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Vol. 1 Chapter 5.1
Yuzuki Minato won’t turn back
Translated by 64990022
Chapter 5: Yuzuki Minato won’t turn back
Part 1
“Oi–, the literature lad over there.”
Konomi Kujiru’s book disappeared, and reappeared in Yukito’s hand. He then began turning the pages.
“Hey, give it back.”
“Just the usual romane story, huh” he sighed.
“What’s wrong? Romance is superb.”
“I’m more into real life romance though–”
He conceded the book. I did put a bookmark on the page, but it was still annoying.
“And? Don’t tell me you’re interrupting your customer without a proper reason.” I waved him away.
“Uhh, the shop’s closed. Help me clean up or go home, choose one.”
“Ehh? Aah…” I switched the phone open and checked the time. It was indeed past the closing time. It seemed that I was completely immersed, as expected of Kujiru’s work.
I decided to help with the closing work, partly because of the guilty conscience of staying too long.
I cleaned the floor and was now putting the dishes back on the shelves.
“Hii” I heard the door open and a chirpy voice.
The one who enters despite the “close” sign could be no one but the inner circle.
Yukito perked from the counter. “Oh, Aki-chan, it’s been a while. Back from club?”
“Just finished my dinner, have nothing to do, and then here. It’s hot outside.”
Aki Hiura in her green jersey made her way into the cafe. With a thump, she sat down unceremoniously on a nearby chair.
Her house was nearby, so it was probably true.
“Hey, I just cleaned it. Stop where you are.”
“Duhh, I cleaned my shoes already.” Why was she the one who was exasperated? Why did everyone insist on annoying me lately?
Hiura is acquainted with Yukito and visits the store from time to time. Although this was the first time she barged in despite the close sign.
As usual, the way she spoke was the same, as if Yukito was her friend.
[TN: Japaneses are strict about social hierarchy, so this is quite rude]
Even though she said she came here for free air conditioning, she did her share of work. She was crass and sometimes hostile, but this side of her balanced it out.
Yukito and Hiura, what a strange combo. They both knew that I was the Angel…
I stood. “Can I ask you two something?”
“Don’t slack off–”
“Well…”
As long as I was getting paid, complaining was a no-go. Although Hiura wasn’t getting any pay.
“Making someone fall for you despite having no intention of going out… Is that bad?” My voice made its way through the deserted cafe.
[TN: Remember that TN long ago? Well, it’s here now. Minato said she likes Io since the end of the first chapter, but he never saw his own face when he checked, probably some plot point in later vol.]
[TN: The author plans the series to be 10+ vol, so it might be a while before this got mention again]
The two of them continued working in silence.
“I don’t even know the context. You expect an answer from just that?” Hiura was the first to say something.
Well, I suppose she had her point.
“Umm… Like, to do it for other purposes. Even if I’m successful in doing so, I would never accept the other side’s feelings.”
“Normally, that’s bad. Maybe more on the creepy side.” Simple and concise, that’s Hiura for you.
In contrast, Yukito kept his pleasant smile. He was not in the mood to talk?
“I thought as much…”
“You already know that, but still asked anyway. The situation isn’t ‘normal’, yeah?”
“You never fail my expectations.”
“Hmph.” She snorted.
Another one who was sharp despite their fooling around. That was why she was both reliable and scary.
She moved to wipe the counter. “Tell me what you can. Else, it’d be just a waste of time.”
Fortunately, I had already informed Minato of this possibility. This was all for her sake.
I filtered through things, omitted the names, and tried my best at explaining the current situation. By the time I was done, the cleaning process was already done. We were slumping at different corners by that time.
“I had a pretty good idea of who that playgirl is”
“She’s not a playgirl.”
Well, without a name to refer to her by, I guess it was unavoidable.
But it wasn’t like they had no idea who that was…
“So, how does she has anything to do with ‘making her fall’”
“Well, essentially, to cure her of the ailment, getting her to fall for someone who has no intention of dating her. Was that justified?”
“Stop those unnecessary complications. Who’s making who fall for them?” She gestured exasperatedly.
I was at a loss for words. Like she said, that was complicating things.
But… I just can’t…
“‘Make her fall for you’, right?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Hmm, tell me more.”
Hahh, she’s sharp.
“If she likes me, it’d be the best sample,” I conceded.
“I see,” she said flatly.
“We could narrow down things, it’d be better that way. She doesn’t like me yet, so when she does, it would narrow down the margin significantly.”
“And you think that is your best chance? But the earlier question, you’re unsure, no?”
“Yeah, something like that.” I let out a long sigh.
This was the conclusion I had come to over the last few days. If we were willing to give it our all, then this was irrefutable option. In fact, I should have thought of this earlier.
And maybe, Minato too…
Hiura suddenly stood. “Well, back to your supposition earlier.”
Yukito retained his cool smile.
“So, you won’t accept her feelings even if that playgirl likes you.”
“Yeah.”
“Absolutely?”
“Yeah, I can’t”
“Hmm” Her look was half-frown, half-scowl. “But ‘like’ and ‘wanting to date’ can be separate things?”
“Well… yes, but that’s not the point. Is it really okay to do so?” I get what she was getting to, but this was about feelings, not reason. You don’t use reason with romantic feelings.
I probably wanted an affirmation.
Because I couldn’t be confident about the results.
“Your events are a mess, so I’ll keep it simple.”
“Please do…”
She deliberately walked this way, then sat down on the opposite seat. She rested her chin on one hand, the other’s pinky to her eye.
“As far as I’m concerned, your plan sucks,” she booed.
“Eh? Why?”
I spent days thinking, you know?
“Is there any pattern when you like someone in the first place? You must have seen people doing 180° flips when it comes to love more than I do.”
“You have a point…”
But hearing it from her was quite unexpected.
“So even if she likes you, it doesn’t mean anything, or it could mean something. What if you’re a special case? It would only mess up your data even more. You can’t describe irregularity with regularity.”
“I-I see…”
She was frank, but that was logical. She was harsh, but that was what I needed.
“Then, what would you do?”
“If it’s me, I’d start by setting high probability hypotheses, and then verify them. Although slightest miss might be fatal… Well, it’s not like I have done this before.”
“Oh… You’re a genius, Hiura.”
“No, you’re the one whose thinking is too narrow. Like this,”