Chapter 1: Entrance Ceremony Preparation(1)

Enjoy!

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In front of the school gate of his new school, a boy who has cleared the high school entrance examinations and is one of the new students, was standing there firmly.

But for all his firmness, he was looked unreliable. His height is about average for his generation.

　He has an impressive hair that has a blue tint to it when the light hits it, but when it’s this boy’s, may be because of the atmosphere from the inside that all of them look normal.

　Around the entrance ceremony, new students are eagerly enthusiastic about their new school life. There were also people who were taking pictures with their parents.

　Against this backdrop, this one boy mutters with deep emotion.

“Well, I was finally able to enroll here! But from now on. Three years or so… It seems both a short and a long long time how you look at it but I have to do my best.”

When he said that, he walked towards the direction of the doorway, as if he had made up his mind.

“I have no choice but to do it… I can only rely on myself here on.”

This boy, Yuto Domori (Domori Yuto) joined this year at the private Horaijin Kibayashi High School and became a new first year student.

Jin High School is a prestigious high school founded 90 years ago and is known for its dedication to both the literary and military arts and for producing many unique and famous people. It is a popular high school with a free school atmosphere.

Yuto, who had a difficult look on his face, relaxed for a moment and looked around.

The school grounds are large, and behind the magnificent school building, there is a mountain behind the school with large trees and the scenery is not bad.

Yuto stares at the back mountain.

“…The school grounds here. Somehow…I can feel it……..especially from that back hill…….”

“Yu, Yuto!”

“Ouch!”

Suddenly, he was slapped on the back from behind  and Yuto was bent forward.

When he turned around, Ichigo Hakama, who had been in the same middle school who could be called his good friend, was standing there. Then, as usual, Ichigo puts his hand on Yuto’s shoulder with a beaming face.

“What? With a dull face as usual”

“As usual, that was unnecessary! And, it is not dull!!…..Ichigo!!

Yuto’s eyes widen as he realizes with a huff, and he gets a little teary-eyed.

“What the hell did you hurt so much?”

“No…no, it’s no that! Ichigo!”

Despite the fact that he’s already got his hands around him, Yuto leans toward Ichigo.

Feeling an unusual pressure, Ichigo pulled back his nose and arched his back.

“Then what ? I’m scared!”

“You, you’re …. You’re pretty important to me, you know!　I’m glad!”

Yuto hugs with all his might.(TN: In the force A bromance I feel)

“Ugh! Hey, hey, get away from me!”(TN: Aw, He got rejected)

Hot eyes were poured from the female students who were around these noisy people.

A lot of rumors have sprung up, such as “Look, what’s going on?”, “No way, lovers!”,”Well there are many different types of students, right? So it may be.”

Sensitive to those circumstances, Ichigo pushes away Yuto with all his might.

“Ah!……”

“Yuto! What are you doing man! That would have been a terrible misunderstanding early in the school!”

“Ah… sorry. I didn’t think you remembered me…”

“Haa?”

“Ah, no! I think it’s been a long time.”

“It’s been a long time? We’re in the same middle school, so it’s been only three weeks or so, right?”

“Oh, oh yeah! Yeah. You know, we’ve always met…”

For a moment, Ichigo makes a strange look, but laughs a little, and the two become as usual.

“Well, I didn’t expect you’d enter the same school as me.”

“Oh, it was a challenge to get into this school, so I didn’t expect myself to pass.”

　At first glance, this Hakamada Ichigo has a well-defined face, but he seems to have a frivolous or rather playful look to him. However, he had a strange affinity with Yuto and they have been playing together since middle school.

Ichigo was always the center of the class because of his good talk and cheerful personality. It was surprising that Yuto was close to him,  who was on the other side of Ichigo, who had a positive attitude but was conspicuous. But he was happy that he was able to go to high school with his old friend.

“Anyway, Yuto! It’s amazing here!”

Ichigo once again puts his hand around his shoulder.

Yuto is wary of his friend who talks with excitement in spite of fear of further misunderstanding.

Ichigo at such times doesn’t think about anything.

“What?”

“Look around here. See, there are lots of cute girls who are like noble ladies, because this is a famous private school all over the country. It’s going to be busy from the first day.”

Yuto sighed heavily.

(I’m not even sure where that is…..Don’t tell me this guy was studying for that……..)

But today is an entrance ceremony, which might normally lift your spirits.

“Haha… well, do your best.”

What with this lazy attitude?　He makes a face as if to say.

“…You can help me too. You know.”

“Eh! Why me! I’m not good! You’re good at that?”

Ichigo turned to the side, lightly breathed through his nose, placing his hand near his brow.(FacePalm)

(Ah, what’s wrong with this guy…)

Ichigo turns to face Yuto. The gesture also contains some acting.

“You … have a girlfriend?”

“No… I don’t, even you don’t have one!”

Unwilling to speak, his friend continues to talk over the last word.

“We’ve become high school students now, Yuto do you not want to have one?”

The “Yuto” part is rather loud.

“Now, are you not being evasive?”

“Do you want a ‘girl-friend’?”(TN: Ichigo emphasizes on girlfriend part)

“Well…. I’d like to have one if I could.”

“Yeah. That’s pretty natural. Well, we are going to help each other. It’s settled.”

Ichigo moves slowly and puts his right hand on Yuto’s shoulder and gazes at his friend’s expression.

“Is that okay? Yuto, you’re not that bad looking. And I know you want a girl. But she is not available! Do you know why?”

　When he said that, Ichigo stared at the sky, closed his eyes, and placed his fists on his chest.

“About that. Ichigo I don’t know .”

“‘Yuto. It’s … change.”

Hey, you hear me?　Ichigo. Are you listening to me?”

“It’s no secret that throughout history the doers get more respect than the originators of things. By the way, I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but it’s not that I don’t have a girlfriend……”

“Nuunu…surely.”

Without having to recall, Ichigo had been popular since middle school. He was well spoken and not bad looking. It was popular. The proof of that was the fact that he had a ridiculously large number of female friends. Despite his appearance, apparently he wasn’t too smart either.

　Maybe that’s part of what made him so attractive. It’s a far cry from my being less impressive to the opposite sex.

“That’s why I need to act. I’m not waiting, and I’m not going to spend my days like a retired old man. I want a girlfriend, I want to be strong, I want to be smart, all the above. The first step in fulfilling any desire is to take action.”

Ichigo puts his left hand on Yuto’s shoulders and grasps both shoulders with great force.

‘And you’re not that bad of a material!　You’re a gem in the rough. Trust me and leave it to me . I’ll get you to that broadway, I promise!

“What, what is this persuasive power…”

　Hearing the word girlfriend, the face of a girl with indigo hair, the same indigo hair as his own that he met and spent time with before this admission, flashed through Yuto’s mind for a brief moment.

(Yes…I’m sure she would…)

“What happened? Suddenly, you look so serious.

When Ichigo looks into Yuto’s face, Yuto suddenly makes a loud voice.

“Okay, Ichigo. I’ll do my best. First, tell me what to do!”

“Wow! Ah! You understand it right! With this, you too will take the first step towards realizing the possibilities. So, you’re taking the first step towards realizing your potential. Okay, first things first. Don’t think a beautiful girl will come to you on her own. It’s going to start from us.”

“Oh, let’s start! I’m not going to stop trying! No matter how much I’m behind….no ! I’ll find a strong, gentle girl”

“That’s the spirit, Yuto! We’re going to have to work on the assumption that they won’t come to us.”

Breathlessly, they face each other and intertwine their elbows with each other. This is the signal of agreement they’ve had since middle school.

They are mingling just outside the school gates and are unaware of a girl approaching.That girl is drawing the gaze of several people, especially the boys.

Then the girl stops behind the two excited men.

“Good morning, both of you. What are you doing in such a place? The entrance ceremony will begin?”

When Yuto and Ichigo turned around, a girl with an appearance befitting her ladylike voice was standing there.

“Huh? Did you come here fro…?”

As if he had been caught off guard, Ichigo responds in a goofy voice.

The girl, holding a student bag in her hands, with lustrous chestnut-colored hair that stretches to her shoulders, just catches the attention of those around her, even though she’s just walking.

“It’s nothing! Good morning, Shirasawa-san. It’s just that… We were just talking about how it would be great if we could be in the same class as you.”

Feeling immediately calmer, Ichigo smiled at the girl. Yuto is impressed by the fact that he was different from what he was talking about, but it was a wise decision not to worsen his impression of the opposite sex.

The girl was Mari Shirasawa from the same middle school. She was wearing a brand new school uniform and her skirt look shorter due to the high position of her waist.

Yuto immediately responded to this familiar girl with a smile.

“Oh, good morning, Mari. Yeah, yeah!We were talking about how we wish we could be in the same class.”

Mari grinned with a carefree smile.

“Yeah. You two are so close.”

(By the way, Mari hasn’t forgotten me either…)

As Yuto looks at Mari’s dazzling smile, he thinks about something deeply emotional

“Normally, the classes are announced on the day of the entrance ceremony. I’m told they’re all given a piece of paper. The way they divide the classes at this school is so easy and simple, you don’t have to spend a lot of time thinking about it.”

Yuto didn’t care about it, but he thought he did.

“And hey, did you know? This school is a little different, we have a set number of seatings, but we don’t have a set gender ratio.”

“Heh? That is…”

What does it mean for Ichigo and Yuto? This is the most important thing to look at.

“I mean, it’s completely based on the exam results, and they’re going to give out the top ones. And this year, you know, this year it seems that the exam results were better for the girls, and it was six to four, with 6 towards girls. .”

As soon as he hears that, Ichigo’s expression almost collapses….

“So it’s a good thing. There are a lot of pretty girls who look like ladies. Don’t let them skip the first day. Because as someone who comes from the same middle school, I don’t think they’ll be too impressed with that kind of standout.”

Her face is smiling like the Mona Lisa.

But why is that? The two boys can feel the cold sweat running down their backs.

Something intimidating…….especially as it’s directed at Yuto. 

The tension from earlier disappears into the distance, and to his dismay, Yuto responds.

“Well, that’s right. It’s not good to be too excited, yeah. At all! It’s a sacred study hall. I can’t forgive an insolent person like that either…….. Um, why are you staring at me all the time?”

While Yuto was talking, Ichigo put on a cool face and said, ” I think she heard everything. I don’t know……..”  with attitude.

“Come on, let’s go. The gymnasium is at the back of the school building. Come on, Yuto, hurry up. Don’t be in a daze!”

After saying that, Mari starts walking off with a light step. She’s polite in her use of language to everyone, but she’s a little bit more polite to Yuto, as they’ve known each other for a long time. 

But that’s not all, this solid girl also showed a lighthearted mood.

Since it’s the entrance ceremony, she thinks she’s going to be doing what she normally does, but she’s still in an uplifting mood.

Then, after that!　Mari looks back at him.

“Speaking of which, Yuto. Where did you go for spring break? I made a few appearances at the dojo.”

“Huh? Is that so?”

Yuto is surprised and says without looking.

“Uh, I’ve been out for a bit….”

“Hmm. All spring break? When I asked the instructor, he said you would be back soon.”

“Gramps did?　…Oh, no, it’s been longer than I thought it would be..”

Mari’s eyes narrowed a bit and she listened with a smile.

Yuto felt the air demand for further explanation and got a little defensive.

”Shirasawa-san. Are you still going to Yuto’s kenjutsu dojo?

Yuto was very proud of his friend’s remark that changed the topic casually! And send an inward compliment.

“Hmm? Well, I was going to continue kendo in high school, so I don’t want to blunt my senses.”

“Heh, Shirasawa-san is serious. After all, people who participated in the national competition are different.”

“It’s not like that. It’s like doing mental training.”

Although humble, this girl named Mari Shirasawa is a famous kendo girl, and she had runner-ups in national competitions during her junior high school years. It was accompanied by a great track record for spiritual training.

Ring! Ring!! And then there was a strange electronic sound. ‘What is it?’ wondered Yuto And when Yuto tilted his head, Mari, as if noticing, took a pink smartphone from her breast pocket. I

“Oh, please excuse me. I have a friend waiting, so I’ll go first.”

“Mari-chan! Did you buy a cell phone?!”

“I know. We were strict about this kind of thing in our house, but…. My dad bought it for me as an entrance ceremony gift~”

When Mari replies with a smile, Yuto makes a face that seems to be enviable from the bottom, and Ichigo with a fearless smile cuts in from the side.

“Fufufu, actually, I bought it too.”

“e!”

Yuuto stares at the blue glossy phone that Ichigo took out.

“Shirasawa-san. Please tell me your phone number next time.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

Yuto, who was stunned by such interactions, looked like the natives who were completely left behind in the times.

“Well, later.”

Saying that, Mari goes off on a short run towards the gym.

Yuto, too, waved his hand and looked at Mari’s distant posterior as if it had been several years since they had met, looking nostalgic……..

Yuto and Mari Shirazawa met in the fourth grade of elementary school.

Yuto’s family had a small old school swordsmanship dojo, which his grandfather had opened.

　It was open, but there were no students at the time. 

In that sense, it was doubtful to Yuto whether it was open, but there was a known relationship between Yuto’s grandfather Kazura and Mari’s father Masataka, and it was that time the first student Mari Was introduced there.

　Yuto and Mari were in different elementary schools, but since they were the same age, they soon became friends and received sword instruction from each other.

At that time, Yuto was delighted to have this cute, solid, new student here. Even the most boring training sessions were fun to take with Mari.

Mari practiced three times a week, but from her appearance it is hard to imagine that Mari was a strong-minded and competitive character, and her swordsmanship improved rapidly after she was introduced to the school.

After that, although Yuto and Mari attended different elementary schools, the two elementary schools were in an area where the two schools were consolidated into a single middle school after graduation, so they also became classmates at the same school from middle school.

That’s how the relationship between Masato and Mari has grown to where it is today, with no qualms about it.

“Shirasawa-san is as seamless as ever, isn’t she? She’s cute, has excellent grades, and is a national level kendo player. In addition, she has a good personality and her house is quite wealthy, isn’t it?”

While saying that, Ichigo glanced at Yuto. Yuto noticed his gaze.

“What?”

“It’s not worth it. No wonder she dumped you…”(TN: Wow, our boy got dumped.)

“Gu! Don’t rehash the old story. I’m sure Ichigo would have supported me then, too!”

“I thought it would definitely work out, you know?”

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing…. It’s just that girls are complicated, I guess. So, Shirasawa-san was saying at the time, what was it again? How is she getting along with that guy she says is out there somewhere?”

“Well I don’t know the details, but she’ s doing well. Then again, I’ve never heard of it”

“You……..are you still reeling from being rejected by Shirasawa-san?”(TN: brutal friend)

“Hahaha, not anymore. Really”

“Well, it was one of the biggest rejections you’ve ever received, as a man. But that was a year ago already. Now, go find a new love. If I find a good girl, I’ll introduce you to her too.. “

“Da-ka-ra, I’m not really dragging it out!　It’s just that….”(TN: da-ka-ra sounds good, right?)

“‘Just?　(Heh, it looks like you’re really blowing it off…)”

“You see, Mari takes good care of me, so…”

Ichigo knew what Yuto wanted to say.(Some good friend he got)

“Oh… a year ago. It’s been about three months since the spring break in the middle of three years. Was it after you took a long break from school?”

“……Yup”

“Well, I had to put myself out of my misery and take care of my lagging studies. It’s a little complicated to be taken care of by a woman who has dumped you. Well, women don’t understand that part of a man’s heart.”

In fact, Yuto confessed to Mari at the end of the third semester of junior high school.

And he was successfully rejected.

That was something that Yuto was prepared for, but the content of the confession was also terrible.

Apparently it was a complete coincidence, but the day before Masato confessed his feelings to Mari, Mari told him that a boy who was apparently one year older than Mari, who had been her friend since she was little, had confessed his feelings to her.

At that time, ‘who is it?’ Yuto asked,

“I don’t know Yuto! His name is… Yeah, Katayama-kun”(TN: I get a vibe that she just lied)

Yuto had known Mari since the fourth year of elementary school, but he didn’t know that person at all, which meant that, as things stood, two men had confessed to Mari two days in a row.

But maybe it wasn’t unusual. Every year, Mari received several confessions from a number of people.

However, they were either unsuitable for Mari’s attention or she was not interested, and she had refused all of them.

However, nevertheless.

　This time, to her surprise, she agreed to go out with a guy she had gone to elementary school with on hold.With reservations, it’s not a formal relationship, but a friend.

However, this was an unthinkable event in the pattern of Mari, who has declined all confessions so far.

　Of course, this quickly became a rumor in school. It was a great excitement as to who the mysterious man was.

By the way, Yuto was completely refused, and as expected, it wasn’t even rumored…

It’s not easy, and furthermore, Yuto, who has never been attracted to a girl, summoned up all the courage he had left in him, and he was prepared to be crushed.

That was the case, but as expected, he hadn’t anticipated this situation..

As a result, of course…

Yuto fell to the bottom.

He was prepared, but…

Also, Mari would come to the dojo at Yuto’s house every Sunday afternoon.

Needless to say, right after being rejected, Yuto was quite nervous.

However………Mari’s attitude was exactly the same as usual. This made Yuto more upset.

In addition, after training in the dojo, it seems that the senior, Katayama, started coming to pick up Mari, and Yuto is repeatedly told by Mari that “I have an errand with Katayama!” ..

And even though it is withholding, it is no surprise that they are going out…….but, yes, they seem to be on good terms.

The reason for this is that Mari has told me many things about Katayama-kun every now and then.

She said he was full of confidence, and that he was the type to lead her, and that if things continue as they were, they might even go out officially.

Yuto was repeatedly told by Mari about the situation, which knocked Yuto’s heart, which was at the bottom of the heap even further into the abyss.

The only people who know the whole story are themselves and some of their few friends.

One of those few friends, Ichigo, turned to look at Yuto.

(In front of you, she started explaining things thoroughly……. Well, that senior, Katayama……..well, that doesn’t change the fact that he was dumped.)

“… Let’s go, Yuto. Yeah, I hope we’re in the same class.”

When Ichigo said so, Yuto nodded.

“Yeah? Yes, I hope so.”

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TN: Next update for this series will be after 3 days.

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