Capítulo 14: Yukino Yukinoshita is firce and dangerous
I turned my head away from the girls and took a bite of my pastry while
fiddling with my phone. I munched a bit and then swallowed. But there was still something…something that wasn't bread stuck in my throat.
What was it?
Meals should have been more joyous and fun than this. If you subscribed
to the ideology of the Lonely Gourmet, anyway. I didn't have the slightest
desire to save her, though. It just gave me a mild stomachache to see a girl I
knew crying in front of me. The sight would have ruined my meal. I really
just wanted to have a nice meal. Plus, it was my job to get bullied around
here, and I wouldn't let anyone else steal that role from me so easily.
Oh, and also…because I really didn't like that broad.
I pushed back from my desk with a rattle and sharply stood. "Hey, that's
—"
"Shuddup."
—enough. The moment I attempted to finish saying that, Miura glared at
me with snakelike eyes that practically hissed. "—a good reminder that I was
thinking of buying myself a drink! B-but I guess I'll pass."
That was terrifying! Was she an anaconda or what? I'd nearly stammered
an apology on reflex alone!
I sat down, dispirited, and Miura ignored me completely, instead looking
down on the shrunken Yuigahama. "Listen, I'm saying this for your sake, but
that sort of vague crap really pisses me off."
She insisted she was doing this for Yuigahama, but everything else she'd
said had been about her own feelings and her own interests. She hadn't even
finished her sentence and was already contradicting herself. But to Miura,
that sort of thing wasn't a contradiction. She was the queen of this clique, and
in a feudal society, the ruler's authority was absolute.
"Sorry…"
"That again?" Miura snorted vigorously in anger and disgust. That was all
it took to make Yuigahama wither even more.
Just cut it out. This is annoying. You're making everyone in the classroom
tiptoe around the scene you're making. I can't handle this kind of nasty
atmosphere.
Don't be dragging us all into your coming-of-age theater piece.
I screwed up what meager courage I had one more time. Nobody could
possibly hate me any more than they already did, anyway. It's not a bad idea
to play a game when you've got nothing to lose.
I stood to face them, and at the same time, Yuigahama turned to me with
tear-laden eyes.
"Hey, what're you looking at, Yui? You've been doing nothing but
apologizing," charged Miura in a chilly tone, as if carefully targeting that
moment.
"She's not the one you should be apologizing to, Yuigahama," interrupted
a voice apt to ring much colder than Miura's. It was a voice like the arctic
wind, a voice that could make people cower, but it was as beautiful as the
northern lights. Everyone's eyes were drawn to the door of the classroom,
and even though it was in the corner of the room, it was as if it were the
center of the world.
That voice could only belong to one person: Yukino Yukinoshita.
I was frozen in a half-upright position as if paralyzed. Miura's earlier
threats were child's play compared to this. I mean, taking on Yukinoshita was
so scary, you just couldn't keep your cool, you know? She went past scary to
a point where you start thinking she's angelic.
Yukinoshita entranced everyone in the class. At some point, the sound of
Miura's clicking on the desk had stopped, and all noise had dissipated. The
only thing cutting through the silence now was the sound of Yukinoshita's
voice.
"Yuigahama. You invited me to lunch and then failed to show up at our
meeting place, making me seriously doubt you as a person. If you were going
to be late, you should have at least contacted me. Am I wrong?"
Hearing those words, Yuigahama smiled in relief and faced Yukinoshita.
"S-sorry. Oh, but I don't know your number, Yukinon…"
"Oh? Is that right? Then I suppose that one part was not your fault. I
won't mention it again." Yukinoshita completely ignored the vibe in the
room and conducted the conversation as she saw fit. It was refreshingly self-
centered.
"H-hey! We're not done talking here!" Miura, finally defrosting, snapped
at Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. The queen of flames stoked the fire even
hotter and let her rage burn with a roaring fierceness.
"About what? I don't have the time to talk to you, though. I still haven't
had my lunch."
"Wh-what? You can't come in here out of the blue and treat me like that!
I'm talking to Yui right now."
"Talking? Don't you mean yelling? Was that supposed to be
conversation? It looked to me like you were just getting hysterical and one sidely forcing your opinion on others."
"What?!"
"I apologize for failing to notice that you were talking. I'm unfamiliar
with the particulars of your ecosystem, so I mistook it for the howling threats
of an ape."
The seething queen of flames froze before the queen of ice. "Ngh…!"
Miura glared at Yukinoshita in unveiled rage, but Yukinoshita coldly shook it
off. "You can play the king of the castle and bluster all you like, but please
keep it to your own territory. Your pretense is as flaky as your makeup."
"Huh? What're you talking about? You're not making sense!" Clearly
unable to admit defeat, Miura flopped back into her seat with a clatter. Her
curls bounced up and down as she began to angrily fiddle with her phone. No
one would talk to her when she was like that. Even Hayama, who got along
with her, yawned to avoid the situation.
Right beside Miura, Yuigahama stood stock-still. Her fingers fretted the
hem of her skirt as if she wanted to say something. Picking up on
Yuigahama's intent, Yukinoshita moved to step out of the classroom.
"I'm going on ahead."
"Me too, I-I'll…"
"…You can do what you want."
"Yeah." Yuigahama smiled broadly. But she was the only one smiling.
Hey, come on… What's with this atmosphere in here? There was an
unusual degree of anxiety in the classroom; it was even more awkward than
usual. Before long, most of the students started formulating excuses like they
were thirsty or had to go to the bathroom or whatever and left. The only
people who remained in the end were Hayama and Miura's clique and some
curious rubberneckers. I had no choice but to jump on the big wave rushing
out of the room. Or rather, I should say that had it gotten any tenser, I'd have
found myself unable to breathe. I'd die. Gingerly and making as little sound
as possible, I passed by Yuigahama. When I did, I heard her whisper,
"Thanks for standing up earlier."
***
When I left the classroom, I found Yukinoshita outside. She was leaning
against the wall immediately beside the door, arms crossed and eyes closed.
Perhaps due to her chilly aura, no one was around her. It was very quiet. And
because of the silence, I could hear the conversation inside the class.
"Um…sorry. I'm just, like…anxious if I'm not fitting in with others…
like, I just sort of pick up on what other people want without thinking…and
maybe that can be irritating."
Miura said nothing.
"Well it's like…I dunno, I've just always been like that, you know? Like,
even when we were playing Ojamajo Doremi, I actually wanted to be Doremi or Onpu-chan, but other girls wanted to be them, so I'd go with Hazuki… It's
like…maybe it's because I grew up in an apartment complex, but there were
always people around me, and that seemed like the obvious thing to do…"
"I have no idea what you're trying to say."
"Y-yeah, of course not. Well, I don't really get it myself, but…but you
know, seeing Hikki and Yukinon, I noticed…even though there was no one
around them, they looked like they were having fun, and they were always
saying what they really thought, and even though neither of them are trying
to fit together, they somehow do…" Her voice sounded like a stifled sob
leaking out, stuttering along haltingly.
With each word, Yukinoshita's shoulders twitched, her eyes opening very
slightly to glance into the classroom. You idiot. You can't see it from here. If
you're that worried, go in there. You're way too proud.
"Seeing them, it's like all my desperate attempts to fit in were all wrong…
I mean, like, Hikki's seriously a hikki. During lunch hour, he reads alone and
laughs to himself… He's creepy, but he looks like he's having fun."
Hearing the word creepy, Yukinoshita chuckled. "I thought your strange
habits were limited to the clubroom, but you're like that in your classroom,
too, huh? That really is disgusting, so you should stop."
"If you think I'm being weird, then say so."
"It's so obvious. I just don't want to talk to you when you're so scary."
I'll take care for real from now on. I won't read any light novels with evil
gods in them at school anymore.
"So that's why I thought maybe I could stop forcing myself and do what I
wanted…or something like that. But it's not like I don't want to hang out
with you or anything. So can we still…maybe…be…friends?"
"Hmph. Uh-huh. Sure, whatever." Miura snapped her cell phone shut.
"Sorry…thanks."
After that, there was no further conversation in the classroom, and I could
hear the pitter-patter of Yuigahama's indoor shoes. Yukinoshita pushed
herself off the wall she'd been leaning against, as if taking it as a sign. "Huh.
So she can actually be honest." To my astonishment, she flashed a brief
something that just barely counted as a smile.
It wasn't ironic or disparaging or sad; it was just a genuine smile.
But it disappeared in an instant, and she reassumed her usual cold,
crystalline expression. While I was busy watching her smile, she strode briskly down the hallway and disappeared without paying me any regard at
all. She was probably going wherever she was supposed to meet Yuigahama
for lunch.
And right when I was thinking, Now, what should I do? and about to
leave, the door of the classroom slid open with a rattle.
"Huh? Wh-why are you here, Hikki?"
I raised my right arm stiffly and gave her a jerky wave, like 'Sup, in an
attempt to evade the question. When I looked at her face, it was red.
"You heard?"
"Heard what?"
"You were listening! You were eavesdropping! You're such a creep! A
stalker! A pervert! Um, um, um…and a creep! Unbelievable! You're such a
creep. You're really such a creep."
"Hold back a little there." Even I get a little sad if you unload all that
venom right in my face. And don't say all that with such a sincere look.
That's actually pretty hurtful.
"What? I'm not gonna start holding back now. Whose fault do you think
this is, you idiot?" Yuigahama stuck out her pink tongue at me and, with that
cute provocation, ran away. What are you, an elementary schooler? And
don't run in the hallway.
"Whose fault is that? Yukinoshita's, duh." I muttered to myself. There
was no one else there, so of course it was to myself.
When I looked at the clock, there was only a little time left until lunch
ended. That terribly parching lunch hour was over. I resolved to go buy a
Sportop to soothe both my throat and my heart.
On my way to the school store, I suddenly changed my mind.
Nerds have their own nerd communities; they're not loners. In order to
become a normie, you had to navigate your way through hierarchical
relationships and power balances, and that was really tough. In the end, I was
the only loner. Ms. Hiratsuka didn't have to go so far as to put me in an
isolation ward. I was already a pariah in the class.
There was no point in her
quarantining me in the Service Club.
What a sad conclusion. Reality was just too harsh.
Sportop was the only thing that was sweet to me.
__--___--__--_--_-_--_
hello readers today I'm going to announce that my New noval is in contest #260 male lead romance type .
name - I traveled fantasy world with system. if you like after reading you can vote with power stone.
and another other thing is that there's going to be daily release chapter in this noval so don't miss it. byy byy.
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