Ranobe Mo Ore Mo Sukina Gyaru - Volume 1 Chapter 0.1

Prologue – Me and Gal

As I exited the station’s ticket gate, I was greeted by intense sunlight that was hard to believe it was mid-May.

It’s Shibuya Scramble Crossing, and the sheer number of people passing by here made me feel a bit overwhelmed.

Why do they walk so quickly, as if they’re being urgently pushed by something? I pondered about that, but maybe it was only natural.

After all, I figured people living in the city must have dreams they want to grasp or places they aim to reach.

Tokyo was a bit suffocating for me because there are many people living here who are always moving to somewhere they want to reach.

“…I guess Saitama is just right…”

I thought that while being dazzled by the surroundings.

I had come to Shibuya to meet 『Minacho』, a fellow light novel enthusiast whom I met on the internet.

Half-expectant, half-anxious… I inhale the city’s unfamiliar air as if swallowing my nervousness.

I had been interacting with Minacho on Twitter for about half a year, but today was our first face-to-face meeting.

I wondered if Minacho was really living in Tokyo. If so, what kind of life would he be leading?

How much of his ‘self’ had he revealed through our online interactions?

Lost in thought, I gazed at the view of Shibuya.

Perhaps due to the stress of meeting someone whose face I didn’t know, the rows of buildings seemed to loom over me.

People hurriedly walked by, one after another, a multitude of footsteps blending into a rumble that sounded like an approaching avalanche.

…If Minacho turned out to be a young man living in the city, belonging to the ‘Wei-kei’ type… what should I do?

(TN: Term when encountering someone who is cheerful or loud. This is because people who are often lively and loud frequently use the word (wei 「ウェーイ」) to get excited.)

At that moment, an even stronger unease surged within me.

Although it seemed unlikely that a reader of light novels would fit that description, there was a possibility.

If the Minacho I was about to meet didn’t accept someone with communication problems like me——

As my thoughts turned increasingly negative, a notification sound from my smartphone interrupted me.

Since we had agreed to notify each other upon arriving at the meeting place, it could be that Minacho had reached Hachiko Square ahead of me.

Thinking so, I headed toward the designated meeting spot while opening my DMs.

And then, I received a message from Minacho.

『Black off-shoulder knit, carrying a white bag, brown-haired girl – that’s Minacho!』

…I didn’t quite understand. A black off-shoulder knit? White bag? Brown-haired girl!?

I was confused, but I still replied to Minacho’s message with my information.

『Wearing a gray hoodie and navy jeans… ‘Nezumayo.’ 』

As I contemplated this, I suddenly noticed a woman standing by the Hachiko statue.

Then she spotted me and began running toward me.

She was dressed in a black off-shoulder knit top, a short black skirt, black short boots, and carried a white bag.

Her medium-length brown hair resembled the information I had just received through DMs.

She looked like a gal, or more precisely, exactly like the popular gal in our class – Miona Tsumakawa!

I realized who she was, and as I shuddered with that realization, she approached me with a bright smile.

“Yahoo——Nezumayo-kun! I’ve been really looking forward to meeting you!”

Unfortunately, it turned out that the Minacho I had hoped to meet for our shared love of light novels was someone entirely different from what I expected.

While she might not be a Tokyo resident, she was a Wei-kei gal, which I’m not very fond of…

However, I didn’t immediately rush back to Saitama for some reason.

Probably because somewhere deep down, I was intrigued by her.

I probably wouldn’t have admitted that to myself at that time, but…

“N-nice to meet you, Minacho-san.”

This first scene, serving as our prologue, marked the beginning of our relationship.

Of course, just because an otaku met a gal didn’t mean my values or personality would change.

However, what if my life were a light novel?

My unremarkable story would surely begin to change from here.

***

TL: Hiraeth