Category Archives: Kenkyo Kenjitsu

Reika-sama – 050

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!


Thank this guy for reminding me to post this: Ratatoskr


I’ve been over the moon since falling for Romeo-senpai.
So over the moon that I can’t do a thing about it. Awake, asleep, my mind is always filled with Romeo-senpai.
I’ve been doing things like checking his class schedule to see if I ever have a chance to pass by him, or staring hard out the window to see him during P.E. class.
Even when I get home, before I know it I’m thinking about Romeo-senpai, and end up picking at flower petals.
My the results of my urara flower divinations was unfavourable. But using the flower with my name, I’ll break through with guts and willpower!

Anyhow, as I was spending my days like that, my ranking fell on the end-of-term tests. Hard.
Of course it did. I pretty much never studied, after all. I was too busy being happy.
And honestly, even I didn’t think I would fall this badly.

When I realised my name wasn’t on the published list, the girls around me said stuff like “What a shame~” but I thought that I’d fallen only 2 or 3 places at most.
But when I looked at my slip, I had fallen over thirty ranks.
This is a critical moment. Critical like trying to keep my balance on the point of a cliff. “As expected of Reika-sama” is in the past now. It was incredibly short-lived.
Honestly, these marks are just horrible…

Or so I was thinking to myself, depressed, when my homeroom teacher suddenly called for me. And to the student counselling room, no less.
I’ve got a terrible, terrible feeling about this.
I wondered what she was going to say as I headed there in depression. When I arrived, my homeroom teacher asked me for my thoughts on my term-end results.
Well, even if they ask me that, I’m so shocked by my ranking drop that I honestly don’t know what to say. What should I say?
Or so I was wondering in a daze, when she made a difficult expression and looked at me.

“Honestly speaking, it was completely unexpected that you would fall this far, Kisshouin-san. I’ve seen your grades in primary school, and they were exceptional. I asked all the other teachers as well, and they all told me that you took your lessons seriously, your exams results were splendid, and that you were an excellent, model student. I thought so too. As a teacher, I had almost no worries about you.”

“And yet,” she continued, “how do you explain this drop in results? If something happened, please speak to me about it.”

Well, even if she asks me how, it’s simply that I fell in love and didn’t study, so I definitely can’t tell her the truth.

“I believe that I was simply lacking in effort this time. I truly apologise.”

“You know, things have become a problem. It isn’t just your results. Lately your attitude in class has been an issue as well. A number of teachers have told me that in class you simply sit there in a daze, without really trying. And the result can be seen in your grades. Just what on earth happened, I wonder.”

Eh-, it’s become this big of a deal? Just because my marks fell!?
Or rather, isn’t this the kind of thing you say to problem students!?
Far from “as expected of Reika-sama”, I’ve turned into one of those problem children that get called in to the counselling room!

“You know, Kisshouin-san, could it be that some bad boy is tricking you?”

“Hah?”

What’s this all of a sudden?

“When it comes to girls worsening their behaviour, most of the time a boy is involved. That the diligent model student that you were has changed this much… Could it be that you have begun dating some strange man?”

Sensei leaned forward as she asked this.
In other words, I began dating some bad man, and I fell onto the path of a delinquent?
Oh my gosh.
To think that while I was being over the moon, I almost got the label of ‘delinquent girl’ attached to me!

“No, absolutely not.”

Far from a bad boy, he’s the esteemed Student Council President, famous as a model student, and loved by all the teachers.
And far from dating him, I haven’t even had a chance to talk properly before.
All that I did was go “Guhuhu, Romeo-senpai~” and roll about in my room.
Even though this is all just because I accidentally lost control of my lazy side, the situation turned into a surprisingly huge matter!

“It has reached the point where we believe it would be best to try contacting your guardians.”

EEHH!? IT’S THAT BAD!?
And I’m even being brought up as an issue at your staff meetings!?
Aren’t there plenty of girls with way worse grades than me!? Why am I the only one being portrayed like I’m on the straight road to delinquency!?

“Umm, it truly is not big deal. I simply became a little too relaxed this time. I am reflecting on it, and will try my best next time.”

“…The staff here has great trust in you, Kisshouin-san. The shock we received from this was not small, you know. Also, would you consider taking summer remedials?”

“Remedials?”

In the middle school section, they have remedial classes during the summer break for kids with bad grades. Kids that are particularly studious also attend them, but they’re in the minority.
Remedials… “As-Expected-of” Reika-sama going to remedials…
But going to those remedials also serves as a way for them to keep an eye on my behaviour.
After all, sometimes there are kids who undergo shocking changes during the summer break. That’s exactly when kids start making bad friends.
But Sensei, far from bad friends, I barely have any normal friends. I have almost no friends who will play with me outside of school…
Just how on earth am I supposed to turn into a delinquent if I’m just sitting at home all day?

Well, can’t be helped. You reap what you sow.
Now that it’s come to this, all I can do is repair my reputation.

“I understand. I shall attend the remedials.”

My first summer break as a middle school student, turned into quite a tearful event.

*imouto*

*imouto*

On the first day of remedials, I headed for school.

After I came out to my family about going to remedials, they were in shock.
Okaasama was bewildered, saying “With grades like this, must you go to remedials?”, but I think it’s more about the drop in my rankings that’s shocked the teachers.
But if I went with a stupidly honest reply like, “The teachers think I’m being tricked by a bad man.” things would really blow up, so I didn’t say a thing though.
As for Oniisama, he fell into thought as he looked at my report card.
I’m sorry for being a disappointing sister.

But I really have reflected a lot, this time.
Although it was pretty shocking that just a drop in grades turned into such a huge matter.
Still, I’ll admit that my lifestyle turned quite lazy.
I also inconvenienced a lot of people, and caused them to worry too.
My home tutor, Karin-sensei, became a little depressed because she thought it was the fault of her teaching style.

And also, becoming fatter because of my idle lifestyle is actually the biggest issue here.
I used to have these clear dimples when I smiled, but lately they’ve become harder to see because of the meat.
I’ve been ignoring it as just my imagination, but my big tummy was yelling at me, “This is your reality!”
This won’t do. I like A-line dresses, but an A-line figure is definitely a no.
This rounded tanuki stomach is definitely a no!

I’ve decided that this summer break, I’m going to turn over a new leaf and try my best.

*imouto*

The remedial lessons weren’t arranged in classes, and instead each grade would be grouped together in one room.
When I entered the classroom, the students already in there looked at me in shock.
Gokigen’yoh, everyone.
Even though I was supposed to have put on a friendly smile, all of them averted their eyes. Why.

Almost all the kids in the room were those with bad grades, and not only that, the ones that didn’t stand out at school. Well, I suppose you could say that they’re the bottom caste in the school hierarchy.
Even the kids here out of enthusiasm are all just swots and hardcore crammers.
Not a single person from my caste was here.
Even within my very own group, there are kids with grades worse than mine, but those girls all have a private tutor, or go to cram school, and would never go to remedials.
And neither would any of the more rebellious kids come.
Pretty much everybody here belongs to the harmless, docile type, and they’re all the type that quietly live out their lives at school.
When I took a seat at the back of the classroom, one of the students sitting near me, slooowly moved to another seat.
Some of the kids with friends were forming small islands, but I was stuck living on a deserted one.

When I looked out the window, oh my? Was that a mirage just now? The scenery swayed.
…I’m definitely not crying or anything.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

The recompense for being over the moon about love, turned out to be quite large.
This heartrendingly lonely remedial lifestyle, was only just beginning.


<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Reika-sama – 049

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!


Kisshouin Takateru

My sister has been acting weird.

The other day she went out somewhere, but the moment she came home she stuck to me.
My sister always fawns on me, but that night was different.
Because she’d been clinging to my arm with her face buried, I couldn’t see her expression. Still, I could tell that she was down.
After a while, my clothes felt cold.
She was crying.
I wanted to find out what happened exactly, but my sister can be surprisingly stubborn.
So I pretended that I didn’t notice, and just lent her my arm.

I’d been busier lately, so I didn’t get home as early. Because of that, we had less time together.
Even though it was something sad enough to cry about, my sister wouldn’t speak.
Maybe she’d been lonely.
So I decided at that moment that it might be better to make the time to come home a little earlier.
My arm started feeling heavier, and when I turned to look, I found that she had cried herself to sleep.
I would have felt bad waking her up, so I went to get a blanket for her, but when I draped it over, her stomach grumbled. She was chewing in her sleep too.
…Apparently she was hungry.
So I went to prepare food, so that she could eat the moment she woke.

*imouto*

*imouto*

Since that day, for some reason my sister has been really lecturing our father.
She casually whispers things in his ears like, “The Heavens see through all” or “Bad news travels quickly” or “Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know and I know”.
Well, to be honest, my sister has always treated him like this, and she’ll say stuff like this on occasion, like she suddenly remembers to.
But its frequency has been increasing.
Even though she says “Otousama. I believe in you, Otousama.” with a serious expression, it seems like she doesn’t at all.
And being a father who isn’t trusted at all by his daughter, naturally he feels down.
She even came up to me and said, “You’re the only one I can rely on, Oniisama. Please rehabilitate Otousama for me.”

Little Sister… Our father is right behind you…

Apparently in my sister’s mind, our father is an unbelievable villain.
I heard him mutter “I wonder if it’s her rebellious phase…”
…How pitiful.

*imouto*

*imouto*

But lately, her weird behaviour has taken another strange turn.

She sighs a whole lot, and will suddenly grasp at her chest in pain.
A disease!? A spasm!? Or so I thought as I ran over in panic, but she just said something weird like “This is a maiden’s affliction.”
I was still worried about whether it actually was some disease, but at dinner she was eating happily as usual, so I figured that she was alright.
As for my father, in order to raise her opinion of him, lately he’s been diligently buying all sorts of rare pastries and cakes and fruits for her. And she’s been dilligently eating them all.
Well, I’m glad that she’s healthy.

*imouto*

*imouto*

This one time, she whole-heartedly plucked petals. She would pluck at them, and sigh, then pluck at them and sigh again.
Only after a number of flowers were left bald did she stop, after one final, big sigh.
Then after that, she silently cleaned up the pitiful remains of the flowers.
Had she simply been really stressed?

*imouto*

*imouto*

Most recently, it happened while my sister was doing homework. One of her answers were wrong, so to rub it out, I picked up the rubber from her pencil case. And then she screamed “AAAAHHH!” like it was the end of the world.
After snatching it in panic from my hand, my sister dropped her shoulders in gloom.
Just what was going on with that rubber?

“Oniisama, you’re too much…”

After leaving behind those mysterious words, my sister picked up all her things and left my room.
What the?
And Little Sister, are you fine with leaving that answer wrong?

*imouto*

*imouto*

“Wasn’t that flower fortune telling?”

I spoke to my friend Imari about her.
She consulted him about something quite passionately, when he came over to play the other day.
Even when I asked her what it was about, she just replied “Nothing at all”, and wouldn’t reply to me.
…No fun at all.

“Flower fortune telling?”

“What, you’ve never heard of it? It’s pretty common, isn’t it? That thing where they go, ‘He loves me. He loves me not.’ as they pick at petals and stuff. Don’t you remember the girls doing it, back when we were kids?”

“Aahh, I think I did hear something like that.”

Flower fortune telling, huh.
Seeing my sister rend petals with ghastly vigour, that kind of maidenly idea never came to mind.
Rather, I had wondered if she had some sort of grudge against them.

But flower fortune telling, huh.
Wasn’t that a love fortune?
Love?

“…Imari. What did my sister talk to you about?”

“Eehh, well, nothing big…”

“Imari.”

“Ehh~ I mean, I already made a promise with Imouto-chan, so…”

“Imari.”

“Come on, Takateru, even you have heaps of stuff your sister doesn’t know, right? GUHOH-!”

Silence, fool.

As warning, I gave him a second punch.
Even though he started coughing and spluttering, he still wouldn’t talk.

I sighed.

“Professor Kumesuke’s wife. At the Academic Meeting”

“UGEH-! How did you know about that-!?”

“What did my sister talk to you about?”

“…It’s what you suspect.”

Hm.

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know. I tried asking, but she wouldn’t tell me. Ah-, but she did say something about Romeo.”

“Romeo?”

Are we still talking about a real person here?
Could it be that my sister has an imaginary boyfriend? Considering who we’re talking about, it’s certainly possible.
Perhaps my sister has a foreign boyfriend that only she can see.

“Also she started talking about giving handmade cookies as a present, so I told her it would better not to.”

“Cookies?”

Ah-! I remember!
Just a while ago, my sister made my father and I eat cookies.
Because of my mother’s diet, she doesn’t eat sweet things at night.
The cookies were burnt bitter here and there, but the rest of them were sweet, so perhaps you could say that my sister’s cooking was slowly approaching the average person’s.
The cookies on my father’s plate were far more burnt than mine.
He asked, “Oh, were these choc chip cookies?” causing my sister to grow sullen.
Dad, those cookies might be pitch black, but there’s no chocolate in them at all. They’re plain cookies.
My father wordlessly washed them down with his tea.

“So it was that huh.”

“Oh! Do you know something?”

“I guess.”

In order to give cookies to the person you like, you used me as a lab rat, huh.
Burnt foods are bad for you, you know.
Know our father’s grief.

“Well? What are you going to do?”

“Nothing at all, of course.”

“Oh? I thought you’d try and stop it.”

“As if.”

Well, I will check to see that he isn’t a weirdo though.
If somebody was tricking a lady of the Kisshouin house, and planning to do bad things to her, I’d be troubled.
As long as that isn’t the case, I’m fine with anything.

“After all…”

I can’t even imagine that absurd little sister actually succeeding in her romance.
To begin with, I’m not even sure he’s real.
Hmm, she mentioned before that she wanted to see the zoo in Hokkaido. Once it’s done, I’ll take her there.

But Little Sister, if you really have fallen in love, maybe you should hold back on our father’s tributes.
After all, your face is getting a little round.


“The Heavens see through all” or “Bad news travels quickly” or “Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know and I know”.
All of these are Japanese sayings.

The first(天網恢恢疎にして漏らさず) is literally,
“Heaven has large meshes, but nothing escapes.”
and comes from Lao Zi’s
天網恢恢,疏而不失」.

The second(悪事千里を走る) is literally,
“News of misdeeds spread across a thousand li.”
and comes from the Beimeng Suoyan’s
Good deeds do not go beyond the door, evil deeds spread a thousand miles” or in Chinese,
好事不出門,壞事傳千里」.

The third(天知る、地知る、我知る、人知る) is literally,
“The Heavens know, the Earth knows, I know, and you know.”
actually comes from a quote from an Eastern Han official by the name of Yang Zhen楊震).
When a man named Wang Mi visited Yang Zhen at night and attempted to bribe him 10 catties of gold, Yang rejected the gift. Wang Mi persevered, saying that nobody would know.
Yang Zhen famously retorted “Heaven knows it, God knows it, I know it, and you know it. How can you say that no one knows it?” or in Chinese,
「天知,神知,我知,子知。何謂無知!」
shaming Wang Mi into leaving.


<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Reika-sama – 048

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!


For some reason as I was translating this chapter, I kept thinking of midoriha…


It was our job to get a list of names and club affiliations in order to bring to the Student Council.
We had our classmates fill out the forms, but just when I was about to head to the Student Council room to deliver it, Class Pres suddenly suggested,

“Why don’t I go alone?”

“Why ever would you do that?”

“Eh-, I mean, look, people say that the Pivoine and Student Council don’t really get along… And you are technically a Pivoine member.”

What is ‘technically’ supposed to mean? How rude.

“There is no issue. More importantly, it was implied that this task is to be taken as a way to introduce ourselves to the Student Council, and I shall thus be accompanying you. We will be leaving right after, at any rate.”

“I’m fine if you are, but…”

“Then let us tarry no longer. The sooner we complete this task, the sooner we can head home.”

After waving the papers in my hand to urge Class Rep to hurry, we headed to the StuCo together.

*imouto*

It’s my first time coming here.
There aren’t any 1st years in the Student Council, so we’re rarely familiar with them at all.
After knocking on the door and stating our purpose, we were given permission to enter.

“Please excuse me.”

Inside the room were desks, shelves and lockers, as well as a sofa and table in the middle. Quite a simple room compared to the Pivoine salon.
But well, if you use the Pivoine as your standard, then most everything in the world would feel simple.
The room had a really meritocratic feel. Even so, being a room in Zui’ran, the furnishings were of high quality.
After the two of us introduced ourselves, we stated our purpose once more.

“Ah, the club registrar. It goes in the box over there.”

I followed the senpai’s instructions and placed it in the box.
…Well that was quick.
Just as I was about to excuse myself, the door suddenly opened with a bang.

“Oi! I’m back with food, so let’s eat! To be honest I nicked it from the Pivoine though!”

My heart skipped a beat.

“President! This girl is a Pivoine!”

“Eh-”

The newcomer’s eyes focused on me.
A powerful and piercing gaze, a daring smile, and a presence like the sun.
The moment I saw him, it felt like a grand orchestra played in my mind.
A throbbing melody in my heart.
This person is almost like Orff’s O Fortuna!

“Why is there a Pivoine girl here?”

What do I do? I can’t look away.
My heart is pounding. What do I do, it’s pounding!

“Oooi.”

*imouto*

Oh no! I think I might have fallen in love!

*imouto*

*imouto*

After that, I somehow managed to pull myself together and smooth things over.
Thankfully, the upperclassmen in the room had conveniently taken my pause to be shock from “I nicked it from the Pivoine”.
The President simply said, “Geez. Let’s keep this a secret from the rest of the Pivoine, okay?” with a dazzling smile.
I swore in my heart that I would die before I talked.

*imouto*

The person who made the dramatic entrance against the backdrop of O Fortuna, turned out to be a third year in middle school, Student Council President Tomoe Senju-senpai.
That’s all I know for now.
But even that much is plenty.
Since then, Senpai’s theme song has been playing endlessly in my head.
Uu-, my heart hurts each time I think of Senju-senpai’s face!

But that smile was so cool…

“Let’s keep this a secret from the rest of the Pivoine, okay?”

UHYAAAAAAAAAA~!!

I rolled around and around in bed.
By the time I got up, I was completely dizzy.

*imouto*

But still, what do I do from now on?
We’re in different grades. I’m not even a StuCo member so I have no point of contact.
And what’s more, he’s the President of the organisation that’s been at odds with the Pivoine for years.
There’s no chance of getting close at all.
If only Senpai wasn’t the StuCo President at least!

Mn?
…Isn’t this kind of, Romeo and Juliet-ish?
UKYAAAAAA~~! If Senju-senpai is Romeo, then that makes me Juliet!
Romeo, doff thy name!

…Let’s calm down.
I’m part of the Pivoine, so I can’t enter the Student Council. To begin with, he’d have graduated middle school by the time I entered. There’s no point in doing it.
…Senpai is graduating. Romeo-senpai is graduating! Romeo-senpai is…!

…Calm down, me.
To begin with, let’s have him remember my name and face.
Ah-, today he went to get food, so maybe he gets hungry after school.
What if I made him handmade cookies?

“It’s delicious. You’re talented as expected, Juliet.”

“Oh goodness, Romeo-senpai…”

If I got told something like that, what would I do!? What!?
Okay! Cookies it is!

All that’s left is…
I pulled out a new rubber from my drawers.

Um, you know, it’s not like I actually really believe in this stuff, you know?
But I mean, like, when I was a middle schooler in my past life, for a while I was really into this.
It’s just this charm that goes, “If you write the name of your beloved on a new rubber, as long as nobody else touches it before it runs out, your love will be requited”.
Like, I reallyyy don’t actually believe it, you know? But like, I mean, I may as well, so I’m just going to try a bit. You know?
I pulled off the case, and wrote in small red letters,

“Tomoe Senju”

Putting the case back on, I prayed to Rubber-sama.
Please, God! Grant me a chance!

*imouto*

*imouto*

Using my head makes me hungry. It’s already time for dinner.
Lately Oniisama has been coming home early. Today he was home in time to eat dinner with us.
Eating together with family really does make things yummier.
Aahh, but my heart is so full that I might not be able to eat…
I’m being tormented by an affliction of the heart.
Oh my! Beef cheek simmered in red wine is my favourite!

Each time our eyes meet, Oniisama smiles at me kindly.
Hmmm.
If Romeo-senpai’s character theme is Orff’s O Fortuna, then Oniisama’s character theme is Ravel’s Bolero I guess.
Then Aira-sama’s is Liszt’s La Campanella while Yurie-sama’s is Schubert’s Ave Maria.
Enjou is Satie’s Gnossiennes, while Imari-sama is… Hm, maybe In a Persian Market.

Which means Kaburagi is Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain.

*imouto*

*imouto*

A few days later, Mr. In a Persian Market, Imari-sama, came over to play, so I secretly went to consult him.

“Eh-! Reika-chan, there’s a guy you like!?”

“Please remember to keep this a secret from Oniisama.”

“…Ahhh, yeah.”

Without telling him exactly who it was, I asked him for a way to get closer.
Unfortunately I didn’t get any good advice from him.
But he did tell me that handmade cookies were a bit intense to get from somebody you barely knew, so I followed his advice and stopped it.
It’s true that handmade Valentines chocolates aren’t really favoured at Zui’ran, so maybe cookies get the same treatment.
But geez. I even went out of the way to practice. Tsk.

*imouto*

Ah-, but since falling in love, I’ve been having fun every day!


Romeo-senpai:

Oniisama:

Aira:

Yurie:

Enjou:

Imari:

Kaburagi:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCEDfZgDPS8 (LOL)

 


<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Reika-sama – 047

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!


Some foods to introduce first:

Takikomigohan
Takikomigohan is a Japanese rice dish seasoned with dashi and soy sauce along with mushrooms, vegetables, meat, or fish.
Nikujaga. A Japanese dish of meat, potatoes and onion stewed in sweetened soy sauce.
Nikujaga. A Japanese dish of meat, potatoes and onion stewed in sweetened soy sauce.
Oden
Oden is a Japanese winter dish consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon, konjac, and processed fishcakes stewed in a light, soy-flavoured dashi broth.
Hamburg steak is beefsteak that is shaped into a patty to be cooked after being chopped. It is closely similar to the Salisbury steak.
Hamburg steak is beefsteak that is shaped into a patty to be cooked after being chopped. It is closely similar to the Salisbury steak.
Chawanmushi. A savoury egg custard meal. The custard consists of an egg mixture flavored with soy sauce, dashi, and mirin, with numerous ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, kamaboko, yuri-ne (lily root), ginkgo and boiled shrimp placed into a tea-cup-like container.
Chawanmushi. A savoury egg custard meal. The custard consists of an egg mixture flavored with soy sauce, dashi, and mirin, with numerous ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, kamaboko, yuri-ne (lily root), ginkgo and boiled shrimp placed into a tea-cup-like container.

Unfortunately this chapter isn’t really about food, but these do get mentioned, so I thought I would mention anyway.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*


Now that I’m a middle schooler I can walk about on my own, and there’s a place that I’ve always wanted to go to.
The home that I lived in, in my old life.
The world that I live in now is almost exactly the same as my old world. Even the landmarks and station names and addresses are the same.
But there are some parts that are different. Naturally Zui’ran Academy is the first difference, and then there are the families, societies, and people that appear in Kimidol.
Only, aside from these, it really is just like the place that I knew. In that case, just maybe, the home that I lived in, and my family, might be here.

I’ve always, always thought it.
That perhaps, just maybe, I could meet them.

*imouto*

*imouto*

The place I used to live with my family was a town just outside of Tokyo.
Together with my parents and younger sister, the four of us lived there in an apartment.
Dad was a normal salaryman. After getting out of the bath, he would wander about in his underwear and get booed by the rest of us. A dad who was just a tad hopeless at home.
Mum was a housewife, and she was good at cooking. Whenever I came back from a school trip or camp, she would always make the dishes I liked. Takikomigohan, nikujaga and oden. When it came to my sister, it was hamburg steak with ketchup, chawanmushi, and miso soup with nameko mushrooms and tofu.
So I would come back home in the first time in days, and opening the door I would smell the foods that I loved. I’d feel relieved at coming home.
What was it that she made when Dad came back from business trips? Aahh, it was always beer and the like. He’d say that beer was really something, and happily drink it.

In my old life I would always laze about at home, and Mum would get angry because of it.
Why was it that when people tell you to go study before you get to it, you lose all motivation?
When I wasn’t around she would clean up my room without permission, and we’d even fight about it. Even if they were meaningless to Mum, they were important to me, so how could she just throw them out, I would argue.
My little sister was a shrewd one.
She was smart enough to run away when she saw me getting yelled at.
Whenever adults told me to bear with it because I was the older one, or give things to her because I was the older one, I would always wonder why in frustration. Sometimes I hated her a little.
But on nights that we saw scary things on television, we would sleep in the same futon together. And when we went to the toilet, we would hold hands, and then wait outside singing songs to calm each other down.
For my coming-of-age ceremony, she gave me a bag and zori that she bought with money from her part-time job. With a laugh she told me to pay her back when it was her turn.
Dad was always lazing around on the couch. He was like a beached seal, really. Mum would tell me that I was like him.
But on weekends, even if it was just close-by, he would drive us places. We went to the ocean or the mountains to play. The road safety amulet charm that I bought on a trip would hang from the mirror of his car.

*imouto*

*imouto*

I arrived at the station of my old town.
The front of the station seemed the way I remembered it. The large supermarket, and a few other little things were changed, but it was still a nostalgic view.
The distance to my home was ten minutes by foot. After leaving the main street and entering the residential zone, it was on the 7th floor of an apartment complex.

Just a little further. Just a little further. After turning this corner───

It wasn’t there.

In place of the familiar brick apartment complex, was an old, beige building.
Neither the home that I lived in, or the family that I lived with, had been there.

*imouto*

*imouto*

I had the family car pick me up.
The first train ride in a while had been nerve-wracking. Having a car take me to and from is a lot easier.
Once I get used to this, I really can’t return to being a commoner.
Because this lifestyle is going to continue anyway. It can’t be helped.

*imouto*

*imouto*

When I came home, Oniisama was there for once.
He’s been busy ever since he entered university, and lately I don’t even see him at dinner.
Because Oniisama was relaxing on the living room sofa, I sat down by his side and clung to him.

“Mn? What’s wrong, Reika?”

Nothing really. I just wanted to cling to you.
Please don’t mind me, and continue reading your book.

I rubbed my head into his arm.
And he sat there, silently accepting me.

*imouto*

When I was there───
I knew it, I thought.
I knew that this was the world of a manga, so of course they wouldn’t be there.
But I had hoped.
If I could see them, once more…
I wanted to tell them that I loved them.

I should have had Mum teach me how to cook. I won’t be able to taste her food again. I never helped her do anything after all. This is my punishment.

I should have gone to watch baseball with Dad. Instead I wasn’t interested, so I just stayed in my room to read manga. Since I was just his seal daughter anyway, I should have at least lazed about in the living room with him.

I should have been kinder to my sister. When she used my accessories without permission, I seriously grabbed her and fought. I was the older sister, so I should have just let her.

*imouto*

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for being useless.
I want to see you.
Just once more, I want to see you.
I’m so lonely.
I’ve always, always been lonely.
Dad. Mum. Yuka-chan…

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

Apparently I had drifted off before I knew it.
I’d been laying on the couch with a blanket on me.
Was it Oniisama who covered it over me?

There wasn’t anybody in the living room right now.

It’s the Kisshouin house.
I’m Kisshouin Reika.
My family right now is Otousama, Okaasama, and Oniisama.

This time I’ll treasure them.
I’ll definitely protect them.
That’s what I’ve decided.

*imouto*

“Oh? You’re up, Reika?”

Oniisama came back into the living room.

“Ehehe.”

So I jumped at him.

 


<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Reika-sama – 046

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!


After school as I was walking to the Pivoine salon, I spotted Kaburagi and Enjou up ahead with a gaggle of girls.
Kaburagi used to outright ignore them, but recently he’s been replying at least. Some incredibly vague replies though.
He really has matured, hasn’t he.
But unlike his overbearing self, his manga equivalent was just strong of will, so I wonder how close he’ll get to his manga version in these next three years.

The two of them reached the entrance, and then headed into the salon without hesitation.
Because the salon is forbidden to anybody who isn’t a member, the girls around them were forced to stop before the door.
They stayed there looking reluctant for a while, but giving up, they turned to head back down the hallway and noticed me coming from behind.
I’m not close to these girls, so I was going to just pass by them and head into the salon.

Ah. I’m being glared at.

One of the girls was definitely glaring at me as I passed.
I’m surprised.
I may be saying this myself, but as a Pivoine member, I’m shocked that there’s a girl who would so daringly glare at me.
The Pivoine is a privileged class here at school, so there aren’t many people who would pick a fight from up front. I suppose just the Student Council, really.
My group and this girl’s group haven’t been getting along for a while now, but does this mean they’re finally declaring war on us?
Hmmm… I’ve definitely never thought of getting close to flashy girls like that, but I don’t like troublesome stuff eitherrr.

*imouto*

While I was spacing out in the salon and thinking about the earlier events over some tea, Aira-sama and Yurie-sama called out to me.

“You had some fantastic results for the earlier test didn’t you, Reika-san. Congratulations.”

“It looks like you’ve been trying hard for your English classes too, Reika-chan.”

Uwahh, the Princess and the Knight appeared together. So dazzling-!

“Thank you very much. But it was merely a fluke.”

I’m very glad that I’m close to Aira-sama, but unfortunately I’m not as close to Yurie-sama.
And that’s completely because of the idiot that’s always next to her…

“Yurie.”

Geh-! He appeared.

As expected, Kaburagi appeared right behind Yurie-sama.
And Enjou too.
I look up to Yurie-sama and definitely wanna get closer to her, but because Kaburagi is always close-by, I keep my distance.
Even just now he ruined a perfectly good chance!

Apparently she could somewhat tell that I was bad with Kaburagi because Aira-sama gave me a worried look.
I feel bad for making her worry about me.
I’d better take a harmless and inoffensive stance here…

“Ah, that reminds me. Reika-sama, it must have been dreadful experiencing that deer attack. The photos gave me a shock. You must have been terrified.”

…Yurie-sama, why are you bringing that up now.
A certain Mr. Eternally Unrequited Love is desperately stifling his laughter next to you, but…?

“…Yes, well. I was not injured, so it is no matter.”

Just how long is this idiot going to laugh for.
Urghhhh, I’ll get him for this!

“Speaking of which, I heard from a friend of mine, but apparently the name ‘Emperor’ is well known even at Yurinomiya.”

The shock showed on his face.
KE KE KE!

“Goodness. It looks like it’ll be impossible to extinguish the flames now, Masaya.”

Yurie-sama laughed in amusement.

“…That’s fine. I’ve already given up anyway.”

Kaburagi sighed.
Oh ho?

“It’s not like I came up with the name on my own after all. Also, I guess this is still better than being straight-out called ‘Napoleon’…”

He looked incredibly fed up with it.

“That’s true. If I walked around town and somebody called out ‘Ah! It’s Napoleon!’ I don’t think I’d ever live down the shame after all. But you being called ‘Emperor’ in the middle of town is pretty bad too, huh. If I was with you at the time, I might even back away and pretend not to know you.”

“Shuusuke, you bastard…”

Kaburagi glared so hard it was like he was trying to shoot Enjou down with laser beams, but Enjou just laughed it off without a care.

“Who knows how long Masaya is going to be called Emperor. Since nobody is calling you Deer Girl, aren’t you much better off, Reika-san?”

That doesn’t console me at all.
Or rather, I bet you aren’t even trying. Your eyes are laughing after all.
What ‘Deer Girl’. That’s even worse than ‘Drill Hair’ isn’t it. If somebody called me that, I’d cry, you know.

“One day I’ll give you a dumb nickname too,” exclaimed Kaburagi in frustration.

A line like that isn’t going to scare him at all, Kaburagi.
Look, Enjou is laughing even harder now.
Aahh, but I also wanna find out Enjou’s weak point.
I want to find it, and then rub salt all over it.
It’s unfair that he’s the only one that can be calm like this.
What ‘Deer Girl’.

As I was seething inside, my eyes met with Kaburagi.
After staring at me for a while, Kaburagi gave a small shake of his head.
Mn? What was that just now?
Why did he look at me like some pitiful disappointment?
I’ll let you know, but in terms of ‘disappointment level’, right now you’re basically my level, okay!

“Speaking of which, Okishima-senpai and the Student Council President were going at it again.”

“Goodness, what was it this time?”

“Who knows. Those two *always go at it, after all.”

I was relieved that the conversation moved away from deers, but more importantly,

“Is the Pivoine on such bad terms with the Student Council?”

Okishima-senpai is the former President of the Pivoine.
If somebody like that often argues with the StuCo, it might be really serious.

“No, it isn’t like that. Of course we aren’t on good terms, but those two are special. They’ve always been on bad terms, on a personal level. After they became the Pivoine and StuCo Presidents respectively, they’ve butted heads in their positions quite a bit. I suppose how the Pivoine and Student Council interact depends quite a bit on whether the presidents are aggressive or moderate that year.”

Hmmm…
I haven’t heard of the middle school section’s Student Council getting into fights with the Pivoine, so I’ve never really paid it much mind.
Are the high schoolers this year just particularly belligerent? Must be rough.

“But you know? The current Student Council President is trying his best to improve the school, so he isn’t a bad person, you know? As long as you spend your time normally, he won’t really say anything about you. Once I met him by coincidence in the music room, and he opened the door to let me go first. Just because the presidents are like cats and dogs, doesn’t mean that they’ll extend that attitude towards us.”

Isn’t that just because Yurie-sama is beautiful?
The eyebrows on Mr. Eternally Unrequited Love have been twitching, you know?

“It would be terrible if Okishima heard you just now.”

Mmmn?
Could it be that Okishima-Kaichou is aiming for Yurie-sama!?
Oohh, Mr. E.U.P.’s mouth has turned into an へ.

*imouto*

*imouto*

But still, the Student Council huhh. I wonder what kind of people they are.
I’m a little curious now.

And hey, me, what the heck are you getting all familiar with Kaburagi for…


<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Reika-sama – 045

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!


Right after the excursion was the mid-semester exam.
I studied for my life.
I found out from Aoi-chan that the amount people study in prep-schools was even more than I imagined, so I gave it my all.
Whenever there was something I didn’t understand in the middle of the night, I would invade Oniisama’s room to ask.
Because I was studying so desperately, my family started to worry.
But I can’t let my ‘As expected of Reika-sama’ reputation go to waste after all this time, you know~!

After cramming as much as I could, I faced the mid-sems.
The moment that the two-day examinations finished, I could feel the vocabulary and formulas spilling out of my head.

I can’t study any more. I’m burnt out…

*imouto*

*imouto*

Today is the day that the exam results are posted.
While pretending that I didn’t care at all about rankings, I went to have a look with my friends.
My heart was pounding hard.
God, O God, please give me results for my efforts! Please have pity on me!
I desperately ran my eyes over the names.

…………
Ah-. It’s there.

18th – Kisshouin Reika

“Goodness! You’re amazing, Reika-sama!”

“18th place, Reika-sama!”

“Congratulations, Reika-sama!”

18th place.
The girls around me started clapping and congratulating me.

…I did it.
I really did it!
It was worth it! I studied so hard that I had nightmares about it, but it was worth it!

“Thank you.”

Despite myself, a relieved sigh escaped my lips.
But I definitely can’t let them know how much I studied.
I don’t want to be labelled a swot.
Hahhh. Looks like I’ve somehow managed to defend my ‘as expected of Reika-sama’ position. Thank goodness.
18th place out of 200 people. I tried pretty hard, didn’t I.
Aahh, really, thank goodness.

Everyone started squealing ‘Kyaaa!’ all of a sudden.

“Look! Kaburagi-sama and Enjou-sama!’

1st – Kaburagi Masaya
2nd – Enjou Shuusuke

“To be able to hold back the External Students and take 1st and 2nd place! As expected of them!”

“They really can do anything~!”

…Truly~!
The girls are in a trance again.
Unlike me, those two didn’t seem to have studied much either. Is this just the difference in talent?
Normally in the first middle school test, the top ranks are the External Students who passed through examination hell just to get in here.
Geez, as expected, I suppose.
In the end, a faker like me can’t compare.
I didn’t know any of the names 3rd place and below, so I guess most of them were Externals.

Ah-! I found a name I do know.
Hm~mm…

I looked here and there for the person I wanted, but couldn’t find anything in the sea of black hair.
Well, I guess there’s no way he has silver hair now. If he did, there’s no way he’d pass the interviews to get in here.

…Well, whatever.

*imouto*

*imouto*

Today I’m going to Fukioka-san’s house.
It might be the first time I’m going to a friend’s house to play. I’m so happy!
Fukioka-san is an Ojousama that goes to an ojousama school, so even when I asked Okaasama for permission, there wasn’t any problem.
I don’t think it’s good to discriminate friends based on class, but…
Since it was my first time visiting, Okaasama gave me a present to bring. It’s cookies from a western confectionary store that even needs an introductory from a regular customer to buy from. A standard present for the Kisshouin family.

After I greeted Fukioka-san’s mother, she led me to Fukioka-san’s room.

“Could you sit on that sofa please?”

“Yeees.”

Her room was girly and cute.
I did as asked, and sat down on the cute, flower-patterned sofa.

“It’s been a while, huh. Have you been well?”

“I have. Haven’t we already gone through this by email and phone?”

Fukioka-san started giggling.
Even though it’s only been a few months, now that Fukioka-san is a middle schooler, she somehow seems more mature than before~

“By the way, I heard from Takumi. Apparently you did very well on your exams. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. But it was just a fluke, you know?”

He even tells her about that?
Also, Fukioka-san showed me earlier through the window. Akizawa-kun’s house is diagonal from here. They really are neighbours.
Apparently he’s busy with Track and Field Club today.

“Fukioka-san, have you entered a club?”

“I’ve been considering maybe the Koto Club or the Wind Instrument Club, but I’m not sure.

The Koto instrument.

What about you?”

“In the end, I haven’t entered one either. There isn’t anything I really want to do, and I’m pretty busy after school.”

“Truee. I have violin practice too.”

The two of us nodded in agreement.

“But aren’t you a member of that whatever club at Zui’ran? I forget the name though.”

“Ahh, you mean the Pivoine.”

“Yes, that one. It’s a club that only chosen people can enter, right? People talk about it a lot at my school too.”

“Eh-, why?”

“Because it’s filled with people who are powerful, even amongst Zui’ran right? Yurinomiya is a girls school. We pay quite a lot of attention to good men from other schools.”

“Hm~mm.”

She mentioned the names of a few boys from grades above me, but they were all people I didn’t know. That’s pretty amazing…

“And as you’d expect, amongst them, the Two Tops in our cohort are by far the most popular.”

“Ahhh…”

I don’t even need to ask for their names.

“The young master of the Kaburagi family is called the Emperor right? There are people in my school that call him Emperor as well, you know.”

“EEHH-!? Could it be that the origin of that name is…”

“Yes. As I recall, Takumi told me that it started after the Athletics Meet.”

Uwahh, this is bad.
Even people from other schools knows about the Cavalry Emperor name. Does the guy himself know that?
I’m starting to sympathise a little…

“What’s wrong?”

“Ahhh, welll, I was just wondering whether it’s okay that his Emperor nickname comes from a children’s cavalry battle.”

“My. Is that so? Anything is allowed as long as they’re a hot guy, you know. Who cares where the nickname came from.”

“Is that how is it?”

“That’s how it is. The girls at my school are all happily saying stuff like ‘”The Emperor” is such a dreamy name’ you know.”

“Ohh?”

So that’s how it is?
Well, it’s true that back when I read Kimidol, I did say something like ‘Emperor, what a cool name!’ without really caring how it came about.

“By the way, about the way you’ve been addressing me.”

“Yes?”

“You don’t need to call me Fukioka-san. Just Sakurako will do, you know.”

After saying that, she turned away in a pout.

OOHHH! FUKIOKA-SAN IS GOING DERE ON ME!

“Ummmm, then, let’s go with ‘Sakura-chan’.”

“…Fine.”

Geez, your lips are always so proud, Sakura-chan you tsundere.

“But if I’m not calling you Fukioka-san, then you have to call me Reika!”

“I see. Then let’s go with Reika-san.”

EHHHH! If I’m calling you ‘-chan’, wouldn’t it be normal to call me ‘-chan’ back!? I want my friends to call me something casual too.

Maybe she could tell that I was sulky, because after a sigh, she said,

“Fine then, Reika.”

WHA-!? Suddenly jumping over the ‘-chan’ altogether and just using my bare name!?

*imouto*

At Sakura-chan’s house, we quickly became closer friends.


<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Reika-sama – 044

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!


A Tenugui (手拭い) is a thin Japanese hand towel made of cotton. It is typically about 35 by 90 centimeters in size, plain woven and is almost always dyed with some pattern. It can be used for anything a towel could be used for – as a washcloth, dishcloth, but often as a headband, souvenir, decoration, or for wrapping items such as bottles. Towels made from terry cloth have largely replaced it in household use. However tenugui are still popular as souvenirs, decorations, and as a head covering in kendo, where it functions as a sweatband, as extra padding beneath the headgear (men), and to identify the participants by team color.

Nerima Daikon is one of Japan’s main daikon radish breeds, named such because it was once cultivated in Nerima, Tokyo. Shougoin Daikon(聖護院大根) is one of the traditional daikon radishes of Kyoto.

Daikon-Ashi(lit. daikon legs) is the Japanese equivalent to ‘thunder thighs’, in reference to the shape of daikon radishes.

kenkyo 44b

Aodakefumi is simply a piece of smooth, hard bamboo that is naturally and ideally cut and shaped to provide the bottom of your feet with an amazing massage, simply by gently stepping on it. Believed by some to encourage weight loss.


The cram school I’d been going to had been focused exclusively for primary school, so now that I’m in middle school I needed to find a new one.
For my middle school one as well, I picked one that Oniisama used to attend. I’m not with Akizawa-kun and Fukioka-san anymore, but Aoi-chan was with me instead!
Aoi-chan had been attending a primary school that was attached to higher-tiered schools. Because of that, even though it was a primary school attached to a bigger school the same way Zuiran’s primary school was, the system it used wasn’t an escalator and unless you passed the entrance exams, they would mercilessly expel you. Thanks to that, Aoi-chan had bags under her eyes since New Year’s.
Now that she’s made it into the associated middle school without a problem, she’s been chatting with me about Tarow the Taro just like we used to. Apparently there’s this new tenugui merchandise for him. Why a tenugui instead of a handkerchief or hand towel?

I’m still talking to Fukioka-san by email and phone calls. People with a sharp tongue like her are surprisingly rare, so I want us to stay friends.
Last time we talked we mentioned going somewhere together. It’s so friends-like! But wouldn’t it be better if she spent time with Akizawa-kun? Or so I thought, but it seems that Akizawa-kun is busy that day. Thought so~

*imouto*

Now that I’m a middle schooler, I’m allowed to walk outside by myself now. Only during the day though.
On weekdays I have classes, so I don’t have much free time. But the fact that I have a few hours to wander about during the weekends now makes me pretty happy.
Now that I can just go to the convenience store to buy snacks, I don’t need to use cram school as a cover anymore. If I bring a large bag with me to bring home snacks and sweets, I doubt Okaasama will find out.
Okaasama thinks beautiful skin is a girl’s life, so she definitely wouldn’t allow me to eat snacks with cheap oils in them.
And what’s more, my next goal is eating fast food.
I really want some. It’s the embodiment of junk food. Why do chips taste so good. And I definitely want ketchup with it.

Also known as french fries in certain places in the Anglosphere.
Chips. Also known as french fries in certain other places in the Anglosphere.

Zuiran has students coming from all over, so even if I head far away from home to buy snacks, there’s still a chance I’ll get spotted. Because of that, I still can’t let my guard down.
Also, I want to eat at the food stands in festivals! Because festivals happen at night, it’ll be hard for me to get permission, so at the moment it’s nothing more than a dream. But festival yakisoba is yummy isn’t it~

Yakisoba. Fried buckwheat, flavoured with a sauce that is more or less a mix of oyster sauce and thickened Worstershire sauce.
Yakisoba. Fried buckwheat, flavoured with a sauce that is more or less a mix of oyster sauce and thickened Worcestershire sauce.

Ah-, and I want to eat takoyaki as well.

Takoyaki
Takoyaki. Typically batter filled with octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion, topped with mayonnaise, thickened Worcestershire sauce, seaweed and bonito flakes.

Ikayaki grilled squid would be great too~

Ikayaki
Ikayaki. Grilled squid on a stick, topped with soy sauce.

The number of dreams I have keeps increasing…

*imouto*

Even though I thought I’d be released from it after leaving primary, I ended up being nominated as vice rep again.
And my partner, the class rep, is Class Rep. He’s in my class again. For some reason it feels like we’re just the ‘class rep’ pair, but huh~ Unlike Class Rep, I’m not even a stereotype class-rep character.
Class Rep feels like he was born to be a class rep. Everybody calls him Class Rep like it’s natural. What was his real name, anyway?

*imouto*

In May, we have the customary excursion. And it’s mountain climbing.
Ugh. Mountain climbing. I really don’t wanna go.
Apparently the idea behind it is to help the Internals and Externals bond through agonising physical activity, but rather than mountain climbing where everybody is too busy going ‘hahh hahh wheeze wheeze’ to even have a decent conversation, wouldn’t it be better to have an outdoors cooking session or a barbeque at a camp site somewhere? At least I think we’d bond a lot better that way.
It’s unfortunate, but I can’t understand the appeal behind mountain climbing at all.
Apparently Class Rep actually quite likes mountain climbing. When I asked him what was fun about it, he listed the nature, the clean air, and the feeling of accomplishment for reaching the summit, but sorry. I still don’t get it at all.
We’re all a bunch of weak-limbed ojousamas who get chauffeured everywhere, so please don’t make us do something as harsh as mountain climbing.
Speaking of which, for a while I used to do squats in primary school, but I ended up stopping at some point, didn’t I. I still do my stretches before bed though.
You know, lately, I’m getting the feeling that my legs are getting fatter than they used to be. Well, compared to my last life they’re still totally thin though.
In my last life, when I stopped growing taller in middle school, I started growing sideways instead, which was horrifying.
The ruder boys called me ‘Nerima’. When I went to Kyoto, they called me ‘Shougoin’. I cursed all of them to stop growing.
Even though there were plenty of girls with thicker legs than mine! Even though my weight was average! Even though my legs weren’t fat, they were just a little swollen!
Why are middle school boys so insensitive. Cause they’re idiots I suppose. It’s definitely because they’re idiots, yep.
I also cursed them to be unpopular. This cursed worked quite well, kekeke!
I also tried a diet to make my legs skinnier, but they sure didn’t work at all. Tsk. All these unpleasant memories are surfacing.
I think I’ll buy an aodakefumi the next time I have a break.

*imouto*

During the mountain climbing, my group fell behind. Class Rep, I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m struggling just taking care of myself here. My lungs are making a weird noise.
I’m suffering. I have to keep watching my feet so that I don’t fall, so I can’t look at the scenery at all. Just what the heck is fun about this.
Whenever I look behind me, here and there I spot other kids on the verge of death. …Thank goodness, I’m not the only one.
When I finally made it up to the mountain somehow, kids who arrived way earlier were already eating their lunches.

Oi! Weren’t we supposed to be deepening our bonds today.

I was so tired that I couldn’t even find the energy to eat. Us weaker kids are all hunched over, exhausted.
While I was sitting there, I could hear the girls around Kaburagi and Enjou happily kicking up a fuss.
Even though my group hasn’t even opened our lunch boxes yet, those guys are already done eating.
There’s this somewhat gyaru-group that’s been forming since we entered middle school that’s for some reason full of athletic girls. I’m jealous.
After resting for a while, just as I regained the energy needed to eat, I saw some of the External boys chatting amicably with some Internal girls.
Goodness! While we were here dying, some of the Externals and Internals got closer together! Could it be that the mountain climbing worked!?
Nothing so wonderful happened for me. Is it because I look weird sporting drill hair with a tracksuit?
Oh? Isn’t that Miharu-chan over there?
Miharu-chan is the vice class rep for another class. She also fits the image of a class rep to a tee.
Anyway, there she was, chatting with an External boy. Ah! She laughed.
I wonder if Class Rep felt jealous seeing that. Even at normal times, he’s already so panicked about Enjou being in her class.
Before long, he’s going to come for more advice, I bet.

*imouto*

Aahh… When it’s time to leave the mountain, I wonder if it’s possible to have the Kisshouin family send me a helicopter.


<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Reika-sama – 043

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!


It’s been a while. Sorry for the wait! With this chapter begins Reika’s adventures in Zuiran’s middle school section. (:


I’ve entered Zuiran’s middle school section.
The blazer jacket has changed from navy to white, and is quite a cute design. The wine coloured striped ribbon just accentuates that cuteness, and even though it’s only been a month since I’ve entered, just changing the uniform makes me look like quite the oneesan. How mysterious.

*imouto*

Now that we’ve entered middle school, 30% of our cohort is now new students who entered after taking an exam, the Externals.
And this new group of students managed to get into our school after rigorous examinations, so they’re all really smart.
In general, Zuiran students just ride the figurative escalator up from primary school, excluding special circumstances. Because of that, people sometimes talk about how the Internal Students are less bright than the Externals.
Once we enter high school, there are going to be even smarter kids coming in. In fact, by the time we’re in high school, with the exception of a small group of students, it’s the kids who have been here since primary that people take to be the dumbest.
But then usually the Internals themselves don’t really mind, so I guess that’s fine. They’re at least not dumber than your normal kid after all.
From the staff’s perspective though, it wouldn’t be good for the traditional and prestigious Zuiran to be seen as a den of idiots. That’s why they gather smart kids from outside to make up for it.
Thanks to Zuiran’s brand power, as well as their splendid facilities and teaching content, we’ve got strong popularity, so it’s not a problem gathering gifted students at all.
Particularly exceptional students are even taken as scholarship students, so they’re exempted from school fees. And amongst them, those that perform above a certain level in the national mock exams are even given scholarship money that doesn’t need to be returned.
In other words, they’re buying academic ranks with money in order to preserve the school’s honour, right?

*imouto*

Kimidol’s protagonist also entered Zuiran as a scholarship student.
She entered Zuiran because she didn’t want to pay school fees. What’s more, if she tried hard, she could even make money from the scholarship system there, which is why she wanted in. But when she entered, their sense of money value was just too different from hers, and she suffered quite a culture shock.
And well, yeah. Normally a school wouldn’t do things on such a crazy scale.
I know how she felt because I experienced the same thing when I entered as a primary school student.
‘What the hell is this!? This isn’t how I remembered primary schools!’ I thought with my mouth agape.
But she’ll definitely get used to it, so three years from now, I hope the protagonist will give it her all.

*imouto*

*imouto*

The biggest difference between the primary section, and the middle-high sections is the existence of the Student Council.
The Student Council is a meritocratic organisation formed from good students.
In comparison, the Pivoine stresses lineage, pedigree, and assets more than individual power, and only people who can fulfil these and have been purebred Zuiran students since primary are allowed in.
The Pivoine think of themselves as the true embodiment of Zuiran, and because of that the Student Council are an arrogant and loathesome group of outsiders. On the other hand, the Pivoine’s power doesn’t come from their members as individuals, so the Student Council thinks of them as a harmful group that only knows how to abuse their power.
Although the traditionalist Pivoine and the meritocratic Student Council don’t butt heads on the surface, friction between them goes back a long time.
I don’t know what kind of person the incumbent Student Council President is, but I hope they don’t kick up a fuss while I’m here.

*imouto*

*imouto*

The middle and high school students belong to the same Pivoine. The Petite Pivoine in primary is in the end just an extra, and the middle-high section Pivoine is the real thing.
When I opened the door to the salon, I was met with furniture known for its beautiful curves, as well as flower arrangements of moth orchids and other spring flowers.

A flower arrangement of 胡蝶蘭(kochouran; lit. butterfly orchid), known as Phalaenopsis or moth orchids in English.
A flower arrangement of 胡蝶蘭(kochouran; lit. butterfly orchid), known as Phalaenopsis or moth orchids in English.

There was even a grand piano by the window.
I became particularly fond of this one-person sofa by the wall, with this cute art noveau style lamp next to it, so I ended up sitting here most of the time I went to the salon.

cs-1009a

How nice. This lamp is so cute. I want one for my room too.

Since the salon was shared by both middle and high school students, Yurie-sama was naturally there too. Emperor seemed incredibly happy, since it was the first time in years they had been enjoying school together.
He tried to hide it, but the corners of his mouth would curve up. He’s pretty easy to understand.
Lately he hasn’t been acting like a stalker either, and perhaps as a result of Yurie-sama’s teachings, apparently he can think about others too now. I guess he matured as a human, huh~
As long as he’s with his beloved Yurie-sama, Emperor is always in a good mood, so I’ll probably be able to relax for another two years. Thank goodness.

“Reika-san, have you gotten used to the middle school section?”

Aira-sama came over to talk to me with some sweets in hand.
Today’s was sachertorte, a type of chocolate cake with apricot jam.

sachertorte-airport-a

Seeing the lustrous chocolate made me gulp.

“Yes. Being able to go to the school cafeteria instead of being given a school lunch was quite a fresh experience.”

Once you enter middle school here, you can choose whether to go to the cafeteria or to bring lunch from home. The cafeteria seems like your normal fancy restaurant. Pretty much everything on the menu is over 2000 Yen. Quite expensive for your average student. It’s delicious though.
I’ve actually got this secret goal of conquering every item on the menu, so for now I’m one of the kids that goes to the cafeteria.
And even in the cafeteria there are exclusive seats for the Pivoine. They’re seated by the window in this well lit area.
Speaking of which, in Kimidol there was this one scene, wasn’t there. The protagonist had no idea that it was Pivoine exclusive, and tried to sit down there, displeasing them.
Yeah. Try your best, protagonist. Although, the one who was the most angry and shouted “A commoner would dare!? Know your place!” was actually Kisshouin Reika though.

“Are things going well with the External Students?”

“Well, there is still a wall between us, you could say.”

“Well, I suppose there would be.”

There are roughly ten External kids in each class. Unlike the scholarship students that will enter in the high school section, the Externals in middle school are still kids from families who can pay Zuiran’s expensive school fees. Because of that, there isn’t too much of a difference in their sense for spending money.
That’s why I think we’ll all settle down after a while. Probably.

I’m still thinking about whether or not to enter a club. There isn’t anything I really want to do after all.
Oniisama suggested that I enter the cooking club, but the activity days overlap with my lessons.
I also have my cram school and lessons with Karin-sensei as well. The first test since middle school is coming up soon, so I’m pretty busy at the moment.
Lately I’ve sort of been getting a lot of “as expected of Reika-sama” so I’m secretly struggling really hard not to let my true colours show.
Especially maths. Maths is suffering to me.
I remembered the word ‘factorisation’ but I’d completely forgotten what it entails. I just barely remembered that it has something to do with x and y. What the hell is going on with my memory.
Did I really learn this in my last life? I did, right? I mean, it’s part of the compulsory curriculum.
Since I felt a huge crisis impending, I had Karin-sensei drill it into me.
I’d already decided to stop expecting anything academic from the past me. I should have already known as much after my experience in the primary school section…
But I just keep having these faint hopes.
There’s no such thing as miracles though.
I guess I’ll just keep trying my best from scratch…


<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Reika-sama – 042

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 final Christmas present to you, and I’d be really glad if you gifted me back with a review on novelupdates! Share the love! Glory to Reika-chan!

These are Reika’s last moments in Zuiran’s primary section! Thanks for reading my translations so far, and if you love Reika like I do, I hope you’ll look forward to her life as a middle schooler too!


In Japanese, the two main characters for flower(hana) are and . The latter is rather more poetic/fanciful, and is actually used in Reika’s name. Specifically, 麗華(Reika means ‘beautiful flower’, ‘graceful flower’, ‘lovely flower’ etc. The characters can also be as ‘urara’.

An ephemeral-type beauty in Japan is somebody that’s typically delicate, very fair-skinned, slender like a willow, and generally ‘soft’ or ‘fragile’ somehow. Like, somewhat fairy or sylph-like, with an atmosphere that’s faint and somewhat unreal. Like a beauty that you might see in a passing dream or something? Well, it sounds a bit exaggerated, but if the description wasn’t then it would be a bajillion-times harder to explain.


The day of the graduation ceremony came.
Everybody is going up the escalator together, so we’ll all meet again in Zuiran’s middle school section. Although we’ll be in a different building, we’re all on the same property, so I’m not really feeling lonely about it.
Maybe everybody else was thinking like me, because nobody cried.
Only, this would be the last time we would be wearing this navy uniform to school, so everybody was busy taking photos.
Of course, I took some with my friends too.
Because today was a happy occasion, Okaasama was more fired up than usual, and had my hair even curlier today.
Also, both Kaburagi and Enjou have been surrounded by girls since this morning.
Heaps of boys from the lower grades who went out of their way to attend were also photographing and filming the ‘Hero of the Cavalry Battle’ .

*imouto*

Besides my parents who were here, Oniisama brought me a bouquet of flowers!
There were pink roses, carnations, garberas, and a bunch of other really cute flowers.
Thank you, Oniisama! As for not just giving me a bunch of bright red roses, as expected of you! In Oniisama’s mind, my image is more like these cute pink flowers, isn’t it!
Or so I was thinking, feeling deeply moved, when Oniisama pointed at a deeply coloured rose and said,

“These flowers are called ‘Urara’, you know. They’re your flowers, aren’t they, Reika?”

-ZUKKYUUUUUUN!!-

Oniisama! Just what manner of being are you!?
My flowers! My roses!
My maiden’s heart is so moved that I don’t think it’ll hold!
It looks like today, with just Oniisama, I’m already feeling totally popular!
His smile is so dazzling-!

Or so I was thinking, as I writhed about in happiness on the inside, while my friends around me were also saying “Reika-sama’s Oniisama, so dreamy…”, spellbound.
Isn’t he! Isn’t he!
My Oniisama is the best in the world!
Still, although they’re minors, they’re still maidens and Oniisama pierced right through their hearts. I was actually a little nervous, secretly wondering where on earth he learnt this skill.

Oniisama doesn’t work any strange jobs, does he?

Watching Oniisama, Okaasama looked satisfied and said “as expected of my son” while Otousama looked a little ashamed and embarrassed for not bringing anything.
It’s fine, Otousama. For things like this, it’s your feelings that count.
Rather, if the chubby Otousama did the same thing as Oniisama, I’d be a little grossed out.

While I was happy about the roses with my name, and getting photos under the sakura trees with my family, a parent and child group came along.

“Congratulations on your daughter’s graduation, Kisshouin-sama.”

“Oohh! Why if it isn’t Kaburagi-sama! Congratulations on Masaya-kun’s graduation, I should say!”

UHIIIII! It’s gone from heaven to hell!
Why did they come talk to us!?

“Reika-san, congratulations on graduating. What beautiful flowers you have. They fit you perfectly.”

“T-, Thank you very much.”

Today Mrs. Kaburagi was wearing a vivid, deep blue suit, and was even more beautiful than when I met her in the restaurant.
Quite a contrast to the elegant white suit that my Okaasama was wearing.

“Reika-san, please do get along with Masaya in middle school.”

“My! Our Reika as well! We certainly hope Masaya-kun gets along with her. Right, Reika-san?”

Without affirming or denying Okaasama, I simply smiled away.
What a horrible development. A horrible, horrible development.
Please, just go away without causing any trouble.
My prayer bore no fruit, because our parents just continued to chat, and chat.
When I happened to look forward, I met gazes with the bored-looking Kaburagi.
“Hmm,” he huffed, as he looked away.
Uwah~ Totally indifferent to me.
Don’t think I want to get close to a guy like you, either!

“Reika-san, do you remember what we spoke about earlier? Please do come over to play.”

“Hah?”

Kaburagi wrinkled his nose in displeasure and looked at his mother.

“Thank you very much.”

For now I just smiled. I’m definitely not going, okay.
Look, Kaburagi is looking all unhappy about it. He’s got a ‘Why the hell is she coming to our house?’ face on. Wah-, he’s glaring!

“My, myy! Reika-san, you must definitely visit them!”

“Isn’t that greatt, Reika? Ahaha, our Reika adores Masaya-kun, you see.”

I don’t adore him! Why the hell are you spouting bullshit, Otousama!
Okaasama’s eyes are sparkling!
Aahh, what do I do…
Why don’t they notice Kaburagi’s displeased aura!?
I don’t adore you, okay! I have no intention of going, okay! So please just stop glaring at me so angrily!
I entreated the nearby Oniisama with my eyes, but he just made a troubled expression and seemed to decide on watching things pan out.
Somebody save meeeee!

“Mum, Shuusuke and the others are here, so I’m going.”

“My, Shuusuke-kun?”

Enjou and a person who seemed to be his mother came out from the school building.
It’s my first time seeing her. Such an ephemeral-looking beauty~

“Oohh, Enjou-sama’s! I certainly do wish to greet them.”

GYAHHHH! Otousama’s words just made things even worse!

“Dad, Mum, I think Reika wants to spend the last moments of primary with her friends. Would it be okay if she went? It’s her graduation ceremony, after all.”

Oniisama!

“However…”

“I also wanna walk around the place with Shuusuke.”

Kaburagi got on board.

“What a helpless boy, you are. Very well, go have fun. My apologies, Kisshouin-sama. Masaya is quite a wilful child.”

“No, no, not at all. The rumours of Masaya-kun’s excellence have reached my ears, you know.”

After saying his goodbyes to my family, Kaburagi immediately headed off to Enjou.
I need to leave now as well!

“Well then, I shall also be heading to my friends. Kaburagi-sama, please excuse me.”

Giving a small bow, I hurried over to the ring of girls.
I’ll leave the rest to you, Oniisama!

*imouto*

Just as I thought I had finally escaped from my parents, Serika-chan and Kikuno-chan had been lying in wait to get stories about the Kaburagi family from me. Please, just give me a break~

Since it’s our precious graduation ceremony, I wanted it to end more enjoyablyy.
Even though the incidents lasted just a few minutes, I’m dead tired.
Or rather, if things fall into the same pattern at the middle section entrance ceremony, what am I going to do…
I hugged Oniisama’s bouquet tightly.

But uraras, huhhh? I had no idea roses like that existed.
Rococo and roses. Kuh-! It’s way too fitting, if I do say so myself.
Isn’t this exactly a shoujo manga development? But it’s a little sad that things only happen with my blood-related brother. But well, that’s good in its own way too.
This is also part of the ‘future blessing’ curse, after all.
I’m sure once I enter middle school, a wonderful lovey dovey development will await me too.

*imouto*

When I got home, my excited parents pestered me about visiting the Kaburagi house, but I gave excuses and told them that Kaburagi hated women, and so going would actually bother him.
But looking at these two, they’re deeefinitely not gunna give up, are theyyy?
Honestly, I wish they would just stop with their weird ambitions already.

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*

*imouto*


“Oohh! Why if it isn’t Kaburagi-sama! Congratulations on Masaya-kun’s graduation, I should say!” (said Reika’s dad)

“My! Our Reika as well! We certainly hope Masaya-kun gets along with her. Right, Reika-san?” (said Reika’s mum)
Her mother refers to her as Reika-san, but her father doesn’t.

“Oniisama doesn’t work any strange jobs, does he?”
e.g. host, gigolo etc.


<Previous Chapter | Imouto | Next Chapter>

Reika-sama – 041

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 reallllly soon. We’re almost there, guys! Really so soon!


“Umm, Kisshouin-san. There’s a little something I’d like to talk to you about. Is that okay?”

From his face, it looked like something pretty big, so we went behind the school building where less people were around.

“What might this be?”

It looks like he’s been wanting to talk to me for a while, after all.
But Class Rep just fidgeted, and didn’t manage to start speaking.
Seems like it was something hard to say, so I just stayed quiet and waited.

“Umm, since you’re a smart person, Kisshouin-san, I thought maybe you’d already noticed.”

“My, me, a smart person? Not at all.”

I wonder if that’s how he sees me in his head.
But still, I wonder what this is about.
I really can’t think of anything at all~
Ah-, his face turned red.
Seriouslyy, what’s up~?

“The truth is, I like Honda-san.”

“………”

………I’m sorry. I was conceited.
I ended up wondering if he maybe liked me.
‘I wonder what it is I have no idea what this could be this is definitely a confession’, I thought.

AAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
I’M SUCH AN EMBARRASSING PERSONNNN!!

WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GETTING ALL CONCEITED FOR!
‘Has my time finally come!?’ I thought!
‘But I’m so troubled~ I don’t think of him that way at all~ ‘ I thought! Delusions, and on top of that, condescending delusions!
I’m sorry! I’m sorry for not knowing my place!
I wanna be one of those bobble head toys and just continue to bow in apology!

I mean, I’ve never been popular before.
It’s always been a bit of a fantasy.
‘Is it finally my turn for a shoujo manga development!?’ I accidentally thought.

“Um, Kisshouin-san? Is something wrong?”

“…No, nothing at all.”

Pulling myself together and changing gears, I faced Class Rep.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice my conceited misunderstanding.
Let’s just continue the conversation like nothing happened.

“Well? You say you like Honda-san, but why speak to me about it?”

Yeah, seriously. To begin with, why speak to me about this?
You know… it’s Class Rep’s fault as well for being misleading, right?
If he likes Miharu-chan, then can’t he just tell her that? Why keep glancing my way, and call me out to a place like this?
It has nothing to do with me, right?
Or so I was thinking, getting angry even though I was in the wrong.

“Because you’re like the leader of the girls, Kisshouin-san. I thought maybe you could cooperate with me, or something like that.”

“Cooperate? Helping you confess?”

“Confess!? I just wanted to find out more about her. Also, if possible, I want you to use this.”

What he shyly handed over to me was a picture of Class Rep and Honda-san together in class.
I guess he wants me to put this in the album?

After that, Class Rep started talking his heart out to me.
About how he was class rep with her last year and ended up liking her.
About how when he cut his finger, Honda-san bandaged it for him, and about how she did girly things.
About how he thought he’d get to be class rep with her this year too, but got depressed when it was somebody else.
(Well sorryyy that it was me!)

“Also, I want her to write on this too…”

He brought out a signature book.
I thought that only girls did this stuff, but do boys do it too?
Speaking of which, there were boys all into the matchmaker shrine too, weren’t there.
I may have a surprisingly high number of effeminate boys in my grade.

“Class Rep, you also pulled a love fortune at Kyoto, didn’t you.”

“It was ‘great blessing’.”

Again, his face went red.
Well, good for you then. I got ‘future blessing’, you know?

“Leaving the photo aside, what if you asked for the signature yourself? Why is there a need for me to ask?”

“Because it’s hard to suddenly ask for one, you know? We’re not even class reps together anymore, so we hardly even talk.”

“…Well, I apologise for becoming the vice rep then.”

I stabbed right into his happy attitude.
As expected, Class Rep went into a panic and started saying stuff like “Not at all! You’ve been really, really helpful!”.
Hmph.

“I understand. Very well, then. In that case, while Honda-san and I are together, come casually asking for my signature. You can use our being class reps as an excuse. At that time, I will casually bring up the fact that Honda-san also served with you last year, and from there, please ask her for her signature.”

“Eh-, can I really pull off so much acting? Ah-, but I’ll do my best.”

He looks uneasy.
Was Class Rep this kind of boy? I thought he was more of a diligent, and stereotypical ‘class rep’ type, you knoww?

*imouto*

On a later day, Class Rep came along with signature book in hand, and subjected us to some monotone acting.
Miharu-chan showed no signs of noticing his feelings, and happily accepted. While she was at it, she asked for Class Rep’s signature as well, so he turned red.

After that, when I asked Miharu-chan if she liked anyone at the moment, she said that she didn’t but her type was something like Enjou-sama. And so I went and passed that info to Class Rep, who went “Enjou-kun, huh…” and got depressed.
“It’s not like she actually likes Enjou himself. Her type is simply similar to him. Doesn’t that mean you still have hope?” I said in consolation, but it didn’t look like it had much effect.
Sorry, Class Rep. I was a little mean to you.

*imouto*

And also, it looks like girls and boys who got close because of the signature book popped up here and there.
Nothing particularly happened to me though.
The adult me thinks that romance is way too early for primary schoolers, but who really knows, huh~?
It’s not like I’m saying this because of an inferiority complex, okay?

*imouto*

Aahh, we’re graduating next year, huhh?
Once I enter middle school, I wonder if spring will come for me this time.
I only got ‘future blessing’ so my hopes are slim though.

 


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