LETSSS GOOO...I got crippling depression waiting for this to come back
Genjitsu de Rabukome Dekinai to Dare ga Kimeta?
Vol. 2 Chapter 3.2 - Chapter 3 – Who Decided That All of the Foreshadowing Was True?
Chapter 3 – Who Decided That All of the Foreshadowing Was True?
Part 2
[TN: I suppose I should do a little greetings here. Hi, I’m 64990022, I’ll be taking over this series from After Sleep. I work on my own, so compared to them, I’m unmatched in terms of quality. I’m juggling this with all my other novels, so well, bear with me. Feel free to point out if I messed up something and every comment is welcome. I look at comments here from time to time, but if you want it quick please hit me up on Discord: https://discord.com/invite/DJmCFkTr82 ]
[TN: And yes, this is Vol3 Ch 3 Part 2, right after where After Sleep left off]
After school.
I was waiting for Kiyosato-san’s arrival at Natural Glass, a chic restaurant about a 15-minute walk from the school. It was the same place we used for the after-party of the cheer practice. It was a long-established restaurant famous for its stylish appearance like a hideout café and Western-style cuisine using plenty of fresh vegetables. The taste and atmosphere were both perfect.
It was one of the top ranking places in the “Popular with Girls’” category of the Spot Note. However, the price range was quite expensive for high school students’ wallets, so it also serves as a secret meeting spot with low probability of bumping into other Kyou Nishi students despite its proximity to the school.
In the back private room, I flipped through the light novel.
Hmm, there were lots of good rom coms with twisted character settings these days. The Sekaikei genre boy-meets-girl is also reviving…Wish, request… I wish there’s a big bowl of ramen set…
[TN: Sekaikei: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SekaikeiGenre ]
[TN: The wish and request might be Hiyori-chan’s Request is Absolute reference.]
When I checked the clock on the wall, it was almost time for off school. The sky outside was pretty dark too. Usually, the tennis club should have finished practicing by now.
That said, I haven’t been able to go to a Going Home event with Kiyosasto-san lately. Her schedule in the evenings had become a little fuzzy.
Ah, so that’s why she suggested meeting here? At first, I proposed meeting at the school gate, but—
“What if it rains? It might take a while, so let’s meet at the place we had the after-party last time,” was what she said.
So I decided to go ahead and wait while enjoying an elegant caffeine buffet. Really, she’s so attentive to detail, as expected of my archangel.
Brrr, my phone vibrated.
Speaking of the devil?
[What’s wrong.]
Nope, it’s Uenohara. She replied to my rescheduling notice.
Hmm, should I tell her…? I mean, Kiyosato-san made me promise secrecy…
After a thought, I replied, [I’m doing Patrol Investigation]
As long as there is a nondisclosure agreement, I cannot tell the source of the story, even if it is Uenohara. The informant’s wishes should be respected. That’s an unbreakable rule of Investigations.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!”
A cute, clear voice carried through the restaurant. Kiyosato-san was in a ponytail today.
“The cleaning up took longer than usual today.”
She brushed the raindrops off her shoulders and set down the wet plastic umbrella in the corner.
“Phew…” She blew out before finally settling down.
Hm, she looked like she hurried here.
“Did you wait long?”
“Ah, um, I just got here… No, not really.”
Damit, I automatically replied with a rom com template!
“Ahaha, what’s with that response!” she laughed.
To hide my embarrassment, I cleared my throat.
Her giggle went on until a waitress came to pick up orders.
“No need to worry, actually. I was reading.”
“No, no, I can’t do that. You’ll be home late, won’t you?”
Whaaa, really!! Is she an angel?! She must have been tired from playing tennis, how can you be this nice? How?
The ordered iced coffee arrived. Kiyosato-san drank a third of it in one gulp, then took a breath and began.
“So, to the topic.” She brushed her hair over her right ear. I took a deep breath. “You know that Tokiwa-kun and Ayumi were in the same class in middle school?”
“Right. I heard that from Tokiwa.”
“And that they were childhood friends?”
“Heh…?”
I unintentionally let out a dumbfounded expression.
Wait. What do you mean? There’s a new “Character Setting” I haven’t heard of?
She giggled. “So you don’t know.”
“Ah, yeah, that’s unexpected.”
Phew, I quickly composed myself.
If they were childhood friends going all the way back to middle school… then why has neither of them acted like one?
I ran my eyes around the store.
“Wait. Didn’t when we were here last time, Tokiwa admitted that he had a childhood friend…?”
“Hmm, Nagasaka-kun, you have a good memory. But yeah, I asked him right out immediately after, that’s how I knew.”
Hoh, so it was back then! I was so focused on establishing my “Childhood Friend” that I hadn’t been paying attention… Note that, note that.
But if so, that begs the question. “But I don’t think they live close together? How did they get to know each other?”
From my info, Tokiwa lives in the basin area next to Shinonami Junior High, while Katsunuma is far off to the southern mountain area. It’s improbable that they live in the same neighborhood.
“It seems like the Tokiwa family moved when he was in elementary school.”
Oh, so that’s how it is, they came down from the countryside to the basin.
That said, Kiyosato-san sure knew a lot. I don’t see her interacting much in the class, but it seems that she got along quite well with Katsunuma.
“So, how does them being childhood friends come into play?”
“Well, in order. First… it seemed that Tokiwa-kun went out with an upperclassman back in middle school, that’s what I’ve heard.”
Hm, so that’s also relevant too…
“That girl was in one of the local gangs and got into trouble at school quite regularly.”
“Hmm…”
“By being with her, Tokiwa-kun sometimes got dragged into trouble too.”
That’s new information. I would love to know more about the specifics… but I suppose this wasn’t the place.
“I heard that he had a soft spot for people since he was young. He found it hard to refuse her, I heard.”
That’s possible, the trait matched the data I have.
“When Ayumi heard of this, she went straight to business. ‘Don’t drag him into this,’ she said.”
I drew in a sharp breath.
Whoah…
She sure got guts.
“Tokiwa-kun has been a promising basketball player since around then, he might got suspended if anything serious happened.”
So Katsunuma did that for Tokiwa’s sake. I see, so that’s what Kiyosato-san meant when she said she was “caring.”
“Anyway, they had a bargain. The girlfriend won’t drag Tokiwa-kun into trouble anymore, in exchange for Ayumi not interfering with them.”
“Huh?”
How selfish of that gal! She was just afraid that the caring childhood friend would take away her boyfriend wasn’t she!
“Ayumi knew that Tokiwa-kun was serious about the relationship, so for his sake too, she agreed to the deal.”
Tch…
“But that girl wasn’t satisfied. She then spread bad rumors about Ayumi and she became a loner.”
“That’s…!”
This is why I hate delinquents! That’s definitely an overkill!
She took the glass in both hands and continued.
“Despite everything, she dumped Tokiwa-kun when she was graduating, telling him he wasn’t needed anymore.”
Wow, that’s the worst.
That must have been tough on Tokiwa himself, not to mention Katsunuma seeing that all she did was for naught.
“That’s why she regrets it. She thinks that she should have kept an eye on him from the beginning, and hence the reactions she’s showing now.”
Wait, wait, wait. Isn’t Katsunuma actually a really good fella?! Ahh! I should have checked more information!!
Having said that much, Kiyosato-san slowly sipped her coffee.
With this piece, I could pretty much see the whole picture. This explained why she was so hostile towards Uenohara and attacked Anayama the other day. She saw us as a threat she must protect Tokiwa from.
In any case, Katsunuma was desperate to protect her precious childhood friend. While her means was aggressive, she had good intentions at heart.
Besides, I saw a newfound rom com aptitude for her. If anything, she’s the ultimate template “childhood friend.”
“So,” Kiyosato-san brought the topic back to me. “I don’t want you to misunderstand her. She isn’t doing this to you out of spite.”
Her eyes narrowed into a soft smile.
“Actually, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I had a feeling that by having Ayano as your childhood friend, you might understand her.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Needless to say, I won’t disapprove of Katsunuma’s actions. There was no way I would disapprove of such a perfect rom com!
“I think Ayumi saw his ex in you, I think. That girl was also active, the type who made people do things.” Saying this, she suddenly became flustered and waved her hand violently. “Of course! I’m not saying that Nagasaka-kun’s a delinquent or anything!”
I nodded.
She patted her chest in relief and continued.
“She was convinced that you’re up to something nasty. I tried to tell her otherwise…she won’t listen.” She looked at me painfully. “But what she did at the volleyball match was uncalled for. I tried to stop her but I failed… Sorry.”
So that’s where she went during the game. So that Katsunuma won’t bump into us…
“I’ll try better next time. And I’ll need your help too, Nagasaka-kun, don’t do anything to provoke Ayumi,” she ended.
Then, wistfully yet sadly, she said, “Can’t we go on like usual? Live by the ordinary. That’s what I think.”
I kept my eyes down and remained silent.
Go on like usual. Live by the ordinary.
That would mean suspending the Project. Any more of this and I’d put Katsunuma on high alert, the conflict would escalate.
Besides, if I want to respect her feelings as a childhood friend…
Maybe I should consider reassessing my stance at this moment.
“Will you promise me?”
I was about to answer her when—
Brr, brr, brr, brr.
“A second, sorry.”
RINE? No, this pattern… Uenohara Emergency? I smoothly opened the phone and red under the table.
It was Uenohara.
[Stay true to yourself.]
What kind of emergency is this…?
The content of the message was my policy as the “Main Character.” But what does it have to do now?
“Who’s it from?” Kiyosato-san asked.
“Ahh, um, a moment.”
I bought time and ran my thoughts.
–Think about it. With Katsunuma’s newfound rom com potential, then there are means to come to an understanding. As of now, her lack of rom com aptitude influences the class as a whole. In other words, If only I could eliminate her concerns, then there would be no reason for us to fight.
With all considered, instead of trying to maintain the status quo, I could go forward with the Project. Or perhaps I could say that going forward is the best choice there is.
“Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I understand your concern now.”
“Well, then”
“It doesn’t sit right with me for you to deal with all of this. I’ll do what I think is best. Maybe there’s a way to clear all this up right good.”
“I see…”
Kiyosato-san choked on her words for a moment before quickly scanning the room. Then her piercing gaze stopped at the window.
Hm? What’s it?
I looked outside as well, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. It was the usual rainy evening traffic outside.
“Sorry for taking your time, that’s all for me.”
“Uh, yeah.”
She took a long drink at her glass before standing up.
“Let’s go, it’s already dark outside.” She reached for the still dripping umbrella.
“By the way, Kiyosato-san.”
“Hm?”
“I’m directly involved with the case, so I’d like to do something about it. But you aren’t, are you? Yet, why are you doing so much for me?”
It was true that she was kind. That was exactly what caught my attention when I first met her. But what was the driving force behind her concern for others to such an extent?
She stopped walking and turned around to face me. As she did so, the hair that she put over her right ear fell back into place.
“I can’t stand doing nothing while seeing that people are hurting.” She brushed her hair back over her ear again. “I really can’t leave them like that…”