"My breakfast…"
Yukiko Fujimine pouted, trailing behind Shuichi, Eri, and Kogoro as they entered the school.
At the entrance to the school building, Shuichi reached for his indoor shoes from the locker. As he raised his arm, his sleeve slipped, revealing the bruise on his forearm to Yukiko, standing nearby.
"Did… did I do that when I crashed into you?" she asked, shocked.
"Who else?" Eri huffed. "His arm was fine when he left this morning."
"Sorry…" Yukiko mumbled, quickly opening Shuichi's locker for him. "Let me get your shoes."
The moment the locker opened, two love letters fluttered out.
"It's only the second week of school, and it's starting again," Kogoro sighed.
Yukiko picked up the letters, surprised. "Starting what?"
"Love letters," Kogoro said, sulking. "Shuichi's been a girl magnet since elementary school, getting letters nearly every week. Meanwhile, I haven't gotten a single one my whole life…"
Realizing he'd overshared, Kogoro, not wanting to lose face in front of his high school friends, backtracked. "Actually, I was pretty popular in middle school. Several girls confessed to me!"
"Several?" Eri said, mercilessly. "Wasn't it just Ruri?"
"…You're one to talk! No one's ever written you a love letter!" Kogoro shot back, annoyed.
Eri glanced at Shuichi calmly. "I don't need them."
"Hmph, I'll find a girlfriend besides Ruri before high school's over!" Kogoro clenched his fist, psyching himself up.
"I talked to Ruri on the phone Sunday morning," Eri said kindly. "She mentioned a boy already confessed to her."
"No way!" Kogoro's face twisted in disbelief. "Ruri's not even pretty, always in plain clothes like you, with those thick glasses… Who'd like her?"
"I told you before, she's gorgeous without the glasses," Shuichi said irritably. "If you don't step up, you'll lose her."
"Ruri was your middle school classmate?" Yukiko asked, curiously, as she handed Shuichi his indoor shoes.
"Technically, we've known her since kindergarten," Shuichi replied. "But she moved out of Tokyo for high school due to family stuff."
"You've got a lot of childhood friends…" Yukiko muttered, then turned to Kogoro. "Glasses girl's right. You'd better cherish a good girl like that."
"You've never even met Ruri. How do you know she's good?" Kogoro grumbled.
"Isn't it obvious?" Yukiko smirked, nudging Shuichi with her elbow. "She passed up a guy like this to confess to you. She's got a big heart."
"…I'm plenty handsome too," Kogoro mumbled, touching his face.
Shuichi slipped on his indoor shoes and bent to put his outdoor ones away, but Yukiko beat him to it, tucking them into the locker.
"You didn't have to do that," Shuichi said.
"Consider it my apology for your arm," Yukiko said, patting her chest. "Since I hurt you, anything you need today, just say it!"
"I'm on classroom duty today…"
"I'll handle it!"
"Today's homework…"
"I'll write it!"
"Tonight's shift at the izakaya…"
"I'm on it!"
"Fine, if you insist," Shuichi said, feigning reluctance. "I'll let you."
"Tch, if I hadn't hurt you, only an idiot would work for free!" Yukiko huffed.
As Shuichi turned to go, she waved the love letters. "What about these?"
"Give them to Eri," Shuichi said, waving dismissively. "She's been handling them since elementary school."
"Here," Eri said, reaching for the letters.
Yukiko ignored her, swiftly changing into her own indoor shoes and chasing after Shuichi. "Hey, isn't that a bit much?"
"Those girls poured their hearts into these letters. You don't even glance at them and hand them to that stingy glasses girl? With her personality, she'll probably toss them in the trash!"
Eri's fist clenched at the remark. "Who said I throw them away? I've kept every love letter Shuichi's gotten since elementary school."
"You… collect other people's love letters?" Yukiko's eyes widened. "That's kinda creepy."
"Curly-haired fox, are you picking a fight?" Eri's face darkened. If they weren't at school, she'd be ready to throw punches.
"Just kidding!" Yukiko ducked behind Shuichi. "But isn't it rude to not respond at all? You could at least reply."
"They wrote them, not me," Shuichi said indifferently. "If they get mad, let them."
"You're so inconsiderate!" Yukiko rolled her eyes. "I feel sorry for those girls, falling for a heartless jerk like you!"
"If you're such an expert, handle them for me," Shuichi said with a grin. "Didn't you say you'd do my work?"
"Who's an expert?" Yukiko shot back. "I've never dealt with love letters either."
Her words drew stares from all three. "What?"
"No way, Fujimine," Kogoro said, shocked. "You're so pretty, and no one's written you a love letter?"
"I…" Yukiko opened her mouth, flustered, unsure how to explain.
"I get it," Eri said with a sly grin. "Some people weren't exactly lookers before high school."
"Nonsense! My features were always refined," Yukiko said, embarrassed. "I was just… a little chubby."
"A little chubby?" Eri teased maliciously. "What, like a hundred kilos?"
"No way! In my third year of middle school, I was only sixty-something…" Yukiko clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Oh, sixty-something kilos!" Eri mocked. "And you say you weren't a chubby girl!"
"That's still better than you, glasses girl!"
"Fat fox."
"Petty!"
"Fat fox."
"Wah…"
(End of Chapter)
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
If you guys wanna check it out.