Aren't You Too Sweet Salt-God Sato-san? Chapter 5

Help.. I'm too hooked to Minecraft…

You might not remember it, but the first time I talked to you, Os.h.i.+o-kun, was that time.
Of course being in the same cla.s.s may have been the only reason why, but that was not the case at all.

What I mean is, the time when I first met you was back then.
Sakuragaoka Private High School, the day of the entrance examination.

I think that day was the very first time when I became really nervous.
I don't remember it that well though.
I studied very hard, so much so that even my teacher wanted to stop me.

But unfortunately, anywhere I go, I still get really nervous.

「……ugh」

During the lunch break, I couldn't get up from the chair.
Even though there was still the second half coming up, I think I was already at my limits.

I felt so bad that I could have vomited at any moment.
A strange feeling started to swell inside me.
The voices of junior high school students, the same as me, felt so far away.

…..I didn't feel any appet.i.te at all.
As soon as I took a bite, I felt I had to throw up.

Even my stomach cramped up, growling time to time.
It was so bad that I don't remember what I was doing.
Even though it was a ridiculous thought, but at that time, I really did thought that I was the loneliest person in the world.

And at that time, something started to came into my line of sight.
They were fingers, slender and beautiful, but giving a clear impression of belonging to a male hand. They were that kind of fingers.

「Eh….?」

I was brought back to reality, then I naturally tried to look towards the owner of those hands.
When I looked, an unfamiliar middle school student with a surprised face was there.
He was looking at my face, and then,

「Great complexion.」

I got mad.

「Please leave me alone.」

I said so frankly, wanting him to leave me alone, I expressed such thoughts clearly.
That said, he just looked at me with his sleepy looking eyes, and presented something to me.
I saw what it was, and involuntarily made a doubtful face.

「……What is this?」

「It's Konpeito.」

「Well I know that since I can see it」

To be specific, it was Konpeito in a small ziplock.
White, yellow, pink.
Looking at collection of colors which looked like it was intended for children. I started to feel like he was making fun of me.

「Want some?」

No, I didn't feel that was the case anymore.
I thought it was not a feeling anymore, and he was indeed making fun of me.

「Please don't make fun of me, I am being serious here.」

I expressed my feelings frankly, even if it seemed to be unpleasant to the other person.
It was a perfect rejection, but even so, with those sleepy eyes of his….

「Your hands, they're shaking.」

I was not aware of that before he pointed it out.
I hurriedly hid my hands under the desk.

I had to zip my lips for a moment to process that shame, then,

「Is it something that you should mind?」

I again, expressed a clear rejection.
But, even with that, you still—

「—Of course. You don't know, but we might become cla.s.smates in the future.」

If I really think about it, it was nothing, but a simple fact.
But, still, because of that simple fact I was able to calm myself down.

The dark haze in my mind cleared, and my field of view widened.
Everyone's voices, the world itself, returned to me.

That's right, the groups of people around me are the ones who might become my cla.s.smates in the next few months.
Naturally, it was the same for the person in front of me.
I finally realized that I completely lost myself to the point where I couldn't even grasp that simple fact.

「This is something my dad gave me.」

He said so gently to me who stiffened like a rock.

「If your mind is tired, it seems that eating sweets will help you. Even if you can't really feel the effect, it's still delicious though.」

「….Can I have one?」

「Of course.」

He opened the zip lock, then proceeded to drop a single piece of Konpeito into my hand.
A pink one, a piece with the shade of color mostly preferred by children, was rolling on my palm.
Konpeito…. Speaking of it, when was the last time I looked at something so lovingly?

I looked at it for a few moments, that thing which looked like the stars that glitter in the sky, and then I put it in my mouth.
It rolled around the top of my tongue, and then—-

Involuntarily, a smile formed my face.

「….Isn't this just a lump of sugar?」

「Well, obviously.」

He said so briefly while he was closing the zip lock.
Looking at such gestures, the next words jumped out from my mouth naturally.

「…..Do you get nervous at all?」

「Hm?」

「Getting nervous.」

「Well, even if I look like this I'm still feeling nervous inside.」

「You don't seem to be nervous at all…… Do you think something like… "What do I do when I fail?"」

「Well, of course, I think about that too.」

And then, he said so as if that was a normal thing for him.

「I would  apologize to my father.」

「……Eh?」

My eyes went wide to that answer which sounded so frank.

「…….Is that it?」

「What do you mean is that it….. Isn't that something important? Since they give out money for your tuition.」

「No, what I mean is…. Like, getting anxious about your future, something like that….」

I tried to spit out the anxiety that was weighing on my chest.
He paused for a short time and then turned back to me.

「-Well, I'll think about it when it happens, it's not like I'll die when I fail, aren't you the same?」

He said so and smiled at me.

Ahh, I'm sure you don't know.
There was such a person who voluntarily talked to me when I was in the middle of the dark.
And about the fact that I have been saved because of your actions?

And that, it was that moment, I knew 2 that I fell in love for the first time.

「Well then, I'm making my friend wait so I'll go now. Do your best.」

He said that and then he started to leave.
My mouth moved before I thought about it.

「Ah, Anoo~!」

He looked back at me with a confused look.
With that, having my cheeks loosened and smiling, I said so,

「—It was really delicious, thank you so much!」

At that time he seemed to get stiff for a short time, but maybe that was just my imagination.

After that, I was accepted into the high school as I hoped.
It was also thanks to him.

Well, it's really embarra.s.sing to talk about this with anyone else so I haven't—- But because of it, I got a reason to want to be accepted at that high school.

You might not remember it, but the first time I talked to you Sato-san was that time.
Of course being in the same cla.s.s may have been the only reason why, but that was not the case at all.
You were like that beautiful flower on top of the mountain. 3
Of course, I am no exception to that.

That thing aside, what I wanted to say is that the time when I first met you.
Sakuragaoka Private High School, the day of the entrance examination.

You had a terribly pale face, and were the only one who did not move from the desk during lunchtime.
At first, I was only curious about her because my seat was close to her.

But when I saw her trembling hands, I unconsciously went to call out to her.

「Great complexion.」

After that we exchanged a few words.
I knew from the start that I was not welcome, but I couldn't let it go.
That is why I handed out a single piece of Konpeito.

Self-satisfaction, it was simply for my own self-satisfaction.

But, you ate that single piece of Konpeito as if it was a piece of a treasure, and then—

「—It was really delicious, thank you so much!」

I got really p.i.s.sed at my own naivety.
You didn't think that because I was. .h.i.t with such a smile, I would fall in love for the first time in my life.

After that, I was accepted into the high school as I hoped.
It's all thanks to her, and to my naivety.

Even though I got accepted as a result, I feel like I should apologize to my father.
I mean because of Sato-san's matter, while taking the exam, I forgot about my father completely.
What completely filled my mind, was just that one thing.

—-Once more, I just wanted to see her beautiful smile once more, it was such a stupid reason.

TL: Tet
ED: Filip & Gecko