Prologue – Momokawa Kotaro
September 19th, Respect for the Aged Day. I, Momokawa Kotaro, 2nd-year student of Shiromine Private Gakuen, am enjoying the so-called national holiday. To be specific, I’m currently hunting for light novels, mangas, and games until I reach the centre of the city.
Although I belong only to the literature club, for a typical student like me, who’s getting by with just a monthly allowance from his parents, I can’t afford to spend too much of my funds on just one trip. I’m somewhat an otaku-ish student, but I don’t think I necessarily categorize as one. Currently, I don’t have problems with my economic condition, considering I was originally a cheapskate.
「Maybe it’s time to go back」
As I’m leaving the large bookstore from where I bought a copy of this month’s light novel, the sun was already inclined to the back of the mountain, coloring the cloudless, early autumn sky with a crimson color.
Maybe it was because I’m shopping alone, I had a little premonition of the vanity of life when I saw that sunset, as I was walking sloppily on the road without thinking anything.
「Hey, don’t touch me！」
That, even if I can’t say it as something like shrill, the nuance of the girl’s voice was like a scream. (EN: Why can’t the author just say it was a girl’s scream?)[TL : Because it’s a girl scream]
When I noticed, I was looking curiously at the alleyway from where that voice came from.
「Eh, no way …………. 」In that place, there were four men encircling two girls, I was partly expecting it but, the spectacle was filled with surprise.
The two girls were wearing the recently outdated sailor uniform. That was obvious since I am also going to Shiromine Gakuen. One of the girls with shoulder length hair is a cute girl, while the other one is just a plain glasses girl without any conspicuous point.
It seems the one who’s screaming is the former. Though the glasses-san face is turning pale as she completely stepped back, it was clear when looking from where I was currently standing.
「Oioi, you shouldn’t say those kinds of words to gentlemen like us, right？」
Saying that, the man corrected the two girls. Looking like gentlemen, no matter how he says it they’re completely more like Yankees or hoodlums, despite their correction. What the heck is with that loose hip-hop parka, where the heck did he buy it?
But, no matter how stereotypical these juvenile delinquents are, I just couldn’t do something stupid with the reality before me. They’re also high school students like me, even more so, they’re most likely from the infamous Kurokawa high and are nicknamed as “Students of Kuro high”*. [TL : Kurokawa means “Black River” while the nickname changed into “Black High School”]
「Nope, no matter what you say, that’s impossible right? 」
Even I need to think twice with my game filled-brain, whether I must go against opposing those four hardcore Yankees to save the girls whose face isn’t even in my memory only because they’re of the same school as mine.
How can I fight against those Yankees with nice builds with my meager 152 cm height and 45 kg* weight. Of course I don’t have that sort of mastery of martial arts or something with me. My poor specs match my appearance. [TL* : Shota?] [EN: Shota indeed]
「Damn it, I don’t see anything, I really didn’t see anything…………. 」
I mean, who the heck going to blame me from running away at once from this place.
I mean, see, I’m not the only one who notices this situation. Everyone is just hurriedly getting away from this place since some time ago even though they had a glance in this alleyway for a moment, they’re just passing it like that as if it has nothing to do with them.
unable to do after all. )
I’m not at fault here, I mean I don’t think these guys are at fault too. There are some things that humans are able and unable to do after all.
That’s right, no matter how bad these delinquents are, they’re not something like atrocious criminals who will rape or murder someone so calmly. After all, despite being students from the infamous “Black High”, it’s only at the point of where they’re repeatedly receiving a “Grace” from the police when causing some brawl. I mean, though those two girls are a little frightened, they’ll eventually be released by those thugs.
And then, when I’m about to leave this place as I turned away with my eyes shut tight, I felt a strong sense of self-loathing in myself.
「Oi, what have you been looking at？ 」
「HAH！？ 」
I unintentionally look back toward the voice that called me. The four thugs who’s looking with trance expression at the two girls was simultaneously looking at my direction.
「No-Uhm, I just —— 」
「Hah, WHAT, THIS GIRL IS SO INDIFFERENT HUH ？」
They keep saying whatever they want, easily interrupting my all-out excuse.
「He~, You’re quite a cute one there, want to become our girl」
「You stupid, look, no matter how you look at it, SHE IS A HE」
「Hah, seriously？ isn’t she just wearing a boyish style?」
「EH? Hah? Damn it, are you kidding me, that’ll make me[ore*] lose my self-confidence right」[TL* : Momokawa usually using Boku]
You guys might be joking right, no matter how you look at it, I[boku] am a man ——– or so I thought, it’s painful since I can’t retort them.
I[boku], who has an androgynous face, though it might sound nice right, it doesn’t mean that I’m the so called handsome boy with rosy cheeks.
Though I’ve big eyes, it’s more like scornful eyes of the evil stray cat. Even if my eyebrows are somewhat thick, it’s unbalanced with my baby face. I’m definitely not a bishoujo but, this level is around the level of a frail girl in the class right.
With these and a little bit of height, though there’s a possibility that I can be judged as a man, I can’t think of my small and slender build as only because nutritional deficiency. With my somehow round and shorth shoulder width, it made me lose my only chance for someone to make a distinction of my gender even just by my silhouette. It seems that my hair which is on the long side is also the reason for someone to mistake my gender. It’s not like I have any intention to cut it though. Because I’ll look more childish when I cut it short. [TL : ……….. Poor little Momokawa] [TL : just cut it already] [TL : ………. Pitted between rock and hard place huh][EN: Just be the shota that you are!]
I mean my current attire is, a little loose white parka in a common jeans[jacket] and it’s not the kind of fashion that will bring in manly charm.
Even so, in the first what I need to do in the current situation is not to make an appeal to explain my gender, I need to made an escape from this place ASAP.
Maybe they’ll chase me out of curiousity if I escaped as it is. This place is somewhat quiet, that’s if you don’t accidentally end up in this place.
「A-Uhm！ They’re my friends and we’re about to play with our classmates！ 」
I’m calling it, the strategy of “Some of my fellows are waiting on my back”. It’s a more reliable strategy than the sink or swim 「Police officer-san, they’re right here」, right.
「Ah, then？ My bad then, it’s looks like that plan going to be cancelled 」
It was shot down.
「Eh-No, that’ll be ……………….. troubling」
「I say it’s okay, you’re these two’s companions right ？ Come along with us, we’ll give you a lot of love whether you’re a boy or girl」 [TL : Eh!?] [EN: This is about to turn into a shota BL!]
Chills ran through my spine towards the words of the long haired-dye in brown coloured-man who first recognized me as a girl. This guy is he drunk！. [EN: What a descriptive sentence!]
Oh crap, I should run away with a dash without thinking about a guilty feelings or something. Though it’s a little unsightly, I’ll run to that konbini* and shouting「HELP ME！」. At worst, they might be just call the police. [TL* : Minimart]
And then, with that plan in my mind, I’m doing a 180° turn and breaking into a sprint without minding the onlookers.
「Fugya！ 」
But, my first step to escape was meeting with whatever object in front of me, my body which received the damage was rolling miserably on the cold road. That‘s hurt.
「Are, you, are you Momokawa？」
Uwa, someone is grabbing my arm when I’m knocked down, a refreshing tenor voice can be heard from above me who’s half crying. When I raised my face reflexively, there’s two faces that I recognized at that place.
「Ah, Souma-kun, Tendou-kun」
「Are you alright？ It seems you fell in a rather flashy way」
「Leave it, it’ll look pitiful to let it go as it is」
My expression turned sour but, the ikemen were unexpectedly standing in that place. [EN: What is the author trying to say?][TL : basically he met two ikemen]
The one who’s worrying about me is Souma Yuuto.
Putting on a sweet mask of an embarrassed idol wherever he goes with his tall and slender figure is the subject of admiration, even for men. If I was a girl, I would’ve certainly fallen for him.
And pointing to that matter, despite being a little sharp, is a big guy with a different charm than Souma-kun.
His name is Tendou Ryuichi.
With a height surpassing 190 cm, and a massive frame with well-toned muscles. That peculiar, face isn’t the gorilla type and paired with his blonde coloured-dyed hair, he’s a wild ikemen with a sharp look.
Despite the difference in style, they’re wearing the same gakuran which can be differentiated from the girls’ uniform of Shiromine Gakuen worn by the two girls over that alleyway. Even so, since they’re famous within the school, there’s no one who didn’t know of their face.
What’s more, since they’re my classmates who personally know me, they won’t mistake me even if I’m wearing everyday clothes.
「Ah-Uhm, since I’m actually okay, please save those two over there」
I stand quickly and show the alleyway where the sum total of 6 people were gathered in. It might be obvious what kind of the situation is right now.
「CHE, the guys from Black high huh」
「It seems」
See, they instantly understood the situation.
Souma-kun is the holder of many heroic tales in which he saved many students of Shiromine from trouble with thugs without differentiating between gender, while Tendou-kun is the holder of legendary feats in which he’s fought 10 thugs alone. Oh God if it’s the two of them who have cheat statuses lending their hand, whether it’s 2, 3, or 4 thugs, they’ll somehow accomplish it.
「Well then, I will –」
「Geez, meeting such trouble again. Yuuto, let’s do this like the usual」
「As you wish, Ryuichi. Our fellow students will be in trouble if we didn’t help them ASAP」
Apparently, they have already forgotten about my existence. Luckily, thanks to the gallant entry of these two striking ikemen combi, the 4 thugs also forgot about me.
Or not, only that long haired-fake blondie is the one who’s looking with regretful expression at me who made an escape. Uwaa, so disgusting ………
At any rate, just like that, I escaped from that predicament. [TL : Yeah, and quite a dangerous one too] [EN: No BL for the lady readers][TL : I’m glad it didn’t happen otherwise I’m afraid that it’ll sap my SAN]
Ha~h, I’m so miserable no matter where I go, just how small of existence am I compared to those two. I unintentionally self-loath my own powerlessness. But, not feeling disgusted or regretful is also a common misunderstanding.
I’m different from them. Be it my face, brain, strength, or wisdom. Undoubtedly, including luck.
But, I’m not feeling pessimistic about that. The great majority in this world is are not the kind of people who excel in just about anything and everything like them. They’re just too special.
Since I’m looking at them from near, it’s not natural that I get used to their radiance.
I’m me, it’s been like that so far, even from now on, I’ll spend my life corresponding to my own abilities. Amongst the people who live this way, something like saving the beautiful girl in pinch is an impossible event.
Regarding today’s incident, right, I managed not to get punched and safely escaped from that place. In addition, with the two heroes entering the scene to save the day, the girls are is saved, the thugs are punished, it’s a perfect ending.
And me, just a mob character who‘s just happened to be on in that place, the Student A. I’m not dissatisfied with that role or anything. Because I’m not suited to save those girls.
Just like them who like brave heroes, that role isn’t suited for me.
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