Volume 2 - CH 1

Volume 2

Chapter 1: Ordained

TL: Akabane

***

The huge storm surrounding me and Suzune has finally passed. Shota's sexual proclivities had been greatly distorted by the sensual novel I wrote, but thanks to my completely revised new version of "NTR my best friend's sister" and Suzune's stomping play, Shota's sexual proclivities were rendered harmless.

But I was to witness its side effects on Monday .......

On Monday morning, as I leave the house every week, I find Shota at his usual spot.

But when I saw him, I stopped and couldn't believe my eyes.

It was indeed my best friend, Shota Minazuki, standing there.

But something was different. ...... At first glance, Shota looked the same as usual, but something was different.

The first thing is the sickeningly fresh smile, and then the waving gesture towards me, which wouldn't be possible under normal circumstances. And the biggest difference was his hair.

Shota had a full head of hair.

He walks over to me with his white teeth showing me.

Oh no ...... what a scary .......

Then, he comes up to me and says, "Hey, Ryutaro, good morning!" He greets me in the morning with another sickeningly fresh smile.

"Oh, oh ...... good morning ......."

I barely reply, and Shota opens his arms and looks up at the sky.

"It's a healthy weather today. But I heard there's going to be a passing shower in the evening, so you'd better bring a folding umbrella!!!"

He said, and I couldn't stay put. I grabbed Shota's shoulders and shook him violently.

"Hey Shota!　What's wrong?!　What's troubling you?!　If anything happens to you, please talk to me!"

No, I have a thinly veiled feeling it's my fault, you know?　But at least the contents of my sensual novels weren't the kind of thing that would make Shota such a refreshing boy.

Shota replies to my concern with a smile as usual.

"You're asking me if I have a problem?　I'm rather the opposite. My mind is clear right now. And it's Suzune and Ryutaro who made my heart clear!　Thank you very much for that."

I am convinced when I see Shota bowing deeply saying that.

Oh, no...... this guy is enlightened.......

Apparently, Shota Minazuki had his own sexual proclivities exposed yesterday, and then he was trampled by his own sister in front of me, an ugly scene. As a result, all the emotions that had been smoldering in Shota's heart were released. And what the heck, it seems this is what happened. ......

"Shota...... I'm sorry......"

And despite the sunny Shota, I felt so sorry for having changed the personality of my precious best friend. When I saw him, I thought he was a good friend of mine.

"S-Senpai ...... Ah, Onii-chan too ......."

I turned around when I heard a voice from behind me. I turned around to see a beautiful girl waving her hand in my direction.

It was Suzune Minazuki.

She is the idol of the school and the best lady of the school, and she had a smile that was even brighter than the clear sky today. When she came to us, she looked at me and bowed to me, saying, "Good morning, Senpai."

I grabbed her arm when she raised her head and pulled her to the shade of a nearby cherry tree to get away from Shota. As she was pulled, she blushed her cheeks as she said, "S-Senpai ...... y-you're being kind of pushy today ......."

"Oh, hey ...... who is that guy? I don't know that guy. ......"

Suzune tilted her head when I asked her that, pointing at Shota.

"Who's that ...... guy? He's my brother, but ......."

"He certainly looks like a best friend I know well. But there's something different about him ...... something like he's the most exalted monk in the world......."

"I-It's been like that since yesterday....... Yesterday, my brother was doing sutra chanting until late at night. ......"

Oh......No.......

"Are you sure he's okay?"

"Well, I don't know either. ...... but my mom says it's something about lust and repression...... and anyway, she says that if you leave it alone for a while, it will go away eventually......."

I don't know what's going on, but she's still an optimistic mother .......

What a thought, Shota waved his hand in the distance.

"You guys, you're going to be late if you just sit around like that."

"Oh, oh, I'll be right there. ......"

No good. He's very sick. ......

With that said, me and Suzune went back to Shota and started walking towards the school. And there, "Ah, yes, Senpai......" she rummaged in her bag and pulled something out.

She then offered it to me with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Here, it's for Senpai...... please eat it if you like......."

What she offered me...... it was a bento.

The shock of it left me speechless. But Suzune seemed to have misunderstood my reaction. She looked at my face with a little uneasiness.

"Well, that thing ...... was it bothering you?

I shook my head in panic as she said that.

"Of course not. I'm glad. I always saw you giving it to Shota, and I was even jealous."

I desperately try to follow up. But I soon realized that I had said a little too much. Suzune's cheeks turn a little red with embarrassment at my words, and she mumbles quietly, "Oh, really?"

And then, I suddenly realized that Shota was watching our exchange.

Isn't this bad?

"I'm sorry, Shota...... How should I say, um......."

And as I was making excuses that weren't excuses, Shota said with a smile as usual.

"Ryutaro. This is a thoughtful gesture from Suzune, who was concerned about Ryutaro's nutritional balance. Please accept Suzune's lunch box!"

Shota bowed deeply saying that.

Oh man, it's hard. ...... What's with this perverted philosopher? ...... Huh?　What is it?　Did this guy seriously die and reincarnate?

Suzune smiles bitterly at my astonishment.

"S-Senpai ...... Let's endure this for a while ....... Let's endure it together ......."

I guess if we endure it, things will really go back to normal....... As I was walking along, tilting my head, Suzune called me again, "S-Senpai."

"Senpai ...... are you free after school today?"

Suzune asks, her cheeks still stained.

"Eh?　Um, I'm free, but ......"

"Well, that's...... if it's okay with you, Senpai, why don't you come to the library after school today...... because I have many things I want to talk about......"

"I don't mind, but ...... is that okay?"

It was still Shota's gaze that bothered me. I looked at Shota. He was already bowing deeply to me.

"Ryutaro. I'm asking you. Please go along with Suzune's selfishness."

"Oh, oh ......."

And anyway, all I know is that it's okay to talk about this kind of thing in front of Shota's eyes .......

But still, t's hard ...... to do it......

***

Then, after school. I come to the library as she promised and find a familiar girl at the counter.

It was Suzune Minazuki. She was sitting deep in a chair at the counter, reading a paperback book. Apparently, she was on duty today.

At first glance, she appears to be a clean and innocent literary girl. But in reality, she is just a perverted girl. She seemed to be unaware of my presence, staring at the paperback, her cheeks bright red and her index finger in her mouth.

"S-Suzune-san?"

I said to her in front of the counter, and she said, "Hyah!" She lets out a short, startled scream.

"Hey, what are you, eh, Senpai.....?"

"By the way, Suzune-chan, what are you reading now?"

She turned her head away from me with a disappointed look on her face.

It seems I was right.

I went to the library, but I didn't know why she had summoned me there. So I looked around the library. There were no students in the library. It seems that this library is always deserted.

Then Suzune stood up and pointed to a long table in front of the counter.

"Oh, let's talk over there ......."

So I did as she asked and took my place at the table. I assumed she was going to sit in front of me. However, she snuggled the chair next to hers into mine and sat down there. As a result, my body and Suzune's body are in close contact.

"Um, is this ...... uncomfortable?"

"No, not at all, but ......."

"I'm glad."

Suzune turned her head down and muttered this in a small voice. Of course, there is nothing unpleasant about having Suzune by my side. But being so close to her makes me feel uncomfortable. As I looked at her lying on her face, I thought back to yesterday.

I kissed this girl yesterday ......, right?

Thinking about that makes me even more restless.

"Oh, by the way, what's the situation with the bookshelves?"

I almost choked up, and I hurriedly broach the subject with her. Then, she looked up and tilted her head. The proximity made me nervous, but I tried to keep my composure.

"Ho, is it a bookshelf ......?"

"Look, it's a bookshelf on Southeast Asia and a bookshelf on Central Asia. Hasn't the teacher found out yet?"

When I asked that, Suzune finally seemed to understand the intent of my question and hurriedly waved her hand in front of her face.

"Not for now ......."

"Well, I don't think so, but it hasn't increased, has it?"

When I asked her that, Suzune smiled tightly, "Eh?" and Suzune gives a tight smile.

"Hey, did they increased already?　It hasn't been much days since we came here the other day, right?"

The dreaded perverted girl. Where's next?　Middle East?　Or somewhere around Africa?

Suzune was shyly silent for a while, but then, perhaps convinced by my reproachful stare, she confessed, "I'm going to go ...... and look at some of the shelves of Japanese traditional arts."

Oh my God ....... Apparently, she has even dyed Japan's intangible cultural assets in perverted colors. ...... That would change the meaning of shakuhachi in many ways. ......

[TL: A shakuhachi is a Japanese and ancient Chinese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo.]

When I was holding my head in my hands, Suzune bowed her head and said, "I'm sorry ......."

But when I looked up, her eyes widened as if she suddenly remembered.

"Yes, that's right. I didn't call Senpai today to talk about such things. ......"

Suzune puts her own felony on the shelf and forcefully returns to the main topic.

"Well, that ...... is something I want to ask Senpai ......."

"Something you want to ask me?"

"Yes, yes. ....... Actually, I've wanted to ask you for a long time, but I haven't had a right time to do so. ......"

Suzune said, but I had no idea what she was referring to. I tilted my head and she stared into my eyes. But soon she seemed to be embarrassed to be making eye contact with me and looked away from me.

And then...

"So, that ......S-Senpai, do you intend to become a professional novelist?"

"Well, yeah?"

I roll my eyes at that strangely leaping question.

"Um, what's with the sudden ......?"

"Well, that ...... if you have that intention, I was hoping that I could help you in various ways to become a professional novelist. ......"

And that's what Suzune said.

But to be honest, I had never been aware of such a thing.

"To be honest, I've never thought about it."

"Um, I see. ......"

Suzune's expression darkens a little at my answer. I hurriedly shook my head at her.

"Ah, it's not like that. You see?　I'm on the rankings now, but before that, I was a bottom-of-the-barrel writer, right?　So, to be honest, I had no idea that my novels would be published in book form. But, if I get an offer like that, of course I'm interested, right?"

Suzune's expression brightens as she replies.

"Yes, that's right ...... and, after all, everyone dreams at least once of having their novels published in book form, don't they ......?"

And there, Suzune opened the zipper of her own bag on the floor. Then, she rummaged inside.

"Actually, that ......S-Senpai, in order to somehow get my senpai's novel into a book, I've written a plan."

Saying this, she took a sheet of paper out of her bag. But when she pulled her hand out of the bag, another piece of paper flew out with it from inside and fell to the floor. I casually reached for the paper to pick it up.

But when I saw the paper, my hand stopped.

"Huh?"

On the paper was written, "Student Council Election Candidate Registration Form" and Suzune's name was written in the name column.

"S-Suzune-chan, this is ......."

When I answered, she said, "Ah!" she picked up the paper with a panicked look on her face.

"Suzune-chan, are you running for student council?"

When I asked her that, Suzune's face turned bright red as she held the registration paper to her chest and gave a small nod.