Episode 1 – Start

“Nakahara-kun, you make me want to …… talk to you about everything.”

For me, it was these words that first made me decide to start the …… counseling club.

One day after school, I was receiving a consultation from my classmate, Higashino Madoka.

The content was about her career path.

“….., So? As for me, I wanted to become an idol, but my parents and teachers were still against …… it.”

“Yeah.”

“Of course, my parents wanted me to have a stable job. I tried to persuade them several times, but they never agreed.”

“……………………”

The two of us sit side by side in an empty classroom and I listen to her problems.

Higashino san is a beautiful girl who is said to be extremely cute, not only by the second-year and third-year students, but also by the entire school.

When she walks with her long, beautiful black hair fluttering in the air, men unconsciously turn and look at her,…… and she has that much charm. So when I heard that she had a dream of becoming an idol, I was inwardly convinced that Higashino-san would be the one to do it.

However,…….

“So, I also gave up …… my dream.”

“Eh?”

“I gave up on becoming an idol and decided to get a …… stable job like my parents and teachers said. Of course, this was not because my parents and teachers forced me to do so, but because I thought it over and decided …… on my own. So I don’t regret it too much. I studied a lot about idol work, and after that,…… I thought that maybe it wasn’t the right job for me.”

“……I see”

When listening to the story, it seems that even she is not …… going straight …… smoothly in life. She is trying to come to terms with her dreams and reality while facing opposition from her parents and teachers. Higashino-san, the school’s madonna, had the same life-sized problems as other students her age.

“I tried a lot of things before I gave up. Auditions, advertising myself on the Internet, and so on. But I still couldn’t get anywhere.”

“……………………”

“Then, as I was trying my best, I thought again, ‘Why did I want to be an idol? I thought, Why? I thought about it, I wanted to be a person who could make others smile like an idol, and that’s why I was trying to become an idol… I realized that, or rather, I understood it again, right? ”

“Yes, yes.”

“But making people smile is something you can do even if you don’t care about being an idol, isn’t it?”

“That’s …… well, sure.”

“That’s why I’ve come to my senses. I may not be able to be an idol, but I will be able to make people smile with other jobs.”

“……………………”

At this point, I knew that Higashino-san was as good as I thought she was. She knows herself well and has given up on her dream. This is not something you can do very often. This is what makes me think that Higashino-san is more than just a “pretty face,” that she is a truly attractive person who can be a …… school madonna.

(It’s amazing how hard it is to become an idol, even for the amazing Higashino-san. ……)

In my heart, I was quietly thinking that.

And there was more to Higashino-san’s story.

“Just …… because of that, my friends said some …… nasty things to me.”

“Bad things?”

“Things like, ‘It’s lame to give up on your dreams so soon,’ ‘Don’t listen to your parents so easily,’ things like that.”

“……………………”

“I know they are trying to cheer me up, but I’m really …… bothered by it.”

“……………………”

“I’m sorry, it’s not a big deal at all. But …… I just couldn’t help it, it stayed in my mind.”

Higashino san lowered her gaze and furrowed her brow.

I was very …… angry when I heard this, to tell you the truth.

[What is that word…? It looks like they’re cheering, but it’s like they’re not. They ignore Higashino-san’s feelings, and above all, their words are superficial.)

She clearly says, ‘I didn’t stop because my parents told me to’. Of course, that may be one factor, but she still made the decision to give up after making a proper effort on her own. It would be foolish to be harsh on her feelings.

I held back the anger that welled up in my heart. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down.

“……I’m, Higashino-san.”

I was trying to organize my thoughts, and I spoke carefully so that my words would not contain unnecessary barbs.

“It’s true, as your friend says, it’s great to work hard and not give up on your dreams.”

“……………………”

“But I think it’s just as awesome and admirable to give up on your dreams,……”

“…… Eh?”

Higashino san looks at me with rounded eyes.

“Giving up on a dream may seem like just a setback from the outside, but in reality, there were a lot of things that went through your mind before you made that decision,…….”

“……………………”

“Especially in your case, what is it that you really want to do? you are trying to be fully aware of this, and on top of that, you are going to go down a path where you think, you don’t need to be an idol. I don’t think this is something that can be done easily. I think most of the time, everyone gets caught up in that dream title and tries to become an idol, even if it’s just like no other. Higashino-san, who looks at herself calmly and is trying to take a step forward, is truly amazing.”

“…… Nakahara-kun.”

“I don’t think it really matters that much whether or not you were able to make your dream come true. What really matters is that you made an effort to make your dream come true,…… and that you tried hard to fight against something, and that act itself is what is important.”

“……………………”

“It is because you fought hard that success and setbacks are born, and if you didn’t fight, there wouldn’t even be setbacks. Saying that you are lame because you failed is the argument of those who have never fought. To hell with that. Those who have succeeded and those who have failed are just as honorable. They are much more admirable than those who don’t fight.”

“……………………”

“So I don’t think Higashino-san is lame at all. I don’t know what your friend really meant, but at least I think so.”

“……………………”

“……, no. I’m not sure if I’m speaking well enough. I’m sorry if my words came out a little rough …… and if I offended you.”

“……, no, it’s not like that.”

When I looked at her, I saw that Higashino san was crying. A tear was running down her cheek from her moist eyes.

“Hi, Higashino ……-san?”

I asked fearfully, and she wiped her tears, sniffed her nose, and then gave me a very gentle …… loose, soft smile.

“Nakahara-kun, you are so kind.”

“Eh?”

“You took my feelings into consideration and gave me positive words.”

“No, it’s not that big of a deal. Besides, I felt like I was talking to you from above, and I am rather sorry about that. ……”

“Fufu, Nakahara-kun is very kind after all.”

“Higashino-san,……”

She rested her hand on her chin and looked at me with kind eyes. Unable to bear her gaze, I turned away from her.

“Um …… Higashino-san, I know it’s a little late for this, but why did you ask me for advice?”

“Why?”

“Higashino-san is popular and has many friends. There are lots of other people you can talk to, so why are you asking me, who you only have contact with because we sit next to each other? I wondered.”

“……………………”

She was silent for a while, and then began to speak in a quiet voice

“Of course, I talked to many other people …… about it. But I just couldn’t get it off my chest.”

“……………………”

“I’ve been talking to Nakahara-kun for a little while since we sat next to each other, but I knew he seemed like a kind person. So I thought …… if I was going to go to all this trouble, I might as well talk to him about it. I knew my hunch was right.”

“…… Higashino-san.”

“Nakahara-kun was the first person to clearly give shape to my vague thoughts like that, and to give me such warm words…”

“Hahaha ……, that’s kind of embarrassing.”

“Nakahara-kun, maybe you’re suited to be a counselor in the future.”

“A counselor?”

“Yeah, Nakahara-kun makes me want to talk to him about everything …….”

“……………………”

“Oh, that’s right. You should try club activities anyway.”

“What do you mean by ‘club activities’?”

“It’s called a trouble consultation department or a counseling department.”

“T-The counseling department…I’m not the kind of person who can effectively solve people’s problems like that.”

“You don’t have to solve my problems. There are many people who want to be listened to by a kind person like Nakahara-kun.”

“……………………”

“If something happens again, can I talk to Nakahara-kun about it?”

“…… Really, are you sure you want me?”

“Fufu, Yes, of course.”

—-Nakahara-kun is good.

I still can’t forget the look of happiness on her face at that …… moment.

So I started a counseling club.

……To be honest, I’m an ordinary person. an average person with an average level of study and exercise, and an average appearance.

But if I can be of help to someone like this, it might be …… good.

There will be many people who will come to my club room to discuss their problems. I will try to be as sincere as I can to them. I don’t know if I can do it well or not, but I’ll try to do something anyway …… and that’s how I feel.

This is a story about the struggle to save all those who have become mentally ill.

(TL/N : Thank you for recommending this, Clover san!)

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