Chapter 166: Troublemaker
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 166: Troublemaker
"Because you're surrounded by so many girls, some students have nicknamed you the 'Black Fiend.' What are your thoughts on that?"
"We're just ordinary friends. To be honest, I don't understand why I'm being associated with them in that way."
"There's that 1:50 Fight Video that became a hot topic for a while before summer vacation. There are suspicions that the person in it is you, Kim Yoo-Sung. Is that true?"
"...Absolutely not. I've seen that video myself, and you can't even see the person's face, can you?"
Ayabe-senpai's questions were a good mix of softballs and hardballs.
If I hadn't known what questions to expect beforehand, some of them would have been difficult to answer on the spot.
I had no choice but to give negative answers to most of the questions, but from my perspective, that couldn't be helped.
After all, the number of things I'd actually done was small enough to count on one hand.
After the interview was over, Ayabe-senpai turned off her recorder, her brow furrowed.
"There wasn't as much buzzworthy material as I'd hoped."
"Sorry for being so boring."
"No, honestly, I'm just glad I was able to get an interview at all. Considering your reputation, the entire student body will be interested just by the fact that an interview with you is in the paper."
"...Is it really that big of a deal?"
When I asked with a look of disbelief, Ayabe-senpai nodded and stated firmly.
"It is. Even if you ask the freshmen who just enrolled this year, they'll know about you."
As she said that, Ayabe-senpai glanced at the first-year student holding the camera, Hanami.
Hanami, perhaps out of shyness, hunched her shoulders but still gave a timid nod.
"What the club president said is true. Kim Yoo-Sung Sunbae is super famous among the first-years, too. They call you 'the man who conquered the school with his fists'."
What is this, a 90s delinquent manga?
In this day and age, anyone trying to find romance with their fists would end up in jail long before they got into college.
"Anyway, thanks for the interview today. I'll show you the paper first thing when it comes out."
"When is the paper coming out?"
"During the cultural festival, of course. That's in about two months, right? Maybe?"
"That's not much time."
"For the second-years, yeah. With the school trip, the sports festival, and the cultural festival, your schedule is packed."
Ayabe-senpai sighed softly.
"I wish I had some free time, too, but with my parents on my case, I can barely breathe."
"What school are you aiming for?"
"Waseda University, School of Commerce."
"Ah..."
I understood why she was complaining.
Right, if it was Waseda University, then it couldn't be helped.
"Anyway, let's stop with the depressing talk. The interview's over, so why don't we go hang out somewhere?"
"Huh? Me too?"
"Yep. It'd be a shame to part ways just like this. How about we take some sticker photos at the game center to commemorate the occasion? A chance like this doesn't come around often."
Ayabe-senpai suggested we hang out together.
Honestly, I'd rarely met anyone who was this casual and friendly with me right off the bat.
Maybe Rika or Sasha, at most?
Is this the power of a super-insider?
I subtly glanced at the other two.
They both looked bewildered.
It was clear this hadn't been discussed beforehand.
"Wouldn't it be awkward if I came along?"
But Ayabe-senpai waved her hand good-naturedly.
"Nah~ If I was worried about that, I wouldn't have even asked. Besides, when it's just us girls, we get hit on a lot, so I'm asking you as a favor. I don't know if it's because of how I look, but guys approach me pretty often."
After she put it like that, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
"...Alright."
It probably wouldn't be for long. I could just hang out for a bit and then head home.
With that thought, I decided to join them.
*
Ayabe-senpai led us straight to a nearby arcade.
"Yes! Perfect! I've got a good feeling today!"
Contrary to my first impression that she'd only play cute games, it turned out she was a rhythm game fiend. She was incredibly good at a Taiko drum game.
The way she gripped the drumsticks in both hands and beat the drum in time with the rhythm was the work of a seasoned pro.
"President, just how much of a veteran are you?"
"I started in middle school, so I've probably been playing for about four or five years?"
"I don't think I could even handle the easy difficulty."
"It's not as hard as it looks. How about it? Hanami, want to give it a try?"
As she spoke, Ayabe-senpai offered the drumsticks, and after a moment's hesitation, Hanami took them.
She then started happily playing a song on a difficulty that suited her level.
This is what arcades are good for.
Even people who don't know each other well can naturally become friends while playing games together.
I was standing a step back, watching the three of them.
"Excuse me..."
Suddenly, someone spoke to me.
"Hm?"
Wondering what was going on, I turned my head to see a delinquent with a somewhat familiar face.
"Do you happen to remember me?"
"Uh... who was it again?"
"I'm the guy who came to the shop before, asking for help for Kaz-hyungnim."
"Ohh!"
His face finally came back to me.
Right, that did happen.
It was so long ago that I didn't recognize him for a moment.
"What are you doing here?"
"I was just hanging out with my friends and saw you, Hyung-nim's hyung-nim, so I came to say hello."
The blond delinquent bowed his head deeply as he spoke.
"Huh? Huh?"
Startled, I quickly looked around.
Fortunately, the three from the newspaper club were too engrossed in their game to be looking this way.
"Hold on, please don't do that."
I hurriedly forced him to straighten up and pleaded with him.
"What's wrong, sir?"
"I'm not really Kaz's 'hyung-nim'. We're the same age, to begin with."
The blond delinquent looked confused, scratching the back of his head.
"But you're still older than me, so isn't it right for me to call you Hyung-nim?"
"What? How old are you?"
"I'm in my third year of middle school now."
"......"
He didn't look like a middle schooler at all, but knowing that cases like this were common in the world of manga, I decided not to point it out.
Besides, it wasn't really my place to say anything.
"Anyway, it was nice seeing you. You can go now. I'll say hi to Kaz for you."
"Ah, yes. May you live a long and healthy life, Hyung-nim."
"I told you I'm not your hyung-nim!"
After sending off the delinquent, who remained polite and bowed to the very end, I leaned against the wall and whistled nonchalantly.
Just then, Ayabe-senpai, having finished her game, came over and asked.
"Who was that? I heard you talking to someone."
"Oh, I just ran into someone I know. We just said a quick hello and he left."
"Hmph. I see."
My intuition was screaming at me.
Whatever else happened, I absolutely could not give this person any room for misunderstanding.
"If you're all done, let's go do something else. How about a shooting game this time?"
"That sounds good, but let's do what I mentioned earlier first."
"What you mentioned earlier?"
"The commemorative photo. When else am I going to get a chance to take a picture with you?"
Saying that, Ayabe-senpai looked to her side and asked her two juniors, "You guys are getting in on this too, right?"
Of course, since participation was mandatory, it didn't seem like they had a choice.
"Alright! Let's go, go, go!"
Following Ayabe-senpai's lead, we entered the sticker photo booth one by one, with the expressions of cows being led to a slaughterhouse.
*
Sticker photos.
A machine that people like me would normally never use—something exclusive to the popular kids.
I had taken some relatively recently, but that was only because Minami had forced me. This was definitely the first time I'd ever taken them surrounded by people I wasn't close to.
"Yoo-Sung is the tallest, so you should stand in the middle."
Following Ayabe-senpai's instructions, I played the role of a totem pole.
Ayabe-senpai took the front, and because of the cramped space, the other two clung to my arms like cicadas on an old tree.
"S-Sorry for being so close!"
Hanami, perhaps unaccustomed to physical contact with guys, kept muttering apologies with a flushed face.
"Hmph. Not bad muscles,"
On the other hand, Takagi, who was my age, tried to act cool as she casually poked my bicep.
Was it really too cramped for four people in this tiny space?
As we all jostled against each other, breathing heavily, Ayabe-senpai, who had been operating the machine from the front, seemed ready and stepped back.
"Okay, say cheese! Cheese!"
Hearing her, I reflexively broke into a smile.
It must be the sad fate of a Korean to react to the words "kimchi" and "cheese" in any situation.
Click! Click! Click!
A series of photos were taken with the sound of the shutter.
Ayabe-senpai picked out the best one and showed it to us before handing out a copy of the sticker photos to each of us.
Finally, we emerged from the cramped space and sat on a bench to catch our breath.
"Ah, I'm thirsty. Can someone go buy some drinks?"
"Let's decide with rock-paper-scissors."
"I'm in!"
"M-Me too."
The ensuing game of rock-paper-scissors miraculously ended with my defeat.
It seemed the unwritten rule that the person who suggests it always loses was still in effect.
I walked over to the vending machine corner on one side of the game center to buy the requested drinks.
One good thing about Japanese vending machines, unlike Korean ones, is that most drinks are a standard 100 yen.
For someone like me who prefers carbonated and sports drinks over water, this was a major selling point.
Clunk!
I bought four cans, one for each of us, and was heading back to our spot with them in my arms when I saw them.
"Ah, come on, just hang out with us. Stop playing so hard to get."
In that short time, the three of them were getting hit on.