I was Rejected 10,000 times by My Childhood Friend, but After I Gave Up, I Suddenly Started Getting Popular? - Ch. 0 - Prologue p6

The chime, signaling the end of the school, rings.

There are probably many students here that love this chime. Personally, I’m so attached to it that I use it as my alarm sound. However, this ring also indicated the start of school, so I have somewhat mixed feelings about it…

While needlessly worrying about trivial things such as the chime, I finished packing up and left the classroom 

Since I don’t belong to any club activities, I usually went straight home. By the way, Karen also went somewhere with her classmates as soon as the chime rang. W-Well, it’s none of my business anyways…

This is probably the first time I’m going home alone. I do feel a little lonely, but it’s whatever.

“Hey, Kaminoki! Can you help me carry these notes to the staff room?”

As I left the classroom, our homeroom teacher, Kamoi Miori-sensei, called out to me.

She has already appeared once before, but because she is a bold teacher who repeatedly moans “I want to quit my job” in front of those students, I really don’t know how she hasn’t been fired yet.

“Do I have the right to decline?”

“Hah… Don’t ask me if you already know the answer.”

And then she casually gave me all of her heavy notes.

For some reason, she only uses me to help her. I wonder if I have some kind of errand-running talent that oozes out of me. Maybe I even have an aura?

In fact, even though she’s asking me only to help her, she’s dumping everything on me.

Does helping mean doing everything?

“Sensei, this is a little too heavy for me!”

“What kind of a man would be so weak and whiny about this kind of thing? A man has to be strong to be popular. Strength training, strength training.”

“That’s an old-fashioned way of thinking in this day and age! Sensei, how old are you?”

“Oraaahhhh!!!”

Kamoi-sensei, whose eyes had changed color, unleashed her sealed right hand. Then, with all her might, she gave me a punch right in the stomach. It’s not even a rom-com anymore…

“Dohe!”

So frightening… is this the power of a person whose talent is to fail all her blind dates? …She’s turning her negative energy into power…

However, I did manage to hold her notes, preventing them from scattering all over the floor.　

I thought it was really old-fashioned when it came to settling matters with the fist. Though, if I say this out loud, I’ll probably leave this place for heaven soon.

“I don’t want to use an overused expression, but it’s common sense to not ask a woman about her age, okay?”

“Y-Yes. I’m sorry.”

“Say yes, again!”

“Yes!”

Kamoi-sensei said, “Hmph. Very well,” then left me to my own devices and walked on leisurely.

Damn… this bastard…

One day, I’ll go undercover and tease this bachelor to death…

That’s what I thought.

***

I finished carrying the notes to the staff room and was finally able to leave school.

When I eventually managed to get to the staff room, Kamoi-sensei said, “You’re late,” and handed me a steamed bun and some tea.

I almost yelled, “Your choice of food is like an old woman’s!” But if I had yelled that out loud, I wouldn’t be in this world right now. I saved myself.

Today’s MVP is Self-Control-kun. Congratulations, buddy.

After listening to Kamoi-sensei’s idiotic complaints in the reception room over steamed buns and tea, it was already evening. However, because of the many club activities, there was still a sense of vitality in the silence.

It was as if the school was alive.

But since the hallways and classrooms were empty, and no one usually stuck around this late, I felt like an explorer.

While checking out my surroundings, I walked towards the shoe rack, and soon arrived at my destination.

Take my shoes out of the shoe rack and put my jacket on.

As I walked out the front, I saw a familiar figure.

“Ah, senpai. What were you doing up until this time?”

“Lala… what’s up with your club activities?

“Today is a rest day. So, I waited for senpai, who I knew was sooo heartbroken!”

Lala smiles mischievously.

Her shiny brown hair fluttered in the breeze, causing Lala to pull her hair back over her ears.

The cute gesture caught me off guard.

“I-I see. That’s very thoughtful of you.”

“Well, at least for today, I’ll heal you.”

“Oh, yeah? So you’re saying you always had a healing effect?”

“What are you talking about? I always did! Didn’t senpai get soothed by me?”

She stepped towards me and forced me to tell her that she can heal me.

Is it just decided that women are stronger than men these days? Or is it that there are too many strong women around me? …It’s like they’re all macho. That’s funny to imagine.

“This is going to be expensive, okay? Senpai?”

“I don’t know when you got so cocky.”

“I’m not being cocky! This is how I normally am!”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

“Mouuu!!”

Even if I keep intimidating Lala, she’ll surely tag along on my way back home.

At the edge of my vision, there were orange-tinged clouds stretching out into space, making me feel the arrival of summer. It would soon be July. The flow of time is merciless.

I heard the shouts of the athletic clubs, the music of the sophisticated instruments, and many more sounds, all befitting of youth.

However, I think I’ve changed a lot from before.

It’s a sign that I’ve made a new start, and proof my previous love is over.

Karen and I were two sides of the same coin in that respect, so I think it’s sad that I’ve taken a new step.

But now I’m looking straight ahead. And I’m walking, of course.

However, I don’t even know where I’m going with this line of thought. I just ruined the good atmosphere I had going!

While I was engaged in such a farce, alone in my thoughts, Lala asked me a question out of the blue.

“Senpai, are you into younger girls?”

I thought those words were just a joke, but judging from Lala’s more serious expression than usual, somehow I thought otherwise.

What was the meaning behind those words…? No, I’m sure I know what it means. It’s the deep psychology that hides behind… I think I’m reading too much into it.

I’m right to answer this one as it is.

“Well, I don’t really know, but I certainly don’t hate them…”

It’s neither that I’m into them, nor that I’m not. To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about it.

But if I were to say, “I love them!” then it would effectively be a confession. I’m proud of myself for thinking this through and keeping my level headedness.

I was able to avoid the bombshells that are commonly found in romantic comedies. As expected of my enhanced mobility.

“I-Is that so… that’s a very confusing way of putting it. W-Well! It’s not like there are a lot of kouhais who are close to their senpais! And the chances of a new relationship with a kouhai are slim to none! It’s a question of whether the senpai decides to or not!”

“Are you trying to encourage or depress me?!”

Hold up, that’s a pretty fair argument, isn’t it?

Rather, I apologize for speaking so highly of you! 

“Of course I want to encourage you! But if you’re going to find a new love, then…”

She runs a little ahead of me, and then looks back at me.

“Your kouhai is an option, isn’t it?”

W-What’s she trying to say……?

Didn’t you just say that you have neither a choice nor a chance? But it’s true that though the chances are slim, they are not zero, which makes it at least a little encouraging.

I thought about it, but I really couldn’t understand her intentions, so I just randomly responded “O-Oh…”

In response to my reaction, Lala smiled devilishly as usual, although she seemed to be in a slightly serious mood.

For some reason, Lala, who I see on a daily basis, looked so cute today. I’ll keep this scene in the back of my mind

But still, I wonder what her words mean in the end.

I don’t know what to make of it… She said the possibility of a kouhai getting together with their senpai is very small, but not impossible.

I really don’t know what’s going on with this little mysterious, devilish junior.

(TL: nice. sorry for slowness im tired now)