Chapter 153: The Second Semester Begins
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 153: The Second Semester Begins
In the end, I wasn't able to finish all my overdue homework until a little past midnight.
It took longer than I'd thought, but it was still within the expected timeframe.
「You're surprisingly good at studying.」
"Why? Do I not look the part?"
「Yeah.」
"..."
Her sincere reply to my joking question stung a little.
I cleared my throat and said, "I don't personally dislike studying. Like working out, it's one of the few things where consistent effort guarantees results."
Talent becomes important once you reach a certain level in both, of course, but that's how I see it. It's not like other fields don't require talent, after all.
「That's amazing. I really hated reading.」
"Really? That's surprising. Since you were sick, you must have spent a lot of time lying in bed. Wouldn't your eyes naturally drift toward a book?"
「Who reads books these days? Maybe if it were games or TV.」
A strangely realistic point.
And she wasn't wrong. I've heard it's pretty common these days for people to read less than one book a month.
"Anyway, I should probably get to sleep. If I don't want to be late on the first day of school."
「I can meet Ryu-chan if I go there, right?」
"Yeah."
「Then hurry up and sleep.」
Saya said, patting the futon laid out on the floor.
'She's only quick to act at times like this.'
I gave her an exasperated look before letting out a deep sigh.
"Alright. You sleep well too."
And so, the last night of summer vacation came to a close.
*
The next day, 4 AM.
"Eel rice bowl!"
To make up for yesterday's mistake, I shot out of bed at the crack of dawn. Only after checking the time on my phone could I finally relax.
It wasn't that my biological rhythm was off from slacking on my workouts lately; I had simply overslept due to the rebound effect of my shrunken body growing larger.
While Saya was still lost in dreamland, I went into my room, changed into my training clothes, and then woke the sleeping Saya to go for a jog.
「Ughh... I wanna sleep a little more...」
Her sleep-talking was pretty cute, but there was no way I was going to change my workout routine, which has been set in stone for two years.
"Saya, wake up. We have to go work out."
As I said that and kept shaking her shoulder, Saya sat up with a dazed look on her face.
I wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief before forcing her to her feet.
"Alright, let's go."
Still looking groggy, Saya followed behind me, her head bobbing like a child's.
"Inhale, inhale—haah—"
The dawn air is always refreshing.
With that thought, I stretched in front of my house and started off at a light jog.
You have to run at a pace that's not too fast and not too slow like this to reduce the strain on your knees and the soles of your feet. Mindlessly running hard isn't always a good thing.
As I run my usual route in silence, my gym buddy, Kazu, naturally joins me.
"Hyung-nim! Good morning!"
"Yeah. Good morning."
Kazu, who still calls me Hyung-nim even though we're the same age. He looks even older than I do, so when we're together, people often mistake us for gangsters. I've asked him to change how he addresses me, but he still pretends not to hear. He just spouts some marine-like logic, saying, "Once a Hyung-nim, always a Hyung-nim."
"The new semester starts today. How's school been?"
"Same as always for me. I've graduated from the bōsōzoku life, so I'm studying hard for a certification to get a job right after graduation."
"What kind of certification?"
"I was thinking of becoming a motorcycle mechanic. I like riding them, but I also like working on them myself."
"Oh yeah? That suits you."
"What about you, Hyung-nim?"
"I'm not sure. There's nothing I really want to do yet."
"But you're good at studying and working out, Hyung-nim. Can't you just pick whatever you want to do?"
"You say it like I'm some big shot."
"It's not like you're wrong, though."
"I guess that's true."
Worried because I can do too many things... anyone else would say I'm being spoiled. There's still time, but honestly, I've become much more anxious compared to the first semester. Maybe it's because I've already experienced failure once.
What is it that I truly want to do?
"Then what about being a bodybuilder? Your physique seems even better than the pros, Hyung-nim."
"A bodybuilder? Working out is just a hobby for me, so I don't know about that."
No matter how much you love something, there's a huge difference between doing it as a hobby and doing it as a job. Besides, if I became a bodybuilder, I wouldn't be able to eat what I want because I'd have to manage my body. There's a reason they're called the monks of the city. For a big eater like me, that was a truly fatal flaw.
Chatting idly like that as we ran, we soon arrived at our destination, the Citizen's Park.
After a light workout there, I returned home to eat. Then, after a quick shower to wash off the sweat, I left the house. It was already past 7 AM.
*
Following my usual route to school, I came to the subway station and boarded a train heading for Minato Ward, where the school is located.
"Ah! Ryu-chan!"
「Ryu-chan?」
Startled by the familiar name, Saya looked around frantically.
I was right beside her, so I immediately corrected her misunderstanding.
"Ryu-chan is me. My name is Ryusei in Japanese, so that's what they call me."
「...」
Saya gave me a strangely sulky look and tapped my head. Of course, since she's a ghost, it didn't hurt.
"Hey. First time seeing you since Comiket. How have you been?"
"Me? If I'm not healthy, I'm a corpse!" Rika said, striking a pose to emphasize her bicep. Of course, that didn't make a non-existent muscle appear.
"It feels like it's been forever since we went to school, right?"
"Yeah, it does."
Summer vacation was only a month, but this year it felt particularly long.
Rika chattered excitedly about all the things that happened at Comiket, and I played my usual role of chiming in at the right moments.
It takes about 30 minutes from home to school. I have to transfer subway lines several times to get there.
"Hey, you! What's with that uniform! Is that a skirt or a belly band? Pull it down below your navel!"
In front of the school gate, our homeroom teacher, Matsuda, was conducting a dress code inspection, looking the same as ever.
"Good morning."
"Morning, Teach!"
As we passed by and greeted him, Mr. Matsuda looked at my unbuttoned shirtfront as if he was about to say something, but then seemed to give up and closed his mouth. He then turned his attention to Rika beside me.
"Kishimoto, you pull that skirt down a bit, too. Aren't you cold dressed like that?"
"Nah~ A high school girl doesn't get cold that easily."
Rika said, laughing it off naturally. As they say, you can't spit on a smiling face. Unable to scold Rika, who was radiating positive energy, Mr. Matsuda let out a small sigh and waved his hand.
"Alright. Go on, go on. I'll let it slide since it's the first day of the semester."
"Yes! Thanks, Teach!"
Rika and I bowed to the teacher, then stepped through the school gate.
*
Screech!
The moment I entered the classroom, it fell silent.
We've been in the same class for half a year already; I wish they'd give me a break from this atmosphere.
Kids were gathered in clumps, whispering amongst themselves.
I sat down in my seat, half-resigned.
"Yo! Long time no see!"
At least Satoru in the seat in front of me gave me a friendly greeting.
"It's been a while, Satoru."
"Something wrong? Why the long face so early in the morning?"
"Just... had one of those mornings."
I mumbled, then glanced toward the seat by the window.
"Where's Ryuji?"
"Not here yet. He's probably going to be late today, too."
Just as you'd expect from the protagonist of a romantic comedy. Being late on the first day of a new semester seems to be an unwritten rule. I'm pretty sure I heard his little sister wakes him up in the morning, so why is he late so often?
As I pondered this, I started unpacking my bag.
"Ah! Last week's new issue! I'm reading it first!"
The brand-new copy of Jump I'd bought at the convenience store this morning was in Rika's hands before I even got a chance to read it.
It felt like my Jump had become public property at this point. I almost snapped when Satoru casually asked, "Can I read it after Kishimoto?"
And so, the morning passed, not much different from the first semester, and finally, it was time for homeroom.
"Alright! Quiet! Quiet! I know you're all happy to see each other after the break, but quiet down a bit!"
After silencing the entire class the moment he stood at the podium, Matsuda cleared his throat lightly, looked around the room, and spoke.
"Starting this second semester, we have a new transfer student who will be studying with us."
Immediately, questions about the new student flooded in. Matsuda answered the one we were most curious about: their gender and where they were from.
"It's a girl, and she's from Osaka."
"Is she pretty?!"
"She is."
Woooooah!
The boys' excitement flared up in an instant. The girls, on the other hand, looked disappointed. This was the third female transfer student this year.
Amid the commotion, Matsuda called out to the student waiting outside the classroom.
"Transfer student! You can come in now!"
Screech!
Immediately after, a healthy-looking girl with tan skin walked into the classroom.
"Hello! My name is Hattori Ayame!"
The transfer student from Osaka said with a bright smile.