Vol. 1 Chapter 15: Abnormality.

Posted on August 9, 2022by ynlucca

Translated and Edited by: ynlucca.

Common Honorifics:
-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.
-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.
-chan: A common suffix among people you’re close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it’s cutesy and childlike.
-senpai: A common suffix and noun used to address or refer to one’s older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

The following Monday, I stepped into the classroom only to be met with weird stares piercing me from all around… What in the world?

There’s nothing different about me today. I didn’t suddenly grow ten kilos of muscle, nor did I get hit by an arrow and turn into a buff, flamboyant Italian. Absolutely nothing came to mind, so I just headed to my seat. Before I could question myself again, the answer showed itself to me.

Curses and insults riddled my desk, all written with greasy pen marks. Looking closely, I noticed how thought-out the terms were. They even paid attention to how many there were, and how each would affect me. Huh, I wonder if they’ll see the writings as a cheat sheet or something.

In today’s terms, or rather in every term, this is clearly bullying. It didn’t bother me much though. Most likely, it was either someone who didn’t like the attention I was suddenly given, or a guy too infatuated by Asakawa, Kurosaki, or someone else. Dude, if you like Asakawa, don’t worry; our relationship’s already cut off cleanly, so you have some pretty fly odds. Well, if you keep trying to punch others down instead of improving yourself, then your chances are just dead zero.

In any case, even if the desk’s a bit dirty, it doesn’t affect my school life. As soon as I tried to take my seat without causing a stir—

“Oy, Miyamoto!” Someone called me. “What’s up with this?”

“Oh, good morning, Katayama. I just found some scribbles on it just as I arrived, but meh, I don’t really mind it.”

“This is pretty messed up! Who would do something this lame?! —Just hold on for a sec, dude,” with a grim look on his face, he ran out of the classroom, phone in hand. About ten minutes later, he came back with a cloth, detergent, and… margarine? “They say you can put margarine¹ on a cloth and rub it. After it, you use a detergent.”

“Katayama… Thanks.”

“C’mon, let’s get this wiped up real quick.”

The fact he went out of his way to research and help me, whom he’d only known for a couple of days, touched my heart. I was truly grateful. After a few moments of cleaning, the graffiti just vanished from my desk. He was right, and it looked even cleaner than it was before.

“Thanks for saving my butt.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Rather, who even pulled such a messed up prank?”

“I don’t know, maybe someone who can’t accept the efforts of others?”

Katayama nodded. Since it was useless looking for a culprit, we just spent the rest of the day chatting as if nothing wrong ever happened.

Tch.

I didn’t expect Katayama to come to the rescue. He’s a good guy, that’s for sure. He even treats me—a total gloom—without a shred of arrogance. He’s a cool guy with an impeccable personality. It’s not that I’m jealous of this sparkling guy or anything. I mean, you can’t compete with people who put in the effort and get what they so rightfully deserve.

But not you, Miyamoto. You may have worked hard during summer vacation, and you do look incredibly different, but you did one unforgivable thing.

“Stop. Don’t talk to me anymore. A complete stranger, that’s all you are to me now.”

Do you remember Asakawa’s reaction then? She was so heartbroken… It was your death sentence to make her, a goddess, shed tears. Besides, I heard you even used to date her.

It’s only natural for a bum like you to be unfaithful, and it’d never be Asakawa’s fault. Besides, I just couldn’t believe or forgive him for having a relationship with my goddess. Humans and deities should never be involved, and she might even get tangled up in a messy situation because of you.

That’s why I’ll punish you.

Asakawa’s long, lustrous hair. Her sharp and dignified eyes, her thin nose, her taut cherry lips, her slender arms, her long thin legs—all of it, or rather none of it belongs to anyone. Even seeing that figure on TV or in magazines was a blessing-cum-miracle. We didn’t even deserve to see her with our own eyes.

So why did you want more?

So why do you want to monopolize her?

So why make her sad?

Miyamoto, I cannot forgive you. I will torment you little by little, and in the end, I’ll make you regret ever being involved with her. It seems this strategy didn’t work very well, maybe he doesn’t care too much about it in the first place.

If so, how would you feel if someone close to you, maybe a junior, a colleague, or a friend was harmed? Would you be able to stand by idly and watch someone unrelated suddenly suffer because of you?

I almost burst out laughing, but I had to avoid acting suspiciously in this situation. If they find out I’m the culprit, it’ll damper my future plans… I just couldn’t help but look forward to tomorrow. I can’t wait to see his despairing face, and I wonder if Asakawa will be pleased. I’m sure she’ll laugh!

This is a gift to you, my goddess, from someone who simply adores you.

1 — Don’t try this at home, I really don’t know if it works or not.