Episode 4 – Asahina Touka, re-nurturing (tentative) plan started!
Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818093094350274251
Asahina made a sulky face and plopped down on the desk as usual. No, no, I’m the one who wants to sulk.
“…… you shouldn’t be late, but I think it’s very good that you decided to get dressed up!”
“……”
“I’m looking forward to the next opportunity.”
“～～～～!”
The ear of Asahina is becoming reddish.
…I think Asahina right now probably doesn’t have much confidence in herself. So, instead of going like the bulletin board I saw somewhere before, I want to find as many good things about Asahina as possible… That’s what I was thinking. I’ll flush the anger I was feeling until now down the toilet at the convenience store.
“I’ll do my best tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I think you’re on the right track.”
“……”
After that, Asahina went quiet and didn’t say a word. However, her expression remained calm throughout the whole thing, so it didn’t seem like I’d made her angry.
After the morning classes, it was time for lunch.
Asahina was spreading out a convenience store lunch box on her desk. I decided to spread my own lunch box on my desk, too.
“Asahina-san, can I talk to you while you eat? Is it okay if I do it for a moment?”
“Hmm?”
“I want to talk about the re-nurturing you mentioned the other day.”
“Oh~”
Asahina straightens up just a little. She looks listless, but she does seem interested.
“You just sleep through class and during breaks too! This isn’t good after all.”
“That’s too strict…”
“So, I thought about it seriously last night, and I wrote down what I thought was a waste about you, Asahina-san.”
I put the notebook on Asahina’s desk. On the cover of the notebook is written “Toruka Asahina, re-nurturing (tentative) plan” with a magic marker.
“Hmmm…”
Asahina looked over my notebook while picking at her bento. My notebook had three items roughly divided into three categories.
Attitude (being awake in class and not being late)
Grooming (combing your hair, keeping your clothes in order)
Food (not just convenience store food, but something a little more nutritious if possible)
Yes, I wrote only the usual things for something I was seriously worried about.
“I think all of these things can be done right away. Especially the first two, I think with just a little improvement, no one at school will call Asahina-san a “failure in training”!”
“Oh, really?~
“I’m telling you, it’s all about you!”
Her shoulders were so relaxed that I thought they were dislocated. The replies are so very other people’s business. Apparently, Asahina has really, really lost interest in herself.
“Anyway, I’ll wake you up in the morning. Although, you failed right away.”
“Kuga kun, are you the type to hold on to things?”
“I don’t hold on to them, I just try not to forget what you need to improve on.”
“Wow, you say that so well.”
“…I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I didn’t mean it as a compliment.”
“You should take that as a compliment!”
Asahina’s eyes softened just a little. I think she probably enjoyed the conversation we just had. …But it’s just a guess.
“……By the way, I didn’t oversleep today.”
Asahina turned away. For some reason, I felt a little angry at this timing.
“But if you’re that worried, you can come over to my place and wake me up.”
“Yes, yes, to wake you up. To wake you up… ahhhhhh!?”
Asahina started to say something surprising.
“But what about your parents?! If you have to get up in the morning, why don’t you just ask them?”
“My parents just disappeared.”
“Eh…?”
“That’s a lie, they’re retired in the mountains now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I thought I’d stepped on a landmine!”
I was so shocked! As a former celebrity, I wondered if something like that could really happen.
“What? So you live alone now?”
“Yes.”
“At your age?”
“Yes, it seems so.”
Once again, it seems like nothing to me… But despite that, a lonely look appears on her face.
“Okay, I’ll stop by on my way to school. Send the address to my phone later.”
I somehow feel like Asahina shouldn’t be left alone right now. She always had such a lovely smile, so it’s definitely not okay to let her make such a face.
“Eh? Are you sure?”
“You said it yourself, ……. I mean, even though we are classmates, aren’t you too careless?”
“Careless?”
“I’m a guy.”
“…I think I’ve developed an eye for identifying bad people in the entertainment industry. And I thought maybe it would be okay to cause trouble for Kuga-kun…”
She said something nice. And I felt relieved… no, quite relieved. It seems that Asahina doesn’t think I’m such a bad person.
“So, what else do I have to do to get re-nurtured?”
“Nothing too difficult. I’ll wake you up in the morning and I’ll make sure you sleep at night. And don’t sleep during recess!”
“If I do that at this very moment, won’t you lose your free time?”
“Why do you assume I sleep during lunch break?”
“I mean, how motivated are you, Kuga-kun?”
Asahina is giggling happily. I think if you just show that smile to everyone, the reaction of the people around you will be completely different. ……
“By the way, what’s this grooming thing you’re talking about?”
” comb your hair. Wear a shirt well. And practice smiling?”
“I see. Well, smiling is a skill.”
“That may be true, but I don’t want to hear it now…”
No way… Was that sparkling smile actually a skill…? Everything I was thinking up until now has been ruined.
“For now, this is Asahina Touka’s re-education plan for the time being!”
“Oh~”
“If possible, I wanted her to reply more cheerfully.”
“Ooh”
“She hasn’t changed, she hasn’t changed.”
“Well, I’ll try my best.”
I thought she might not like me for saying such annoying things, but Asahina seemed to accept my (tentative) plan for re-nurturing her. Good! I’m going to have to do my best to follow up with Asahina!
“But this makes Kuga-kun sound like my manager.”
“But you actually had a manager, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, she abandoned me. Well, I was the one who gave up on her first.”
“Eeeeehhh?”
Well, she actually had one. But even so, when I talk to Asahina, I sense a lot of darkness in places…
“……Kuga-kun, unlike everyone else, you never abandon me, do you?”
“Eh? What did you say?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Asahina muttered something softly, but her voice was too quiet for me to hear clearly.
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