Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo - Chapter 3 Part 3
Chapter 3 – Part 3
Next day.
Ah~ sho tired… Finally, lunch time!
When was the last time I was this excited for lunch?
Probably back when I was in grade school? There was this one menu that I really liked in the cafeteria.
I spent the night dealing with Cosmos’ extremely polite thanks and the whole morning talking about our plans for the future with Himawari.
They were dependent on me for the time being…
Also, Himawari… You’ll pay for the things you’ve done to me this morning, but I’ll leave you alone for now.
I want my lunch break to be free of the troubles that you guys caused.
By the way, I told both Cosmos and Himawari that they fell in love with the same person, but I didn’t tell them the details about what each of them were doing to seduce the dude.
If I were to do that, I would be a failure of a double agent don’t you think so?
Anyway, it was lunch break.
If I don’t go somewhere soon, Sun-chan will drag me to go with him.
If Sun-chan dragged me somewhere, Himawari would also come along.
If Himawari came along, Cosmos would be mad at me.
In order to avoid that negative chain, I had to leave the classroom quickly.
But, where should I go?
The cafeteria? No, that place was too noisy.
I needed a place where I could be alone. Crowded places like the cafeteria would only give me a headache instead of inner peace that I seeked.
So, I wouldn’t go there.
Rooftop? No, that place was the Mecca for couples.
Many couples were probably enjoying their lunch there.
If I saw such scenes, I doubt that I would be able to restrain myself from going ballistic.
My negative emotion would run rampant and I’d go around rampaging like a certain purple-colored humanoid machine of destruction. (T/N: I’m sure this is an Evangelion reference, referring to Eva Unit-01. Unless there’s another purple-colored humanoid mecha that normally goes into berserk mode that I don’t know of.)
Therefore, I wouldn’t go there.
That left… One place… Right, that place…
I really didn’t want to go there, but it was a better option than the other two. That place was really quiet, a perfect place for me.
Except that a hateful demon resided there.
But, it wasn’t like I had any other choice available for me. In reluctance, I dragged my feet to that place.
All while praying to the heavens, “I hope she isn’t in that place!”
* * *
“Oh my, how unusual.”
When I opened the door, a voice entered my ear.
I felt elated to see that she wasn’t sitting in the reception desk, but it turned out that she was organizing books nearby.
This girl was the Braided Demon King, Pansy. The heavens did not answer my prayers.
“It’s lunch, why are you here?”
Since I didn’t want to involve myself with her, I quickly left her behind and went to the reading space.
…Huh? What was that? There was a very large box with a jungle logo on it.
The box was opened and there was nothing inside.
…Whatever, it surely didn’t have anything to do with me.
I hunched over, ignored Pansy, who was trying to talk with me and dragged my feet toward the reading space.
Pansy seemed to be following me from behind, but I ignored her.
As soon as I arrived, I slumped down on one of the chairs and laid my body on the desk.
“What happened to you, Joro-kun? Normally, you look like a slightly rotten tangerine peel and now you look like a completely rotten tangerine peel.”
Pansy seemed to notice my strange state as she looked into my face and hurled her venom at me.
“Sorry, but can you leave me by myself for a while?”
Or rather, leave me alone forever. I don’t want to talk with you.
“Oh my, then can I treat you as if you don’t exist?”
“Do whatever.”
“Got it.”
After hearing my words, she quickly left.
Huh, she was surprisingly obedient today. Guess I’ll take a nap then.
This place… *BAM* Is so… *BAM* Quiet… *SLAM*
“It’s heavy! What the hell are you doing?!”
When did she come back?! I didn’t even notice her presence!
Also, the previous bam bam noises were caused by the books she was holding.
To be exact, the books that she dropped onto my back while I was trying to take a nap.
“I’m organizing the books. There are too many books here… I’m just talking to myself, by the way.”
How the hell did she manage to bring so many books in such a short time?
“Jeez! Just stop doing something weird like this! Also, get them off me, those books are heavy!”
When I tried to take a nap again, she dropped another stack of books on me. She really was merciless.
“Huh, that’s weird. I thought there’s no one here, but why do I keep hearing someone’s voice? Am I hallucinating?”
“Um, sorry, but can you just leave me alone? You can acknowledge my existence, just leave me alone…”
“No.”
“But why?!”
“You were the one who told me to treat you as if you don’t exist. You brought this to yourself, idiot.”
PAAAAANSYYYY!
“Um, Sanshokuin-san?”
“Just call me Sumireko.”
Stop staring at me while adjusting your glasses like that!
Why would I comply with your wish why you wouldn’t even do it with mine?!
“No, Sanshokuin-san.”
“Meanie…”
“Um, I’m really tired right now, so can you leave me alone for a while? I need some rest…”
“I guess helping your childhood friend and the student council president with their love lives is tiring, huh? It took all your time during the morning and after school, after all.”
“…What?”
What did she just say?
“I guess I’ll tell Oga-kun about this. See you, have fun, do your best.”
Saying that, Pansy stood up and walked away.
“STOP RIGHT THERE!”
I shouted, ran after her and grabbed her shoulders forcefully.
It was great that there was no one else in the library. My scream was really loud to the point that it surprised even myself.
She turned around to look at me with her usual expressionless face.
“How do you know that?”
“Know what?”
“What you were talking about earlier…”
“I hate people who can’t even speak what’s in their mind clearly.”
She looked upset as she said that. I was the one who should be upset here, though.
“I don’t care whether you like me or not.”
“So cruel. I can’t get married now.”
“Stop exaggerating things!”
“Anyway, what is it that you want to know?”
Again, she pushed her glasses up. Seeing that, my anxiety went through the roof.
“The thing about me helping Himawari and Prez…”
“Oh, that. The matter that Akino-senpai and Hinata-san talked to you over the weekend, no? Pretty sure the President consulted you on Saturday and Hinata-san did the same thing on Sunday…”
“How could you even know about those details?!”
“Of course I know about them. You know, I…”
“Y-Yes?”
Her indifferent voice gave me an ominous feeling. I immediately averted my gaze.
From her reflection in the window, she seemed to be holding the hem of her skirt with her eyes downcast. Could she be nervous?…
“I was stalking you.”
…What?
‘I was stalking you’ echoed in my head repeatedly.
Maybe she just said nonsense like that because she was nervous? …But I doubt that, she was definitely telling me the truth.
Why the hell was she stalking me? I don’t understand her thought process at all!
The thing that I understood though, was the fact that I was about to enter a swamp. A bottomless swamp.
Once I entered it, I wouldn’t be able to get out and would be left suffocating to death inside.
Alright, let’s get out of here before it’s too late. Stop asking any more questions and just leave her alone.
“I-I see! So you were stalking me, Sanshokuin-san! Well, it’s no wonder that you know about everything! Well, I gotta go now!”
I lifted my hands, turned around and immediately started to speed walk away from her.
Run away, run away, run away.
“If you run, I have no choice but to tell him about what you’re doing.”
Don’t run away, don’t run away, don’t run away.
When I glanced behind me, I saw the apostle of death beckoning me to come closer.
Someone, please… I’ll give you all my heart, please save me…
“Come here, doggy.”
Now I knew what it felt like to be a death row criminal.
The pain and despair that they felt…
Slumping my shoulders, I went back to Pansy’s side.
Why did she always treat me like this?… Just, why?…
“Joro-kun.”
The shinigami called out my name, quickly moved away and sat down somewhere else.
“…What?”
The moment I saw that thing, I froze.
This was the library, not somewhere outdoors! This was a place for people to borrow and read books, nothing more, nothing less!
How did that… Bench get in here?! (T/N: Bench-kun counter: 3)
“I saw them selling it on the internet. The reviews said that it’s comfortable to sit on and they all love it, so I bought it for around 648O yen.”
I didn’t ask for that kind of explanation!
“Um… Do you mind sitting next to me first?
Those words! This atmosphere! C-Could it be?…
No good. I definitely should not sit next to her—
“Sit down, or else my mouth might run wild without me knowing.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I couldn’t even escape from this situation! Feeling miserable, I followed her instructions and sat down.
I tried to sit on her left side, but she mercilessly shoved me toward her right side.
However, she didn’t continue her words.
Ah, this scene again! We came full circle!
Pansy fiddled with her hair with her gaze wandering around suspiciously.
This wasn’t a scene that could make my heart flutter, but a scene straight from a horror movie!
“Um… Phew…”
Even that sweet-sounding exhale she made scared me.
“In truth, there is someone that I like…”
Yes, yes, I knew it. It was Sun-chan, right?
I knew how the story would progress after this. She was stalking me, trying to find everything she needed about me so that she could blackmail me to help her get close to Sun-chan. Alright, Pansy, just stop talking, save your breath.
“When I think about him, my chest feels tight. Just being able to see him every day makes me happy. I know this is selfish of me, but I always force myself to make an excuse to see him…”
Wow what a surprise~
Come to think of it, I saw her peeking into our classroom occasionally. So she was looking at Sun-chan, huh? Whenever I walked into the hallway, she always tried to approach me because of her devotion to him, huh?
What a bold girl!
“I…”
Slowly, but surely, she brought her face closer to mine.
She had the face of a maiden-in-love. Her face looked scary, scarier than even Fudo Myoo. (T/N: Fudo Myoo, or in Sanskrit, Acala, is one of Five Guardian Kings in Chinese Buddhism and by extension, Japanese Buddhism. He is the fierce manifestation of the Supreme Buddha, Mahavairocana or Dainichi Nyorai in Japanese.)
When our faces were close enough to the point that we could feel each other’s breaths, she closed her eyes.
Sun-chan! Come here!
“I like you, Joro-kun.”
…You should be mentioning Sun-chan there! Somehow I felt betrayed! Why the hell did you suddenly make an actual confession at that timing?! You weren’t Himawari! All those build up and you didn’t end up mentioning Sun-chan’s name!
“It started–”
“Okay! I don’t need to hear the rest of your story!”
With all my energy, I tried to stop her from talking. I really didn’t want to hear about any of these!
Seriously, I had enough! Just give me a break!
Pansy showed me a displeased look.
“I hate it when you talk like that…”
Huh? What the hell was she talking about?
“The one I fell in love with was the real you.” (T/N: Reminder that Joro is usually mimicking the way harem romcom mc talks. It doesn’t translate well into English, so pardon me if you didn’t get that.)
Pansy glanced at me while smiling.
The real me? Like, the real me?
The a**hole me, not the good, humble character I’ve been playing?
“Yes, that’s right.”
Oi, don’t read my mind casually like that!
“U-Um, Sanshokuin-san!”
“If you don’t drop that act, I’ll tell everyone everything.”
“Ugh!”
There was a mischievous glint in her eyes. Both corners of her lips rose up ever so slightly.
What a shame, if only she was a beautiful girl, I would be happy to be in this situation. Also, I doubt that she really knew—
“Let me talk with Hyde.” (T/N: Reference to the book Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Hyde. The book is about Henry Jekyll, a kind scientist who was amiable and well-liked by everyone and Edward Hyde, the alter-ego of Jekyll, an evil, mysterious and violent man who wouldn’t hesitate to commit heinous crimes. In here, she just connected Joro’s real personality to Hyde.)
In her hands was a book titled ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.’
This girl… She really figured me out, huh?
Still, for her to like the real me, was she right in the head? (Well, I figured that she isn’t from a while ago, but you know…)
Cr*p… What can I do here?
Not only was she aware of my plans, she was also aware of my true personality. It would be hard for me to go against her wishes now.
Well, if she were to ask me something that would endanger my life, of course, I would refuse it with all my might, but you know…
Alright, enough contemplating! Let’s just do this!
“…So, what’s your objective?”
When I changed my tone, her face turned bright as a big smile appeared.
“Disgusting! Ow!”
As soon as I said that, she stomped on my feet as hard as she could.
“Being honest is good, being too honest, however, is not.”
Being violent was also not good!
“My objective, huh?”
“Ouch… Right, your objective, what is it?! Let me say this straight, I’m not going to go out with you!”
“Me neither.”
“I thought you said you like me?”
“I do.”
Her tone sounded unusually clear when she gave that affirmation.
“Then, don’t you want to go out with me, kiss me and do…other things…with me?”
“I appreciate that you didn’t say s*x out loud.”
“Do you know the term ‘being subtle?!’ What’s the point of me avoiding saying that word when you just say it nonchalantly like that?!”
“That’s not my problem. Anyway, I only want to tell you my feelings.”
“You tell me your feelings, then what?”
“…”
“You haven’t thought this through, did you?”
Pansy turned her head away while pouting. I hit the nail on the head, it seemed.
Seriously, what’s wrong with her?! Was she always this thoughtless?!
“I can think of it later.”
“What a quick change of attitude…”
She then turned her gaze toward the ceiling. There was a slight tint of red on her cheeks.
“Love is a wonderful thing…”
“I want to refuse your feelings, can I?”
“Do whatever you like.”
“Okay…”
“By the way, Joro-kun, since you’ll be with Hinata-san in the morning and Akino-senpai after school, why don’t you spend your lunch here with me?”
Pansy twisted her body slightly and pointed toward the reading space.
“I refuse.”
“I refuse your refusal.”
“Didn’t you tell me that I can do whatever I like?”
“I didn’t tell you that you can refuse me.”
“Y-You…”
“Think about it, it isn’t such a bad deal for you. You can stay here quietly and no one will bother you here. Isn’t that what you want anyway?”
She was right. Barely anyone visited the library during lunch. Also, there was a secret advantage of being here.
“This is a good place to hide.”
Right. The library was big and there were so many places for me to hide in when it came down to it. Under the long desks, between the libraries and many more.
“But I have to be with you all the time whenever I’m here. That’s enough of a reason for me to not come here.”
“You hate me that much, huh, Joro-kun?”
“More than you can ever imagine.”
“I love honest people.”
“Me too.”
“See? Our feelings are mutual.”
“Not in that way! You and your positive thinking!”
“Really?”
Pansy tilted her head. Seeing this, my irritation grew.
“Yes, our feelings aren’t mutual at all! Let me set this straight with you! I have no desire to kiss you or do anything that’s related to that with you!”
“Me neither. That means our feelings are mutual.”
“Stop saying that!”
“Lunch is almost over. See you tomorrow.”
“O-Oi!”
She stood up and grabbed her things.
Then, she walked toward the exit. Just before she went outside the library, she stopped.
“…Saying all that made me feel embarrassed, you know?”
With that last remark, she hurriedly left the library.
Haah… Why did it turn out like this? …Out of all people why did it have to be her?
It wasn’t Cosmos or Himawari…
Even though I did all I could do so that everyone could love me.
Why…
Are you the only one who loves me?! (T/N: There we go, title drop.)
TL: Iyo
ED: Iyo
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Bench-sama is way too powerful!