When I returned to the classroom with Shun, while the other classmates were happily forming circles and enjoying themselves, Yamagiyama sat alone outside in front of my seat while facing away from us.
Well, I guess it can’t be helped… If he’s emitting an aura that seems like he doesn’t want to attract attention, then nobody would dare talk to him, right?
Nevertheless, I’ve decided to make him turn around…! Alright! There is no time like the present! Let’s put the plan into action right away!
I returned to my seat and called out to his small and distant back.
“Uh, Yamagiyama… kun…?”
I wonder if he’ll turn around…?
But my feelings didn’t reach him, and he didn’t even try to face me… Damn it, I won’t give up…!
“I’m… Yamashita… Yamashita Yuto! I don’t know if you’re listening, but I’d be happy if you remembered me!”
Even after introducing myself, he still wouldn’t turn to face me…
I could see everyone around us giving me looks like, “Yuto, what are you doing…?” as they whispered among themselves.
Even if I could hear those murmurs, I still wanted to make him turn around… I want to be your friend…!
This is just the beginning…!
I’ll keep at it until he tells me to shut up!
From that day on, I tried various actions to get Yamagiyama’s attention.
At the same time, I decided to observe him… Wait, am I starting to seem like a weird person…?! L-let’s put that aside for now!
First, let’s talk about mornings!
Despite his seemingly aloof demeanor, Yamagiyama was always sitting in front of me as the first one in class…
Even though I also arrived a bit earlier than others since I commuted by bike, he was even earlier than that…
I would greet him cheerfully with those thoughts in mind. “Good morning, Yamagiyama!”
Still, he wouldn’t turn back to me…
It’s okay, as long as my voice reaches him…
During class, I observed his movements while sitting behind Yamagiyama.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Before I knew it, he was just staring outside… not even attempting to write anything in his notebook…
Ktf cfk rfwfrafg tjv pera rajgafv, rb P kbcvfgfv lo atf afjmtfg kbeivc’a rjs jcsatlcu… Dea lo tf xfqa vblcu atja, kbeiv tf yf bxjs obg afrar ilxf Vtec…?
Aera jr P kjr atlcxlcu atja…
“Cmtbb!!!”
Vtec kjr cfza ab wf jr tf ifa bea j gfjiis ibev rcffhf.
Snfc atf afjmtfg fzmijlwfv, “Lfs, tfs, Zlheujwl! Jjc’a sbe xffq la vbkc?!”
“Sorry! Geez, I wonder if someone’s talking behind my back!”
In response to his remark, everyone around laughed and replied to Shun… Sorry, Shun… The cause of the sneeze… It’s probably me…
Even as everyone laughed like that, Yamagiyama didn’t flinch as he just continued to stare outside…
What are you thinking about now as you look outside…?
Is my voice… reaching you…?
* * *
One day during lunchtime…
Our high school had a system where freshmen were on the third floor and seniors were on the first floor, meaning as you progressed in grade, you moved down a floor.
And the school cafeteria was on the first floor.
That’s right… When you become a senior, you get to join the lunchtime rush to the cafeteria early.
They sold limited-edition menu items and drinks in limited quantities.
But as an Omega with a delicate physique, there were often times when I couldn’t compete with the students with stronger bodies even when I became a senior, and I couldn’t buy what I wanted.
That’s when Shun would lend me his strength.
Even today, if I said I wanted that, he would quickly get it for me.
I wish I could become strong like him too…
To me, Shun seemed radiant with his strength. And so, we decided to have our lunch in the open space on the first floor.
Today’s lunch was my favorite yakisoba bread and strawberry milk that Shun got for me!
The strawberry milk in a paper pack was strangely popular at this high school and would sell out quickly…
I pierced a straw into the popular strawberry milk Shun got for me and happily brought it to my mouth.
“Yuto, is it good?”
“Mmm! Yeah, it’s delicious!! Thanks, Shun!”
After seeing me happy, Shun also seemed satisfied, puffing out his chest proudly while smiling.
“Hey, seriously, though, how long are you going to keep this up?”
Shun spoke up while chewing on his yakisoba bread.
“What do you mean?”
“You know, the strategy to make Yamagiyama turn around.”
Even Shun was watching over me as I worked hard in his own way. That’s why he was also concerned.
“I’ll keep going until Yamagiyama turns around.”
“Hey, why do you want to make him turn around so badly…?”
To Shun’s question, I gently set down the yakisoba bread I was about to bite into…
“It’s because being alone… is painful… and lonely…”
I continued.
“You remember that one time I told you, right? Until high school, I was alone… Yamagiyama somehow reminds me of myself back then…”
“Yeah, you told me about it…”
“I think deep down he might want to talk more… might want to laugh… Haha, I couldn’t laugh back then…”
“I see… Sorry about that…”
Shun had a look of apology on his face towards me… Shun? You don’t need to make that face… because you’ve always been by my side, supporting me…
So, this time, I want to use my own strength to help Yamagiyama, who I’ve inadvertently trapped within himself… That’s what I thought, you know…?
“Shun, don’t apologize, okay? I’ll definitely make him turn around! And if we become friends, make sure to befriend him too, okay?”
I smiled at Shun.
To that, Shun just said, “Well, I’ll think about it. But don’t push yourself too hard, okay?” and then patted me on the back.
I’m not alone anymore…
But right now, he’s alone…
I’ll definitely make him turn around…!!
* * *
After finishing the yakisoba bread, we decided to return to class.
When we got back, Yamagiyama-kun was sitting in his seat as usual… Come to think of it, did Yamagiyama-kun eat? There were no signs that he had eaten, as he continued to gaze outside as usual without trying to attract anyone around him.
That’s right… I’ve been observing him for the past few days, but I’ve never seen him move from here during lunchtime.
I started to worry.
Given that classes would continue after this, it wouldn’t be good for him to skip meals… With such selfish thoughts, I called out to Shun and headed towards the school store.
Ah! There are some left!
What remained in the school store were nutrition cookies that could be eaten quickly.
With these, I could eat something right away…! That’s what I thought, so I bought one and hurried back to class.
Upon returning to class, I immediately headed towards Yamagiyama-kun and gently placed the nutrition cookie on his desk, saying, “Yamagiyama-kun, would you like to have this?”
At that moment… His gaze shifted from outside to the nutrition cookie…!
Is this… a positive response…?!!
Despite my conflicting feelings… His gaze quickly returned outside.
Tch… I was so close…!
I felt a little annoyed, but I was far happier that he at least briefly directed his attention towards me.
“I’ll leave it here, okay?”
I returned to my seat after leaving only those words behind.
Everyone around must have seen the whole thing… I guess I’m not making a good impression on anyone around here…
Despite feeling that way, I won’t give up, absolutely… I kept telling myself that over and over again.
Boy be trying a little “too” hard 🤣🤣