Ch.359Celebration Before an Overseas Trip (1)

Time flowed swiftly onward.

“Wow… we’ve finished our first year.”

“Time really flies…!”

The students were excitedly chattering as the closing ceremony approached.

“Hey! Next year we’ll have juniors!! We’ll be seniors!”

Some shouted like that. It’s the same psychology as soldiers eagerly anticipating their first juniors in the military. When juniors arrive, you feel like you’ve escaped being the lowest rank, and it makes you happy.

“Ah! I should have joined a club! Wouldn’t I be dating cute juniors and stuff?”

“Hehehe. As if.”

Anyway, everyone seemed quite pleased about having juniors.

“Tch. Hmph.”

Watching them, I clicked my tongue.

Being irritated, I roughly kneaded Umi’s specialty—her milky-white voluptuous breasts. As a bonus, I slipped my hand under Eri’s skirt and squeezed her bottom. The other harem members were nice too, but there was something romantic about the combination of the white gyaru and black gyaru. Together, they felt invincible.

“Taiga is… just a delinquent.”

I said, looking at Taiga.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Taiga immediately got angry and straddled me.

“Since it’s come to this, I’ll force you to pay attention to me!”

Taiga shouted as she slowly climbed up my body. The way she rubbed against my sensitive areas was an added bonus.

“Taiga…”

With my switch flipped, I immediately engaged in a deep kiss with Taiga. By now, our classmates seemed accustomed to such displays of affection.

“Wild bonobo monkeys spend more than seven hours a day on reproductive activities. They use up all their energy on that, which is why bonobo communities are extremely peaceful.”

Tina commented while watching us.

“Tina… why would you say something like that?”

Why would she think of that while looking at us?

“Shota is similar to a bonobo monkey, but he’s violent.”

Kana interjected.

“Violent… but gentle to my women.”

I said while stroking my head. It was my own hair, but it was too prickly. I really hate this spiky hair… it’s the worst. Last time I went to the salon, even the stylist said they couldn’t perm this hair. Isn’t that too much? What am I supposed to do when a hair designer gives up on a customer’s hair?

“Gentle to your women, you say. But you’re violently raising your lower body’s club?”

Taiga laughed as she rubbed her buttocks on my knee.

“Perhaps… growing up means reading the hint of gentleness hidden within violence?”

I gazed out the window with a distant look in my eyes.

“Hehehe. As if.”

Taiga said that but still stole a kiss from my lips.

“Anyway!! I don’t like it!”

I shouted, looking at the excited students as the closing ceremony approached. Meanwhile, I kept glancing at Sasitsu. Please look at me and ask what’s bothering me. These days, girlfriends don’t engage with you at all. You’re my only hope, Sasitsu. My girlfriends don’t even bother to criticize my foolishness anymore. They’ve built up an immunity.

“Shota… what are you complaining about now?”

Sasitsu finally sighed and asked.

“High school students, you know. They always complain about not wanting to go to school, but they get excited whenever there’s an event. School festivals, vacations, supplementary classes—they make a fuss about everything. I can’t stand the hypocrisy of saying they hate school while eagerly participating in every single event!!”

I shouted loudly.

They’re no different from those who constantly complain about “terrible games” while checking every announcement and still participating like pigs. What’s the difference?!

“Kids who genuinely hate school get hurt by those words!! Those who truly hate going to school feel like social misfits and get alienated!!”

I recalled some unpleasant memories from the past.

“Sasitsu, as I always say, kids who really hate school don’t talk about it. They just refuse to attend.”

I placed my hand on Sasitsu’s shoulder.

“That school refusal again…”

Umi made an expression of disbelief.

“But it’s hard to imagine that Shota, with his personality, was once a hikikomori.”

Eri said.

No one would believe me if I told them I was destined to be a hikikomori who stalked Umi and died pathetically. When I first possessed this body, I wondered how things would turn out… it’s a miracle I survived somehow.

———

At that moment, the teacher entered.

“Everyone! It’s winter break, right? Our school starts winter break earlier than other schools. Isn’t that nice?”

The homeroom teacher said with a smile.

Everything about him screamed “normal person” now, from his speech patterns up. His face radiated positive energy, and his clothes were neat. The virtual YouTuber merchandise that used to hang from his phone had long disappeared.

Moreover… the teacher had lost weight. He went from being chubby to having a sturdy build. I realized how important a woman’s presence can be in a man’s life. The teacher had started focusing on self-improvement.

‘Teacher… he must have been badly hurt by that VTuber…’

Who would have thought he’d witness a live stream where a VTuber and her boyfriend made fun of viewers? He recovered well from that wound. Truly. If he had slipped there, he might have fallen into darkness.

“Yes!!!”

All the students shouted loudly.

“Don’t get too excited and hurt yourselves during the break. Health comes first. Health.”

The teacher said with a smile.

“So cliché!!! That’s such a cliché thing to say!!! Teacher!! You’ve grown up!!”

I immediately burst into tears. Every word he spoke was cliché, like a normal person!!

“Wait… what does being cliché have to do with growing up?”

Kana said incredulously.

“You don’t understand, Kana. Being cliché means having the sensibilities of an ordinary person.”

I guess I have to explain.

“There’s a misconception that popular kids are really fun, but if you eavesdrop on their conversations, they’re actually boring. They just belatedly use memes that have already been consumed on the internet. Plus, their topics are all boring. It’s one of the obstacles faced by someone with otaku tendencies when they try to change their image and join the popular crowd…”

I muttered, recalling the past.

That’s right. The conversations of real-life popular kids were just flashy, not as interesting as the internet world. The first thing you feel when joining a popular group is tremendous culture shock.

You either had to modify your tastes to be more mainstream or desperately hide your true interests to somehow enjoy youth.

“Every word the teacher says has become cliché now. That means he’s become more like a normal person.”

I marveled at the teacher’s growth.

“The teacher’s words used to have… a madness born from bitterness and pity. That madness is gone now.”

The person himself might have become less interesting, but his life had become more enjoyable.

Though a bit regrettable… I decided to support it.

“Shota, what kind of life have you lived?”

Kana seemed suspicious. Heh, knowing would only hurt you.

“And… I wanted to tell you all… I’m getting married. We’re having the wedding during winter break.”

The teacher said hesitantly.

“Kyaaaa!!”

“Teacher!! Congratulations!!”

The class immediately erupted in loud cheers at the good news.

“I’ll hand out invitations… I’d be happy if you could come. Of course, since you’re students, I won’t expect wedding gifts. Just come enjoy the free buffet.”

The teacher made an uncharacteristically lame joke.

“And… I’d especially like Shota’s group to come. Along with Mika from before.”

The teacher looked at me with affection.

“Teacher…!!”

Hot tears flowed from my eyes once again.

“Shota… you were the bridge that made my love possible.”

The teacher sniffled as he exclaimed.

“I’ll be there!”

I can just stop by the wedding and then catch the plane!! And so, another event was added to the winter break schedule.

——–

After that, the closing ceremony officially marked the beginning of winter break.

The wedding was set for the first day of winter break.

“Who’s going to the wedding?”

That day after school, when I got home, I immediately raised my thumb.

“No way. We need to prepare for the overseas trip.”

Umi flatly refused. The other girlfriends’ reactions were similarly lukewarm.

“Honestly… we’re not that close to the teacher.”

Eri said.

“But you all already got your passports… and bought clothes.”

What else is there to prepare? You just need to pack your bags, right?

“Come to think of it, my clothes are too shabby.”

Umi said decisively.

“Umi looks beautiful in anything.”

I said.

“That makes me happy… but!! It’s my first overseas trip with my boyfriend!! I want to dress prettier!!”

Umi shook her head firmly and declared.

“Right. It feels like we need to put in more effort.”

Eri strongly agreed.

“That place is Tina’s home ground. Tina is like a princess in that country. No woman wants to look like a servant girl.”

Kana said.

“If you lose in presence, you lose everything.”

Taiga added aggressively.

“Ohoho. Women have their own battles to fight.”

Aki took my hand and kissed my cheek.

“Unfortunately… please go with Miss Mika, whom you’re already acquainted with.”

Aiko-san said as if there was no other choice.

“Can’t be helped.”

Everyone has their own battles to fight.

“Mika, let’s go together then.”

I said.

“I should be writing my series today… but I’ll just take a break.”

Mika calmly said as she was about to close her laptop.

“Wait!!! How can you just take a break so easily!! At least make an announcement!! Please!!”

She strangely treats her readers like pigs! It’s shocking to see sometimes!!

Anyway, it was decided that Mika and I would attend the wedding.

——-

The teacher must have attached significant meaning to that time, as he chose the same hotel for the wedding venue. It was the hotel where he had that fateful reunion with Mimiko.

“Violet, take us there.”

I clapped my hands to summon Violet.

“You keep using me as a dimensional shuttle… that’s a bit…”

Before Violet could finish her protest, I silenced her with a kiss.

“Is that a no?”

I said while kissing her.

“Fine… just this once.”

Violet angrily opened a dimensional gate. Hehehe. She’s surprisingly easy to persuade.

And so, Mika and I went to the wedding venue, dressed in our neat school uniforms.