Chapter 4: A boy and a girl Trapped Together
Trapped in the storage room, just the two of us, a boy and a girl.
Just reading the text, one might expect a romantic comedy to unfold.
The protagonist and the heroine are trapped in a closed room, trying to cooperate and take various actions to escape, but without success. Then, through their conversation, their relationship might progress just a little, or they might hear each other’s true feelings.
I feel like I’ve read a manga or light novel with such a plot before.
If that’s the case, does this mean there will be progress in the relationship between me, Tachibana, and Ayase!?
No, no, no, that’s not right. It’s not me!
Isn’t this the pattern where Takahashi and Ayase are the ones trapped together?
The protagonist of “I Can’t Stop Loving You!” is Hiroto Takahashi.
I, Tachibana Chihaya, am supposed to be just a side character, a friend of the protagonist.
What am I, a side character, supposed to do when an event occurs with the main heroine, Ayase?
Hey, if there’s a god in this world, please fix this story.
It’s bugged. If this were a social game, the users would be furious and want to get the compensation stones.
“…”
So, unless help comes from outside, escape is impossible.
Ayase and I don’t have our smartphones, so we can’t call for help.
Even if we shout, the storage room is located away from the busy school building, so no one will hear us.
We can only hope that Teacher Tanaka or Takahashi will worry about our late return and come to our rescue.
Ayase and I can only sit on desks and chairs and wait for help, but because of the earlier avalanche, dust has filled the storage room, and the air is bad.
Because of that, Ayase is irritated, and without our smartphones for distraction, she’s been looking at and fiddling with her nails.
Ah, that’s right. She likes nail art.
I remember hearing from a friend that she has such a preference. She’s quite stylish.
Taking a closer look at Ayase, I can’t help but blurt out how pretty she is.
She’s the main heroine, after all. But thinking that she might end up with that annoyingly handsome protagonist complicates things. But it’s none of my business as a side character, because I'm not related to this story.
I, as Tachibana Chihaya, must stick to being a side character. I don’t want to stand out.
“What have you been doing? Staring at me like that. It’s creepy.”
Ah, I completely forgot. She has a really bad mouth.
I take back what I said earlier. She’s not cute at all. Why is she so harsh with me?
I have such questions, but I can’t ask her directly, so I sigh and open my mouth.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“Really? I know you’ve been looking at me.”
“Seriously…?”
“Yes. I can feel it on my skin. It’s really creepy, so stop it. Or better yet, just die?”
“That’s harsh, hey!”
Ayase glares at me as if looking at trash while saying something outrageous.
Stop it. It really hurts my heart. Ouch.
“If you were more honest, you’d be cute—what a waste.”
My true feelings slipped out in a whisper. I thought I had said it quietly, but Ayase fell off her chair.
“Ouch! What? What did you just say!?”
Is she that flustered?
Just because I almost blurted out that she’s cute, she reacts so strongly that she falls off her chair.
Maybe she’s not used to being praised. Well, she probably wouldn’t be happy being praised by me.
“Are you okay? You fell on your butt. No matter how much fat is there, It’s dangerous if you're not careful.”
“What!? That’s sexual harassment! My butt isn’t that big—”
Ayase’s face turns bright red, and she looks away, then throws a nearby volleyball at me. It hits me in the face and hurts. Good control. She’s got talent for ball games!
It’s not good to take your own mistakes out on others.
“You’re really creepy. I wish you’d die right now and stop breathing.”
“Do you hate me that much…”
When she says that, even someone like me feels heartbroken… I’m already almost broken.
“I hate you. Because—”
Ayase glances over at me, skeptically.
“What?”
“Don’t you remember?”
“Remember what?”
“Never mind. Don’t talk. Your breath stinks.”
“Huh?”
What’s with the sudden comment? My breath can’t be that bad, can it?
I brush my teeth every day, and despite appearances, I’ve never had a cavity!
Besides, even if you say I don’t remember, was there ever any interaction between Tachibana and Ayase?
I try to recall what was depicted in the manga, but I don’t know much because I had read only the first volume and know the details of the beginning.
Ayase sulks, and a silent period follows.
I don’t mind the silence. In fact, it’s quiet and comfortable.
“Hey…”
“What?”
Ayase speaks up.
“That thing earlier. You saved me, right? But you got your leg caught… Are you hurt?”
“Not at all. Sure, it hurt when I got caught, but I don’t get a scratch. Are you worried about me?”
“Not really. Just curious.”
She should be more honest. This tsundere attitude is probably one reason she’s a popular heroine, but it’s frustrating to talk to her like this.
I think she has a good character, but actually talking to her like this is unbearably irritating."
“Is that all?”
“Can you really not remember anything?”
“I mean, Ayase and I just met, right?”
“Eh, what!?”
Ayase’s eyes widen in disbelief, and she sighs.
Eh, have we met somewhere before? Did Tachibana and Ayase have some interaction in the past?
“Never mind. I knew you were the worst jerk with a twisted, creepy personality. But you’ve changed.”
“What has?”
“Nothing.”
Stop it—while I have no objection to Tachibana’s bad character, it’s too harsh, and I feel like crying a little. And changed, does that mean Tachibana and Ayase had some interaction after all?
“What? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
I thought about asking directly but decided against it. It would only make her mood worse, and it would be troublesome if she found out I’m not the real Tachibana.
Silence is golden. I have to remember that I’m in the position of role-playing as Tachibana.
'That’s right.'
“…”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For pushing me out and saving me earlier. I hadn’t thanked you yet.”
“Don’t worry about it. But don’t get the wrong idea just because you were saved thanks to me. I just helped someone, that’s all.”
“Wow… It’s so lame to say that yourself, you should stop. I really can’t stand narcissists like you… I’d rather better if you were crushed and died.”
“Don’t be shy. Huh…”
I give a thumbs up and a full smile.
Ayase leaned back with a look of revulsion and feigned a gag reflex.
Ayase recoiled, pretending as if to through up.
“If you think you look cool doing that, you should stop. When someone with rotten eyes and a twisted personality like you does it, it doesn’t suit you, it’s annoying, and it’s physically repulsive.”
“Hey, you hate me, don’t you? I'm Sorry.”
My mental state has hit rock bottom after being thoroughly beaten up.
Hey, can I cry right here? It’s too hard…
“Huhu.”
That’s unfair. If she gives me such an innocent smile, I can’t say anything back.
Sigh. I guess I’ll take on the role of the disliked one. What a thankless role. Alas…
Afterward, several teachers who were worried about our absence came to rescue us, and Ayase and I were safely rescued.
Thanks for translating, but I can only go this far.
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