Everybody, please check the FAQ first before asking me questions.
If it’s not on there, please feel free and ask. I only get annoyed at questions when the same one has been asked 10+ times, and by then I’ll have updated the FAQ.
Thank you for your consideration, guys!

---

This is my Christmas present to you, and I’d be really glad if you gifted me back with a review on novelupdates!
Incidentally, Reika graduates from primary school soon, so let’s have one chapter every 15 minutes until she does.

---

Yurukyara or yuru-chara are mascot characters of sorts, and like, different prefectures have their own mascots and stuff.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuru-chara

Also I’ve never been to Japan, nor seen how they sell these tourism yuru-charas, so this chapter’s translation might have a few mistakes.

---

Even though it’s already summer, I haven’t made any progress with the girl at cram school.
But I know her name now. It’s Yorino Aoi-chan.
As per usual, I stole a look at the name written on her books.
Aoi-chan. What a fitting name.
I kind of get the feeling that my stalker traits are getting stronger and stronger.
I don’t think I can laugh at Kaburagi anymore…

*imouto*

But a chance suddenly appeared.

As usual, I was on stand-by next to Aoi-chan as I watched the situation.
And while I was doing so, Aoi-chan suddenly dropped her pen!
At the speed of light, I picked it up!

“Ah-…”

Having lost her pen, Aoi-chan looked at me in a panic.
It’s my chance! My once-in-a-lifetime chance!

“Umm…”

“I-, I-, I am Kisshouin Reika! Gokigen’yoh!”

Aoi-chan’s hand reached towards the pen I was grasping and hesitating in mid-air, but it was a precious hostage. I wouldn’t hand it back so easily.

“Hmm…”

Aahh, she’s frightened of me.
Why? Is it because my eyes are shining like a predators? It is because of my drill hair?
Nooooo, I’m not scary, you know!?
An opening, look for an opening…

“I too like Tarow the Taro!”

“Eh-”

I decided on all or nothing.
To begin with, the reason I wanted to become friends with her is because I saw the unpopular yuru-chara on her bag.

“Ever since I saw your, um, Tarow the Taro keychain, I have always wanted to speak to you.”

Aahh, this kind of feels like a love confession.
My hands are shaking from the nervousness. My heart is pounding away.

“So, um, could you perhaps be my friend?”

“…”

Uwahh, I’m about to cry from the nervousness.
Oniisama, I meant to earnestly get closer to her, but I ended up jumping the gap in one go!
What do I dooo? Saveeee meeeeeeeeee!

“…Um, my pen, please return it.”

“……………”

Aahh, it’s over.

Aoi-chan is frowning just like Tarow is.
Of course she wouldn’t want to be friends with a girl like me.
Of course. A fake Rococo would be the type that Aoi-chan is worst with, after all.
I’m just a drill hair girl.
I see, I see.
I’m sorry. I won’t follow you around anymore. Drill hair girl will quietly leave…
I held out the pen to Aoi-chan.
Definitely, don’t cry.

Oniisama, I’ve been rejected.
OTL…

“…Please take care of me.”

After grasping the pen tightly, Aoi-chan had fallen into thought for a while, but then she raised her head to look at me before saying that.

Huh?

“I’m, Yorino Aoi.”

I know. Because I’m a stalker in the making.

“Please be my friend.”

After saying that, Aoi-chan smiled.

EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!?

“Really?”

“Mn.”

Eh-, why!? Even though you were that scared of me, why!?

“But, weren’t you avoiding me?”

When I said that, Aoi-chan looked a little awkward.
I asked something unnecessary.

“Because, you said that you liked this,”

she said, pointing at her Tarow strap,

“Nobody has said that they liked him before.”

“Same here!”

I’ve never actually asked around, but far from people telling me they like him, nobody has even mentioned him before. They probably don’t even know about him.

“I also want to talk to you about Tarow.”

“Mn!”

Did it! I did it!
Oniisama! I tried my best!
And it looks like Aoi-chan is willing to be my friend!

Class began so we stopped talking for a while, but the moment that it ended, we started talking again.

About how Aoi-chan’s grandpa lives in the countryside, in the area that Tarow the Taro came from.
About how she bought her keychain last year when she went over there to play.
About how Tarow the Taro goods were only sold in his hometown.

“I see~ I also searched the internet, but nobody was selling Tarow goods anywhere, and I was really wondering where on earth you got your keychain, you know? I even thought that you perhaps made it yourself.”

“Ahaha, he’s not very famous so I don’t think they’d sell him on the internet. There isn’t much variety in his goods, and I don’t think they sell very well.”

“Truly?”

“Yeah. Where he comes from, they sell a Tarow pouch with a picture of him in it, and in shops they sometimes have cardboard printouts of him, but the time that I went there, nobody was buying Tarow goods except me.”

“My~”

So Tarow really is a pitiful kid…
So like me, Aoi-chan also became fans of him because she felt sorry for him.
Can Tarow not get any fans outside of sympathy votes?

“Looking carefully, he’s got quite an interesting face, huh~ At a glance he looks plain though~”

“Mn…”

He’s mostly a light brown, so he really is quite plain.

After that, we continued happily talking until second period began.
It was really fun.
We promised to sit next to each other next week too. I’m so happy.

*imouto*

When I got home, I immediately let Oniisama know.

“I did it, Oniisama. I became friends with Aoi-chan!”

“Aoi-chan? The girl that you said you wanted to become friends with, last time?”

“Yes. Today we had a good time chatting about Tarow.”

“Aahh, the… weird little yuru-chara that you like…”

The other day I showed Oniisama Tarow the Taro on the internet.
Oniisama wasn’t sure what to say about him that time as well.

“Oniisama, you still haven’t understood Tarow’s charm yettt?”

“Looks like it. I don’t think it’ll ever happen.”

“Ehhhhh?”

Oniisama, why won’t you understand its cuteness.
But Oniisama gave me advice about Aoi-chan didn’t he.
As thanks, should I try making him dinner again?
Oniisama, look forward to it!

Aahh, what a good day it’s been!

 

---

<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>