Man.
"I didn't expect him to be not only incredibly talented at shogi but also so good at playing soccer."
After scoring, Hayama Kazuto immediately asked to be substituted. With only fifteen minutes left in the game, if they were to concede six goals in that time, he could only smile wryly.
Hayama Kazuto walked over to Kato Megumi, who was still looking down at her phone. "Is your foot okay? "
"It's fine. Take a look." Hayama Kazuto lifted his foot and did a few warm-up exercises.
Kato Megumi didn't look up but pointed to the ground with one hand. "Milk."
There were three bottles of milk on the ground. Hayama Kazuto picked them up and put them in his backpack. "Why did you buy so much? "
"Sora Ginko came to watch your game, you know. Shouldn't you treat her to something? " Kato Megumi looked up and glanced at the opposite stands. On the stands, Sora Ginko, wearing a sailor uniform and holding an umbrella, was very eye-catching.
"Let's go together." Hayama Kazuto gently took Kato Megumi's phone and put it into her pocket.
"Hmm, that's a bit much! "
"I don't think Megumi Kato would mind."
"Just a little bit! "
"Then I apologise."
The two walked over to Sora Ginko. Hayama Kazuto said, "Do you have enough determination to train your physical fitness? "
Sora Ginko looked at Hayama Kazuto. Under the sunlight, Hayama Kazuto seemed to be covered in a shimmering golden light, which made her cheeks flush. She quickly lowered her head. "With such a big sun, only a muscle monster would want to train."
"What? You want to see my muscles? " Seeing Sora Ginko's cute expression, Hayama Kazuto couldn't help but tease her.
"Hayama-kun, I'm going to call 110." Kato Megumi stood to the side, quietly taking out her phone.
Hayama Kazuto was considered a star in his class. He was handsome, had excellent grades, and was the ace of the school's soccer team. Every day when he came to class, many people would enthusiastically greet him.
"Good morning, Hayama-kun."
"Good morning, Kanda-kun."
"Morning, Hayama-kun."
"Good morning, Ishimura-kun."
"Hayama-kun, Nyanpasu! "
"Miyauchi-kun, please be normal."
In contrast to him was his deskmate, Kato Megumi.
Kato Megumi was a cute girl but unexpectedly had an aura of being a minor character. It had been over half a month since school started, yet only a few classmates in the class knew her. Even the homeroom teacher often mispronounced her name, forming a stark contrast with the highly popular Hayama Kazuto.
"Megumi Kato, you're here so early."
Hayama Kazuto sat down next to Kato Megumi. He quite liked the feeling of being with Kato Megumi. It wasn't that he had any ulterior motives towards Kato Megumi, but rather because Kato Megumi's transparent aura was very strong. Staying within Kato Megumi's aura range, Hayama Kazuto would also become a minor character. As long as Hayama Kazuto didn't speak, he wouldn't be disturbed by others.
"It's Hayama-kun who came too late, isn't it? " Kato Megumi lightly twirled her hair with her fingers.
"I have to do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometre long-distance run every morning, so I can't come early." Hayama Kazuto smiled.
"Oh, no wonder you're so good at soccer. You secretly train every day; that's so sly! "
"I've only been doing it for less than a month; it's not that exaggerated."
Kato Megumi turned her head and looked at Hayama Kazuto. "Hayama-kun, don't be too modest! "
Hayama Kazuto stared at Kato Megumi for a moment. "Congratulations, Megumi Kato, your dark circles are gone."
"Eh, I thought no one noticed! Hayama-kun is indeed very sly."
"If you had stayed up late the night before last, you would definitely have them yesterday. I was worried you'd be upset, so I endured it for a long time yesterday."
"Is, is that so? " Kato Megumi uncharacteristically paused in her speech, then quietly lowered her head.
After the first class, another celebrity in the class—Aki Tomoya—stood on his desk, holding a copy of "Love Metronome".
"Classmates, I solemnly recommend a light novel to you—'Love Metronome'!" "
"This is the debut work of the talented new female author Kasumi Shiko! It's a Fujimi Fantasia Bunko Grand Prize winner! Published by Kadokawa Shoten! It describes a romantic comedy about girls and boys in their youth! I guarantee it with my ten years of light novel reading experience! This book will definitely become a timeless classic! "
"You can borrow it from me anytime. If you're interested, you might want to buy it at Eagle Lake Bookshop. If you buy over three thousand yen worth of books at once, you can even participate in the bookshop's lottery! "
The classmates in the class were already immune to Aki Tomoya's behaviour. This wasn't the first time he had preached in class. Aki Tomoya was a passionate ACG enthusiast, and all his money went to buying light novels, games, and figures.
Toyonosaki was originally a prestigious private school that prohibited students from working part-time. It was Aki Tomoya who knelt before Yamashiro-sensei and begged him for a full hour before he was exceptionally allowed to apply for a part-time job. Now, Aki Tomoya worked three part-time jobs every day and still had pocket money, yet he still lived on a tight budget.
"Eh, Hayama-kun, are you very interested in the book Aki-kun introduced? " Kato Megumi sensitively noticed Hayama Kazuto's expression.
"Not really interested, but I had a sudden idea when I passed by the bookshop last night and bought a copy." Hayama Kazuto pulled out the copy of "Love Metronome" he had bought from his desk.
"This… Hayama-kun, can I borrow it after you finish reading it? I want to see what kind of book Hayama-kun is interested in." Kato Megumi suddenly became interested as well.
"It's just a romance written by a female author who's never been in love, for high school students who've never been in love. If Megumi Kato wants to read it, just take it." Hayama Kazuto handed "love metronome" to Kato Megumi.
Kato Megumi took the book, but a Sayuka poster tucked inside fell out, fluttering to the ground. The beautiful girl on the poster was covering her heart, lightly smiling.
Perhaps it was because falling objects were not protected by the transparent aura, or because the Sayuka poster had left Kato Megumi's aura range, but Aki Tomoya saw the poster.
"Hayama-kun, where did you get this Sayuka poster, of which only ten copies are available at each bookshop? " Aki Tomoya immediately knelt on the ground, holding the Sayuka poster in his hands as if it were a rare treasure. If they weren't still in class, Hayama Kazuto had no doubt that Aki Tomoya would directly lick it.
"This…"
"So, Hayama-kun, you're a fellow enthusiast! I thought I was the only ACG enthusiast in the entire class. I didn't expect Hayama-kun to be so passionate about ACG as well! I am not alone in my path!"
"Who's an ACG enthusiast like you? Does buying one light novel make me an ACG enthusiast? If I buy a scratch-off ticket, does that make me a gambler? path! "
"This Sayuka poster, Hayama-kun, could I borrow it to admire for two days? If not, even one day would be fine. I'll hang it on my wall and admire it for a day! I originally wanted to buy it, but Hayama-kun would also be very sad if he lost Sayuka, so I only need to admire it for one day. As long as I can see Sayuka's appearance, I'll die without regrets in this life! "
"This guy is hopeless, and if I lend you the poster, will you really not do anything weird with it? "
"Hayama-kun, my love for Sayuka is sacred. I will only quietly admire her and will not do anything blasphemous, so you can rest assured. If you are still not at ease, I solemnly invite you to my house tonight. We can talk about ACG culture all night! I have many treasured items at home! "
"Don't say so many embarrassing things on your own! When God was scattering wisdom on Earth, you must have been holding an umbrella, right? "
"Ring, ring, ring," the class bell saved Hayama Kazuto. Aki Tomoya, holding the Sayuka poster, placed it on Hayama Kazuto's desk with a mix of reluctance and fondness.
"Sayuka, fate brought us together, and now we must part, but I will never give up on you easily~."
Hayama Kazuto breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected this poster to cause such a big incident. He had wanted to offer the Sayuka poster to Aki Tomoya, but Aki Tomoya spoke like a machine gun, leaving him no room to interject!
Kato Megumi secretly handed him a small note: "I'm sorry, Hayama-kun, for causing you so much trouble."
"It's okay. If anyone's to blame, it's Aki-kun."
"If I hadn't borrowed the book from you, that poster wouldn't have fallen out, and Aki-kun wouldn't have discovered you're an otaku. I'm really sorry."
"Megumi Kato, let me tell you solemnly, I am not an otaku."
"Then how did you get that poster? "
"The bookshop I passed by was too small; they couldn't give away all the posters, so everyone who bought a book got one."
"Hmm, I see…"
"Megumi Kato, I suddenly feel like us passing notes is a bit silly."
"Eh, it does seem so. We could just chat on LINE."
"No, what I mean is, if Megumi Kato just spoke to me directly, I don't think anyone would notice."
"How mean! "
Kato Megumi's small mouth suddenly pouted, but this expression was fleeting, and Hayama Kazuto didn't see it.
Chapter 8: Hayama-kun, Be More Confident!
Morning classes quickly ended. Hayama Kazuto was about to go to the cafeteria for lunch when a bento box was suddenly placed on his desk.
"Hayama-kun, this is a thank-you gift for yesterday's eel rice! "
Kato Megumi lowered her head and slowly opened the bento box.
The bento box was packed full, not a single gap left. Hayama Kazuto couldn't help but admire Japanese girls' spatial management skills.
After opening the bento box, Kato Megumi returned to her seat. Her own bento box was slightly smaller but also packed to the brim.
"Let's eat in the cafeteria. We can even microwave it there."
Hayama Kazuto didn't stand on ceremony, but he didn't have a habit of eating cold food, so he closed the bento box again.
"Oh, okay." Kato Megumi also closed her bento box, preparing to head to the cafeteria.
Before Hayama Kazuto could stand up, a figure burst into the classroom in a flurry; it was Aki Tomoya.
He held a limited-edition April bread he had just snagged in the cafeteria, plopped down in the seat in front of Hayama Kazuto, turned around, and said with a joyful expression, "Hayama-kun, you really are here! "
Hayama Kazuto could only open his bento box again and give Kato Megumi a wry smile:
"Looks like the cafeteria is out of the question."
Kato Megumi said nothing, quietly reopened her bento box, and began to eat slowly and deliberately.
"Aki-kun, is there something you need? "
"Hayama-kun," Aki Tomoya took a bite of bread, "I've been thinking all morning and finally figured out your problem."
"My problem? " Hayama Kazuto felt a bit confused. What problem could I, Hayama Kazuto, possibly have?
"Hayama-kun, what I'm about to say, you might not like to hear, but please remember every single word! "
Seeing Aki Tomoya speak so earnestly, Hayama Kazuto could only eat a squid ball in silent response.
"Even though it's cold, the taste is still pretty good."
"Hayama-kun, you…" Aki Tomoya pushed up his glasses, looking very confident.
"You're just too unconfident! "
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough! " Hayama Kazuto started coughing wildly. He was really choked by Aki Tomoya's statement.
"I'm unconfident? Are you kidding me? "
"Aki-kun, aren't you doing rakugo? Or are you running a fever of fifty degrees? " (PS: Rakugo is Japanese stand-up comedy.)
"Hayama-kun, otaku are the most wonderful beings in this world! Our emotions are sincere and pure; we are friendly and kind, making people feel like they are basking in a spring breeze. Within the otaku community, we are like brothers! "
"As an otaku, you can openly admit your identity. It's nothing to be ashamed of! I will always support you and encourage you. On the path of otaku, you will never walk alone! "
Listening to Aki Tomoya's impassioned speech, Hayama Kazuto even forgot to eat his food, his face contorted into a strange expression, somewhat like someone who had just drunk an entire bowl of traditional Chinese medicine. Even Kato Megumi subtly turned her head, glancing at Hayama Kazuto.
Aki Tomoya cleared his throat and took another bite of bread, intending to continue his grand discourse. Seeing this, Hayama Kazuto quickly interrupted him, "Wait a moment, Aki-kun, let me say a few words first."
Aki Tomoya nodded and continued eating his bread.
"First, let me clarify, I am not an otaku. That poster was just an accident."
Aki Tomoya gave Hayama Kazuto an "I understand, you can continue" look: "Hayama-kun is really not honest! "
Hayama Kazuto was a little disgusted by that look. "Furthermore, Aki-kun, what you just said has a significant logical flaw and forms a paradox with your usual catchphrases."
"Huh? Is that so? Logic and stuff – it doesn't matter in the world of ACG, right? " Aki Tomoya was stunned, then immediately realised: the world of ACG doesn't need logic!
Ignoring Aki Tomoya's complaints, Hayama Kazuto continued, "For you otakus, two-dimensional beautiful girls are the most wonderful things in the world, aren't they? Otakus are basically just rivals in love…"
Before Hayama Kazuto could finish, Aki Tomoya suddenly slapped the table and stood up, embracing him tightly. "I didn't expect Hayama-kun to have such a deep understanding of otaku culture, possessing a resolve no less than mine! Hayama-kun, we are fellow enthusiasts! "
Hayama Kazuto quickly pushed Aki Tomoya away. Are you kidding me? Who's a fellow enthusiast with you? It was a good thing there weren't many people in the class; otherwise, he would have been socially dead.
"Hayama-kun, be more confident! You are an otaku with a beautiful heart; don't be bothered by worldly gazes! Join me in spreading the beauty of otaku culture to the world! "
"This otaku is hopeless! "
Hayama Kazuto took out a pair of earplugs from his desk, quietly put them in his ears, and began to eat his bento.
"Hayama-kun and I are just acquaintances. It's normal for him not to want to open up to me! I need to approach Hayama-kun step by step until he is willing to confide in me! Go, Aki Tomoya, you can do it! "
Aki Tomoya finished the rest of his bread, took "love metronome", and went to other classes to continue his preaching.
Throughout the entire afternoon, Aki Tomoya did not bother him again, and the classmates in the class did not react much. If it weren't for the occasional small notes appearing in his desk after class, Hayama Kazuto would have thought everything had passed peacefully.
"Hayama-kun, I support you! "