Episode 30 – Nishimiya Aira’s Love Life
Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093087122434729/episodes/16818622175347508322
It was around the fall of my first year of high school.
I was alone, reading a book in an empty classroom next to the cultural festival, which was overflowing with a joyful atmosphere.
I had no friends, and I didn’t have the courage or energy to go around the stalls.
“…Fufu.”
But I didn’t really care about that. After all, I had my favorite work right in front of me.
The protagonist’s heartfelt cries, burdened by circumstances, and the heroine’s transparent love.
Each character had their own goals, dreams, setbacks, and hopes—it was a story so precious it was overwhelming.
It was a magical tool that always transported me to a beautiful world that shone like a dream.
That was what manga, novels, and anime were to me.
I read silently, slowly, not missing a single word.
Then he came.
He opened the door at the back of the classroom.
“Hee, I’m tired.”
“!?”
I quickly closed my book and looked at the open sliding door.
“Oh, someone’s already here. Um… Nishimiya, right?”
It was my classmate… no, the most popular boy in school, Hasegawa Aota.
“So what?”
My curt response was probably because I had an aversion to Hasegawa.
“No, some of the girls were talking about you, so I was just curious about what kind of person you are”
“…Oh, okay.”
I replied quietly and opened the book again. I didn’t want to have anything to do with him.
But it seemed that Hasegawa felt differently.
“What are you reading?”
“… Hey, why are you sitting in front of me?”
“Huh? It’s better to be close if we’re going to talk, right?”
“Haa?”
I had no intention of talking. Besides, it was the middle of the cultural festival. There were plenty of other things to do.
At that moment, I heard footsteps rushing down the hallway in front of the classroom.
“Oh, crap. Nishimiya, can you cover for me?”
“What are you talking about…”
Hase-gawa got off his chair, crouched down, and hid behind the desk.
“Hasegawa-kun!?” “Where did he go?”
It seemed that Hasegawa had been chased by girls and had fled into this classroom.
“This classroom?” “Maybe.”
The front door opened with a creak. Two girls entered the classroom. Their eyes met immediately.
“Oh, Nishimiya-san.”
“…Is something wrong?”
“Um, well, have you seen Hasegawa-kun?”
“…I don’t know. Who’s that?”
“I see. Where did he go?” “I don’t know. Let’s go to the class stall again.”
The two said, “See you,” and left the classroom.
“Sorry, thanks for your help.”
“It’s hard being a popular guy.”
“I don’t think I’m popular. I’m just lucky that people are paying attention to me.”
“Hmm.”
He’s surprisingly humble, I thought.
I thought he would be more superficial and boastful about his good looks.
“So, what do you want to talk about?”
“Well, what do you want to talk about?”
I wondered what would happen if I said I wanted to talk about manga or anime, but I didn’t want to reveal that I was an otaku.
“Well, then… ah”
As I closed the book, it slipped from my hands.
Worse still, the book spun around once, shedding its cover as it fell to the floor.
“!!!”
Exposed in broad daylight was an illustration of a beautiful girl who probably didn’t exist in reality and a protagonist who was too good-looking to be called ordinary, holding hands.
In other words, it was the cover of a light novel.
“…Hmm, you dropped it.”
Hasegawa picked up the book that had fallen at his feet and glanced at it.
“What! Give it back!”
I blurted out reflexively. Was it to hide my embarrassment, or because I didn’t want to be mocked? It must have been one of those reasons.
“This is…”
Hasegawa stared at the novel and stopped talking.
“Nishimiya. Can I read it for a bit?”
“Eh?”
The response was so unexpected
“I don’t know much about anything other than soccer, so I’m curious.”
“H-hee”
I tried to hide it, but I was happy. After all, no one would dislike having someone show interest in what they love.
“It’s a romance novel, right?”
“Yeah, this work…”
Before I knew it, I was talking more than I could believe myself.
About the author, the characters—I had been seeking someone’s understanding all along.
Hasegawa didn’t say anything or back away, but listened to me while we played shogi.
After I finished talking at length, Hasegawa said,
“Nishimiya, you have that kind of face too.”
“What? What do you mean? Is that bad?”
“No, I just think it’s nice.”
Hasegawa’s expression at that moment was exactly the same as the one I had imagined the protagonist would have.
That innocent, kind face is still vivid in my memory.
…I was well aware that I was what people call a “choroin” (a naive person who falls for someone easily).
But it couldn’t be helped. After all, in that moment, I had fallen for him.
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