"Will you be my boyfriend?" Suzuki muttered; her gaze fixed on the floor.
Her words hung in the air, heavy and unexpected. I couldn't speak for a moment—partly because I was stunned and partly because I wasn't sure if I'd heard her correctly.
Huh? Why'd she just ask me to be her boyfriend?
Don't get me wrong, she's cute and all, but she literally just gave me her acc. yesterday, and she's already asking me out.
Despite my surprise, I had to give her an answer. The only words I could muster were:
"Sure, why not."
After my response, she bolted back to the classroom, her brown hair bouncing with each step.
She left me on the rooftop, staring at her, utterly confused about what had happened.
I guess she lost all her confidence.
To think I'd be asked out is frankly jarring—what's more, on a Monday of all days?
Not that I particularly dislike Mondays or anything; they're just as bad as any other day.
I don't hold any specific hatred for, or particularly favor, any particular day of the week.
I decided to stay on the rooftop for a while—the reason was definitely not because I was too nervous to meet Suzuki.
It was peaceful and secluded, the kind of place where you could think without interruption.
Sitting there, I idly watched the clouds drifting across the sky.
They seemed so free, unbound by rules or expectations, moving wherever they pleased.
Unfortunately, the bell rang, breaking my peaceful rest and reminding me of reality—I had gotten a girlfriend.
Reluctantly, I made my way back to class. My stomach growled loudly as I reached my seat, a sharp reminder that I'd skipped lunch.
"Heugh,"I sighed in irritation.
Why did she ask me out, though?
I glanced toward Suzuki, hoping to figure out her intentions, but she caught me looking and grinning as if she knew exactly what I was trying to do.
I have to admit, she's pretty cute. And coming from someone who's met people from all over the world, that's saying something.
Still, I know next to nothing about her.
I turned toward the window, letting my eyes follow the clouds again as they lazily floated by.
They looked so majestic. If I could choose to be anything, I'd be a cloud.
Some people would pick to be fictional characters or celebrities, but for me, it was anything that had the freedom to drift wherever it wanted.
"Nakamura," the teacher's sharp voice cut through my thoughts, dragging me back to reality. "If you're so distracted, let's see if your English is as sharp as your daydreaming skills."
She scribbled something on the board with a smirk. The sentence she wrote seemed more like a riddle than an English-to-Japanese translation exercise:
"The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."
This wasn't your typical translation. It required nuance, cultural understanding, and wit—something even native speakers might struggle with.
I approached the board, trying not to groan audibly. I didn't want to get punished, though considering the way this school operated, that seemed unlikely but it was best to obey my teacher.
After analyzing the phrase, I gave my translation. The classroom fell silent.
The teacher hesitated, her expression a mix of shock and frustration, before finally saying, "You may return to your seat."
I walked back to my desk, ignoring the growing whispers around me.
Were they impressed or just gossiping? Either way, I preferred to stay under the radar.
Should I have translated it wrongly? Maybe I should have, well, no use crying over spilled milk.
I suppose I was meant to be an example of why you should pay attention in class.
The irony was that I had been listening; I just didn't look like it. The teacher had been explaining noun phrases, not idioms.
The rest of the day passed uneventfully until, after school, Kobayashi-sensei, the English teacher, called me to her office.
"Nakamura met me in my office after school."
What the hell did I do?
I groaned when the last class for the day ended and went on to meet Kobayashi-sensei though on my way out of the class I received a goodbye wave and she blew a kiss.
Cute.
I shyly waved back and left the class. On my way to Kobayashi-sensei's faculty room, I briefly considered telling Miyamura about Suzuki's confession.
But I doubted he'd be much help on how I could know how to handle a gyaru as a girlfriend.
Hiro was another option, given his extensive connections to girls, but unfortunately I still couldn't contact him.
Kagura could work but relying on another girl for your own relationship seemed unwise.
Then there was Ito. Nope, he'd probably think I meant she was just a female friend.
I mean he had so many girls fawning over him; that they didn't even tolerate my presence when I walked beside him every morning.
They almost bushed me into a bush in the morning.
"Heugh."
I sighed at the thought as I turned a corner, and I accidentally bumped into someone—a student, rather a senpai.
"I'm sorry," I said, looking up apologetically.
She stood, brushing off her uniform with exaggerated movements.
Her sharp features and cold gaze gave the impression of someone who took insults—intentional or not—very personally.
"What species of idiot are you?" she snapped.
Idiot, huh? I haven't been called that before.
It was oddly refreshing, though coming from someone who looked ready to pack me in a box, it wasn't exactly comforting.
"Uh…" I managed to reply.
"Oh, not only are you an idiot, but you're a man. What a day," she sighed, putting her hand on her face.
"It makes so much sense now. All I have to do now is kill you," she narrowed her eyes in pure disdain.
Well, that escalated quickly. What kind of inhumane person is this? And what does being a man have to do with anything?
"Umm, don't you think that's a bit extreme?" I took a cautious step back.
For wild animals like tigers, backing away slowly is supposed to help. Maybe it will work on her too.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Caught. Looks like I have to run.
I bolted, and to my shock, she kept up with me. Granted, I wasn't running at full speed—maybe 40%—but still, she managed to stay close.
She had to be an athlete and a good one at that, as running fast was one of the only things I wasn't useless at.
After a few frantic turns, I slipped into Kobayashi-sensei's office and shut the door behind me, panting.
When I turned around, I found Kobayashi-sensei fast asleep at her desk.
She slept peacefully on her desk, her black hair in her face—flowing slightly whenever she breathed.
It was a shame I had to wake her up, but I had to do what I had to do.
I walked over and tapped her shoulder gently. She groaned and sat up abruptly when she saw my face and hit her head against the wall.
"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.
"Nooo... Why'd you sneak up on me?" she groaned, rubbing her head.
She looks like a child when she's like this, it's cute.
Wait no, Eiya you shouldn't think of your teacher like that even if she's kinda hot, I mean…who am I kidding?
I did the same for Jackson-sensei when she was in that apron.
I sighed internally at my stupidity.
"Sorry about that," I said.
"It's fine. So, why are you here?"
"You called me."
"Uhh... Oh, right!" She cleared her throat, trying to regain composure. "I wanted to talk to you about daydreaming in class."
"...Okay."
She launched into a story about her school days. She used to daydream a lot too but always had friends to cover for her.
One day, a boy asked her out. She turned him down, preferring to focus on her friends.
Later, the boy asked out one of her friends, who accepted.
Tragically, the friend became a gang target because of her association with him and was killed.
"Well, that's the story. Moral of the story: Don't move past your area, if you do then you'll get hurt. Now, shoo~ shoo~" she said, waving me out before I could ask any questions.
What kind of bizarre story was that? All that to just tell me to not daydream—though it felt somewhat true.
***
Author's Note:
Listen to your teacher, dumbass. "Don't move past your own lane or else you'll get hurt," is very important in the real world.
I learnt that the hard way…Anyway, remember to comment, share, and leave a review.
Thanks for reading the chapter and see you in the next one.