Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Wish
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How on earth had that happened?
Even after confirming that Tosun... no, Toto was safe, my heart kept pounding strangely.
I wasn't sure if it was just the tension finally easing or something else—I couldn't tell myself.
"Haaa... That was really a relief..."
Just thinking back to that moment made tears prick at my eyes.
The image of that tiny creature convulsing, on the verge of death because of my mistake, felt seared into my brain.
And... the sight of Yu calmly working beside the dying rabbit came to mind too.
[Ren, water.]
It was a rude way of speaking, but for some odd reason, it didn't bother me. Was it because the situation was so urgent?
Or maybe I was overwhelmed by the intense focus in that man's eyes as he poured everything into saving a small life...?
[Mix that. Shake it hard to get it all blended.]
My hands were trembling, cold sweat pouring down, but Yu stayed composed, carrying out the rescue operation to save the rabbit.
And he even gave me clear instructions.
"If Yu hadn't been there, Toto would have..."
I didn't even want to think about it.
Once the memories started flowing, Yu's low, steady voice echoed one after another.
[The charcoal absorbs the poison.]
A calm tone.
Despite studying hard myself, I'd never heard of such a method.
I hadn't even known silver bells were poisonous.
I'd just floundered around, useless.
"Am I really that much of an idiot...?"
How could Yu stay so calm?
He was always a bit strange, like I'd noticed before.
Too composed, too capable.
He'd crack lighthearted jokes one moment, then in a crisis, he'd lead me effortlessly like it was nothing.
Like when Kyosuke and Daisuke had grabbed me.
Or when I was locked in the bathroom by the auditorium.
Even when I panicked on stage.
Yu always appeared like a breeze from nowhere, gently catching me and helping me stand.
Was it because he'd had a tough childhood that he was so mature and resilient?
My thoughts spiraled, flashing back to that moment after the festival afterparty when we were alone.
[Why do you keep looking out for me?]
[Well...]
The way Yu's eyes had gone quiet, staring at me after my question.
They held a distant wistfulness tangled with deep, bitter loneliness—the quiet guilt of someone who'd failed to protect something precious.
I couldn't understand why he'd look at me like that, but at least I knew he wasn't approaching me with shady intentions like Kyosuke or Daisuke.
Still, he wasn't someone I could fully let my guard down around.
[There's Tsumetai-san, after all.]
That bombshell about desperately wanting to go on a hot spring trip with me.
...No way I'd misread that alone, right?
A-ah, no, he did explain it was a group trip with friends, but that came late, the mood was weird then, and... and Yu's expression looked a bit lecherous.
"Ahem!"
Just seeing him grin while exposing Toto's private parts showed Yu was into that kind of risqué humor.
"Boys will be boys... yeah."
I could understand that much.
Anyway, he had a way of making me tense up, but never overdid it.
If his approaching footsteps startled me, he'd calmly step back.
Giving me space and time.
[Later.]
Like he could see right through my fear of opening up too soon, promising a "later."
He'd startle me, then reassure.
Approach, then wait.
As if he saw right through who I was...
I'd never met anyone like that before.
I didn't hate it, but it didn't feel right to say I liked it either.
I couldn't pinpoint the emotion.
For some reason, I found myself thinking about him more.
This is weird... really weird...
-Beep!
"Ah...?"
Lost deep in thoughts about that peculiar guy, an email notification popped up on my smartphone.
"What's this...? Plan rejection notice...?"
This was the one I'd meticulously organized into a 30-page report—why was it rejected?
I'd planned to relax over the weekend, but no such luck...
My mind all jumbled, lying in bed felt off.
I might as well head back to the classroom and review the documents to see what went wrong.
-Slide
"This is strange..."
Sitting at my familiar classroom desk, reviewing it over and over, I still couldn't figure it out.
The content I'd written was perfect.
A plan with not a single gap—why reject it?
As I buried my face in the papers, focusing hard, the classroom door slid open again.
Slide!
I jolted, wondering if it was Kyosuke or Daisuke, but standing there was—
The man I'd been thinking about in bed for so long.
"Ah, Tsumetai-san."
A bright smile.
"Eep...!"
Our eyes met.
I wonder if my ears are red...
Wow, talk about good luck today.
I'd come to wander the school since I had nothing else to do, and I run into Ren in the classroom!
The moment our eyes met, I flashed a grin and waved.
"Hey, Tsumetai-san~"
"Eep... Hello."
She flinched at the sight of me, her gaze wavering shyly as she looked away.
A subtle expression change most people would miss, but to my Koikan!-obsessed eyes, it was crystal clear, like under a microscope.
Kuh...
Ren getting shy just from seeing me.
Were the affection seeds I'd sown finally starting to sprout...!
A thrilling sense of accomplishment buzzed in my chest.
Nice, nice.
Smooth sailing.
Let's keep this momentum.
"It's the weekend, though—why are you in the classroom? Didn't you say the paperwork was done?"
"Ah, well... actually..."
Shyness gone in an instant, she explained in a slightly subdued voice why she'd come back.
"So, to sum up, the plan you've put together so far got rejected by the administrative office?"
"Yes... I have no idea why."
I'd seen with my own eyes as Practical Committee Member that Ren had organized and submitted it perfectly. So why the rejection? Now I was curious too.
"Mind if I take a look at that rejection email?"
"Ah, sure. Here."
She showed me her smartphone screen.
"Ugh..."
What the hell is this.
Ugh... that bureaucratic roundabout language.
Combined with Japan's unique tatemae, it's all superficial fluff, impossible to parse at a glance.
Even Ren, a Japanese-born Japanese girl, couldn't make heads or tails of it.
...But I get why it was rejected.
"So that's how it is."
"...! You understand? What needs fixing?"
Ren's eyes widened as she handed over her documents.
First time seeing the final version she'd made, but it was just as I expected.
The table of contents alone was a sight.
[Appendix: Administrative consumer price index rise rate, 4 reference appendices, unit price comparison table for 3 vendors...]
For a simple class activity budget, including government inflation rates? That level of meticulousness.
No wonder it got rejected.
"My take? You'll probably need to cut almost all that data."
"W-what...? What do you mean? Why scrap all the hard work I put into those materials...?"
"'The content overall shows diligence and impressive effort' sounds like praise on the surface, but it's a polite way of saying it's overly voluminous."
"...Urk!"
"'Need for adjustments in formatting and standards compliance' just means rewrite it at a student-appropriate level—keep it simple."
"No way!"
Ren bristled at my words.
As a perfectionist girl, she took it personally when her efforts weren't acknowledged—hurt pride big time.
She raised her voice a bit at me, but showing these varied emotions was a positive sign.
"Being thorough is better, right...? And last year as Class President in first year, this never happened."
Her face mixed grievance and pride.
But it was too cute.
I shrugged.
"True. Thoroughness is good. I like that about you, Tsumetai-san."
"...Pardon?"
I slipped in the "like" keyword slyly and pivoted smoothly.
"But in reality... not everyone can match that level of detail. Admin staff are human too. They have their regular work, and reviewing massive 30+ page reports from students every time? Last year they endured, this year it blew up."
Ren shook off her surprise, bit her lip, and bowed her head.
"...I get it. So how much should I cut?"
Without a word, I ripped off huge chunks from the stapled back sections.
"Hmm. Let's see~"
Rip!
"Eek...!"
Tear!
"Ah...!"
Snap!
"That's...! So much...!?"
Each rip made her react like I'd yanked out her hair—hilarious and adorable. I wanted to tease more, but any further and the document's quality would suffer.
"There. This much should do it."
"Three pages...? All my weeks of 30 pages fit in just three?"
Poor thing~ Too meticulous is a problem too.
Just the kind of girl who needs my touch.
"Yep."
"I can't believe it. How do you condense all that data to 1/10th?"
Shocked at me suggesting to trash 90% of her work, Ren's voice rose emotionally.
She agreed on the length issue but thought I was overreaching logically.
It could turn into an emotional argument, but I wasn't tense at all.
Everything going to plan.
"Don't believe me? Wanna bet on it?"
"A bet?"
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah. I'll rewrite this to 1/10th right now. If admin passes it first try, you... hmm, grant me one favor."
"What favor?"
"Nothing big. I'll tell you later."
"And if you fail?"
"Then I'll formally retrain under you. Learn your way, assist with 30 pages or 100—whatever it takes till it passes."
A proposal to stroke her pride. Sure enough, Ren nodded immediately.
"Fine. I accept your bet."
Heh heh heh.
She's hooked.