The Neat and Pretty Girl at My New School Is a Childhood Friend of Mine Who I Thought Was a Boy

Lunch break.

This is the time when students are freed from boring lessons and let them do whatever they want.

Various voices can be heard from various parts of the classroom as they enjoy this blissful yet short time.

“Come on, Nikaido-san, here!”

“A lunch box? School cafeteria? Whatever you choose I’ll take you anywhere.”

“Ah, I’ve always been interested in Nikaido-san.”

“Uhmm, where’s my bag….?”

And a group of girls with sparkling maiden eyes, like winged tigers, took Haruki and led her away to their hangout area.

Hayato supposedly had to join with Haruki, but since the girls grabbed Haruki away, he apologized deep in his heart and quickly fled to the secret base.

Fortunately, the boys, who were in the prime of eating, had more appetite than their interest in Hayato, and Mori rushed out to the cafeteria when the bell rang without waiting for their teacher’s signal.

The old club room building in which they are currently hiding, is about six tatami mats long and narrow, and an empty room in the current materials storage area. It’s their current secret base and shelter.

“…It’s bleak.”

Such words leak out.

Although the room was clean thanks to Haruki’s frequent maintenance to it, there was only one broom propped up at the entrance and two uncovered nude cushions. Perhaps because of this, Hayato felt cold even though it was summer.

[TL/N: Nude cushion is what they use for kneeling. It’s not anything lewd, I swear.]

“Next time I’ll get a cushion cover or something.”

He spread out his lunch, daring to say what he was thinking. Without anyone to talk to, the meal was mechanical and Hayato finished it much faster than usual.

He checked the time and saw that he had been here for less than five minutes, and there was still time left for their lunch break.

Normally, Hayato would just sit here and talk with Haruki, and time would fly by, but for some reason, time seems to be moving so slowly this time. He feels like he has too many things on his plate.

Not only that, but this room felt awfully big for him.

(…Haruki, has she been alone in this room all afternoon?)

Suddenly, Hayato thought about that.

Mimicking a good girl… her living alone in a house…

There are many things to worry about.

But when Hayato started thinking about it, he felt like he’s going to end up in a lot of trouble, so he scratched his head and stood up.

Hayato then turned his attention to a certain place.

◇◇◇

Lunch break under the blazing sun. A flower bed made of ridges at the edge of the back of the school building.

There was a petite girl with curly, frizzy hair.

“Sup, Mitake-san.”

“Ah, Kirishima-san!”

Despite the heat, Minamo Mitake did not mind taking care of the vegetables that had been planted.

However, from the looks of it, they looked like they were in bad shape. When Hayato turned his attention to the flower bed, he found out that the vegetables were in a limp and listless state. Noticing his gaze, Mitake spoke up with a troubled face.

“Well, I’ve been watering the soil every day so that it doesn’t dry out, and I’ve been pruning as needed, but lately everyone seems to be lacking in energy….”

“You don’t have to water them every day though. It’s better to do some large amount of watering once every few days to spread the moisture throughout the ground… If you water them for a small amount every day, the moistened area will evaporate quickly and there will be a lack of moisture to the soil.”

“E-Ehhhhhhhh…….?”

“Well, this soil doesn’t look like it lacks water. These guys have been producing a lot of flowers and fruits lately… I mean, they’ve been using up a lot of energy. Now, what does this mean?”

“St-stamina, I guess? Well…”

Mitake put her finger on her chin and nodded her head in response to Hayato’s riddle-like question.

Hayato narrowed his eyes at her with a somewhat nostalgic look on his face.

(We’re so alike.)           

Seeing the flowers and fruits of vegetables, and her hair that looks like the hair of that hunchback, reminiscing a sheep, it reminded him of the sheep back in Tsukinose that go after the flowers and fruits of the vegetables, and it made Hayato feel nostalgic somehow.

Eventually, Mitake noticed something and shouted “Ah!”

“They’re not getting enough nutrients, I mean fertilizer!”

She looks up at Hayato with sparkling, excited eyes.

The way she was acting was like a little animal that wanted to be praised. Hayato felt like patting her head, but he held back somehow.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s hard to tell with the state of the vegetables. If they use too much energy, they’ll get exhausted. Do you have any fertilizer? I’ll help you out.”

“Vegetables are just like people… Oh, we do have fertilizer! Let’s see…”

“I’d recommend sprinkling in a circular motion, to avoid direct contact with the roots and stems.”

“A-Alright!”

It was a large flower bed, but not much bigger than a vegetable garden, and with a little help from the two of them, the spreading of fertilizer became easy.

Still, working under the midsummer sun it’s quite uncomforting.

Although he used to work under the blazing sun in Tsukinose, Hayato was also completely drenched in sweat, and his uniform was sticking to his skin.

“It’s done, thank you very much!”

“Ah!..”

“Uhmm.. is there a problem?”

“It’s nothing…”

As she wiped the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand, she found out that her uniform blouse was also sticking to her body just like Hayato. Her slender but girly curves were highlighted due to the sweat. 

Although she is small in stature, she is incomparable to Himeko and even more voluminous than Haruki. Hayato couldn’t help but look away when he saw her drenched uniform.

He’s not sure if she was wondering about his suspicious behavior, but Mitake tilted her head again.

(…I was careless.)

No matter how much she reminds him of the Tsukinose’s sheep, Mitake is still a girl of the same age.

Hayato has never been around people with the same age as him, and he’s also never been conscious of the fact that he’s been around people that share his own age, but when he was exposed to such an unguarded situation, he would be surprised.

In addition to that, she’s been careless about fashion and tinkering with the soil with her curly hair, but if you look closely enough, you can see that she has a lovely face. She was a diamond in the rough.

[TL/N: Rough diamond (or diamond in the rough) means having good qualities but lacks manners.]

“Ah, my hat!”

“Eh?”

“Well, I thought I’d better wear a straw hat or something. It’s too hot and I’m afraid of heat stroke.”

“Oh, that’s right. It’s been getting very hot lately…”

Mitake, who obediently received Hayato’s which was used to deceive her or cover up those thoughts, thought carefully and that she should bring some protection for the sun next time.

Hayato on the other hand, was just making excuses for what he had seen, and felt guilty at the look on her innocent face.

Suddenly, a hand towel was thrown and inserted between the two of them, creating an indescribable atmosphere.

“Mitake, you might want to do something about your clothes as well as your hat. It’s becoming a bit of an eye sore for boys, don’t you think?”

“Ah… Nikaido?”
“Fuee?!”

Before Hayato knew it, Haruki was at his side, smiling and offering a hand towel to Minamo Mitake.

Her gaze was drawn to the lace pattern on Minamo Mitake’s chest, which was clearly visible even under her sweat-stained blouse.

“K-Kyaaaaaaaaaa~!!”

“Ah!”

As soon as Mitake realized her current condition, her whole face turned red. She hugged the hand towel she received from Haruki to her chest and ran off.

After sending her off, Haruki, with her eyes filled with jealousy, whispers to Hayato.

“…Hmm?”

“Ah! No, it’s…nothing, this is just some misundersta-..”

“Lecher.”

“Well… um…”

“Pervert.“

“….”

“….”

“……….I’m sorry.”

“Hmph!”

It was words and attitude that did not match Haruki’s usual style.

However, Hayato sensed something unsettling and reflexively apologized.

_________________

I’m out of ideas, so I’ll tell you about my trip to the Department Store.

It’s been a while since I went to a home improvement store. Speaking of department stores, there’s the pet corner. I am always soothed by the kittens there.

The Russian Blue girl still yowls at me when our eyes meet and tilts her head. The Siberian girl is a tomboy who chases a ball around, but soon runs out of energy and falls asleep. And then there’s the newcomer, a 6-7 week old American Shorthair boy who’s so small you can hold him in one hand.

It’s nice to see these newcomers grow up so quickly. They’ve all grown a lot since I first saw them. Yeah, yeah. The Scottish Fold boy seems to be smaller than the last time I saw him.If you don’t eat well, you won’t grow up. Oh, I’m getting TS! Are you turning into a girl? I was supposed to be born in March, but now I’m born in May? ! It seemed that before I knew it, I had a new family member and had been replaced, and I stuttered about it.

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TL comment: Dude is living the best moments of his life.