.
When Osada-san heard that,
Osada: "What's this? Sending soone who can't read the room? If you have business, wouldn't it be better for Yukaricchi to co herself?"
Hinako: "Yakuza Girl again...! She threatened , saying, 'I'll ask you after school, so don't you dare interrupt!'..."
When Osada-san growled, "Aahn?", Hinako got scared.
Even though they just t, Hinako already understood how scary Osada-san could be.
But even while trembling, Hinako still spoke up to her senior Osada-san,
Hinako: "So? Here's the main topic. Why did you introduce Kuzu to Yukari-senpai? Wasn't it a busy ti with the cultural festival preparations? From what I heard, Osada-senpai, you seem clever and intellectual. Scary, but."
Hinako's way of speaking made nervous—was she praising or dissing Osada-san?
Osada-san was bothered by it too, but didn't interrupt the conversation,
Osada: "...I was asked to do it..."
Hinako: "...By Kuzu? You an Kuzu-senpai, who's known for being a jerk?"
Osada-san narrowed her eyes sharply,
Osada: "...Kuzu also asked to introduce him. I knew Yukaricchi had always liked Kuzu, so I did the introduction. ...Right now, Kuzu's caused a lot of trouble, so things might get a bit ssy. ...Honestly, it might be better for Yukaricchi to keep her distance from Kuzu right now. Anyway, I'm off."
With a scary face, Osada-san walked off toward the clubroom building.
The rest of us exchanged looks.
☆ ☆ ☆
Satsuki: "...So Kuzu-kun really ssed up... Well, he was never good enough for Yukari anyway..."
Satsuki and I exchanged looks, but neither of us could really say anything.
Neither Satsuki nor I have friends at school, so we never get any intel...
But what caught Hinako's attention wasn't that.
Hinako: "She said, 'Kuzu also'! That ans there's soone who asked Yakuza Girl-senpai to connect Kuzu to Yukari-senpai. Of course, it's what Kuzu wanted, so ginger."
Satsuki: "Ginger's in there."
With a serious face, Hinako zood in on a part I hadn't even thought about.
...Kuzu-kun also has hardly any friends...
Hinako: "So in the end, we have to ask the key person, 'Kousuke-kun'-senpai, right?"
Her "kikan-yaa" sounded so cat-like and cute, I couldn't help but giggle.
Hinako looked confused, so I told her, No, no, it's nothing.
If she thought I was laughing at her accent, Hinako would get self-conscious.
To be honest, Hinako's sentence-ending quirks are strong, but I think they're cute.
Hinako: "I think I'll try talking to Kousuke-senpai tomorrow. I want to ask what happened between sumr and fall. ...It's a delicate topic, so I wonder how I should ask?"
Tilting her head, Hinako thought for a mont.
Hinako: "Maybe I should just go for it? Like, 'How have you been lately? I heard things were rough a while ago!' How's that?"
"...He might still be bad with girls, you know? Hinako, you're cute, so he might avoid you."
Satsuki: "...Pathetic. I wonder why he ended up being bad with girls?"
*You're the main reason.*
Hinako: "I'm not cute, so it's all good!"
"You are cute, though?"
Satsuki: "She's actually pretty cute, right?"
Hinako puffed up with pride and smirked,
Hinako: "The strategist Fengchu, also known as Pang Tong from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, didn't have a remarkable appearance. Because of that, he wasn't valued for a long ti. Friends and colleagues who recognized his talent wrote countless letters of recomndation, and eventually, he joined his destined lord, Liu Bei, but was assigned to a remote post because of his looks. Still, when he finally got the chance to et and talk with Liu Bei again, Liu Bei was so impressed with Pang Tong's abilities and practical skills that he trusted him completely and never let him go until the day he died. My true value isn't in my looks, you know."
Satsuki let out a sigh.
Satsuki: "What a waste. I really think it's all about looks for girls. Seriously, you'd get along so well with Kousuke."
Hinako: "If I don't get along with Satsuki-senpai, maybe I'll get along with him?"
Hinako's innocent diss made laugh—her face really is just too cute.
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