Vol 4 Chapter 5 (1/2)
And then the next break came
“Yo, Akito Looks like you’re doin’ alright”
It wasto visit me in my classroom
“Sorry if I’ot a minute?”
“Yeah, sure Of course it’s fine Yeah”
“That seems like a rather complicated way to put it coain?”
“Ah, no I just wondered if you ht be a tsundere too”
“…? What are you talkin’ about?”
“Errr, no, forget that, that’s another matter So, what can I do for you?”
“Yep I wanted to give you these…”
Ginbei said, taking out a neatly packed bundle
“Weclass today Mind takin’ one?”
“Ah, so that’s it? I’ll be happy to take one, of course”
“Thanks Can you give ht away? I want to hear it as soon as possible”
And with that, wethe classroo machines and benches
Even St Liliana Academy’s handpicked studentry was proud of this place, and used this place to relax Although it was only a short break, the area was croith students again
“Come, come, open it up already”
Having seated ourselves on a suitable bench, I opened the bundle at Ginbei’s urging The fragrance of well-baked butter and sweet sugar spread into the air
“Oooh Seems like it turned out well”
“Fufu, I think so too It’s not just looks either I guarantee the taste too”
“Bri with confidence, aren’t we? Then don’t mind If I have some”
I picked a heart-shaped cookie and quickly put it in my mouth
“How is it?”
“Yep, they’re really good”
The butter was mixed in well, and the cookies had a soft texture The hardness andThey were freshly baked and hadn’t quite cooled down yet Also, they had this war one wouldn’t find in over-the-counter cookies
I wouldn’t ood
“Fufu I’s that please you the most after all”
Ginbei smiled, satisfied
“I totally knohat tastes you like, andcookies you’d be pleased with is my specialty We’ve been close friends for six years, after all”
“Yeah, that’s right, isn’t it…? Wait, why did you eely?”
“It’s all in your head Besides, our bond has been unshakable for ages Is there any need to deliberately show off our intimacy?”
“Hht be true too Well, at any rate, these cookies really are delicious”
“Eat all you want I in with”
“Really? Then I won’t hold back”
Having gained permission, I picked up my second and third cookie
munchmunch
munchmunchmunch
I tend to not talk while eating, so I unconsciously end up causing long bouts of silence But with Ginbei I wasn’t worried at all
Hypothetically speaking, if Ginbei and I had been in the same class, I doubt I’d have been so isolated that arded me completely
“Speaking of which, Gin…”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Like s been going smoothly?”
“What do you mean, ‘smoothly’?”
“In other words, well, so like whether you fit into your class or not”
“It wasn’t much of a problem for h, since I only recently transferred in, I can’t say I’ht? Plus, well, time’s probably an issue”
“That so? Then it’s all good”
“Although, it seeettin’ a bit of special treatment in class”
“Ah Well, is it like that…”
Scandinavian hair color and eyes, and the appearance of an elementary schooler: when she, on top of that, talked soh school, Kiwatari Ginbei Haruomi had been treated like a rare species The combination of her intellectual conduct and refined descentlike an idol It troubled the person herself though
“Ah, right, right Joinin’ the student council also played a big part in it It let me fit in more easily”
“Huh Is that so?”
“Yep I’ve heard it’s quite so in this acadeht my classmates would be opposed to it since I didn’t have any past experience, but that didn’t happen at all They reacted by treatin’ e, with respect, and instead of distancin’ theot closer to me”
“That so? So it turned out like that…”
Well, it’s true the student council here is so special, but… at any rate, the president recruited all of us recently, so I wouldn’t kno the council had acquired that kind of reputation yet
“Well, I have the sa into the student council was an extremely halfhearted course of events”
“That’s true It’s not like ere voted in or anything”
“Well, whatever the reason, just being a member of the student council holds value This proves that people trust the student council, right?”
Hmm
Even if you say that, it’s not quite the feeling I get I prettyto do
…Hm? Does that… wait I’m a member of the student council too, so why the heck does Ginbei fit into her class while I’m stuck here as an outcast?
…
……
…………
Yep
Well, on second thought, I guess it’s natural this would happen After all, Ginbei is the treasurer, whereas I’m only the secretary’s deputy assistant Our ranks are on a coht, it’s all because of the ranks Co to do with this, yeah
“By the way, Akito”
“Hm? What is it?”
“The fact that you’re bringin’ this topic up means that, in short, you couldn’t fit in with your class yet, right?”
“Ah… Yeah, so you figured it out?”
“I did We’ve been close friends for six years after all… So you really weren’t able to fit in, huh?”
“Well, it’s fine Fortunately, I’ve got you And Akiko, Nasuhara-san, and even prez too”
“Maybe they’re just teasin’ you?”
“No, not at all They’re not ignoring me, and no one’s stolen my shoes from my locker either”
“Hht? It’s not like you’re bad at socializin’ either…”
Ginbei bent her head slightly to the side and pondered, but even with her quick-witted wisdoure it out
I already figured it out, but I had no intention of telling Genbei The ansas that I didn’t have that many chances to interact withGinbei, kept on visiting ain, and this made it harder to close the distance betweenlike that Nonetheless, I was happy that Ginbei had come to visit me
No, but, what’s wrong, I wonder?
Maybe they won’t let me in anymore after I missed my first chances to socialize with the to have that many friends at this school too And add my job on top of that… Oh dear, I can only pray for ray[1]
“In any case, I can’t just watch Akito’s present situation without doin’ anything after all I know, I’ll pitch in and help”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“I’ll help you fit in with your classmates”
“You? No, you don’t need to do that much I’ll be fine even if you didn’t…”
“No need to be reserved It’d be cruel of me to not help a close friend who’s in an unfavorable situation”
“It’s fine, you don’t need to worry that much Time will fix that eventually And weren’t you the one who said e”
“Why are you bein’ so stubborn?”
Ginbei inflated her cheeks a bit
“I understand being unable to fit in is so It’s not like I haven’t had si in your shoes For this reason, I know that it won’t fix itself over time Akito, you should take this more seriously than you have up until now And with my abilities, we should be able to break this deadlock”
“You’re exaggerating — it’s fine It’s not so bad that you need to wrack your brains worrying about it I’ll make sure to talk my classmates as much as I can After that, it’ll really be just a matter of time”
“It’s a mystery, and an unpleasant one at that I just want to help you Why do you hate that idea so much?”
This is getting ugly, I thought
Looks like Ginbei’s’s trade with her now that she’s like this
“This is a serious problem, you know? It’s a problem that deeply affects our friendshi+p Akito, you don’t trust me, do you?”
“Impossible; of course I trust you”