The vast blue sky stretching out, cumulus clouds towering in the distance. A great chorus of cicadas, as if multiplying the summer heat, relentlessly pours in from the open classroom windows. “Starting from tomorrow's summer vacation, be careful not to get too carried away and encounter accidents or anything.” The homeroom teacher said that and left the classroom. As soon as the homeroom teacher left the classroom, the students' chatter became noisier than the cicadas' buzzing. Their voices were so heated that they didn't lose to the summer heat, and seemed to burst with energy. Students stood up from their seats, moved to where their close friends were, or happily talked about their vacation plans with those around them. Amidst that, one male student sat down on the desk in the last row by the window. “Haru, do you have any plans for the break~?” The male student who sat down on the desk said this towards the person sitting in the chair. “Hmm? Well, studying, I guess.” “Hey, hey! Are you serious!?” “Do you think I'd lie to you, my best friend?” The male student, who was the owner of the desk and called Haru, leaned against the back of the chair and looked up at his best friend sitting on the desk with a serious expression. “Yesterday, when I asked you to show me your homework, you said you hadn't done it. Also, the day before yesterday, you said the daily special at the cafeteria was fish even though it was meat. And last Thursday...” “Alright. I admit that I've been lying to you on a daily basis.” The male student called Haru raised both hands as if surrendering. “So? Do you have plans for summer vacation? Ōtsuki Haruto-san?” “Didn't I just say studying? My best friend Akagi Tomoya-san?” The male student who was the owner of the desk, Ōtsuki Haruto, repeated the same words as before.
In response, the male student sitting on the desk, Akagi Tomoya, after a moment of pause, judged that Haruto was not joking and made an expression of astonishment. “Eh? Eeh!? Whoa! You, seriously!? We're second-years in high school, you know?” “That's right.” “Then what we should be doing is decided, right?” “Studying.” “Why would it be that!!” Akagi Tomoya lets out an exaggerated shout and makes a retort like a comedian. Haruto gives a wry smile at his best friend's reaction. “Tomoya knows, doesn't he? What I'm aiming for.” “Well, yeah, I know that, but...” Although Tomoya nods in response to Haruto's words, he doesn't seem convinced and tries to persist further. “If you're always studying, you'll get tired and your efficiency won't increase, right? You need to take a break sometimes, you know? For example...” Tomoya paused his words mid-sentence and moved his gaze as if looking around the noisy classroom. Then, his gaze stopped at one point. “Like going to the pool or the beach with a girl from the class.” “If you're trying to invite Tōjō-san, do your best on your own. I'll pass.” Haruto glanced at the female student where his best friend's gaze was fixed before speaking. “You! You're heartless! Is it okay to abandon your best friend that easily!?” “Relax. As your best friend, I'll properly comfort you when you get completely crushed and your mental state is in tatters.” “You're already assuming I'll get completely crushed!?” Ignoring his best friend who was raising a voice in protest, Haruto turned his eyes once again towards the female student Tomoya had been looking at. Tōjō Ayaka. That was the female student's name. She was, so to speak, the school's idol. Her beautiful hair, which shone flaxen in the sunlight, had no kinks and extended down to the middle of her back like beautiful silk threads. And whenever she moved her face, it moved smoothly as if there were no gravity.
Her features were so well-defined that one might truly suspect she was an entertainer or an idol. Occasionally, rumors would circulate that she belonged to an entertainment agency, but even if that were true, she was such a beautiful girl that it wouldn't be surprising. And her figure was perfect too. Her outstanding proportions held such charm that they captivated not only men but even women, potentially fixing one's gaze upon her. “Hey Haru~, you invite Tōjō-san~” “Why should I invite her? You invite her and get crushed.” “Stop assuming I'll get completely crushed. But well, I admit it's clear that it's no good even if I ask her.” “If you're no good, I'd be no good either, right?” “No way! Haru, you have a chance!”
Haruto narrowed his eyes as he wore a suspicious expresssion and said, "I don't want to admit it, but you have a good face. If you fail, then I have no hope either. Just give up." “Certainly, I'm handsome and you're just average-looking... Ouch! Hey Haru, violence isn't good.” “Sorry, I couldn't suppress the impulse welling up from the bottom of my heart.” “Haru-san, chuunibyou isn't popular with girls... My bad, my bad, it was my fault, so please lower that fist.” Haruto grudgingly unclenched the fist he had intended to embed in his best friend's side, rested his chin on his palm, and looked up at Tomoya with narrowed eyes. At Haruto's silent urging, Tomoya continued talking. “Alright? Many handsome guys have confessed to Tōjō-san so far.” Our idol, Tōjō Ayaka, from entering this school until now, had been proposed to by a great many men. Starting with the Aces of each club, handsome boys popular with girls, the student council president, and the disciplinary committee chairman. In the end, even students from other schools would flock to the school gate just to confess. However, none of them were able to get a favorable reply from her. Everyone who confessed to Tōjō Ayaka, without exception, would end up bowing their heads, slumping their shoulders, and turning their backs to her, leaving with an air of melancholy. “I thought about it as I watched Tōjō-san cut down all sorts of handsome guys.” “'Cut down,' you say...” Haruto made a dumbfounded expression at his best friend who spoke of the school's idol as if she were a roadside slasher. “'Isn't Tōjō-san someone who doesn't like handsome guys?' was what I thought.” “No, no, among the guys who've confessed so far, there were quite a lot who weren't that handsome, you know?” Not all of the brave individuals who approached her were people with perfectly sculpted faces. Among them, there were male students who challenged fate with nothing but passionate feelings of love for Tōjō and were utterly defeated. “That's true. But there's a decisive difference between you and the guys who've fallen so far! That is...”
After pausing dramatically, Tomoya pointed directly at Haruto and declared. “The fact that you have the top grades in the school year!!” “Hmm~” At Tomoya's words, Haruto replied disinterestedly while resting his chin on his hand. “Tōjō-san is surely someone who values substance over appearance. That's why there's plenty of possibility for you, even though you're not handsome.” “No, there isn't.” Haruto flatly denied Tomoya's words. And on top of that, he embedded his fist into his side. Glancing sideways at his best friend who was writhing in agony after being hit by a iron fist, Haruto turned his gaze towards Tōjō Ayaka. Only female students were gathered around her. As for the male students, they were merely glancing towards the outside of the circle of female students centered around Tōjō, as if trying to gauge the situation. “In the first place, isn't there also the possibility that Tōjō-san just isn't interested in men?” Even though she's so beautiful and has been approached by so many men, the fact that there hasn't been a single rumor of a romance means that such a possibility shouldn't be nil. “No way... but that's acceptable in its own way.” Haruto made a dumbfounded expression at his best friend who was nodding with a serious look on his face while holding his chin. Unable to understand Tomoya's words and actions, wondering what exactly was acceptable, Haruto picked up his bag that was hanging on the side of his desk and started getting ready to go home. “What is it, Haru? Are you going home already?” “Yeah, even if I stay in the classroom like this, there's nothing to do.” “Are you sure? If you go home now, the next time you can behold Tōjō- san's esteemed countenance will be at the start-of-term ceremony, you know?” “'Esteemed countenance,' are you saying Tōjō-san is a goddess or something?” “She's already something close to that.” Ignoring Tomoya who was nodding with a completely serious expression, Haruto stood up from his chair.
“Are you really going home? Are you sure you don't need to call out to Tōjō-san?” “Today, there's a sale at the supermarket, you see. For me, discounted ingredients are more important than an unattainable goddess.” “What's that? Are you a housewife?” To his best friend who was retorting while laughing, Haruto suddenly made a face as if he had remembered something. “Speaking of which, I did have something to do besides studying during this summer vacation.” At Haruto's words, which he uttered while walking towards the classroom exit, Tomoya reacted with an “Oh?”. “What is it? Are you going out to play after all?” “No, a part-time job.” Tomoya showed interest in Haruto's reply. “Hee~ what kind of part-time job are you gonna do?” “Housekeeping Service” “So there's a part-time job like that.” “I happened to be looking through a job search site and found it.” Haruto left the classroom while talking with Tomoya, and they walked side-by-side down the corridor. “Housekeeping Service, that's the kind where you make dinner and stuff?” “Yeah, yeah, and if they ask you to do cleaning or shopping or stuff, you do that kind of thing.” While going down the stairs at the end of the corridor, Haruto talked about the short-term part-time job he would be doing during summer break. “Is that so? Are they still hiring for that? Maybe I'll do it too.” “You're the one who'd be asking for housekeeping service, aren't you?” “Ahaha, you're right.” At Haruto's words, Tomoya burst into laughter. Haruto has visited Tomoya's room many times, but he has never once seen his room in a tidied state. What's more, every time he visits, the level of messiness gets worse, so it's not just once or twice that Haruto, unable to bear seeing it, couldn't stand it and cleaned the room in his place. Lately, he's even started to suspect that he's being invited over just so he'll clean the room.
“Well, that's how it is, so summer break will be about studying and parttime jobs. I have to earn enough funds to go to university this summer.” Saying that, Haruto took out his outdoor shoes from the shoe locker and changed out of his indoor shoes. “What an unexciting, boring summer break.” Tomoya also changed out of his indoor shoes, and while tapping the tips of his outdoor shoes against the ground, he grumbled. “Shouldn't we still go back to the classroom and invite Tōjō-san now?” “That's why, give up on that already. If we do that, we won't make it in time for the sale.” At Haruto's words spoken while they went outside the school building, Tomoya let out a big sigh, saying “Haa~”. “Next year's summer break is right before the exams, so this year is the last summer we can play to our heart's content, you know? Is that okay?” To his best friend who was utterly hung up on the school idol, Haruto said with a grin while passing under the school gate. “Give up, my best friend. Let's spend a summer filled with diligence and hard work together.” To Haruto, who gave a thumbs-up, Tomoya couldn't help but look up at the sky and shout. “I don't want a youth like that!!” ※※※ The summer heat showed no sign of weakening even in the evening, and the cicadas' noisy chirping echoed through the residential area. Haruto pinched the front of his uniform shirt, which was sticky with sweat, and fanned himself while opening the front door of his house. “I'm home~” He took off his shoes with his greeting upon returning home, and as he entered the house, a person slowly came from the back of the corridor. “Welcome home, Haruto.” “I'm home, Grandma. Look, these are today's sale spoils.” Haruto lifted the bag he held in one hand slightly, a proud expression on his face. Inside the bag were the spoils of the day's sale: mixed ground meat and onions. “The ground meat was 118 yen for 100 grams. The onions were 298 yen for a bag of five.”
“Oh my, it must have been very crowded, wasn't it?” His grandmother said anxiously while receiving the bag. “It just made me realize just how strong housewives are.” Housewives of the world, burning with the mission of securing cheap ingredients, possess potential no less than that of high school boys with their youth and stamina. Recalling the memory of being roughed up by the strongest species, housewives, on a midsummer afternoon on the way home from school, Haruto put on a grimace. “That must have been tough. Well then, how about we make hamburg steak for dinner tonight?” At his grandmother's words, who proposed a menu while acknowledging her grandson's struggle, Haruto's expression instantly lit up. “If I can eat Grandma's hamburg steak, I can fight housewives every day!” “Is that so? Well then, go wash your hands and gargle.” “Okay.” Haruto replied to his grandmother and headed to the washroom, and after finishing gargling and washing his hands, he headed to the Japanesestyle room for a moment. An altar was placed by the wall in the Japanesestyle room, and three memorial photos were displayed there. “Dad, Mom, and Grandpa too, I'm home. Starting today, I'm on summer break.” While pressing his hands together towards the memorial photos, Haruto said in a quiet voice. “This summer break, you know, I plan to work part-time.” Keeping his hands pressed together, Haruto spoke to the memorial photos. “Ah, but I have no intention of neglecting my studies, and I'll make sure to show my face at the dojo. Grandpa, you can rest assured about that.” Currently, only Haruto and his grandmother live in the Ōtsuki house. He was involved in a traffic accident when he was young. In that accident, he lost his parents, and fortunately surviving, Haruto was taken in by his maternal grandparents. So that Haruto, who lost his parents at a young age, wouldn't struggle in the future, his grandparents raised him strictly without spoiling him, properly disciplining him. His grandfather had Haruto, who was becoming emotionally unstable and withdrawn, attend a karate dojo, training both his body and spirit.
That grandfather, however, passed away when he entered junior high school. Haruto genuinely believes from the bottom of his heart that the reason he isn't withdrawn now and has proper confidence in himself is because his grandfather took him to the dojo. His grandmother thoroughly taught him household chores like cleaning, laundry, and cooking so that Haruto wouldn't be troubled even if he was alone in the future. Thanks to that, he can now do most things by himself, and has acquired household skills to the extent that he can work a part-time job in house cleaning services. “Alright then, I guess I'll go help Grandma.” Haruto unclenched his hands, which he had put together, and headed towards the kitchen. Haruto prided himself on his cooking skills having improved considerably thanks to his grandmother's teaching so far, but he still couldn't match the taste of his master, his grandmother. To get even a little closer to that taste, Haruto stands in the kitchen with his grandmother every day, trying to steal her techniques and intuition. “Grandma's hamburgers are exquisite, aren't they?” The condensed, flavorful meat juice that overflows when you bite into the hamburger. Imagining the moment it spreads in his mouth, Haruto swallowed the saliva that was about to overflow and headed for the kitchen. ※※※ Having finished dinner, Haruto faced his desk in his room and opened a reference book. “Hah~ Grandma's hamburgers are too supreme...” Although he was in a posture to study, he was currently immersed in the afterglow of dinner, and there was no sign of his pen starting to move. Haruto spaced out for a while, but eventually he came to his senses and lightly shook his head, saying “Oh dear” before facing the reference book with a serious expression. After concentrating on his studies for about an hour, Haruto put down his pen when he reached a good stopping point and stretched widely. “Ugh~ I guess I'll take a bath soon.” Since his grandmother has been having back problems recently, cleaning the bath is his job.
“It gets troublesome if I leave it too late.” Just as he was about to cut off his studies and head towards the bathroom, the smartphone on his desk vibrated with a buzz. “Hm? Is it from Tomoya?” Haruto, confirming the display showing Akagi Tomoya on the screen, picked up his smartphone and tapped the red phone icon displayed in the center of the screen. “Hello, what is it?” —“Hey. I just suddenly wanted to hear Haru's voice, you know.” “Is that so? Well, that's creepy, so I'm hanging up.” From beyond the screen, he heard a flustered voice directed at Haruto, who was trying to end the call immediately. —“Whoa, whoa, whoa! It's a joke, a joke! I really have something to tell you!” “Then talk about that from the beginning. I thought my ears were going to fall off when you suddenly said something creepy.” —“Isn't that harsh in its own way? Even though what I said just now was half serious.” “Alright then. See you at school after the break.” —“Sorry! I won't fool around anymore!” Hearing his best friend's flustered voice, Haruto leaned his cheek on his hand at the desk, a slight smile appearing on his lips. —“You want to hear about the interesting event that happened at school after we left, right?” “Interesting event? Did something happen?” His best friend, Tomoya, had a wide circle of acquaintances, and information about events and rumors at school often reached his ears. Tomoya would occasionally relay such information like this time. —“Well about that. You know Kaitō-senpai from the third year, right?” “Ah~... The person from the tennis club, was it?” Haruto took a moment to recall the person Tomoya mentioned, Kaitō- senpai. In his vague memory, he had heard that this Kaitō-senpai was the ace of the tennis club and his skill was comparable to that of professionals. There were even rumors that he would sign a professional contract with a famous manufacturer after graduation, and that if one became Kaitō-senpai's girlfriend now, there was a high possibility of hitting the jackpot in the
future. He felt like the girls in his class were excited talking about such things. —“Yeah, yeah, that Kaitō-senpai apparently confessed to Tōjō-san, you know?” “Oh~ and then?” Haruto, while slightly losing interest in Tomoya's story, asked for him to continue anyway. 'Confession to Tōjō Ayaka'. This is an event that occurs regularly at the school Haruto and his friends attend and is not particularly unusual. Moreover, this event almost always has a predetermined outcome. —“She cut him off with one word, 'Not interested.'” “Figured.” Haruto replied indifferently to the outcome he had predicted. No matter which man confesses to Tōjō Ayaka, she never says yes. That's the image Haruto has of her in his mind. —“Well, that part is as usual. But this time, the lead-up to the confession was amazing, apparently.” “Was it an elaborate setup?” The men who have challenged Tōjō Ayaka so far have attempted various confessions to try and secure the position of boyfriend. Some of them were quite eccentric, and those become material for students' gossip and pleasure. —“Rather than elaborate, this time it was more like bold.” “Something like a public confession in front of the whole school?” —“That was the final form, yeah. But before that, Kaitō-senpai first called out Tōjō-san to the schoolyard over the school broadcast.” “Whoa...” Haruto involuntarily let out a voice of shock and felt sympathy for Tōjō- san, who was called out for a confession over the school broadcast. —“What's more, Kaitō-senpai's confession wasn't 'Please go out with me,' but apparently it was 'Please get engaged to me.'” “Engaged... This Kaitō-senpai, is he crazy?” —“See? And he even apparently prepared an engagement ring.” “Whoa...” Haruto was taken aback for the second time today. Getting engaged while still in high school is already unbelievable, but on top of that, preparing an engagement ring is simply beyond reason.
Was Kaitō-senpai originally a dangerous person with a crazy thought process? Or was the charm of Tōjō Ayaka, who could make a high schooler decide to propose, sinful? Haruto couldn't judge. —“Apparently, Kaitō-senpai didn't move from the spot for thirty minutes after being rejected.” “Well, that's how it would be. If I were Kaitō-senpai, I'd change into a white costume and commit seppuku right there.” TL/N: "Seppuku" is a traditional form of ritual suicide in Japan, historically practiced by samurai to restore honor after disgrace or failure. It involves self-disembowelment using a short sword, often performed in a formal ceremony. Being called out over the school broadcast. On top of that, a proposal with an engagement ring in front of the whole school. If he were rejected after all that... Haruto's body started trembling slightly just thinking about it. —“Looks like you're the only one who can move Tōjō-san's heart after all.” “I told you, no way. Besides, I'm not brave enough to talk to Tōjō-san after hearing a story like that.” —“What, you chicken. Well, I guess you won't see Tōjō-san until school starts anyway. I'm looking forward to it after the break.” “Don't get your hopes up for weird things.” —“You're the only one who can become the second Kaitō-senpai!” “Isn't that a bad outcome!” Along with retorting to his best friend, Haruto ended the call. Immediately, Tomoya sent back a sticker of a cat saluting with a surprisingly dignified expression. For now, Haruto sent back a sticker of a muscular rabbit delivering an uppercut to the opponent's chin, then got up from his desk to boil water for the bath. Tōjō Ayaka was, for Haruto, merely a topic of conversation with his friend occasionally, and she would never be anything more than that. Haruto thought so at the beginning of the summer break. Until he started his part-time job at the house cleaning service.
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