Suddenly, the sliding door was opened. Turning around, one could see the cla.s.s next door"s representative there wearing a t-shirt and shorts and with steam rising off their head.
"Heeey, cla.s.s F. It"s your turn in the bath."
With that call, everyone relaxing in the room rose with a change of clothes in hand.
We were already greeting the third night of the summer training camp. Yasuki and about half of the 30 boys of the third year cla.s.s F were partic.i.p.ating in the training camp, and shared the same excessively large j.a.panese-style room.
Honestly, among them were some he had never spoken to. At the mountain retreat there was no television, and game consoles and smartphones were confiscated. Being in that environment for three days and nights will naturally cause a feeling of solidarity to form, including with the loud mouthed sports club guys and yankees[1] who lament every morning over their inability to choose a hairstyle. Before he realized it, he was no longer not very good with them.
(Also TL: Entire previous paragraph was pretty tough for me:
正直その中には今まで喋ったことのない面子もいたが、テレビもない、ゲーム機器もスマホも没収の山奥の合宿所。そんな環境の三日三晩も一緒にいれば自然と連帯感というものが生まれてくるもので、声の大きい運動部の奴も、髪型が決まらないと毎朝嘆いているヤンキー系の奴も、気がつけばさほど苦手ではなくなっていた。)
He entered the bath, and by the time his wet hair dried it was time for dinner. Today"s menu is Hayashi rice. By the way, on the first day it was gyudon. The point is that this donburi[2] type menu is probably the hardest thing to complain about.
While he was sitting in an old-looking chair in the cafeteria and shoveling Hayashi rice into his mouth, the cla.s.smate in front of Yasuki, Uchida from the Kendo Club, spoke to him conspiratorially.
"Hey Iijima, you goin" to the girls" room tonight?" (Uchida)
Huh? He nearly blurted out.
During field trips or training camps, with the lodging comes extracurricular lessons. Fundamentally, moving between rooms has been forbidden. If it"s the between the boys" then, well, you see it, but the girls" rooms are in a separate building and the pa.s.sage between them is patrolled by a teacher all through the night.
"No, I"m good. Be careful" (Yasuki)
"Eh-, even though Ema-chan and Miyu-chan said "All of the cla.s.s" boys should come over"" (Uchida)
Yasuki choked with a "Ugh-." He probably shouldn"t be included in that "all of the cla.s.s" boys." Has the friendly Uchida not realized that?
Yasuki, while explaining it away, had his insides swirling violently.
"Well, you see, I have a part I don"t understand in chemistry. I absolutely have to review the lesson today" (Yasuki)
To that believable excuse that was spoken, while Uchida"s head was tilted as if it was a shame, he just said "Ahh, I understand" and didn"t go any farther.
He told Uchida that he was going to review, so Yasuki, who couldn"t just laze around the room, after dinner headed to the meeting room that is used as a cla.s.sroom during the day with his textbook and workbook in hand.
Until "lights out" at 9:30, it is available as a self study room. Contrary to expectations, it was already about half full. Looking at the faces, many have names that are often at the top of the results. "The preparation of the successful people is different," he thought again.
When he was just about to finish a question on acids and bases in chemistry, Yasuki let out a sigh.
It should be about now — Uchida and them are probably invading the girls" room. It"d be a lie if he said he wasn"t jealous at all, but bringing the figures of those two girls to mind, he couldn"t doubt his decision. (TL: Took a guess on the last part of the sentence: 尻込みをせざる)
Kitaoka Ema and Mochida Miyu. Among the cla.s.s they, in particular, are blessed in looks and use makeup that highlights it along with their bright hair color. They have no intention to properly wear the unfashionable uniform of the famous Minamisou High. Always with their thin legs exposed 20 centimeters above the knees, they walk around the school like they own it.
There is a social pyramid among students, and while the top position for the guys are the regulars in the sports clubs, it seems those girls definitely rule over the the girls. Even a man can clearly feel the difference, so even for the girls in the same cla.s.s it"s like they are from a distant country. Let alone speaking, they can"t even make eye contact. Born in the same season, in the same area, entering the same high school, other than those things they"re nothing alike. It"s to the extent that something like a gravure idol feels nearer from in the paper.
"No way, you don"t understand this question? If you use this formula it"s easy, isn"t it?"
"Eh, for real? Ah……I had a blind spot."
Suddenly looking up due to that voice, a female student that previously studied outside the country stood next to a boy in the same cla.s.s and was having a friendly chat with him. You can"t visit rooms, but the self-study room can be freely visited by boys and girls. They"re most likely going out, and will "study" right up until "lights out." I wonder if that kind of brief secret date is fun.
Being at the bottom layer of the school caste, love can"t be done freely for Yasuki. Watching those two"s intimate state of affairs is a thing to be endured.
(……I"ll do ten more, then go back to the room, I guess)
With his motivation shaved off, Yasuki once again heaved a large sigh.
"I should have at least brought earplugs," he regretted, but it was too late.
He climbed the boardinghouse stairs towards Cla.s.s F"s room.
Contrary to his expectation of quietness and calmness, upon opening the door laughing voices and a faint sobbing-like sound entered Yasuki"s ears.
In the entranceway shoes were strewn all over. He quietly opened the sliding door.
Inside was not just Cla.s.s F, but students from other cla.s.ses as well. Around 20 boys were gathered there.
"Ah. Welcome Home, Meshi-chan." (Uchida)
(TL: Called by part of last name, means food. 飯島 = Iijima 飯 = Meshi)
Yasuki stood stock still near the sliding door, where Uchida greeted him.
"……Um, what is all this?" (Meshi-chan/Yasuki)
"Well, you see, Ryou-kun"s broken heart party. It"s because earlier he confessed and was rejected by Miyu-chan." (Uchida)
The red faced Uchida replied in a frivolous manner. He had liquor on his breath.
"Wai-…, Where did you guys…." (Yasuki)
"It"s fine, It"s fine. Anyways, you should take a seat too, Meshi-chan" (Uchida)
Saying that, he half-forcibly dragged Yasuki into the group. Drinks were taken from the fridge, where the now open s.p.a.ce was filled with aluminum cans from inside someone"s backpack.
Oi, oi. Yasuki was horrified. Thinking back, a lot of his cla.s.smates did seem to have quite a lot of luggage for a three night four day trip in the summertime, he thought. It seems that was to secretly take these kinds of things along. Well, filling backpacks and duffel bags to bursting, that kind of effort is kind of impressive.
But yesterday and the day before yesterday they seriously went to sleep at night, though. Having a party on the last day, perhaps they may think it would be bad to hinder studies after all. (TL: Probably ok, but somewhat unsure: 宴会を最終日に持ってくるあたり、さすがに勉強にがっつり差し障ったらまずいとは思っているのかもしれない)
Yasuki sat down next to Katsuya at the edge of the group, opened the plastic top to his can, and turned his eyes to the person at the center.
"I…, always liked her, but… "Sorry" she said…" (Ryou)
"There there. Ryou-kun is a perfectly fine man. I"m sure you"ll come across a good woman again." (Uchida?)
Sasaki Ryou, the one called Ryou-kun. He"s a member of the tennis club with a dark complexion and a man who gets carried away easily.
Sasaki was speaking about his feelings for Mochida Miyu while crying, but honestly Yasuki hasn"t really seen the two of them having a conversation before. To have no interaction, but be able to have that kind of feeling, Yasuki thought it was strange.
Surveying the room, it was called "Ryou-kun"s broken heart party," but pretty much only those two were listening to his story. Other than them, were the others just attracted to the drinks and snack cakes? They were in deep discussion about whatever, amusing themselves with card games or altogether spread out.
Yasuki, with Katsuya, talked to three of the neighboring cla.s.s" boys with better grades, saying "Speaking honestly, which university do you want to go to?" A very studies training-camp-like conversation started.
"Thinking about Cospa[3], I guess a regional public school." When the conversation ended with this, a muscular guy called out in a loud voice.
"Actually, aren"t we about to run out of drinks and snacks?" (Boy with a good build)
Now that he mentions it, since earlier, the mountain-like stock of pastries and snacks has obviously decreased. Yasuki was already thinking he would stop eating, but it seems that others still haven"t had enough. When 20 growing highschool students gather, it wasn"t an exaggeration to say that their stomachs are bottomless.
"Alright, then not including Ryou-kun, how about we all play Rock, Paper, Scissors. The person who doesn"t win all the way to the end will go buy some stuff from the convenience store."
How can we slip out of this? Eh, the 1st floor window then? He could hear voices saying these sorts of things. From that conversation, he gathered that there were a few who slipped out into the night.
This has really become a pain, he thought. But the point is that it"s fine as long as you win somewhere. If there"s 20 people, then he shouldn"t end up losing to them all.
Uchida, standing up, raised his fist towards the heavens.
"In that case I"m going. Ready, set!"
All in unison, the guys raised their voices.
"Saishou wa gu-"[4]
[1] : Yankees, for those not in the know, from Urban Dictionary(but still good): They are characterized by punch perms or pompadours, shaved eyebrows, altered school uniforms, popping squats, being poor students and causing violence or trouble.
[2] : Donburi is essentially food over rice in a bowl or the bowl that it would be served in.
[3] : is a j.a.panese store that focuses on the otaku market.
[4] : Full phrase is “Saishou wa gu, jan ken pon” Essentially equivalent to “Rock, Paper, Scissors”