Light Novel translation: I shaved, then I brought a highschool girl home

Light Novel translation: I shaved, then I brought a highschool girl home

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- Prologue-

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I was heart broken. 
The one who had broken it was Gotou, a female coworker of mine two years my elder.
She was a very caring person, and took good care of me back when she trained me for my job.
She had a gentle smile and her consideration for others had been a great emotional support to a corporate slave like myself.

"She should have told me from the beginning that she was dating someone..."

I had already lost count of how many beers I had had.
Hashimoto, sitting across from me smiled as if that was someone else's problem.
That's right, we went on a date. She and I. After 5 years of working together I had finally invited her to go on a date.
She gladly accepted my invite —this is it!— I thought, going to our date filled with hope. We walked around a zoo together but truth be told, I spent the whole time looking at her figure rather than at the animals, with an occasional sidelong glance to her breast.
Anyway, I couldn't let this chance go to waste, and I was in high spirits.

Once done visiting the zoo, we went to a classy French restaurant for dinner, not that I remember the taste of the food.
Then, after waiting looking for an opportunity, I asked her:

'Would you like to hit my place after that?'

As we were both adults, I was sure she'd get what I meant in an instant.
As I looked at her with a mix of anxiety and hope, she smiled, embarrassed:

'I've been keeping it a secret from people at work but to be honest with you... I have a boyfriend.'

*

'Then why did she agree to go on a date?!'
'Come on Yoshida, it's your 6th time telling this story today.'
'I'll say it ten thousand times if needed!'
'I don't want to listen to this ten thousand times though...'

Hashimoto displayed a bitter smile as he watched me gulp down another beer.

'You shouldn't drink any more than that.'
'How am I supposed to chill out without drinking?!'
'You only snapped once you started drinking. That's not how you make progress...'
Hashimoto could only say this because it was someone else's problem. I won't be able to take any more without drinking today.

Right after I got rejected, I sat on a bench in a small park, dumbfounded.
From what she told me, they had been dating for 5years now. In short, when I first met her she already had a boyfriend...

'This is so stupid..'

I had been having a crush on a girl who had been in a relationship for five years...

'I was fooled... give me back my feelings...'

I lowered my head after half-heartedly trying to push the blame on someone else, rather than sorrow it was anger simmering in my chest.
As I realized that, I gave Hashimoto a call.

'Calling me out of the blue to complain about being lovelorn..'
'It's fine isn't it?'I always listen to you bragging about your wife after all..'
'I'm not bragging about her, it's more like grumbling.'
'That's not what it sounded like to me'

After exchanging a few words, Hashimoto accepted to join me and listen to me complaining.

'Aaah... and here I thought it would work out..'
'If she has a boyfriend then it's impossible. Even more so if they've been together for five years.'
'Even though I really wanted to stroke these soft looking boobs...'
'You're being too loud idiot.'

I briefly caught a glimpse of an office lady drinking in a seat next to me, looking in our direction while forcing a smile, but I didn't care, alcohol had taken the ability to feel shame away from me.

'To think that the hands that would gently pat me on the shoulders, and the mouth that would tell 'good job for today' have already been used hurts so much I feel like dying.'
'Your delusions are a bit too real.'
'If she was going to dump me anyway i'd have liked to do it at least once...'
'I feel like it'd have made things even worse for you.'

As we drank and talked I started to realize that I had been looking at Gotou with lascivious eyes...
However, this isn't something I had any control over, at this age no matter how hard I try I can't seem to be able to separate my love and my lust.
Something like that.

'At least I feel relieved, this clears some things up.'
'What do you mean?'
'Well, I thought there was no way for someone as pretty as Gotou to be single. Also, she's 28yo right? It's around that age that women start getting concerned with marrying someone.'
'Exactly! That's why I thought that if I pushed for it a bit it would work out... But I didn't know she already had a boyfriend— Ah, excuse me! I'd like a beer refill please!'

As I rose my hand to ask for a refill, Hashimoto let out a sigh.

'You're drinking too much. I'm going home before the last train okay?'
'I know.'
'No matter how awful you feel, I'm not going to stay and nurse you got it?'
'Sure sure..'

I conveniently ignored Hashimoto's warning, and kept on drinking beer like a fish, I felt like distancing myself from the pain of being heartbroken, even temporarily.

*

'Oop, bah, ueeegh'
I leaned over a roadside gutter and vomited.

I still felt okay after leaving the bar, parting with Hashimoto, and jumping in a taxi. However the peculiar smell of the taxi coupled with being drunk made me feel nauseous.
As soon as I got off the taxi I threw up. The meat and vegetables I had eaten came out. I walked a bit and ended up throwing up again.
A liquid reeking of alcohol came out. Then, in a street near my place I threw up again. This time a yellow liquid came out. It was painful.

'Damn you Gotou...'

This is all her fault. I totteringly got up and took a few steps before feeling sick again. However because I didn't feel like there was anything left for me to throw up I didn't fall on my knees this time around.
I walked while feeling nauseous, then, at an intersection a lightpole entered my field of view.
A right turn at this intersection and I'll almost be home.
I walked while staring at the lightpole absentmindedly. Soon I noticed that something felt out of place. It wasn't so much the lightpole istelf but what was under it, there, was a person crouching.
.... a drunkard?
It's not rare to see people lying on the ground near the train station, but it was my first time seeing someone crouching near my place.

Upon closer inspection, I realized that she was a girl, she appeared to be a highschool student. Why? Because she was wearing a school uniform.
A navy-blue blazer and a gray checkered skirt. Because of the way she was sitting while grasping her knees I could see her underwear, it was black.

'It doesn't seem to be a cosplay.'

I quickly came to this conclusion.
It's not rare to see girls dressed as highschoolers trying to allure some customers while walking in certain streets, but this girl's uniform seemed too plain compared to these girls'.
I took a glance at my watch, it was already 1AM. What was a highschool girl doing here at this time?

'Hey, you there.'

I raised my voice so she would notice me.
The highschool girl raised her face from between her knees and her breasts, and stared at me with vacant eyes.

'What are you doing here at this hour? Go back home.'

Surprised, she blinked a few times before answering:

'There's no more train at this time.'
'Do you plan on staying here until dawn?'
'It's cold out here.'
'So, what're you gonna do?'

The girl groaned a bit and tilted her head to the side.
Looking at her closely, she was rather cute. Her hair were a shade of brown leaning towards black, and her eyes had long slits.
Her nose line was cute with a round tip. She was somewhere midway between being pretty and being cute. She's cute, but not my type.
She straightened her head and glared at me.

'Hey uncle, let me stay at your place.'
'Uncle? ... listen here.'

To be called 'uncle' by a highschool girl like her angered me, I raised my voice:

'As if there's any highschool girl that would follow a guy they've just met and called 'uncle' to his place!'
'But I don't have anywhere to stay for the night.'
'If you go back to the train station there's a karaoke or internet cafe you could stay at, right?'
'I don't have any money either.'
'So you want to let you stay at my place without any compensation?'

As I ask this, the girl let out a: "Aaaah..." and nodded as if realizing something.

'I'll let you do it, so let me stay at your place.'

I was at loss for words.
Are all highschool girls like this lately? No, no way. She clearly was an oddball.

'Don't even make jokes like that.'
'I'm not joking. Is it ok then?'
'Let me tell you that I have no interest in kids.'
'Hmph!'

She nodded and then said with a bright smile:

'Then, just let me stay at your place'
'...'

Once again, I was speechless.

'Sorry for intruding!'

In the end I gave up. It would have been too risky to keep talking out there and risk nearby people noticing us.
I can just chase her out in the morning.

'Listen, you're the one who wanted to stay here for the night'
'Yep. That's right.'
'I'm not abducting you or whatever, okay?'
'Ahah! You're hilarious! I got it.'

It was no laughing matter, in this day and age when troubles arise between a man and a woman, the man often ends up taking the blame.
Even if me taking custody of this runaway girl started as a mutual agreement it might be treated as a case of abduction, it's not an unheared story at all.

'Your room is dirty'
'That's what the room of a guy living on his own looks like.'
'Some rooms were neat.'

I turned my head around confused as to what she just said.
She leaned her head in puzzlement while looking at me as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
'Is something the matter?'
'... not really.'

This is none of my concern.
The kind of life she's been living, what she's been through, none of that has anything to do with me.
As soon as morning comes, I'll chase her out.
I laid down on my bed with my outdoor clothes still on. Too much has happened today, I'm too tired and my body reached its limits.
Due to alcohol it didn't take long for my consciousness to become hazy.

'Oh, you're already going to sleep?'
'Yeah. You make yourself at home.'

I grumbled as she sat on the side of the bed.

'You're sure you don't want to do it?'
'Don't make me repeat myself, I don't have any interest in brats..'
'Is that so?'

I could feel the drowsiness submerging me. I closed my eyes and let go of my senses, once again her voice reached my eardrums.

'Is there anything you'd want me to do?'

If anything I'd want you to be silent, and spare me from waking up with my wallet gone in the morning, but I didn't manage to put any of this into words.
However in my muddled mind their was one thing I was yearning for.

'Miso soup...'

At the moment I realized it, the words had already long escaped my mouth.

'A miso soup cooked by a girl...'

I said, as I fainted.

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That's it for this prologue!

 It was quite tricky to translate at times and surely there were better ways to do so, but it was a good way to train myself at translating from Japanese to English.
Of course, none of this belongs to me, credits and rights go to the original author, this merely consitutes a way for me to train myself.

Hope you have a blessed day today everyone ~