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58. In the park
After talking for a while with Maegashira, we separated.
‘Why don’t we hangout somewhere today?’, Maegashira invited me so, but I replied, ‘I had something to do ‘.
Yeah, I politely declined his invitation… Well, to be honest I didn’t have anything to do….. No, no, it’s not like I hate him or anything. I just, I just confused by my friend who suddenly grew up after we entered high school, so I needed some time to calm down.
…… No, really….
I don’t have any prejudice against relationship between same gender, and since we’re friend, I thought since a long time ago that he might start approaching me with ‘that intention’, so I’m prepared for it.
Suddenly I raised my face, there… I saw .. a clear blue sky.
When I was looking at the sky for a while, I began to think that the thoughts I had made earlier might too narrow-minded.
I imagine my friends fooling around with his seniors at school, fighting with his classmates over seniors, and talking about that to his friends as a matter of course… In this world, this might not be something strange… maybe this is a part of the nature of this world…
I thought so while looking at the blue sky.
………… I really tried to think so! But, as expected, no matter what, it is just impossible! It’s too much for me…
The world is strange.
This world is full of beautiful women and beautiful girls, but men don’t look at them very much.
When I was walking with that in mind, I arrived at the park before I knew it, so I changed my mood and took a walk while enjoying nature. I saw that the cherry blossoms are still in bloom, so it really feels like ‘This is spring’.
As I walked in such a situation, I felt that my anguished thoughts had disappeared.
“Hatano-san!”
After walking for a while, I felt refreshed, so when I started thinking about going home, suddenly I was called out.
The woman who called me was a woman wearing a cap and a mask. Her getup just looked like what a ‘pervert’ would wear.
“……Who are you?”
“Oh? Don’t you notice someone who might be Hatano-san?”
Apparently, it’s a very annoying person …, very annoying …
The girl was trying hard to complain like, ‘Hey! It’s me! Look! You know right?!’… But, seriously I don’t know.
…If you really want me to know, at least take off your hat!
The woman kept insisting me to guess. But my guess was always wrong… So maybe, she became impatient, she finally took off her hat and mask.
“Mmmpphー, I’m can’t stand this anymoreー, it’s me. You remember now?!”
The woman, who is pointing at herself, was the clerk at bakery that was in the magazine I read in the morning.
…… Is this what they call ‘if you make a rumor, the shadow will appear’? [TN: I just translated the word literally to English. It has the same meaning as ‘Speak of the devil and he shall appear’]
I thought so while looking at the woman who is smiling.
I mean, what happened to your store? It’s not a regular holiday today … and Why’re you dressing like that???
Then, the woman put on her hat and mask again, and returned to looked like a ‘pervert’.
“Why are you in such a place? Skipping work, huh? And why are you dressing like that? Are you a ‘pervert’?…No, wait, you are a pervert.”
“No, no! It just that I’ve become a celebrity, oh! Do you know? My picture is in a magazine!”
“……So?”
“I mean, when you’ve become a celebrity, If people see you, they will flock to you, right? They might ask for a sign too!!… but I can’t sign… so I’m covering myself like this!”
This person… she may be stupid … No, I’m sure she is stupid… After all, It wouldn’t be possible for people to flock to ‘that extent’ just because she appeared in a magazine. Moreover, it’s not a fashion magazine, but a gourmet magazine …
“Well, I don’t think people will flock to you even if you aren’t covering yourself like that.”
“Haha, you can’t be serious right? I’m sure even right now, people around me are still looking at me.”
‘I’m dead serious!’…While thinking so, I tried to listen to the clerk’s words and checked the surroundings.
Certainly, many people are looking this way.
……But this is…
“Clerk-san, there are certainly people looking this way, but they aren’t looking here because of what you think.” [TN: yeah, in Japan even if you don’t know the name, like the staff or guard of the mall, they’ll sill put ‘-san’, and it will become like, ‘staff-san’ or ‘guard-san’.]
“Huh? So, why are they looking this way?”
“Clerk-san, if you try to listen them quietly, you can hear what they’re talking about.”
Then, the clerk tried to listen quietly while making a suspicious look.
「”Hey, shouldn’t you contact the police after all?” 」
「”But, he doesn’t make noise and he doesn’t look in hurry.. maybe they’re not a stranger to each other.” 」
「”Yeah… maybe… but if that’s true. Don’t you all feel upset that such a cute boy and such a pervert know each other? You’re upset right?! …” 」
「”… Of course, after all, we don’t even have any male acquaintance.” 」
「”Aaa, I’m so jealous!” 」
「”… yeah, I’m jealous too.” 」
When I glanced at the voice, there were women looking this way with a gaze that seems like they were cursing at something…… No, rather than to me that gaze was directed to the clerk. She looked stunned, perhaps because she could hear the voice properly.
“No way… That’s not true…”
And so on.
‘Please, face the reality, you idiot!’, was what I wanted to say, but I kept my mouth shut.
“Anyway, what are you doing in a place like this? The store is not closed today, right?”
“Uuuwuwu.. I’m shocked, so please give me some words of comfort …”
“Haha, are you for real?”
I laughed at the clerk who wants to be comforted.
The clerk looked at me and muttered, “Well, this is fine too…” with a slight blush.
This b**ch, as expected… I guess, she’s really an ‘M’…
[TN: Well in the raw, the author used a slang word that used for cursing woman that is ‘このアマ ! ’ , well to be honest the word, you might’ve never heard it or saw it used at all.]