Translation: learning2tl
Editing/Proofreading: chelly
Chapter 4 – Who Decided That Episodes from the Past Will Be Effective?
Part 3
After school, at the entrance to the rooftop.
Looking up at the cloudy sky through the gate’s iron bars, I waited for Uenohara.
With the wind fiercely blowing on the outside stairs, it was unpleasantly cold. It’s as if the season had rewound.
Sure enough, the door to the rooftop was locked tight, and I couldn’t get in. Still, this was the best place on campus for us to talk without worrying about being seen.
Normally, we should have moved this to “Conference Room M,” but… right now, I wanted to talk to Uenohara as soon as possible.
“Sorry, did you wait long?”
It was 10 minutes before the appointed meeting time.
Uenohara suddenly showed up. As punctual as ever.
“Nah…”
“It’s unusual for us to meet at school. Have you made some kind of progress? Or is it something about the investigation?”
Uenohara spoke in her usual tone as she walked up the stairs.
From the looks of it, she was still oblivious.
“Hey… did you know about this?”
“Hmm…?”
I opened the video that Tokiwa had sent me on my phone and immediately held it out towards Uenohara.
Uenohara took the phone with a puzzled look on her face and looked down at the screen.
Then, with a twitch, she stiffened her body.
“What’s… this?”
She murmured, staring at the phone.
Her expression appeared as expressionless as usual, but she was restless. Her other hand scrunched up the hair on the back of her head.
“It’s from when I was investigating… when I talked to the boys… Ah, I see. So that’s what it’s about.”
Murmuring to herself, she then grabbed the hair on the back of her head especially tightly.
…As perceptive as ever. Looks like she’s already figured out the situation.
I exhaled bitterly before continuing.
“So you’re even doing Face-to-Face Investigations for me…”
“…”
“This video was filmed by someone from the Katsunuma group… a member of that bunch who’s hostile to me. They saw you acting friendly with our group after the cheer practice, and apparently, they’ve been paying close attention to you since then.”
After my talk with Tokiwa, I found out that they had been wary of Uenohara ever since, given that she was a girl from another class who seemed close to me and had suddenly made an approach.
When I thought about it, it was certainly true that Katsunuma’s eyes had been on us at that time.
I had thought that she was trying to interfere with my plans as usual, but… perhaps she had been watching Uenohara.
“It looks like they had a negative impression of you from the beginning. They saw your investigations and interpreted them in a bad way. That’s what got you… being called a ‘maneater’ and all that.”
Uenohara didn’t respond and remained silent.
I couldn’t take it anymore and bowed my head.
“…Sorry. I should’ve noticed it sooner.”
“…”
“But… we’re still fine. For the video, I’m getting Tokiwa’s help to stop it from spreading any further. And we can always make up for things. It’s not like it’s affecting our plans, so depending on the excuse…”
“I said it’s okay.”
─ Uenohara quickly interjected.
Then, after a small sigh.
“…The heck. Did you think you could be an idiot?”
She muttered to herself as if she had given up on everything.
Her voice felt even more emotionless than usual, and I was suddenly filled with a sense of restlessness.
“Wait, Uenohara.”
“So there were eyewitnesses, huh? When you told me to watch my back… you were kind of serious, weren’t you?
“Here,” she said, handing me back the phone in her hand.
Uenohara continued in a flat tone of voice, looking somewhat cold and unconcerned.
“Just think about it. It’s creepy to go around only talking to boys you’ve never met before, not to mention ones from another class. It wouldn’t be strange if some strange rumors started to circulate.”
“But, that’s…”
“Even so, it’s not something that needs to be explained. I mean, I just have to avoid doing anything extra from now on, right?”
“…”
Confronted by an option I had been trying not to think about, I was at a loss for words.
“In the first place, I haven’t been doing anything that would cause a problem if dug up. It’s a little troublesome that there’s still a video. But… even so, it’ll be forgotten soon as long as I don’t do anything from now on. After all, it’s to do with another class.”
“Nagasaka, you can just let it pass as it’s unrelated to you. I’m going to just not do anything. Isn’t that the most logical solution?”
“That’s…”
Again and again, Uenohara threw sound arguments at me.
Something… anything… I have to say something back.
If I don’t, then at this rate…
“…Understood. I’ll do things on my own until things calm down.”
“Ah, sorry. Let’s stop that too.”
My heart skipped a beat.
Uenohara brushed her hair back, then turned her back to me.
“I’m saying that this is also the end of the ‘accomplice’ thing. We’ve gradually managed to come this far, but… it’d be better to stop before getting into any more trouble, don’t you think?”
“Ah…”
Speaking without hesitation, Uenohara didn’t show a shred of emotion.
“It goes without saying that I’m not particularly interested in romantic comedies. There’s no reason for me to continue and keep taking risks. With someone like that around, wouldn’t it be a bother for you, Nagasaka?”
She spoke in a normal tone as if to say that this was common sense and part of her everyday life.
Then she walked down the stairs in a steady rhythm.
Step by step, she moved further and further away from the rooftop.
“W-Wait. Please wait.”
I called out to her as if chasing after that back.
Then, at the landing at the turn of the stairs.
Uenohara paused for a moment, grabbing the back of her hair. She then looked up at me indifferently, staring straight into my eyes.
“I need to properly look at the reality. To begin with, I was never a part of this.”
─ Those words. They’re the same as the ones that I heard on the day that I met Uenohara.
In response to those unbearable words, I couldn’t help but shout.
“Please wait!”
“…Is there still something?”
Uenohara, who was about to leave just like that, turned only her eyes in my direction as she spoke.
“Why… why did you go so far to even do Face-to-Face Investigations without me asking you?”
“…”
“It’s just like last time. You did a lot of work for the plan of your own accord, didn’t you?”
“…”
“If you were only caught up by the flow and was just helping out, then there shouldn’t have been a need for you to do all that. It’s strange that you would’ve taken action on your own without some other reason. Am I wrong?”
With those concluding words, the place fell silent.
Then, a gust of wind blew right between us.
Uenohara turned her face away from me and held down her fluttering hair.
And then…
“Even though I’m no idiot…”
She lifted the corners of her mouth just a little.
“…I thought it suited you well to be one, Nagasaka. So I wanted you to remain an idiot as much as possible. That’s all.”
─ She smiled with a gentle, sorrowful face.
Hearing Uenohara’s real intentions, I came to my senses.
Ah… what the hell?
What the hell am I doing?
Because I was so caught up in the memories of that time, I lost sight of the true nature of the situation…
I’ve caused Uenohara to make an unnecessary mistake.
I’ve made Uenohara worry about unnecessary things.
I’ve misled Uenohara into thinking that as expected, the reality can’t be overturned.
“…I won’t approve of it.”
“…?”
“I won’t accept a reality like this.”
“Huh? Wait, what are you suddenly saying…”
─ It’s just as Uenohara says.
I’m an idiot.
I should remain a big idiot.
“…What’s with this difficult development? What’s this stupid farewell event-like flow? This isn’t the kind of romantic comedy I like at all. That’s why I won’t accept that reality.”
Uenohara’s brow twisted in confusion as she looked at me.
“Uh, you know… we aren’t talking about if it’s a romantic comedy or not right now.”
“Shut up, you idiot!”
“Huh…?”
Shouting, I then slapped my cheeks as hard as I could.
The sound bounced off the rooftop and then disappeared into the sky.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“That hurts! Really, what the hell have I been doing?”
Why the hell have I been doing investigations in the first place?
It’s to do a romantic comedy, isn’t it?
If you’re so focused on the investigation that you leave the romantic comedy behind, that’s like putting the cart before the horse, isn’t it?!
“All right, all right. I’m sick and tired of the serious stuff. I’m tired of behind-the-scenes failures with neither love nor comedy.”
“Hey, wait, what have you been going on about since earlier?”
“Listen up, Uenohara. I’m going to recover all of the foreshadowings you’ve planted.”
“Huh…? Foreshadowing…?”
Disregarding Uenohara, who was still puzzled, I started to think.
In this reality, the romantic comedy developments won’t come to you if you just wait.
That’s why I decided to turn reality into a romantic comedy.
“That’s right. A romantic comedy will solve everything.”
I’m going to take advantage of this sloppy development and create the best “Romantic Comedy Event” ever!
I’ll show it to you.
From here on out.
It’s time for me to really shine as Nagasaka Kouhei.
[End of Chapter 4]
After Sleep Club 
Thanks for the translation!
Cliffhanger ending. Can’t wait for the next installment!
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Thanks for the translation.
I think Uenohara have some past trauma or bullying or something along those lines, that maybe her reason to find solace in romcom world that Nagasaka wants to create. That maybe reason she gone to such lengths to help him.
Or my speculation may be just some BS.
😂
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Thanks
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I feel like the line “…I thought it suited you well to be one, Nagasaka. So I wanted you to remain an idiot as much as possible. That’s all.” is a confession and Nagasaka just interpreted it the wrong way lmao
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Ueno is too self consious and has identity problems it seems, that’s maybe why she is attracted to the mc who is an idiot and is true to himself and goes at his own pace…….
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man, i’m more confused
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