The British Girl wants to say "SUKI" not "I Love You." (LN) - Chapter 4 - Two people getting closer
This is unedited.
Chapter 4 — Two people getting closer.
The day after having dinner with the Saint.
I woke up at the usual time and opened the front door to head to school like any other day.
Looking outside, I could see young men jogging, elderly couples taking a stroll together, and elementary school students walking to school with their friends.
It felt like the cool breeze was signaling the start of the day, telling me that my usual routine would continue like this—
“Good morning, Kisaragi-san.”
—Except it didn’t start like that.
“…Why are you here?”
When I opened my apartment’s door, what instead greeted me was our class’ Saint, with her blonde hair fluttering through the air. Although it may be too soon to say, it seems like I need to correct the assumption that things would be the same as always.
“I came to return this,” Hiiragi said as she took out the tupperware I gave her yesterday from her bag.
“You didn’t need to return it this early, you could have done it after school.”
“No, I thought it would be better to give it back while I remembered.”
“I guess so.”
A saint is a saint indeed, how diligent. If it were me, I would have definitely left it at home and return it at night.
I took the tupperware and, after taking off my shoes, went inside then placed it in the kitchen cabinet.
“So, Kisaragi-san.”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Would you like to go—”
“I refuse.”
“—Ehhh!?”
Was it because I interrupted her that she was displeased or was it because I refused her, she was pouting her cheeks cutely.
…At least once, I would like to pinch those cheeks.
“Why would you refuse immediately!?”
“Well, even if you ask me why…”
Hearing her words, I couldn’t help but scratch my head.
“Alright, let’s imagine what it would be like if we walked to school together.”
“…Imagine?”
“Yeah… Let’s say we were walking together while talking about trivial things. When people see that kind of display, they would immediately think that we’re some kind of couple.”
“C-Couple!?”
Was she embarrassed from hearing my words? Her face was flushed red.
“And then, when we casually walk into the classroom together, everyone would be surprised and say, ‘Eh?’ ‘Why is the saint with him?’ We would hear their questioning voices. Meanwhile, the jealous ones would start showing bloodshot eyes and we would feel uncomfortable─”
Sigh… The scene looks so vivid that I can already feel the chills running down my spine.
“—To conclude, I can’t go together with you.”
“L-let’s go to school together!”
“Were you even listening to me!?”
After hearing my words, the saint for some reason made a small fist.
“Hey, didn’t I just say it would make us feel uncomfortable? Did you really listen to what I said?”
“Yes! But still!”
Even though I said that it would result in harsh consequences if we were to attract too much attention, why does she seem to easily accept it like that?
“…You actually hate me, don’t you, Hiiragi?”
“I-I don’t! I don’t hate you! If anything, I…”
“Hm?”
“N-nothing! Come on, let’s go quickly!”
Hiiragi’s face looked flushed and she seemed flustered, but she suddenly pulled my hand and we started to head in the school’s direction.
…Ehhh, are we really going to school?
The stares around us looked painful, and considering what would happen next—
“Ugh… my stomach hurts…”
♦♦♦
“Excuse me, Miss Hiiragi?”
“What is it, Kisaragi-san?”
“Do you perhaps get these kinds of stares everyday?”
“I don’t know why you’re suddenly talking formally, but… yes, it is always like this.”
“For real…?”
I was feeling worn out as I held back my stomach that was churning up.
We walked for a while and eventually arrived at a busy street with more people passing by. Of course, as we got closer to the school, the number of people had also increased—
“Look, isn’t that the Saint right there?”
“You’re right, it’s the Saint.”
“But who’s that guy next to her?”
“C-could it be… her boyfriend!?”
Eyes full of curiosity, jealousy, and suspicion were showering my entire body as if they were licking me all over.
It was extremely unpleasant and uncomfortable.
“…You sure are amazing, aren’t you, Saint?”
“I already told you to stop calling me that!”
Replied the cute Saint who looked displeased next to me.
…Nah, I’m sorry. I don’t really have the time to pay attention to your beauty right now.
The stares and voices of the people around me were bothering me, and my mental state was slowly deteriorating—But seriously, the Saint really is amazing, to always attract all of these stares everyday.
At any rate, if I was going to attract attention anyway, it would have been better if it it was from the hot stares of a bikini-clad onee-chan.
“B-but… these kind of attention aren’t as bad as you say…”
“Did you say something?”
“N-no, it’s nothing!”
The Saint hurriedly waved her hands and walked ahead with a red face.
…What was she talking about? If she wanted to say something, she should have spoken louder. Otherwise, the conversation wouldn’t move forward, you know?
“Come on, hurry up! Otherwise we’ll be late!”
After saying that, the Saint gave me a cute smile and walked ahead.
…With all said and done, I think the reason we’re running late was only because of Hiiragi.
“…Sigh. Let’s go on a separate way from Hiiragi once we arrived at school.”
With a small sigh, I ponder what’s to come once we arrive at school.
…At the very least, I hope our classmates won’t find out about this.
I prayed, before following Hiiragi’s hurrying figure to school.
♦♦♦
“Good morning.”
“Ah, morning Manaka.”
“Morning.”
After entering the classroom, I greeted some familiar faces before sitting down. Somehow, I managed to arrive in time despite everything that had transpired.
In the end, after having been brought into the school against my will, I convinced Hiiragi to enter the classroom on a different time. At first, she seemed dissatisfied for some reason, but she eventually agreed after I emphasized the risk it posed to my life.
I mean, she’s not a squirrel whose food has been taken away, so she didn’t need to puff up her cheeks like that so much…
Is puffing up cheeks a new fashion trend for her these days?
I thought as I turned to look towards the edge of the classroom.
Then, Hiiragi, who entered the classroom before me, seemed to notice my gaze as she waved at me with a small gesture.
“You… have you perhaps gotten closer with the Saint?”
Toudou, who was observing our behavior, directed a curious gaze towards us.
“Hm? Do you think so…?”
“Isn’t that so? She was just facing your way and waving, wasn’t she?”
“Perhaps.”
“As expected of our Manaka. To think that you’ve already gotten close with the Saint in just a day.”
Well, there were various impetus or should I say, circumstances…
Perhaps her being unusually proactive is also a reason why we seem to have gotten along well.
“You… weren’t you saying until yesterday that there was something about her that you didn’t like?”
“Well, yeah… but, you know, after hanging out with her, I realized that my impression of her was different. Like, even if I thought the bikini onee-chan was the sexiest, when I saw the onee-chan in a school swimsuit, she was actually sexier… or something like that.”
“That’s a gross analogy.”
Toudou recoiled in earnest while wrapping her body with her arms.
…Strange. Was my analogy too hard for her to understand?
It seems that it is a feeling that girls can’t understand.
“Well, leaving your analogy aside, I’m just happy that Manaka is finally getting along with other people.”
“I’ve already told you, stop treating me like a loner.”
Is she casually making fun of me? A little bit more, then my patience would reach its limit and would soon gestaltzerfall. [TLN: Fuck this term and also the author why do this when I’m dumb, but basically gestaltzerfall is where something seems to lose its meaning after long exposure. I guess this means that since she always make fun of him, the limit of his patience would lose its meaning and explode. I guess. I don’t even know how to use this in a sentence, gdi]
“Good morning, everyone.”
As we were talking, the Saint, who had been surrounded by our classmates until a moment ago, approached us.
“Morning, saint.”
“Mornin’.”
Souta responded to the saint’s greeting, and I also greeted her back even though I had just been with her earlier, while trying hard so as not to be noticed.
“Hey… saint.”
“What is it, Toudou-san?”
“Can we talk alone for a bit?”
The moment the saint arrived, Toudou immediately gave her a glare.
Why are you so hostile towards her, Toudou-san? Souta was just giving her a simple greeting.
“Hey, Toudou—”
While feeling that the awkward atmosphere Toudou made was unusual, I called out to her.
“Well, let’s just let Miyuki and her go.”
“Why?”
“Miyuki is also worried about you, Manaka.”
What the hell is Souta talking about?
Toudou’s worried about me? It’s surprising enough that she would worry about me, but what exactly is she worried about?
“I don’t mind at all,” replied Hiiragi calmly in response to Toudou’s sharp gaze.
“Shall we go then?”
“Yes.”
After saying so, both Toudou and Hiiragi slowly left the classroom.
“…What on earth was that about?”
“Nothing, just forget about it.”
“Huhh?”
I tilted my head in confusion, unable to understand the current situation.
♦♦♦
（※Miyuki’s POV）
“Here should be fine, no one will come here.”
After leaving the classroom, we walked up the stairs and arrived at an empty corridor.
“Yes, since homeroom is about to start, we should probably finish talking fast.”
The saint replied with a calm smile.
As expected… it looks irritating.
In some way, her smile overlapped with that woman’s.
Is this girl perhaps the same as that woman?
“I guess. Then, I’ll get straight to the point—what do you hope to achieve by getting close with him?”
“By ‘him’—do you mean, Kisaragi-san?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Let me see… how should I put this…”
Muttering so, the saint thought for a moment before answering, “…I guess because… he helped me?”
“He helped you?”
“Yes, two days ago, I was being harassed by some senior students after school when Kisaragi-san came to help me.”
Thinking about Kisaragi’s character of not being able to abandon someone in trouble, I couldn’t help but feel a little exasperated.
Though, I’m pretty sure he would’ve probably just answered that he didn’t like what he was seeing and left without asking any questions.
He does that without considering what the other party might feel, making him quite nasty.
Well, the same goes for me too, though.
“And, you’re saying that you’re doing this to repay the favor?”
So far, there have been a lot of people who have been helped by Kisaragi. Most of them approach him saying that they want to repay the favor.
…There is no problem with that itself. If they want to repay the favor, then they can do so on their own.
—But.
Like hell I’d let someone who is giving the same vibes as that woman get close to him.
That woman who took Kisaragi’s first love. On the surface, she was a popular and friendly girl, always with a smile on her face, and approached Kisaragi.
At first, she was just like that, but… it was different from halfway onwards.
And, just how much Kisaragi was hurt by that… Even he himself doesn’t know.
Seeing my benefactor in such a state once is enough, never again.
That’s why I have to be firm. I have to make sure to assess the people who want to approach him.
“…Indeed, at first, I was also thinking of repaying the favor I owed. However—”
“However?”
And then, the Saint opened her mouth, looking a little embarrassed.
“S-should I say I ended up becoming more interested in Kisaragi-san… or should I say, I wanted to become closer with him…”
The Saint then placed both hands on her cheeks and squirmed around, blushing.
…Eh? What kind of reaction was that? It’s kinda different from what I was expecting.
“W-well, um… I also thought at first that I should repay the favor, however…”
Moreover, what’s this? Her expression is completely different from the one she usually shows to everyone.
“I-It’s kind of embarrassing to say it out loud…”
The Saint said, looking embarrassed as she blushed and squirmed around.
“…When Kisaragi-san helped me, he told me plainly and straightforwardly that he didn’t like me, without any pretenses or decorations.”
That guy… he sure is brazen to say things straightforwardly to people’s faces… Should I say he’s manly or something?
“And so, even though I thought about repaying the favor, I became so angry! ‘Why would you say something like that?!’ I told him.”
“I feel you.”
Anyone would get angry if someone suddenly told them they didn’t like them to their face.
Even someone known for being so kind that they got the nickname ‘Saint’ would.
“However… he was the first person to say something like that to me. Everyone else has always been kind to me, or should I say he was different in that sense…”
…Well, that’s true.
There are people around the Saint who can be called her friends, but there’s no one who would openly say they dislike her to her face. Rather, everyone would want to be liked by her.
Do they simply see her as a mascot? Or do they simply want to get along with her?
…For the saint who was always surrounded by only such people, it was probably a fresh experience.
“That’s why I became interested in Kisaragi-san, and… tried to interact with him.”
“I see… So, that’s the reason why you wanted to get close with him?”
If that’s the case, should I feel relieved… or?
At the very least, judging from the saint’s current attitude and story, I don’t think she’s the same as that woman.
“Yes… that’s right. —But, the reason is a little different now.”
“Different?”
After saying so, the saint blushed and opened her mouth again, looking embarrassed.
“After walking home together with Kisaragi-san yesterday, I realized that I wanted to become closer to Kisaragi-san… or should I say, I found myself wanting to spend more time with him.”
I was shocked speechless by the sight of the saint acting like that.
…What is this expression?
It was as if she was a maiden in love.
…So the saint can also make expressions like these.
“I-Is that so…?”
“Yes, that’s right! When we were walking home together, he matched his pace to mine and casually made sure I walked on the side away from the road. He was fun to talk with and the gentle eyes he would sometimes show me also made me happy. Plus, the food he made was delicious, and he helped me even though he looked exasperated with me sometimes—”
…What the hell am I even listening to?
And how am I supposed to react to her especially when her eyes are twinkling so much?
Or rather, isn’t she just straight out boastfully talking about her love life?
With that in mind, I asked the saint who couldn’t stop talking.
“Hey, saint.”
“What is it, Toudou-san?”
“Do you perhaps… like Kisaragi?”
When I asked as such, the saint froze in place—
“Fueee?!”
As if my question weren’t enough already, her face flushed red and she fumbled.
“I-It’s not like I like him or anything! I-I mean, it’s not like I hate him either, but only as friends! A-and besides, we might not even be friends yet either! Uuu…!”
And then, perhaps overwhelmed by embarrassment, she finally covered her face and crouched down on the ground.
“…Sigh.”
I was worried for nothing.
I thought, before glancing at the saint.
There’s no way a girl like this could be the same as that woman.
I think she seriously wants to be friends with Kisaragi, and there is no doubt that she’s interested in him.
Besides… she seems like a good girl, so this could be a good opportunity for him to forget his first love.
After settling out my thoughts about this matter, I offered my hand to the saint.
“I understand how you feel, saint—Also, I apologize for asking you such a weird thing earlier.”
When I reached out my hand, the saint looked surprised for a moment before taking my hand. Then, she smiled at me with her usual gentle expression.
“It’s fine. I know that Toudou-san is just worried about Kisaragi-san.”
“That so? Thanks.”
And then, the saint stood up and lightly patted her skirt.
“Well then, if you don’t mind, please continue being friends with him. I’m sure he’d also be glad if he got along with you, saint.”
“Yes, I would also be glad if I got along with him. Also, please stop calling me ‘saint’. I also hope to become friends with you, Toudou-san.”
After saying so, the saint blushed shyly.
…What is with this cute little creature?
Has the saint always been like this?
“I’m fine with that. Then I’ll call you Stella, so you should call me Miyuki too.”
“Yes! Thank you very much, Miyuki-san!”
Stella’s face then turned into a smile of joy, like a flower in full bloom.
“Well then, shall we go back to the classroom?”
“Yes, let’s.”
After calling each other by our first names, we headed back to the classroom.
…With this, I guess everything is sorted out?
At the very least, Stella doesn’t seem like a bad girl, and maybe this will end up as an opportunity to help with that guy’s first love thingy—Plus,
Well, I’ll forgive her for being cuter than me this time.
At this moment, I felt like we had become somewhat closer to each other.
Was it because of Stella’s openness about her feelings—
Either way, I’m sure I’ve come to like her a little bit.
Therefore, let’s leave it at that.
I came to that conclusion within myself and opened the door to the classroom that we returned to.
TL: Kkain
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