Ranobe Mo Ore Mo Sukina Gyaru - Volume 1 Chapter 8.1

Gal and Friends 1

Several days had passed since the day I played games with Tsumakawa after school.

It was a little past 5 in the afternoon, and I stayed a bit late for the manga club activity today, so I was heading towards the bicycle parking area alone.

As I was walking, I noticed Tsumakawa walking towards the school gate from a little ahead.

Since I didn’t have any particular business with her, I didn’t approach her or anything. I just watched her from behind.

But then, out of nowhere, a male student appeared and walked up beside her, fitting closely by her side.

In response to that, Tsumakawa’s face lit up slightly, and she started chatting happily with him.

Upon closer look, the male student next to her was someone I knew too—Shōta Horito.

He was my classmate and also a member of Tsumakawa’s popular group, skilled in soccer and quite popular among girls.  

“By the way——Really——me——playing with Yoda——yesterd——together——is really fun.”

“Miona——you really seem——care about him——.Next time——introduce——okay?”  

I couldn’t quite grasp the content of their conversation.

However, Tsumakawa and her male friend from the class were engaged in quite a friendly chat.  

” ….. ”  

As I watched them, I found myself standing still, lost in thought.

I hadn’t really paid much attention when we were in a group, but the sight of Tsumakawa and Hotori walking together like that inevitably looked like a couple deeply in love to an outside observer.

…I’m sure eventually, Tsumakawa will come to me and say something like, ‘Hey, Yoda, I’ve got a boyfriend~.’  

In the end, she’s not any different from the female singer or idol I was rooting for.

She just makes me hope for the best, but in the end, it’s bound to turn out that way.

It’s not like Tsumakawa is a terrible woman. Women, in general, are just like that by nature.  

“…sigh…”  

I guess three-dimensional reality is really just a mess.

As I thought this, I averted my gaze from them and started walking towards the bicycle parking area.

Even though I should have understood that I was just being teased, why do I feel like this?

Maybe we otaku are just too easily infatuated. There’s no way someone like me would be considered by someone popular like her.  

“Real-life girls suck…”  

In an attempt to distract from the rising frustration, I muttered these words, but the real problem is not that; it’s that I’m trying to simplify things with such harsh words.

Tsumakawa hasn’t really done anything cruel to me…She’s just going home from school with a male friend, and I don’t even know if the two of them are dating.

Yet, I arbitrarily felt as if I was betrayed by Tsumakawa-san, which made me feel terribly down.

This is probably more a feeling of childishness emotion than jealousy or such emotions.

What’s the accurate word for it?

Maybe it’s resignation——probably because I can’t establish that kind of relationship with Tsumakawa.  

As I watched Hotori walking slowly beside her to match her pace, I thought…

Ah, I see. I probably didn’t want to confront that fact directly, so I brought up my usual theory that ‘reality is a mess’ and tried to conveniently dismiss Tsumakawa as another trashy girl with a boyfriend behind my back.

But it’s not true. Tsumakawa is probably different from the girls I’ve been let down by——But I wonder if this is just something I want to believe…  

“I really don’t get this anymore…”  

I tried to sort it out in my head, but it didn’t quite come together.

In any case, all I know now is that I’m terribly uncool and lame as a person for thinking so much about a scene where an acquaintance gal simply walks with her male friend (or maybe boyfriend?).  

It’s just sad what kind of creatures we are, a sulky otaku… I hope at least the two-dimensional world and my mom will treat me kindly forever.  

***  

The next day, after homeroom had ended without any issues, it was after school.

As I was getting ready to leave at my desk, she casually appeared beside me and started talking to me.  

“Hey, Isono——. Let’s go to McDonald’s together.”

“Who’s Isono? And McDonald’s… Why?”

“Uh, why…? Honestly, I just felt like having a shake right now, so I invited you, Yoda…”

“If you don’t have a clear reason, I won’t budge under any circumstances…”

“…Why do I always have to come up with a convincing reason when I invite Yoda? That is so annoying.”  

After Tsumakawa muttered this, she crossed her arms and began pondering.

Even if it’s annoying, why doesn’t she just give up if she thinks it’s annoying?

With that question in mind, she seemed to have a realization and lifted her fist.  

“If you don’t come to McDonald’s with me, I’ll punch you in the face?”

“That’s such a lame reason! That’s just a threat, isn’t it?”

“Well, because I don’t have any reason every time I invite Yoda. Do you think Yoda contemplates things like ‘I have to pee for this and that reason!’ when needing to pee? You just pee when you need to, right? It’s the same.”

“Um, Tsumakawa-san? I understand what you’re saying, but maybe girls shouldn’t repeatedly talk about needing to use the restroom so much…”

“Hey, Yoda, don’t you think you have too many illusions about girls? Girls casually say words like ‘pee’ too. ——Pee pee pee pee pee.”

“Don’t repeat it five times in a row like we’re playing a game! What kind of girl are you?”

“If you want me to stop saying ‘pee’ to you, why don’t you come to McDonald’s with me?” “That’s a new way of making threats…”  

Even though I retorted, I didn’t want to be hit in the face or hear vulgar words, so I reluctantly agreed to go to McDonald’s with Tsumakawa.

And so, after finishing preparations to leave, I walked out of the classroom with her. Then Tsumakawa bid farewell to her main group by the classroom door.  

“See you tomorrow.”

“Sure.”

“Later.”

“See you later, Miona——”

For some reason, the exchange of farewell greetings, ‘See you, Miona,’ left an impression on me.

And so, as we descended the stairs, Tsumakawa started her story with an introduction like, ‘You see, yesterday, Kanachamu couldn’t sleep, so she called me late at night…”

While changing to our outdoor shoes, I listened to her story, and we both headed toward the bicycle parking area to retrieve my bike.