Overloaded With Attributes Chapter 26
Interlude: The Case of Kudo Atena, Part 1
Spring break is over, and today, my new school life begins. ...Well, it's not like just changing schools is going to change me. When did I even start "dressing like a boy"? I feel like... I was already doing it by the time I was self-aware. No, wait, looking at the photos, it seems like... it was "from birth."
According to my mother: "It's not like you're going to be able to marry a man anyway. You'll find a better partner if you just target women from the start, right?" ...is what she said, apparently.
No, no, no! I'm not interested in girls! I want to have a normal romance and marry a boy! ...Of course, even if I say that... someone as beautiful as my childhood friend, Akashi-san, has zero connections to any boys. What chance does someone like me have, with zero "cuteness as a girl"...?
So, the school I chose was the Labyrinth Department at Ourin Academy. My goal, obviously, is to become an Explorer. ...Because, I heard... if you become a high-ranking Explorer, you can get "priority matchmaking" with a man. ...But... if I can... I don't want an "arranged" meeting... I want to fall in love normally. I may look like this... but I'm still just a girl of that age, who's in love with the idea of love!
Of course, that's not the only reason I chose Ourin. This school... actually has boys enrolled in the General Department! I was thinking... "Maybe... just maybe... I'll pass one of them in the hall?" I had this... stupid... hope, so I came to school a little early.
...Result: Zero 'boy' presence. ...Well, "being enrolled" and "actually attending" are two completely different things...
"Haaa... This isn't an anime or a novel. There's no such thing as a 'fateful encounter'..."
That kind of event... it's a miracle that only happens to a "Heroine," a girl who has something special. I'm not even "Mob Girl #1." There's no way a plot like that would ever happen to—
Eh? Hah? E-E-E-E-EHH?! A... a... a... boy?! A boy... just walked into the classroom?!
This is... totally different from seeing one in a photo or a video! A... real, live boy... right in front of me... His... his presence... is just on another level!
...Well... even if he's here, it's not like he'd be interested in someone like me. This is the Labyrinth Department, anyway. He probably just got lost... But... but... maybe... Maybe I can just... say "hello"...? ...No. I can't see any future from that... other than... "getting reported."
...Wait. He... ...Has been staring... right at me... for a while now... ...No, no, no, no way. Don't be self-conscious. Okay. Calm down.
...Eh? Eh?! He's not just looking... he's walking over here! Is... is he just trying to talk to someone behind me—
"Ah-ha! You're that type! The one whose first-person pronoun is 'ore,' but who loses to her 'inner girl' in two seconds flat! The 'whole-body-is-an-erogenous-zone, 3000x-sensitivity, full-throttle-pervert' type of boyish girl!"
...I'm... I'm pretty sure he's talking to me, right?! And... with the super-casual vibe of... a "childhood best friend"?!
Eh? Eh? Eh? Eh? Eh?
All four members of my mental 'Elite Four' were screaming in confusion. ...No, no, that's not it! This isn't the time! He came over and talked to me! I have to say something back! B-B-But... what do I say?!
"I was wondering why you suddenly got so close, and then... could you please stop... yelling incomprehensible insults at me?!"
...And what came out of my mouth, while my brain was in full-on "flailing panic" mode... was the same casual, smart-ass tone I use with my little sister. Ah... this is bad. Using a 'buddy-buddy' tone with a boy I just met... I... I completely screwed up...
I'm mortified... So mortified I want to go back to before I was born... But... he didn't seem to care about my slip-up at all.
"Hah?! Whoops, your 'boyish' quality is so high my inner monologue just... came out... Anyway, I just need to confirm something. Mind taking your clothes off?"
...What is this kid talking about? "Boyish quality"? "Take my clothes off"? ...I... literally... don't understand... Wait. Does he... mean... he wants to see me naked?! ...What kind of... special fetish... is that?
He just... kept talking to me, looking like he was having the time of his life. And, caught up in his pace... I... I kind of got carried away, too. ...But wait... isn't his... personal space... weird? He's so close I could reach out and... no, he's so close I could touch him without reaching! ...We just met, right? Are we... married in a past life, or something? No, no, no... there's no way...
Still, I had to ask. But... when I did... he just... grinned, leaned in... and whispered in my ear.
"Because your entire existence is a 'just-hit' for my... preferences."
...IT IS A SPECIAL FETISH! I mean, I get it for girls, but... boys have 'that' too?! His voice... it was so good... it just... melted my brain. And his breath... it hit my ear... I... my knees just... buckled. I... I know I jumped back, but... it's not because I hated it, okay?! And... he... he... smelled... ...Really good. I-Is it... okay... to... hug him...? No! No, no, no! Calm down, me! That's a crime! He'll hate me!
...And... wow. The girls... every girl who's looking over here... has this terrifying look on her face. Akashi-san... she's just... muttering "WSS(Watashi ga saki ni suki datta no ni)... WSS..." over and over... What is that?! That's so creepy...
Okay. It's... probably bad for me to monopolize his time like this. At this rate... I'm going to run into a "slasher-I-know-from-class" on the way home. I... don't want to stop... but... I should probably hint that he... "should pay attention to the other girls, too." ...Well... I hinted... very indirectly.
"Hey, calm down and look around. It's my first day, and I'm pretty sure... every girl in this class... is directing 'murderous intent' at me. I can feel it."
"Are you sure that's because of me? I mean, you're... exactly as you look. You're an ikemen (a handsome guy). Maybe you just... 'made enemies' without realizing it. I dunno."
It's 100% because of you! And... "ikemen"... I don't know about that... "good-looking"? ...No one's... ever... said that to me before! And... and...
"but you're definitely my type."
...What was THAT?! That's... that's basically a confession, right?! What?! What is going on?! I may look like a boy... but I'm a girl, you know!! ...Wow... just talking to a boy... can mess with your heart this much...
And he just... kept talking to me so easily. ...It's probably... because I look like this. Which means... he doesn't see me as a girl...
...But... for today... just for today... I'm grateful to my mom. Thank you... for making me dress like this...
...Wait. ...Did his "non-stop sexual harassment time" just start?! What is this?! If I did this to him, I'd be arrested! Wait... he is a boy, right? Why is he so... interested... in a girl's underwear?! Okay, fine! Yes, most of my underwear is black! It's the only place I can be "girly," okay! And yes, some of it is lace! And yes, some of it is "sheer"! And on some days... I do... stuff my bra with, like, five pads!
But... I am absolutely... NOT... a 'secret pervert'!
Translator Notes : WSS stands for 私が先に好きだったのに (Watashi ga Saki ni Suki datta no ni), which translates to "Even though I loved him/her first" from a girl's (watashi) perspective
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