Tsunuma High School, it is an exceeding ordinary high school within the Tokyo metropolitan area. The students are ordinary and thus their scores are also ordinary. There are also no clubs with achievements that stand out in particular. The amount of students that choose to go to university are about 50 percent, and the other 50 percent look for employment. And the amount of students that went to a prestigious private inst.i.tute or nation universities are only a handful in the whole history of the school.
Of course, the amount of students that doze off during cla.s.s are many. But today, that is prevented by a small test, and so the students are zealously staring at their test papers. They frantically fill in the answers as they face their answer sheets.
If there was any students that would be dozing of during this, then it could only be Nishino.
He is currently sleeping on his desk.
Kinkon kankon, soon enough, the sound that marks the end of cla.s.s rang.
The answer sheets were collected, the order to stand and bow are given, and school hours end.
「Then, that is all for today」
The teacher quickly gathers the materials and leaves the cla.s.sroom.
With that, the students quickly begin moving. That was just the 4th cla.s.s. And now their lunch break is starting. Everyone goes to get their lunch, some go with others to the cafeteria, some are rushing to buy their food, and some people gather their desks and spread out their bentos.
And as the surroundings get lively, Nishino wakes up.
If there is anything that wasn"t ordinary, be it his appearance or his grades, it would be the small amount of relationships he has. For example, he has no friends to eat with during the break.
Thus he slowly wakes up, and heads to the cafeteria by himself.
And the one who approaches him from behind is.
「Oi, Nishino」
「……What is it, Ootake-sensei」
He is the teacher in charge of Nishino"s homeroom, Ootake Seiji. A veteran of 45 years of age and in charge of mathematics. He also serves as the head teacher in the school. Among the students he has a reputation of being helpful and reliable.
But if he were to have some flaw, then it"d be the fact that his hair had been falling out recently. Due to this, the female students sometimes ask, sensei isn"t your head in trouble, out of worry. But the amount of times of that has increased, and the stress must"ve increased too.
「I heard from Yamadsensei in charge of history, you shouldn"t sleep during exams」
「Sorry」
Yamadsensei is the teacher who was in charge of the cla.s.s before.
It seems he reported Nishino"s habitual sleeping to his superior.
「The one who"ll be in trouble later is you? Since exams start next year」
「No, I"m going to find a job」
「Still, as a teacher I can"t allow you to sleep during cla.s.ses」
「…… Sorry」
「It"s fine, just be careful from now on」
「Yes」
Ootake-sensei takes his leave after scolding him a bit.
That is the extent of his concern. For a single student among the many enrolled, he completed his duty as a teacher. Ootake himself knows of Nishino"s att.i.tude, so it was an exchange mixed with sighs.
With this ending safely, Nishino once again begins to walk to the cafeteria.
The bustling corridor during the lunch break.
Suta suta, the sound of quick footsteps.
And as he turns the corner, he suddenly b.u.mps into someone.
「Te…… 」
「Kyaa……」
The one he hit is a schoolgirl. Nishino immediately tried to step aside, but it was unavoidable and their bodies collided. It looks like the girl was running, so the impact causes her to lose her balance and fall down.
In comparison Nishino"s body only slightly shook.
「I"m sorry」
Words of apology were said in a panic.
「…… Are you fine?」
The tone of speaking was a bit off, but it"s because his sense of values is quite different from others. It looks like he thinks it"s cool to have a bit of cynicism mixed in. In reality that isn"t the case, but he still earns an evaluation from his cla.s.smates that think it wasn"t even a bit cool.
But, that truth does not reach his ears. His anxieties from middle school have followed him to his entry to highschool, so was the evaluation from the cla.s.smates staring at him.
「I"m the one who should be sorry. I"m in a bit of a hurry」
The school girl looks up to him while still sitting on the ground.
She is the beautiful girl from the cla.s.s next door. Her name is Rose Rebmann. If you were to search for a student who wasn"t ordinary in this extremely ordinary school, then she"d be the first one to be mentioned.
She was admitted a few months back and according to the person herself, she is of a pure British background. Her age is 16, the same as Nishino. Compared to those of her age, not to mention other foreign students, her height is exceedingly small, about 130cm. Along with that was the impressive straight blonde hair that extends past her waist.
She has childlike features that match her height. She would stand out even among other people with fair skin. Even if it wasn"t intentional, when you look at her big, round, and blue eyes you would naturally start acting meek. She is a very lovely girl.
Thanks to that, the group of girls that hate her call her the blonde haired loli behind her back.
And because of that, a group of lolicons have shown a rare interest in her.
「No, I"m the one who"s sorry」
Nishino speaks in as gentle a tone as possible.
And then, she extends her right arm towards him.
「Would you lend me a hand? Nishino-kun」
Pachin, Rose gives a light wink. If any other students saw it, then they would surely punch him. However, together with her lovely outer appearance, it somehow felt natural, and he obediently nods to her.
「A, ah……」
While being timid, he extends his hand to her.
And with a forceful pull, she is raised up.
「Thank you」
「No……. 」
「Then I"ll excuse myself」
As soon as she gets back up, Rose quickly heads down the hall.
While staring at her back for no particular reason, Nishino mutters.
「……We"ve b.u.mped into each other many times since last month」
Last week was by the stairs.
The one who barely avoided falling down was him.
◇ ◆ ◇
The same unchanging scenery on his way home. Nishino who is part of the go home club leaves the cla.s.sroom after the sixth period bell. The sounds of yells from the sports clubs, and the music of the concert band echo throughout the school buildings.
It was an event that happened on the way home.
A car was stopped on the side of the sidewalk on his school route. It was a coupe from overseas. A luxury car worth tens of millions of yen. Anyone who saw it would want to take a photo with the car that most likely isn"t sold anymore. However, to him this is something he has no business knowing.
A car was stopped on the side of the sidewalk on his school route. It was a coupe from overseas. A luxury car worth tens of millions of yen. Anyone who saw it would want to take a photo with the car that most likely isn"t sold anymore. However, to him, this is something he has no business knowing of.
「Hi~, are you heading home?」
The driver stuck her head out of the car and asked.
「……What"s your business?」
Nishino asks in an ill tone without trying to hide it.
They are both acquainted with each other.
「You refused the request from Marquis, so I came directly to you」
From her face she appears to be caucasian. A beautiful woman that appears to be in her twenties with impressive platinum blonde hair that reaches her waist. Because of the suit and short skirt she was wearing, the lines of her well styled body were clearly visible.
The owner of huge b.r.e.a.s.t.s that would make any man turn back. In reality, everyone who is pa.s.sing by is turning back to look at her, the young men in particular, their attention was taken by the cleavage that peeks out between the gap in her shirt.
If there was an exception to this, then it would be Nishino.
「If it"s a request then pa.s.s it through Marques. Otherwise I won"t accept it」
「Ara, it"s unexpected for you trust him that much」
「…… I hate that part of you, and everything else」
「You seem to hate me quite a lot」
「Your face is one I hate more than anything. If you want to bring a request, then first get run over by a dump truck and break that uselessly high nose of yours. That way you"d surely become a beautiful woman」
「How cold……」
Nishino ignore that and continues walking.
The beautiful woman slowly continues in her car. She has her face pointed to the sidewalk with a single hand on the wheel and the elbow of her other arm placed on the window.
It isn"t a road with many cars and it also has a good amount of s.p.a.ce, so if anyone were to come, they wouldn"t be a hindrance. Nonetheless, If you look at the car"s license plate, it"s blue.
All of the cars slow down as they quietly pa.s.s in the opposite lane.
「Is it useless no matter what?」
「It"s pointless」
「But if you accept it, then I"ll attach a wonderful bonus」
She suddenly stops the car and stands in front of Nishino.
And overbearingly blocks the path of the average man.
While spreading the opening of her shirt, she uses her index finger to point at the exposed valley of her breast.
To this, Nishino responds with some irritation mixed into his words.
「A single piece of advice. It"d be best to drill this through those ears of yours」
「Ara, that"d be wonderful. What is it?」
「I hate people like you. If I were to be more specific, I hate humans that have nothing but their outward pride. I"d sooner become the protege for the police than take your request」
Words that did not fit in at all.
If there was something that didn"t fit in, then it"d be because of a loss of points due to his face.
If you were to ask about his face, then it"d be something that had an overwhelming baggage.
「Ara, were you the owner of such a strong sense of justice?」
「Saying such dull jokes when desperate, you"re the same as ever? Hurry and go back」
「tsu…… 」
After receiving Nishino"s words, the face of beauty warps in irritation for an instant.
It"s a natural response. On one hand is a caucasian woman of unrivaled beauty. And on the other is an average asian guy. If you take into account the universal caste of humanity, then it is clear as day who the superior one is.
「I, It seems like you"re in a bad mood today, so I"ll come back another time」
The beautiful woman pull out in an adult like way.
And Nishino speaks as if to attack an already defeated enemy.
「Francisca, your face is the fifth most face I hate in the whole world. And the one who has the sixth position is the portrait of George Brummell. That thing"s looking down on people」
Speaking while putting on airs, he continued to strike the woman"s nevers.
Coincidentally, the ones pa.s.sing by were also getting irritated.
「Then sorry for disturbing you. See you later!」
She gets on the car through the door she left open as if running away.
At the same time she steps into the car, she departs from the average looking guy.
The sound of the tires cutting into the asphalt resound in the surroundings.
The car quickly makes s.p.a.ce from the sidewalk and goes into the road ahead. After making a turn, it could no longer be seen. The pedestrians are forced to smell the bitter scent of the cars exhaust.
Nishino who takes in that aroma mutters.
「Really, a woman who never get tired of it」
Although he says that, he too was a highschooler that never tired of it.
◇ ◆ ◇
The evening of that day, the figure of a beautiful woman was grumbling in a bar in Roppongi. And it was the bartender"s job to serve her. The former was the one who just got the cold shoulder from Nishino, and the latter is Marques, the master of the establishment who exchanged words with Nishino last night.
「It was useless, Marques」
「That"s why I told you many times. Your compatibility with him is bad」
The master returned appropriate responses to the complaints of Francesca.
「My beauty must"ve fallen. Is it my age?」
「That"s the worst thing about you. If you want him to accept your requests, then you have to change that part of you. His current evaluation of you is the worst, at least that"s what I think」
「How could this happen. In my country they would have accepted even without showing my cleavage, to not even be able to get that dirty yellow monkey, I"ve had enough of this」
「It"s the same for me. Don"t worry about it」
「Fuun? So you say」
「What do you mean by that?」
「Should I tell him?」
「I don"t mind, but if you tell him then he"ll never accept your request, no matter what」
「I know. It was a joke, just a joke」
「I hate those worthless jokes」
「Ara, did his influence rub off on you?」
「If that"s the case, then there won"t be any sake for you next time, do you want to continue?」
「I know. Just a complaint. Sorry」
「Throw away that useless pride of yours. That is the most important technique in negotiating」
「Negotiating, huh? With that uncool asian」
「As long as you talk like that, he won"t accept your request. It"s not as if he"s looking for anyone else, and he isn"t the type to boast to others. To put it in another way, he could do everything by himself」
「…… I see. What a boring man」
「However, that seems to be popular in this country」
「Where"s that information from?」
「It was written in a book he read before」
「It was written in a book he read before」
「Ara, what book was it? It is on my mind now」
「It was an entertainment novel aimed at the youths of this country 」
「Hee, it"s unexpected for you to read something like that」
「He forgot about it. If you want to read it then I"ll lend you it」
「Giving it out, what a bad person」
「It"s something that was forgotten」
「Then send it to the same place as always. I"ll check it then」
「Got it」
While exchanging words, the bartender and the woman on the counter take out sake. The round ice floating in the rock gla.s.s was enveloped by the amber liquid. The sweet scent of vanilla drifts about.
There are no signs of other customers.
Midnight pa.s.ses, and only the figure of the two were there.
「Drink that and return」
「Thank you. I"ll be doing just that」
Francesca takes the presented gla.s.s and drinks it in one gulp.
「By the way, what will you do with that problematic request?」
「If he"s not doing it then I have to look around for someone else」
「Do you have anyone in mind?」
「…… None」
「If not, then you wouldn"t have headed to the person himself, is it」
「Really, what should I do」
Francesca begins grumbling with her head down. It must be quite a big problem they have, and because of what happened, they are at wit"s end. As if to confirm it, she eventually slams the gla.s.s onto the counter.
It helps that there aren"t any other customers. She yells in a loud voice.
「Enough! It"s because of that yellow monkey that my future prospects are completely black」
「Don"t yell like that. We don"t know if there"s someone else listening」
「What? Do his ears reach up to here?」
「I never said that. However, the possibility isn"t zero」
「Really, what an irritating talent, that d.a.m.ned brat!」
「Your true characters coming out」
The bartender looks at the wild woman who was influenced by the sake with a troubled expression. It looked like he wanted to say hurry and go back. While bothered by his partner, he takes a single dishcloth and began to polish the gla.s.s piled by the sink.
「How annoying! Shouldn"t that kids feel good about himself if I treat him well? Aaah, I"m the one that wants to kill you. Really, I can"t tell you how irritating he is. Someday I"ll definitely kill him」
「Well, if you have that much energy then you should be fine」
The beautiful blonde woman complained over her drinks.
And the bartender continued to respond to them.
◇ ◆ ◇
Nishino"s home is an apartment building in the residential area intended for a single person.
In other words, he lived by himself.
After living away from his parents for several years, cooking, laundry and cleaning, he is now used to all of this, it"s been a while since he stopped thinking of these things as troublesome. And he is still able to maintain his daily life of being a student while working.
He lives in a room of about 6 tatami mats.
The dinner for this evening is instant ramen with a packed salad. The former was already stocked, but the latter was a side dish bought at a convenience store on the way back. The seasoning is sesame seeds, ginger, and dressing.
It"s something he bought many times to eat, thus, he is already used to the flavor.
Without thinking of anything, he fills his mouth with the lettuce, cabbage and corn. He begins to eat the dressing that was scattered on his face and it all quickly disappeared. Not enough. The amount isn"t enough.
Nishino Gokyou, 16 years of age. Days pa.s.sed as his sense of emptiness continued to grow.
There isn"t enough warmth.
It was about time he got used to living alone, since it"s been several years since he left his parents to live on his own. But he couldn"t come to like the food, his daily food is a side dish from the nearby convenience store. He has enough income to buy it, but it will take time before he can get used to it.
He doesn"t know how many times he has already got the 918 yen corn salad.
While eating his food, a sound rang from a corner of the room, a rattling like sound.
It was a hamster in a cage placed on the bottom of a steel rack that began to play on it"s equipment. It ran with all it"s might on the wheel shaped equipment. The rattling resounded in the room that had no no other sound.
「…… Ah」
As if remembering something, he stands up and heads to the bottom of the cage.
He takes out solid food from a plastic bag placed to the side.
And so, he replenishes the feed that is inside the cage.
A small simple rises on Nishino. Gently gazes inside the cage at the hamster who jumped the moment it"s feed was replenished. It may come across as somewhat disgusting, but it couldn"t be helped since he is an average looking guy.
「I bought a strawberry today. I"ll also put this in」
He opens the cage a little bit and places the strawberry inside. The hamster quickly moves to it and begins to chew it. Nishino does nothing but gaze at that figure.
He pa.s.ses his night by cherishing his pet hamster.