Kenkyo, Kenjitsu o Motto ni Ikite Orimasu

It’s time for the middle school graduation ceremony.

Unlike the primary graduation, I’m feeling pretty moved this time.
After all, when I enter the high school section next month, the protagonist will be entering with me. I wonder what’s going to happen.
I’ve had some small troubles here and there, but my life at school so far has been pretty peaceful. But I can’t say if that will change. I’m starting to wish Kaburagi had just stuck to Yurie-sama.
Should I try and talk up Kaburagi to Yurie-sama through Aira-sama? Nothing good about him comes to mind though…

Speaking of which, Aoi-chan and Sakura-chan said that they’d be graduating today too, didn’t they. Unlike Sakura-chan who’s in an escalator school system like me, Aoi-chan’s been studying so hard that even I was getting stressed.
When I saw her text me

“I passed without a problem,”

I felt relieved from the bottom of my heart.

“Reika-chan, it’s thanks to your pencil and headband,” she said. How nice.

I’ve been studying at home with my headband on too. Although, when I wandered about the house with it still on, I gave my family a shock.

“You don’t have to take it so seriously,” said Okaasama, but I was just wearing the headband to get in the mood. I wasn’t feeling pressured at all.

Actually, what was really pressuring me was how much hot chocolate I’d been drinking. It’s delicious and I love it, but my tummy got just a little bigger. Drinking it on the daily was a bit much, huh.
I brought back my hula hoop to stave off the fat though.

*妹*

*妹*

The graduation address was done by Kaburagi. He has the traits of a stalker, and he’s an athletics carnival-loving cavalry battle idiot, but he’s still the most outstanding in our grade.
I thought that these were normally given by the student council president, but hmm. Hang in there, Fellow Stalking Horse.

He certainly looked majestic reading out his address on stage. It wasn’t just the female students; even the male students were captivated by him. It seems that the Emperor’s display of indomitability had captured their male hearts.
Earlier, having already declared his retirement form cavalry battles, the Emperor was met with a flood of disciple applicants. That first year who got owned at the end was amongst them. Apparently he was a bundle of ambition who wanted to become the Emperor of the next generation. How nice~ that kind of determined stupidity. But geez, just how much do the boys at Suiran love cavalry battles.

The Emperor turned them all down. According to him,

“Techniques aren’t things you are taught; they are things you plunder.”

All of the boys seemed incredibly moved by his words. Idiots. The boys at Suiran are all idiots. We might be in trouble.
As for Enjou, even though he’s usually right next to him, during the fiasco he was standing a little further away. You could tell that he was trying to declare that he had nothing to do with these dumbasses.

Anyway, that’s how it is so I was sure he’d mention cavalry battles during his address too, but it never turned up once. And the cavalry battles were definitely the highlight of middle school for him too. You endured well, Kaburagi.

*妹*

Lollipop lilies are a breed of lilium maculatum, a lily flower native to Japan.

*妹*

When I headed outside after the ceremony, Oniisama was there!
I wasn’t sure whether or not to invite him since he was so busy this year, but Oniisama guessed my feelings and told me he would come.
Since he was spoiling me anyway, I asked him to bring Urara flowers with him.
And just as promised, Oniisama brought a bouquet of flowers with Urara mixed in.
Even though you’ve been so busy… Thank you, Oniisama!
Since Oniisama’s university graduation is coming up, I told him that I’d come running to his too, but he turned me down with a smile… Why.

Besides Oniisama, my senpai from the Pivoine came to congratulate me with flowers too, and shockingly, even Ririna’s underlings brought some for me! And of all things, Ririna brought flowers too …and then gave them to Oniisama instead of me. OI!

“Taka-niisama, please bring me lilies next year for my graduation! Lilies are Ririna’s flowers!”

Won’t the Emperor get angry if you claim lilies as yours?
See? Because you spoke so loudly, he turned around just now.

“Would red spider lilies not be more suitable to you, Ririna? They suit you very well.”

“What on earth are you saying! Those aren’t even real lilies! My flowers are the madonna lilies!”

Uwah, so shameless.

“Hmmm. I’ll be working next year, so I can’t really promise.”

“Ehhhhhh?”

Don’t worry, Ririna. I’ll come with flowers for you next year. Lollipop lilies just right for you.

“Ririna, should you not be going over to congratulate Kaburagi-sama?”

“Of course I’m going.”

Just like an idol, Kaburagi was holding a handshaking event in the middle of a horde of girls.
With a bouquet of blue preserved roses in hand, Ririna excitedly charged towards the circle with her gang.
Just before she was gone, she turned her head around and said,

“Oh, while I’m at it, congratulations Reika-san.”

before completely running off.
Goodness, what a little tsundere…

“It looks like you two really get along now.”

“Do you think? But I suppose they do say that stupider kids are cuter.”

While I was nodding in agreement with myself,

“…That’s true. Dumber kids really are cuter,”

he agreed.

This time, Otousama made sure to bring a bouquet to compete with Oniisama.

“The Queen of the Orchids, the Cattleya. Perfect for you, Reika,” he announced proudly.

I bet it was Okaasama who picked them anyway. I can’t imagine that this pot-bellied tanuki could come up with something like this.
Hm, am I looking down on my father too much?

Ah-, Miharu-chan rushed into the Enjou’s crowd with a digital camera in hand. My my~
And following behind her was Class Rep with his own camera… Class Rep, shot down!? Aren’t you a little too trusting in your Middle Blessing slip?

Having taken enough photos of Kaburagi and Enjou for now, Serika-chan and the others came and invited us too. Wait, ‘together with your Oniisama’? Was that the aim from the start!?
Still, I ended up taking photos excitedly with the girls I was close to.
Unfortunately there were no guys who asked for a photo. Are there no boys out there who like me? You don’t have to be shy, okay? If you come out now, I’ll even throw in a handshake.

…Well whatever. My luck with boys is definitely going to blossom in high school. Today, I bid farewell to my Curse fortune!

*妹*

*妹*

But I really am a lucky girl. So many people came to congratulate me.
I hope that in high school, and even after high school, I’ll continue enjoying this happiness.

Translator’s Note: That concludes the middle school arc.

I hope you’ve been enjoying the series as much as I have, and if you haven’t already, that you’ll write a review here, mentioning both how you find the story, and how you’ve been finding my translation quality and style. If you have complaints, please include them as well!