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Main Story Prologue - Absolute Zero Lady

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“I like you. Will you go out with me?”

“I'm sorry. I'm happy for your feelings, but I can't go out with you.”

"...I see. I understand. Thank you for listening to my feelings."

Today too, my classmate, Aoyama Hiori-san, turned down a confession.

“No, no. Excuse me.”

Aoyama-san bowed slightly to the boy who confessed to her and began walking towards the entrance. A gentle breeze ruffled her silver hair that reached down to her waist.

I wonder how many times have I seen a scene like this?

It hasn't even been a month since I started my second year. Even if I count only since the start of the new school year, I’ve seen it more times than I can count on two hands.

“Absolute Zero Lady strikes again, huh?”

“It seems so.”

The male students nearby started talking about it.

──Absolute Zero Lady.

That is what many of the students here at Tokyo Metropolitan Kasagaya High School call Aoyama-san.

Aoyama-san has a beautiful face and good style. Because of this, she has been quite popular since she first entered the school. Her grades are also excellent, so much so that she has maintained first place among her school year since the mid-term exam in her first year. This spurred her popularity.

Since entering the school, Aoyama-san has been confessed to by many students, mainly boys. However, she has turned them all down. Just like she decisively did just now, with a cool atmosphere.

Aoyama-san is usually expressionless. She does smile when talking to her friends. However, even that is a rare occurrence.

What's more, Aoyama-san's given name has the word [ice] in it. And the [blue] in her family name is also a cold color.

* (T/N: [ao] from Aoyama means [blue], and [hi] from Hiori means [ice].)

These things give Aoyama-san the image of [ice that will never melt]. There is also a word called [Absolute Zero] which means the limit of coldness, so when I first heard the word [Absolute Zero Lady] I thought it was very clever. That the person who thought of it is smart.

* (T/N: [absolute zero] is actually written as [absolute zero temperature] or in romaji, ‘zettai reido’ [absolute zero lady] replace the ‘do’ part with ‘jou’ from ‘ojou’ (meaning young miss) or ‘reijou’ (meaning noble daughter) becoming ‘zettai reijou’)

Towards such [Absolute Zero Lady], I, Kamitou Akito, since about half a year ago, have been in love with her. Ever since I saw her gentle smile as she petted a stray cat in the park right near the school.

──Ki─n ko─n ka─n ko─n.

The chime rings signaling the end of the fourth period class. Now that the morning classes are over, it's time for lunch break.

“Ah─, finally lunch break.”

A low and deep voice can be heard from behind me. The owner of that voice was my best friend, Kuraki Kazuo. We met when we entered high school and have been in the same class for two years in a row.

When I turn around, I see Kazuo with a bright smile on his face.

“It's been a long day so far. It's especially long today because it's Monday. I'm really glad we had PE.”

“Monday mornings make you feel listless, isn’t it? I was like that too until last year. I felt it was pretty fast though.”

“Were you looking at her during class today too, Aki?’

“Yeah.”

The ‘her’ Kazuo refers to is, of course, Aoyama-san.

My seat is beside the window, second row from the back. Aoyama-san's seat is near the teacher's desk. Consequently, our relative position makes it easy for Aoyama-san to enter my field of view. That's why, except when I'm writing on the blackboard, I often look at Aoyama-san. Watching her makes me happy. Partly because of that, since we started being in the same class after we became a second year student, classes went by very quickly.

“Kazuo-kun, Kamitou-kun, let’s have lunch together!”

Shimizu Miu-san, our classmate and Kazuo's girlfriend, came to us carrying a lunch bag. Her bright smile is striking.

Kazuo and Shimizu-san is a member and manager of the track and field club. They've been dating since the start of Golden Week last year. Kazuo is quite large while Shimizu-san is quite small, so many people call them an [uneven couple]. But, both of them have short black hair, so some people say, [If you only look at their hair, they are a similar couple.]

“Yeah! Let's eat together!”

“That's right, Shimizu-san.”

I moved my desk and chair to face Kazuo, and sat down. I took out the lunch box and water bottle from my school bag.

Shimizu-san placed her lunch bag on our combined desk, borrowed a chair from nearby, and sat down.

“Itadakimasu!”

[Itadakimasu]

As usual, we started eating lunch at Kazuo's signal. The lunch box is delicious today too.

Kazuo and Shimizu-san are dating, but ever since they started dating, it has become a basic rule for the three of us to eat together like this during lunch break. Before they started dating, I used to eat with Kazuo. When they first started dating, whenever Kazuo and Shimizu-san were alone together, they would be so nervous that they couldn't eat much, that’s the reason.

“Kamitou-kun. You were looking at her during class today too.”

“She’s someone I like, so I end up naturally looking at her.”

I wonder how many times I've had this exchange with Shimizu-san.

“Aki. Even if you look at her, your relationship with her won't change so easily. You have to confess like I did.”

“...Confession huh? But, she has turned down every confession so far. I can’t quite muster up the courage.”

The main reason is that I'm afraid of being dumped. Also, if I was turned down, I feel like I won’t be allowed to even look at Aoyama-san in the classroom like I do now.

I glanced at Aoyama-san... and saw that she was eating alone today. This pattern is common, sometimes a girl from another class comes into the classroom, and they eat together.

“But you've picked up her handkerchiefs and helped her take a book from the library a few times, right?”

“Yeah. She said ‘thank you’ then.”

These are wonderful memories since I became a high school student.

“Also, since our second year, I greet her every once in a while when I arrive at school.”

“I see. Aki has brown hair, is good-looking, and is a nice guy, so I think you have some hope.”

“Kazuo-kun is right!”

“If you can't muster up the courage to confess, how about I come along with you?”

“I'll be with you too!”

Both Kazuo and Shimizu-san are totally motivated to be there.

The two of them started dating after Kazuo confessed. Actually, I was also there at the place of the confession. Kazuo was really nervous then, so he asked me to stay by his side. Shimizu-san was also quite nervous, so I became the facilitator for the confession. Because of that experience, the two of them probably want to support my confession.

“Thank you. But I don't have any specific plans yet, so I'll just accept your feelings for now.”

“Yeah! And if you ever need help, just let me know!”

“We'll be happy to help you! Kamitou-kun is the Cupid of our love after all!”

“Thank you”

Thanks to the two of them, my fear of confessing to Aoyama-san has eased a bit. I sure met good people and became friends with them, huh. The lunch box I eat with this realization tastes even better than usual.

*

After school.

I part ways with Kazuo and Shimizu-san, who have club activities, at the entrance of the Classroom Building B. I head to the library in Building A.

I arrive at the library and return the isekai fantasy light novel I borrowed.

I love light novels and buy them often.

But, there are some works that I’m only a little interested in, and some that are part of a long series. For such works, I borrow the first volume from the library, read it, and then decide whether to buy it or not after that. The light novel I just returned was interesting, so I plan to buy this series from the first volume to the latest volume.

I go to the bookshelf where light novels are placed.

“Oh, so this was returned.”

It is the first volume of a mystery series that I have been interested in for a while. I pick it up.

[Thank you for helping me pick up the book. It was helpful.]

I suddenly remembered Aoyama-san when I picked up the book for her. Maybe it was because Kazuo told me about that episode during lunch break. Perhaps because Aoyama-san is in the literature club, I have seen her in her library several times.

Both when she said thank you as well as when she greeted me in the morning, Aoyama-san looked me right in the eye. Before I fell in love with her, I only thought her blue eyes were beautiful. However, after I fell in love with her, being able to look at her up close really makes my heart throb.

I look through the light novel bookshelf while reminiscing about my time with Aoyama-san. I don't see any other works that interest me. I go to the reception desk and borrow the first volume of the mystery light novel.

“Now then, shall I go home today?”

I don’t have a part-time shift either. After I go home and finish up the assignments from today's class, let’s read the light novel I borrowed.

After leaving the library, I start heading towards the entrance to Classroom Building B to change into loafers. It's been some time after school ended, so there aren't many students.

“That’s...”

I see Aoyama-san in the garbage collection point near classroom B building. She is carrying the classroom’s trash can. Maybe it's because the week has changed and Aoyama-san's group is now in charge of cleaning duty.

Aoyama-san takes out the garbage bag from the classroom’s trash can. There's quite a bit of trash in the bag since she brought it to the garbage collection point.

“Nya─”

A white stray cat approaches Aoyama-san. That time too when I fell in love at first sight, Aoyama-san was touching a stray cat. Does she have the constitution to be liked by cats?

The stray cat is meowing, but Aoyama-san doesn’t notice it because she is concentrating on the garbage bag.

“Nyan-!”

“Hya-”

The moment the stray cat cuddles against Aoyama-san's leg, Aoyama-san seems surprised and lets out such a cute sound. At the same time, she ends up letting go of the garbage bag she is holding. As a result, the trash in the bag is thrown all over the place. At that moment, the stray cat runs away.

I run to Aoyama-san.

“Aoyama-san, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

When I call out to her, Aoyama-san slowly turns toward me. Aoyama-san is expressionless as usual.

“I'm okay, Kamitou-san. It's just that the trash scattered all over the place. A cat suddenly came and snuggled up to my leg so I was startled.”

“I see. I'm glad Aoyama-san is okay. I'll help pick up the trash too.”

“That's... I feel bad.”

“Don't worry about it. If one of us is in trouble, we help each other. Besides, I don't have any plans today.”

“...Then, please. Thank you very much.”

Aoyama-san looked me right in the eyes and said a word of thanks.

I put my belongings next to the garbage collection point, and together with Aoyama-san, I put the scattered trash back into the bag.

When I look at her up close like this, I can see that Aoyama-san has a really beautiful face. The snowflake-shaped hairpin on her left bang suits her well.

Perhaps because Aoyama-san is so close by, I can smell her sweet scent whenever there is even the slightest breeze. My heart is pounding and my body is getting hot. I just hope my face doesn’t turn red.

“Kamitou-san has always helped me, isn’t it?”

“...Heh-?”

I never expected that Aoyama-san would start talking to me. I ended up letting out a strange voice. I'm embarrassed to have Aoyama-san hear my voice like this.

When I slowly turn my face towards Aoyama-san, she is looking at me while still being expressionless.

“Other than when we greet each other once we were in the same class, I only have memories of you helping me. Like picking up my handkerchief, and helping me pick up books in the library.”

“If I see someone in need nearby, I end up wondering if there's anything I can do to help.”

Because it pains me to abandon them or pretend I don't know them.

Also, I'm happy that Aoyama-san remembers what happened until now.

There aren't any people around us now, and the two of us are picking up trash together. ...Isn't this a pretty nice atmosphere?

[Even if you look at her, your relationship with her won't change so easily. You have to confess like I did.]

I remember what Kazuo said during lunch break. Kazuo’s figure around this time one year ago, as he tried his best to confess his feelings despite being nervous. Shimizu-san who replied. And the moment the two became a couple.

I too... like with Kazuo and Shimizu-san, want to be a good couple with Aoyama-san. For that to happen, I need to summon my courage like Kazuo did. Besides, I feel like there won’t be any more opportunities after this.

“...Right now, I have another reason.”

“Another reason... is it?”

“Yeah.”

I take a deep breath to relieve my tension. Then, I look at Aoyama-san, and,

“It's because I love Aoyama-san.”

────

(T/N: I’ll remove the quotation mark and the ‘chapter’ part of the chapter title. And I’ll use this formatting (particularly, the paragraph and indent), because it seems like the paragraph only changes when it turns into or out of quotation marks.)

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