[LN] Kanojo ni Uwaki Sareteita Ore ga - Volume 1 - Chapter 1

 

Chapter 1 - Meeting with Santa

Illuminations lit up all over the city make us feel that this is the Christmas season, even if we don't want to be reminded of it.

I let out an involuntary sigh as I looked across at the glimmering red, green, and gold lights.

There are couples everywhere. I curse myself for inadvertently passing by a place that is famous for attracting couples.

Although he declined Ayaka's invitation, his feelings were shaken when he finally saw the couple.

Occasionally, when I see a group composed entirely of men and my heart leaps with a sense of familiarity, I am discouraged to hear the conversation, "She seems to like the French course, so I'll go down there next time.

He had spent last Christmas with his girlfriend, and he was a shoulder to lean on in the city that floats around at Christmas time.

"Excuse me, um, I'll take care of this for you!"

In the midst of this hustle and bustle, a girl dressed in red suddenly thrust a flyer at my chest.

It would be a bitter excuse to say it was because the area was full of couples and they were getting on my nerves.

I reflexively brushed his arm away.

"Kya!"

The girl lost her balance and scattered the flyers she was carrying around.

"Whoa, sorry!"

In his haste to pick up the scattered flyers, a group of students walked by at an inopportune moment and half of them were trampled through.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I'll pay for it."

He had no idea how much money the flyer would cost, but he hurriedly pulled out his wallet, which he kept in his back pocket.

Seeing this, the girl in red looked flustered.

The red outfit was apparently a Santa suit, and I thought to myself that part-time work is hard work. Indeed, I was talking with Ayaka earlier about whether Santa Claus would come, but it turned out to be a terrible encounter.

"No, no, it's okay! I'm sorry too for pushing flyers on you out of the blue. I'll explain the situation upstairs after I've handed out the unsoiled ones. ......"

"I'll go with you. I have to explain."

I look up to give him the flyer for the pickup.

The girl seems puzzled and hesitates at my suggestion.

And I was all about something different.

She is outstandingly cute. Combined with her Santa outfit, she appears to float above her surroundings as if she were a resident from a different world.

This perception is probably not wrong, as people on the street glance at the girls sideways.

Judging from her softly curled dark hair and light makeup, she must be a college student like me.

Seeing my reflection in their big eyes, they run away to pick up the flyer without a second thought.

"Thank you for picking me up."

"No, no. I'm the one who's sorry."

"I'm honestly grateful for the help, though, since the top is so tight right now." But I'm not sure if it's really a good idea. We still have an hour or so before it goes up. ......"

The girl dressed as Santa bowed her head.

"I'll see you later at ....... I wish I could tell you where you can rest."

"Oh, that's okay. The university is right around the corner and it's like a garden. I'll be waiting for you at a café called Ritters on the ground floor of the shopping mall right there."

"Is that the college right next door?"

There is only one college on the side in the area.

When he nodded, I felt a slight tinge of familiarity develop in his previously bland expression.

"Well, my name is Mayu Shinohara."

"Yuta Hasegawa. ......See you then."

"Oh, yes. I understand. Retards, yes."

After a slightly awkward greeting, in contrast to Ayaka's, I turn my attention to a shopping mall where couples are gathering.

As I gazed at the colorfully studded Christmas-colored decorations, I felt myself strangely light on my feet.

◇◆

"You're late."

Ritters, a café on the ground floor of a shopping mall all decked out for Christmas.

I sat at the counter, alone, waiting for the girl who was dressed as Santa.

I roll up my sleeves and check the time on my watch. Forty minutes have passed since the appointed time.

Well, it's not surprising when you think about it.

The only thing I could do to excuse myself was to apologize with them. I was so nervous that I pulled out my wallet, but there are not many companies that would charge money for scattering flyers.

I took one last look at my watch and sat up.

I leave the restaurant after drinking all of the coffee, which has completely cooled down.

I walk with heavy steps through the bustling shopping mall.

What's an apology together if you think about it calmly.

He must have been alarmed by his behavior, which was like a new kind of pick-up. If I were in the opposite situation, I would have thought, "What the hell is this guy?

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to have a wait-and-see approach, but I'm not sure it's a good idea to have a wait-and-see approach.

As I was thinking this, I looked ahead and saw a couple walking right in front of me, holding hands. They were looking at each other and didn't notice me.

As a result, I ended up tearing the couple's mated hands apart.

"Excuse me."

He bows his head with a bow.

The couple, probably in high school, didn't turn around, but instead romantically linked their hands, which had been ripped apart by me, back together again.

"...... haha"

I let out a sigh. I sigh, not out of anger, but out of pity.

That high school student will probably spend Christmas together. I wonder if they will make reservations at a fancy restaurant even though they don't have much money.

Put your hands in the pockets of your jeans and put earphones in your ears. I turn up the volume of my favorite music to block out the talking around me.

It is not hard for me to be alone, but I wonder why Christmas is so unfriendly to singles.

Let's go home and read some comic books today. That'll do for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Then he tapped me on the shoulder with a thump.

I turn around and see a strange girl. Not, the girl who was dressed as Santa earlier.

She is now dressed in a beige coat. It was hard to tell when he was dressed as Santa, but looking at him again, I can sense that he must be younger than me.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, um, I'm the guy from earlier. I'm the one who just came in."

"I'm sorry, I was about to leave when I thought you weren't coming. Now?"

I ask, looking away, feeling guilty that I was away from the place I said I would wait for them. Maybe I should have waited a little longer, no matter how much the other person was forty minutes late.

"No, I've already finished."

"Huh?"

"In two ways."

"Etto." 

"I quit."

"What?"

I flinch at the girl who casually smiles and says, "I quit being Santa.

Then, something. Because I bumped into him that time.

"I was going to quit either way," he said. Well, I'm a little sad that I can't dress up as Santa anymore."

"Oh, you're okay with that?"

"Okay?"

And," the girl quipped. The polite impression I had just had was for a part-time job, it seemed.

"I told you my name, didn't I? It's Mayu Shinohara, not you."

"I'm sorry. I don't know if it's okay to go to ......, but I gave my name so easily to this stranger."

We bumped into each other on the street and just scattered flyers around. That's what I thought and said.

"What's with that? You make it sound like I'm a lightweight."

"No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that."

Shinohara's eyes narrowed, and he hurriedly waved both hands to deny it.

"You're right though ......, sorry. I was just worried, but either way it was none of my business."

When I apologized, Shinohara's eyes widened.

"No, no, ...... I didn't mean it that way either. Please don't apologize so much, I was just joking."

"What, are you kidding?"

"Yes, I'm kidding."

"Wow, that's a hard to understand joke. ...... I thought I really pissed you off."

I don't have a temper like that.

Shinohara furrowed his brow as if to say, "That's an outrage.

I responded with a wry smile, thinking there was no way I could know that at our first meeting.

And Mr. Hasegawa, we are in the same university. And by the way, I'm in my first year, so I'm probably younger than you.

"Oh, you're Shinohara, too? I'm a sophomore there."

"Yes, there's only one college right next door here. If you are older than me, please call me by my name. It makes me itchy."

Shinohara said this with a frown.

Indeed, the only time I get called "san" by older students is when I'm working part-time.

You may feel uncomfortable with "san" in a private setting.

Then, Shinohara. "Then, Shinohara, is there anything you can do to apologize? Even though you originally intended to quit, it's still true that I was the reason you quit today."

Hearing this, Shinohara crossed his arms and made a thinking gesture. He deliberately groaned, "Hmmm.

"Do you have plans tomorrow?"

"Huh?"

"I have a place I want to go."

After saying this, Shinohara took out his phone and began to operate it. After about ten seconds, he held up the screen so that we could see it.

"It's a pretty good store. I'm confident."

"...... No, this is..."

Is it my imagination that it says 8,000 yen per person for a French Christmas course?

"Why ......?"

"Why is that? Well, you know. It's just a matter of being friends with the same university."

"Appropriate, huh?"

It's appropriate. It's better to live life in a more or less appropriate way.

"Huh."

"I lied. As senpai himself said earlier, this is a sign of apology, isn't it? It's okay to be that selfish."

"Ugh."

That being said, I'm weak. It was indeed me who offered to apologize a few seconds ago. If I refuse the proposal, it's not an apology.

I think I just saw something at ...... where there was a line of words that I'm curious about.

"What's seniority?"

It has been about two years since I entered the university, and it is rare for me to be called a senior by younger students in the university unless I am in a club.

Since the circle would be addressed by "san," I myself hadn't been called a senior since high school.

"I'm sorry, it's just a habit. I was in club activities until recently, so I tend to call older people "senpai" (senior)."

"Heh, is that what it's like to be in a club?"

"No, maybe not too many. ...... If not, I'll just call them up as usual."

I am somewhat embarrassed to be called a senior because it reminds me of the old days, but that's all. It doesn't seem to be a reason to reject it.

"Call me what you want."

"Okay, senior. Let's exchange lines, shall we? After all, we've decided on that restaurant, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Okay."

It's all up to you now.

Take out your cell phone and exchange ID.

Since I was the one who brought up the subject of apology, I just have to follow Shinohara's lead here.

Thus I made a dinner appointment with Mayu Shinohara, now a former Santa.

I had a hard time letting go of the thought that the Christmas course, at 8,000 yen per person, would end up costing me a fortune.

◇◆

"I'm home."

When he arrives home, he greets no one, not that anyone responds to him.

This is the moment when I feel lonely, living alone.

Although the university and my parents' house are not far apart, I longed to live alone and asked my parents for help.

I wanted to invite my friends over to my house to have fun, but for me, living alone had more disadvantages.

It is very hard, especially when there is no rice served.

I hung my favorite jumper on a hanger and tossed my phone onto a pile of laundry on the carpet.

The moment the phone turns on. New messages.

When I looked into the face at the color I was expressing, I received a line from Ayaka.

[We're having a Christmas get-together, you should come.]

"At Christmas, huh?"

I can't help but respond aloud.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.

It's a very sudden invitation, but I have an appointment with Shinohara tomorrow, and above all, I'm not sure I want to leave my house on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

[I can't. I've got plans.]

Sent.

Then, two seconds later, a screen appeared showing an incoming call. Sure enough, the name says Ayaka.

"I'm not."

[I'm the one who said, "Lie!]

Lies?

Well, Ayaka doesn't seem to have the slightest idea that I can make plans.

It is all the more annoying that he would have been right if he hadn't actually met Santa.

[We don't have enough people. Here, I'll lower my head, just like that.]

"No, I can't see."

Apparently, the number of men and women at the party does not match.

It is rare that the broad-faced Ayaka is in such a hurry to gather the number of people.

If Ayaka had made a single cry, there would have been plenty of people who would have come up to her.

"I mean, leave the number of men to the men's side, why are you moving again?"

[This time I'm going to introduce some of my best male friends to my friends.]

"Hah, selective."

[You've won a prize there! Congratulations!]

"I gotta go."

[Sorry, sorry, wait!]

Seeing Ayaka's panicked voice, she seems to be in quite a tight spot.

"What the hell! First of all, with your selection, I'd just float away."

[I like you a lot. I like you a lot.]

He says so in a kyotone voice.

"Oh, hey. What, did you hit your head or something?"

[Oh, you're so shy, so shy. So, what are your plans? Are you sure you're not lying?]

"You ......"

He bites his lip at being so easily swayed.

"I was invited by ...... santa."

["Huh, Santa?"]

What are you talking about?" he said in a tone of voice.

"To a younger man dressed as Santa. Well, I've been through a lot."

From there, I will explain what I just said.

When Ayaka heard the details of the incident, she grunted and then made a quizzical sound.

[I'm sure you've been duped by .......]

"I think so. I think so."

[You're the one who arranged the rendezvous just by scattering flyers, and you're the one who's the king of picking up girls.]

"Hey, wait a minute, I've never picked up a girl before."

I protested that I was not listening, but he brushed me off, saying, "Don't interrupt me.

I think it's wrong to say something that could be interrupted.

[So, you know, I think that girl who asks out an older guy she's never met before is even worse. Another guy comes over to where you're dating and asks you for money or ......]

"I thought to myself, "What a beauty pageant. You're right, it's not."

[I don't know. I don't know, but I'm glad. I know the appointed day is tomorrow's Christmas Eve.]

"What about?"

['Well, I'll see you the day after tomorrow at 6 p.m. in front of the usual station. Bye.]

I looked at the screen of my phone, which was buzzed off, in dismay.

He's been a brat since high school, but lately he's been treating me more and more like a jerk, hasn't he?

◇◆

"Thank you for your patience."

Christmas Eve, the day of the appointment with Shinohara.

Shinohara, a former Santa Claus, appeared right on time for the meeting.

"Oh, yes. Perfect, I'm not waiting."

"I was actually going to take another earlier train, but there were so many people on ...... that I missed it."

I nodded in agreement. It seemed as if there were twice as many couples on the train as usual, if not more.

"Shall we go?"

He said he would show me around, so I followed behind him.

The boyfriends of couples on the street are glancing at Shinohara.

Shinohara was mindlessly more enthusiastic in her makeup than yesterday, and nowhere near as young as her age.

I was also unwillingly feeling a surge of excitement at the sight of the cute Shinohara.

We duck under the elevated railway tracks and exit onto a street slightly off the main street, which is full of couples.

While not exactly deserted, the number of people was noticeably fewer than earlier.

Unlike the main street, which is lined with ten-story or even taller buildings, many of the buildings are two-story.

All of them were decorated in Christmas colors, and at a glance it was clear that many of the stores were frequented by couples.

"Here we are."

Shinohara pointed not to a two-story building but to a staircase leading to the basement.

Seeing them go on without looking back at us, I remember what Ayaka advised me yesterday.

?" What's wrong?"

Shinohara stopped midway through and gave a kyotonous look.

"No, it's nothing."

I shook Ayaka's advice out of my head and went down the stairs too. There was a thick door, and Shinohara put her hand on the doorknob.

At first glance I could tell it looked heavy, so I pulled him from behind.

Shalalan.

A sound that goes well with Christmas greeted us the moment we opened the door.

I involuntarily straighten my back when the shopkeeper gives me a condescending bow, something I rarely see in chain restaurants.

"I'm Shinohara with an appointment starting at 18:30."

Hearing Shinohara's words, the shopkeeper bowed once more and walked to the back of the store.

The restaurant is dimly lit, and there is not a single seat in the restaurant that can be seen from the hallway. All the seats are private rooms separated by doors.

The room we were shown was a sofa seat where two people were seated next to each other.

The glasses are already prepared on the table.

This is obviously ......

"It's kind of a couples-only thing."

"That's because it's the Christmas course."

After a quick word, Shinohara takes a seat in the back of the room. With a glance, he urges me to sit down as well.

"Let's see."

"This is supposed to be an apology, right?"

"...... it was. My bad."

That one word reminds me that this is something I started to say.

No matter how much we had just met yesterday, it was hard not to be conscious of being brought to a restaurant like this out of the blue, but let's try to remain a little calm.

"You can order drinks whenever you like. You can order drinks as you like."

Shinohara then presented the drink menu. All of the drinks were about three times the price of those at izakaya (Japanese-style pubs), so we had to consult with our wallets before placing an order.

"Seriously, this place only charges 8,000 yen for a course?"

"That's right. It's called a hole in the ground."

Shinohara huffed and puffed, and said he was good at it.

"Good, then. ...... so why did you want to bring me here again?"

"You've been very kind to listen to me!"

Shinohara's eyes lit up as if she had been waiting for my question, and it seemed that there was a reason why she was not a beauty pageant.

'Me! My boyfriend cheated on me last week!"

Shinohara sniffs loudly.

He then brought the aperitif to his mouth even though it had not yet been poured into his glass.

"Oh, there's nothing in there."

"No, you should have known when you picked it up."

He makes a sound of dismay.

"I mean, you're underage. Don't drink the aperitif when it's poured."

"Don't be so hard on me. You're not one of those who drank at the party, are you?"

Shinohara's mouth twitches as she sets down her glass.

Alcoholic beverages are often ignored at welcome parties for new students, or newcomers for short.

This is not the result of the current generation's excitement, but a bad tradition from the past.

I said, "No, of course not. I politely declined."

"Really?"

Shinohara smirks with narrowed eyes.

Her expression is reminiscent of a little devil, and it seems that it would take more than one or two men to be groped by her.

From there, another conversation ensued about being at the same university, and it was about time for the next main dish when Shinohara huffed and stopped talking.

"I was thinking of something I said that was quite shocking. I think I said something pretty shocking."

"Now you're forgetting a few things."

"I was just talking about something else. We were just talking about something else."

"I can't believe I just met you yesterday. I can't believe we just met yesterday."

I said, "Yes. No, let's leave it at that."

Shinohara coughed and paused.

"He cheated on me."

"Oh, oh."

A second report would not have the same impact.

Rather, all I could think about was how I was going to react. To think that I was making my friends think about things like this when I was ......

To cover up these feelings, I poured the cocktail I had ordered down my throat.

"I had finally decided on this restaurant after a long preliminary inspection. I had no idea that I would be coming here with a stranger, a senior."

"You invited me to ......."

"I booked this course because I wanted to eat such delicious meat, sake, and soup with this boyfriend!"

"You don't look sad at all."

The somewhat theatrical intonation was indeed a tsukkomi.

"Oh, did they know?"

Shinohara stuck out his tongue with a flattened tongue.

"I had a boyfriend for the first time, but I had always turned down confessions from boys in junior high and high school."

"Wow, you've had quite a few confessions."

I said smoothly.

It's as if he's saying, "I'm not really interested in that, but...

In fact, I thought there was no way I could be unattractive with this look, so I nodded my head there.

"Then why did you go out with him this time?"

Shinohara grunted in annoyance, then snapped his fingers.

"I wanted to do something that was more like a couple. I wanted to do something that was more like a couple."

"Ho."

"I saw people's tweets on social networking sites and thought it would be nice to have a boyfriend. I thought it would be nice to have a boyfriend and visit different places."

"Oh, I see."

There are quite a few people who make boyfriends and girlfriends for those reasons.

And at this time of year, people are posting more and more, as if to show off.

Couples who usually upload photos only after a date may start uploading photos before the date as well.

Thanks to this, I have been looking at social networking sites much less frequently these days.

"So I went out with someone for the first time. I don't want it to end with cheating. No, it's not that I don't want it to end, but I don't want to be left in the lurch."

"Yeah, well, some people think so when they're done."

In my case, I was pretty much, no, seriously shocked, and I lightly went to bed for about a week.

As I expected, Ayaka was worried about me and saved my notes for me.

"He cheated on me, but he still loves me. I'd like to get back at him a little and then break up with him."

"How?"

"I'll think about it from now on, but I think the safest thing to do would be to show them that you are friends with someone else. I need someone to cooperate with me."

"Good luck. Good luck."

With that said, I looked down at the beef filet that had just been brought in for the main course.

"There you are, sir."

"I refuse."

"I haven't even said anything yet!"

I was wondering if you could make a similar request, as a work on such a subject ...... playing lovers was once serialized in a shonen magazine.

I had a bad feeling about this and refused beforehand, but judging from this reaction, it seems I was wrong.

"Please, just a little bit! Start by showing him how we get along in front of that guy."

"Oh no, I'm sure I started this whole thing about coming here today, but that has nothing to do with it. Just ask somebody else to do it."

"I'm too embarrassed to ask this of a friend I know so well!"

That may be true, but that doesn't mean you can't count on me.

There must be someone better suited for the role. With Shinohara's looks, a single word would surely draw men from all over the place.

"Look, I'll pay for this place. How about that?"

He said, "Aho, you can't do that to a girl younger than you. I'll just split it with you like normal."

If this had been a girl whom he had invited himself, he would have paid for the girl's portion in full with his card without hesitation.

As expected, I did not intend to buy Shinohara a drink, but I still did not want to be the one to buy her a drink.

"No, I made quite a bit of money at Santa, so if I can hire a senior for this, all the better. No matter what he says, I will force him to pay me, so please give up and hire me."

"Hee, hee, hee, ini adalah kata-kata kasar yang mengerikan: ......"

"I'll pay for it. Don't think about anything else, just eat this, beef."

"Beef fillet."

The course list says Rossini-style.

"Senior, what do you mean by Rossini-esque?"

"I remember it was truffles and foie gras together. I think they used truffles and foie gras together."

"Wow! Senpai, erudite!"

I can't tell. I can't believe I only know because I ate the same thing with my ex-girlfriend.

I remember the beef filet I had at that time was quite good, but I was not sure about the price.

With this in mind, I bring the beef fillet to my mouth.

"Mecha-uma......"

I let out a squeal and tantalize my taste buds.

This kind of meat is usually served with red wine, but unfortunately I don't know how good red wine tastes, so I open the menu to look for other cocktails.

Shinohara saw me like that and laughed with pride.

"I'm so glad that I even examined the menu carefully. It's decided then, I'll look forward to working with you tomorrow."

I almost blew up when I heard that.

"Wait a minute. I have plans tomorrow."

"Yeah, why do seniors have plans for Christmas?"

"Hey, aren't you treating me like crap too soon?"

"I don't think so at all. So, what are your plans?"

"I'm going to a party. Well, I don't plan on staying that long."

"...... matchmaking."

Shinohara looks indescribable.

"Sorry I'm the kind of guy who goes to a party on Christmas."

"No, I don't think so. Then, if it's done quickly, we'll talk afterwards, and if it doesn't look like it's going to be done, we'll talk later. Please contact me again."

As if it were a rule, Shinohara also begins to eat the beef fillet.

I looked at Shinohara, who repeatedly said "delicious" in a voice that almost sounded like it had a heart mark at the end of it, and let out a sigh, wondering if he was the same type as Ayaka.

It's going to be a hell of a Merry Christmas.

Previous Chapter | ToC | Next Chapter

Share :