The Boy Who Gave Up on Romantic Feelings ~I’m Done Because I Was Betrayed by The Girlfriends I Used to Date~ - Chapter 54-55
Chapter 54
After two weeks of university classes. Finally, I’m starting to get used to this current lifestyle.
“Good morning~”
“Yeah.”
Today, as usual, I meet up with Sayaka and we head to university together.
“Have you decided on any clubs or anything?”
“Yeah, sort of.”
Even though I said so, I actually haven’t decided on anything yet.
“What about you Sayaka?”
“I’m still not sure…I mean, I’m okay with sports, but I wasn’t really active in high school…”
Sayaka in sports…I wonder what that would be like.
“Sports, huh? That sounds good.”
“What about you, Shintani-kun? Which club are you joining?”
“……”
I inadvertently turn my face away at Sayaka’s question.
“Ahhh!? Don’t tell me you haven’t decided yet! You lied!”
“…sorry.”
“Honesty is really important. As punishment, you’ll accompany me later to choose a club, okay?”
“N-No I—”
Sayaka is smiling at me, however, the pressure of her smile…it’s just too strong.
“Yeah, okay…”
I have no choice but to comply.
Well, I’m also struggling at which club to join, so it works out perfectly.
“At least, take a look at some clubs, okay?”
“Yeah.”
And so, our plans for after class today are set.
But I only have classes for the first and second periods today, while Sayaka seems to have classes packed from the first to the fourth periods…what should I do to wait for her?
“Ah…”
It seems Sayaka has also noticed that. She looks at me apologetically.
“…it’s okay, I’ll just kill some time by going around the campus.”
“…are you sure?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
…what should I do to kill time? Oh, I know.
“While waiting for you, maybe I’ll check out some research labs.”
The department I belong to is the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and my major is in Physics. In other words, there are research laboratories in my campus. I remember there is something about being able to freely visit these labs, especially for freshmen.
Every student in my faculty will enter the laboratory to work on their graduation thesis in their fourth year. We were told that we are free to visit the laboratories only after we got permission from the professor there. But I think I can just ask permission when I got there, so there should be no problem…I hope.
By the way, Sayaka is in the Department of Literature, majoring in History. So, it’s the complete opposite to me. It’s a shame we can’t take classes together.
…actually, it’s weird. Normally, being in the science major, I should be the busier one.
Strange…
“Are you sure you can do that?”
“Probably. I’ll ask the professors or something.”
There are a few research labs I want to visit. The professors of two of those labs are the lecturers in class my class, so we pretty much know each other.
However, this is also an opportunity. While killing time, I will have the chance to think what I want to do in the future and which path I should take. It’s a chance to reflect on such matters.
Just because it’s a way to pass the time doesn’t mean I should slack off. That would be extremely disrespectful to the professors.
“My class is that way.”
“Yeah, see you at lunch then.”
“Okay!”
The campus we attend has separate buildings for humanities and sciences. The humanities faculty, where Sayaka goes, is located on the west block, while the science faculty, where I go, is on the east block. Seminars are held in the north block, and research labs are located on the south block.
With that, we head off in opposite directions.
Well, let’s do our best today.
Chapter 55
It is now lunch time.
I meet up with Sayaka and we make our way to the cafeteria in the centre of the campus.
“Ugh…I’m so tired…”
Sayaka said so.
Before ordering, we decided to take a break and found a table to sit at.
As soon as we sit down, Sayaka slumps her upper body onto the table. It seemed like the classes have been tough on her. She looked really exhausted.
“Shintani-kun, please order for me too~”
“…sure, just wait a sec.”
“You’re so sweet. Thank youuu~”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I get up from my seat, grabbing my phone and wallet.
“Oh, by the way, I haven’t told you I want.”
“That’s right. What do you want?”
“Ramen.”
“Got it.”
With that, I head to the ticket vending machine.
I order ramen for Sayaka and curry for me. Then, after paying, I take the food tickets to the counter. After a short wait, the curry and ramen I ordered are ready.
I place the dishes on a tray and head back to our table.
“I’m back.”
“Thanks~ Ah, I bought water for us water.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“Well then.”
““Itadakimasu.””
As soon as Sayaka says so, she immediately gobbles down her meal. I can see just how hungry she is.
“Don’t choke, okay?”
“Hmm? Hmm, hmm…”
I’m not sure if she is really listening to me, but oh well. I’ll start eating too.
At our cafeteria, you can choose the spiciness level from three options, mild, medium, and hot. I’m quite good with spicy food, so I always choose the hot option. How spicy it is? Well, each bite is about as spicy as biting into a whole chili pepper.
“Uwaa, that looks spicy…”
Sayaka looks at my food with mild interest.
“Want some?”
“No, I’m good. I’m not good with spicy stuff.”
Well, I already know she isn’t good with spicy food, so I expected her answer. It’s a shame though, it’s really delicious.
“How can you eat something like that?”
“What do you mean by ‘something like that’? It’s delicious, you know?”
“No, you told me that each bite is about as spicy as biting into a whole chili pepper, but it was definitely spicier than that.”
“You tried it before?”
“…my friend forced me to.”
“I see. So you’ve tried it. In that case, you should be able to handle it.”
“No, it’s impossible!!! Just looking at it makes me want to throw up!! It’s so spicy to the point that it’s not even red anymore! Look at it, it’s black!!! I can’t do it!! I don’t want to eat it!!”
“…I see.”
To be rejected to that extent…how disappointing.
After finishing lunch, Sayaka heads to her afternoon classes, while I make my way to the South Building where the research labs are located.
After getting permission from the professor, I visited two different labs for about an hour and a half each.
After that, since I have nothing to do, I wait for Sayaka while eating at the same cafeteria we were earlier.
After waiting for quite some time, Sayaka finished her class and came to meet me. She looks exhausted.
“I’m so tired~”
“You look exhausted. So, what do you want to do? Do you want to stay here for a while, or shall we go?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“Do you already know where you want to go?”
“For now…here.”
Saying so, she points her finger at the list of clubs, and to my surprise, it’s soccer.
“…soccer?”
“Yeah, I’ve been interested in it for a while.”
“Seriously?”
“Well, let’s go check it out right away!”
“Y-Yeah…”
As we head towards where the soccer club is, I notice something along the way.
“There are only girls in this soccer club, right?”
“The club is divided into boys and girls.”
“…then, I’ll just wait outside.”
“Okay then. Well, it probably won’t take long.”
After parting ways with Sayaka, I find a bench nearby and sit down.
“Ah, Shintani-kun!”
The moment I hear that voice, I feel chills run down my spine.
I look towards the source of the voice.
“Long time no see ♡”
Yamashiro—