Chapter 40 - Karen-sick

At the time when I have just entered high school my first impression was: Hmm, isn"t she cute?

Yet, both me and Karen didn"t hit it off in the beginning. Even now, I sometimes think like that.
An approachable girl and an unapproachable girl.
One always grinning and loving school, and the other hating school so much that it can be noticed from the air around her.
That girl was often surrounded by boys, while I was resting my chin in my hands, I just watched that from a distance.

Similarities that we share, that would be… unwillingness to study and that"s about it?
But still, Karen. She doesn"t really skip school like me. Even stuff like homework, she asks others to teach her and some way or another properly finishes it. And she looks like she"s having fun going to school. As expected, we are a bit different.

Truly, how did it happen that we got along?
We were in the same cla.s.s and our seats were together. Apart from that, I feel like there were no other chances.

School is c.r.a.p.
It was at the time when I murmured it inside my chest like a favorite spell that you always chant.

– Yayoo-ii. Ehehe. Good morning!

Every morning at the same time, blonde girl clings her body on to me from the seat behind.
Truly sultry and dazzling. When you"re with this girl, you won"t even be able to see if it rains outside.

By the way, Karen is the first one to call me without any honorifics.
It is usually Hyodou-san. Or Yayoi-chan. That girl who often skips school. The girl who always sleeps. Looks so cold. I also get called. Isn"t she pretty cute? Etc., etc….

Because of that, it is fairly awkward to be called Yayoi.
I start thinking "Huh, so that was my name", so I actually want her to stop doing it.

– Uu-aah, so noisy right from the morning. I"m telling you, I didn"t get to sleep at all. Aah, my sleepiness is about to wear off…

– Hey, hey. What are you planning to do today after school? What are your plans?

– …Mm? Today as well? With me?

I got up and combed my disheveled hair with my hand.
Turning around, I looked at the usual smile, which replaces the alarm clock.

– Ehehe♪ You make it seem troublesome, but you always play together with me, right?

– Not really…

– I… honestly act spoiled around good people, you know?

– So irritating. What the heck is a good person…

As expected, a beautiful face.
This feeling that she can get along with anyone. All of the boys probably misunderstand, and it seems difficult from having girls liking and hating her.

… However, according to the rumor that I have heard, she is fierce in her plays with men or something.

According to the rumor, when she has troubles with money, she coaxes some sort of an older man.
According to the rumor, she randomly chooses a third year senior and does it every day.

This sounds interesting. It might be a source of a nice gossip.
That is why, I decided to try probing a bit.

– … Karen, weren"t you confessed to yesterday? Isn"t it fine to go with a guy?

– No… That is, um…

Karen  made a gloomy face and looked away.
I noticed it later, but topics like this one resemble land mines.
A girl, who basically clings to me without a care about surrounding eyes, looking away by herself, it could only happen with this timing.

– …I turned him down on the spot

– Why? Even though the other party, somebody called Takase, is a good looking guy?

– Rather, it"s so good to be together with Yayoi. I just want to have some fun… Hey, Yayoi"s nails are cute. Bring me with you, please…?

Huh? Is this a fellow girl?
Something like it is better with me than with a guy. Oi, oi, my heart is about to skip a beat which is unusual for me …

But still, this girl was like that at all times.
Should I say surprisingly pure hearted, or is it better to say childish? It"s like I have to worry that I need to protect her.
Why would that sort of rumors circulate? I don"t get it. Everything"s a lie. I"m saying it as the one who is always together with her, so there"s no doubt about it.

– Well then. Who"s your type?

– Eh? Let me think… The one they call gap moe?1 Like Yayoi?

Haa? Which part of me is good?
If I ask that, she can easily list 20 of my strong points. That is why embarra.s.sed, I stop her at the third one.

I think that probably, it doesn"t matter if we are alike or not.
She looks for me calling my name. She touches me while she smiles. She skips on studies together with me and from time to time invites to do the homework together.
Unexpectedly, that may have been enough to be a friend.

– Miss Momoko. Homework is nonsense. Super help. I"ll end up dead like this.

– I say, Yayoi. You don"t learn anything at all…

– It"s fine, Momoko! An excuse for three of us to gather, I"ve found another one♪

– Huh… Karen as well? Look here. For your information, I have club activities to do.

Another close friend whom Karen has introduced.
Also, the girl with whom I didn"t hit it off, No. 2.
Long hair, big t.i.ts gla.s.ses-chan, who is obviously diligent. She is girl from such a different race, that it is unthinkable how we can hang out together.

But at the time when I got to know this girl, for a number of reasons, I got "Karen-sick" as well.
I think, that if I had not met Karen, most likely… it wouldn"t have turned out well.

– You know. It"s no good if you"re not there, Momoko nee-san

Nicknaming other girls, what"s wrong with me?
Before I knew it, I even forgot skipping school.

– What"s with this Momoko nee-san… Even though were of the same age…

– Yeah, yeah, despite saying so, you seem to look happy… Fufu. Hey, Tenjuin, skip your club and let"s go to family restaurant♪ I"m not letting you sleep tonight♡

– Oh… dummy

School life purified by Karen.
In a flash it was almost time for the second year, but when I found that I"m going to be in the same cla.s.s with both of them, I was beyond happy.

Am I perhaps becoming a bit more honest? Karen, is that your fault?

However… For this reason.
After the three of us had a blast during Golden Week2, it became dull as soon as it ended.
Even if I invited Karen after school, she would just come with some reason and dodge me.

– Sorry… I"ll make up for it during the weekend… okay?

– Okay, but, wasn"t the last week the same? You don"t have to apologize, I just want to know the reason a little bit…

– I"m sorry…

Just what the heck is happening?
If a guy is the cause, isn"t it okay to let us know? We"re not of the type to hinder you going out with someone from the side. Did you not trust us so much?

Could it be that that that time when you brought Ichijou along for the school trip has something to do with this? No, certainly not…
Will she hate me if I spy? But still, as expected it"s on my mind.

Still, Karen"s man… huh? It should be an understatement to say that he is extremely lucky.

It is not only about going home with joined hands and having dates often.
Being told "it"s so good to be together with XX" like I do, its impressive destructive power is beyond imagination. A guy who will not end up falling for her if she likes him, is there one in this school? There"s no way there is.

I thought like that and on about tenth day of summer holidays.
All of a sudden I was called by Karen to a café, that three of us usually go to.

Have she finally started dating?
Hey, hey, who"s that very lucky someone?
Will you let me meet him?
On a relatively serious note, is it someone who suits our Karen-chan?
I"ll make fun of both of you. I"ll take a photo of how both of you are dere-dere and upload it to the cla.s.s"s LINE.

Yet… on that day. My antic.i.p.ation was betrayed.
I have seen Karen"s about to cry face for the first time.

– …Yayoi. Hey, what should I do……

I, might have been rejected.

That was the first thing my best friend have said.
With such an anger welling up that I couldn"t say anything, I immediately stood up with a thud.