Chapter 6-7 (1/2)

The Friday Without Preview

Translator: Skythewood

Editor: Deus ex-Machina, Perditor, Ruzenor

［Get up! Get up get up get up! Itsuki! You will be late if you sleep any longer!］

［I’m not feeling well today, I will be calling in sick.］

［Liar, I can tell from your voice.］

The fifth day, Friday. It was the 30th of September. This was the day where the forced reparation would fall onto me if I don’t confirm someone as my heroine.

I lost to my grandfather who pulled away my blanket and got up slowly.

［The role of your guardians.h.i.+p had been entrusted to me. I can accept it if you want to miss a cla.s.s. But if you want to do that, convince me!］

Seeing grandfather standing there like a Nioh, I averted my eyes.

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［I need some time to sort out my emotions...］

［Sort out your emotions?］

［To brace myself for the fact that I will become Doutei Doutei…］

［”Virgin Virgin”? What the… so that’s what’s bothering you? You got dumped by a girl, huh... Itsuki is already at that age... It’s fine! I only got laid when I was 20! As for girls you still have your junior Break-chan.］

［That is a guy…］

［Anyway, it’s better for you to attend school today.］

［What’s your basis for that?］

［My 73 years of life experience.］

After saying that, Grandpa left my room and I could hear him walking down the stairs. From my 16 years of life experience, I could tell that Grandpa won’t back down once he brings up his 73 years of life experience…

I had no choice but to attend school. My plan to sleep the entire day away was shattered before I even put it into action. Scratching my messy bed hair, I picked up the phone beside my pillow.

【Good morning.】

［Morning Pandora.］

I then checked the app.

【Error Code 999999999999000 had occurred. Game resume time is undetermined.】

As expected.

【I will notify you immediately if it shows any signs of getting better.】

［… Thank you.］

I changed into my uniform, groomed myself, and went to the living room. Breakfast was already set on the table. It was Grandpa’s turn to cook today. After saying ［Bon appét.i.t］ I started eating. Rice with miso soup, egg, natto and pickled radish.

Grandpa’s side of the table had two empty bottles of energy drink. He was still playing 【h.e.l.l Scream 4】 with a bandana over his head. Speaking of which, he had been like this ever since the game launched. Pulling all nighters without sleep. It was a venomous lifestyle for the elderly, but Grandpa was a properly behaved old man outside the launch of new games. He would sleep and wake early, and even go for a walk in the morning. It could be said that playing games through the night was stimulating to his brain and fingers, so it wasn’t a bad way to stimulate his mind. Grandpa didn’t have much problem with illness. Normally, I would join in with the games, and I only stop myself from doing so because I installed 【There are no heroines in my youth】 onto my phone.

［Tremble in fear, Itsuki. Your grandpa is in sight of clearing 【h.e.l.l Scream 4】 today. What about you, Itsuki? You are engrossed in a mobile game these few days, right? Have you cleared it yet?］

Grandpa’s eyes were s.h.i.+ning as he sipped on miso soup.

［… I probably can’t clear it.］

［Then use cash items then! Your grandpa permits it!］

［It’s a game without cash items.］

［That’s a really honest mobile game then. They are not taking down the game, right? Don’t give up.］

I shook my head and chewed on the radish.

［Itsuki… are you giving up? I had told you this many times. As a gamer, you have to respect the creator. No matter how much time it takes, you have to clear the game, I told you that right!?］

After finis.h.i.+ng his miso soup, Grandpa slammed his bowl onto the table.

［Clearing the game aside, I’m on the verge of being forced to end it… Thank you for the meal.］

I placed my cutleries into the kitchen sink.

I told Grandpa ［I’m leaving now］, as I put on my canvas backpack and left the house weakly. I had a strange feeling about this. My mind was always filled with the scenes of the preview for the past two days. Those were gone now.

I arrived at the school entrance, and the election candidates were still there even though I was almost late, probably because this was the day of the election. They were giving their final rally.

［Good Morning.］

Nakajima was greeting the people around her in sheep skin mode. Since she was going along with the election activities, that means she didn’t forfeit right…? When I looked at her, I seemed to have locked gaze with her.

—— Maybe there was a hottie behind me. I turned back but there wasn’t anyone like that anywhere.

I turned back to the front again. Nakajima took one step my way. Even though I was just being self-conscious, I still averted my eyes away from Nakajima and walked quickly past the gate.

I put my shoes into the shoe rack, and the school public announcement rang. Was it regarding the election? That guess was refuted immediately.

Normally, I would hear a familiar voice. The teachers were the ones in charge of such broadcasts. However, it wasn’t any of the usual teachers. I heard a familiar voice said:

【—— I am Mochizuki Rika from cla.s.s 3-1.】

I held my breath.

【Can I have a little of your time in the morning in the broadcast room—— Regist-san?】

I turned stiff with my hands reaching for my indoor shoes.

【I will be waiting for your arrival at the usual time, at the usual place. So please come… as Regist-san.】

That was all. The sound signalling the end of the broadcast was played.

［What was that thing about Regist-san?］

I heard some female students discussing.

［Mochizuki Rika, it’s that Mochizuki, Rika right? Isn’t her character settings wrong?］

［And that is a message for a specific person, right? Just send a 【Smile】 message then.］

［… She probably didn’t know the ID and phone number or something.］

［Is that even possible? She just said to meet at the usual time and place, right?］

I retracted my hand reaching for the indoor shoes, and dug out my phone from my pocket. Pandora didn’t say anything, so nothing should happen. I already knew that, but I still couldn’t help feeling disappointed by the unchanging system message.

【Error Code 999999999999000 had occurred. Game resume time is undetermined.】

The usual time, at the usual place. As Regist-san.

I just need to visit the 【One Person Club】 at the rooftop while wearing a Recycling bag.

That was what Rika-sama meant.

—— I couldn’t fathom why she would call for me even if she had to use the school public announcement system. With Rika-sama’s personality, she must be really nervous about using the school’s broadcast system.

I was free to ignore her. However, I couldn’t ignore this without any hesitation.

And so, I suppressed my feeling of wanting to run away, and at 【the usual time】 that Rika-sama mentioned, I headed for the rooftop with my phone and Recycling bag. I was too nervous to even visit the snack shop.

Even so, I took thrice as much time to reach the top of the stairwell leading to the rooftop… Because I was walking so slowly. I even put on the Recycling bag slowly.

I knocked on the door.

Before I announced that I was Regist, the door opened immediately. I didn’t even check to see if the door was locked. From the looks of things, the door was unlocked right at the very beginning.

The one who opened the door was Rika-sama.

The corner of her eyes were red.

［Erm… Thank you for coming. I’m sorry for calling for you in such a way… I don’t know anything about Regist-san at all.］

［I-It’s fine… Erm, do you have something for me?］

［Yes.］

Rika-sama nodded affirmatively and looked straight at me. Her gaze was so direct it felt intimidating. If I wasn’t wearing a Recycling bag, I probably would have averted my gaze.

［I’m so sly.］

［That’s not true, Senpai.］

I was the sly one. But Rika-sama shook her head.

［—— Even though I didn’t want to say everything myself, I still insisted Regist-san to show me your face. I even thought that it is only natural for you to accept this request. Because I want to be sure that Regist-san isn’t related… not someone I knew.］

I furrowed my brows. Want to be sure that I wasn’t someone she knew? So anyone she knew would be out? No, before that, there was also the matter of being related to her in some manner.

［Regist-san, I hope you will listen to my story, please come with me to the 【One Person Club】. But I have a request—— Before I finish my story, please also tell me about Regist-san. Let me see your face and know your name too.］

I unconsciously touched the handle part of the Recycling bag around my neck.

I could feel my body temperature rising. I hated that and felt like running away. Didn’t I already failed? Before coming here, I spent an entire minute checking to see if 【Error Code 999999999999000】 was gone. Pandora said 【I already told Itsuki plenty of times that I will notify you about that immediately. Itsuki also understood. But even so, you still insist on seeing it for yourself, I guess this is human nature.】. After that, Pandora let me check as much as I wished.

—— All of a sudden, Nakajima’s motto came up in my mind.

Honesty and sincerely.

Rika-sama showed me her sincerity as much as possible. If I turned back here, wouldn’t that be trampling over her sincerity?

［I understand. After senpai finishes what you want to say, I will take off the Recycling bag.］

［Thank you, Regist-san.］

Rika-sama, smiled. But it still looked a little stiff.

What she wanted to tell me was difficult for Rika-sama to say—— Maybe it was about her bitter past.

I walked into the 【One Person Club】 and sat on a chair. Rika-sama brewed green tea, and the cup was still steaming. After sipping on the tea, Rika-sama started recounting her past.

［In the past… I wasn’t so wary of strangers, Regist-san.］

As expected, there was a reason behind this.

［During the latter years of grade school, I had a lot of friends. But… That was just one sided from me, and wasn’t the truth.］

The hands she placed on her knees were trembling.

［The people I thought were my friends were actually children asked by my parents to be 【Rika’s friend】. They got them to be my friends by using money and gifts… No, they bribed them to be my friends. I learned about this from a certain boy. He said 【actually, everyone dislikes you】. I didn’t have such things as friends. I could still remember that feeling of emptiness.］

Rika-sama looked to the distance with a wry smile.

［My parents did this for my sake. However… I started fearing the term friend. It was the same with interacting with people, I always wonder whether those who talked to me cheerfully were actually lying. I cried and asked my parents not to do such a thing. I even vented at onii-sama, saying 【Why does onii-sama have so many true friends.】］

That was the first time onii-sama showed that sort of troubled expression, Rika-sama muttered.

［—— I was homeschooled in middle school. Actually… I didn’t really want to come to high school. I kept wondering if my parents would bribe 【friends】 for my sake.］

I remembered what Rika-sama said when we spoke in this shed for the first time.

【We are not friends, right?】

Rika-sama only accepted because I said I wanted to be acquaintances.

［But onii-sama promised me that he wouldn’t allow dear father and dear mother to do such things in high school —— That wasn’t a lie. Dear father and dear mother didn’t interfere directly.］

Interfere directly?

［When I debuted in high school, I followed what onii-sama said… back then, my relations.h.i.+p with my schoolmate Amamiya-kun. Regist-san already met him. Yesterday, the last male student who appeared in the courtyard was Amamiya-kun.… Amamiya Keisuke-kun.］

Rika-sama said Amamiya’s name as if she felt nostalgic about something.

［My true nature was exposed to Amamiya-kun. But he didn’t tease or made fun of me. That Amamiya-kun back then… I liked him a lot, and I felt very blissed.］

［And so, the two of you dated?］

［No, it was just me thinking so one-sidedly.］

Was that so? But from the way Amamiya was pestering Rika-sama, I thought their position was reversed.

When I was in my first year… How was Rika-sama like? I only knew her name back then. A senpai in the second year was in a completely different league to a fresh meat in his first year. Even more so for the famous Rika-sama. After making friends and getting used to my high school life together with Grandpa, rumours about Rika-sama finally reached my ears. I learned nefarious rumours about Rika-sama.

［—— After getting to know Amamiya-kun, I also made several other female 【friends】. We would chat together and the girls would visit the washroom together with me. I didn’t need to follow onii-sama’s three principles when I was with them. But…］

Rika-sama clenched her fists on her knees.

［But all these were lies. My new 【friends】 were just girls who likes Amamiya-kun, and were asked by him to be my 【friends】. The truth was, they hated me.］

［Wasn’t Amamiya-senpai just being considerate for Mochizuki-senpai?］

I wasn’t trying to defend Amamiya. I was just hoping that he was doing this for Rika-sama’s sake.

But Rika-sama just shook her head with a dry laugh.

［The business that Amamiya’s father is running, is the trading partner of the Mochizuki Organization.］

She smiled, but looked as if she was about to cry.

［… Both dear father and dear mother didn’t threaten Amamiya-kun and asked him to befriend me. They didn’t need to do so. I think that is the truth. Amamiya-kun only became friends with me proactively because his family convinced him that it would bring convenience to his family’s business. From that perspective, both dear father and dear mother didn’t interfere directly—— Then, Amamiya-kun just needed to approached me who had been isolated. Yes, that was all. He didn’t bully or hurt me. He was gentle and made me feel comfortable, and help me made 【friends】… which made me feel blissed… It’s simple, right? Amamiya-kun was just doing something good and kind.］

A good thing? Wasn’t this the opposite?

［However, was I actually blessed? With Amamiya-kun around, with my  【friends】 around… even if my 【friends】 detested me, they wouldn’t show at all. I didn’t notice anything… If she didn’t tell me the truth, I might have stayed that way.］

［Did someone tell senpai the truth?］

［One of my 【friends】.］

［I then told Amamiya-kun and the others that they didn’t need to force themselves to do something they didn’t like. That night, I protested to my parents. Why did it felt more painful than the previous time? I still remember my parent’s troubled looks now. Onii-sama was furious at dear father and dear mother too, and I started crying in the midst of my protest—— And then, spring break came, and I started locking myself in my room again. I didn’t want to go to high school anymore. At this moment, onii-sama lectured me harshly.］

She looked very calm when she talked about being lectured.

［He scolded me for my sake. He was angry. From the very beginning, onii-sama was the only one who would become angry at me. I finally attended high school, and I reverted back to my old self because of I was conscious of others. He lectured me about that.］

She hated becoming like this, so Rika-sama continued attending high school.

［On the opening ceremony of the second year, I learned that Amamiya-kun went to study abroad. Several of my 【friends】 also transferred school… My parents didn’t do anything, because they promised.］

So this was the how the rumour about Rika-sama making female students transfer with her glare started. They probably found it hard to stay in school because they felt guilty. Rika-sama probably founded the 【One Person Club】 because of that incident with Amamiya.

［But I was glad.］

Rika-sama muttered softly.

［Ehh?］

［Amamiya went to study abroad, and my 【friends】 transferred and left.］

［But—— Amamiya-senpai...］

Was back.

［… Amamiya-kun probably wants to apologize to me.］

When I saw Rika-sama and Amamiya meet for the second time, Amamiya did say something about giving him a chance to explain.

［My parents also told me that staying mad at him wouldn’t do, and to listen to his explanation when Amamiya-kun returns to j.a.pan—— I hated that, that’s why I was crying at the rooftop on that day I first met Regist-san. The matter of Amamiya-kun returning, talking with him and——］

There’s more?

She stopped unnaturally.

The silent Rika-sama, smiled as if she remembered something funny.

［I heard a cry for help, 【Save me ahhhhh!】］

［T-That’s...］

［I wanted to cry by myself until my tears run dry, but when I heard 【Save me ahhhhh!】, my urge to cry was blown away.］

My face blushed red… How shameful.

［—— I want to know how Regist-san looks like, and your name. I want to be sure you’re not related to my parents.］

—— That guy is the same as me anyway.

Those were the words Amamiya said that made Rika-sama waver.

［Mochizuki-senpai.］

I straightened my back on my chair.

… It was a tad late.

I undid the knot around my neck, and took off the Recycling bag covering my face. I tidied my ruffled hair.

［Erm… Yesterday, I didn’t want to take it off because of some childish reason. It’s my fault for being narrow minded and prideful… I’m Tosa Itsuki from cla.s.s 2-2! Pleased to meet you, senpai!］

I reached out my hand.

［As expected.］

Rika-sama stood up and muttered to herself.

……As expected?

As I was baffled by that, Rika-sama took something from her skirt pocket. It was that thing I placed in the paper bag and hung on the door yesterday. That tail plushy.