This chapter takes place right after the play. Also wow, already at chapter 50
Note: Not of the dialogue is clear about who said what this chapter. For areas like this I guessed who said what and put their name down accordingly.
Title: Satou-san is smiling again today
When we returned to the classroom, we were boiling with excitement and relief. Some of the guys were having a good time with their costumes on. There are a lot of people who are too relieved to be in tears, while others have started to change their clothes as soon as possible, and others are exhausted and limp. The last cultural festival, we did what we had to do as a class. Maybe that’s a great thing. I don’t care how well we did, we pulled the curtain down, and I did my best. It’s sad to think that this is the last time, but that doesn’t mean I’m so auspicious as to get teary-eyed. After all, from the beginning of the show, I was only thinking of one person.
Satou-san looked tired indeed. She hadn’t even changed her clothes before she was leaning against the wall, not hiding the colour of her fatigue. But even so, she was smiling at her classmates, who were all frolicking in the middle of the classroom, with a slightly happy smile on her face. It’s so typical of her, I think. I quickly walked up to her. I wasn’t sure if I should finish getting dressed first, but when you have something to say, it’s better to hurry. It’s better to hurry before I can’t say anything else like I usually do.
“Good job, Sato-san,”(Y)
I stood next to her and softly called out to her. If I dropped my tone, I would have been lost in the noise of the classroom, but Sato-san picked up my voice properly. She turned to me and smiled.
“Yeah. Good job, Yamaguchi-kun.”(S)
The color of her lipstick is starting to fade and her hair is starting to unravel. But she still looks different from her usual self. Our eyes meet and I’m sure they’ll stay together.
“I’m glad to hear that things are going well in some way or another.”(Y)
“Yeah, except for the fact that I ended up with a weird voice.”(S)
Satou-san shrugged her head. Her shawl fell off at that beat, but her hands to fix it were languid now, too. As I said before the performance, I was probably very nervous. I’m much, much more nervous now than I am in the play.
“I’m so glad it went off without a hitch.”(Y)
When I muttered that, Satou-san looked at me.
“Yamaguchi-kun, aren’t you going to change your clothes yet?”(S)
“No, I’ll get dressed. I’ll be back in a minute.”(S)
I’m sure I want to take off my full-body tights with mouse ears as soon as possible. I’d like to take off my beard as well. But I felt that if I paused, this feeling would calm down and I wouldn’t be able to say what I wanted to say. If I let this opportunity pass, I may not be able to say it for a long time, and soon she will be back to my usual Sato-san. I had a feeling that any compliments would then be impossible to receive.
“Maybe I should go change too,”(S)
And yet, Satou-san says that. She looks a little tired and breathes.
“I need to get my makeup off and I don’t feel comfortable in this outfit.”(S)
“No, no, it’s a waste.”(Y)
“What?”(S)
She blinked at my words, which I quickly controlled, and she took them in her stride.
“What a waste?”(S)
“Yeah, it’s just that you look good in it.”(Y)
I was too aware of the guys in my class loud to make it sound like I was about to disappear. Still, it seemed to reach her properly, and Satou-san gave her an embarrassed look.
“Yeah, I guess so. Isn’t that too unusual? I’m glad if I don’t look funny.”(S)
“It’s not funny.”(Y)
I call out like a curse. There must be a more clever way to say it, but it’s like my brain can’t think straight.
“I’m glad to hear you say that,”(S)
She, on the other hand, responds at a blissful pace. She looked into my face and continued,
“Yamaguchi-kun looks good in that rat suit.”(S)
“…I guess.”(Y)
I’m not very happy about that. I mean, it’s not a compliment. I’m sure she meant it as a compliment, but it was not a compliment.
“The play was good, wasn’t it? You did a great job as the mouse.”(S)
I’m sure she’s trying to give me a compliment with her extraordinary smile. The reason I can’t be honestly happy is not because I was a rat in the role. It’s not because I wore tights all over my body. It’s not because the audience laughed at me. The words I have been trying to say, but have been struggling to say, are easily said by Satou-san. She can say it out loud as if it were nothing at all. It’s frustrating.
“You did your best, Satou-san.”(Y)
She was honestly pleased when I said it back in frustration.
“Thank you, Yamaguchi-kun,”(S)
I felt defeated. No, I’m always defeated. I’m no match for you. I always have been.
But it’s too shameful to back down when you can’t do anything about it. I summoned up the courage to speak up.
“Satou-san, I need to ask you for a favor.”(Y)
“What? What is it?”(S)
“Do you mind if I take a picture of you?”(Y)
At least I wanted to keep the most beautiful Satou-san as a souvenir of today. When she heard my request, she immediately became flustered.
“Wow, my picture? But because, you know, this is what it is?”(S)
She was picking at the hem of her long skirt and looking teasing. I couldn’t back off either, and I just had to respond honestly.
“This is what I want to photograph.”(Y)
“But I’m afraid it’s a little embarrassing…”(S)
Satou-san immediately looked down, looking more than a little embarrassed. But I didn’t mean to back down and say, ‘Yes, I see’. The person who asked for it is embarrassed, and so is the person who was being asked for. It’s not so easy to ask for such an embarrassing thing. Since I was finally able to say that, I couldn’t give in.
“I’m not going to take up any of your time, and I will be the only one to see it. You don’t have to worry about it.”(Y)
“Uh, yeah, but…”(S)
She hasn’t been able to churn over. So.
“Hang on. I’ll get the phone!”(Y)
I broke off the conversation in a noncommittal tone and ran to get my cell phone. I quickly pull it out of my bag on my desk. I wanted to take Satou-san’s picture, so I hurriedly took it. But then…
“Yamaguchi-kun, are you going to take a picture with Satou-san? Do you want me to take a picture?”(Saiki)
Of all things, Saiki shouted louder to me.
I replied, glaring at her eyes,
“No, no, it’s only Satou-san picture will be taken, not me…”(Y)
“What are you so embarrassed about? So why don’t we just have a picture of the two of you?”(Yukawa)
They may have heard me, but Cinderella’s Yukawa-san is still flying in, too. I didn’t even call for her.
“I don’t mind!”(Y)
It was too late to refuse, and it took two people to take my phone away from me. It’s not that I don’t want to be in the picture with Satou-san, but I’m still a rat. But now I’m still a rat. I’m still a rat, wearing tights all over. And I’ve even drawn a beard on it. I don’t want to be photographed with Satou-san, who is so beautiful, dressed like this. Obviously, she was in my way. In spite of this, I was surrounded by my classmates and taken to Satou-san’s place.
“You’re right, it’s a memorial. We have to have a picture of the two of them!”(Ssiki)
“A lady and a house mouse, that’s a pretty good match!”(Yukawa)
Yukawa and Saiki are pushing me to stay put. I mean, what’s a good match for a lady and a mouse?
“You don’t have to explain to me why I don’t want to!”(Y)
“Just stand next to her, for God’s sake!”(Yukawa)
“Oh, no, wait…!”(Y)
In vain, I was forced to stand next to Satou-san, who was laughing at me. I’m forced to stand so close to her that she laughs at me, and I want to lament that I’m not dressed like this, at least. My classmates are pointing their cell phones at me. Some of them even bothered to take a picture of me with their own phones. Flashes were flashing here and there, and the sound of the camera shutter was echoing. It was like a press conference for a TV show.
“Come on, come on, let’s take pictures!”(Yukawa)
“Satou-san’s trying to make it cute, but a stern expression is not appropriate!”(Saiki)
“It’s just so not damn obedient!”(Yukawa)
It’s impossible to ask them to be honest in this situation.
And so the picture of the house mouse and the lady is stored in my cell phone. I still don’t have the courage to see how bewildered I was at the time.
Butter Translations 
Ahhh…. Eut….
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