CH#301

#301

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People are not equal.

Some are blessed with good looks, while others are not. Some excel in athleticism, while others struggle. Some are fortunate in physique, while others are not.

 

People dislike being labelled as having talent. Instead, they prefer to attribute their skills to their own efforts.

Certainly, this is not without merit.

 

Perhaps the initial spark is accidental. However, it’s a fact that individuals understand and develop their exceptional qualities.

That’s why people dislike the word ‘talent’. However, those who don’t possess it often envy and yearn for it.

 

Opposing opinions and thoughts. Perhaps this is another result of the inequalities that arise.

 

People struggle, envy, and pretend not to care even though deep down they desperately desire it.

That’s how people go through the process of what adults call ‘growth’.
…But deep down, they also want to be the protagonist.

 

 

 

 

Now, let’s talk about Valentine’s Day. Miura initiated the Valentine’s Day commotion. As a result, Koizumi received the chocolates Miura handed out.

However, her reaction after confessing her feelings was slightly different than expected. His response was to maintain their relationship.

 

The reason is simple: he wants to fulfill his duties as student council president and get closer to Akane, the former president.

Apparently, they made a promise to officially start dating once he completes his term as student council president at the end of their third year.

Miura was also content with Koizumi’s response.

He optimistically told us that he would feel more at ease focusing on their relationship after successfully handing over the student council to the next generation.

 

The sweet atmosphere when we entered the student council room, and the subsequent interactions between the two, filled with the innocence of newlyweds, made not only me but also other student council members smile wryly.

Shiraishi couldn’t help but click their tongues at the sweet atmosphere between the two. Certainly, it can’t be helped to think even if you declare that you are not in a relationship, things won’t change.

 

After a few days, the two of them returned to their usual working attitude, so it must have been a temporary relief.

That’s how the Valentine’s Day incident was successfully resolved.

 

But not everything has been resolved so neatly.

It’s become clear to me that the reputation of Shizuku and Kirasaka has suffered due to their association with a person like Shinra Minato.

I don’t live my life caring about the opinions of others directed towards me.

 

But if my actions are negatively impacting those around me, then the responsibility lies with me.

If I dislike being looked at with strange eyes by others, then I should just avoid getting involved… But such a relationship has long since passed.

In the future, we’ll continue to be involved with each other.

So, what do I do from here?

 

That’s the issue I’ve been pondering over these past few days. What can I do and what can’t I do?

Rapidly improving my academic abilities to impress others is nothing but a pipe dream. Life isn’t made on easy mode where you suddenly gain something through sheer luck.

 

In the ever-changing environment ahead, I must continue to demonstrate my usefulness and worth to others.

Just standing around won’t make me popular. Picking up a pen won’t make me the top student in the school.

So, I have to find something exceptional and prove it. If I want to continue being close to them for as long as possible.

 

“That’s not something easily found, is it?”

 

“What is it that you want to find?”

 

Unconsciously revealing my thoughts, the one sitting next to me naturally asked the question.

 

During class, in a corner of the library.

The place where students come to work on class materials provided a different atmosphere than usual.

As my thoughts drifted away from the lesson, Kirasaka confidently sat next to me, just close enough for our shoulders to touch. Shizuku placed the materials in front of us, with Yuuto and Miyashita sitting next to her.

Those of us who had become quite accustomed to this arrangement were now focused on our respective materials, but Kirasaka’s remark caught everyone’s attention, even though only she seemed to notice.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Minato said we’re using the same materials, so there’s really no need to find something different, is there?”

 

Shizuku raised a question, and Yuuto lightly tapped the materials in front of him with his fingers.

If I were to speak, how would they react?

Laugh, be astonished, or get angry.

Surely, they would just laugh and assure me there’s no need to worry.

 

It’s not because I possess any special talent that I’m by their side, but because they see me as someone special.

So, this is fine as my own monologue.

It’s fine to have monologues sometimes.

 

“I guess he just have a tendency to dislike using the same materials and having same preferences… He’s struggling to improve himself.”

 

“I think he’d do better if you didn’t have that struggle, considering your academic abilities.”

 

“No, no, Minato isn’t seeing any improvement because he’s wasting his brain on unnecessary things.”

 

“…”

 

I see… Just as expected of the insensible complain generator.

Miyashita’s casual words, which would have raised my evaluation, are ruined by her.

Ignoring my icy glare, the two of them resumed their interrupted conversation from class.

 

On the other hand, I focus on connecting the interrupted lines and start working on the task in front of me.

Running my pen across the almost blank pages of my notebook, erasing and writing again.

As I work up to the line where the teacher would consider me somewhat serious about the lesson, my gaze drifts sideways once more.

 

“…”

 

The view from a window different from the classroom.

My hand, which had come to a stop as it gazed upon the scenery of the river and trees behind, shows no signs of moving again.

Shizuku and Kirasaka watched me with somewhat worried eyes.

 

Class usually ends when the teacher signals it, but this time, with the class being held in a different room, the sound of the chime echoing through the school marks the end.

 

As the final class of the day comes to a close, a feeling akin to liberation permeates among the students.

Yuuto, Miyashita, Shizuku, and Kirasaka all gather their materials and start walking out of the library.

Following them, my steps feel heavy.

 

Another day has ended without any solutions coming to mind.

As I exit the hallway and casually glance at the entrance to the gymnasium, I notice many students forming a line.

Though there are few familiar faces, it’s clear they’re all third-year students.

 

It’s a rehearsal for the upcoming graduation ceremony, with practice for the entrance procession currently underway.

Their faces will only be visible a few more times. And then, a year from now, it will be us lining up in that procession.

Even if we live to be eighty, high school life is only three years. In the big picture, it might seem like a fleeting moment. But many adults speak of their student days as a bright time.

 

After graduation, what awaits us is a multitude of responsibilities and constraints. And perhaps, compared to student days, those days seem less happy because of it.

To me, the colourful school life is nothing but a product of fantasy and delusion.

…But recently, I’ve begun to understand the meaning of the adults’ words, if only a little.

 

 

Perhaps, the colourful school life does exist.

The scenes reflected in my eyes sparkling, with many friends who share my values and no restraints. Yesterday, something happened, today something else, and tomorrow promises even more fun.

Worrying over trivial matters, yet having a firm belief that this is where I belong.

 

Few achieve the ideal student life, and it’s not something everyone can attain. But unlike grand dreams beyond our reach, everyone can step into their nearby environment and witness it.

Something within reach, in the truest sense, or perhaps, something already attained by many.

 

Among the third-year students I’m gazing at now, I wonder how many can speak of their student days as bright.

And what awaits us is only one more year.

Though we’ve been accumulating bits of happiness, I wonder if those around me standing here can speak of bright days in the future.

 

“The graduation ceremony will be attended by us second-years and the student council, but it will be their last meeting with the first-years at the farewell event, right?”

 

“I think it’s a week before the graduation ceremony, right…?”

 

“Yes, Koizumi-kun also mentioned that there should be a gathering of students organizing a farewell event soon.”

 

Shizuku stopped walking and spoke while looking at the third-year students chatting ahead, sharing my gaze.

Last year, we were first-years, so it was a farewell to the then-third-year students.

We didn’t do anything ourselves, just watched a few students speak as representatives of the current students and hand over bouquets.

 

While there’s a saying ‘All’s well that ends well’, for us current students, it’s like our last farewell before moving on.

And it’s also the last gathering place for the current students of Sakuranaoka Academy. Thinking about it that way, it seems like quite a significant event.

Following Yuuto, Miyashita, and Kirasaka, Shizuku and I continued down the corridor.

 

In the meantime, I typed a message to Koizumi on my phone and sent it without hesitation.

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<BBX> : Exams r going on, and here I am translating chapters 😛

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