Aren’t You Too Sweet Salt-God Sato-San? - Chapter 1.5 : Side story

Perhaps you might not remember this but this isn’t the first time I have talked to you, Oshio-kun.

Of course we’re in the same class or that we must have greeted each other, but I’m not talking about this.

What I’m trying to say is the day when I first met you.

The day of the entrance exam at Sakuraba High School.

This was the time I was definitely the most nervous I’d ever been in my life that day.

I had studied as hard as I could before the day of the exam, even getting a seal of approval from sensei.

But, to my shame, I was extremely sick, no matter how far I went.

During the lunch break, I couldn’t even get up from my chair.
I had only finished the first half of the day, but I was already at my limit.

I felt sick to the point of vomiting, a strange floating sensation enveloping my body.

I could hear the voices of everyone from the same middle school gathering for lunch far away.

I didn’t have an appetite for lunch. Just taking one bite was enough for me to put it back.

Round and round and round my thoughts go.

I was just looking down at a point on my desk, and I felt an illusion as if I was being sucked headfirst into the desk.

I know it sounds silly, but at that time I even thought I was alone in the world.

Help me……

Not being able to bear anymore, I muttered quietly inside my mouth. Even though knowing no one will probably come to my rescue.

However at that moment, something cut into my field of vision.

It was a finger, slender and beautiful but definitely one that belongs to a man.

“Eh…”

Returning to reality, my gaze followed the hand that was so naturally held out to me.

I looked up and saw a junior high school boy looking down at me with a curious look on his face.

As soon as he saw my face, he muttered,

“What an awful complexion”

It annoyed me.

“Please leave me alone”

I expressed my feelings in a cold voice, not wanting to talk anymore.

But he kept staring at me with drowsy eyes and held out a small bag to me.

I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows at the sight of it.

“What’s this?”

“konpeito”

“I understand after looking but”

A small bag containing konpeito. White, yellow,pink. When I see that childish color scheme, I feel like I’m being ridiculed.

“Want?”

No, I am not wrong, it’s not feeling anymore——He is definitely making fun of me.

“Please don’t make fun of me,I’m being serious here”

I said with a hint of dissatisfaction.

But he still looked at me with his drowsy eyes and said,

“Your hand, they are shivering”

“Uh..”

I withdrew my hand below the desk in panic.

I was so embarrassed that I tied my lips in a tight line.

“Does it matter to you?”

I made a clear statement of rejection.

But even then, you,

“Yes it does, who knows perhaps from now on we might be classmates?”

It’s nothing if you think about it, it’s just a natural fact.

But still, I was finally able to come back to reality when you said such a very natural word to me.

The haze in my head cleared up, and my vision opened up.

Voices of everyone and the world come back to me.

That’s right, the people around me now are people who might be my classmates in a few months.

Naturally the boy in front of my eyes too.

I finally realized that my vision had narrowed to the point where I couldn’t see how simple it was.

“You know, my dad gave me this”

He said in a gentle tone of voice, as I froze in a daze.

“If your mind is tired, it seems that eating sweets will help you. Well if you can’t really feel the effect, it’s still delicious though.”

“Can I have one?”

“Feel free to”

He opens the bag and drops a piece of konpeito on my offered hand.

A pink one, particularly liked by kids, rolled in my hand.
konpeito…….Speaking of it,I’ve never stared at anything like this before.

I looked at it for a while, and then threw it into my mouth like a sparkling little star.

Rolling it around on my tongue is surprisingly pleasant that I can’t help but let out a smile.

“Isn’t it just a lump of sugar”

“Well that’s right”

He said jokingly while deliberately crushing the speckles attached to the zipper part of the bag.

As I watched his carefree action,the words naturally came out of my mouth.

“Aren’t you nervous?”

“Yes?”

“About exam”

“I think I’m nervous to a certain extent”

“Don’t you ever think about what you’ll do if you fail?”

“I’m already thinking about it.”

“For example?”

“First, I will apologize to Father”

I rolled my eyes at the too anti climax answer.

“Only that?”

“Even then…..it’s important thing, since he is paying after all”

“No,I didn’t mean that…..like nervous about future or feeling like those”

I kneaded my fingers and tried to convey to him the anxiety I felt in my heart.

Hereupon, He was silent for a few moments, and then turned to me and said

“Well, I’ll think about it when it happens, it’s not like I’ll die if I fail, it’s the same for you, right?”

He said so while Smiling.

………I’m sure you don’t have any idea about that.

But In the midst of my helpless loneliness, how much that mischievous and kind smile helped me.

And that’s when I experienced my first love for once in my life——–

“My friends are waiting for me, so good luck”

When I saw his profile as he was leaving after saying his goodbye, before I could even think about it,my mouth moved.

“Th-that”

He looked back at me with a curious look.

In response to this, I relaxed my cheeks and smiled, which was quite awkward compared to his. …..

“It was really very sweet. Thank you very much”

As for Exam results afterward……..I think I don’t need to say that.

It’s all thanks to him.

I was too ashamed so I didn’t tell anyone, however just those several minutes of exchange cleared my mind as to why I wanted to pass that High school exam.

♠️

Perhaps you might not remember this but this isn’t the first time I have talked to Sato-san.

Of course we’re in the same class, and I’m sure we’ve at least greeted each other, but that’s not it.

You were like an unattainable flower, not letting anyone approach you, always dealing with a clear face. Of course I wasn’t an exception either.

Well apart from that, what I am trying to say is about the first time I met you.

The day of the entrance exam at Sakuraba High School.

you were all alone with a pale face, not moving from your desk even during the lunch break.

At first, I was just observing you out of curiosity, but when I saw your hands trembling slightly, I couldn’t help but call out to you unconsciously.

“What an awful complexion”

We then had a short exchange.

I knew right away that I wasn’t welcome, but I just couldn’t leave it alone.

So I gave her a piece of konpeito.

A piece of konpeito, for someone who is about to enter high school.I didn’t know what I was doing.

But you rolled a mere grain of konpeito in your mouth like it was a treasure, and 一一一

“It was very sweet. Thank you very much.”

I hated my simplicity.

Never in my dream had I thought that just because someone smiled at me, I will experience my first love in life.

As for the exam results afterward……..I didn’t need to say that.

It’s all thanks to her and my simplicity.

At any rate, the result was all right, but I should apologize to my father.

I hadn’t even thought about my dad during the second half of the exam, even though I had said those things to Sato-san.

The only thing that occupied my mind was a single wicked reason.

I want to see her smile once again.

This is the only reason why I did it.