CH 21.5

One year ago. This is a story from when I was a freshman in college.

“Yo, Kazuma!”

“Stop—!”

While I was eating lunch alone at the cafeteria, someone came up from behind me.

When I turned around, I saw my friend from the same department, Mura.

By the way, at that time, we were still not in a position to organize a club and were just members.

However, even at that time, Mura’s change of heart towards women was already great, and he had already dated and broken up with someone.

Come to think of it, I’m a little worried about whether Shiina-san is really okay.

“What’s wrong Mura?”

“What the h**l, man… Why are you being so rude!”

“I guess you should fix your manners first, you suddenly rushed towards me while yelling. I really want you to take care of your self control.”

“Hahaha! There’s no way you can tell me to fix myself!”

There are a lot of things to fix, but being unaware of them is a bad sign.

“…..”

“…Stop being silent. Are you seriously saying that?”

“Of course. It’s about treating girls with care.”

“I don’t want to be told that by you…”

“Ugh… well, that’s fine. I’ve already washed my feet and reflected.”

“Yeah, yeah. I mean, I’m not a pervert to the point of digging into someone’s wounds. But, don’t you think it would be good for you to increase the opportunity to interact with the opposite s-x a little more?”

“Interacting with someone from the opposite s-x huh…”

It’s a bit annoying to be told this by someone who spends a lot of time playing around with girls, but I somehow understand it.

Since I went through such a breakup with my girlfriend in high school, I have become less friendly with people, especially women. It’s not exactly a phobia, but I try not to approach them out of anxiety that I might misunderstand something.

“Come on, you started working as a tutor at a cram school recently, right? There’s a pretty woman there, right?”

“A pretty woman? Oh… you mean Kinoshita-senpai?”

“Yeah! She’s got huge b*****s and is really pretty.”

“Well, that’s true, but she’s just my senpai. I don’t have her in mind as a target or anything.”

“Target or not a target, that’s a bothersome way of thinking… I want to pick her up as much as anyone else does.”

“Is it because you are free from playing with other girls?”

“Hahaha! I want to enjoy my youth. I’m a college student, and what I can do as a college student is going to end at some point, and when I become a working adult, it will become a serious talk about marriage or something, right?”

“Try saying that to the person you like. It’s a topic that would get you shut down.”

“It’s not about being a playboy, I just want to fall in love naturally.”

“You’re doing the same thing.”

“Oh, did you catch on?”

“Of course, I thought we were friends.”

“Haha. This is a problem…”

While laughing and giggling, Mura sat next to me and took out some onigiri and bread from a convenience store bag in his hand.

[TL/N : Onigiri is rice ball, I bet you have heard about it a lot]

“Well, I guess I’ll have lunch too.”

“Hmm.”

I nodded in approval and then we ate silently.

While looking at my smartphone, I watched today’s news.

And then, Muru seemed to remember something and said,

“Oh, today is Tanabata!”

“Huh? Oh, that’s right, I had forgotten about that…”

July 7th is Tanabata day.

Our university is located in Hokkaido, so it’s common to celebrate Tanabata on August 7th. However, since students from all over the country gather here, Tanabata is celebrated here on July 7th to match with mainland Japan.

Well, there are various theories as to why it’s August 7th, but anyway, I never thought about Tanabata even at this age.

I knew since high school that making wishes on Tanabata had no meaning, and the shrine visits my parents forcibly took me to before exams didn’t make any sense to me, so Tanabata wasn’t really a special event for me.

“Are you making any wishes?”

“What, what kind of wish do you want to make? To get a girlfriend?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Not everyone wants a girlfriend.”

“Oh, you’re not into girls by any chance, and prefer something like…”

“No, I like girls. And Muru, don’t even try to think of something disgusting like that.”

“What, I think I’m handsome though…”

“It’s a matter of content.”

“That’s harsh…”

“It’s only natural.”

Really, I wonder how did he even came to that conclusion?

It’s just annoying, but I’m not angry.

“But, I guess that’s true. What should I do… maybe I should make a wish for something that might come true.”

Holding a rice ball in one hand and prodding my cheek, I muttered quietly.

“Maybe there’s no need to think much about it?”

“Well, it makes sense, but we have these short scrolls, so why not use them.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, look over there.”

When he pointed at the village in a certain direction, I saw that a bamboo of about 5 meters had been placed there. Short scrolls were hanging and the girls were writing their wishes at the base of that bamboo.

“—Hey. Let’s participate in it and we are free so there shouldn’t be any problems with our studies either.”

“Well, that makes sense too.”

I don’t have any particular wish, but it might not be bad to write one.

After finishing dinner, the two of us headed to the place. Over 100 short scrolls were hanging and various wishes were written such as ‘To be successful in dieting’, ‘To be accepted into this university’, ‘To not fail a year’, etc.

“All these things are something which can be achieved by doing hard work.”

“Stop being serious…that’s just how it is.”

Anyway, what should I write?

Taking a blank short scroll and a pen, I wondered.

I don’t have any specific wish or things I want to make come true. At least for now.

“Oh, excuse me—”

Then, someone bumped into my shoulder.

The pen tip wavered and a single line was drawn on the short scroll.

I also hurriedly bowed my head and looked over to see a girl in a high school uniform I didn’t recognize.

“—Ah, no…”

“Oh…”

“Are you okay?”

“I- I’m okay, how about you?”

“I guess I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry… I was looking elsewhere.”

“No, no, don’t worry about it. I was distracted too.”

“Oh, it’s mutual then…”

“Yeah.”

With a smile, she tied up the short piece of paper she had just finished writing and placed it among the bamboo leaves. When asked what she had written, she replied:

“I want to go to this university… there’s someone I admire.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I’m really close to achieving that dream…”

“Well, if you try hard, you’ll definitely get in.”

“Yes! Senpai!”

“Huh?”

“Ah… It’s n-nothing! I have to go study now!”

She blushed and ran out of the resting area.

When I was still taken aback a little, Mura sneaked up behind me and said,

“…It seems you have fallen in love with her.”

“Quit saying stupid things! She is still in high school!”

“Haha! Age doesn’t matter in love, you know?”

“Shut up, I’m different.”

“Alright, alright… so, what are you going to write after all?”

“Uh, well…”

I don’t really have anything in my mind that I want to get fulfilled, so I turned my attention to the short strip of paper in which the wishes are meant to be written down.

“If I have to say it then… I hope she gets into the university she was aiming for.”

“You fell hard for her, didn’t you?”

“It’s fate. And moreover it feels like a request, right?”

I was being laughed at, but I don’t really mind because I’m not wishing for anything for myself.

In the end, I wrote “May that girl get into the university she was aiming for” and hung the short piece of paper on the bamboo

“Well, let’s go to the next class then.”

“Okay.”

And at that time, I didn’t know yet that the person who would come to me after successfully getting into this university the next year…

☆☆☆☆☆☆

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