I Want a Girlfriend who Won’t Betray Me - Chapter 11

After The Midterms Exam

From then on, I start going straight home after school to review the day’s lessons and prepare for the next day.

It’s now October. The midterm exams are in two weeks. During lunch, Wakana would always go to the cafeteria with Goto, and after school, they would walk home together.

I never realized they are this close with each other. If that’s the case, then Wakana must’ve just been toying with me. Thinking that way, I can’t stand watching them, so I stop eating in the cafeteria. Instead, I buy food from the school store and eat on a bench behind the school building. If someone else is already there, then I’ll eat in the classroom.

My classmates who used to talk to me no longer talks to me. I have no real friends to begin with, so I have expected this situation. I don’t feel lonely at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wakana’s POV

Lately, Kazuki has been spending a lot of time alone. Our classmates also talk to him less often now. There are two reasons for this.

One reason is that he has become too famous within the school. Everyone is hesitant and afraid that if they talk or get close to him, they might become targets of bullying.

The other reason is of course his demeanour.

If someone starts a conversation with him, he will respond and talk, but he is not exactly sociable. Conversations tend to dry out quickly.

However, even though Kazuki is quiet, he is not bad at socializing. I think he’s just not used to it yet.

That’s exactly why now is my chance. I can make number of excuses about what he saw that day. In fact, it’s not like we’ve done it many times.

Unless Kazuki is a virgin-obsessed guy, something like that shouldn’t even be a problem. The real issue is that Takayuki refuses to break up with me.

That’s why I’ve been trying to see him less often lately. We don’t meet on weekends anymore, but when he approaches me at school, I can’t just outright reject him in front of others.

We never used to eat lunch together, but recently we’ve started doing it. It’s obvious that he’s doing it to show everyone that we’re still together.

Because of that, I start to find him annoying lately. Once the midterm exams are over, I’ll ask him to break up with me again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kazuki’s POV

Midterm exams start next week. During this period, known as ‘Exam Week’, we only have classes in the morning. I was thinking to go straight home to study, but Yatsugashira-san suggested that studying together in the library might be a good idea.

It certainly is a change of mood, so I think it’s a good idea to try to study at the library. Of course, Yatsugashira-san is coming along with me. There is nothing I can do about it. On the weekends, I study alone at home.

Then, the midterm exams begin. From Tuesday to Friday, the schedule is packed with exams. After taking the exams that day, I go straight home and study for the next day’s subjects.

On Friday, after finishing the last exam, I’m about to head home when I see Yatsugashira-san standing at my classroom entrance.

“Shinonome-kun, shall we go home?”

“Eh, what’s going on?”

“Why is Yatsugashira-san from Class 1B talking to Shinonome-kun?”

“I was relieved that Kisaragi-san was out of the picture, but now this”

The three girls are at it again. Ignoring them, I walk over to Yatsugashira-san.

“Yeah, let’s go home.”

“Yeah.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wakana’s POV

No way…Yatsugashira-san is making a move on Kazuki? She shouldn’t have any connection to him at all.

How? Why?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kazuki’s POV

The following Tuesday, the ranking list is posted on the bulletin board next to the central staircase. I change my shoes at the entrance and walk past it.

That has nothing to do with me, I just hope that I pass every subject.

Suddenly, Kanbayashi calls out to me.

“Shinonome, that’s amazing.”

“Eh? What happened?”

“Your ranking.”

“No, I can’t be in the…wait, what?”

“You transferred here in September and you still managed to ranked fifth? That’s better than me!”

Sure enough, Kanbayashi is ranked tenth. Koiwai-san is right behind him at eleventh.

“It’s just luck. Also, this is only the midterms. I doubt I’ll do this well in the finals.”

“Haha, humble, humble.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wakana’s POV

Kazuki ranked fifth in the midterms. He stands out again. On the other hand, I’m twentieth, way below him.

“Shinonome-kun, that’s amazing. I’m ranked twenty-fifth. Can you teach me how to study sometime?”

“Yatsugashira-san. Well, sure, if the chance arises. I’ll be heading to my class now.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yatsugashira’s POV

Fufufu, this is good. If he isn’t like this, he won’t be worthy of being my boyfriend.

Now, all that’s left to do is…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kazuki’s POV

After the midterm exams, the time passes peacefully. As usual, I meet with Yatsugashira-san on Fridays after school at a family restaurant or café to chat for about two hours.

At the end of the month, we have a health checkup at school. It has been a year since I last measured my height. I was 182 cm tall then.

“Alright, 187 centimetres. That’s quite a bit of growth for a year.”

“Haha, I’m still growing.”

I’ve only grown five centimetres in a year. Maybe my growth is starting to slow down.

On the first Saturday of November, both me and Yatsugashira-san is going to the movies together, which is unusual for us. She said that there is a movie that she really wants to see, but she doesn’t want to go alone.

That’s the start of us meeting up on the weekends more often.

Then—

“Hey, Shinonome-kun, we’ve been spending a lot of time together lately, haven’t we? That means you don’t hate me, right?”

“If I hated you, I wouldn’t have agreed to meet you in the first place.”

“Then, do you like me?”

“…well, I guess you can say I do like you.”

“I love you, Shinonome-kun. Of course, as a member of the opposite sex…please, go out with me.”

Yatsugashira-san bows her head as she says so. Right now, we are sitting on a park bench.

Even if she says that…she seems pretty used to dating guys.

“Umm, can I ask you just one thing?”

“Yeah, anything.”

“Yatsugashira-san, you don’t have a boyfriend right now, do you?”

“Of course not. To be honest, I had one in the past, but that was a long time ago. If I do have a boyfriend right now, I won’t be able to spend this much time with you on weekends.”

“You’re right. If that’s the case, then let’s go out.”

“Then, can I call you Kazuki? Can we eat lunch together at school? I’ll make you a bento.”

“You can call me by my name, but about the bento…”

“I may not look like it, but I’m really good at cooking. That’s right, I’ll make one for you on Monday. Try it just once, if you don’t like it, I’ll give up.”

“Alright then, if you say so.”

“Yayyy. Hey, call me by my name.”

“Sure, Otoe.”

“Eh!?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I thought you’d sound more embarrassed.”

“Ah, sorry. When I was in the US, my close friends called me by my first name, regardless of gender.”

“I see, so you’re used to calling people by their first names.”

“Sorry.”

“No, there is no need to apologize. Well, I’ll start calling you by your first name now, Kazuki.”

“Alright, Otoe.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yatsugashira’s POV

I’m embarrassed. He just called me by my first name so casually. I thought he would stutter on his words more, but I’m happy.

“Hey, is it okay to call you by your first name at school too?”

“I don’t mind at all.”

I see, he has no problem about calling him by his first name.

Fufu, now all that’s left to do it that—