Tannin Wo Yosetsukenai Buaisouna Joshi Ni Sekkyou Shitara,

Chapter 4 volume 9

My mother could do nothing about my sudden change in attitude.

Until elementary school, I was always a quiet kid. I learned in silence. No matter how cold or hot the day was, or how painful I was, there was never a day I didn't go to my desk.

It was the same when I was just a junior high school student. Learning is not a habit that is easily eliminated.

Before I got into trouble, even when I was having trouble, I was not inclined to hit anyone. I'd rather cry than do that. In short, introspection. I am not good at expressing my emotions outwardly and keeping them to myself.

However, as if I had forgotten myself, I began to show my emotions more and more.

I threw things away. I'm yelling. Kicking furniture.

The conversation at home became less and less.

Not only my mother but also Sayaka and my father didn't seem to know how to respond. I did not reveal my inner thoughts to anyone. It was impossible to express with words such a throbbing emotion.

At school, there are some life guidance sessions.

What's with your hair color? What happened to your attitude in class? Because of you, the whole school lost its dignity.

I thought, "Who cares? Why should I accept that?"

As my attitude got worse, I got into more fights with my classmates. In the Junior High School where I went to school, there were very few people like me. They were all young men who had passed the first high school entrance examination. I am often mocked from far away. (TN: this is a private school so there are many boys from big families.)

As I continued to live like this, I was told.

–I'm suspended.

His tone is very clear. That's obvious, of course. Everyone has trouble dealing with me.

I clicked my tongue and accepted his words.

It was about the third day after I was suspended from school.

–What's up, Nao-chan?

I stayed in my room, and one day, my mother knelt before me.

–If you have something to complain about, let me know.

But I ignored it.

I don't think anyone will ever know how I feel.

One day, I left home and went to the nearest game center.

When I came in, I heard a lot of voices. Game sounds. Operated button sound and tilted lever.

I felt that these voices were removing the fog in my head. That's how I feel.

I went inside and started playing the game I found. Not that I'm good at playing games or anything. I don't even know how to play it. I just moved it up and down and repeatedly punched and kicked with no intent. At first I could win. But gradually I couldn't, and my frustration grew.

What is painful!

With numbness, I left the game halfway and left my seat.

I don't think about throwing a hundred yen or anything like that.

I moved to another floor and looked for another game.

There are sound games, photo booths, coin-operated games, and UFO catchers. None of them look attractive.

Other customers secretly played the game of their choice.

I was alone again, I thought.

There's nothing I like. There is no hope of playing this.

No one noticed me. If I wore casual clothes, even my blonde hair would not stand out too much.

Each of them has a game they want to play, and they love it very much.

I don't have any.

I can only walk alone in a frenzy like this.

There is no place for me anywhere. .......

I'm the only one floating around. The rest of us seem to be somewhere far away. There's an invisible gap between us, and I'm the only one outside of it.

That's what I thought.

Before I knew it, I went back to the game floor. There is no specific reason. It was too boring and I had nowhere else to go.

As I was thinking this, I saw a male student sitting in front of the console I had played before. I was surprised to see his back.

He has red hair.

I wondered if he was a junior high school student or a high school student. I don't think he's much older than me.

At least, he's not a student in my high school. It was a school uniform, but the design was a little different. First of all, I've never seen anyone with red hair like this.

I wonder what this guy is about. Curious, I walked towards the man.

He didn't even realize that I was watching him from behind, but he was playing quietly.

He's better than I was before.

Finally, after a break in the game, the man turned around.

"......"

As soon as I saw it, I felt a sense of familiarity.

His face looks bored. Wrinkles on his forehead.

Maybe this guy is just like me. I think so intuitively.

Said the man.

"You are the man from before. Thanks to you, I can play this game for free."

"What?"

Apparently, he started playing as soon as I got up from my seat. I guess that's why he can play the game without paying for it.

He stood up, putting his hand in his pocket.

He was taller than I expected, and when he approached me, he looked down at me.

"You're not good at gaming, are you?"

He seemed to be watching me play. I retaliated.

"So?"

He sneered at me.

"No. I'm just better than you."

What's wrong with this guy? I was upset, but I was also disappointed that he spoke to me just to say that.

I saw his face.

"You're boring."

I couldn't help but let it out of my mouth. For a moment, I thought I had made a mistake, but then I immediately thought about it better.

"What?"

"Don't make me repeat it. Is it good to be better? That's boring."

That doesn't matter. To me, everything is boring.

I hope he's angry. I imagined that he might be a person with such a low boiling point.

But he just said quietly, "Sure."

"Sure, it's boring. You and I are both."

I don't know what that means, but for some reason, I find myself sympathetic to him.

"What's your name?"

I was surprised by the sudden question but immediately answered.

"Ookus."

He nodded his head and said,

"That's Yamazaki. You don't have to remember me."

...... It was my first meeting with Yamazaki.

#Connected