OtaPon 56-60 (Patreon)

Chapter 56

RAW

“I'd even ask her to do it for me next time.”
“...Ah─, I wonder about that? Nee-san cuts my hair every time, so maybe she's used to it.”
“...I see, so, getting used to it is important. Still, an older sister, huh? I'm jealous.”

　Saki looked into the distance enviously, and Osamu asked.

“Does Hino have no siblings?”
“Yes. I'm an only child. That’s why I yearn for the existence of brothers and sisters. You seem to be very close with your sister, don't you?”
“...’don’t you’? Huh? Did Hino see us too?”
“Ue!? Ah─um, I heard about it from Mayumi. I heard that you seemed to get along well.”
“...That's right. I think we get along very well. Sometimes we fight, but we quickly make up. But surprisingly, it seems that in this world, there are plenty of siblings who don't get along well.”
“I suppose it's difficult after all, huh? But Shimazaki-san's family seems to get along so well, I'm jealous.”

　It was when Osamu was about to nod.
　A car approached with a strong light.
　The momentum of that car was intense. It wasn't a speed it should have on a very narrow road.

“Hino, dangerous!”
“Eh!?”

　Osamu shouted and immediately pulled Saki into his arms.
　The car passed their side. Despite the 30 km/h traffic sign on the residential street where they were walking, the car sped away at a great speed.

“...What a dangerous car. Are you okay, Hino?”

　Osamu looked at Saki, who had become smaller in his chest, and his expression suddenly became tense.
　Osamu was still holding her small arm even now. There was a gentle heat transmitted from his hand holding her body.

　Saki's eyes flickered with anxiety as she looked up at Osamu. Her red lips shivered as if inviting him.
　Osamu's nervousness reached its peak, and when he desperately tried hold back an involuntary groan,

“Th-thank you very much... That was a truly dangerous car, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah... I just hope the police will catch him somewhere. Anyway, thank goodness. You're not hurt, right?”
“...Yes, I’m okay. Shimazaki-san too, are you okay?”
“Me too... I don't have any problems anywhere.”

　Osamu then slowly removed his hand from Saki's body.
　The wind blew and cooled down the part he separated from her, and he lost the previous warmth. It felt strangely sad, but Osamu smiled to fool her.
　And his hand was squeezed tightly..

“Eh?”
“Ah...”

　It was Saki who squeezed it, but Saki herself sounded puzzled. They stared at each other for a while, and then Saki quickly separated her hand and her body.

“I-I'm sorry... for grabbing your hand all of a sudden...!”

　Saki lowered her head repeatedly.
　Seeing this, Osamu let out a small breath. Then, while trying to suppress his pounding heart, he took a strong step forward and grabbed Saki's hand.

“...Um, if you don't hate it... why don't we go to the store together while holding hands?”
“...”

　Saki looked up at Osamu. It took what seemed like her entire life before she replied.
　And then──

“Y-yes, okay.”

　Saki smiled gently like a blooming flower, and squeezed back.
　Osamu and Saki started walking side by side.

　After a while, Osamu tightened his grip on her hand as if to make sure.
　And, as if in response, Saki squeezed back. The force of the grip was modest, but for Osamu, it was a joyful response.

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Chapter 57

RAW

　Saki occasionally glanced at Osamu who was walking next to her, then turned her gaze to her hand that was grasped tightly.
　The time was just past 21:00. They were now heading home after having dinner at the all-you-can-eat.

　Osamu and Saki held hands even when they went home. Saki glanced at her hand that was connected to his, and her mouth loosened.

　They were holding hands. Every time she realized this, a feeling of joy welled up inside her.

　And then, they arrived at her apartment without incident.
　There, Osamu's hand left hers, and Saki, reluctant to part, turned her gaze toward his as if to chase after him.

“Thank you for today, you even accompanied me until this late.”

　Osamu said that and smiled and Saki shook her head.

“I don't mind staying late at all. I really enjoyed it. Next time will be my treat, okay?”

　Since it’s Osamu’s treat today, Saki insisted on it.
　Osamu’s face looked as if he had been attacked in his unguarded moment, and then his mouth loosened.

“...Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.”

　Osamu smiled happily, and Saki's mouth loosened again as well.
　She was still reluctant to part like this.
　Osamu didn't leave right away either, he was still there. That's why Saki turned her gaze to her smartphone.

“Um... Shimazaki-san.”
“What is it?”
“...C-can we take a photo together?”

　She has always wanted to take a photo with Osamu, but she just couldn't get around to it.
　At the words that she gathered her courage to say, Osamu nodded in confusion.

“Eh? Ah, yeah, it’s fine.”
“Th-then, umm... shall we stick close and take a photo?”
“Ah, yeah.”

　Saki said as she approached Osamu. She then took out her smartphone and saw a number of messages from Mayumi, and suddenly realized it.

“I-I forgot to contact Mayumi...”
“Eh? W-what are you talking about?”

　Osamu reacted to the words that she just leaked out. Because the topic is that, Saki shook her head in panic.

“Ah─, no... it's nothing. I consulted her a little bit, and I said I'd contact her later, but I completely forgot.”
“...Maybe you should reply now?”
“I-I suppose so!”

　Her smartphone was in silent mode to begin with, on top of that, she didn't look at it at all while she was with Osamu.
　Although she noticed it too late, Saki hurriedly sent a message.

　‘I'll talk about the details later’, was what she sent.
　Then, once again, Saki activated the camera on her smartphone.
　Then, Saki and Osamu leaned into each other. Saki tried her best to stretch her arms out, but it was quite difficult since she was with Osamu.

“...Should I do it?”
“I-I'm sorry... please.”

　Saki gave up and gave Osamu her smartphone.

“Then, I’ll take it now.”
“Y-yes.”

　Saki looked intently at the camera while fixing her hair.
　Osamu stretched out his arm and then took a photo several times.

“How is it?”
“...L-let’s see. For the next one... can we get a little closer?”

　Right now, they were just far enough apart that they were not attached to each other. Osamu nodded his head, his cheeks slightly flushed.
　After that, Saki leaned closer to Osamu. She moved her body closer to his so that she could lean her weight on him.

“...Is this, too close?” (Saki)
“...N-no, this is okay.”
“...Thank you very much.”

　After checking Osamu's reaction, Saki approached his body.
　Then, Osamu gently grabbed Saki's shoulder with the hand that wasn't holding the smartphone. At that instant, she was surprised by the sudden sensation, and the smartphone's camera flashed.

“S-Shimazaki-san! That photo just now is not good!”
“...No, isn’t this a good expression?”

　Osamu showed her the photo from earlier in a slightly teasing tone. It showed a surprised Saki and a happy Osamu.
　Saki glared at Osamu while puffing out her cheeks.
　As Osamu gave her a wry smile, Saki grabbed the smartphone from his hand and hugged him tightly.

“Eh!?”

　And then, the camera quickly captured Osamu with a surprised face and red cheeks, and Saki looked at Osamu with a triumphant expression on her face.

────

Chapter 58

RAW

　As Osamu was taken aback, Saki showed him the photo from earlier.

“Shimazaki-san, this is a good expression isn’t it?”
“Hey, Hino. Delete that photo!”
“That’s not good, that’s not good.”

　Saki put her smartphone in her pocket as if to protect it, then stuck out her tongue.
　Osamu dropped his shoulders in resignation.

“...My bad okay, about teasing you earlier.”
“If you understand, then I’ll forgive you.”
“So, Hino, could you please send me some of those photos later?... I want them too.”
“...I-I understand. Well then, I'll send it to you now.”

　Saki operated her smartphone, selected all the photos they had taken earlier, and sent them to Osamu.

“Ah! C-crap! Please delete only the image of my surprised face from earlier!”
“...Aah, roger.”
“P-please really delete it! I'll get angry if you secretly keep it!”
“I got it, I got it.”

　He laughed with a chuckle, as if showing that he didn’t delete it.
　Saki puffed out her cheeks and stared intently at such Osamu.

“... Well then, Hino. Thank you for today... Good night.”
“Yes... thank you to you too. Good night.”

　Saki waved back as she walked to her apartment. She got into the elevator and moved her feet several times, as if to check if her footing is somewhat uncomfortable.

　Even now, she still felt a fluffy feeling from somewhere, and it wasn't just the floating feeling that is typical of elevators.

“Good night... Good night, huh... Fufufu...”

　She thought back to the greeting she exchanged with Osamu when they parted ways, and she couldn't stop smiling.
　While she was grinning, the elevator stopped at the destination floor.
　As she took a single step out of the elevator with her face still the same, a man and woman who appeared to be a married couple were about to get on the elevator.

(Eek...!?)

　Saki ended up showing her slovenly face, and she was attacked by a strong sense of shame, but she did her best to correct her expression and headed to her room.
　When Saki arrived in her room, she quickly took out her smartphone. Then she called Mayumi, who she had kept waiting for a long time, and the call was connected immediately.

[You’re late! I was worried, you know!]
“...I'm sorry, we decided to go out together and I completely forgot.”
[Aah, so that’s how it is. I'm just that kind of woman anyway─]
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry... For now, first of all, thank you very much.”
[So? How was it?]
“I asked him about it, apparently, she was Shimazaki-san's older sister. She had come to clean Shimazaki-san's room and style his hair.”
[Heeh, so that’s how it is. Is she a beautician?]
“It seems she was still an apprentice, so she cut Shimazaki-san’s hair, and it looked really good on him.”
[Eh─, don’t you have any photos or something? I want to see.]
“I have.”

　Saki sent Mayumi the two-shot photo they took earlier. Mayumi stared at the screen, and,

[Heeh, you guys sure took such a close picture.]
“...I suppose, so. It’s a commemoration.”
[I see, I see. Good for you.]
“...Yes. A-also, we were able to get much closer to each other today.”
[Eh? Have you by any chance, finally kissed!?]
“That's not it! We held hands for a long time!”
[...Haa.]
“Why did you sigh!?”

　Mayumi's reaction was greatly different from what Saki expected. When she answered while raising her voice, Mayumi responded with a sigh.

[So what if it’s a long time? That much is normal.]
“W-what did you say? I-it’s a long time, you know! It's about 30 minutes in total going there and back!”
[Well, don't make such a fuss about just that. Still... this is Shimazaki-kun, right?]
“Yes. His hairstyle looks really good on him, right?”
[Not just really good... in fact, I'm a little surprised. I thought the raw material was good to begin with, but I never expected him to turn out this well.]

　She heard her gasp. That didn't really bother her, but since Mayumi said it, it’s probably not far off the mark.

“Well, isn’t any hairstyle fine? It’s up to the person himself what to choose.”
[Well, maybe it’s like that with Sakicchi. But if it’s like this, people around him might not leave him alone, you know?]
“P-people around him won’t leave him alone? W-what does that mean?”
[In short, there might be more people aiming for Shimazaki-kun! He's this handsome, even his personality is serious and kind, and what's more, he has money! There's no one who wouldn't be swayed by this, right!?]
“...I-Is that how it is?”
[Obviously! Sakicchi, you should think more carefully! If you went out together, then won’t you gather a lot of attention!? People around you would think of you as a beautiful couple!]
“...N-now that I think about it, I feel like it wasn't just me who was being looked at today, but Shimazaki-san as well──could it be, was that what you meant?”
[Maybe? ...It might end up like with Sakicchi at school.]
“Th-that can’t happen! We need to come up with some countermeasures! H-how about covering it with a wig!?”
[Hmm, it’d be nice if we could, but... I don’t want to force him to wear it.]
“B-but!”

　Saki suggested all the countermeasures she could think of, but Mayumi responded with an amused voice.

[Well, I guess you can only try harder than ever to appeal to him, huh? Do your best!]
“H-harder than ever, you said... I'm already working so hard I'm on the verge of vomiting though.”
[It means you have to try harder than that, fight!]

　Saki could only laugh dryly at her friend's irresponsible words.

────

Chapter 59

RAW

　Osamu put on his uniform and then checked himself in the mirror.
　The way he suddenly cut his hair looked like he was aiming to make his high school debut.
　However, even if he did, the time for that was already halfway over.
　This is his second year of high school, in the middle of May.

　Osamu already got the nickname [Otaku]. Two of the boys in his class always made fun of him, and his other classmates treated him like a shadow.
　If he suddenly cut his hair, it would make him stand out in a bad way.

(At least, I hope they didn't say anything weird about me.)

　He didn’t intend to care what anyone said about him. Even the reason why he cut his hair like this was to become a man worthy of Saki.

　That's why he wasn’t going to care about what people other than her said.
　After letting out a small breath, Osamu carried his bag and left his room when it happened.
　Saki had just left her apartment as well.

“Shimazaki-san... Good morning.”
“Good morning, we met again, huh.”
“So we did.”

　Saki repeatedly glanced at Osamu's whole body.

“What's wrong? ...Is it kinda weird?”
“No, um... it’s about what they call an infringement of portrait rights, but I happened to have a chance to show Mayumi a photo of Shimazaki-san.”
“Eh!? W-what did she think?”
“...S-she said it looked really good on you, you know?”
“I-I see... I’m glad to hear that.”
“Y-you are glad? D-do you mean you're happy that Mayumi said that to you?”

　Seeing Saki's worried face, Osamu gave a small nod.

“Well, to some extent. Hino also complimented me, but I thought you might be saying that on purpose because Hino is kind... For now, it seems like I won’t be standing out in a bad way at school, but... is this okay?”
“...It's okay, so much that I'd even recommend a wig.”
“...Eh? What do you mean?”
“No... um, it's nothing... Come to think of it, do you always leave at this time?”
“Mostly, yeah.”
“...Then we might meet again tomorrow. Because I'll be leaving at this time as well.”
“...I see.”

　After parting with Saki there, Osamu walked straight to school.
　Osamu was in a really high spirit because he got to see Saki's smiling face this morning.

　As Osamu was getting closer to Kaze High, gazes towards him were increasing.
　The closer he got, the more their numbers increased.

　Once he entered the classroom, his classmates stared at him in surprise.
　Osamu only glanced at them once before walking towards his seat.

“O-oi, who is that person!?”
“Eh!? Was there someone like that in our class?”

　It was two boys──the two who always made fun of Osamu.
　Osamu walked past them and sat down in his seat.

“O-oi... he sat in Otaku’s seat!?”
“I-is he... Otaku?”

　Surprised voices echoed around him.
　They were gossiping about him, and even now there were a lot of inquiring glances sent toward him. It wasn't very comfortable.

(...As expected, I stand out in a bad way.)

　Osamu tried not to mind it and took out a book as usual.
　Then, as he flipped through the pages, he heard girls nearby secretly talking with each other.

“Eh...? Is that Otaku?”
“...Isn’t he like a different person after he cut his hair? Or rather, he might be my taste.”
“...Right, right!? But, what happened all of a sudden?”
“...He should have done that from the beginning, but I wonder what happened?”

　As his classmates started secretly talking, Osamu was surprised.

(Does just a haircut make that much a difference? Well, Hino did say that it looks good on me, but even so.)

　Osamu tried not to be conscious of them, and continued reading his book.
　It was when Osamu was looking through the book for a while. A single girl stood in front of Osamu.
　She's a ridiculously beautiful woman.

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Chapter 60

RAW

　The girl belonged to the top caste of the class. Her hair was dyed brown, and she looked like someone who was used to playing around, something Osamu felt a little uncomfortable with.

“Morning, umm... you're, Shimazaki, right?”
“Ah, yeah.”

　He glanced at her as he placed a bookmark into his book. She was smiling at him with a friendly smile.
　Osamu desperately tried to remember her name, but it was over a month ago that they introduced themselves, so he couldn't dig it up from his memory.

“D-did something happen to you? You got a great makeover and are looking cool now.”
“...C-cool, am I?”
“Yeah, ridiculously! Did something happen!?”

　Having this pointed out, Osamu lightly played with his bangs that came into his view.
　Then he returned a wry smile.

“...A lot happened in my personal life, you see. I wanted to look good to a certain person, so I've changed myself a bit.”

　He thought there was no need to lie or hide everything.
　When Osamu honestly answered, the girl pouted her lips while thinking about it.

“Um─, does that mean you found someone you like?”
“...It's close to that.”
“What─, then it’s impossible for me to run as a candidate, huh─?”
“R-run as a candidate!?”
“Right, right. You're ridiculously my type after all, I thought I'd run as a candidate, but... What? Are you interested?”
“...No, um, my bad.”
“Or rather, cutting your hair all of a sudden like that, you should have done that when you entered the school.”
“...I didn’t really care about how anyone saw me back then.”
“In other words, you're not interested in either me or other people at school?”
“...I guess, so.”
“Uwa, that's extreme. But I see, roger. I hope things go well with the person you like─”
“...Ah, yeah, thank you.”

　The female student waved her hand.

“I just checked, and it seems like he got a makeover because he found someone he likes. But then again, that person probably isn’t from our school, you know─?”

　The female student was explaining that to the girls in her group as they were glancing at him.
　It seems that she came to ask him on their behalf.

“...Someone he likes? Eeh─! Even though I was thinking of attacking him now!”
“Attacking now, huh, isn’t that too late─”
“Eeh─, but I didn't think he was that cool...”

　Osamu was happy to receive that evaluation itself, and it gave him confidence.
　Because the woman he fell in love with, [Hino Saki], had a beauty that could not be rivaled even by standing on his head.

　Did he not get closer to such a person, even if it’s only a little bit? Osamu was thinking something like that.
　Osamu let out a small breath and tried to resume reading. However, as if to interrupt him, another female student knocked on Osamu's desk.
　He only knew that this person was not his classmate.

“Yaho─, Shimazaki-kun. That hairstyle really suits you! Where did you get it cut?”

　Osamu smiled wryly at the cheerful tone of the female student's question.

“My sister is an apprentice beautician. And I got her to cut mine.”
“Heeh, that's nice. It looks really good on you. Or rather, you did it because there is a person you are interested in, right?”
“...I guess.”
“As I thought, it’s a girl, right?”
“...Yeah, I guess so.”
“Eh─, but, but, look, that girl is not the only girl around, so shouldn't you look at it from a broader perspective?”
“...That may be true, but right now I want to devote all my energy to that girl.”
“H-hmm, I see...”

　Osamu thought of Saki's face, and once again hardened his determination.
　Unattainable flower, reckless first love. Even though he understood these things, he couldn't stop because he loved her that much.
　The female student slumped her shoulders in resignation, and then left.

“Hey hey, Shimazaki-kun, you're always reading books, but what do you read?”
“Ah─, well, it varies. Right now it’s this.”

　When he showed her the cover of the book, the girl’s eyes widened.

“Ah, that’s the one that became a drama right now, right?”
“Yeah, it seems to be popular, so I'm curious.”
“That's right! Are you watching the drama!?”
“I haven't seen it yet.”
“It's interesting, you know! Kondo-san, who plays the main character, is insanely cool!”
“I-I guess so.”

　Since then, he has been called out again and again. And it was not only girls, boys also called out to him in the same way, and Osamu ended up exhausted.
　When morning homeroom started and Osamu was finally released, the boy sitting in front of him glared at him.

“...He’s just an otaku, what’s with him?”
“...Really, don’t get carried away.”

　As they said that in what seemed to be a sarcastic manner, Osamu wanted to exchange positions if it was possible.

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