Chapter 86: Romance is Difficult
Translator: Cryus
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There’s only two weeks left until graduation.
It’s strange that I’m going to miss this filthy and slly clubroom.
As I’m overco with emotion, the club mbers are frolicking around . They’re annoying.
Kinoshita-san has arrived. She’s wearing a pink dress, so the club mbers are saying that she’s a cherry blossom. They really are annoying.
I look away from the rowdy club mbers and see Michel reading a book in a corner. We make a bit of eye contact, but I look away in embarrassnt.
He still seems bothered by what happened the other day.
「By the way, Noda.」
「Hmm?」
I’m busy, so I give a half-hearted reply.
Once I graduate, I won’t be able to maintain the karate club anymore. That’s why I’m writing so notes for Michel and Kinoshita-san so they can take my role.
「Why were you soaking wet the other ti?」
「……」
「You were surprisingly energetic even though it was so cold…… ouch! Why are you throwing candy at ……?!」
I used a candy as a makeshift bullet, shooting it at his head. He seems to have noticed my intention, and stops talking.
Just as I’m about to eat so candy, I see the other club mbers fighting and scrambling over the candy that I threw. I can’t afford to be bothered, so I ignore them.
I can sense Michel staring at . I pretend not to notice and focus on making notes.
I explained to him that I accidentally got drenched in water the other day, but I didn’t tell him any details.
I might spill the beans if I co up with a poor excuse, so I’ve decided to completely avoid the topic.
But I’m taken by surprise.
「Perhaps the girls who are in love with Michel did sothing to you, Noda-san?」
「……Eh?」
Kinoshita-san looks concerned at while holding back her long, smooth hair.
I want her to keep quiet, but I can’t bring myself to throw candy at her.
Michel looks shocked upon hearing what Kinoshita-san said. This is bad. I signal for Kinoshita-san to keep quiet, but she doesn’t notice.
Michel presses the issue, and Kinoshita-san explains her situation in great detail.
Apparently, even though Kinoshita-san dated Michel only for a short ti, she was also victimized.
They were the perfect looking couple, but not everyone gave them their blessings.
The club mbers were also jealous of Michel for a while. I wouldn’t doubt it if Kinoshita-san had a similar experience.
She looks gloomy and depressed over our experiences combined. The club mbers are desperately trying to comfort her.
「Sagiri-san, you were drenched…… Is it just as Yui said?!」
「Um…… Well, you see…」
Michel’s face is stiffening. I tried to play it off sohow, but I doubt I can pull it off.
「Even as a harassnt, it’s nothing too serious. It’s my fault for going to such a secluded basent restroom in the B building in the first place……」
I’m making up excuses.
「Whoa, you went to that fad restroom? You’ve got guts.」
「That restroom is one of the Seven Mysteries in the school. Recently I’ve heard that there’s a pale-faced girl coming out of the well completely drenched. I’ve been getting really scared.」
「Well, I don’t really get scared. ……Actually, was that ?」
I’m trying to talk face to face with the club mber, but Michel is grabbing onto my arm, making it difficult for .
He mumbles with a stiff voice and facial expression.
Seeing a gentle person change so much is a little overwhelming.
「……Sagiri-san, do you mind if we talk outside for a while?」
「Uh… um, actually, I’m eting up with Nonomiya-san. It’s almost ti……」
I’m looking at the clock on purpose, trying to buy so ti.
It’s not a lie. I’m eting up with Nonomiya-san to pay her back for the stuff she bought at the convenience store.
「In that case, I shall take you there.」
He doesn’t give a chance to refuse, and drags out of the clubroom. I give up and tell him our eting spot.
I don’t want to get there ahead of Nonomiya-san, so I’m walking at a snail’s pace. Sadly, that doesn’t work.
If I knew we were going to talk about that incident, I shouldn’t have made the empty classroom our eting spot.
「Is it true that you suffered harassnt because of ?」
「No, it’s not really your fault……」
He closes the door and cuts to the chase.
「Is it true?」
「……Um… Well…」
It’s too overwhelming.
The fact that I’m looking away in awkwardness makes it obvious. Michel droops his head in sadness.
「Did you choose not to tell because I’m unreliable?」
「No, that’s not it, um…… It really wasn’t anything serious, and you would definitely be worried if you found out…… That’s what I thought……」
It really wasn’t anything so serious that Michel should have to worry about it.
I just ignore the insults, and I simply read the letters of misfortune without responding to them. Even when soone’s about to trip or bump into on purpose, I end up avoiding all of it by reflex, so it wasn’t all that serious.
Having water poured all over is completely my fault for being careless.
I could have avoided it if I hadn’t gone to such a deserted restroom.
I desperately explained it to him, but his face turned increasingly sad.
「Um, I’m sorry. I’ll be a little more careful.」
「That’s not it, Sagiri-san.」
Michel drops his shoulders and shakes his head slightly.
「I’m just disappointed in myself for not realizing that you were harassed, and for the fact that you didn’t even talk to about it.」
「Um, well, that’s……」
He couldn’t have noticed the pranks since they happened when he wasn’t around.
Plus, the girls are just like highly intelligent cats who won’t even kill a bug in front of Michel.
Even as I explain myself, he still looks downwards and won’t look at .
「Whatcha guys arguin’ about this ti?」
Nonomiya-san enters the classroom, looking like her usual self.
I’m relieved that she’s back to normal.
Perhaps because Nonomiya-san is here, Michel quietly excuses himself and tries to leave the classroom, but Nonomiya-san stops him.
「Why, ye look darn serious. Don’t mind , continue talkin’. I’ll just listen in this corner.」
「You’re gonna listen?」
Nonomiya-san has a curious look.
I don’t want to let him leave with the conversation half over either, so I promise him that I’ll be more careful and let him know if anything happens.
Michel gives a forlorn smile. It hurts just to see it.
He’s always gentle and smiling pleasantly. I really don’t like seeing him like this.
「I’ve always been so pathetic……」
「No, that’s not true.」
He cuts off halfway, saying 「Yes, it’s true.」 with a dull voice.
Oh no. He’s becoming really negative.
「It was the sa with Izu.」
「Huh? Izu? You an the sumr training camp??」
I really don’t see how this is related to the sumr camp. All I rember is helping Katagiri-san with his clumsy reconciliation. I end up giving a wry smile.
「That night at the drinking party, there was soone from M University who kept trying to flirt with you. Do you rember?」
「……? Was there soone like that…?」
I’m furrowing my eyebrows.
I was preoccupied with Arioka-senpai and Katagiri-san, so I didn’t pay too much attention to the other people, but I know for sure that our club mbers got excited from the girls at M University as well as Kinoshita-san.
I tell him that I don’t think there was such a person, but he insists there was.
「Do you rember the guy who kept calling you over to read your palms?」
「Hmm…… was there such a guy?」
I don’t really rember, but I want to find out the details, so I just say that maybe there was such a guy.
Michel smiles gently as if it’s obvious that I don’t rember at all.
「I noticed that, but I didn’t do anything. Arioka-senpai was watching over you, and I had my hands full protecting Yui. But that night, Arioka-senpai told .」
If you like Noda, then protect her.
You should have given her a worried look at the very least.
「I had already felt sothing special towards you when we were at that sumr camp. However, Arioka-senpai’s words stopped from confessing my feelings to you. His words rang true, after all.」
Michel suddenly stops talking, and turns his back on while still looking downwards.
「If it happened right now, I would have chosen to protect you without a second thought. I love you more than I did before, and I want to be a proper man…… But I haven’t changed one bit, and I know because I couldn’t protect you this ti.」
I notice his back quivering. I’m at a loss.
I can’t tell if he’s crying.
「I have to beco a much better man……」
I reach out to stop Michel from leaving, but Nonomiya-san stops .
「Noda-cchi. Stop. Let him go.」
Since Nonomiya-san was leaning against the classroom door, she probably saw Michel’s face as he was leaving.
I chose not to tell Michel about the harassnt because I didn’t want to hurt him. But I ended up making him cry.
「It wouldn’t have worked out even with such a perfect prince, I tell ya.」
Nonomiya-san mumbles, standing next to as I’m getting depressed.
Romance doesn’t always work out. That’s true.
Michel has been so honest about his feelings. If only I could have reciprocated.
Back when I fell in love with Michel, he didn’t feel the sa way.
By the ti he liked back, my feelings had already changed.
If the timing was changed only a little, we would have liked each other at the sa ti.
「It’ll be a piece of cake for the prince too, when he turns his eyes to the next gal. That’s what I intend to do too.」
「Hm?」
I was thinking about Michel, so I respond a little late.
She says in a cheerful voice:
「I’m movin’ on.」
She declares resolutely.
I show my amazent, but she ignores .
「So Noda-cchi, don’t be worryin’ bout .」
She smiles brightly and leaves the classroom, leaving dumbfounded.
She seems to have changed her mind and completely given up on Mizuhara.
「……」
Romance is difficult.
I mutter to myself, and fall onto the ground in the empty classroom.
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