Starting a Night Shift Part-time Job at a Convenience Store.

“Ueahhhh!? Hey, Hakamada, what are you doing!?”

At an inopportune juncture, Kinoshita and company showed up in a stream and witnessed me with Hyuga.

Ah―

As I thought to myself, “This is not good,” I promptly returned to my bent-over position, but it was already too late. When Kinoshita, Nishimura, and Tanaka spotted me, their smiles were the broadest they had ever been.

“Ah, no, you’re wrong. She―”

There was no room for excuses. The three of them surrounded us with loosened expressions.

“What are you in such a hurry for! Just when I thought I had found you after searching for a long time, to think that you are here… and, what’s more… huh!? This girl is that Hyuga! I knew Masa has the hots for her!!”

“No way! Don’t get worked up, Nishimura!”

“I mean, you were all over her the other day, too! Furthermore, you’re in such a panic that you’re digging your own grave!!”

“No point in trying to make excuses, Hakamada.”

“Ah!?”Notsharedonaggregatorsites

Following Tanaka, who folded his arms and looked stunned, Kinoshita made a jaw-dropping remark.

“Yeah, yeah, I just saw you trying to kiss her.”

“Hah!? A kiss!?”

My ears turned red when I uttered the word with my own mouth. No, no, you were wrong. That was 100% a misunderstanding.

“It was a misunderstanding, you idiot! You saw it wrong!”

“Don’t conceal it, don’t conceal it. Of course, it’s embarrassing to be seen.”

The three of them were holding their sides with laughter, and I kicked them in turn. Even if it looked that way, I had not the slightest intention of doing anything like that. I swear.

I mean, why would I ever do that with Hyuga in the first place… Impossible, way too impossible!

“Poor thing, being spotted by someone with such a crooked personality.”

Don’t you send a sympathetic look to Hyuga, Tanaka. And don’t simply laugh at him and make a follow-up comment, Hyuga.

“Don’t you dare run off on your own! You riajuu! You pervert!!”

“You’re the only one I don’t want to be told off by! Your brain is in your lower half!”

“Hey, hey, Hyuga, how long have you been with this idiot? I mean, to be honest, how far have things progressed?”

As usual, Nishimura only talked about dirty jokes, and I kicked him lightly in the crotch for the time being. Despite it being extremely troublesome, I gave an explanation to the three idiots in all earnestness, refusing to let the situation flare up any more than it already had.

I told them that there was no deep meaning behind me and Hyuga being together, nor was there any profound relationship between us. They could make a big deal out of it, but even Hyuga would find it unpleasant to be told things about which she had no knowledge or involvement.

While the guy next to me kept smiling the whole time, I was nonetheless a senior, and I couldn’t just let this situation rage irresponsibly. Halfway through the conversation, I lost my temper but managed to compose the three of them and bring the tension back to a level where a proper conversation could take place.

Well, ultimately, Kinoshita, who was the most understanding of the three, believed my story, apologized to Hyuga for stirring up trouble, and then neatly closed everything up.

“Hey, are you and Masa really not sleeping together?”

“You’re not sleeping with him?”

Jesus, no matter how many times Hyuga was pestered after that, she would always reply with the same words. Even though I was saying the same thing as well, none of them seemed to be convinced except for Kinoshita.

“Then why are you guys hanging out?”

“That’s what the relationship is really about, isn’t it?”

Don’t assume that a man and a woman being together was equivalent to that kind of relationship.

“Well, don’t get so mad, Masa, I was a little surprised for sure, but I know you’re not lying, you know?”

When Kinoshita said that, I thought he truly had a good grasp of me. Tanaka and Nishimura exchanged a disappointed look with me and Hyuga as if to say, “Is that really so?”

Up until now, I hadn’t thoroughly shared everything with them but even if I disclosed everything to them from the beginning, they would never be able to grasp our unstable relationship. Not even I understood it clearly. What was clear to me was that Hyuga and I were not in a dating relationship, that was all.

Well, I supposed it looked like that… from the other party’s point of view about our relationship.

From now on, I would be careful… Or rather… what did I even mean by that?

“Well then!! If you haven’t done it, then this is fine, right!!”

“What? About what!? …Hey! What are you doing!!”

Holding a digital camera in one hand, Nishimura began to pull me and Hyuga closer together.

“That’s good! Let’s take a picture to commemorate the occasion! I’ll take a photograph of you two!!”

“Ahhhhh!? What are you saying!!”

“Come on, Hyuga, get close to him!”

“If you haven’t done it with her yet, it’s fine! At least take a commemorative photo!”

“Nishimura, youuuu! Hey, Tanaka, don’t you help him too!!”

“Well, I don’t think I’ll ever see a photo of you with a girl again. It’s priceless.”

“It’s fine, Masa. Let him take a photo of you.”

“Even you, Kinoshita…! What are you going to do with a photo like that!”

“For a memory?”

As I was screaming and the three of them were laughing, eventually onlookers gathered to see what was happening.

What is that?

Huh, that’s Hakamada from the baseball team, isn’t it?

That’s the guy who’s extremely scary to the senior girls but is that his girlfriend? …He has a girlfriend!?

Isn’t that girl Hyuga! Huh, what, she’s dating that guy?

What, what!? What are they doing?

From the outside, arbitrary voices could be heard.

“You’re wrong! Stop staring at me!”

Hyuga, who was getting into the spirit of mischief, clutched to my right arm as I howled at the onlookers.

“Please take a cute picture,” she asked Nishimura, her face cool.

“Aye!”Translator: MadHatter

“What aye! Hyuga, don’t stick to me either! We will really look like a couple, then!”

“It’s okay. I don’t have any feelings for you.”

“Is that something to be said with a broad smile on your face!?”

While I was whining, the camera flash was activated. I was the one with a blatantly disapproving look on my face, and Hyuga had the greatest smile ever. The indescribable photo was saved in Nishimura’s digital camera.

When I looked back at it again, I couldn’t help but wonder why it was such a big deal.

Since this was the most uptight and complicated moment of my high school days, it seemed reasonable that I couldn’t handle being scrutinized by so many people for no reason and having the public shout at me whenever they pleased.

Whatever I had to say now, this was simply a reconfirmation of my memory and nothing could be done about it.

After the photo was taken, I was in a rather bad mood and tried to separate from Hyuga but Kinoshita and the others were very fond of Hyuga and wanted to force her and me together.

Even Hyuga decided to tag along with them.

Because of how the other students reacted, I was opposed to the idea, and Hyuga surprised me by being reluctant to join the senior members. Regardless, the three of them persisted, and in the end, Hyuga agreed to accompany us.

To avoid attracting too much attention, I strode forward a bit away from them, but it was meaningless, as most of the students were staring at us, struck by the unusual sight of the baseball team’s most uptight pitcher and a popular honor student in the same group.

Hyuga, being Hyuga, was having fun, getting yakisoba and ice cream from Kinoshita and the others, and enjoying herself as any other girl would. She would occasionally catch up with me as I walked ahead and called out to me, nevertheless.

Though I responded with mostly indifferent replies.

Hyuga was walking behind me while sporting a smile. I didn’t even make eye contact with her, even though she was looking at me.

All the while Hyuga was smiling, but I bet she felt bad at this moment because I had been talking to her normally, but now my attitude had changed as if I was a different person…