32
You’re Kidding Me
“You"re late.” (Kaori)
Kaori told me when I walked back into the cla.s.sroom and sat down next to her.
It was lunch break and we were eating together along with Shizuka and Chiaki.
Everyone seemed to have brought their lunch with them.
“I thought some people followed you earlier, are you alight?” (Shizuka)
Shizuka anxiously asked, looking at me with a worried expression. No problem, other than being
stripped and getting confessed to, right?
Well, I made friends, so it turned out okay in the end.
“It was nothing to worry about. I didn’t bring my lunch, so I need to go buy something.” (Kei)
I stood up, left the cla.s.sroom, and trotted toward the school store.
It was a bit late, so there probably wouldn’t be much left.
I hurried on to the school store, ignoring the looks from the boys around me.
Of course, all the popular, tasty items were already sold out.
“Well, I expected as much.” (Kei)
[Haa] I sighed loudly, selected some bread and milk tea, and headed back toward the
cla.s.sroom.
“Welcome back Kei.” (Chiaki)
“Thank you.” (Kei)
Chiaki greeted me first when I arrived back at the cla.s.sroom.
Seemed the three of them had just about finished their lunches while I was gone.
Yuki Kijima, who sat behind me, had already finished eating and was taking a nap at his desk.
We had four desks pushed together, with Shizuka sitting next to me while Kaori and Chiaki sat
across from us.
I took my seat, sat down my milk tea, and opened the bread to start eating.
“Hey Kei, are you really sure nothing happened?” (Chiaki)
Chiaki asked me worried. I looked up to see my three friends’ rather anxious expressions.
You girls don’t need to look so worried. I mean, it’s already over and done with.
First of all, I’m safe.
“Oh, yeah. Nothing to worry about, I was just confessed to.” (Kei)
“Eh?!?!” (Kaori, Shizuka, Chiaki)
[Bu!!!]
The three of them exclaimed in surprise and I heard someone spit out something from behind
me.
I turned around to see who did it, but only saw Yuki still napping on his desk.
“A confession? Really? Are you kidding?” (Kaori)
Kaori asked me, clearly agitated, but just why was she so panicky?
She stood up, moved close to me, and grabbed my shoulders.
“Who was it? Was it a girl? What happened?” (Kaori)
Kaori threw question after question at me without pausing for a breath. I didn’t intend to lie to her
about this, but it would take more than just a word or two.
I wondered if she was going to try to force the issue with a ‘tell the truth?’
I didn’t think I really wanted to ‘drop a bomb’ or maybe I should to see how they react.
"…and I was stripped, embarra.s.sed, and shamed." (Kei)
“Ha!” (Kaori)
“What!?” (Shizuka)
“Huh?!” (Chiaki)
"[Bufu-!!!] [Geho] [Geho-!!] [Goho-!!]” (Yuki)
(TN: Sfx for ‘Bufu’ a sort of pig-like snort. ‘Geho’& ‘Goho’ are coughs.)
In order, Kaori, Shizuka, Chiaki, and Yuki reacted to my simple, matter-of-fact statement.
I stood up and looked behind me, with my right hand covering my mouth, staring wide-eyed at
the sight of Yuki choking and coughing.
“You’re sharper than I thought.” (Kaori)
(TN: She actually used the kanji for dexterous, but it can also mean skillful, clever. It comes out sounding slightly odd
in English, so used Sharper instead, because it doesn’t appreciably change the meaning.)
Kaori’s reaction was wonderful. She, who constantly nagged at me to use a feminine tone,
spewed out a glorious, unladylike ‘Ha!’
“Hey, why are you saying that? What? I didn’t confess!” (Kei)
“That... that"s outrageous!” (Shizuka)
Shizuka, just what are you trying to say? You aren’t jealous, are you?
“……” (Chiaki)
[Geho--] [Geho--] (Yuki)
Chiaki didn’t seem to be able to say anything while Yuki was still choking.
"Well, it"s just a confession to make friends." (Kei)
Yes, the confession and the fact that I was stripped had been explained, but I decided I wouldn’t
make any mention of Saeki.
Okay, I’ve seen their reaction. The honest explanation of events had become a bit troubling.
Yes, this was a mistake.
“What?”
Kaori asked confused. She didn’t seem sure if I was telling the truth anymore. I smiled, folded
my arms under my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and said…
“I’m kidding.” (Kei)
“Eh? What do you mean?” (Kaori)
Kaori said, looking at me suspiciously. I wasn’t specific about which part was a joke, but I would
end up pouring out my heart to Kaori, even if she had to force me.
The remainder of the day went by in a blur. When the bell finally signaled the end of school for
the day, I headed to the entrance to change my shoes.
d.a.m.n, I am so tired. I think I’m going to go straight home today.
“What are we doing today?” (Shizuka)
Shizuka asked me because most of the time, the four of us did things together after school.
She was trying to confirm our plans for today as well.
“Honestly, I’ll pa.s.s for today. I just want to go home.” (Kei)
I did think about it for a moment before I answered, but I really did just want to go home after all.
I feel like I’m getting more tired, just thinking I’m tired.
“Well, I guess I’ll go home, too.” (Kaori)
Kaori said beside me as we followed the flow of students exiting the building.
When it came to where to stop on the way home, there were several places that we loved to go
to browse or just sit and chat.
If we hadn’t made plans ahead of time, we checked with each other at the end of the day.
The four of us went to places almost every day, but I thought that was to be expected,
considering how well we got along.
I never really used to shop much when I was a boy, but as a girl, I had many favorite shops I
frequently went to with my friends.
If you included my personal taste in sweets, fashion, or …honestly, there are just too many to
name.
I thought about all the benefits that I had gained as a girl as I returned home.