Vol 1 Chapter 26 – The Girl Named Takakura Emma

I was never good at talking to people.

During my junior high school days, I spent every recess with my face buried in my desk, pretending to be asleep, just trying to endure until the bell rang.

I’m terrible at socializing.

It’s probably because I never learned from my mother how people are supposed to interact with each other.

But it’s not like it was all my mother’s fault.

She never treated me cruelly, and I can’t even remember her ever laying a hand on me.

I know that she loved me as her daughter.

It’s just that…

My mother, like me, was bad with people, and she couldn’t teach her own daughter how to communicate.

My own disposition is naturally gloomy, and my throat always seems to tighten up when I try to talk to someone.

I had a stutter.

That’s why I just endured my junior high years with my face planted on my desk.

Fortunately, I managed to get through junior high without being bullied.

For someone like me, subcultures like manga and light novels were essential items to soothe my simple soul.

I was a loner, a shut-in, and an otaku.

My…

A ray of light finally shone on my life when I entered high school.

I met President Takahashi.

She was curvy and petite, wore silver-rimmed glasses, and though she was short, her eye-catching, scurrying movements reminded me of a small animal. She came to our classroom.

Hey there, I’m an otaku.

I’m an otaku, how about you? she seemed to say, as she went around handing out sheets of A4 paper.

I took one of the sheets. On it was printed, “Modern Culture Research Club.”

It was a recruitment flyer for an otaku club.

I worked up a little courage.

I scraped together every last bit of it I had and spoke to President Takahashi.

I think my voice was trembling.

But President Takahashi—ah, she hasn’t changed a bit since the first time I met her—answered with that usual smile of hers.

That cheerful smile that seems to welcome everyone, the gloomy types and the popular types, all in one go.

“Oh, you wanna join? We’d love to have you!”

And so.

I tried to speak, but my throat tightened up. Unable to do anything else, I remember nodding frantically, my head bobbing up and down.

I felt a light shining down on me.

That day, I met President Takahashi—the person named Takahashi Chihiro—and she reached out her hand to me, and I took it.

She was the first friend I ever had.

At fifteen years old, I made a friend for the very first time.

I doubt anyone could understand the sheer emotion I felt in that moment, and it’s something I don’t want just anyone to easily understand.

And then, my circle of friends grew.

Toudou Hatsune and Segawa Ryoune, two other members of the Modern Culture Research Club.

They were both kind to me, despite my stutter.

We’re all otaku, after all.

It’s fine, you can just speak more slowly and calmly.

There’s nothing to rush for.

They would gently take my hand, sometimes laughing and cackling as they talked to me.

There were so many times when my voice would catch midway through a sentence, and I’d be overcome by some nameless sentiment that made me feel like crying, but…

The four of us got along great for a whole year.

It was my leaden springtime of youth.

A lot happened, but for me, it was the best year of my life.

I think that one year of high school became an irreplaceable memory for me.

And then, another spice was added to the mix.

“Untap, upkeep, draw.”

The one chanting the spell in front of me is Kajiwara Ichirou-kun.

He smiles gently at me, a beginner at this card game, and lays out his cards.

As for me, I could only stare, captivated by the sight of him.

After all, my entire world is closed off, consisting only of my mother and the friendships within the Modern Culture Research Club.

I never imagined I’d be thrown into a situation where I’d be playing a game like this with a boy.

Of course, I don’t dislike it.

I don’t dislike it, but it’s a little troubling.

I have to make sure he doesn’t hate me.

That thought alone takes over, and whenever I try to speak, my throat tightens.

It was my usual stress-induced stutter.

It had gotten better when I was talking with everyone in the Modern Culture Research Club, but it seems to relapse whenever I try to talk to Kajiwara-kun.

“…Uh, um. Before you attack, I’ll burn it.”

“Go, go!”

President Takahashi, acting as the judge, cheers me on in a playful tone as if to say, Good call!

Somehow… no, this is incredibly fun.

Of course, that leaden springtime of youth with just the four of us was fun, but…

I never even dreamed I’d be playing with a boy like this.

I never even thought I’d have the chance in my entire life.

“Yep, it’s burned. I’ll send it to the graveyard.”

He accepts my attack so gently, with such a polite tone.

Watching Kajiwara-kun makes me think.

I want to have my own springtime of youth.

I’m not saying I want him to be my boyfriend or anything.

But is it… greedy of me to wish for just a few small memories? Like walking home together, holding hands.

That’s all I can think about.

“…”

I fall silent.

President Takahashi, the judge, gets a question mark above her head as she peeks at my face.

Our eyes meet.

I wonder if anything has developed between Kajiwara-kun and President Takahashi.

President Takahashi puts herself down, saying she’s not that special, but that’s not true.

The President is a truly wonderful person—for a gloomy type like me, she’s like a savior.

I bet… Kajiwara-kun will probably fall for the President, too.

No, he must already like her as a person.

How many people could possibly dislike the President?

However, whether or not romance is involved in that feeling is another story.

As President Takahashi said when Kajiwara-kun joined, he didn’t come to this club to pick up girls, but to find otaku friends.

So—to protect that, I know I shouldn’t be giving off any weird romantic vibes, but…

“What’s wrong, Ema-chan?”

As for me, I want the President and Kajiwara-kun to get together as a couple.

And then, on top of that, I want to slip into the spaces of their relationship.

If possible, it would be even better if Toudou-san and Segawa-san could be there, too.

The five of us, living happily together.

I’m dreaming of such an impossible scenario.

If I said it out loud, everyone would probably be stunned.

But it’s how I truly feel.

I don’t want anyone to take this comfortable environment away from me.

It’s an outrageous desire, born of my own closed world.

“No, it’s just…”

My voice catches.

Looking at the President’s smile, I start to feel overwhelmed again.

I became happy because I met President Takahashi.

I’m sure it’s the same for Kajiwara-kun.

I think this as I look at him. He’s finished his turn and is now just sitting there, a little puzzled, calmly waiting for my turn to start.

“I-It’s just… I was thinking it’s so nice. I wish we could all… everyone in the Modern Culture Research Club… play together like this forever.”

What am I saying?

I’ve said something that I wouldn’t blame them for laughing at.

And yet, it’s the absolute truth, straight from my heart.

And, even if I voice such a sentimental thought—

“I agree.”

—in our club, there isn’t a single person who would laugh.

Kajiwara-kun smiled and gave a small nod.

Then, he spoke.

“Ema-san, I also hope this time can last forever. Because it’s just so much fun.”

I’m being validated.

That alone is enough to wrap my whole body in an incredible sense of euphoria.

“Ooh, listen to you, Kajiwara-kun. Yeah, you’re right.”

The President smiles warmly.

Then, she moves behind me and starts kneading my shoulders.

I almost drop my cards in a panic, but I manage to just barely grip them tighter in my fingers.

“It’d be great if we could stay like this forever.”

The President whispered in my ear.

What do I do? I think I’m going to cry.

To have the two of them understand how I feel so completely.

From the corner of my eye, I can see Toudou-san and Segawa-san smiling as they watch us.

I’m happy.

Right now, I’m unbelievably happy.

I clutch my cards, trying to hide the fact that my fingers are trembling with emotion.

“Untap, upkeep, draw.”

I chanted the spell to start my turn.

And then—what card can I play?

For everyone in the Modern Culture Research Club, what is it that I can do?

Thinking desperately only of that, praying that I could contribute something, I pulled a single card from my hand.

And so, I continued my communication with Kajiwara-kun.