Chapter 64: The Man in the Video
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 64: The Man in the Video
Two days had passed since I got swept up in Goto’s mess and ended up fighting a biker gang.
And just like that, a new Monday arrived.
I woke up at 4 a.m. as usual, went for a jog, packed my lunch, and took the subway to school, making sure not to be late. What greeted me was the uncomfortable stares of the entire student body.
"…?"
I’d always drawn some attention when I walked by, but never like this.
I wanted to ask what was going on, but whenever I made eye contact with someone, they’d quickly look away and scurry off. There was no one to ask.
"Welcome, Kim Yoo-Sung."
"Ah, good morning, sensei."
The only person who seemed unchanged was Matsuda-sensei, the head teacher for our year.
As was his habit, Matsuda-sensei told me to button up my gakuran, but I told him it was beyond my control.
It really doesn't button up, anyway.
"Hmph, get inside."
It was a daily routine, so after giving a quick bow to the teacher who had swiftly given up, I crossed the schoolyard and entered the building.
Even as I was getting my indoor shoes, the gazes of students in the hallway poured down on me, but I still couldn't figure out why.
Just last Friday, I was treated as nothing more than a school curiosity.
With this unresolved question weighing on my mind, I entered Class 2-B. The Bald Trio, who usually never spoke to me, were standing in front of my desk, waiting with flushed faces.
"Kim-kun! The guy in this video, is that you?!"
"This physique! This monstrous strength! It has to be you, Kim-kun!"
"What's your relationship with the bikers in the video?!"
…Huh?
I had no idea what they were talking about.
"What video are you talking about?"
"This one! This is what we're talking about!"
The one with glasses from the Bald Trio excitedly held out his smartphone.
In a video with such terrible quality it hurt to watch, a group of high schoolers on illegally modified bikes were brawling.
And fighting in the center of it all was a noticeably huge guy in a khaki-colored hoodie. No matter how you looked at it, it was me from Saturday.
"…"
A cold sweat trickled down my spine.
I never imagined someone would be filming in the middle of that chaotic brawl.
The silver lining was that the video quality was blurry, as if it had been filmed with a dashcam or a phone's night mode.
"That's not me."
So I decided to brazenly deny it.
"See! I told you it wasn't him!"
"Ah, what the heck. He looks so similar, though."
"Kim-kun is busy studying and working out all day. Why would he be in a fight like this?"
"Sorry for wasting your time."
"This idiot kept insisting it was you."
Hearing my answer, the other two members of the Bald Trio started nagging the one with glasses as they returned to their seats.
And as if my answer had become the official story, the other students who had been listening in on our conversation started furiously tapping on their smartphones.
That was a close call.
I was glad I’d been playing the part of a model student to improve my image.
*
Lunchtime.
Today, the girls said they had things to talk about amongst themselves and left, so I was eating with just Satoru when the topic of the video came up again.
"Yoo-Sung-ah, have you seen this? It was a huge topic over the weekend. It's a video of a biker gang fight."
Satoru said, holding out his smartphone.
I looked at the exact same video the Bald Trio had shown me this morning and shook my head.
"The person in there isn't me."
"Really? I won't tell anyone, so just tell me."
"I don't know when it was filmed, but I don't own clothes like that."
As I said that, pointing to the khaki hoodie, Satoru clicked his tongue, "Tch."
"I guess it really isn't you. Alright."
Satoru wasn't the type to give up this easily, but he seemed to be backing down for now since he had no proof.
It looked like I’d have to seal away those clothes for a while.
I had just bought it at a department store to replace the hoodie that got wrecked after the fight in Akihabara, and now I had another expense coming up.
I was chatting about this and that while eating the lunch I’d packed from home.
Murmur, murmur…
Suddenly, the cafeteria grew noisy.
Wondering what was happening, I turned my head to see a beautiful girl with wavy, light brown hair walking over with a confident stride from a distance.
For some reason, the large sunglasses she wore were a key feature.
Satoru must have spotted her too, because the chopsticks in his hand clattered onto the table.
"I-I-I-It's Naotang!"
"Ah, the celebrity you were talking about?"
"Y-Yeah. I heard she was coming to school this week, but I didn't expect to see her so soon!"
Satoru frantically searched his uniform pockets, but upon realizing they were empty, he let out a cry of despair.
"Argh! Why didn't I bring a pen and paper! This is the perfect chance to get Naotang's autograph!"
Seeing Satoru act like a total idol otaku, so different from his usual intelligent demeanor, was a novel experience for me as his friend.
Is she really that big of a celebrity?
I was tilting my head in confusion, just as I popped a spring roll into my mouth.
Satoru's eyes, sitting across from me, widened.
"H-Hey, Yoo-Sung-ah. Naotang is coming this way."
"She came to the cafeteria to eat, so she's probably just looking for an empty seat."
"No, it doesn't feel like that. She's really coming to our table."
"You're being self-conscious, man. Stop getting ahead of yourself and just eat…"
"Hello, Sunbae-nim."
Huh?
Startled by the delicate voice that came from right behind me, I turned around.
Standing there with her arms crossed was the beautiful girl I had just seen.
She took off her large sunglasses and spoke.
"If it's alright with you, would it be okay if I joined you?"
With my chopsticks still in my mouth, I asked with a bewildered expression.
"Uh, well… wouldn't you be uncomfortable? It's just guys here."
"That's fine. It happens a lot on drama and movie sets, too."
It seemed like she had some business with me.
Satoru was already completely frozen, and if she kept standing in front of our table, we'd continue to draw everyone's attention. I let out a small sigh and nodded.
"Alright, have a seat then. I have no idea what you want, though."
"Thank you. You're very kind♪"
Minato Nao said with a bright smile, then pulled out the chair next to me and sat down.
What in the world is happening on a Monday morning?
*
At that same moment, on the school rooftop.
Rika, Karen, and Sasha, who had decided to eat lunch together without Kim Yoo-Sung for once, were sitting in a circle eating their lunch boxes.
As they chatted about this and that in their usual friendly atmosphere, Rika took a sip of her juice box and dropped a bombshell.
"I like Ryu-chan."
"Pfft!"
The moment she heard that, Karen spat out the water she was drinking.
Luckily, Sasha, who was sitting in front of her, dodged nimbly and wasn't hit directly by the spray, but she still spoke with a slightly annoyed expression.
"What was that for all of a sudden, red-hair?"
"Cough, cough."
Ignoring her, Karen, still coughing, turned to Rika beside her and asked.
"W-What are you saying all of a sudden, Rika?"
"I'm saying it because it seems like all three of us here, including me, like Yoo-Sung."
Hearing that, Karen's face turned red as a tomato.
"M-Me? Like Kim Yoo-Sung?!"
Seeing her reaction, Sasha crossed her arms with a look of disbelief.
"Did you really think you were hiding it well, red-hair? The fact that you like Kim Yoo-Sung is written all over your face."
"Kuh…"
Hit with a bullseye, Karen fell silent, pressing her lips together.
Seeing this, Rika gave a troubled smile and said.
"Don't be so hostile toward each other. For now, we're love rivals, aren't we?"
Sasha seemed to like Rika's words, as she nodded and muttered.
"Love rivals, I like the sound of that. My mother used to say that a love won through competition is sometimes more valuable than one easily obtained."
"Really? Hehehe…"
Rika scratched the back of her neck, looking embarrassed by Sasha's praise, but then quickly shook her head and spoke with a firm expression.
"Anyway, this is what I want to say. Since it seems all three of us like Yoo-Sung, I was thinking, instead of getting in each other's way, how about we support each other's love?"
"Hoh— so you're proposing an alliance?"
Sasha murmured with interest, and Rika nodded.
"From what I can see, the number of girls around Yoo-Sung is only going to increase. And the more that happens, the lower our chances of becoming his girlfriend will be. So, I thought, before that happens, we should make a pact not to fight amongst ourselves."
Karen, who had been cautiously observing from the side, carefully spoke up.
"…A pact? What would that involve, specifically?"
"We keep new girls in check, and we don't interfere with each other's advances. Then, if one of us starts dating Ryu-chan, the others will gracefully back down."
"A rather rational proposal."
"Right? So, Sasha-chan, you too…"
"However, it's not a method I particularly like."
Sasha stood up, cutting Rika off firmly.
"A Russian woman wins her own love. That's the standard. My mother was like that, and so were my grandmothers."
She looked down at Rika as she spoke.
"I won't condemn your method as wrong. But I will act on my own. I assume that's fine?"
Faced with Sasha's confident question, Rika, unlike her usual cheerful and self-assured self, hesitated slightly.
But perhaps knowing she had no other choice, she soon nodded.
"I understand."
"I'll be going now. Enjoy your lunch."
After Sasha said that and left the rooftop, Rika looked crestfallen and asked Karen, who was sitting next to her.
"Karen-chan? Did I do something wrong? I just wanted us to stay on good terms like we are now."
"…Your method isn't wrong, Rika. It's just that Sasha is especially difficult."
Your kindness is what saved me, after all.
Karen muttered to herself, patting the small back of a teary-eyed Rika.