Tonari no Seki no Satou-San chapter 8

Here we go with chapter 8. Get ready for lots of cherry blossoms. Enjoy

Title: Sentimental with the girl that sits next to me

The view outside from the classroom window has become more spring-like. The cherry trees are swaying in the strong wind. The buds are beginning to swell, even from a distance, and will soon begin to bloom. I sigh.

“It’s windy today, Yamaguchi-kun.”(S)

Satou-san seemed to have spent her lunch break outside, and her tied-up hair was ruffled and disheveled by the wind. She took a seat next to me and was breathing heavily. She had been playing tag in the schoolyard. Totally, a childish thing to do, even for a high school student. I steal a glance as she removes her hair band and combs her hair by hand.

“The cherry blossoms in the schoolyard are almost in full bloom. It’s spring.”(S)

“Yeah.”(Y)

An absent-minded reply comes out of my mouth. Unmindful of my reaction, Satou-san is retying her long hair. She ties it into a single knot with a familiar hand, seemingly unwilling to try any other hairstyle.

“The cherry blossoms will be beautiful when they bloom.”(S)

She said the obvious and I couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“I know. They were like that last year too.”(Y)

All cherry blossoms are the same. They bloom in the same way every year and are equally beautiful every year. It must be worth seeing if those pale pink petals cover the whole area this year, too.

“Yeah, but…”(S)

Satou-san, who had retied her hair, also laughed and countered.

“You never know how beautiful the cherry blossoms will be this year until you see them.”(S)

“How could it not be beautiful?”(Y)

“Yeah, I think so. But I think last year’s cherry blossoms and this year’s cherry blossoms are absolutely different.”(S)

Satou-san put a lot of effort into the word ‘absolutely’. I stopped giving her a sideways glance and turned around to stare at her to my left. Her eyes are looking out the classroom window and staring at the cherry blossom buds in the schoolyard.

The cherry blossoms of this year and last year may indeed be different. I thought so too, now. Looking at the cherry tree in profile, the tree was shivering in the strong wind and seemed to be in a state of pity.

“Spring is coming.”(S)

Satou-san said with a pout She said in a voice that seemed to melt into the noisy classroom before fifth period.

“I love spring.”(S)

I agree. Satou-san looks like she loves spring. I’ve always thought she’s a girl who looks good in spring. She can be brusque and plain, but sometimes she can also be warm and welcoming, and that’s exactly why I think of her as a springtime girl. It seemed like an afterthought since we’d been sitting next to each other all winter.

“Spring will come. Tomorrow is the end of the third trimester.”(Y)

I responded in that way.

“Yes.”(S)

There, Sato-san turned around to face me. Her face was smiling with an incredibly happy smile.

“I’m looking forward to golden week.”(S)

“Well, yeah.”(Y)

Can you look forward to such a short break? I thought that was typical of Satou-san. I didn’t care about spring break. It’s a vacation that will be over in a flash anyway. On top of that, I’ll be advancing to grade 12 in April and will inevitably be an exam student. My friends and I will all be busy in our own ways. It will not be possible for everything to be the same in April.

“Aren’t you looking forward to it, Yamaguchi-kun?”(S)

I don’t know if she sensed my reaction or not, but Satou-san looked doubtful.I cowered lightly, thinking that you are only perceptive at times like this.

“No, I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be a senior in the spring.”(Y)

“Yeah. It’s nice because I’m not changing classes. I’m having fun in my current class.”(S)

A spluttering voice came from next to my left. I sighed again.

There are no class changes. However, we have a change of seats as soon as a new school year starts. In my class, we have to change seats by lottery. I’ll be in the same class as Satou-san next year, but I don’t think I’ll be seated next to her again. She has given me a lot of trouble so far, but when I think that I will be swapped, I will feel sad and lonely. Maybe I’m simply being sentimental rather than lonely. We’re going to be seniors. The grade, the classroom, the classes, our situation, everything will change. I was hoping that at least this seat would stay the same, but that’s not going to happen. I am sure that the only person who will not change is Ms. Sato. She will remain the same for many years to come, plain, unrefined, uncouth, brittle, and unattractive. She would remain the kind of girl who would look good in a knot. I just wanted to cling to her like a spring somehow, because of her unchanging nature.

“This year’s cherry blossoms are definitely prettier than last year’s.”(S)

Ms. Sato assured me with a narrowing of her eyes. She’s not a pretty woman by any means, she’s the plainest and most childlike of the girls in my class.But her smile at this moment was so strangely dazzling, that I squinted at her too.

“Maybe.”(Y)

“Not ‘maybe’, but definitely.”(S)

“What makes you think that? Do you have any evidence?”(Y) 

I asked without thinking at her unusually stubborn insistence, and she thought for a moment before answering.

“We’re all grown-ups now.”(S)

She still had the same smile, but her eyes were somewhat serious.

“I’m getting older. The way I look at the cherry blossoms is different from last year. I think that when you look at them as an adult, they look more beautiful and short-lived than when you look at them as a child.”(S)

I thought. There is nothing, after all, that doesn’t change, nothing at all. Even Ms. Sato is not a childish person. Even if it’s little by little, even if it’s at a slower pace than the people around her, she’s slowly becoming an adult. Perhaps even the simple, unrefined facade that she has now will disappear before you know it. There is no way that anything can stay the same.

“I see.”(Y)

I mutter to myself.

“I think this year’s cherry blossoms will be exceptionally beautiful.”(Y)

My eyes, on the verge of adulthood, were now looking at Sato-san. I was staring at her, smiling at her with the cherry blossoms just before they started to bloom. The familiar view of the classroom is about to change.

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Notes:

Golden Week: Pretty much the Japanese equivalent of spring break

Damn Yamaguchi is so negative about spring. At least he doesn’t have to deal with covid

As always comment any errors or suggestions down below. Have a great day!

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