I Was Supposed to Be Giving Love Advice on the School Radio, but Before I Knew It, the Beautiful Girls at School Were Hitting on Me
For a while, a real silence flowed through the broadcast room. I remained silent, and Sensei smiled cynically at me.
“My goodness, you’re so shocked you can’t even make a sound.”
“No, I just can’t speak ’cause of how shallow your proposal is.”
“How so !”
Sensei stood up from her chair suddenly.
“I was wondering what you’d bring up…so it’s about love after all…”
“Love is great ! High school students think about love all the time, whether they’re awake or asleep, right?”
“No, I think it depends on the person……”
The confidence she had earlier was now gone.
Giving me a dissatisfied look, Sensei cleared her throat and sat back down in her chair.
“You know, the weak point of your radio is its stability.”
“Haa, stability…….”
“Yes, you’re too serious, for better or worse. It’s good enough to listen to it as white noise for work, but it’s not stimulating enough to listen to it properly.”
“That is…….”
It was very graphic.
Until last year, the seniors were a mess, for better or worse, and I was trying hard to get them back on track, and it was paying off.
“I think this is because high school students are overwhelmed with content and are no longer interested in bland radio.”
“So you’re saying you’re going to add a romantic element…..”
“Good idea, right?
“Well……”
For a spur-of-the-moment idea, it was unexpectedly well thought out.
If love were to become the theme of a school radio program, it would be exciting, combining the familiarity and anonymity of radio.
But…..
“Making a story about love, you say……”
“What? Are you afraid of failing?”
“No, well, it’s not impossible though…”
She is an optimistic teacher. But I couldn’t have the same hit-or-miss spirit as she did.
“To be honest, I’m worried that if I create a strange romance section, these people will leave…….”
What stuck in my mind were the three letters I had on hand. They have written to me almost every time since I started doing radio by myself.
If I did a romance section, wouldn’t they think I was ‘taking the easy way out’…..?
As I was worrying, Sensei sighed.
“You know, you’re too serious in that way.”
“Eh?”
“Kageyama. The broadcasting club needs to change. I know that these guys are important, but if the school radio show ends because of that, then it’ll be counterproductive.”
“……”
Sensei gets up from her chair and leans over the table where I’m sitting.
“The most important thing you should be thinking about right now is not your audience. It’s about keeping you on the radio.”
“I see……”
My mind replayed the days I had spent in the broadcasting club like a slideshow.
After a moment of silence, I slowly began to speak.
“…….I understand, I will do everything I can.”
Hearing my answer, Sensei smiled.
“Well said.”
She patted me on the shoulder, stretched, and returned to her swivel chair.
“But what exactly do you mean by adding a romantic element? Like a mini-drama?”
“I wish I could get the drama club to cooperate, but I don’t know if they will. How about a love counseling section for now?”
“I see. Love counseling…..”
I’ve never heard of a stand-alone section, but it’s not unheard of for a radio station to offer advice on love.
“If that’s decided, we need to start recruiting right away ! We need to gather some easy-going people so that everyone who hears us will mistakenly think, ‘Could that be me?'”
“But I don’t have any romantic experience that I can talk about. I’ve never had a girlfriend.”
I’ve been without a girlfriend for as long as I can remember, so I don’t think I’d be able to give any proper advice when I hear other people talk about love.
But Sensei was in a good mood, spinning around in her chair.
“It’s all right, just say something that sounds like it ! The people who post on the radio don’t want advice, they just want a push.”
“You say it so plainly, Sensei…….”
It was an optimistic thought, which was hard to believe that she was the advisor of this project.
“So you should just broadcast as you always have without worrying too much. I’m sure inspiration will come to you.”
“I hope so…….”
“Come on, come on, hurry up. Let’s put it on the air before the lunch break is over, and we’ll start the love advice section as early as next week !”
Sensei’s energy pushed me to sit down in the broadcast booth again. I turned on the player I had placed nearby for easy access and played the usual jingle.
I looked at Sensei, unable to shake off my anxiety, and saw her eating yakisoba bread with a look of triumph on her face. ……How carefree.
But my irritation with Sensei mysteriously eased my nerves.
“Hello everyone, this is the Akihito High School Broadcasting Club presenting [Open Radio !] I’m Kageyama, the MC. The broadcast just ended, but this time I have an announcement to make to you all: we, Open Radio, are going to open a new section, the love counseling center !”
I started to speak with my gears up, hoping to get the message across to as many people as possible.
“I’d like to talk about how the girl in the seat next to me looks cute…..or how cool he is working hard at his club activities ! or whatever the topic is, it’s ok. Why don’t you anonymously tell your love secret that you can’t tell anyone over the radio? Maybe you can get through to that girl you’re interested in….! I’ll put the details on the bulletin board, so we’re looking forward to hearing from you～”
The microphone was turned off and the broadcast ended with a jingle. I’m feeling a little tired…….
“Good job, you did a great job.”
“Thank you…….”
I received the tea that Sensei had apparently bought somewhere. The crackling sound that came from the lid as it was opened was strangely comforting.
“I wonder if a letter will come…”
“I have a feeling this project is going to be successful.”
“You feel……”
Sensei slapped me on the back, so hard that I nearly spit out the tea I was drinking.
“Don’t worry, my instincts are often right.”
“Haa, I believe you.”
–I honestly didn’t think this section was going to be a hit. I was hoping that there would be a certain number of people who took the broadcast seriously in the first place.
But this broadcast was the beginning of it all.
“Hmmm…….”
At the same time, in a different classroom, there were beautiful girls smiling fearlessly.
For these girls, who had been listening to the radio all day, it was a unique opportunity.
“Oh no, lunch break is over already !”
Unaware that such a thing was happening, I was alone in the broadcast room hurriedly shoveling down the rest of my lunch……
Maitoshi