I Managed to Bring Down the Entire Family of That Impossible-To-Conquer S-Class Beauty, Completely Filling in Her Outer Moat
โWatarai-kun, sorry to keep you waiting! Let’s head home.โ
Searching for hobbies with China sanโฆ I’d lost count of how many we’d tried.
One day, when counting them became too much trouble, we met at the school gate.
โSo today we’re doing something we can do on the way home?โ
โExactly. To put it bluntlyโฆ let’s immerse ourselves in nostalgia!โ
โNostalgic? Like doing something nostalgic?โ
โExactly. It’s fun to return to your childhood too.โ
โWhat exactly are we doing?โ
China san tilted her head slightly and asked that.
I pointed at the ground and gave my answer.
โThat thing where stepping outside these white lines on the road means death.โ
โWow, nostalgic! Maybe since elementary schoolโฆโ
โI found a route home where hardly anyone walks, so no need to worry about people seeing us. Let’s go, Team Member China!โ
โR-right! Captain Watarai-kun!!โ
We walked along the white lines, hopping across the crosswalk. Slowly, as if tracing past footsteps.
Before we knew it, we’d walked all the way near the river. Might as well play over there too, since we’re here.
โHave you ever skipped stones, Chisato?โ
โHmmโฆ? Maybe not. Let’s try it!โ
โAs you wish.โ
We descended the stairs to the riverbank, found a promising stone, and tossed it onto the water’s surface.
As for China, she’d become this weird person throwing rocks into the river.
After playing with skipping stones for a while, we’d had our fill and started heading back up the stairs.
But now was the time to soak in the nostalgia.
โChina san, let’s play rock-paper-scissors.โ
โAh, you meanโฆ sure!โ
We faced each other at the bottom of the stairs and played rock-paper-scissors.
I threw paper, and Chinatsu threw scissors.
โThen I’ll go firstโฆ Chi, Yo, Ko, Re, I, To!โ
It’s that game where you play rock-paper-scissors and then race up the stairs.
โYou got the first move, but I’ll make a comeback from here!!โ
โHeheโฆ I won’t lose!โ
In the end, I was crushed without moving a single step.
Behind her at the top of the stairs stood towering cumulonimbus clouds against a blue backdrop. Proof that summer was just around the corner.
Somehow, I found myself asking her a question.
โโฆChina-san. Have you found any hobbies yet?โ
โHmm. Still nothing that really stands out, so I guess I don’t know yetโฆโ
โI seeโฆโ
A breeze blew.
A lukewarm wind passed between her and me. Her glossy black hair swayed.
After all that big talk, maybe I hadn’t even come close.
I looked down and blurted out to her.
โChinaโฆ If you ever get tired of this, just tell me you want to quit anytime.โ
“โฆโฆโฆโฆ. You know, Watarai-kun. I still haven’t found a hobby.
But you know what? I’m having so much fun every day right now, I forget about things like jealousy over people having hobbies?”
โ!โ
When I lifted my head, her face was right in front of mine.
โSo, let’s keep this up, Nozomu-kunโชโ
โโฆHah, right. That’s goodโฆ Ah, of course! Leave it to me!!โ
I took the hand she offered, and together we raced up the stairs.
Her hobby might remain undiscovered, forever a mystery to me.
But if it makes her happy, isn’t that enough?
Even if I never understand, maybe someday I will.
If I could spend every day laughing with China like this, how incredibly happy would that be?
โAlright then, Nozomu-kun, let’s play tag on the way home! This time I won’t lose!!โ
โOf course. I’ll keep up with you forever, anywhere, China-san.โ
We started running, leaving our pent-up emotions behind with force.
Back then, at the aquarium, I just wanted to be a reader watching from the best seat in the houseโthe one where I got along well with China-san’s family. I never intended to become the protagonist myself.
โฆThat’s what I thought.
But that step forward, pushed by China-san’s familyโฆ I couldn’t stop it.
I didn’t know how to stop.
Lately, whenever I’m with China-san, my heart pounds so loudly it’s annoying.
I was scared of truly understanding this feeling.
But well,
That’s exactly why,
โNozomu-kun!โ
โWhat is it?โ
โThis is fun!!โ
For now, at leastโ
โYeah, it is!!โ
โI’m fine with not knowing!
๏ผใใ๏ผใใ๏ผ
Watarai-kunโฆ no, Nozomu-kun and I had come back to my place together.
And now he’d said, โI’ll go grab something interesting!โ and headed back to his place.
โMy room’s gotten so messy.โ
It’s been a few days since Nozomu and I started searching for hobbies.
My room was overflowing with things that had accumulated during our hobby hunt. The once sterile white room was now packed with all sorts of stuff.
That fact felt incredibly comforting.
โI should tidy up my desk before Nozomu gets back.โ
As I tidied up the scattered printouts on my desk, one fluttered to the floor.
Picking it up, I saw it was a self-introduction sheet from elementary school.
โDid it come out when I pulled out my album the other day?โ
In the โHobbiesโ section of that self-introduction sheet, it still said โNone in particular.โ
A hobby is something you enjoy, not something you specialize in. And it’s something you want to keep doing.
I still didn’t have anyโฆ or so I thought, but my hand moved on its own, pen racing across the sheet.
I drew a cross over the words โNone in particularโ and smoothly added new text.
โHehe. I might have found a hobbyโชโ
โHobby: Nozomu-kun’s hobby.
Something I look forward to and can probably keep doing forever. That was sharing his hobby.
My lips naturally curved into a smile as my thoughts drifted to him.
Nozomu-kun, who has too many hobbies, and me, who has none. Like a broken pot and its perfect lid, maybe we’re an amazing match.
Back then, at the aquarium, I’d said something like, โEven if it were you, I might not date you, you know?โ
But if I could date him, if we could eventually get marriedโฆ just how much fun and happiness would every day bring?
My heart, which used to ache with a throbbing pain, now pounded so loudly it was unbearable.
If I asked him to date me now, would he say yes?
Would I become even happier than I am now?
I just keep fantasizing about such things.
โฆI’ll just leave it at fantasizing.
โโฆYeah, I guess I’ll just have to leave it at fantasizing.โ
I took out a key and opened the top drawer.
From there, I took out a photograph and gazed at it. It was a certain photo, but the face of the child next to my younger self was torn and unrecognizable.
(There’s no way someone like me deserves happinessโฆ As long as my past exists, I absolutely cannot be truly happy from the bottom of my heart, nor do I want to be.
So, after all, I absolutely cannot let anyone bring me downโฆ)
This is a darkness so deep that my lack of hobbies seems like a cute little complex by comparison.
What happened between me and herโฆ it absolutely cannot be known by my classmates, my friends, Nozomu, or my family.
Because I have no right to be truly happyโฆ
Even now, her voice echoes in my mind.
โChina chan is the world’s cutest S-class beauty, so you have to be cuteโ
That’s right.
I must be cute, yet I must never be corrupted.
Therefore, I will remainโan impregnable S-class beauty.
Just for now.
Just for nowโฆ I’ll immerse myself in this fleeting happiness with Nozomu-kun.
I put the photo back in its place and exhaled.
Then, I murmured softly.
โโฆEven if Nozomu-kun confessed to me, I’d be fine. Yeah, yeah, even if he confessedโโ
Suddenly, I imagined Nozomu-kun confessing to me.
For a split second, BOOM! I felt steam erupt from the top of my head.
My face burned. I knew without looking that my ears were bright red too.
โ~~!? No, no, no, no, no! I haven’t fallen like everyone else in my family yet, and I’m not that easy! No way! โฆMaybe just a tiny bit not bad?! I totally don’t think that at all!!โ
I dove onto the bed. Then, I hugged the giant Serichan stuffed animal I made with Nozomu-kun, burying my face in it to hide my rose-colored cheeks.
Waaah! I wailed, listing excuses while rolling around and squirming on the bed.
Just then, Mom’s voice echoed from beyond the door.
โChina~? Nozomu-chan’s here~โชโ
โHyaaah!? O-okay, I’m coming right now!!โ
Called by Mom, I quickly stashed the photo away and locked it up.
Then I opened the door, raced down the stairs, and went to meet him.
Fanning my flushed face with my hand, catching my breath, and thenโdon’t forget the mask of the impregnable S-Class beauty.
โThe impregnable S-class beauty: Amagiri China.
Challenger: Watarai Nozomu.
Current conquest rateโ23%.
Maiasa