Tonari no Seki no Satou-San chapter 40

Quick note. I do plan on completely translating the rest of the series. This week I plan on posting at least 25 chapters this will put us at chapter 65 by the weekend. Thank you for your support so far. Enjoy the last chapter of Extra part 1. The next arc is: The last fall, Satou-san. It has 11 chapters that will all be completed by the end of the week.


Title: Satou-san’s hand and my hand (2)

The sun that shone on the student’s entrance was beginning to shade, when Satou-san finally appeared.

She came in, looking tired and sluggish as usual. But she stopped when she saw me leaning my back against the shoe box. She shouted in surprise,

“Yamaguchi-kun! What’s going on? It’s late.”(S)

“I was waiting.”(Y)

I told her honestly. Then I surprised Satou-san even more.

“Oh no, why? Yamaguchi-kun goes on the bus. I’m glad you waited for me, but I can’t believe you stayed this late…”(S)

“Because it’s your birthday.”(Y)

I interrupt her and say.

“It’s Satou-san’s birthday, isn’t it? I’ve been waiting to give you a gift.”(Y)

I wish I could have given it to her in class, but I couldn’t. I was going to wait until after school and ask her to come home with me and give it to her at some stopover. Properly, with a few honest words. I was going to make up for my failure at the movie theater the other night. But that plan fell apart so easily. It wasn’t Mr. Takada’s fault, and it wasn’t Satou-san’s fault either. It’s not something to blame anyone. I’ve been waiting. I could wait in silence until the end of the summer dusk, when no one would be left in the school building and the days would be long. That’s all I had in mind.

Satou-san walks up to me, to the front of the shoe box. She stops the sound of her shoes and blink. The shadows of her eyelashes move busily around her reddish eyes.

“You knew it was my birthday,”(S)

She sounded so surprised that I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You know what, it’s in your line ID. It’s your birthday, Satou-san.”(Y)

“What? Oh, I see. That’s right.”(S)

Satou-san laughed at the clarity of the situation.

“But I’m glad you knew. Thank you, Yamaguchi-kun.”(S)

Today, Satou-san would be 18 years old. She doesn’t feel like that at all. I open my bag and take out the gift I had prepared. It’s a pink paper bag the size of your palm.

“This is a gift. It’s not much, but…”(Y)

As I told her that, Satou-san hastily shook her head.

“You didn’t have to worry about my birthday.”(S)

I pushed the paper bag into her hand.

“I already bought it, it’s too late. It’s too late, and I don’t want to go back to return it.”(Y)

Satou-san’s hand, which I touched, was still cold. Her fingertips immediately squeezed and accepted the paper bag.

I let go of my hand inwardly, relieved. There is no smile on Satou-san’s face. She’s stunned, as if she’s forgotten how to smile. Her lips move awkwardly and I hear a hesitant voice.

“Thank you, Yamaguchi-kun,”(S)

“Yeah. Happy birthday, Satou-san.”(Y)

I nodded.

“Thank you…”(S)

After repeating those words, Satou-san said,

“I’m sorry. I know you’ve been waiting for me and I’m totally late.”(S)

“It’s okay.”(Y)

Not really good, but I replied. I hope this won’t happen next time, but it will be difficult. I’ll probably be able to wait no matter how long I have to wait, though.

“Did you get the printouts right?”(Y)

“Yeah, somehow. I made some mistakes, but I wasn’t that mad.”(S)

Did Satou-san’s hard work pay off? Or maybe the teacher wanted to go home early too. Either way, I’d like to praise her now. It is noble to do your best.

“Oh, Yamaguchi-kun. Do you mind if I open it?”(S)

Satou-san, who was still in her jacket, seemed completely distracted by her birthday present.

“That’s fine. It’s already yours, Satou-san.”(Y)

“Thank you.”(S)

Immediately, Satou-san opened the paper bag and, with clumsy hands, removed the contents. Inside the plastic, which glowed in the afterglow, was a folded ribbon. It was a ribbon of glossy fabric, almost cherry-pink in color.

“This … for me?”(S)

The hand that took it out stops moving and Satou-san stops blinking.

“I’ve been saying that for a while now,”(Y)

“Did Yamaguchi-kun pick it out for me?”(S)

“Well, yeah.”(Y)

I thought it would be better to buy something more practical, like stationery. But I couldn’t go with Satou-san’s childish interests, and I’d rather choose something universal that girls would enjoy. I chose the colour of the ribbon on a hunch. Come to think of it, I’ve touched her hair before, I thought to myself.

“Thank you … it’s kind of too beautiful to waste.”(S)

I cowered as Satou-san said, 

“I’d be happy if you would use it more and more, don’t say it’s a waste.”(Y)

“Oh, yeah.”(S)

Satou-san, who huffed and laughed, turned over in the next moment. Her hand, which should be cold, grasps the ribbon wrapped in plastic. Gently wrapping it so it doesn’t get crushed.

A silence falls on the student entrance. Little by little, the sunset dims the light. There is no sign of anyone else, just us here. I was searching for my next words. There was something I was going to tell her, but I couldn’t find it. Satou-san seemed to be searching for words as well.

Eventually, Satou-san looked up.

“I……..”(S)

Her voice sounded faint and vaguely tired. Her hair in a single knot is starting to unravel. Would it look prettier if it was retied properly and bound with that ribbon?

“I was just feeling a little down earlier,”(S)

She said it like she was talking to herself, then laughed a little. The words that followed were unexpectedly brighter than I thought they would be.

“There are so many things I don’t understand at all in math, I don’t even know where to study, I was thinking how helpless I am, what if I really don’t graduate with everyone else, what if my teacher made me stay up so late, I felt bad about it,”(S)

When she said that much in one breath, Satou-san gave a pained gasp. And,

“But,”(S)

She said,

“But thanks to you, Yamaguchi-kun, I’ve been able to get out of the funk.”(S)

I almost screamed in surprise. The back of my throat rumbled as I hurriedly retracted the words.  Satou-san smiled and continued.

“Yamaguchi-kun is amazing, isn’t he? I was depressed the whole time I was in the classroom. I felt sorry for the teacher, and I couldn’t do anything about it, and I wasn’t able to make progress on my printouts, but when Yamaguchi-kun talked to me in class, I felt so much better.”(S)

Her mouth is smiling. But her eyes looked red and moist.

“I still do. I’m really happy that I had a good birthday, thanks to you, Yamaguchi-kun. I’m really, really happy…”(S)

The hand that holds the ribbon is trembling. White, smooth hands.

“It was like that the other day. When we went to the movies.”(S)

That was the day I felt the coldness of her hands. It was the first time I held hands with Ms. Sato. While I was tense next to her, she didn’t seem to be particularly moved or aware of it. But she said, ‘I’m going to hold your hand, Yamaguchi-kun’.

“When Yamaguchi-kun held my hand, I felt so relieved. I was so relieved when he held my hand. I thought, ‘I can rely on your hands’, Yamaguchi-kun. I was relieved to know that you had hands that could do everything so easily and that you were holding my hands, and I knew you had great hands.”(S)

“No, it’s not.”(Y)

My voice was hollow in my denial. But it really is. There’s nothing amazing about it, my hands are just hands. It’s not like I can perform miracles.

“No. It’s not. Yes, they do.”(S)

And yet she insisted.

“Yamaguchi-kun’s hands are special. I think you have hands that can grasp something very big.”(S)

I doubt it. My hands are the hands that I can’t easily reach out and touch, even the ones I want. That ribbon, Satou-san’s hand, or even her own. Or is it really a hand that can make anything come true? Do my hands have a power that I don’t know about? If it’s as you say, Sato-san, then–

“I……..my hands……..”(S)

Suddenly, Satou-san muttered.

“I wonder if my hands…….can grab something. Sometimes I feel uneasy. I wonder what the purpose of my hands is.”(S)

Her gaze falls to her feet.

“Maybe my hands, nothing, can’t grab…”(S)

A drop falls at its feet. It quickly disappears and becomes invisible. Satou-san doesn’t make a sound. She is quietly shaking her shoulders. Tears are running down her downcast white cheeks.

My hand moved quickly. I touched her cheek. The tears were already cold and cool to the touch. I gently cupped her cheek, wiping it with my fingers. It was much smoother than I had expected.

“I can grab it,”(Y)

I don’t know how to put words in my mouth. I don’t know what I want to say. But even if it’s only a consolation prize, I thought I could tell you this without lying. Maybe it’s not the smartest thing to say.

“If you want my hand, you can always grab it. If you say my hands are special, then I’m sure I can do it for you, Satou-san.”(Y)

I don’t even know what it is that you really want to grab, but I think I can help you get there. But I think I can help you get there. I want to be for you. If you want me to be there for you, you can really do anything. Her eyes, filled with tears, look at me intently. I felt a cold hand on my cheek. It touches me as if to cling to me, and then holds me.

“Thank you.”(S)

Satou-san said, moving her lips awkwardly.

“I’m sorry I cried… but I was happy.”(S)

She laid down her wet eyelashes and warm tears ran down my fingers and the backs of my hands.

“If you’re here, Yamaguchi-kun, I think I can do my best. I’m going to try a little harder.”(S)

I think I’ve finally found something I can do for you, Satou-san. She grabbed my hand. She needed me. If it distracts you from the pain you’re feeling and makes you feel better about yourself, then I’m happy.

“Yamaguchi-kun, your hand is warm.”(S)

A faint voice can be heard right in front of me, mingling with my breath.

“Thank you for letting me, grab it.”(S)

Satou-san’s hands slowly heat up as she says this. I want to stay connected to her.

“Thank you too,”(Y)

I told her and smiled a little. Satou-san taught me another important lesson. My hands must be really special. I can do anything for you. Even now, I was able to make her laugh. Even with tears still in her eyes and drops still on her cheeks, I was able to make her laugh.

Satou-san and I talked for a little while until the return bus arrived. The sun had set and Venus was beginning to shine in the sky. There was hardly any traffic outside, and the street in front of the school was quiet. The lights of a mercury lamp flickered in the distance.

“Yamaguchi-kun, will you teach me how to study sometime?’”(S)

With a look on her face after crying, Satou-san said.

“I’ll do my best. I’m going to do my best and graduate with you, Yamaguchi-kun.”(S)

“Okay. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me anything you want.”(Y)

I nodded and saw Satou-san’s smile and smiled as well. The traces of tears are sad, but the time we spent together like this was tremendously happy.


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