Tonari no Seki no Satou-San chapter 66

I’m back. Sorry for not posting in such a long time. Originally it was just that my laptop crashed but then school started up again so I have not had a lot of time to translate.

Also I have a list of the series that I am considering doing next. I will post it later with a poll to help determine what I should type next.

Here is the next Chapter!

Translator: butterreader

Editor: butterreader

raw

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Title: Me and Yamaguchi-kun’s New Year’s resolutions

“I think my prince on a white horse is Yamaguchi-kun.“(S)

In the middle of the crowd, he suddenly grabbed me by the elbow and told me I could slip through. I was so happy to hear that, so when I told him, Yamaguchi-kun seemed to perk up.

“What?”(S)

He asked back aloud, so I said it again.

“So, you know, my white horse prince is Yamaguchi-kun, right?”(S)

“No, I heard that, but what is it all of a sudden? I mean, why?”(Y)

“See, you grabbed my elbow earlier. So I was thinking.”(S)

The line of people heading for the New Year’s visit was so long that it filled the not-so-wide approach to the shrine. I tried to be careful not to bump into anyone, and not to move away from Yamaguchi-kun, but as soon as I wasn’t careful, I found myself bumping into someone or getting stepped on by someone. When I tried to avoid them, I almost got buried in the crowd, and every time I tried to avoid them, Yamaguchi-kun would bring me back.

“That’s because you’re just absent-minded.”(Y)

Yamaguchi-kun said in a dumbfounded manner.

“They don’t have time to worry about us, and if we’re not careful, we’ll get lost.”(Y)

Then I turned over to bury my face in the fur of my mod coat. He mumbles, but continues in a voice that I can hear.

“As a matter of fact, you’re exaggerating, calling me a prince or something like that, Satou-san.”(Y)

“I don’t know. I’m very happy.”(S)

I didn’t mean to just stand there, but sometimes I can’t even move around when there are so many people around. I’m aware that I’m slow, but I’m also aware that I’m very slow. That’s why I felt safe with Yamaguchi-kun next to me. I was really, really happy that you were so careful not to get separated from me.

“Besides, we’re in the year of the Horse.”(S)

The human waves were moving forward at a slow speed, little by little. I spoke as I took a step forward, shoulder to shoulder with Yamaguchi-kun, and then said,

“That’s why I thought it would be perfect to call you the White Horse Prince.” (S)

Yamaguchi sighed. His white breath spread in a puff of cold air and quickly dissolved.

“I wasn’t a prince, I was a rat, wasn’t I?”(Y)

Then he cowered his shoulders and brought up a topic that I’d missed. It was about a play I did with my class C students at the school festival when I was in high school. At that time, you didn’t play a prince, but a mouse who was under a spell.

That’s right, neither me nor Yamaguchi-kun have been in high school for a long time. There isn’t, but when you come to me, no matter who you meet, ‘You haven’t changed!’ I’ve been told that I’m a member of the workforce and that I should be more mature. I’m a working adult, so maybe I should be more mature, but it’s still a bit embarrassing to be grown up. I don’t think it’s a good look for me. The university student Yamaguchi is even more stylish now than he was in high school, and I think he’s even better looking now. He looks much more mature than he did when he wore black school uniforms at East High School, and if he were older than me, he might even look older than me. But the reason I want to call Yamaguchi-kun a prince is not because he’s become more mature like he is now. Even before I fell in love with him, I thought he was the perfect person for me. He was good at everything he did, whether it was academics or sports, he had a lot of friends, and he was kind to me, even my classmates. I thought he was someone else’s person, as opposed to me, who was too fragile and clumsy to do anything well.

But then.

“….Oh.”(S)

Suddenly I remembered something and I couldn’t help but shout. Yamaguchi-kun looked at me curiously.

“What now? Did you come up with something weird again?”(Y)

“Uh-uh. It’s nothing.”(S)

I shake my head in a panic. It’s not a strange thing to remember. Rather, it’s important.

‘I’m not from another world. I’m not from the other side.’ A long time ago, when we were still going to Higashi High School, I was sitting next to Yamaguchi on the train coming home from the airport. On the train home from the airport, Yamaguchi-kun sat next to me and told me that.

Up until then, I had always thought of Yamaguchi-kun as someone special, someone who was different from me in every way, so I was really, really surprised when he said that to me. No, maybe it was the other confession I had received before that that surprised me – that one, for sure, but the words that followed were really unexpected. And it was true. Yamaguchi-kun was certainly an amazing person who could do anything, but he didn’t live in a different world. He was the kind of person who, like me, would get lost and worried about little things, sometimes making small mistakes and having trouble saying what he wanted to say. In fact, I think Yamaguchi taught me that everyone is like that. There was no need for me to have a sense of inferiority, to say that I was a special kind of person.

Recalling the conversation we had at the time, I thought to myself, Oh yes. I shouldn’t call Yamaguchi-kun ‘Prince’, should I? Because, yes, just like Yamaguchi said, he wasn’t real. He can do everything, he’s really cool, and he’s very kind to me, but he’s not from another world. He’s the same person as me, and now he’s next to me.

“Well, let me correct myself.”(S)

When the line of worshippers finally came into view, I quietly cut him off as the worship hall finally came into view. Yamaguchi looks at me and blinks.

“Correction?”(Y)

“Yeah. Yamaguchi-kun isn’t a prince-”(S)

I tried to find an alternative word that better fit Yamaguchi-kun’s description. But I’m not very smart, and my vocabulary is not very good, and I can’t think of any words. In the end, I had no choice but to say something like that, even though I thought it was so ordinary.

“You’ re a very cool guy!”(S)

“What?”(Y)

Yamaguchi-kun shouted again, looking perturbed. He wrinkled his brow in annoyance.

“What, all of a sudden……..”(Y)

“Because I didn’t think it was appropriate for you to be a prince.”(S)

“No, but that doesn’t mean you have to talk like that.”(Y)

Maybe he’s a little impatient, his eyes are swimming. The mindless redness of his cheeks couldn’t have been just because he was under the cold weather. It’s probably the same for me, too. It’s kind of embarrassing to say it in this straightforward way.

“Is it weird?”(S)

I asked him shyly, and he nodded his head without pause.

“It’s weird”(Y)

“I see, but…. I thought it would be nice to be able to tell you something about yourself, Yamaguchi-kun.”(S)

I almost caved in when I got a subtle reaction. Yamaguchi-kun grabbed my shoulder, the top of my upper arm to be exact, and he grabbed me tightly. He hugged me with all his strength, and my chest bumped against his. When I looked up with a start, Yamaguchi-kun wasn’t looking at me, he was looking out at the crowd.

“You see, that’s what I’m talking about. You’ll get swept away if you don’t look around.”(Y)

“Oh I’m sorry.”(S)

I hurriedly apologized to him, and he looked down at me again, and then gave me a look that said, ‘Why did you stop?’ He immediately looked away from me and said, 

“No, I don’t really care either…I mean, it’s not that I don’t care.”(Y)

“No, I’ll be careful. Sorry, maybe it’s New Year’s and I was just getting carried away.”(S)

I’m definitely flirting with the idea. I’m apologizing for causing you trouble, but for some reason my mouth falls into a slack-jawed stance, even though I feel I’ve caused you worry. I want to laugh, or maybe I’m so happy that I can’t help but laugh. Maybe it’s because I was laughing at him in a strange way, but Yamaguchi-san left me with an irritated look on his face. But then he lightly shook my hand.

“I think it’s safer to hold your hand.”(Y)

Yamaguchi-kun said in a mumbling, choppy voice. His profile, not looking at me, wasn’t smiling, and he looked awkward.

“So, well, I guess I’m being childish, but let’s link up, shall we?”(Y)

“Yes.”(Y)

I nodded, and Yamaguchi laughed lightly, though awkwardly

“I feel safer this way, too. And I don’t have to worry about Satou-san going away.”(Y)

The hand we held together was a little cold, but then it got warm. And I thought it was cool that Yamaguchi held my hand like this.

…but it’s not quite the same. I don’t think ‘cool’ is enough.

After we finally made it through the crowds of people pushing and shoving each other, we hurriedly made our way down the approach to the shrine to avoid being swallowed up by the crowds.

“Too many people getting tired.”(Y)

After Yamaguchi grumbled this, he shook my hand again, which he had let go of during the visit. When I looked up at him, he looked at me as if to say it was natural.

“I don’t want you to get separated from me.”(Y)

I wasn’t averse to holding hands either. In fact, I was rather happy, so I nodded silently. Then Yamaguchi-kun also silently pulled his chin back once and opened his mouth in a casual tone as he walked away.

“You know what? It’s not that I didn’t like it.”(Y)

“What are you talking about?”(S)

When I asked him back, his words trailed off for a few moments.

“Well, you know, calling me a prince or something.”(Y)

It was very difficult for him to say this, but Yamaguchi-kun continued. It was as if he was trying to hold back a smile, and he had a fake frown on his face.

“To be honest, I think it’s a bit childish. If that’s what you think, Satou-san.”(Y)

“Of course I’m thinking about it.”(S)

I nodded, this time verbally.

“But I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk about it in public. It’s kind of a couple’s thing.”(Y)

Yamaguchi continued, and then looked at me accusingly.

“The next time you tell me that, I want you to do it when we’re alone.”(Y)

“Oh, I see… so you mean when there’s no one else around?”(S)

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not easy for me to react unless it’s just the two of us…”(Y)

If you come to think of it, it may indeed have been an airy remark. I think the conversation was very childish from the side. When I was inwardly flustered, Yamaguchi-kun, for some reason, added, as if he was flustered,

“Oh, I didn’t mean it in a weird way.”(Y)

“Yeah. I don’t think it’s weird.”(S)

“That’s another complication, but … well, okay.”(Y)

Yamaguchi squeezed my hand and whispered to me as he let out a white breath to the sky.

“I’ve got to stop getting upset over every single thing. Satou-san, you are so unpredictable.”

Maybe, I think so too. I wish I could speak my mind a little better, so that I wouldn’t surprise you. I don’t want to frighten Yamaguchi-kun. But I want to make sure that Yamaguchi-kun can understand. I’m standing next to him, holding his hand, and I’m looking at him. I think he’s so cool, and I feel so safe with him, and I love him.

He told me that he doesn’t hate me at the moment – Yamaguchi-kun is my prince, right next to me. But I’d like to be able to communicate those feelings in a different way, in a less childish way. That’s my New Year’s resolution.

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Notes:

Fun fact: in Japan the zodiac starts on Jan 1 however in China it is determined by the new moon in between Jan 20 to Feb 21. That means you could technically have two zodiac signs in two different countries.

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