Tonari no Seki no Satou-San chapter 59

I’m alive. Don’t worry this series is not dead. Initially I only planned to take last monday off however so stuff came up that forced me to take a week break. I planned to have finished this chapter for evening yesterday/morning to day but it went something like this.

11:24pm Monday Butter: Let’s start on chapter 59

1:00am Tuesday Butter: Almost halfway there

3:22am Tuesday After only translating one paragraph. Butter: Screw deepl and google translate. What the hell is this about pc’s. This is supposed to be a fluffy date chapter not an apple keynote.

4:18am Tuesday After changing Sato to Satou for the 20th time. Butter: you know what screw it I will finish this tommorow.

Yeah this chapter made me very angry. But good news it is over. Now to catch up on some sleep then get ready to start translating the next chapter. I will try to keep a one chapter a day schedule except for weekends.

Also during my break I decided I would try to pick up another series. I still have to decide what type of stories I want butter translations focuses on and if I want other people to join the team. I will ask for suggestions in a future chapter.

Also in this chapter I put have (Narumi)->(N) and (Karasawa)->(K) for this chapter to make my life easier.

Also thank you for those who were worried and reached out.

Hoper you enjoy the chapter,

Butter.

---

Title: My girlfriend is Satou-san (2).

Every August, every clothing store starts having summer sales. I looked around from one summer outfit to the next with a discount tag attached, looking for something that would look good on Satou-san.

“What do you think of this one?”(Y)

When I lifted the white dress off the hanger, Satou-san glanced at it with a roll of her eyes.

“This? There’s something a bit mature about that.”(S)

The dress, with plenty of ruffles, was a miniature, summery length, just above the knee. It was off-the-shoulder, so that the shoulders would peek through, and it was designed to be worn with thin shoulder straps to prevent it from slipping down.

“I think this kind of thing would look good on you, Satou-san.”(Y)

I would love to see her wear it. That’s why I suggested this outfit to her, but she didn’t have a good reaction. She doesn’t reach for the clothes, but smiles bitterly as if she is shying away from them.

“Well, it seems to show more shoulders than I thought, and I think it’s too revealing…”(S)

“It’s summer, isn’t it?”(Y)

“And it’s not very long… and I’m not slim at the legs…”(S)

“I’m sure Satou-san will be fine.”(Y)

I’ve often seen her in gym class or something, but I’ve never thought she was that thick, but I’ve always wanted to see her dressed like an adult, even though she never really said it. I’m sure it would look good on you, and you’d look great. It was the same when we put on a play at the Higashi High School school school festival, wasn’t it? That’s why I recommended this dress to you, and I don’t have any guilty feelings, such as wanting to make you wear a mini one piece dress, or wanting you to wear it too because it’s so sexy to show your shoulders. Either way, I’m sure I’m just plain jealous.

“I’d like to see Satou-san dressed like this.”(Y)

When I told her honestly, Satou-san blinked her eyes and then looked down shyly.

“Eh … but does it look good on me? I’m not as mature as Hina.”(S)

It’s true that Satou-san doesn’t look like an adult. In fact, she still looks like a child. But they say that just one piece of clothing can change the feel of a girl, and in fact, Satou-san herself has proven this to be true. I witnessed it myself during the school festival in the fall of my senior year of high school. At that time, Satou-san was really….

“You definitely look good in it. And I think you’ll look more mature.”(Y)

Even though it sounds like a no-brainer, Satou-san is still hesitant. I almost blurt out that she’s hesitating a lot for the fact that I told her she can choose according to her own interests. I’m sorry if I laugh, so I put up with it.

“Even though it sounds like a no-brainer, Satou-san is still hesitant. I almost blurt out that she’s hesitating a lot for the fact that I told her she can choose according to her own interests. I’m sorry if I laugh, so I put up with it.”(Y)

After suggesting that much, she finally nodded timidly.

“Yeah, if that’s okay with you…”(S)

Of course, once she put it on, I’m going to make sure I get to see it. Otherwise, it would be a waste of time. There aren’t many opportunities to see Satou-san wearing such a dress. And once she shows me the dress, I’m going to praise her so much that it’s almost too much to change her mind, and get her to wear it on our next date. The plan is perfect. This is how I’m going to make Satou-san pretty, little by little.

I take her to the fitting room, and let her in and she closes the curtain.

“Then wait a little while, Yamaguchi-kun.”(S)

“Okay.”(Y)

I nodded and leaned against the wall directly across from the fitting room. When I said a little, I meant Satou-san, who was kind of cautious. I’m sure I’ll have to wait quite a while. Then I’ll just have to take it easy. I took my cell phone out of my pocket to kill some time. But then I noticed Narumi-senpai standing in front of the next fitting room, which was separated by a large piece of cloth from the fitting room that Satou-san had entered. He was standing with his arms folded, leaning against the wall, just like me. If you look at the fitting room directly in front of him, the curtains were also tightly closed, and I could guess that Karasawa-san was probably in the middle of trying on her clothes. It seems that he is waiting for her and is silently glaring at the air. Although I said ‘glaring’, his profile was calmer than I expected. It’s only because the look in his eyes is so tight that he seems to be glaring at you, and he doesn’t show any signs of being irritated by being kept waiting and not having anything on hand. In this way, he really does have a calm atmosphere. The monotone clothing added to the serenity, making it look like a tall shadow was clinging to the wall. It’s a good idea to have a good idea of what you’re looking for. I’m sure you’ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with us.

“Are you waiting to change, too, senpai?”(Y)

“Yeah.”(N)

Narumi-senpai nodded. As usual, he didn’t smile. I gave him an affectionate smile, as I always do to people I’ve never met before.

“It’s a long time for a girl to change clothes, isn’t it? It seems to take quite a bit of waiting.”(Y)

I lowered my voice and said it so that Satou-san and the others in the fitting room wouldn’t hear me. The senior still didn’t laugh, but turned his calm gaze to the closed curtain.

“I’m used to it. The sooner you get used to it, the better.”(N)

“Oh … is that right?”(Y)

“Yeah?”(N)

Again, the older man, who looked doubtful, asked aloud this time what my gaze meant. I didn’t think I could say ‘I was surprised’ because the atmosphere was different from what I’d heard rumors about, so I panicked.

“Oh, no, no, nothing–”(Y)

Just then, the curtain of the fitting room opened slightly right in front of Narumi-senpai. Karasawa-san appears while making a gap only at the top of the curtain so that his body is not visible.

“Senpai, since I’ve finished dressing, can you take a look at it?”(K)

“Okay.”(N)

Narumi-senpai took one look at me before walking up to the fitting room. I turned my gaze back to the fitting room in front of me, trying not to look in that direction. There is no sign of Satou-san coming out yet, and the occasional swaying of the curtains, as if she were bumping her elbows, is somberly disturbing. I can hear the conversation between Narumi-senpai and Karasawa-san in my ears.

“What do you think of this swimsuit? You’d better not wear it as expected.”(N)

“Why? Isn’t that what the seniors like?”(K)

“No, I’m not talking about whether you like it or not. Are you going to walk in public wearing this?”(N)

“People are like this at sea, you know. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”(K)

There seems to be some kind of dispute. In contrast to Karasawa-san’s calm voice, Narumi-senpai, who was dressed with his head in the fitting room, was quite flustered.

“You can’t do this. I don’t know where to look either.”(N)

“I don’t mind you seeing it, if you are there senpai.”(K)

I could see that Narumi-senpai was at a loss for words for a moment.

“I want to wear a swimsuit that my senpai will like anyway, too.”(K)

“I didn’t say I liked it.”(N)

“So you don’t like it?”(K)

“I didn’t say that. Just get dressed, how long are you going to keep exposing your skin like that?”(N)

Narumi-senpai, aren’t you getting too upset at the fact that she’s wearing a swimsuit? I had to bite my lip to hold back the laughs. Maybe rumors are pretty unreliable. At least in the current panicked Narumi-senpai, I can’t find any glimpse of the rumors that were once circulating at East High School. Instead of talking down, he”s even being pushed by Karasawa-san. That’s why I wonder if the people who were gossiping about him were making things up as they went along. You can’t understand human beings until you meet them in person. It’s a normal thing, but for some reason, we quickly forget that fact, and we tend to take other people’s stories at face value and put labels on them. I fell in love with Satou-san as well when I started to treat her that way. There were many things I wouldn’t have understood if I hadn’t been next to her. Over time, I slowly grew to like her.

“Yamaguchi-kun, Yamaguchi-kun.”(S)

The curtain of the fitting room in the front was open and Satou-san was calling me. I finally looked up and saw Satou-san, who had finished dressing. She was wearing a white, open-shoulder dress that barely hung over her shoulders. The large shoulder-length openings that just barely hung over her shoulders gave me a clear view of her rounded shoulders and well-defined, clean collarbones. A girl’s collarbones are different from a man’s, and looking at her like this, I think Satou-san is very slender. The thin straps tied around her bare shoulders were strangely dependable and thrilling. The short length of the skirt seemed to bother her, and she squirmed a bit on her inner thighs. The smooth knees and white calves peeking out from the hem of the skirt are strangely dazzling to the eye.

“Yea, I knew it was going to be a little embarrassing. What do you think?”(S)

Satou-san asked me stiffly. I gulped and couldn’t even speak due to the sudden increase in heart rate.

“Uh, no, um,”(Y)

I thought I was going to praise her for the wrong thing. Somehow I managed to make myself come to my senses and answered.

“Cu … you’re cute. Very much.”(Y)

“Really?”(S)

In a flash, Satou-san turns red. But I think my face probably turned red in its own way too, and I’m sure I looked so flustered that I couldn’t tell you about what Narumi-senpai did a moment ago.

“I’m not lying. What can I say……..you’re incredibly cute. It looks good on you, it’s really cute.”(Y)

Isn’t there anything else to say besides cute? Isn’t this compliment so bad that I can’t say anything about Satuo-san? I thought to myself inwardly. But to Satou-san, it sounded like I was being truthful and honest.

“Thank you, Yamaguchi-kun,”(S)

She said this while looking embarrassed, and then looked down at her reflection and smiled with genuine joy.

“Well then, I think I’ll buy this dress…”(S)

Satou-san bought the one piece she was trying on. And Karasawa-san also bought the swimsuit she tried on after all. At about the same time, we lined up at the register and left the store together.

“I’ll see you guys later. Let’s get together with all the members of Class C next time.”(K)

After saying that, Karasawa-san walked out of the front of the store with Narumi-senpai. She had a paper bag from the clothing store in her hand, but soon Narumi-senpai held out his hand.

“Hinako.”(N)

When the senpai called her name in a quiet voice, Karasawa-san handed the paper bag to her senpai as if she understood it by heart. Then senpai puts the bag down, while the other hand connects with Karasawa-san and moves away across the street. Narumi-senpai is a totally normal person, isn’t he? Rumors are really unreliable. I look at Satou-san next to me, realizing once again that I’m not the only one. Satou-san also looks away from them and then looks at me and giggles.

“They’re a great couple, aren’t they? They’re like two lovers in a TV drama.”(S)

“Yes.”(Y)

I nodded and then asked Satou-san something that had been bothering me for a long time.

“Did you hear about Narumi-senpai?”(Y)

Then she blinked.

“I’ve never seen him before. I’ve heard a lot about him.”(S)

“Yeah. You know I’ve heard a lot about him, too.”(Y)

I hesitated to rehash my senpai’s bad reputation after realizing so much discrepancy with the rumors. But Satou-san, surprisingly, smiled and continued.

“Me too. I’d heard the rumors, but I’d also heard about him from Hina, so I wanted to meet him.”(S)

Apparently, Satou-san knew about the bad rumors about Narumi-senpai. And on that basis, she greeted him like that?

“I wanted to meet him, talk to him, and make sure that what Hina-chan said was true.”(S)

 Satou-san laughed with a carefree expression as she said this.

“Then I knew he was a nice guy. Hina-chan was right.”(S)

What if Narumi-senpai was as scary as the rumors say he was – maybe Satou-san hadn’t even thought about it. Sato-san, who never lies with her words, would probably believe someone’s honest words in the same way. It’s not the rumors that flowed around irresponsibly, but the words that were spoken from the heart that she believed. She must have realized before I did that she would understand if she spoke directly to him. That’s what I like about you, Satou-san.

“…maybe I’ll wear this dress the next time we meet.”(S)

Satou-san said suddenly and looked down at the paper bag she was carrying. Then she looks up at me and gives me a bashful expression.

“Then I, too – would we make a great couple, too?”(S)

My heart jumped at the unexpected question. I didn’t expect Satou-san to say such a thing, and her upturned gaze looked strangely mature. Even though Satou-san had gone back to wearing a navy blue t-shirt and denim skirt instead of the clothes she bought, there was something very, very exciting about the look she was giving me now. But since she said that, I decided to follow the example of the nice couple and do something mature, so I took a deep breath and said,

“Let’s get together. Miyuki-chan and I…”(Y)

I stammered. I stammered like a fiend. In addition, my voice was trembling. I’m not used to calling her ‘Miyuki-chan’ and it’s embarrassing. But it seems abrupt to call her ‘Miyuki’, and I’ve been calling her ‘Sato-san’ for a long time, so it feels strange. But I don’t call her ‘Miyuki-san’ because I’ve been calling her ‘Satou-san’ for a long time. We are the same age. No, it’s not when you can’t call it natural at all before that! Satou-san looked at me and then smiled as if she were concerned.

“Well, you don’t have to force yourself to call me by my name.”(S)

“Mm, I’m not pushing myself!”(Y)

That wouldn’t have been natural and it would have been super awkward, but Satou-san is too honest, even at times like this.

“You’ll get used to it. Keep calling and you’ll get used to it.”(Y)

“But it seems like Yamaguchi-kun is having a hard time getting used to it. And I’m not used to it either…”(S)

Satou-san stopped talking for a moment there, took a breath as if she was hesitating, and then,

“I’d like to call you Atsushi-kun then, too.”(S)

She didn’t stammer as much as I did. Her voice was shaky, though. It was still a little awkward. The unaccustomed feeling was cute, but it was also strangely smoldering and creepy, and when I laughed, Satou-san laughed a little.

“Can I call you Yamaguchi-kun for a little while longer until I can call you by that name naturally?”(S)

“All right. Well, you’ll just have to learn to be a natural.”(Y)

Satou-san nodded in relief. Then we leave the shop and start walking under the hot August sun.

“Satou-san”(Y)

“What? Yamaguchi-kun.”(S)

“It’s hot. Can we hold hands?”(Y)

“…Yeah. Sure.”(S)

We hold hands and walk at our own pace.

My girlfriend is ‘Satou-san’ for now. I’d like to call her by her name someday, but I’m not going to stretch myself until I get used to it. Of course, I admire a nice couple and want to be one, but there’s no point in trying to imitate others if you’re not dressed up. We both think that over time, we’ll be able to call each other by each other’s first names naturally one day – just as we’ve slowly grown to love each other – and that’s what we’ll do.

---

Notes:

Man this long one 2827 words. This is the longest chapter I have translated to date.

Usually I translate one chapter at a time in deepl. But for some reason one the paragraphs went on a rant about pc’s making zero sense, forcing me to translate line by line which took forever. 

Again sorry for the delay. Like I mentioned earlier I do plan on picking up another series however I will talk about it more in a future chapter so do start looking into series that might be interesting.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter,

Butter.

<-prev next->