Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
Title: You aren’t a very good actor, Yuunagi-san\n
The next day, lunch break.\n
I laid the bento I brought onto my desk and opened it up, letting out a long sigh.\nFor some reason, I felt a bit uneasy.\n
Yesterday I had ended up listening to Yuunagi’s suggestion, or should I say request.\nThat request being a way for us to be together at school without exposing ourselves.\n
The reason that I went with her suggestion was clear.\nI was slowly becoming less and less strict with Yuunagi.\n
After all, she’s an incredibly beautiful girl.\nAnd on top of that, she’s cute on the inside too.\nI can’t help but be lenient when she says things like, “I like you, so I want to be next to you” with that kind of expression.\n
But, of course, that doesn’t mean I’m beginning to be attracted to her as a member of the opposite sex.\nPut simply, I’m only being moved by her affection.\nThat’s all it is.\n
But I also know that isn’t a good thing.\nI shouldn’t be making her expect more from me when, in the first place, I have no intention of responding to her feelings.\n
That’s right.\nFrom now on, I have to reject her requests with a firm will.\nI sipped my tea from the plastic bottle and firmly nodded my head.\n
“Sakuraba-kun.”(Kasumi)\n
As soon as I finished swallowing the tea, I heard someone call out to me.\nI slowly turned my face in the direction of the voice.\n
Glossy, short black hair and narrow, sleepy-looking eyes.\nA girl with a petite stature, who, despite her looks, gave off a mature air.\n
Saying this with an indifferent expression, Shirato sat down in the empty seat in front of me.\n
“I’ve heard from Shizuno. It’s been quite difficult for you.”(Kasumi)\n
“….Well, I guess it has been a bit problematic.”(Sakuraba)\n
I was having a hard time answering, but I still managed to give her my honest opinion.\n
Even though Shirato and I are in the same class, we haven’t ever talked before.\nBut she’s also the sole person to know about the relationship between Yuunagi and I.\nMaybe that’s the reason why I somehow don’t feel like it’s the first time I’m talking to her.\n
Shirato continued in a whisper.\n
“It’s absurd isn’t it? Forcing you to accept her as your girlfriend. Even though you seem uncomfortable with the idea.”(Shirato)\n
“It really is absurd.”(Sakuraba)\n
“Yep. But, well, that’s probably just how desperate Shizuno is. That’s why I hope you can forgive her. I think it’s the first time she has fallen in love with someone.”(Kasumi)\n
Without changing her expression, Shirato said this.\n
She has a somewhat mysterious atmosphere around her.\nDespite being a close friend of the lively and cheerful Yuunagi, she’s surprisingly quite calm.\n
“If she ever gets too insistent, I’ll scold her for you, so just let me know. After all, you seem to be a bit too kind to her, Sakuraba-kun.”(Kasumi)\n
“Well…..I guess that’s true. I understand.”(Sakuraba)\n
I was at a loss, but I decided to gratefully accept those words.\nIt seems that she isn’t entirely on Yuunagi’s side.\nOr rather, she seems to be a very sensible and logical person.\n
“So, Shizuno told me yesterday but….”(Kasumi)\n
“Oh, that’s right.”(Sakuraba)\n
So we’re getting to the main topic.\nThere was a proper reason for Shirato to come talk to me.\n
The suggestion that Yuunagi made yesterday was this.\n
First, I would become friends with Yuunagi’s friend, Shirato.\nAnd then, after that, we would add Yuunagi to the mix, and we would pretend to hang out. All of this would give the impression to other people that the three of us had become friends over the course of a few days.\n
“ ‘If we do this, I can be together with Sakuraba-kun naturally! So please! Cooperate with me, Kasumi!’ ……is what she told me.”(Kasumi)\n
“And so you really are going to cooperate….It’s tough on you too Shirato-san.”(Sakuraba)\n
“I turned her down twice, but she was really persistent.”(Kasumi)\n
“How should I say this….I think I know exactly how you feel.”(Sakuraba)\n
When I said this, Shirato’s cheeks loosened slightly, and she let out a chuckle.\nSomehow, I feel like I’ve just seen something very unusual.\n
“Well, that being said, nice to meet you Sakuraba-kun.”(Kasumi)\n
“Yeah, it’s nice to meet you too.”(Sakuraba)\n
After exchanging some light greetings, Shirato placed her bento onto my desk.\nThe two of us leisurely enjoyed our lunch together.\n
Even a scene like this was unnatural enough, but Shirato and I are in the same class, so it’s probably okay.\n
After a bit, the hallway suddenly grew noisy, just like it had at that time a while ago.\nAt the same time, I could hear voices saying “Aa! It’s Yuunagi-san!”\nSure enough, she seemed to have arrived.\n
“If it’s Shirato-san, she should be in the classroom.”(Villager C)\n
“I see, thanks.”(Yuunagi)\n
After having such a conversation, Yuunagi appeared in the classroom soon after.\nOur gazes met perfectly, and, for a brief moment, a big smile appeared on her face.\n
“Ka-, Kasumi. Wh- What are you doing?”(Yuunagi)\n
Saying this line in a voice that anyone would call monotone, Yuunagi approached us.\nAll eyes in the class were gathered on us.\n
Let’s try to act as normal as possible.\nI tried to keep this in mind as I swallowed a piece of my omelet.\n
“What an amazing bento!”\n
“Oh, I-, I see—! That’s true—!”\n
Shirato didn’t even try to hide her dismay.\nApparently, it seems that Yuunagi is a fairly poor actor.\n
“O-, Oh—? You’re hanging out with….that’s Sakuraba-kun right? Kasumi, are the two of you friends?”(Yuunagi)\n
“…..Well, I guess. We only started getting along recently, though.”(Kasumi)\n
The two of them seemed to be deliberately letting everyone else listen in on the conversation.\nI see, so it’s something they’re doing to keep everyone from getting suspicious.\n
After that, the friendly exchange between the two of them continued.\nTrying to make our relationship look as realistic as possible, I intentionally didn’t participate that much in the conversation.\n
But still, this is a really complicated way of doing things, isn’t it.\n
“Aoto-kun.”\n
Just as I was close to finishing my lunch, I heard someone call out to me again.\nIt wasn’t Yuunagi or Shirato.\nBut the voice was familiar to me.\n
“Mikura-san, what’s wrong?”(Sakuraba)\n
Mikura Yuzuri, my classmate as well as the class representative.\nCompared to the amount I talk to the other girls in my class, I guess I talk to her more frequently.\n
“There’s just something I wanted a bit of help with. Is now a good time?”(Mikura)\n
“Sure, I don’t mind.”(Sakuraba)\n
It was rare for her to ask for a favor.\nI quickly put away my bento and followed after her.\n
When I looked back over at my seat, I saw Yuunagi glaring at me, or rather at Mikura’s back, with an incredibly scary expression on her face in a way that was very similar to that other day. \n
[TLN: go back to previous chapters if you don’t remember]\n
As the neighboring Shirato waved at me, I exited the classroom with a sigh.\n
—————————————————————————————————————-\n
TLN:\n
First off, happy new year I guess. Second off, you know how I said a week ago “hopefully I can get another chapter out tomorrow” ……..Let’s just pretend that never happened. A combination of me procrastinating and stuff popping up kind of fucked me over, so I’m barely managing to get in 1 chapter this week despite promising 2 or 3.\n
“New Years Resolutions So Far:\n
<ol>Actually translate when you say you’re going to translateStop procrastinating”</ol>\nWell I definitely won’t follow either so yeah……\n
Oh and if you find any grammar issues please lmk. This one was sort of rushed.\n\n