Chill chapter...for me it is sooo
No more words from yours truly except for this. :)
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Kiyotaka POV
Late afternoon
A few minutes after the school bell dismissed the entirety of the Academy, I was walking down the corridor when someone patted me in the back.
I'm not expecting anyone to interact with me this late in the afternoon, and I'm pretty sure I have no plans with anyone either.
"Hey, Senpai!"
It was Sumeragi Itsuki- a first year student of Hana class, the same class as mine.
We recently played together in a card game called Double memory. It's been a few weeks since then, and this is her first time approaching me after that game.
So, I can't really call her a friend of mine. Just a simple underclassmen that I'm quite familiar with.
"What's up?"
"Uhmm...the ceiling?"
"That's a pretty old joke, even for someone like me."
And I have to say, that joke doesn't quite suit her either.
"Oh c'mon! What's that supposed to mean? I may not look like it, but I'm much more familiar with old jokes compared to the new ones."
"Why do you sound like you're boasting?"
"Because I am boasting." She puffed her chest as she put her hands on her hips. "You see, this new and trendy jokes that I'm seeing lately just makes me cringe. I mean, they're pretty hilarious if you think about it, but still."
I wasn't expecting that I'll be talking about this kind of thing to an underclassmen, so I'm pretty much surprised. And to think that me, who is not really familiar with jokes in general, will talk about this to a girl I'm not close with.
I have to admit that this whole situation still feels surreal.
"What kind of new jokes are you talking about anyway? Can you give me an example?"
I can't really tell the difference between an 'old' joke and a 'new' one.
I guess that's just society reminding us that as times goes by, jokes that are made a few years or decades ago will be deemed as an old one.
Or maybe they meant 'old' because it has been used for so many times now that it's not funny anymore.
For instance, if you take me as an example, who only knows basic knowledge about this kind of thing, I wouldn't know the difference between the two if you were to tell me one.
I probably won't laugh, but I can understand why people will laugh at it, at least.
If that were the case, wouldn't you prefer to hear new jokes over the old ones because they haven't been used that much?
Normal people are very familiar with things like this after all.
"Hmm, I guess things like phrasing with more than one meaning?"
Phrasing with more than one meaning?
"It seems like you're still confused, senpai." We stopped walking. I signaled her for us to sit down in a nearby bench.
I figured this conversation will take a while, so I might as well sit down and relax while she's talking.
"Allow me to give you an example."
"Please do."
This topic piqued my interest for some unknown reason. I'm not really a fan of this kind of thing, especially it doesn't make me laugh, but listening to her made it pretty interesting.
"Nee, chanto ofuro haitteru? (Hey, did you wash up properly?)"
"Okay, and then?"
"Neechan to ofuro haitteru? (Are you taking a bath with your sister?)"
I see. So by changing the pronunciation of where you out the stress in a phrase, the meaning will completely change.
Instead of Nee, chanto- she instead said it like it's one word- Neechan to, which completely changed the meaning.
"I understand now. But what makes it so cringe?"
"Personal preference." She scoffed.
"What did I even expect...?"
I'm an idiot for thinking that she has a deeper reason for not liking the new jokes.
"How come they call that a new joke when Japanese people always tend to mispronounce phrases like that?"
"I mean, yeah it's a typical oyaji gyagu (Dad joke), but it looks like people on the internet have only heard of it recently, and now it's booming like crazy."
Wordplays in the Japanese language isn't something new. In fact, the puns in our language have a historical roots.
The joke in itself is not really funny, but I guess the point of the joke is to get some awkward smiles from people. But not too sophisticated.
"So, you mean that old jokes are only booming now because people have only heard of it recently?"
"Yes."
"So that means, technically, the old jokes are the 'new' jokes right?"
"Exactly."
"But you said you hate the new jokes...?"
"Ohh! You finally understand, Senpai!"
So you just don't like jokes in general? Is that what she meant?
"I feel like you're misunderstanding me here." She sighed in defeat. "I don't mean that I don't like jokes in general, I just prefer the jokes that makes me laugh, and most of them just happen to be old."
"Ahh, so it's still up to your personal preference?"
"Mmhm!"
Then why did you even said that 'you like old jokes more than new ones'? That just made the whole thing confusing.
Had she said that instead, this wouldn't even be a topic. After all, we all have different taste, or preference, on different things. And that's only natural.
May it be food, sports, the attitude of people we want to interact with, everything, really.
And this applies to jokes as well. Some people find something funny, while some people don't understand why something is funny.
For example, someome might laugh if they see someone tripped, whilst other people will get worried.
Each individuals have their own way of keeping themselves entertained.
"But senpai, you don't seem to be familiar with this kind of things."
"Well, you can say that." I stood up with the intention of going to the vending machine.
"You're going home already?"
"No. You want coffee or what?"
"Ohoh~! Are you paying, senpai?" She sounds amused for some reason.
"Why do you think I'm asking?"
"Then coffee, please." She stood up and followed me.
It's been a few minutes after the school dismissal, so only a handful of students are still on campus. Most of them are people getting recruited for various clubs.
But of course, there are also a couple of students who are holding hands. If someone who doesn't go to this school were to see this scene, they'll probably think that this is a normal high school.
All this gambling and craziness won't really stop love from forming after all.
"Senpai, do you know that a lot of the first year's have a crush on you?" Sumeragi stated, her gaze fixed to the people holding hands.
"That's news to me."
"Now you know." She said while tip-toeing with a smile.
I can't really say that it doesn't matter to me. After this is my first time experiencing that lot of people are attracted to me.
Nevertheless, I'm not sure if I'm ready to be in a relationship any time in the future. After all, I still have a goal that I need to achieve.
If, let's say, that someone were to confess to me tomorrow or next week, I will probably say no. However, I can't really say that it's impossible for me to like someone.
But, not now, and not soon.
"Black coffee?" I asked as we arrived at the vending machine.
"Hmm... I'll take whatever senpai will get."
"Black coffee it is."
I inserted a coin and pressed the coffee that I want. I gave it to Sumeragi first before getting my coffee.
"I didn't know you were so kind, senpai."
"Is that so?"
I won't really call myself 'kind'. I guess the coffee is just a token of appreciation for keeping me entertained, even though I was just going straight home.
"Mmhm!" She took a sip from her coffee. She seemed to like the taste of it, even though it's quite bitter.
"Well, I'm going home now." I said before turning my back to her.
"Ahh! So early? It's not even 5pm yet, it's still too early!"
"I'm tired so I'm going to take a rest." I waved my hands as I started to walk away. "You should go home soon as well."
Without looking back, I continued walking towards the school gate, only to see Ikishima Midari leaning on the wall.
She looks like she's waiting for someone, and it doesn't look like she's waiting for me since she's not looking at all.
"You sure took your time, huh?" Ikishima greeted me as I walked passed her.
Guess I'm wrong
"Whatever do you mean by that?"
"Well, it must be nice being all lovey-dovey with a kouhai."
There's really no point in defending myself since I know she's just teasing me. But I hope this misunderstanding will just stay as it is.
"Do you need something from me? If not, I'm going home."
I really want to lie down, rest and call it a day. Having to deal with troublesome people is pretty tiring after all.
"Are you thinking bad about me?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
That's pretty scary. Did she just read my mind?
"Well, it doesn't matter. I have to talk to you about something."
"Is it important?"
"Very much so."
"I see. Then see you tomorrow."
I started to walk away, not giving any care about Ikishima. I wasn't really in the mood for any of this.
"Don't be like that."
I was surprised to see her walking beside me. Doesn't she need to go home as well?
"My house is also this way so just think of me as a stranger who happens to be walking very, very close to you."
"Just cut to the chase."
"Yes, yes." She sighed and slouched, she continued walking that way.
Her posture is very bad. And it's really bothering me.
"You're not recording this, are you?"
"I'm not following the president's orders all the time. What do you think of me, a dog?"
"I may be lying if I said no."
"Fuck off. You're thinking too low of me."
She sighed for the second time.
"Next week, the student council will be conducting the Debt Sorting Assembly. It's a pretty common event where we gather the students with the highest debt." She explained.
"This whole event sounds fishy." At first glance, this looks like the student council is giving another chance to some people to pay their debts.
But, I'm sure the President has another objective.
Yumeko has a debt of 310 million yen while Saotome has 496 million. The amount they owe is insanely high, and thus, this is a chance for them to pay it all out.
"I can't really say. What I can say is that, the students will be gambling in groups of four, the distribution of the group will follow a specific pattern. Are you interested in the details?"
"Honestly, no."
The Debt Sorting Assembly doesn't have anything to do with me. I have no debts to pay, so there's no reason to familiarize myself with the rules.
"But you're friends with Jabami Yumeko right? Aren't you worried about her? She's a pretty interesting girl, I must say." She laughed like a maniac after leaving that comment.
"I am. But there's nothing I can do to help her. The only thing I can do is to hope that she wins."
Yumeko have a high chance of winning this, but I can't be so sure. After all, I have no information about the students who's gonna participate in this assembly, other than Saotome Mary.
"Well it's true that you shouldn't get involved with this assembly. After all, the president is watching your every move."
Is that a warning? I don't really need it, but I appreciate the thought.
"I know. Are you fine telling me this though? If she's watching me, that means she knows you're interacting with me."
"Whether I tell you this or not won't change anything. You still won't be able to help Jabami Yumeko, so it doesn't make any difference." Her footsteps stopped, in which I instinctively look behind me.
That's right, even if she's following my orders because of the bet, at the end of the day, she's still a member of the student council. She's simply following me because of the terms of our bet, but she's not gonna support me and my plans.
And that's exactly why I need a member of the student council for this role.
I could've used someone like Sumeragi, but she doesn't hold that much power and authority unlike Ikishima Midari. To be honest, had I not met Ikishima that day, I would've made Sumeragi do my bidding.
She was just standing there, staring at me with her usual crazy eyes. Is she expecting any responses from me?
"I have no plans of helping her in the first place."
Even if I do, I wouldn't tell you how I'm gonna do it.
I continued walking, not giving any care if she's still following me or not.
Looks like things will start getting interesting next week.