Ch. 48 - Night Talk

“Later…”

Harutaki deliberately paused, letting the silence stretch just long enough to hook Nogami’s curiosity.

“Later, the boy realized how arrogant and foolish he’d been. He started working to befriend his classmates, made tons of friends, and began living a cheerful school life. By the end, when everyone stood together, even the repeater who relied on violence and intimidation couldn’t stand against the class’s unity.”

“How boring.”

“Right? That’s because the ending was just what the boy imagined it would be. In reality, he took a bit of his pocket money, hired a senior from the neighboring high school to rough the repeater up, and secretly spread rumors about him among his friends. Eventually, that repeater, hated by both classmates and teachers, was completely isolated and had to transfer schools. The wise man in this story doesn’t really like to mention those kinds of dirty tricks.”

“So who’s this ‘wise man’? Someone from the East? Sounds like a cunning guy.”

Nogami listened intently, genuinely curious now.

Still, she couldn’t help wondering, could someone who used such underhanded tactics really be called a wise-man, or even a great person?

Though deep down, she had to admit: those who achieve great things often are the ones who don’t care how they get there.

“The wise-man destined to accomplish great things… is standing right in front of you. I, Hoshikawa Harutaki.”

“You went through all that trouble to make up a story just to justify yourself? How dedicated of you.”

Nogami, visibly unimpressed, kicked Harutaki lightly in the back as a sign of her annoyance.

“Not everything was made up.”

“Oh? Which part was true?”

“The part where Harutaki is a genius. The part where he’s destined for greatness. And the part where the prettiest girl in class likes him.”

“Yeah, right. What a load of crap…”

—-

Lights out.

Harutaki lay on his side at the edge of the bed, back turned toward Nogami. He’d dated three girls before, even gone past first base, but realizing he was lying next to a beautiful girl, this beautiful girl, with a terrifyingly powerful background no less… left him both nervous and excited. Sleep was nowhere in sight.

“Nogami-san, are you asleep?”

“Shut up…”

Her tone said it all; she wasn’t sleeping either. With only darkness behind her eyelids, the night felt endlessly long and empty.

“Actually, there’s another part of that story that really was true.”

“Oh?”

“The boy… also had feelings for the cute girl who liked him. Maybe it was even his first love.”

He didn’t know what emotion pushed those words out of him, some mix of confusion, anxiety, and a fragile yearning he couldn’t quite name.

Was he trying to confess?

Dropping a hint without realizing it?

Or maybe he was just afraid that everything they had now, this strange, fragile closeness, would one day vanish like a dream.

“So what about now? Hoshikawa, do you have someone you really like?”

Her voice cut through the dark suddenly, sharp and awake.

“Someone you truly like,” she emphasized, not waiting for his reply before continuing on her own.

It wasn’t an actual question. She clearly had something else she wanted to say.

“I don’t think I’ve ever really liked anyone. If admiration counts, then… maybe just my father.”

“To me, the world always felt like a toy box, full of vivid, fascinating things waiting for me and my friends to play with. People would always say stuff like, ‘She’s so pretty and cute, she’ll definitely grow into a beauty,’ or ‘She’s so clever and sharp, she’ll be just like her father someday,’ or ‘Her grades and athletics are amazing, what a prodigy.’ Wrapped up in those words, I couldn’t help feeling that the other kids at school were just… beneath me.”

“But even if I’ve never liked anyone, I have met a few boys I could admire.”

Then she fell silent.

Only their breaths remained in the room, and Harutaki’s heart, pounding so loud it was like thunder in his ears.

“What’s wrong? Are you nervous? Jealous? Anxious? Afraid I’ll say someone’s name that isn’t Hoshikawa Harutaki?”

She’s terrifying… he thought.

But of course, he couldn’t admit that.

“Ha! Don’t flatter yourself. Whatever guys you date, even if you throw some wild orgies, it’s none of my business.”

But the words had barely left his mouth when he felt something soft, her fingertip, smooth and warm as jade, press lightly against the side of his neck.

“Fufu… your heart’s beating so fast, Hoshikawa. Thump, thump. I can feel your carotid pulse racing like a mountain spring.”

The adults were right, clever girls were the most dangerous kind. Harutaki decided silence was the safest strategy from here on.

“Honestly, those boys were only interested in my looks and figure. Like peacocks in heat, fanning their feathers to show off in front of me, so pathetic.”

He couldn’t deny it. People who had more than others, brains, beauty, talent, often acted that way.

“They never liked me. They liked the image of ‘Nogami Izumi’, the beautiful, smart, athletic girl. Once they heard the rumors about my real personality, most ran away terrified. And the few who didn’t, well… after finding out who my parents were, they backed off fast.”

Huh. Harutaki had half-expected some story about a fool who tried to pursue her and got toyed with for his troubles. Guess not.

Then again, people who reached the top of the social ladder in middle and high school, the so-called “elite crowd”, weren’t usually stupid.

“In the end, aren’t people just stupid like that? Everyone wants to chase their ideal goddess or prince, to open Pandora’s box and find only hope inside. But dreams are dreams, there’s no such thing as a flawless person in reality.”

Just like how Harutaki had once seen his classmate Shihou as a graceful, polite, almost princess-like figure… until he discovered her secret account, the one under the name Kinako.

That truth didn’t excite him, it broke something inside him.

The way a child’s world shatters when he realizes the monster-fighting Ultraman on TV is just a guy in a rubber suit with a zipper down the back.

“I wouldn’t call that stupidity. It’s more like… humanity’s longing for beauty. Even idols onstage still use the bathroom and swear in private. Even a perfect girl like Nogami Izumi gets stomachaches, farts, and bleeds every month, ”

“Gross. Hoshikawa, shut up and die.”

A sharp kick from behind nearly sent him rolling off the bed.

“…”

Silence again.

But as their breathing mingled in the dark, both of them knew, neither of them was going to sleep anytime soon.

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