Oregairu Vol 10.5

8/18/2019 Oregairu Vol 10.5

1/143

Oregairu vol 10.5

Chapter 1

Some day, even Zaimokuza Yoshiteru will stumble across an easy job that he can

do, probably.

Part 1 Part ! Part "

#s anyone on this planet would $now, Chiba rarely saw snow during the winter.

Obviously, that didn%t mean it wasn%t cold because it was cold& it%s winter, a'ter all. (

could even claim that Chiba%s 'rigidity 'ar surpasses any other winter country.

O' course, ( really had no idea since ( had never spent the period between the end

o' )anuary to *ebruary anywhere else besides Chiba.

+he only visible comparison ( could go by was the display on the thermometer and

the weather report reporting on the below'ree-ing weather, but regardless, (

wouldn%t actually $now how cold it%d really be until ( eperienced it 'or mysel'.

On the other hand, it%s another truth that the number on the thermometer wasn%t

always representative o' how cold it%d be in Chiba.

(n the world, there eisted something called a heat inde.

/ou eperienced something rsthand, perceived it, learned it, and 'or the rst time,

you%d actually 'eel it.

#s a jutaposed eample, right now, ( could 'eel a growing divergence between the

number on the wall thermometer and my heat inde.

+he sole reason 'or this was due to a single male student in 'ront o' me.

Sweat was ecreting 'rom all over his body even though it%s the pea$ o' winter, his

mouth was convulsing, and he was wiping o the sweat at his brow with the bac$ o'

his hand covered with ngerless gloves.

234u.

6hen he groaned with a heavy voice, that student78aimo$u-a /oshiteru7hung hishead. #s he was doing that, he buried his head into the coat he was seemingly 'ond

o' and closely resembled an avantgarde monument. 9e loo$ed li$e he could be

mista$enly placed at the entrance o' a tower apartment 'or a highclass street in the

4usashi :osugi area.

6ith just that single groan, 8aimo$u-a went ;uiet and the Service Club returned to

a space o' stillness.

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#side 'rom 8aimo$u-a and me, there were other people present in the club, but

every single one o' them was absorbed in their own business< one was reading a

boo$ with a cup o' tea in one hand, another was ddling with her cellphone while

chomping down on tea ca$es, and the last one was adjusting her bangs loo$ing at a

compact mirror.

234uuuuun. 8aimo$u-a moaned again and loo$ed up at the ceiling. +his time his

voice was, unli$e earlier, 'eeble. =ut even so, he received no response.

6hen not a single person7not even one7reacted, 8aimo$u-a incessantly moaned

over and over again.

>ventually getting 'ed up with that, a brie' sigh came 'rom the diagonally opposite

corner o' the table where ( was sitting.

6hen ( glanced in its direction, the Service Club president, /u$inoshita /u$ino,

placed her cup onto a saucer and pressed against her temple.

/u$inoshita made a gander at 8aimo$u-a and then slid her eyes over to me. 23*or

the time being, shall we as$ what his business is?

2>hh3? =ut the only one who can tal$ with chuuni is 9i$$i, though.

+he one who reluctantly answered while chomping down on rice crac$ers was

/uigahama /ui. 6ith her body collapsed 'orward on the table, she turned her head

towards me.

6ell, 'or /u$inoshita and /uigahama to give the suddenly intruding 8aimo$u-a some

$ind o' response despite how long it too$ them, it could be considered as a 'orm o'$indness.

=ut the problematic one was the one who had him completely ignored the entire

time while ga-ing into a mirror, (sshi$i (roha. Then again, why are you even here? I

mean, it’s not a big deal or anything. I won’t ask or anything.

(sshi$i didn%t give 8aimo$u-a so much o' a loo$. #'ter she chec$ed her bangs, she

too$ out hand cream 'rom her pouch and began s$in maintenance on her hand

while humming. She spread the cream along her thin ngertips and a citric smell

lled the air.

That reminds me, Zaimokuza and Isshiki don’t really know each other, do they?

+hough, ac;uaintances or not, it%s li$ely (sshi$i wouldn%t give 8aimo$u-a any time o'

the day. @aturally, the opposite held true.

Which leaves… ( thought, but /uigahama who had been leaning 'orward on the table

as$ed, 29i$$i, why don%t you as$ him?


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/u$inoshita nodded as i' it was a given. 23+hat%s true. 9i$igaya$un is originally the

one responsible 'or these $inds o' matters, a'ter all.

2Aon%t put me in charge just because you 'eel li$e it3

+he only one ( was responsible 'or was +otsu$atan, you $now? ( was such a cra-y

'an that (%d create some 'ans o' him and cheer 'or him at a live concert, you $now?

=ut the cuteness o' saying +otsu$atan was abnormal.

(n any case, the sole individual in this room who could establish communication with

8aimo$u-a was me. ( was vaguely aware o' how troublesome it was going to be, but

he didn%t loo$ li$e he%d leave the club unless ( spo$e to him.

28aimo$u-a, what did you come here 'or3? ( braced mysel' and as$ed.

9e then shot up his 'ace, showing a somewhat happy smile. 2Ohh, 9achimanB 6hat

a coincidence this isB

2@o, you really don%t need to act li$e that3

29apon, as you say. ( am currently in a bit o' a bind as you can see3 8aimo$u-a

stopped 'or a moment. 9e corrected his posture as i' to begin anew. #s the one

listening, ( ended up doing the same.

2Ao you recall our echange about my worries o' becoming a publishing editor?

2/eah. O' course, this also happens to be the rst time (%ve heard about this.

ere he goes, blurting out something com!letely outrageous again… ( thought.

/uigahama who had been listening nearby murmured, 26asn%t it something about

light novels or something be'ore3?

4an, /uigahama sure was nice to actually respond. Compared to the other two, they

were more or less giving him the cold shoulder. >ven /u$inoshita who had shown

some interest earlier saw no value in listening to 8aimo$u-a%s answer just now and

ipped the page o' her boo$, going bac$ to reading with a nonchalant loo$. #s 'or

(sshi$i who didn%t have any interest in him 'rom the beginning, she had a

complicated 'ace as she was adjusting her eyelashes with a curler.

9owever, what /uigahama pointed out was certainly right. 8aimo$u-a%s dreamshould%ve been to become a light novel author. +here, too, was a period when he

claimed he wanted to become a game writer. =ut he immediately jumped ship and

went bac$ to wanting to become a light novel author again. 9is wishywashy nature

made me thin$ he%s 'ar more suited to being a politician.

(n any case, ( loo$ed at 8aimo$u-a to see why he had the sudden change in heart

and he crossed his arm with a diDcult 'ace.


4/143

29mhm, it is because light novel authors are the dregs o' the entertainment world.

(t is a job that does not re;uire a 'oundation to start, a job that anyone can do. Euite

'ran$ly, no one would be envious o' me even i' ( became a light novel author and

light novels are treated as trash just 'or being light novels3

8aimo$u-a loo$ed dejected as he spo$e, but when he popped up his eyes, he statedwith a solemn voice. 23#nd that is where ( reali-ed something.

2##nd that is3? Aespite sensing something ominous in the glint o' his eyes past

his glasses, ( had to as$. Fpon doing so, 8aimo$u-a violently jumped to his 'eet,

$noc$ing his chair bac$ in the process.

2+o write is to be critici-edB +o rest is to disappearB (n the world o' business, you are

but a roadside roc$B (s there value in such a jobB?

9is power'ul voiced clamored throughout the room as well as in my head.6henthe

echoing stopped, 8aimo$u-a ;uietly too$ his seat again and the room went bac$ to

being ;uiet.

Aespite his power'ul voice, the room continued to act unconcerned. >ven

/uigahama who had been listening to 8aimo$u-a moments ago had went bac$ to

ddling with her phone.

+he only one who could lend an ear to 8aimo$u-a%s tale at this moment was me. (

might%ve been used to being alone, but even this solitude was a little ecruciating.

2GGight3 /ou sure $now your stu3 ( was at a loss at how to comment on his

sudden outburst o' lamentation and responded with something appropriate.

8aimo$u-a grinned. 2(t is because ( saw it on the internet.

Wow. The internet is so amazing. The internet has, like, eeeverything.

Our echange thus 'ar had stimulated my satiety center so much that ( was 'eeling

bloated, but 8aimo$u-a continued on with his wonder'ul opinion. 2#s ( mentioned

earlier, publishing editors are much coolerB @ot only are they able to have a stable

li'e, they are one with the industry o' creativity. (t is more or less encroaching on the

domain o' anime creationB 6ith this, ( will be able to marry a voice actorB *uahahaB

2/ou must be drun$ on 9appy 4eals with all those happy thoughts you have in your

head3

+hat would never happen even i' Christmas, @ew /ears, and your birthday

happened on the same day. 9ec$, throw in 9alloween and Halentine%s Aay while

you%re at it. On another note, 29appy 9alloween and 29appy Halentine%s Aay were

used normally all over the world, but what%s so happy about them? Halentine%s Aay

was Saint Halentine%s death anniversary, you $now3 #re people going to start

saying 29appy #pril *oolsB 'or #pril *ools, too?


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(n the same vein as the recent trend o' appending happy to anything, 8aimo$u-a

thoughts were no eception to the rule. +hey were so happy that they were bad.

6hat%s bad? +hey were seriously bad.

(n the rst place, his nal destination o' marrying a voice actor was bad.

+his era%s already suering 'rom low marriage rates as it is, so how could someone

li$e a light novel author ever get married with a voice actor? Iet your head out o'

the gutter alreadyB

( don%t really care i' 8aimo$u-a was hurt or depressed as he continued to pointlessly

live his misunderstood li'e, but ( had to ma$e sure to in'orm him. (t%s what they call

the goodwill o' a classmate.

28aimo$u-a.

26h6hat is it3?

>ither my voice had deepened without me noticing or my passion had lea$ed out

with it, but when ( called 8aimo$u-a%s name, he sat up straight and loo$ed at me

headon. #s ( loo$ed into his eyes, ( slowly spo$e.

2Jet me as$ you. 6hen you were in middle school, did you thin$ that once you got

into high school, you%d be able to get a girl'riend?

2@ughB

=ullseyes& 8aimo$u-a bro$e into a cold sweat and went dead ;uiet. ( pressed

'urther. 2#nd this is what you should be thin$ing right now. #nd that is3 Konce ( get

into university, ( should be able to get a girl'riendB%

2@nnnghB 99ow did you $now3B?

9e didn%t even need to as$. 4y answer was obvious.

2>veryone%s gone through that be'ore, a'ter all3 ( said, instinctively letting out a

heavy voice. /es, there, too, was a time where ( had those thoughts. (t%s because (

was a teeny, tiny toddler who $new nothing o' the world nor his own place in it. /ou

just couldn%t help but thin$ about how you%d get married at twentyve and have

children. =ut as you progressed through middle and high school, you were gradually

eposed to the inner mechanisms and reality o' the world. +his made you lower thestandards o' your idealistic visions. /ou couldn%t see your small dreams to

reali-ation& that%s this world, ( dare say31

6hen ( had those thoughts, ( suddenly ended up letting out a nihilistic chuc$le.

8aimo$u-a sighed heavily and stiLy as i' in agreement.

=ut there, ( could hear a small cough overlap with a ;uiet voice.

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2>veryone3 ( see.

24mm3

( turned and /u$inoshita who should%ve been reading her boo$ glanced at me. =ut

when our eyes met, she abruptly turned her 'ace away. On the other hand,

/uigahama who had been ddling with her cellphone had stopped her ngers and

'ro-e with a troubled epression.

#nd again, the club room became ;uiet. uh? What’s with this silence…?

#s ( sat there restlessly in the aw$ward mood, (sshi$i removed her ga-e 'rom her

compact mirror and glanced at us. She then let out a brie' sigh. 23( don%t really

care, but is it easy to enter a publisher?

( was under the impression she hadn%t been listening since she had been ignoring

8aimo$u-a the entire time, but apparently, the conversation had reached her ears.

6hen (sshi$i as$ed, the sti atmosphere nally dissolved. She probably wasn%t

as$ing anyone in particular, but /u$inoshita tilted her head in contemplation. 2(%ve

heard that there%s a high barrier to entry 'or publishers3

2Ohh, it does sound pretty hard, huh?

(t was doubt'ul that /uigahama had any idea what the problem was. ( wonder i' this

girl actually $new what publishers did as a company in the rst place3

(n any case, ignoring /uigahama 'or the moment, /u$inoshita was right on. ( recall

hearing 'rom my pops that it%s considerably diDcult nding employment at major

mass media outlets. "ow then, let’s see #ust how intent Zaimokuza is in challenging

those !laces… ( loo$ed at 8aimo$u-a and he was unepectedly calm.

2(ndeed. (, too, have scoured the internet and it seems joining one is ;uite a tas$.

8aimo$u-a groaned as he crossed his arms and coc$ed his head to the side.

29owever, ( cannot comprehend it3

6hat ma$es it so diDcult3? Jight novel editors can wor$ even in their sleep. (t is a

simple job that anyone can do. #ll you have to do is read completed manuscripts or

send a mail to the people at the top ran$ings o' KJet%s =e # @ovelist%! and as$ them

to publish their wor$s, yes?

2SSure3

( wouldn%t have suspected the he was once someone who had aimed to become a

light novel author 'rom those thoughtless words o' his, but well, it%s true that the

wor$ o' light novel editors wasn%t common $nowledge, so this bias was unavoidable.



7/143

@ormally spea$ing, a light novel editor was an ehausting job. +hin$ about it, i' they

had to wor$ together with people who thought pathetically li$e 8aimo$u-a, consider

the gastritis, heartburn, and /amanouchi" they had to deal with3 +he worse the

light novel author, the more they blamed the editors, too3

26ell, you won%t $now until you get a job at one, ( said.

8aimo$u-a then wagged his nger while clic$ing his tongue. This guy sure is

annoying…

2O' course, ( have already concocted plans regarding the job hunt.

2/ou don%t say3 Jet%s hear them.

2+here is no doubt that see$ing employment as a new graduate will be diDcult. =ut

it is another story i' you are to trans'er occupations. 6ith someone o' my caliber, (

simply need to slip my way into an editorial company or a low$ey publisher and

aim to be recruited as one with eperience, said 8aimo$u-a, chuc$ling with anincredibly, triumphant loo$. (t%s a mystery why he seemed so convincing with that

condent smug o' his.

2Ohh, he%s surprisingly thin$ing things through3

#s it turned out, /uigahama was easily deceived.

2@o, your rst problem is how you%re going to get into those editorial companies

and publishers3

9is proposal was the very image o' a written career plan. >cept, the only issue was

how super de'ormed and unrealistic it was. #s i' spotting those loopholes, /u$inoshita s;uinted and made a complicated 'ace. 2(n the rst place, i' we%re

considering smaller to mediumsi-ed companies, they shouldn%t be actively

recruiting3

=ut not listening to things that were inconvenient to him were the >#GS o'

8aimo$u-a.

2#nd there, ( thought. (' ( can amass editorial eperience as a pupil, ( can easily nd

employment at IaIaIa =un$o3

2/ou%re underestimating IaIaIa too much3

$o you say, but we’re talking about one o% the three biggest com!anies in the

country, $hogakukan, you know… 9e was loo$ing down on the world so much that it

was re'reshing, but let%s just put that aside.

+he issue was what 'ollowed.



8/143

2#s such, in order to accumulate that eperience, ( was thin$ing o' creating a

doujinshi.

2Fh huh. /eah, well, do your best.

2Fmu3 =ut currently, ( have no Ktrue comrade%M that ( can create a doujinshi with3

# Ktrue comrade% that can see and hear the same things as ( do3

2GGight3

What is with that cringeworthy !hrase you’re using…? "ow I’m getting bad vibes

%rom him… #s ( trembled 'rom my bad premonition, as i' to stop that sha$ing o'

mine, 8aimo$u-a placed his hands on my shoulders.

+hen, he showed me a smile that was bright enough to illuminate the world.

2So3 9achiman, let us ma$e one togetherB

2( re'use. #lso, (%m not your comrade.

/our easygoing enthusiasm as i' you were saying, 2(sono, let%s play some

baseball5 wasn%t enough to illuminate my world. (%d li$e to re;uest 'or indenite

retirement here. +hough, (%d be per'ectly ne with helping i' ( was compensated.

29achimaaaaaaaaaaanB 6ere we not always comradesB? 6hy must you always be

so cruelB? 8aimo$u-a indignantly called me cruel over and over again. &ou really

think I can go along with your nonsense all the time? #s ( ignored 8aimo$u-a%s

grumbling, there was the 'olding sound o' a compact mirror.

6hen ( loo$ed towards the sound, (sshi$i who had either nished polishing hersel'up or chec$ing over her appearance put away her mirror in her pouch. +hen, she

propped up her chin with her inde nger and tilted her head in contemplation.

2Fmmm, what%s a Kdoujinshi%?

26ell, to put it simply, it%s a sel'made boo$. /ou write your own manga or

something li$e that and ma$e it into a boo$.

23Gight.

(sshi$i was still seeing ;uestion mar$s even a'ter my eplanation. ( wasn%t a

pro'essional on the subject mysel', so ( wasn%t sure how to eplain it to her.#s ( struggled over the eplanation, sitting diagonally 'rom me, /uigahama shot up

her hands going 2me, meB

2( $now what it isB (t%s called Comi$et or something, right? +he thing where you draw

your own manga. ( thin$ 9ina tal$ed about it be'ore.

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2+hat%s a rather sloppy eplanation. #lso, >binasan%s hobbies are a bit special, but

well, you%re on the right trac$, ( said.

+his time, /u$inoshita had an unconvinced and doubt'ul loo$. 2(t doesn%t apply only

to manga. 6hen ( hear the term, ( have a stronger association with the eld o'

literature and the arts.

2Gight, there%s that, too.

#ctually, i' we%re going to trace the term bac$ to its roots, even 'amous and great

writers had produced their own boo$s be'ore. Jiterature

li$e $hirakabaN and'arakuta (unko were even in school tetboo$s.

(n reality, doujinshis were epansive in scope and weren%t conned to just manga,

but review boo$s, investigative study boo$s, or even photo albums. +here were

distinct genres as well as an etreme variety o' content out there.

#lso, when ( mentioned review boo$s, that ranged 'rom criti;ue boo$s on militaryaairs to a review synopsis o' a previous cour anime. +here were even boo$s o'

roc$paperscissor victories between Sunday anime, too. *urthermore, largescale

doujin activities went beyond just boo$s and etended to cosplay, sel'produced

anime, drama CAs, and character goods. So, the scope was huge.

2Gight, so Comi$et3 @ow that you mention it, (%ve heard about it be'ore.

$o you know about it, )aiden? 6ell, Comi$et%s been the 'ocus on television and

special programs recently, so it wouldn%t be strange to $now about its eistence.

9owever, (sshi$i seemed to have a onesided understanding o' it.2(sn%t it, li$e, a place where you can ma$e loooads o' money? She as$ed, leaning

slightly 'orward in $een interest with spar$ling eyes. 9er movements were li$e that

o' a pure maiden, but what came out o' her mouth was completely terrible3

2@o, that%s not necessarily true. ( hear they usually disregard their prots.

Aoujinshi were rst and 'oremost, 2( ma$e them because ( li$e to, so their objective

was supposedly not 'or prot. +hat%s not to say ( $new since ( wasn%t clear on the

details mysel'. =ut among the numerous circles who created doujinshi, i' you

'actored in their sundry epenses, they typically hovered between the red and

green, plus and minus, or -ero.

23+hey don%t prot3 but still do it? Fpon nishing, (sshi$i groaned and began

holding her head. (t seems she was having trouble understanding3

2So it%s something li$e a world o' hobbies. /u$inoshita nodded. 6ell, 'or /u$inoshita

who ( could imagine spending money on her hobbies li$e tea, Pansan the Panda,

and cat merchandise, it might actually be up her alley.

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2+hat $ind o' stu is pretty ama-ing though, huh? said /uigahama, chewing her

candy. Iiven that it%s her, she seemed somewhat impressed even though she didn%t

sound li$e it. She let out a sigh.

2Aoujin activities aren%t anything rare. #ctually, ota$u aren%t the only ones who want

to ma$e boo$s, you $now.

2/ou thin$ soooo? (sshi$i still had a s$eptical voice. 6hen we%re dealing with

cultural things such as doujinshi that were 'oreign in nature to someone li$e (sshi$i,

her impressions were normal.

=ut there were other eamples similar in concept.

2+here are things li$e 'ree newspapers that university students ma$e. +hin$ o'

that, ( said.

/uigahama tapped her hands. 2Oh, so something li$e those things they put up

during school 'estivals.

23Ohh, that ( can understand. (sshi$i nodded as i' she was able to 'orm an image

o' it.

2Gight? =asically, 'ree newspapers are overlyawareQ types o' doujinshi.

29earing you put it li$e that ma$es it sound incredibly ;uestionable, but that%s a

per'ect way to put it3 #s i' remembering something unpleasant, /u$inoshita

pressed rmly against her temple.

6hat a coincidence, when ( mentioned 2overlyaware, my head $ind o' went blan$

there, too.

2(n any case, there might be some =(#S when it comes to *G>> @>6SP#P>GS, but (

thin$ we managed to come to a mutual CO@C>@SFS. O' course, when we%re tal$ing

about *G>> @>6SP#P>GS, it%s on a C#S> =/ C#S> =#S(S, so in order 'or us to reach

a clear #IG>>4>@+, the only thing we can do herea'ter is to loo$ at them each with

+G(#J #@A >GGOG as an (@*JF>@C>G, that way, we can CO44(+ on something with

the result.

2Senpai, what the hec$ are you saying3? (sshi$i winced. (t $ind o' loo$ed li$e she

had bac$ed a 'ew centimeters away 'rom the bac$ o' my chair.

2Oh, sorry. 4y awareness went overboard 'or an instant there3

2(t may have been better i' it had just gone somewhere else instead3 /u$inoshita

sighed in astoundment.

>ither way, we were now all on the same page that doujinshis were hobbyist things.



11/143

People who created 'ree newspapers were more or less no dierent 'rom doujin

circles. (n other words, they were an ota$u genre 'or 2overlyaware types.

(' ( had to say, doujinshis eisted on just the numbers o' genres and on the numbers

o' people.

2So, what $ind o' boo$ are you loo$ing to ma$e? ( as$ed 8aimo$u-a.

9e thought silently 'or a moment. +hen, he li'ted his 'ace with a crisp 'ace and

opened his mouth.

2*umu. ( suppose it%ll have to be a novel3 ( am not $nowledgeable about anything

in particular nor do ( possess the ability to draw.

9is reasons were way too pathetic.

(sn%t it about time you stop with that hac$neyed 2since ( can%t draw, (%ll become a

light novel authorB trend3? #t the very least, ( want you to aim to become a lightnovel author with a proper reason li$e, 2( don%t thin$ (%ll be able to nd employment,

so (%ll become a light novel author insteadB

2(n the end, it%s going to be a light novel3 (' you really want to write one, there%s

plenty o' ways to get them published on the internet. Ji$e what you mentioned

earlier, KJet%s =e a @ovelistB% or whatever. #ctually, ( thin$ you%d have higher

chances o' debuting i' you tried there.

#s rare as it was 'or me, ( gave 8aimo$u-a some constructive advice, but he didn%t

seem very $een about it. 24mm3 ( cannot say ( li$e that place very much.

26hy not? +ry it, it%s pretty darn popular right now, right? Parallel FniverseGeincarnation Peerless CheaGem.

239uh?

+he instant ( uttered that, (sshi$i let out a low voice as i' she was saying, 26hat the

hec$ is this guy saying3?

What’s with that look? ow irritating… *id I say something weird #ust now? (

thought, and it turned out ( did.

+he girls huddled their chairs together in a group and began whispering indeliberation.

2Parallel, Fniverse? Chea? 6hat did he say just now3?

2CheGem3 what%s that?

24aybe he means cheetaras?


12/143

Gened snac$s you%re into there, (sshi$i.

Parallel Fniverse Geincarnation Peerless CheaGem recites the tale o' the protagonist

being reincarnated in a parallel world while building a harem through his peerless,

cheating powers. +ra!, trying to e!lain it made no sense to me at all.

6ell, it%s something that should just be enjoyed by those who li$ed it. +here%s no

need to 'orce'ully eplain it to people who weren%t interested nor was it something

that everyone needed to understand.

Parallel Fniverse Geincarnation Cheating stories were originally similar to light

novels, so it%s ne as as long the people who li$ed them were happy with them.

#nd this didn%t apply to just light novels.

(t applied to everything. 6ords, or even 'eelings.

#s long those things were able to reach the one person you wanted to convey themto or ma$e happy, that%s more than enough.

=ut ( wonder why? (t just wasn%t getting through to 8aimo$u-asan at all.

>ven now, he was ignoring what we were saying and was wriggling his arms and

legs as i' desperately holding something in.

2#rghhhhB +hat is not the issueB (t is not about popularity or how wellreceived it isB (

do not care about that at all, it does not bother me at allB (t%s just, um, you $now?

9ow should ( put itB? ( do not li$e the idea o' being conned to things li$e ran$ings

and standingsB Ji$e, ( do not want people critici-ing my wor$ behind a screen or

somethingB

( was almost deluded into thin$ing he had uttered something cool 'or an instant

there, but there were all sorts o' curious words coming out o' his mouth. #nd one

answer came to mind.

2#hh. 9uh? Ao they display the ran$ings there? 6ell, ( guess it might be a little too

rough seeing how unpopular your wor$ is, huh?

2@oB #bsolutely notB Gan$ings, standings, ratings, and reviews do not bother me in

the slightestB +hings li$e ran$ings are nothing more than a metricB +he rest need

only be covered with courageB said 8aimo$u-a, eagerly.

9owever, in the end, there were just some things you couldn%t cover with courage

alone. 6ith how transparent he was being about the thing he was concerned about,

he was completely seethroughB

23Oh. So, your spirit bro$e 'rom actually submitting something, huh?


13/143

2+hat%s some growth on his part considering the amount o' resolve you%d need to

show something li$e that to the public.

2/ep, yep, he%s got the guts.

/u$inoshita and /uigahama loo$ed both surprised and impressed as they

complimented 8aimo$u-a. =ut just to ma$e sure, you guys were complimenting

him, right? Gight? =ecause ( was completely under the impression you guys were

being incredibly sarcastic thereB +hen again, this was /u$inoshita we%re tal$ing

about here, o' course she%s being sarcasticB

(, however, was in the mood to praise 8aimo$u-a.

6e%re tal$ing about a man who could never even nish a manuscript, much less

submit an entry to the Goo$ie o' the /ear award. 6hile it might%ve been just on the

internet, he still had uploaded his wor$ to a public domain. 6hen ( thin$ about how

there%s going to be other people who%d suer 'rom reading his wor$ besides me, (

'elt ecstatic. >veryone should just suer more. (' everyone suered together, theworld would denitely turn peace'ul.

Or so ( thought, but 8aimo$u-a shoo$ his hand bac$ and 'orth in a rejecting notion.

2@o, ( did nothing o' the sort. (t is my impression a'ter seeing another person%s wor$

get damned to hell.

2Oh, o$ay3

-ooks we’re still a long way %rom world !eace.

+hat%s 8aimo$u-a 'or you. 9is title o' a pathetic wannabe wasn%t 'or show. @o wait,let%s thin$ about it this way& 'or him to be this empathetic 'rom seeing someone

else%s wor$ get bashed to pieces was a testament to his considerable sensitivity.

Surprisingly, he might have the aptitude to become a writer3

9owever, ( personally believe that the most important aspect o' being a light novel

writer wasn%t the ability to write or to compose, and certainly not even a rich

imagination& it%s to not be sensitive.

6hat%s important was to have a mentality o' steel.

/ou wouldn%t lose regardless o' what was said to you& you wouldn%t give in even i'

you didn%t sell& you wouldn%t say anything unnecessary on your blog or +witter& youwouldn%t get carried away even i' you managed to get some sales& you wouldn%t get

disheartened when people moc$ed you& you wouldn%t get involved in disputes o'

one thing or another when they happen& you wouldn%t loo$ directly at a situation

that got out o' hand& you wouldn%t eaggerate your own ability& you wouldn%t

believe in yoursel' 'rom the start& you wouldn%t worry about your 'uture and your

age catching up on you& you wouldn%t cry on a lonely night& you wouldn%t raise your


14/143

epectations when receiving wonder'ul news& you wouldn%t let numbers 'rom other

places bother you& you wouldn%t resign i' you stopped being able to write& you

wouldn%t run away 'rom deadlines& and you wouldn%t 'orget to appreciate your

surroundings.

+hese @#(@#( 1N10 things were necessary components in your mentality tobecome a light novel author.

+he strength o' your mentality7that%s the most important. ( thin$ the light novel s

-ong I ad a -ittle $ister had that written in it. @o, maybe it didn%t. /eah, it probably

didn%t.

=ut since 8aimo$u-a was neither pro'essional nor gutsy, ( had to lead him down a

path that was hassle'reeB 9is mentality was completely li$e plain to'u that (%d

recommend having hot pot this season.

( straightened my posture and cleared my throat. 6ith a voice calmer than normal, (

said, 28aimo$u-a. (t%s li$ely your doujinshi won%t sell a single copy. Aon%t you thin$it%d be less pain'ul i' you loo$ed at reality?

8aimo$u-a stammered, imagining the li$elihood o' that occurring. 6hether it%s

enduring the heat o' the summer convention or the cold o' the winter convention,

the 'eeling o' being by yoursel' at your booth, listening in on the amiable voices o'

the cosplay girls at the nearby booths, watching a huge line 'orm at the circle in

'ront o' you, and loo$ing up at the ceiling because you couldn%t stand 'acing your

own doujinshis that didn%t sell a single copy3 Could 8aimo$u-a handle such a

situation? @o. ( say absolutely not.

>ventually, 8aimo$u-a%s shoulders dropped and as i' mustering out his voice, hesaid, 23/ou have a point.

2(' you%re aiming to become an editor, it%d be more constructive to thin$ o' other

methods instead o' ma$ing a doujinshi.

2*umu3 ( see, ( see3 8aimo$u-a answered honestly as i' his spirit was bro$en

'rom my pressing words. 'ood, good, now I won’t have to worry about making a

dou#inshi with Zaimokuza…

Once 8aimo$u-a who had a loud voice earlier turned docile, the room was

submerged in silence. ( let out a sigh o' relie' now that we had nished this issue. +hen, there was the sound o' crac$ers being chomped.

2=ut hey, how do you even become an editor? said /uigahama, chewing.

8aimo$u-a li'ted his 'ace. 2(ndeed, that is true3

@ow that they brought it up, ( was interested as well.



15/143

2( guess we should loo$ it up3

#s 8aimo$u-a had so elegantly stated earlier, everything was on the internet. +hat

included things that shouldn%t be on there.

2/u$inoshita, let me use the computer.

236e aren%t a computer room. /u$inoshita mumbled as she stood up. She too$ out

the laptop and promptly prepared it 'or me.

( 'aced the laptop loo$ing to as$ Iooglesensei some ;uestions and a chair was

placed down net to me.

6hen ( loo$ed to my right, /u$inoshita was sitting in the chair and digging through

her bag to ta$e out her glasses.

#'ter gently li'ting up her glossy, blac$ hair, she care'ully wore her glasses as i' she

was putting on a tiara.

9er slender and supple ngertips slowly moved away 'rom the 'rame o' her glasses.

6henever she blin$ed, her long eyelashes loo$ed li$e they were close enough to

brush the lenses. Once she had nished preparing, without 'acing anyone in

particular, she nodded and ;uietly scooted the chair in to loo$ at the laptop.

(n doing so, her hair would utter with the sweet 'ragrance o' S#=O@11.

+lose…

6ith her sitting right net to me, ( had this strange, itchy discom'ort that caused me

to wrestle my body to the le't so ( could get com'ortable. =ut when ( did that, mynose was greeted with a 'aint whi o' lingering citrus.

=e'ore ( had even reali-ed, /uigahama made her way around to my le't and was

sitting.

She leaned her body 'orward as i' to rest her chin on the table. >very time our

elbows lightly bumped each other, we%d echange glances telling the other to ma$e

some space.

=ut just when ( thought she%d open up some room, /uigahama would avert her eyes

and our positions would stay the same. (n that case, ( had to do the moving, butwhen ( 'elt the hems o' my bla-er rubbing past her s$irt, ( was unable to move any

'arther.

…+lose.

*urthermore, there was another presence behind me.

(ndoor sandals s;uea$ed against the oor.



16/143

6hen ( turned my head around, (sshi$i was standing behind me. She pee$ed her

head past the tip o' my shoulder to loo$ at the screen o' the computer.

+he sensation o' her hands which she placed on my shoulders as i' to lightly entrust

her weight on mine and her body warmth made me strangely conscious and even

her shallow breathing had reached my ears. +han$s to that, chills ran up my spine.

…-ike I said, you’re too damn close.

6ith my an$s and my rear occupied, my only option was to pitch 'orward.

=ut even my 'ront was sealed o.

8aimo$u-a came directly to my 'ront and loo$ed down on the laptop as i' he was

some $ind o' giant, bald yo$ai.


17/143


18/143

&ou’re too close, get away %rom me.

Pressured in almost all directions, ( huddled my shoulders together while typing in

the $eywords that came to mind. @umerous search results immediately displayed

onscreen.

2# job hunting site with a job hunting bulletin board3 Ohh, a prep school 'or job

searching in publication3 +hey have all sorts o' stu, huh?

2Oh 9i$$i, how about this one?

#s ( scanned several notable lin$s, /uigahama leaned 'orward with her body and

pointed at the screen. +hen, /u$inoshita also inclined her head this way and read

the entry that /uigahama had indicated.

2# journal o' success'ul eperiences3 (t loo$s li$e3 the blog o' someone who

received unoDcial oers 'rom actual publishers. ( suppose that should be ne.

2Senpai, hurry, hurry. (sshi$i rushed me as she tapped my shoulders.

gain, you’re too close. I’m getting all sweaty now too, so could you, like, back u!

/%teen centimeters away %rom me or something…?

( gave 8aimo$u-a a loo$ o' what to do and he nodded. 2Fmu, let us have a loo$B

23#lright, let%s chec$ this one then.

( clic$ed the a'orementioned lin$ and the top page o' the journal o' success'ul

eperiences loaded on the screen.

+he header had “Absolute Best Unofcial Oers! kenken’s Journal o

“Successul Job untin" #$%eriences at &ublishers!! displayed as the title.

239ey, what does it mean by Kbest unoDcial oers%? #re there best and worst

unoDcial oers or something?

29old on.

6hen ( as$ed, /u$inoshita etended out her hand to the mouse 'rom my side. She

opened up a dierent tab and began searching 'or best unoDcial oers and so 'orth.

6hile she was doing that, her long blac$ hair would brush and tic$le the bac$ o' my

hand. @aturally, ( withdrew my hands to my $nees and sat in a wellmannered pose.

Once her search displayed the results, she pointed. 2(t seems li$e it re'ers to an

unpublici-ed ran$ing o' prospective employees within the company. +he best oers

seem to be re'erring to the ones at the top o' those ran$ings. Fpon entry into the

company, they%ll be treated as eecutive trainees and they%ll also have the

advantage in where they are assigned3 or so it says.


19/143

2/ou $now, just hearing Keecutive trainees% gets me a little worried3

That sounds like a sweatsho! i% I ever heard one. (t sounded as worrisome as

slogans li$e 2+he 'eeling o' being at homeB or 2+he young generation are showing

great eortsB @ow ( was becoming concerned about what lie ahead in $en$en%s

'uture.

6ell then, having already witnessed something 'rightening, we might as well 'ollow

along this $en$en or whatever%s path o' glory to see i' he%s able to wonder'ully

become a corporate slave o' a publisher through his best unoDcial oers.

6e scrolled down the screen and decided to read the journal entries one by one.

“Absolute Best Unofcial Oers! kenken’s Journal o “Successul Job

untin" #$%eriences at &ublishers!!

'his blo" (ill )iscuss the %rocess o "ettin" the best unofcial oers rom

%ublishers one b* one!

All ri"hts reser+e) ,kenken

-. /illin" Out 'he Job A%%lication

JA’s a stran"e acron*m0 isn’t it 1lol23

On the a%%lications0 there are stan)ar) 4uestions that ask *ou to %ro+i)ea short 560 *our (ork histor*0 an) *our moti+e or a%%l*in". Besi)es those0

there are also 4uestions uni4ue to e+er* com%an* such as7 (rite an essa*

or come)* skits on three to%ics0 recent ne(s that intereste) *ou0 three

%eo%le (ho are currentl* the center o attention0 *our most embarrassin"

stor* o ailure0 etc8 Sometimes0 the* ha+e eccentric %arts as (ell such as

ha+in" blank (hite %a"es askin" *ou0 “&lease use this s%ace to )escribe

*oursel.

Job ofces also store %ast JA’s as (ell0 so one eecti+e strate"* is to ask

u%%erclassmen rom a seminar or a club to let *ou see theirs!

As an a))en)um0 re"ar)in" the 568

9ecentl*0 there ha+e been man* :ob a%%lications that )o not ha+e a

uni+ersit* name liste)0 so *ou (ill not al(a*s be %ut throu"h an aca)emic

;lter. As a matter o act0 < ha+e cham%ione) the stance a"ainst the +er*

e$istence o aca)emic ;lters rom the start. =an* stu)ents (ho (ere

e$ten)e) unofcial oers rom amous com%anies (ere rom (ell>kno(n


20/143

uni+ersities0 but < eel the reason or this is onl* because sai) stu)ents

ha%%ene) to atten) a (ell>kno(n school an) (as chosen base) on their

hi))en %otential an) not the bran) or stren"th o their alma mater.

&erha%s man* com%anies (ill be"in to recruit %eo%le b* e+aluatin" them

on a much more e4ual an) %ersonal le+el (ithout an* bias.

5on+ersel*0 %erha%s (e0 the :ob seekers0 also shoul) not :u)"e a com%an*

base) on their bran) or their name +alue.


21/143

were going to be just as enthusiastic. :in:i :ids1! or /oshida +erumi1" were the

only ones ( could thin$ o' that had this much energy.

2*umu3 ( see, ( see. ( understand it now, more or less. 9achiman, proceed to the

netB

(t%s doubt'ul that 8aimo$u-a actually really understood anything, but ( nodded bac$

and clic$ed to the net page.

. ?ritten #$ams

=an* %ublishers test on "eneral kno(le)"e0 but there are some (ho "i+e

out S&< tests. 'he* sell (orkbooks or both t*%es o tests0 so it (oul) be

(ise to %re%are (ith them beorehan). /or or)inar* com%anies0 S&< is

re4uire).


22/143

/u$inoshita consolidated the important points and eplained while pushing up her

glasses with her middle nger. =ut 'or /uigahama, it didn%t seem to ma$e much

sense since her mouth was agape.

2Ohhhh3 so you%re saying it%s li$e a psychological test or something? ( totally get

thatB said /uigahama brightly, and she turned towards /u$inoshita.

/u$inoshita then loo$ed away in the opposite direction as i' she had given up on

something. 236ell, ( suppose that understanding is good enough.

2@o, that%s denitely wrong.

2/u$inoshitasenpai, please don%t give up on eplaining3 said (sshi$i.

#s i' having second thoughts, /u$inoshita closed her eyes and started to thin$.

2(( suppose. (%m sure even /uigahamasan can understand i' ( give more thought to

my eplanation. (n a way that /uigahamasan can understand3 (n a way that /uigahamasan can understand3 /u$inoshita muttered in whispers while earnestly

contemplating.

Seeing that, /uigahama%s shoulders dropped. 2/u$inon%s $indness $inda hurts3

6ell, trying to eplain or understand a test you had never ta$en be'ore might be

diDcult. (n this case, you had to ta$e these tests 'or yoursel' to actually understand

them. 6hether we li$e it or not, we all had to ta$e these tests someday

eventually.5ghh, I really don’t want to look %or a #ob…

9owever, it%s reassuring that you could prepare 'or these written eams be'orehand.

(' there%s something diDcult in the process, it%d be the 2interviews that were in the

upcoming entries.

@ow, just how was $en$en going to get past this obstacle? ( proceeded to the net

entry to see what he had in store 'or us.

C. 'he /irst


23/143

+hat was all that was written. &ou’re suddenly neglecting your e!lanations now,

aren’t you, kenken? (ut you’re still making sure to !ut down your resentment

though, aren’t you, kenken?

8aimo$u-a made second loo$s at the meager content.

2Ooohn? 9achiman, is there nothing more written?

2Joo$s li$e it. Jet%s loo$ at the net one.

6ith so little written, there wasn%t much in'ormation we could gain 'rom it.

#'ter chec$ing with /u$inoshita and the others, ( moved the mouse and clic$ed to

the net page.

D. 'he Secon)


24/143

F. 'he 'hir) a"e) men em%lo*ees at

5om%an* . ven in this brie' entry, the 'ear and despair o' how bad it the

interviews went were ;uite apparent.

6e could only imagine it, but interviewing with the employees o' a company sounds

super hard. (' you had a bunch o' distinguished old men with many years undertheir belt wearing blac$ suits with prominent titles li$e board member, company

eecutive, management director, and eecutive director sitting side by side, isn%t

that just S>>J>15? +his wasn%t just any (mpact, it%s the +hird (mpact.

2(t sounds $inda hard3 /uigahama whispered, her voice mied with sympathy and

grie'. (, too, was 'eeling similarly miserable.

2(t loo$s li$e there%s still more3 said /u$inoshita, slightly in pain. (t almost even

sounded as i' she was suggesting us to not loo$ any 'urther.

=ut we had come this 'ar, so we should7no, we had to see it through to the end. (operated the mouse with my sha$ing hand and clic$ed to the nal entry.

H. 'he /inal


25/143

(t%s li$e 'eeling guilty 'rom pee$ing into the small blue print o' a single person%s li'e

or 'eeling helpless a'ter being witness to the 'rontlines in the war o' job hunting.

=ut beyond that, ( 'elt this strong desire o' not wanting to wor$ with the person who

had made this journal. 9e was so 'ull o' enthusiasm at the beginning, but in the

middle, he was mostly just cursing and complaining3

2Fm3 so, li$e, did this person even pass? (sshi$i as$ed in modest.

/uigahama then reali-ed and loo$ed at the display again. 2/ou%re rightB 9e even

called it a Ksuccess'ul eperiences% journal, tooB

2#hh, it%s probably that. +hey basically just write Ksuccess'ul% in advance. (t%s li$e a

rule o' attraction and it%s something li$e image training that overlyaware people

tend to li$e.

2(t sounds more li$e something 'or sel'enlightenment than it is 'or image

training3 said /u$inoshita as she pressed against her temple.

6ell, there certainly was a component about job hunting that pertained to sel'

enlightenment3 ( mean, when we were surng the web earlier, there were these

gaudy phrases li$e sel'reection, sel'PG, the desire to grow, and other stu. Sure, it

might be unavoidable since companies were loo$ing 'or human resources with a

tenacious and strong mentality, but the way everyone was trying to ehibit a

similarly, color'ul personality was etremely unnatural that it%s scary.

"ow that I know this much, it doesn’t sound like an industry I’d be able to work

in… #s my meter o' wor$ desire went roc$ bottom, 8aimo$u-a who was standing in

'ront o' me spo$e to me with a small voice. 29achiman, what is massres? (s thatsomething li$e the Chibadog1N?

2+hey%re nothing ali$e. 6hich Chiba dog are you tal$ing about here?

Chibadog was a character mascot o' the Chiba Pre'ecture >nvironment *oundation

and was a dog based on the geographical shape o' Chiba Pre'ecture. Putting it that

way, you might thin$ it might be similar to C9(=#R:F@, but they%re surprisingly

dierent creatures. Chibadog had dog in its name, yet it didn%t resemble one at all.

#s a matter o' 'act, the mysteriously named creature that loo$ed li$e a dog C9(

=#R:F@ was much more dogli$e. )ust what%s going on with Chiba%s tastes? +his

pre'ecture%s way too roc$y.

Jistening, /u$inoshita tilted her head in thought. 26ell, it%s most li$ely short 'or

mass media research society.

2Gesearch3 (t sounds li$e they%d totally do a lot o' eperiments. /uigahama

murmured as she stared up at the ceiling. She was probably imagining all sorts o'



26/143

related things to research. =ut Iahamasan%s imagination o' wearing a coat while

holding as$s and bea$ers was probably mista$en, ( thin$B

9owever, it%s true that the word 2research didn%t re'er to anything in particular, so

it%s rather hard to imagine it. (t%s easy i' it%s about scientic techni;ues or history,

but 'or mass media research, not much came to mind.

23( guess we should try loo$ing up massres then.

2(ndeed. Ao as you mustB

Since 8aimo$u-a gave me a reassuring agreement while apping his coat li$e

Pro'essor Clar$, ( promptly as$ed Iooglesensei 'or the answer.

( entered a random university name, added a space, and appended 2massres.

#'ter submitting the phrase, there we had it, there we had it. On display were all

these overlyaware phrases. +hey had a photo o' people in suits introducingthemselves decorated with their 'avorite motto along 'or sel'promotion. #'ter that,

there were tons o' comments o' support 'rom their 'riends.

(n addition, there were photos o' them ta$ing a trip to (ndia, mountain climbing at

4ount *uji, a ==E training camp 'or job hunting, so ( had no idea what it was that

they were researching.

( closed my eyes hal'way as ( read because loo$ing at the page directly was just too

much 'or me. >ventually, ( had a general understanding o' what the club was about.

=asically, it was a club that gathered people who sought 'or employment at

television broadcast stations, newspaper companies, or publishers. +here, they%dechange in'ormation and teach other 'oolproo' methods to succeed in securing

employment.

299ey, 9achiman, must ( enter one o' these massres clubs in order to enter a

publisher? 4ust ( really? #bsolutely? 8aimo$u-a trembled in 'ear as he loo$ed upon

the photos o' bliss.

26ell, ( wouldn%t say it%s absolute. ( actually thin$ you%d be better o not joining

something li$e this based on the homepage alone3

(%m sure amongst the many clubs that promoted themselves as mass media oradvertising research societies, there were some who actually did what they were

supposed to do.

=ut just hearing overlyaware stu li$e that made me thin$ o' Sir +amanawa, the

student council president o' :aihin Sogo 9igh, so ( just couldn%t hold a positive

image at all.


27/143

#s ( loo$ed at the website, a particular sentence grabbed my attention.

23#ctually, 8aimo$u-a, ( don%t thin$ you%ll be able to get in.

29m, why?

( pointed at the corner o' the screen. Aisplayed there was, 2>ntrance >am. +heyhad a written test that as$ed general $nowledge ;uestions and the names o'

several club members beside the club president that you needed to interview with.

2#pparently you%ll need to ta$e a written test and go through interviews to join this

massres club or whatever.

( tapped on the relevant part o' the screen with my nger and (sshi$i loo$ed down.

6ith an apathetic voice, she said, 2#hh, ( guess it%s impossible then3

29mhm3 9achiman. ( am not a master when it comes to interviews3

2( $now.

6ore than I’d like to anyway… =ut ( also happened to be pretty poor at interviews.

+here was a time where ( nonchalantly 'ailed an interview o' nothing 'or a parttime

job, so not only did ( run out on my duties at parttime jobs, ( also ran away 'rom

interviews.

#s ( nostalgically drowned in my useless nature as a human being 'rom the past,

(sshi$i stretched out her hands all the way to the laptop 'rom behind me and ddled

with it. She then let out a voice o' reali-ation as i' convinced o' something.

( ;uestioned her with a loo$ wondering what happened. (sshi$i then nodded. 2=utyou $now, wouldn%t /uisenpai totally pass something li$e this?

29uh, why%s that? (%m totally bad with tests, though3 Surprised 'rom the sudden

call, /uigahama let out a discorded voice. #s she loo$ed at (sshi$i with blin$ing eyes,

(sshi$i scrolled down on the screen.

2#h, no. )ust loo$ing at this picture gives me the 'eeling they%re $inda similar to us,

so ( thought it%d be super easy since they%d probably let cute people in.

26ell, that%s 'air.

(' we put aside the written eam, /uigahama seems li$e she%d be good withinterviews. She could probably communicate with those enthusiastic, gogo guys.

6hen ( nodded to (sshi$i%s statement, /uigahama who 'ound it surprising to be

evaluated li$e that blushed. #s she rubbed the hair bun on her head, she shot

glances at me. 2GGeally?


28/143

2/eah. (' it%s you, /uigahama, you seem li$e you could t right in with this annoying

happygoluc$y atmosphere.

2+hat%s your reasonB? ( got happy 'or nothing3 /uigahama dropped her shoulders

and loo$ed away. "o, no, it’s not like I said you weren’t cute or anything, yes. I was

#ust saying that i% it’s you, you could easily /t in with these enthusiastic, go7gouniversity students, yes. It’s #ust, you know, I don’t think it’s a good thing i% you let

those !eo!le drag you into their !ace0

26ell, how about this? Fh, people judge you based on your appearance, but what%s

important is the inside3 (n 'act, (%d say it%s better to avoid these clubs that evaluate

you based on your appearance and enthusiasm. Probably, not that (%d $now.

2>h? 4mm, well, ( guess so. /eah3 /uigahama didn%t seem to be in 'ull agreement,

but she reluctantly nodded and turned bac$ my way.

Jistening 'rom beginning to end, (sshi$i blurted out in a small voice as i' appalled.

23Senpai, you%re super bad at 'ollowing up.

(uzz o8. I% I was good at it, I wouldn’t be ditching my interviews at all.

2(nside, huh3? (n that case, (%m not sure what to thin$ o' a gathering o' only people

with the same values. ( can%t imagine them see$ing to grow i' they%re enclosed in a

homogenous and monopoli-ed environment3 /u$inoshita who had been lending

her ear to the conversation 'rom the side loo$ed at the website and opened her

mouth in doubt.

8aimo$u-a then hit his hand. 239apon. So what you are saying is, i' ( were to give

an eample, a producer o' a certain game company ma$es a game that completelybombs because he readily decided to ma$e a game out o' an original wor$ o' some

other publisher and re'using to publish a game due to how hard it%d be with the

game being copyrighted by other companies due to a certain, super giant publisher

monopoli-ing the game maga-ines3B ( presume it is something o' that nature?

2( have no idea what you%re saying because you%re tal$ing about all this complicated

stu, and (%m sure you%re tal$ing about something entirely else, but that%s probably

it.

( responded appropriately indicating what the hec$ are you tal$ing about7in short,

what the7and 8aimo$u-a made a big nod. 2#s ( thoughtB +he truth is written on theinternet, a'ter allB%

Wow, the internet is amazing. What do you search %or that to come u!? *amn this

master o% search. Still, 'or generations to come, ( had the 'eeling search eperts

would become a necessity. (t%s a talent o' the current generation.


29/143

6hen ( became impressed7in a certain sense7 with him, 8aimo$u-a bla-ed in an

aura o' combativeness. 23Aamn themB So the one truly at 'ault 'or my

undiscovered talent and my inability to ma$e a debut is the evil empire, a certain,

super giant gigantic publisher, and their monopoly o' the mar$etplace, correctB?

2/ou%re wrong.

&eah, yeah, #ust start writing /rst, okay?

6e too$ a brea$ 'or tea time and convened again in 'ront o' the laptop.

Since the earlier 2#bsolute =est FnoDcial OersB $en$en%s )ournal o' 2Success'ul

)ob 9unting >periences at PublishersBB wasn%t very in'ormative, we decided to

loo$ 'or other similar websites.

On some o' the job hunting websites, there were comments 'rom people with actual jobs and company application overviews, so they turned out to be good re'erences.

#nd on them, we came across some shoc$ing gures.

2+he success rates 'or major publishers are really cra-y3 +housands o' people

apply and only 'teen o' them are employed3?

2+here%s no precise number on the total number o' applicants since it isn%t 'ormally

announced, but it should be about two hundred to three hundred times that

amount.

#'ter hearing the numbers /u$inoshita gave 'rom an approimate calculation, /uigahama sighed in admiration. 26oow, becoming an editor sounds really tough.

2+his is just the total number o' people employed, so i' we ta$e other department

assignments into consideration, the number o' people who can become a publishing

editor should be less.

/u$inoshita%s statement was plausible. +here are li$ely people who belonged to

general aairs and sales operations, so the editorial department should vary as

well. *or the light novel division that

8aimo$u-a was aiming 'or in particular, there%d be at most one or two people. *ornew employees, i' they got unluc$y, it%s possible they wouldn%t be delegated to any

departments.

244mph3 IIununu3 (' that is how things are, becoming a light novel author

seems 'ar simpler3

24aybe.


30/143

(' we consider the success rates alone, it might just be easier to wor$ as a light

novel author 'or IaIaIa =un$o. +hey didn%t interview light novel authors there,

a'ter all.

6hile we%re at it, we might as well chec$ on the success rates o' ma$ing your debut

as a light novel author at IaIaIa =un$o. 6hen ( reached my hand out to search,my hand was grabbed 'rom behind.

2SSenpai, plplease wait a moment.

(sshi$i%s voice was trembling when she stopped my hand.

26h6hat%s wrong? ( as$ed.

Ioing 24mB 4mB, (sshi$i wagged the tip o' her nger and pointed at the screen.

2Joo$ at thisB Joo$B

What’s the deal…? ( thought. 6hen ( loo$ed, she was pointing at a comment made

by an employee 'rom a certain publisher. 9e introduced himsel' and provided

in'ormation on his job< the university he graduated 'rom, what his job entailed, an

approimate time schedule o' one wor$ing day a wee$, and so 'orth. #s ( 'ollowed

the lines one by one, my eyes stopped at one.

2# salary o' ten million yen at age twenty ve3

&ou’ve got to be lying, no way. 6a#or !ublishers really are amazing… 9nly three

years out o% university and he was already making that much? 9n to! o% that, he

gets raises while he gets !aid that salary? This guy’s like a total winner…

( sat there trembling in shoc$ and ( could hear deep breathing noises 'rom behind.

6hen ( turned around, (sshi$i placed her le't hand to her chee$ and showed a sweet

and poppy smile. 2(%m going to marry a publishing editor.

2@o, wait, calm down. (' anything, (%m the one that%s going to marry a publishing

editor.

2/ou%re the one that needs to calm down3

6hen /u$inoshita told me in disbelie', ( came bac$ to my senses. (ndeed, ( might%ve

lost my composure there. On second thought, ten million yen wasn%t that ama-ing.(%m 9achiman, so that means there%s eighty thousand o' me. +hat was eactly

enough 'or one hundred and twentyve o' me. (magine how annoying it%d be with

that many o' me. +hat%s why ten million wasn%t that big o' a dealB ( was more than

enough by mysel' and it%s eactly because ( was alone that there was valueB

#s ( nodded to my own mysterious logic used to convince mysel', /uigahama on the

side groaned. 2>ditor3 >ditor, huh3 4mm3


31/143

26ell, isn%t having some $ind o' goal in itsel' a good thing? (%ve been trying hard

everyday towards my goal since a while ago, a'ter all.

29oh, a goal3 ( gave (sshi$i a scrutini-ing glance to see what she truly meant

when she had uttered something so unli$e her.

=ut there, she placed her inde nger to her chin and tilted her head. 2O' course, (

plan on retiring a'ter several years by getting married, you $now?

2)ust where eactly are you putting in the eort3? said /u$inoshita, sighing.

(sshi$i pued her chee$s. 2( mean, (%m not very good at studying and there isn%t

anything ( want to do3

2( totally get you. (%m li$e that, too3 /uigahama dropped her shoulders and

slumped over. (sshi$i conrmed with her 'rom behind. #nd as i' reali-ing something,

she li'ted her head and loo$ed at /u$inoshita.

2Oh, but /u$inoshitasenpai, you seem li$e you%ll jump straight into wor$ing.

/u$inoshita blin$ed her eyes to her unepected statement.

2(%m3 /u$inoshita stumbled, thin$ing the subject wouldn%t be directed to her. 9er

open lips were on the verge o' saying something only to be promptly sealed shut.

6hen she averted her eyes down, her long eyelashes curved downwards. (n doing

that, her hair smoothly swayed, giving a glimpse o' her slender nec$ as well as

highlighting her white s$in, causing me to instinctively catch my breath.

9er hands that were atop her s$irt in a wellmannered 'ashion moved ever soslightly and she delicately s;uee-ed her ngers little by little.

2( wonder. +hat%s what ( thought be'ore3 =ut now, (%m not so sure yet, /u$inoshita

li'ted her 'ace and said, wearing a smile as though she was embarrassed.

26ell, ( guess sooo. (t%s still something much later in the 'uture, a'ter all. (sshi$i

said lightheartedly.

(sshi$i stated lightheartedly, but no voice 'ollowed a'ter hers.

( thin$ /uigahama and ( hadn%t been listening to her.

=ecause /u$inoshita%s answer had been a little unepected.

+here weren%t very many students who could give a straight'orward answer

regarding their 'utures. 9owever, ( thought7just somewhat vaguely7that

/u$inoshita had already properly thought out her 'uture. Perhaps ( might%ve just

been selshly 'orcing my illusions on her, but even so, an unusual sense o'

discom'ort was lodged in my heart.


32/143

( rested my chee$s in my hands on the table and made a sidelong glance at

/u$inoshita. 6hen she noticed, she tilted her head curiously at me, waiting 'or me

to say something.

She loo$ed at me in;uisitively with an 2um3 and ( lightly shoo$ my head, telling

her that it%s nothing. She then retracted her chin and nodded bac$.

…Well, even &ukinoshita’s #ust a second year in high school. There’s nothing wrong

with her not having /gured out what she wanted to %or the %uture yet. In %act, i%

she’s choosing not to say anything because it’s still unclear to her, that can be her

reason, too.

6hen ( reached that point in my mind, ( gulped down the sense o' discom'ort and

moved my ga-e 'orward.

4y eyes then met with 8aimo$u-a who had been groaning with his arms crossed.

29achiman, what about you?

29m, me?

2( don%t thin$ there%s any point in as$ing 9i$$i3 /uigahama loo$ed at me with cold

eyes and ( nodded bac$.

26ell, ( guess. *undamentally, ( want to be a 'ulltime house husband.

2/ep, ( $new it3

2( suggest loo$ing up what K'undamentally% means3

/uigahama hung her head while /u$inoshita pressed her temple with closed eyes. +here, (sshi$i tapped my shoulder. 6hen ( turned around, her eyes spar$led and as

i' to tal$ in secret, she placed her hand to her mouth and whispered near my ears.

2Senpai, ( recommend becoming an editor.

2( won%t become one, ( won%t wor$, and ( won%t loo$ 'or a job. ( answered, while

twisting my body to get away 'rom the uy smell o' #nna Sui and her tic$lish

breaths.

2=esides, it%s not that easy to become a publishing editor. 6ell, i' you started trying

hard now, then that%s a dierent story.

2Fmuu, 'or just how many years must ( try 'rom this point on3 +hat sounds

pain'ul3

8aimo$u-a held his head as he groaned. Suddenly, his eyes shot open, his bac$

straightened, and he roared.


33/143

23(ndeed, it is not an easy 'eat to become a light novel authorB ( $new it, light novel

authors are @F4=>G O@>B @ow then, 9achiman, we cannot dawdle any longerB Jet

us begin on a new piece o' wor$B

=e'ore he nished, 8aimo$u-a ran to the door. 9e stopped at the door and then

turned around. 29achimaaanB 9urry, hurryB

6ith how he was hopping up and down and calling to me, he clearly loo$ed li$e

someone suspicious, but 'or him to have that $ind o' cheer'ul smile, it%s a mystery

why it 'elt so pleasant.

26hy don%t you go with him?

2/ep, yep.

/u$inoshita and /uigahama said with wry smiles.

236ell, (%m in charge o' him, so ( guess ( ought to. ( deliberately stated to give upand ma$e my decision and stood up.

#t the same time, as 'or (rohasu, she was ddling with the computer and searching

something.

2( wonder i' 'ree newspapers are pretty easy to do3?

&ou are way too indi8erent towards Zaimokuza, you know…

+he s$y ( ga-ed up at 'rom the window seat was blue and re'reshingly clear. /etstrangely enough, it 'elt aw'ully blea$ and didn%t 'eel warm at all. Perhaps this was

the eects o' the noiseless atmosphere in the library.

6ith no other patrons besides us, the library a'ter school was near empty. (t%s li$ely

there%s a library assistant beyond the circulation des$, but the person showed no

signs o' appearing.

Sitting to my diagonal opposite, 8aimo$u-a had been grinding his mechanical pencil

against his notes 'or a while now, but eventually halted.

>ither he had run out o' steam or was all out o' ideas, 8aimo$u-a momentarily sat

there in a da-e. Suddenly, he said, 2*umu, must ( become a light novel author in theend, a'ter all3? ( will be unable to marry a voice actor.

2/ou%re ecluding most occupations i' marrying a voice actor is a musthave

re;uirement, you $now3 Publishing editors are on the same boat.


34/143

2( see. =eing a light novel author is no good and becoming a publishing editor is

also impossible3 said 8aimo$u-a, groaning. =ut then, his eyes ashed and he

stood up yelling in a strange voice.

2( have got itB (n that case, this means the today%s modern era is all about directorsB

( will ma$e an animeB Aondondonuts, let%s go nutsB1

9is bawling voice echoed throughout the ;uiet library room. ( couldn%t help but

brea$ into a bitter smile when the echoing stopped.

236ell, i' that ma$es you happy, that%s ne. ( said.

8aimo$u-a blin$ed in surprise. 24u, why are you saying something an old boy'riend

would say3? 99ey, stop that. 66e%re not in that $inda relationship, right3?

2Aon%t get all red and nervous, that%s really gross. ( just gave up on you, idiot.

6hatever, just get to writing. ( can%t go home.

24u. +rue3 *ine, let%s get to writing.

8aimo$u-a%s energy 'rom when he screamed out had up and vanished somewhere

and then he turned dejectedly obedient. #s he pulled his shoulders in together, he

began writing something on his notes. 9hh, I guess you still !lan on writing your

light novel, huh? ow sur!rising.

>ven the 8aimo$u-a who ehibited no signs o' growth was changing little by little.

#lthough he was traveling on all $inds o' paths li$e escape paths, short paths,

circular paths, and so 'orth, he was aiming 'or his destination. +hough in

8aimo$u-a%s case, his destination o' marrying a voice actor was more or lessdoomed.

=ut even so, just li$e how he%d nish his writing word by word and sentence by

sentence, he%d continue to accumulate years in his li'e and would mar$ his eventual

departure 'rom his nest.

+here%s roughly only about one year until ( graduated 'rom high school. #'ter that,

assuming ( was to ma$e it through prep school and university without a hitch, it%d

be approimately ve years until my entry into society.

*ive years.

(t sounded li$e an incredible amount o' time, yet it 'elt li$e it would go by in the

blin$ o' an eye. ( thin$ that as we continue to grow, the period o' a year gradually

becomes shorter and shorter. #nd surely enough, the length o' this year o' time

wouldn%t be the same as the net years to come.

#nd (%m certain that it wasn%t just the length, but also their values.



35/143

(t%s possible that this trivial moment as ( ga-ed up at the blea$ s$y might have some

$ind o' value.

+hat%s why 'or now, ( thin$ (%ll continue to loo$ up at this parched, yet beauti'ul s$y

'or a little longer.

Chapter !

Surely,


36/143

+he heater that was installed in the clubroom had been put to use 'or a

considerable amount o' time. 6ith it operating 'or so long, it was seemingly starting

to show signs o' wear. >ither the 'an got stuc$, the motor had issues, or the 'rame

was warped somewhere.

#round the time it became evening a'ter school, our little heater started ma$ingpeculiar noises as i' to announce the end o' club activities.

( didn%t pay it much attention since ( had been 'ocused on reading and listening to

/uigahama and /u$inoshita chatting. +hough the instant they went ;uiet, the noise

became audible.

/u$inoshita who had her ga-e dropped to her paperbac$ boo$ stopped turning the

pages o' her boo$ and loo$ed at the heater near the window. +he same noise was

apparently bothering her as well.

23(t%s rather peace'ul today, isn%t it?

2( $now, right? (t%s $inda relaing.

/uigahama stretched out her hand, which had been ddling with her cellphone, to

her mug. Similarly, ( grabbed my teacup and gulped down the tea lac$ing in

warmth.

#'ter we both breathed out with satis'action, the clon$ing noise lled the room that

turned silent once again. >ven /uigahama eventually 'ound the heater concerning

and loo$ed at it.

6e never really did notice how incessant the noise o' the heater was. (t might%vebeen because (sshi$i had dropped by so o'ten recently.

O' course, it%s not because she%s annoying or loud or noisy or tal$ative, but our

attention naturally shi'ted to something else whenever she wasn%t around. #nd

every time (sshi$i visited us, she%d bring some $ind o' good'ornothing re;uest, so

things just end up becoming hectic.

So with all that had happened, it%s been a while since the room had been this

peace'ul.

#s ( helped mysel' to warm tea and sweets, (%d read my boo$ absentmindedly while

listening the echange between a collected voice and a cheery voice, occasionallycontributing with my own.

@o visitors, no wor$, only a mellow atmosphere. =ecoming 'amiliar with this

situation made it seem more li$e your regular every day o' trivialities, but even so,

it%s a wonder'ul 'eeling being able to eperience it a'ter so long. =ecause o' that,

the persistent noise o' the heater was li$e the sound o' a light shower in the early

a'ternoon, resembling a rhythm with elegance.


37/143

( closed my boo$ and loo$ed towards the window while listening to the noise o' the

heater.

( ga-ed into the sunset absentmindedly and /u$inoshita spo$e up.

2Shall we call it a day?

2Oh yeah, it doesn%t loo$ li$e anyone%s gonna come, anyway, /uigahama replied.

She too$ the last coo$ie going, 2Jast coo$ie%s mineB and started cleaning up the

tea ca$es.

/u$inoshita and ( promptly got ready to head home while chec$ing that the doors

were loc$ed. (n addition to conrming the loc$ed windows, ( moved my hand to the

switch o' the heater.

2Iood wor$, ( said, and ipped the switch. Fpon turning it o, the clon$ing halted.

Considering the cold season was going to continue 'or a little longer, it might not

hurt to as$ 9iratsu$asensei to see i' we could get the heater eamined andrepaired.

#'ter adjusting our coats and scarves, we eited into the hallway. /u$inoshita loc$ed

the door to the room.

6ith this, today%s business hours were now over.

@ow that wor$ was over, all that%s le't was to head straight home. 6hen we wal$ed

down the hallway o' the special building away 'rom the clubroom, /uigahama

shivered and adjusted the 'ront o' her coat. 23/i$esB +he hallway%s 'ree-ingB

+he emptiness o' the hallway wasn%t the reason why it had been so cold. (t 'elt li$e achill was crawling upwards starting 'rom my 'eet. ( s;uee-ed my scar' and tightened

it.

2( guess it%s just more noticeable since the room was pretty warm.

2+he hallway isn%t installed with heaters, a'ter all. /u$inoshita trotted 'orward as i'

telling her to deal with it. /uigahama was wal$ing beside her and had a

contemplative 'ace while rubbing her scar'.

24mm3 Oh, ( $nowB she said, and then hugged /u$inoshita%s arm. 2(t should be a

little warmer i' ( do thisB

2//uigahamasan, wait just a moment. /u$inoshita staggered, her voice

sharpening and her eyes becoming resistant. =ut a'ter she saw /uigahama%s melting

'ace, she sighed and gave in.

23Ooooh, so warm.

2(t%s hard to wal$3


38/143

(n reality, their temperatures shouldn%t have been all that dierent, but apparently

their heat indees were. :ust the sight o% those two is enough to warm me u!0

>ven a'ter /u$inoshita had returned the $ey to the 'aculty oDce, /uigahama

continued to glue hersel' to her.

( 'ollowed the two who were tangled around each other and advanced through the

hallway that led to the entrance. On the way there, a 'amiliar 'ace appeared 'rom

inside the student council room.

2Oh, it%s (rohachan. /ahallo. /uigahama li'ted her le't hand and waved, her right

hand still grasping onto /u$inoshita%s arm. #'ter noticing her, (sshi$i rushed over to

us.

2#hh, good evening. (%m glad you%re all still here.

26e%re already on our way home, /u$inoshita said, /uigahama still attached to her.

&ou’d think these two were ;irting i% you saw them %rom a%ar… #t this point, it

wouldn%t be odd to nd them strange, but that%s (sshi$i 'or you. She must%ve gotten

used to it because she didn%t seem particularly 'a-ed and answered bac$ li$e

normal. 2( was also done with some things on my end as well, so ( was thin$ing (%d

drop by or something.

2Aid you need something?

2/es, ( do actually, (sshi$i said, nodding. #s i' being wary o' /u$inoshita and

/uigahama, she motioned to me and whispered, 2Senpai, can ( bother you 'or a

second?29uh? /eah3 sure3 ( sent a loo$ to /u$inoshita and /uigahama telling them to

head on home rst and they nodded bac$. 6ith (sshi$i pulling me along by my

sleeve, we approached the window at the end o' the hallway.

+he s$y was colored in twilight and the wind that slapped the window seemed cold.

6ith her bac$ 'acing the window, (sshi$i apprehensively as$ed, 2Fm, senpai, what%s

going on with the wor$ ( as$ed you 'or help with be'ore? (%d li$e to come to a

decision on it already3

29m, yeah. ( got it. (%ll do something about it.

9earing 2wor$ caused me to respond mostly with the motivation that a corporate

slave would have. It’s kind o% a !roblem i% I have to talk about work on my way

home. Today’s $ervice +lub business hours were over. 2lease come back another

day with your re


39/143

( turned around a'ter giving a vague, lu$ewarm response and (sshi$i%s voice came at

me 'rom behind. 2Oh. +hen, is it o$ay i' we meet tomorrow at ten in the morning in

'ront o' Chiba Station?

29uh? +omorrow? ( turned around instinctively and chec$ed.

+omorrow was a day o. +he 9i$igaya household adopted the system o' two 'ull

days o' wee$ly holidays. So i' ( was told to rest, ( was going to rest. 9owever, the

problem was that the Service Club adopted the system o' two days o' wee$ly

holiday. +hese two systems happened to be dierent. +he more you $now. #nyway,

that means whenever Service Club duties were brought up, ( had this 'eeling o'

needing to wor$ even on Saturdays and Sundays. 9n second thought, that’s not

even a system o% two days o% weekly holiday, is it? What’s with this sweatsho!

club…?

2@o, ( don%t thin$ tomorrow%s going to wor$3

( gave an appropriate response 'or the time being to ensure my wee$ends and(sshi$i moved her inde nger to her chin and tilted her head. 2=ut ( doubt there%s

anything to do though?

2Aon%t give me that, you thin$ (%d $now3?

(t%s been bugging me every time, but why does (sshi$i always tal$ under the

assumption ( $new everything? Ji$e (%d $now what her plans were. ( don%t $now

everything, ( just $now what ( $now.1

#'ter telling her, (sshi$i slyly pued her chee$s. 2( mean, it%s senpai we%re tal$ing

about.

2Oh, you were tal$ing about me3 6ait, why is this about me now? (sn%t this $ind o'

weird? 6ell, you%re right that ( don%t have anything to do though3

2See, ( $new it. (n that case, (%ll be counting on you tomorrow. (%m loo$ing 'orward to

seeing you in action, senpaiB (%ll be ecusing mysel' now.

2SSure3

(sshi$i made a bright smile, ended the conversation, and waved her hands in

goodbye. IoshB (rohasu, that%s such a nice smileB /our 'ace was telling me you

wouldn%t let me say no, as$ any ;uestions, or chec$ over the details with you at allB

w cra!, did I make some kinda !romise or something…? I% she mentioned work, I

think Isshiki should’ve asked me %or hel! with something… w cra!, I, like, totally

ain’t got a clue, man…

9aving been coerced by (sshi$i%s smile, ( started wal$ing towards the entrance.

https://kyakka.wordpress.com/yahari-light-novel/volume-10-5/chapter%202/#fn-2729-1https://kyakka.wordpress.com/yahari-light-novel/volume-10-5/chapter%202/#fn-2729-1


40/143

#'ter wal$ing a 'ew steps, ( glanced around bac$ at (sshi$i and she was still waving

her hand with a smile.

6ell, it%s me we%re tal$ing about here. (t%s possible she was just saying something

whatever was necessary 'or the time being li$e ( did earlier. (n 'act, that seems li$e

the only possibility. +he details were the issue3

=ut unable to remember a single thing, ( buried my 'ace into my scar' and pued

while thin$ing, but nothing ultimately came to mind.

( wrac$ed my brain while heading to the entrance and ( could see /uigahama and

/u$inoshita idly chatting in place. (t loo$s li$e ( made them wait 'or me.

2#hh, sorry. /ou guys could%ve just gone home without me3 ( said.

/uigahama vigorously spun around when ( called out to them. (n that moment, she

dragged /u$inoshita along with her, still holding onto her. &ou know what she

reminded me o%? -ike a dog who suddenly started moving around on its own in themiddle o% a walk.

26e weren%t eactly waiting. Ji$e, it%s just a'ter /u$inon and ( were tal$ing, we $inda

stood around3 right?

23( suppose. /u$inoshita abruptly turned her 'ace away when /uigahama as$ed

her. Seeing her act li$e that was similar to a cat who disli$ed being hugged.

2Oh. 6ell, you $now3 than$s 'or that.

( than$ed them and they both shoo$ their heads. Seeing their truly trivial gestures

was oddly embarrassing that ( wal$ed out a'ter slipping on my loa'ers.

6hen we made it outside, it was already dar$ around us. (t may have been nearing

the rst day o' spring, but it loo$s li$e we had to wait a little longer be'ore the day

got longer.

#s we headed to the main gate 'rom the entrance, /uigahama wal$ed beside me.

26hat did (rohachan say?

26ell, ( really don%t $now3 #pparently it%s 'or wor$, but ( really don%t $now3

2+hat%s not a very clear eplanation3 /u$inoshita said with disbelie' and a smile,wal$ing a step 'rom behind us.

9owever, it%s a 're;uent occurrence 'or wor$ to not come with very good

eplanations. #s a matter o' 'act, the current Service Club activities were more or

less given no eplanation whatsoever3 +hough, since ( had undergone situations

where having an eplanation be'orehand would%ve made everything much easier,

having reports, communication, and consultations were really important, a'ter all.


41/143

9ec$, you didn%t even need to wor$ as long you had those. (magine i' some

important person told you something, you could just snap bac$ at him with, 2( made

sure to report, communicate, and consult with you, didn%t (B? /ou might be able to

avoid responsibility that wayB

So with that in mind, let%s try to s$ip out on wor$ tomorrow, tooB

# day o with clear winter s$ies. +he 'ront o' Chiba Station was bustling with

activity.

( imagine the city area was much worse, but this chaos was more than enough 'or

me since ( very rarely go out on the wee$ends.

( made a sidelong glance at the people going bac$ and 'orth through the 'ront o' the

station and chec$ed the time. (t was ten 'teen in the morning.

(t was already past the appointed time and (sshi$i was still nowhere to be seen. #s

much as (%d li$e to conrm the time with (sshi$i, ( didn%t have her number and was

out o' luc$.

6hen you said to meet in 'ront o' Chiba Station, that should unmista$ably be the

east entrance, but it%s possible that it meant the west entrance instead3 @o, it%s

probable that it could re'er to the :eiseiChiba Station as well. #'ter all, they used to

call the :eiseiChiba Station, the @ational Chiba Gailway =ront Station7seriously3

which station was it? +he word 'ront was in its name3 (' not that, there%s also @ishi

Chiba Station, 9igashiChiba Station, 9onChiba Station, ShinChiba Station, Chiba

4inato Station, Chiba:oen Station, ChibaChuuei Station, or perhaps, Chiba@ewtown Station and the ridiculous number o' lines with Chiba in their names. *or

Chiba beginners, this might just be a tad too diDcult to process.

6hen someone 'rom Chiba Pre'ecture or Chiba City said, 2(%m going to Chiba& ma$e

no mista$e, they were saying they were going to chec$ around the area o' Chiba

Station. +his might not be very intuitive to people 'rom other regions. Say, 'or

people 'rom 9o$$aido, you%d have no idea what they were re'erring to when they

stated, 2(%m going to 9o$$aido. Or 'or people 'rom +o$yo, 2(%m going to +o$yo

sounded as i' they were going to chase their dreams and becoming something =(I.

So as ( thought about how meeting at the 'ront o' the station in Chiba meant here, (stomped on the oor to divert my attention 'rom the cold while waiting. +hen, within

the waves o' people, ( could see (sshi$i.

6earing a 'ur scar', her beige coat was tightly -ipped up at the 'ront. 6ith her boats

rmly worn at her 'eet and a short, plaited s$irt, she didn%t appear to be very cold.

9er boots with slightly raised heels wea$ly struc$ the ground.


42/143

Once she noticed me, she jogged over. #'ter wrapping her scar' around her nec$

again, ddling with her bangs and letting out a small breath, she li'ted her 'ace.

2(%m sorry 'or ma$ing you wait. (t too$ a while 'or me to get ready3

2@o, ( seriously had to wait, ( said in discontent with the adding meaning,Irohasu,

you’re soooo slow.

(sshi$i 'rowned. 2Fm, aren%t you supposed to say you just got here3? 6e%re going

on a date, a'ter all.

23# date?

"ow that’s a word you don’t hear every day… Could this be something similar to

that ritual where you had to so'ten up a rampaging spirit by accompanying her3?

!#nd then there would be a battleB Or something li$e that. /eah right, li$e there

would be any battles. Ienerally spea$ing, a date meant an outing between a boy

and a girl.

Oregairu Vol 10.5

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