Chapter 48: The Stormy Exchange Student
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: The Stormy Exchange Student
After first period, Mizuki Nanae-sensei's Practical English class, ended, the students swarmed around Sasha.
Perhaps out of consideration for her being an exchange student, Sasha had been seated right next to the class president. As she was bombarded with questions from all sides, the class president, looking utterly bewildered, hastily escaped from her seat.
"How did you learn Japanese?"
"I taught myself by watching anime."
"Are you fully Russian? Or half-Japanese?"
"I am a proud daughter of Russia."
"What do your parents do?"
"My father runs a company, and my mother supports him."
"Is it true what you said earlier, that the person you like is Kim-kun?"
"It is. He has helped me a great deal, and he's a man stronger than my father, who is my ideal type."
Wait, that last answer sounds like it could cause a misunderstanding.
As I flinched and shifted in my seat, the students surrounding Sasha began to whisper.
"It's Kim Yoo-Sung again."
"He wasn't satisfied with Kishimoto and Tojo, so he's adding another girl to the list."
"I heard he's also in that kind of relationship with the student council president."
"Stronger than her father? Does that mean he's already fought Sasha's dad?"
"Kim Yoo-Sung, what a terrifying man..."
Stop it! More bad rumors are spreading!
I have nothing to do with her!
Just when I thought my bad reputation was finally starting to fade, I was being slandered in a completely bizarre way.
I glanced at Rika beside me with a pleading expression, but for some reason, she was staring at me with narrowed eyes.
"Looks like Ryu-chan was busy charming another girl while I wasn't around."
"Wait, it's a misunderstanding."
"That's the line rom-com protagonists use the most."
"..."
It was true, so I had nothing to say.
How did my life end up like this?
Originally, all the attention that should have gone to Sakamoto Ryuji was coming to me.
I suppose it's a small price to pay for changing the original story's flow, but isn't this a case of the tail wagging the dog?
I was pondering this while reading the copy of Jump in my hands when our homeroom teacher, Matsuda-sensei, opened the classroom door and walked in.
"Everyone, take your seats. Class is starting."
Thanks to his timely entrance, the attention on me instantly dissipated. I let out a sigh of relief and, with a heart full of gratitude for my teacher, got ready to study.
Midterm exams were just around the corner, so I had to focus even more during class.
Most teachers tended to drop hints left and right as the exams approached.
"This part will be on the test, so make sure you remember it."
*
After the long morning classes finally ended, it was lunchtime.
"Kim Yoo-Sung! How've you been?"
Karen, who had stormed into our classroom as usual, asked with a bright, carefree smile.
It felt like it had been a while since I'd seen her.
Which was natural, I suppose, since we really hadn't seen each other for quite some time.
Seeing Karen casually sling an arm around my shoulders, Sasha, who had just stood up from her seat, slowly approached and spoke.
"Excuse me, but would you mind getting away from him?"
"Huh? What gives you the right?"
Sasha chuckled, placing a hand on her chest.
"Because I'm the one who's going to be Kim Yoo-Sung's girlfriend."
Karen blinked blankly for a moment, then suddenly flared up in anger.
"Don't be ridiculous! Kim Yoo-Sung is Rika's boyfriend! What kind of nonsense are you spouting? We just met!"
Hearing Karen's sudden declaration, the class started buzzing.
"So they really were in that kind of relationship?"
"No wonder she moved seats after only a week."
Having grown used to these situations, I was about to open my mouth to clear up what Karen had just said, but Rika reacted a beat faster.
"Huh? Ryu-chan and I are not in that kind of relationship! What are you talking about all of a sudden, Karen-chan!"
Now it was Karen's turn to be flustered.
"What? You two aren't dating?"
"R-Ryu-chan and I are just normal friends."
"No way. What have I been misunderstanding all this time..."
Sasha, who had been quietly listening to their exchange, suddenly came to my side, linked her arm with mine, and said, "Then I guess it's okay for me to take him, right?"
Rika snapped.
"Hey! We're in the middle of a conversation, could you stop jumping ahead by yourself?!"
"There's a saying in Russia. The early bear gets the salmon."
"That has nothing to do with this!"
"...Even a crab gets a chance..."
I was getting more and more lost.
I sent a pleading look to Satoru, who was sitting in front of me, eating his lunchbox with some other friends.
Satoru must have felt my gaze because he turned around, saw the scene around me, and his expression hardened. He shoved a piece of potato in his mouth and said:
"Die, normie."
Why!
*
In the end, I had lunch surrounded by the three heroines of the original story: Rika, Karen, and Sasha.
Blue, yellow, and red hair. Their hair colors were like a traffic light.
Even after we finished lunch in the student cafeteria, Karen and Sasha, who must have gotten off on the wrong foot, continued to snarl at each other like a cat and a dog before scattering the moment the bell for class rang.
They say boys become friends through fighting, but I had no idea if the same applied to girls.
Well, I guess they'll get along on their own if they keep seeing each other, right?
Anyway, time flew by, and it was already sixth period.
Sixth period on Mondays was P.E., so the entire class changed into their gym uniforms and went out to the sports field.
The P.E. teacher, Oonuma-sensei, stood before the assembly platform with a completely unmotivated expression.
"Uh... right, what was it. Today, after a simple fitness test, we'll split the class into two teams for dodgeball. If anyone's not feeling well, speak up now. I'll let you sit out."
But everyone just glanced around, and not a single person raised their hand.
"Alright, we'll start with the boys' fitness test. Let's move over to the track."
Following Oonuma-sensei's lead, the students of Class 2-B moved in a crowd.
As we lined up in two rows, separated by gender, Oonuma-sensei's eyes scanned over us and widened in surprise when they met mine.
"Uh... Kim-kun? I'd appreciate it if you zipped up your gym uniform."
"Sensei, I'm sorry, but the uniform is too small, so the zipper won't go up."
As I said this and bowed my head, Oonuma-sensei muttered, "I-Is that so? Well, can't be helped then," and looked away.
"Okay, we'll start with the short-distance running test. We'll go in order of student number, so line up accordingly."
""Yes!""
"First up is... Akagi Shun."
At the teacher's call, a male student with short-cropped hair stepped onto the track.
It was Akagi Shun, who had the first student number among the boys in our class.
Perhaps conscious of the girls sitting behind him, he pulled the collar of his uniform all the way up to his neck, put on his coolest possible expression, and got into a crouching start position.
Confirming he was ready, the teacher gave the signal with his mouth.
"Ready... Go!"
Beep!
The moment the stopwatch was pressed, Akagi shot forward.
He seemed accustomed to physical activity; his transition from the crouching start was quite smooth.
He completed the 50-meter dash in an instant and returned with a swagger in his step to ask the teacher.
"Sensei, what was my time?"
"7.38 seconds. Perfectly average."
Akagi's face flushed red as he returned to his spot.
As expected, there's a big difference between how fast you feel you're going and your actual speed.
*
The short-distance running test continued in order.
Beep!
For the first time, Oonuma-sensei let out a sound of admiration.
"Incredible. That's almost a professional-level record."
The one who stood out most among the students was the protagonist, Sakamoto Ryuji. He was the only one among the boys to break the 7-second barrier, upholding his pride as a rom-com protagonist.
"Sakamoto-kun is kind of cool, isn't he?"
"Huh? You think so too? Honestly, he's got above-average looks."
"Maybe I should make a move on him next time."
Amidst the favorable comments from the girls, Sakamoto returned to his spot and sat down.
He himself looked dissatisfied, but that was none of my business.
I was the last one among the boys, so I sat quietly on the grass waiting for my turn. After watching Satoru, who was just before me, finish with a time of 7.18 seconds and return in high spirits, I slowly got up.
"..."
For some reason, the atmosphere suddenly went quiet.
I feel like the other kids get way too conscious of me whenever we do things like this, and I honestly wish they'd cut it out.
Frankly, being the center of attention isn't comfortable for me either.
As I stretched lightly and stood on the track, Oonuma-sensei approached me with a grim expression.
"Please, just don't break the track."
"I'll be gentle."
If I ran with all my might here, it wouldn't just be the track that was the problem; I might draw the attention of the entire school. So, I decided to run with as little power as possible.
I had rested well during the rest of Golden Week, so my body was now fully recovered. But thanks to the experience of suffering from the side effects of the red pill, I had learned how to suppress my physical abilities to a normal person's level.
"Ready..."
The moment I heard the word "ready," I tensed my relaxed thigh muscles.
Then, I lowered my upper body to reduce air resistance even slightly.
As I got into my running stance, Oonuma-sensei swallowed hard and pressed the button on his stopwatch.
Beep!
"G—"
In that moment, I became a gust of wind.
"—o!"
Click.
The fitness test was over in an instant.
I glanced back and asked, "Sensei, how many seconds did it take?"
"Huh? Oh, uh, let's see... 5.38 seconds."
Thankfully, it was a record just slightly above average.