Volume 5, Prologue – Part 1

Prologue (Part 1)

Update (3/3/23): Big thanks to meatbun for helping to review my translation!! 🙏

Mikami-sensei wrote this volume with their entire authorussy and I barely survived translating this first part of the prologue...

I'll be a little busy this upcoming week due to midterm tests so Part 2 might be a little delayed, but it shouldn't be too bad :")

The prologue is 36 pages long, hopefully it'll just be split into two parts max?

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Volume 5 Cover (Source: @honyasannohito on Twitter)

Scary, scary, scary…

I – a completely ordinary first-year high school student, Amaori Renako, have been cornered against a wall.

Right before me was a girl with eyes like a snake gazing menacingly at a frog.

The girl was right in the middle of unleashing a magnificent wall slam upon me in an empty classroom during lunch break.

“I would like to hear your answer soon.”

“Eek.”

I cowered in fear at her voice, which sounded so calm as she cut straight to the chase.

Her smooth, long, black hair gently swayed like a curtain, shutting my vision from the outside world and enveloped me in her fragrance.


Koto Satsuki-san.

She has a cold and blunt personality.

But when it comes to her friends, she can be gentle and actually be a nice person…

…Was something I’d like to say, but describing her like that might be pushing it, though!

Even so, she was a precious friend that I somehow managed to make right after entering high school.

Or so she was supposed to be.


“Amaori.”

A rigid and clear voice penetrated my ears.

It was early October.

Of the summer heat and winter cold of Japan’s seasons, the most peacefully spent season, autumn, is known as “bonus time”.

And yet, sweat was painted all over my face.

It was lunchtime, and the voices of lively boys who were playing sports could be heard from the schoolyard.

They seemed to be fired up with each passing day, in preparation for the upcoming ball games tournament.

But the only thing that reverberated in the completely silent, empty classroom was the sound of my hurried, heavy breathing.

I was getting dizzy and my eyes seemed to be starting to spin.

“Gosh, I already said it was impossible…”

As though like a vinyl doll that went “Phweee! Phweee!” when pressed, I let out a miserable voice.

“There’s no way I can become Satsuki-san’s lover!”

Volume 4 Epilogue Illustration (Source: meatbun)

That’s right, everything stemmed from the messages that Satsuki-san sent to me.

The other day, I had to make a certain decision due to various circumstances but…

That decision was, well, unavoidable.

It’s not a matter of whether I regret it or not, or anything like that.

I acted, and they accepted.

So, case closed!


–Was what I kept telling myself, because if I didn’t, it’d be a given that I would’ve been crushed by everything!

Even now, if I were to say “I regret it!”,  it would be extremely impolite, right!

Just die!

…And, so. 

Putting aside the sudden mental breakdown…

Following that course of events, Satsuki-san jumped on the bandwagon.

“Go out with me too, Amaori.”

Taking advantage of someone’s confession would be to trample on their earnest feelings and was absolutely wrong, but Satsuki-san’s timing could only be described as nothing but that.


I mean, it was immediately after I got a lover, you know!?

What the heck do you mean by  “with me too”!

Is there even such a way of confessing!

And so, I ran around trying to escape from Satsuki-san for a while but…

Today at last, I was naively captured during lunch and thus dragged away to the empty classroom in this current state.

While Satsuki-san still had me cornered against the wall, she put her hand against my chin and began to ask me a question.


“Why?”

“Why!?”

Her tone sounded like she was asking me "Where do babies come from?", an innocent question.

By a small chance, what if she truly didn’t understand.

Alright, let’s set this straight.

I’m going to tell her.

“Because, I already…have a lover…”

I answered while looking away.

As those words left my mouth, it felt as though a bullet named “reality” shot me in the chest and damaged me.


Without missing a beat, Satsuki-san asked me again.

“So?”

Wait…no, no, no!

“That’s wrong, right!?”

“It doesn’t matter if there are one or two more added now.”

“Putting it that way is-!”

I stared back at Satsuki-san.

Our eyes met.

Ugh.


As far as I know, even after taking celebrities into consideration, this person is a top-class beauty – but that was precisely why the first thing I felt when she brought her face closer to mine was fear – then followed by fascination.

The eyelashes that adorned her sharp, pointed eyes were long.

Her outstanding beauty is like that of a snow witch that freezes you when you approach her.

For someone who is taller than me, her head is somehow smaller in build than mine.

Although she is thin, she’s not bony and has a supple body.

Just between you and me, to tell you the truth – I’ve actually seen it before, the shape of her breasts is also very beautiful… (Low voice)

Her face is too beautiful and the pressure it exudes is too intense.

It felt like I was going to lose.

But I managed to muster up my heart that was about to be crushed, and somehow stood my ground.

Because no matter how many times I have to go against Satsuki-san, this is one thing I can’t yield.

“I-it’s not like I decided to go out with them while considering things like numbers… I properly thought, and thought about everything, then finally came to a conclusion. When you referred to that decision of mine as a mere “number”, it truly didn’t sit right with me…”

These were the words I could never spit out, while leaving Satsuki-san’s messages on read.

I could finally say it.

It’s just that the only thing I couldn’t avoid was how my voice got weaker and hoarse towards the end of my sentence…

Ugh…

Despite voicing my own rejection, I was frightened at the resulting silence and peeked at Satsuki-san’s expression.

With a face that particularly showed not the slightest bit of thought, Satsuki-san calmly stared back at me.

“Hmm.”

She properly listened to what I said, didn’t she…!?

I got anxious.

“...Besides, it’s not like Satsuki-san likes me or anything, right…”

While pouting my lips, I gazed at Satsuki-san with upturned eyes.

After all, she’ll probably whisper loveless words like “I like you, like you, head-over-heels in love with you, let’s kiss,” like she did before.

However.

“That’s right.”

Satsuki-san abruptly replied while smoothening her hair.

She doesn’t even try to pretend anymore…!

“Tsk! You’re just going to use me for the sake of harassment again, aren't you! Just what am I to you, Satsuki-san!?”

“...”

Even when I shouted at her, Satsuki-san didn’t seem to waver.

On the contrary, she slowly brought her face closer to mine.

“W-wait-”

This flow of events was dangerous.

Her translucent skin, and lips that resembled a tiny flower blossoming in a snow field, caught my eye.

I–

“N-no, you can’t!”

I earnestly pushed away Satsuki-chan’s chest.

I couldn’t control my strength and pushed her forcefully, but Satsuki-san just stepped back a little and didn’t lose her balance at all.

She’s strong.

I felt a little relieved.

No wait, this isn’t the time to be doing this.

“It-it’s because this isn’t right…Satsuki-san, that’s…”

My heart was pounding.

In the current flow, would she have kissed me if I hadn’t rejected her?

No, since I had just gotten a lover, it would’ve been expected of Satsuki-san to...

I had the feeling that Satsuki-san would do it, and not do it at the same time.

It’s Schrödinger's kiss.


“...That’s right.”

Tracing her lower lip with her finger, Satsuki-san wore a blank look on her face, seemingly unable to understand her own thoughts.

…I made her angry, didn’t I.

“No, you didn’t. Not in the slightest.”

“You’re reading my mind again…!”

“I’m not. You’re just too easy to read.”

I don’t understand the meaning behind Satsuki-san’s actions at all,  but only Satsuki-san understands me, how unfair…

“In the end, what is this, all…about…”

I pressed a handkerchief against my sweaty forehead.

Even though I asked, Satsuki-san wouldn’t answer at all…

“My bad, for taking your time,” she said, her hair flipping behind her as she left.

I was assailed by the feeling as though I had been left behind.

“Ah.”

Telling someone that it was unreasonable, and turning them down–

I think I remember this uncomfortable feeling somewhere, the incident which led to me being ostracised when I was a middle school student.

–When someone invites you, you mustn't refuse.

The trauma of the past returned like an old wound, and I felt like my footing was about to crumble.

Without thinking, I called and stopped Satsuki-san.

“Um, Satsuki-san!”

Satsuki-san stopped in her tracks.

“I want to continue being friends with Satsuki-san!”

I heard my voice tremble through my ears.

After all, we had already become friends.

“So, this, is your usual joke, isn’t it…?”

I swallowed my spit in one gulp, and asked her as though I was pleading with her.

“Satsuki-san, you-”

Imagining the worst, I couldn’t afford to choose my words.

I asked her frankly, filled with hope that she would fulfil this wish.

“Satsuki-san, you won’t fall in love with me, right?”

Satsuki-san slowly turned around.

There was a faint smile on her face.

“Isn’t that obvious?“

Towards Satsuki-san, who said that.

“How conceited can you get. Don’t get too carried away, Amaori.”

I was– so relieved that I felt like my knees were about to give away.

“Th-that’s right!”

My face lit up.

“Satsuki-san is a person who has absolutely no interest in things like love or romance, girlfriends, dates, marriage, or the future, or anything like that, right!”

“The future.”

“No, I went a little overboard! Anyway, it’s that sort of vibe!”

I picked up the bento box wrapper and loose-leaf case that I had left on a desk, and stood next to Satsuki-san, who was about to leave the classroom.

Whether it’s out of relief or guilt that I’ve let go, I couldn’t stop talking.

“By the way! It was terrible of you to tease me like that, Satsuki-san! I was really worried about what to do! I’ll forgive you this time, but no matter how close we are as each other’s irreplaceable best friends, there are still some things you shouldn’t do! Do you understand!?”

Satsuki-san sighed irritatedly.

“Yeah yeah, it was my bad.”


It was like the usual Satsuki-san had finally returned.

I-I’m saved…!

This is what I’ve been looking for…!

The venomous Satsuki-san, as if she had fulfilled my expectations.

“It’s alright. There will only ever be two people who will fall in love with you since the creation of the universe. Up till now, and from here on out.”

The amount of the poison she spat at me was a bit too much, though!

“It doesn’t need to be that extreme, though!” I whined, although…

Well, the moment those girls liked me, I’m pretty sure that nothing better could have happened in my life, though!

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Translator Notes

If you would like to help out with the translation of the light novel (or pick it up instead), feel free to drop me a message on Discord (morotemon) or Twitter (@morotemon)!

Credits

Translation: morotemon

Quality Checking: meatbun

Translation Progress

Prologue Progress: 28%

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Quality Checking: 100% :D ████████████████████

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