When I read the heart of the never-smiling princess, for some reason she had already fallen head over heels in love for me. - v1 Chapter 21

Chapter 21: I took a time where the Princess wasn’t present.

The following Monday, our greeting campaign kicked off.

However, there was a noticeable difference from the previous week.

The banner now read: “Special Greeting Campaign.”

Though the name sparked arguments over how lame or cringe it sounded, we couldn’t come up with anything better that captured the spirit of what we were trying to do—so we went with it.

Despite the messy naming process, the actual plan was solid, meticulously hammered out by the student council. Everyone backed it, fully hyped for the initiative.

“Good morning!!”

“Ouch!”

A sharp Bachin! echoed across the fresh April sky.

A boy who had just high-fived Jiro shook out his stinging hand as he made his way into the school building.

Jiro’s squad mostly consisted of sporty guys. One after another, they stepped up, landing loud, fired-up bachin high-fives with him.

Jiro’s greeting method hadn’t changed since last week. The only update? A placard hanging around his neck:
“Only Full-Power High-Fives Accepted.”
Clearly setting the tone—and the force—expected.

Boys, being boys, couldn’t resist showing off their strength, especially against someone built like Jiro. Those confident in their arm power eagerly stepped up, unable to walk away from what had basically become a human punching machine.

Meanwhile, I leaned casually against the school gate, arms crossed, watching the students pass by.

My own placard?
“Only Chuunibyou Accepted.”

As expected, no one dared to approach me. The sign’s bizarre wording threw people off—which, ironically, was the point.

Truth be told, I was a nervous wreck inside. While my role required a calm, aloof exterior, I probably just looked like a self-important idiot. My fragile heart was screaming.

Still, like a moth drawn to a flame, one boy approached. The way he carried himself—full-on otaku vibes—made it clear he was curious.

“Good morning.”

“G-Good morning?”

“…The winds seem quite restless today…”

“…!”

His eyes gleamed with passion.

Matching his intensity, I lowered my gaze dramatically.

“Yet… it feels like the wind is also a little sad.”

Oh wow. This kid really gets it.

I barely held in my laughter, nodding solemnly.

“Yeah. Seems like the wind has brought something unwelcoming to the town.”

“Let’s hurry. Before the wind sto—pufoh.”

He clamped his hands over his mouth and bolted.

[So that’s what you meant by Chuunibyou?! He was totally playing along this whole time, damnit!]

I could almost hear his mental screaming as he fled, drowning in secondhand embarrassment.
Trust me, I get it. I want to crawl under the covers and scream into my pillow too.

Honestly, I’m dying of embarrassment over here. But since I was the only one in the council who actually understood internet slang and meme culture, there was no way around it. Someone had to take the hit.

Even after that, curious boys kept coming up, and I continued to whisper dramatic Chuunibyou phrases with a straight face. Every student that passed would burst out laughing, and soon a small crowd had gathered around me.

[“It hurts. Seriously hurts. Making him do that is pure torture. Is he secretly a masochist?”]
[“I mean, it’s funny, but if it were me, I’d never show my face at school again. Ahahaha.”]

Say what you want! Goddamnit!

Do you guys know what empathy is?!

Fortunately, I wasn’t too shaken. I’d already anticipated those reactions and mentally prepared myself. That foresight? Courtesy of all my conversations with Minami-san.

Of course, not everyone was impressed. Some students gave us cold stares. Others were lost in their own world—rushing to club, fretting about homework or part-time jobs.

Still, the response overall was far better than expected. Seeing students stop by, even just out of amusement, gave me a little relief.

And when Junichiro Todo passed by with a sour look on his face? Yeah, I’ll admit it—I got a tiny kick of satisfaction.
[TL: I forgot who he is. Gomen.]

So, I kept going, entertaining the students who dared to test the waters of my Chuunibyou zone.

As the chaos finally started dying down, Jiro came up beside me, arms swinging. His hands were bright red.

“Your hands okay?”

“Ouh, I’d love to boast, ‘keep ’em coming!’ But next week? Please spare me.”

If even Jiro was admitting exhaustion, it must’ve been brutal. Still, his efforts were worth it. Thanks to him, the sporty guys were completely roped in. I was honestly grateful.

“Well, we still have it easy… compared to them.”

Jiro followed my gaze. I didn’t need to say another word—he saw exactly what I meant.

Minami and Saeki stood at the school gate, arms open wide, welcoming every girl who approached.

They didn’t need placards. Their message was loud and clear.

A European-style hug greeting.

When high-fives weren’t enough, hugs did the trick. Simple, obvious, wildly effective.

And boy, was it effective. Girls lined up for Minami-san like she was a pop idol. Underclassmen, classmates, upperclassmen—they all crowded around her, eager to embrace. Saeki had his own crowd too, though nothing compared to Minami’s popularity.

“Kyaa~! Kyaa~!” echoed around us as the girls gushed, leaving the boys behind to look on enviously.

Then there was Hoshino. Unlike the others, she greeted people normally. No dramatic flair, no hugs or high-fives. But her simple greetings drew more students than ever before.

All she did was wear a sign:
“Please Greet Me”
…And smile after exchanging greeting.

That was it. And it worked.

Her quiet shyness, paired with her honest attempts, drew people in—even the ones who usually ignored these kinds of things.

To be honest, she stood out because she was the only one playing it straight. Seeing her try her best in her own way made people soften. Her modest smile? Pure gold. No doubt the number of Hoshino fans would be going up.

“With this, our popularity will rise—and the greeting campaign becomes more effective. Right, Takaaki?”

“Indeed. Let’s continue this next week as well.”

Jiro and I exchanged a nod, feeling proud.

The point of this campaign wasn’t just to make greetings fun.

It was to let students become familiar with the faces of the student council—that was the real goal.

After all, people are less inclined to greet strangers. But if they recognize us, they’ll be more comfortable saying hello.

And once saying hello to us becomes normal, general greetings become easier too.

In other words, this initiative was about building familiarity and spreading a culture of greeting throughout the school.

Of course, as Hoshino had feared, not everyone would enjoy it. Some might feel left out, or think the whole thing was too cringe.

So, we created a variety of characters students could relate to. If even one person felt a connection, they’d probably greet that member.

Our goal was for every student to experience at least one of our weird—ahem, special—greetings.

The next week, we tried out new character styles again. Before we knew it, a rumor started:
“The student council does weird stuff every morning.”

The rumor spread like wildfire.

It brought even more students than before. Some even showed up early—before or during morning practice—just to watch. It was a pleasant surprise.

…Though not all surprises were pleasant.

The increased chaos at the gate eventually caught the principal’s attention. He personally came to scold us for causing traffic.

And with that, our extreme greeting campaign came to a swift end.

…Still, even after switching back to normal greetings, more students casually said hello than ever before. So I guess it all paid off in the end.

Incidentally, the Special Greeting Campaign, thanks to its wildfire popularity, eventually became legend.
Its legacy would go on, carried forward by our successors.

But that’s a story for another time.

*TL here,
After translating, I put the text in chatgpt to enhance the quality. Do tell if there is something a miss, if you find it.
Contact me (Noir) in zetro discord.
Thank you.

I wonder if I should continue doing this, the chatgpt enhancement.