CH 33

Watashi, Dokidoki Renai Kakumei de Onii-chan Yattemasu.

Chapter 33 – The Sports Festival and the Odd-Jobber and the Staying Over (6)

I was thinking how terrifying how terrifying, however once I went for it, it lasted but a moment.

We, the Year 2 Class A volleyball team, got 4th place at the end of the day, and secured 10th place overall. This result was mainly obtained by the good performance of Soutarou, Prince and Kaname. These fellows, they have the looks and they excel in sports, exactly how much are they blessed with. Do bestow some unto me too.

In the first place, the thing called volleyball isn’t something very complicated.

The team that scores 25 points first wins. The team that procures 2 sets of out 3, wins. The rules are clear-cut and simple.

Return the ball that comes flying within 3 contacts. The team that lets it drop loses. What an easily-understandable rule.

Even so, I can’t accomplish that. Even for a normal high school student playing volleyball, there’s no issue height-wise for me, and this may be a repetition but I don’t think my reflexes are that bad. Nonetheless, ballgames alone, I’m not up to them.

I was allowed to get someone to sub in after pleading, but I still had to participate because of the decision from the staff’s side that one must appear in the match at least once.

I only participated for a round, hence the game managed to conclude safely without giving birth to a tragedy. I’m really glad. I’m nothing but on cloud nine that it ended without me dragging everyone down in some strange way.

“Oii, Sakuraiーit’s over here this time, okay.”

“Haai, I’m coming now!”

My final task as an odd-jobber was tidying up.

Both the Student Council and Sports Committee are also tidying up, but somehow this was quite the heavy labour. Things like rackets and balls are somewhat heavy when there’s a large amount of them.

“Umeda-san, is it okay as long as I carry this?”

“Un, bring that to the 1st gymnasium’s storeroom. I’ll also be bringing this.”

“Haai.”

Umeda may be a Student Council member, but in terms of Dokidoki Renai Kakumei Revolution, he’s a minor character, not a capturable character.

Subaru said the only capturable characters in the Student Council are Takayanagi and Junya, and that Umeda was prepared for the sake of moving the story forward. He’s a character positioned between a supporting character and a minor character.

When there’s a necessity for an aide who enables you to converse with the main characters, but it’s not important enough that the other main characters have to be brought out, such a convenient character ―― that is Umeda. That’s why Umeda’s in the Student Council, and also enrolled in the Basketball Club that has ties with Soutarou and Kaname.

Therefore, this Umeda Daichi wasn’t set to be very cool.

However, he’s a character that somehow feels comforting.

He has precisely the visual image that gives a feeling of a normal high school boy.

I picked up the volleyball net that was left by my feet. This isn’t heavy but it’s bulky and hard to carry.

“Sakurai, you’ve really worked hard. I’m saying this as a Student Council member, but you really helped us out.”

“Ah, no. I also relatively enjoyed it.”

With this, my work at the Student Council has also come to an end, huh. It seems like I can live peacefully for a while from now on.

“Still, next is the school end-of-term exams, huh~”

“End-of-term, exams?”

My feelings of wanting to live peacefully was shattered in an instant.

It’s now the last day of June. If the period around 20th July is summer vacation, then certainly, I’ve an inkling end-of-term exams are held around this period. If so, I’ll probably be unable to score well if I don’t start studying soon.

While the me from the real world always had grades around the middle, this time I want to work hard a little and try aiming for an upper-level score. By all means, I also wish for Mitsuki to aim for the upper-levels. And I wish that the capturable targets’ favorability rating will increase.

“You, you forgot, right.”

“Hai……. But as I hate studying, so rather than saying I forgot, should I say I wanted to forget……”

Now that I decided, I’ve to begin studying from today, huh.

First of all, I’ve to study to the extent that I can teach Mitsuki.

“What are you mumbling about. I’m sayin’, I can teach you if you’re okay with me. Or so I say, but I’m not that smart either.”

“Please teach me, by all means. I’m poor at maths so it’ll be very helpful if you’ll teach me.”

I don’t have the right to say this about others, but this is truly a face that’s neither distinctive nor bad.

If I force myself to come up with something, perhaps his stiff black unkempt hair and thick eyebrows can be counted as his traits? The pointlessly refreshing and sparkly~ aura that he emits is also his trait, huh. I estimate his height to be about the same as mine.

What is this, because I’m always beside fellows who oozed the sparkly aura of ikemen, my shoulders loosen up when I’m with this kind of normal-ish person.

“I can teach you if it’s maths, I’m sayin’.”

“Hai! Please take care of me, Umeda-san.”

“Un.”

All the matches have ended, and by the time I finished the final big task as an odd-jobber, it’s already 7pm.

It’s already pitch-black outside. As school ended today without club activities, the only people remaining were Student Council members and Sports Committee members who were tidying up.

“Sakurai-kun, it is fine for you to leave already. Thank you very much up for your work till now.”

When we completed the cleaning of the gymnasium, Takayanagi lowered his head at me.

“Ah, no, I enjoyed it too. Thank you very much.”

“Come to the Student Council more then~, bunny-chan.”

“That’s impossible.”

Certainly I enjoyed it, but that and this are different matters.

There’s a mountain load of things I must to do at all costs. I have the huge task of attaching Mitsuki to Prince.

“I also hope for Sakurai-kun to come to the Student Council again. Because you work better than this idiot.”

Takayanagi pushed the bridge of his glasses up and grinned.

“Hai! I’ll come and see Takayanagi-senpai again.”

“Bunny-chan, bunny-chan, what about me?”

“…… I’ll also come and see Junya-senpai.”

Because if I don’t say it this way, Junya will get noisy again.

Flop flop, Junya swung the rabbit ears of his sweater in delight. Somehow when I witness a big guy going kyahkyah, there’s this, very complicated feeling that surfaces. It’s probably because this is Junya we’re talking about, though.

I started smiling all of a sudden.

While I said the reason I promised to drop by the Student Council once in a while was because Junya’s noisy, I personally do feel it’s fine to visit the Student Council again as I truly enjoyed myself there. That’s why I made a promise. I’m not a nice person so I’ll clearly state that I hate it if I really didn’t want to go.

Takayanagi may be a serious person but he gets sharp-tongued at times and is interesting. Junya may be noisy and a hentai, but he’s not a bad person. Moreover, Umeda’s normal-ish aura calms me down in a different way from Soutarou’s.

“Take care on your way home.” (T/N: Takayanagi)

“I’ll go home with bunny-chan~”

“Oi the studhorse idiot rabbit over there, you can’t leave. You still have work left.”

Takayanagi attempted to use the Backdrop move on Junya. So Takayanagi can bring out such a major move too.

Having failed at Backdrop, Takayanagi quickly switched to a Headlock. Junya’s bones cracked till their limits. To think that Junya still doesn’t learn his lesson and continues with his wrongdoings despite experiencing such skillful techniques each time. In a way he’s the strongest, huh.

“Takayanagi, Narahashi’s going to die, I say. Hey Narahashi, you should do your work seriously too. Or else there’ll be no end.” (T/N: Umeda)

I was wavering over whether to leave this alone, but I decided to take him at his word and go home.

I walked on the gloomy paddy field path[1] between Izumino Gakuen and Hanagaki Station.

Tentatively, the street lights are lit for the sake of Izumino Gakuen’s commuting students, albeit dimly. But as expected the path becomes gloomy when it’s the middle of the night.

“Makoto-san.”

Being called by a voice from behind on such a gloomy path, as expected even if it’s me, my shoulders shook in surprise.

Turning back timidly, there stood Yukinoshita Ikuto who was clad in the black gakuran that’s the proof of being a student of Private Atlas Academy.

Ikuto’s abnormally fair complexion was emphasised when he bathed in the twilight, and he appeared even more fragile.

There weren’t any opportunities to meet Ikuto ever since that one incident with Madoka ended. Well, not that there was a need to, in the first place.

“Ahh, Ikuto-kun. You’re going back now?”

“Hai, I was doing Student Council work.”

“Ikuto-kun’s in the Student Council? You’ve worked hard. Where do you live? Let’s go home together.”

If it’s the Student Council then he’s the same as Subaru, huh. Let’s ask Subaru for more details about Ikuto next time.

“It’s Miyoshino Station for me.”

“Ah, the same train then. I’ll be alighting at Tachibana though.”

Miyoshino Station is about 3 stations apart from the Tachibana Station I’m alighting at.

The line to board is the same so we can go home together for a part of the journey.

Although Ikuto smiled as he said “Together then”, as I thought, his eyes weren’t smiling. It’s the feeling that even though he appears to be beaming on the surface, you don’t know what he’s thinking about in his heart.

In the depths of those eyes that one can spy a bit of violet from, was a whirling darkness that appears muddy, as though the night melted and warped into them.

Ikuto’s shorter than me but he gives a sort of overpowering sensation, perhaps due to the aura he emanates. My instincts tells me he’s scary. No no, for such a serious and fine young man to be scary, it’s probably my imagination.

“Makoto and I don’t see each other much despite our schools being close, don’t we?”

“That’s right, huh. I usually go back much earlier. Because I’m not in any clubs or committees. Does Ikuto-kun always go home around this time?”

I’ve been thinking all along that it’s about time I join some club, join. However I’m still undecided as of now, and somehow or other it became like this.

“Yes, it’s always about this time for me. Because the Student Council and club activities are pretty hectic.”

“I see. So that’s why we haven’t met till now. You’ve had it hard too, Ikuto.”

Passing through the faregate, we waited for the train at the platform. There were other students like us waiting for the train at the platform.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that this station exists mostly for the commuting students from Izumino Gakuen and Private Atlas Academy. Other than schools there’s only private houses, paddy fields and farms here, hence there are few users of Hanagaki Station.

“It’s not hard on me as I’m doing it because I like it. Just that, there isn’t even time for studying. I’m worried about the end-of-terms.”

“Well, it is around the corner. I talked about this with my senpai today too. Because I’m not that good at studying either.”

So students from distinguished private schools like Atlas also worry about things like studies.

I thought they can take it easy for exams or something because they have a good head on their shoulders. Or perhaps, he’s worried about the exam exactly because he’s in a distinguished school?

“Makoto-san, shall we study together when you’re free next time?”

“With me? Sure. If you’re okay with me.”

We boarded the local train[2] that finally arrived.

The figures of students are few and far between, but there are many salarymen on their way home. Unable to find seats that the two of us can sit together, we grabbed hold of the handrail. We have about 15 minutes to spare.

I didn’t think I’d get involved with Ikuto again. This may be overly frank, but I thought everything would have ended with Ikuto too, after Madoka’s incident came to a close. It was a pleasant miscalculation.

It’s not like I’m anticipating the chances of Ikuto and Mitsuki building a romantic relationship, and obviously not the chances of Ikuto and I building a romantic relationship. Just that I find it’s simply delightful for one’s friends to increase.

[1] 田んぼ道 tanbo michi

[2] These trains stop at every stop.