Chapter 9: My Own Position [side Mishima Satsuki]
The story from the day before the last meeting in Chapter 6.
Everyone has their own position.
Especially for girls, this is very pronounced.
The term "caste" is used, and I think it's quite fitting.
I keenly felt this in fifth grade.
To achieve that, there are many things you need.
I used to be an unremarkable, plain girl. I had confidence in my raw material, but that was it.
While tidying my room, I recall a bit of the past...
Back in fifth grade.
I was the kind of girl who looked like a literary type—called neat at best, plain at worst—and after a class reshuffle, I joined the group of the most talented and beautiful girl in our year, "Rena Kashii," who lived relatively close to me.
("That" Rena Kashii acknowledged me!)
After all, Rena Kashii isn't just the central figure in our class but the most versatile and beautiful girl in our year, with tons of fans, an outstanding presence, and incredible leadership!
With her influence and charisma, all sorts of requests and troubles come her way.
We in the Rena Kashii group are often busy handling these matters, but the eyes of the kids who make requests or those from lower castes look at us a little differently.
A sense of superiority? I can't help but feel it!
The Rena Kashii group consists of Rena Kashii as the leader, her rival and best friend, No. 2 Obata-san, the academically excellent beauty Ichijo-san, the athletically gifted and cute Nimura-san, and me.
I've heard people call me a gentle, bookish, plain beauty. I heard it from a second-tier girl.
The moment I step forward, they stop talking abruptly.
I'm the kind of girl they can't say things to directly.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
When I smile softly,
Girl "...No, thanks for the other day."
Do you remember how I talked to Kashii-san and helped out with various things?
I get how second-tier girls feel; first-tier girls just shine so much brighter. But plain beauty... sure, "beauty" is attached, but I'm not satisfied with this position.
Now, when it comes to girls' topics, love is inseparable. Even in fifth grade, the vibe of "Who do you like?" or "Which boy do you like? Kyaa!" is super strong.
There's a girl who's not in the top tier but is in Kashii-san's group, and she likes the most popular boy in class, Kanzaki-kun, often asking Kashii-san to mediate since they talk a lot due to their positions.
She declared, "I like Atsuki Kanzaki-kun!" and even made Kashii-san declare, "I don't feel anything for Kanzaki-kun!" just to be sure.
This is my chance! Around that time, I had my eye on one boy.
Kousuke-kun from the group of the most popular boy in class, Kanzaki-kun—Kousuke Saito-kun!
He's not flashy, but I noticed he's the one actually running the Kanzaki group!
Kousuke-kun is plain but excels in academics, has great athletic ability, and has an incredibly well-proportioned face! He has a cute face, almost like a girl's!
He's athletically gifted, quiet, and cool! A bit on the shorter side, but I'm looking forward to his growth!
Normally, he goes along with silly conversations with his best friend Tachibana-kun, but no mistake, he's super cool!
Using the situation with the girl who wants to get close to Kanzaki-kun, I decided to ask Kashii-san, saying, "Actually... me..."
If she could create some opportunity... I can't approach a boy out of nowhere!
Then Kashii-san said,
Kashii "Let's have a Christmas party at my house!"
What!?
Amazing! It's like what party people do, right? The cool kids do this kind of thing!
Kashii-san's versatility is unreal! Maybe Kashii-san can make anything happen?! The girl who likes Kanzaki-kun got a bit selfish with her requests.
I want to sit next to him! I want her to praise me in front of him! Please help with all sorts of things!
My best friend Obata-san also stepped in and arranged for the present I get to be his. Amazing!
I'm impressed by Kashii-san's generosity and planning skills in accepting everything. And when I visited her house for the meeting, I was shocked by how luxurious it was. Is she a young lady?
But, you know, I'm a bit bothered by how blessed Kashii-san is.
I've worked hard to become cute and studied diligently, so why?
Why is Kashii-san so beautiful and cute? So smart and athletically gifted?
Cooking? Piano? She can do anything and is treated like a princess by everyone...?
I was a bit bothered, but since she's done so much for me... right?
After all, I'm a member of the Kashii group.
...For now, I'll observe Kashii-san closely, learn from her, and absorb everything!
At the Christmas party, I sat next to Kousuke-kun and talked with him comfortably!
He's shy and got flustered by my approach, which was cute!
We exchanged contact info, and as planned, my present, a snow globe, ended up with Kousuke-kun, while I got his present, a cute flower gift that looks like a blue bouquet and lights up with LEDs! So cute! I'm so happy!
Kousuke-kun has great taste.
Having made this connection with Kousuke-kun, I slowly started closing the distance.
In sixth grade, we went through events like the sports festival, school trip, and cultural festival.
Our Kashii-san group and the boys' Kanzaki-kun group ran the class. The Kanzaki-kun group has a lot of rowdy kids, so planning and execution were mostly handled by Kousuke-kun. In the Kashii-san group, Kashii-san is the center, but she made sure to pair me with Kousuke-kun.
Since I started observing Kashii-san closely, I've noticed various things.
Despite her high abilities, Kashii-san often doesn't take the lead publicly. Rather than standing at the forefront, she prefers to lead by example or influence others to resolve conflicts or change the atmosphere.
Because of her cuteness and abilities, she's envied, so is she too bound by the justification of "for everyone's sake"?
If I were Kashii-san, I'd do things more freely and confidently!
It's such a waste with those high specs. As a friend, I feel it's a pity, but it's her choice, right?
Still, that humble attitude, hiding her true feelings and acting for "everyone's sake," and maintaining a refined demeanor to be well-liked are things I can learn from!
I'm called a plain beauty, but when I become a middle schooler, and then an adult, I'll be even more beautiful! And then...
And so, I graduated from elementary school and became a middle schooler.
At the end of the second term, the central boy in class, Kanzaki-kun, transferred away, and Kousuke-kun was shocked by it.
While supporting him through that, our distance gradually shrank.
The annoying one is Kousuke-kun's best friend, Tachibana-kun!
This person always gets in the way.
He's always talking nonsense with Kousuke-kun and often hangs out with him on weekends.
That cool Kousuke-kun gets heated when Tachibana-kun is involved.
I'm annoyed by that! His little sister also pesters Kousuke-kun all the time, so the Tachibana siblings are real nuisances.
...But since Kousuke-kun really likes the Tachibana siblings, I absolutely don't show it on my face.
After all, they're always getting excited over silly things like manliness, loyalty, warlords, or strategists? Well, Kousuke-kun has a childish side too, which I think is cute, though?
And then, upon entering middle school, we started dating!
After the graduation ceremony, I hinted, "What is our relationship...?"
Kousuke "...Mishima-san... no, Satsuki-san! Please go out with me!"
Yes! It feels like I made him say it, but Kousuke-kun confessed to me, and we started dating.
He kind of came out about a stutter or something. But it's not showing now, right? I looked it up later, and it's not necessarily hereditary, and many outgrow it.
If it's not showing now, it's fine, right? But it seems to be a complex for him... hmm.
Now... since we're dating, I told him not to dote on Tachibana's little sister too much, okay? Because she's a girl, and since Kousuke-kun has a girlfriend, he shouldn't be too friendly with other girls! He blushed and nodded.
Hehe! Read the room, Tachibana's little sister!
Kousuke-kun and I went to the terminal station to hang out during spring break!
He treated me to a piece of clothing, and since we're becoming middle schoolers, we bought some extra stationery.
We gifted each other ballpoint pens.
☆ ☆ ☆
"I remember things like that, huh."
I carelessly stuff the blue flower gift, the ballpoint pen he bought me when we entered middle school, and the clothes I can no longer wear that he bought me into a trash bag.
Not too long ago, these were treasures to me (lol).
The next time we meet, I'll return this trash... no, these presents, and cleanly end this relationship!
It's for both our sakes!
Tidying up my room is still going to take a while.