Girl At My School
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I was in the third grade when I first met her. She had long, straight black hair and a beautiful smile that could light up any room she entered. Her name was Koyomi Araragi—or rather, Senjogahara, but my classmates called her by some nickname or another, like “Kyon” (her last name) or “Haruhi.”
She was one of those classmates who were so cute you couldn’t help but stare at them. It’s not as if I didn’t know how to look away; it just happened naturally. The other girls weren’t bad looking either, but they didn’t have anything on her, and even though we’d been going to school together for three years now, I still hadn’t managed to get an answer out of her about what exactly her name meant.
It wasn’t until the second year that she started coming over to our house after school every day. Our parents told us we should be nice to each other because we lived near each other, but I don’t think anyone expected things would go this far. We’ve never hung out outside of school, and she doesn’t come over during holidays or summer vacation, which is why I’m pretty sure she isn’t my girlfriend.
If she were, then I wouldn’t need to ask myself whether or not I liked her. If I did, there’d be no question—but I can’t say for certain that I do.
Maybe I like her more than I thought. But maybe I don’t want to admit it yet… Or maybe I’m afraid to tell her how I feel for fear of rejection…?
What’s the best way to deal with these conflicting feelings? Should I tell her how I feel, or wait until she confesses to me first? And if I decide to keep quiet, will she ever realize I like her too?
The only thing I knew for sure was that I didn’t hate her. In fact, I felt a lot better around her than I did when she wasn’t around. And I wanted to spend time with her, talking to her, getting to know her better.
But I couldn’t bring myself to say those words aloud. I guess I’m still too young for all that… or maybe I’ve already grown out of it?
So I decided to take a different approach: I’d try being honest without actually saying anything. After all, if she rejected me outright, at least I could move on from there.
That’s right. There are plenty of people who reject others before they’re ready to hear it. So I figured I might as well give it a shot.
And so, I made my move.
I was walking home from school one day—no, I was running late, so it was more like sprinting. As usual, Senjogahara was waiting for me along the path. When I saw her standing there with her hands behind her back, I stopped dead in my tracks.
“Oh hey,” she said. “You’re pretty fast today.”
“Yeah…” I replied.
Senjogahara smiled and asked, “Do you wanna walk?”
“Huh? Um, sure!”
We walked side-by-side down the street. The weather was nice, and we talked about nothing important while enjoying ourselves.
After school, I went to her house. She opened the door herself and welcomed me into her living room.
“Did something happen?” she asked.
“No, um… I just wanted to see your face again.”
Her expression changed slightly, but she quickly recovered. “Well, you’re always welcome here! Come on in!”
“Thanks.” I followed her inside.
Senjogahara sat on the sofa across from me. Then, she stood up and brought me a cup of tea.
“Here you go,” she said.
“Thank you.”
As I sipped my tea, Senjogahara looked at me. I kept stealing glances at her as well, trying to figure out what she was thinking about.
Was she angry? Was she sad? Did she regret inviting me over?
I was starting to wonder, but then she finally spoke up.
“Hey, Araragi. Do you remember what I said yesterday?”
“Um, yeah…”
I nodded.
“Are you still okay with it?”
“Uh, yes. I mean, I’m glad you invited me over.”
“Good. Because I’ve got a favor to ask you.”
“A favor?”
“Yes. See, I ran into a problem at work today.”
“What kind of problem?”
“There’s a girl who works there, and she keeps coming onto me.”
“Come on, Senjogahara. That sounds serious.”
“I know, but it’s really not. It’s just a little misunderstanding. Anyway, I need you to talk to her for me.”
“Talk to her? For you?”
“Yep. I’ll pay you fifty thousand yen.”
“Fifty thousand…?!”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head. Fifty thousand yen?!
“For real? You’re asking me to do that? Are you serious?”
“Of course I am. I’m desperate here.”
“Desperate…?”
“Just listen. This girl has been coming on to me since last week, and I haven’t done anything about it. Well, I tried to brush her off once, but she won’t stop. She’s even called me ‘dear’ now.”
“She… calls you dear?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry, it’s not creepy or anything. I think she means it as an endearing term. Still, I can’t stand it anymore. If I don’t get rid of her soon, I’m going to lose my mind. Or, rather, I want to avoid losing my mind. I’ve never had this much trouble dealing with a woman before.”
“Wow. Sounds rough.”
“It is. I’m seriously considering quitting my job because of it.”
“Is that why you offered me money?”
“Yeah. I know it’s a lot, but I’m willing to pay it. I also have some other things I need to buy, so I’ll be able to use the rest. But I don’t want to quit my job, so I thought maybe you could help me out. Plus, I’m sure you’d enjoy talking to her.”
“Talking to her? What does that entail exactly?”
“Nothing weird. Just tell her to leave me alone. Tell her I’m married, or something.”
“Married?”
“Yup. I’m engaged to someone else, so I can’t date anyone. I told her about it, but she doesn’t seem to care. And if I try to explain it to her any further, she gets mad and starts crying.”
“So she’s emotionally unstable?”
“Apparently.”
“Hmm. That’s tough.”
“Yeah. I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”
“Sorry.”
I was sorry.
“Don’t apologize. I understand how hard it must be for you. After all, you’re a guy, aren’t you?”
“Err, yeah, I guess…”
“And you’re a gentleman too, right?”
“That’s another thing.”
“Hm? So you’re saying you’re not a gentleman?”
“No, no, I’m definitely a gentleman. A good one, I hope.”
“Okay, so you’re a gentleman and a professional man-whore, huh?”
“Man-whore? But I’m not doing it for money.”
“I see. In that case, I suppose you are a gentleman. I’m impressed.”
“You sound so proud of yourself…”
“It’s true, though. You’re a real lady killer, Araragi. I bet you could seduce a nun.”
“Nuns don’t have sex, Senjogahara.”
“Oh, come on. Everyone has their limits.”
“Not everyone. Not even close.”
“Please don’t make fun of nuns, Araragi.”
“I wasn’t making fun of them.”
“But you were thinking it.”
“I was not.”
“If you say so…”
Senjogahara sighed in exasperation.
“Anyway,” she continued. “I’m begging you to talk to her for me. I don’t know how long I can take this. The girl’s name is Sengoku.”
“Sengoku?”
“Yeah. Her family runs a restaurant near our office, and we go there sometimes after work.”
“Ahh. Okay then. I’ll talk to her.”
“Thank you! Oh, and I’ll give you ten thousand yen extra for your troubles.”
“Ten thousand? Really?”
“Really!”
“All right, fine. Ten thousand.”
“Great! Thank you so much, Araragi.”
“Wait, wait, hold up. Why did you offer me twenty-five thousand in the first place?”
“Because I thought you wouldn’t accept a lower amount.”
“I would have accepted it, but… Wait, what’s wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“Twenty-five thousand isn’t enough to buy everything you said you needed to buy. How will you afford the rest?”
“I don’t know yet. I’ll figure something out.”
“Uh-huh. Sure. Fine. Whatever.”
“Huh? What’s the problem?”
“There’s nothing wrong. It’s just that you didn’t seem to have any money at all when I met you today, and now suddenly you have ten thousand.”
“Well, I borrowed it from Shinobu.”
“Shinobu?!”
“Yes, Shinobu. She lent it to me.”
“Why?”
“To repay my debt.”
“Your debt…? To who?”
“My mother.”
“The loan shark?”
“She’s not a loan shark. And anyway, she doesn’t collect interest.”
“How generous of her.”
“Or maybe she’s not being very nice to you. Maybe you should ask her about it later.”
“Will you stop asking questions already?! I’m going home. Bye.”
“Wait, wait, hold up. Don’t run away. Stay here for a minute.”
“What for?”
“I want to talk to you about something.”
“About what?”
“Ahem. About my feelings.”
“Go ahead.”
“First off, I’d like to thank you for helping me with Senjogahara. I’m grateful.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And second, I’m glad you were able to help me get over my past. I’ve never been happier than I am now. So please don’t leave me.”
“…”
“I mean it. I really love you. I think you’re the best person I’ve ever met. Even if you are a bit weird. I can’t imagine life without you. Please stay by my side forever.”
“…”
“Can we be together?”
“…”
“Please answer me, Araragi. Just once. Can we be together?”
“…”
“Please.”
The End