The Pain of an Inferior: A Blistering Love Comedy That Begins After a Broken Heart - Chapter 35
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- Chapter 35 - What I Wish For
Chapter 35 – What I Wish For
On Sunday, Haruka went shopping with his sister before their mother arrived.
Haruka bought expensive ingredients with Yuzurika, trying to make the food as good as possible for her.
“Nabe is the best dish to serve during a family reunion, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
Haruka bought good meat, mushroom, vegetables, and other things, packs them in a cooler box, and has a drone bring it to their house.
“Let’s go buy flowers for Mother’s Day.”
“You’re so faithful, Haru. It’s been two months already.”
Since they can’t send things from the city to the [Countryside], Haruka chose a bouquet of flowers that they couldn’t send for Mother’s Day.
As they left the supermarket, they found the area near the supermarket was very crowded.
Haruka recall that flyers had been flying in with announcements for people who live around here.
He remembers that there was a flea market nearby.
“Oh, Haru. I might want to go to the flea market.”
“I’d like to find a birthday present for Okaa-san too.”
“Mamacon”
“S-shut up”
Talking together, they arrived at the flea market near the supermarket.
“I’ll look around from the back, you start from here. Let me know if you find anything good.”
“Aye aye.”
After seeing off Yuzurika, Haruka looked around the flea market with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.
There were more than 3,000 stalls, it would take all day to thoroughly look around around the flea market. Haruka quickly glanced at the items on display, and then moved on to the next one.
As he walked around the market, Haruka saw a familiar face.
?
On Sunday, Kamisato Reika was at the flea market with her friends from elementary school.
Her friends, Fujisaki Ayaka and Kunihiro Natsume, were selling stuffed animals, accessories, clothes, and a bunch of other stuff that they had exhibited at some exhibition and had left unsold.
Reika herself spreads out earrings, necklaces, and watches that were left unsold, and displays the price tags in front of the items using her Talisman.
Although the flea market is diverse and inconsistent, the Talisman senses if the buyer is satisfied with the product and gives an evaluation to the creator.
Unlike many other people, Reika, who is aiming for rank B citizenship, would have liked to process the unsold items to add to her evaluation. In the first place, it seems that most of the participants of the flea market are a group of people who try to get the evaluation by processing unsold items like Reika.
“For someone who lamented that it didn’t sell at all, you don’t have a lot of product.”
“I’m sorry, maybe that’s the wrong way to put it.
It’s like my prized work didn’t sell, and the work I thought was of average quality was sold”
“Ah, that’s a common occurrence.”
Reika takes her hobby of making accessories seriously and does not cut corners. However, there are always two types of finished products: those that she is satisfied with and those that she is not.
At the last accessory exhibition, the pieces that she considered to be of the highest quality did not sell at all, while the ones that she considered to be of mediocre quality sold like hotcakes.
Compared to the other participants, Reika was a fairly successful exhibitor, so she could say that this was an extravagant problem, but it was still quite a shocking experience for her.
However, there are many people in the world who cannot sell their products at all, no matter how many they make.
Compared to them, Reika, who sells a little every time, is blessed with good taste.
The time for depression is over. Reika lightly slaps her cheeks with both hands to cheer herself up.
She quickly disposes of the unsold, but confidently made accessories in front of her, and starts making new ones tomorrow.
Two boys approach Reika and her friends who are chatting and laughing.
“Kamisato-san,..here”
“Thank you, Akishino-kun.”
Akishino Yukito offered a can of juice to Reika. Reika takes it with a smile and puts it on the desk beside her.
“Here you go, you two.”
Kazamatsuri Nagi, a friend of Yukito, gives canned juice to Ayaka and Natsumi respectively.
“Thank you, Nagi.”
“You’re so thoughtful, I’ll give you a coupon for 10 percent off.”
“No thanks!”
Reika, Ayaka, Natsumi, Yukito, and Nagi, these five are friends who were relatively close to each other in elementary school. It’s not the first time for all of them to participate in a flea market together.
“I see that Kamisato-san still likes earrings.”
Yukito said as he looked at Reika’s booth and muttered to her.
“Yes, I still like them as usual.
I can’t wear them at school, though.”
Unlike at school, Reika’s ears were exposed, and she had five piercings in her right ear. The quantity and gaudiness of the piercings are enough to make one feel a bit uneasy at first sight. However, Reika’s good sense makes her look neat and tidy, not cluttered with five piercings.
In fact, she also has a piercing on her tongue, but no one has noticed it yet.
“Well… I think it’s better to be moderate because it makes you look like a lightweight…”
Yukito complains with a straight face to Reika, whose piercings are getting more and more gaudy year by year.
“Ahaha, well. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Reika replied to Yukito with a wry smile.
“Akishino-kun, what are you going to sell today?”
“Oh, an original robot model this time.
I sold a lot of them at the exhibition the week before the last, so I don’t have a lot of them.”
A number of image windows appear in front of Reika. They were images of the robot model that Yukito had made.
She remembered that he had made a moving figure of a beautiful girl last time. He was good at making such figures and robot models.
“I’ve been getting a lot of response, and it’s going well.
I even made a robot model that could actually maneuver in the air using a Sorcery program.
I can’t show you the real thing now because I sold it the other day.”
Instead of showing the real thing, Yukito proudly displays a video of the robot model flying around in the air.
“It’s amazing.
I can only do effects on my earrings.”
“It was pretty easy.
If I ever get a chance to use it, I’ll teach you.”
“Ahaha. I’d love to have you teach me.”
With a friendly smile on her face, Reika exchanged a few words with Yukito.
She spends her time by giving appropriate responses to Yukito’s enthusiastic words.
“Well, I’ll see you later.”
After the chat, Nagi and Yukito went back to their booths a little distance away from each other.
Natsumi and Ayaka, who had seen them back off, came up to Reika with a smirk on their faces.
“W-what is it?”
“Reika and Yukito are still getting along well with each other. When are you going to tell him?”
“Or are you waiting for him to tell you? He’s a herbivore, so he won’t make any progress if you don’t go for him.”
Reika sighs inwardly as they press her.
“No, um… I don’t have that kind of relationship with Akishino-kun…”
“Well, but I think you two are a good match.”
“You both like to talk about love.”
Reika doesn’t really understand the concept of love.
For example, Kureha Shun, who is in the same class at A-10 School and talks a lot, is like a prince, sparkling, and very nice, but she doesn’t know if she wants him to be her boyfriend.
He is the kind of guy who has a fan club not only in school but in the world, so she can’t say that she wants to stand next to him.
Reika would be more nervous about getting stabbed by a jealous girl than she would be about the thrill of love. It is not easy for a newbie to have a relationship with him. In the first place, Shun himself thinks that Reika was out of his league.
It’s not that she has never thought about Yukito.
Reika knows that he likes her, and she have thought about going out with him if he confessed his feelings for her.
However, it’s not because she liked him, but only because they have been friends for a long time and they know each other well enough to be comfortable with each other, not because she has strong feelings for him.
After all, she doesn’t have a strong desire to be his girlfriend, like in a shoujo manga.
But lately, Reika often thinks of a man’s face.
Her cheeks went red when she thought about him, she hurried shook her head from such thoughts.
“Enough about me, what about you two?”
“Eh?”
“You like Kazamatsuri-kun, don’t you?”
“Eh?! Uhhh..”
“A-as if!”
The girls like Nagi enough that even Reika, who doesn’t know much about love, can tell.
“Why don’t you two go for him? I’m sure he’ll get confused and choose one or the other or both.”
“Well, we’re not as pretty as Reika, so we have to be careful!”
“That’s right!”
The two of them turn red in the face and argue with each other.
It is true that they may not be as beautiful as Reika, but they are not ugly either. Both of them have charming and pretty faces. There is a good chance for them to get married with Nagi.
“I’m sorry if this sounds irresponsible, but I think you girls are pretty good looking.”
“E-eh, I don’t know… So you should get together with Yukito first…”
“If Nagi likes Reika, we’ll definitely lose…”
“Oh, so that’s why the two of you are always insistent in pairing me up with Akishino-kun…”
Reika smiles, saying she gets it. The two of them got nervous because their intentions got exposed.
It would be troubling if Nagi is interested in Reika, so they wanted her to end up with Yukito.
They could not confess their love to Nagi because of their anxiety. That’s why they tried to make Reika and Yukito get together so much.
Reika wasn’t mad, she was even feeling apologetic towards them.
“U-um…”
Reika tried to say something, but her words didn’t come out. She wanted to reassure the two of them, but she didn’t know what to say.
“Hello, Kamisato-san.”
Reika turned around in a hurry when she was suddenly spoken to from behind the booth.
Standing there, was Obi Haruka, who was still under house arrest after a violent incident at the forest school.
Yunika had told Reika that the next time he would come to school after the suspension is lifted would be next Monday.
He raised one hand smilingly and looked at her kindly. On his left arm, he was holding a bouquet of colorful flowers.
“Hello, Obi-kun.”
“This is the first time we’ve talked like this since the horror game, isn’t it?”
“Now that you mention it, that’s right…”
“You sell jewelry?”
“Umm, a bit.”
Reika looked behind her using her Talisman because her friends were uncomfortably quiet. Both Ayaka and Natsumi were stunned with their mouths hung wide open.
Reika laughed inside her heart.
Haruka’s appearance was rather flashy. He has a flame-like tattoo from his left cheek to his chin, his hair color is bright, and he has a lot of piercings on both sides of his ears.
It was natural for them to be surprised. In fact, Reika remembered that she had a similar reaction when she had first saw Haruka at school.
“I’ll call my Nee-san. I think she would be pleased with the designs.”
Saying this, Haruka sent a message. The effect of paper airplanes flying overhead appears above his head.
“I’ll buy this one.”
Saying this, Haruka bought one of Reika’s most prized items. The earrings were designed in the shape of a flower with a mixture of peach and purple colors.
There was a visual effect of bills scattering and disappearing as they flew towards Reika. A credit of 3,000 yen is transferred from Haruka to Reika.
“T-thank you very much.”
“I’m sorry, but could you hold the bouquet for me?”
“Y-yes”
Reika takes the bouquet from Haruka as she is told. Haruka took off one of the earrings on his right ear and put on the earring he had just purchased from Reika.
“Does it look good on me?”
“W-well…yes”
Reika affirms it while handing back the bouquet of flowers to Haruka.
She was a little embarrassed because it felt like he was praising her, she thought that the earrings suited Haruka very well.
“Are these leftovers?”
“Unfortunately…”
“I see. But it’s such a good design.
Uhh, this is not a social call okay?”
“Thank you very much.”
Reika’s heart warmed up when she was praised by Haruka. She was happy to be recognized by a man who knew about fashion.
“I’ll take this watch too.”
Without showing any sign of concern, Haruka bought the watch that Reika had made. It was a calmly designed watch with a leather belt in pink and white.
“But that’s for women…”
The dial was small, and the watch was shaped to be worn on the inside of the wrist.
“Oh, this is for my mother.”
“Eh, Uhh, for your mother?”
“Yes. She’s coming back from the countryside today.
Kamisato-san’s watch will be my mother’s birthday present.”
With a dazzling smile, Haruka holds the watch in his hand. The credits move from Haruka to Reika.
Reika’s face blushes for some reason, and she hurriedly cools her cheeks by fanning them with her hand.
“By the way, Kamisato-san looks very good during day-offs.”
“Eh?”
“Your ear.”
Haruka tapped his right ear with his finger and pointed it out. Reika’s face turned red and she covered her pierced right ear with her palm to hide it.
“You don’t have to hide it. It looks good on you.”
With a wry smile, Haruka praised her. As if she had given up, Reika exposed her hidden right ear.
“I’ve always been told that I’m beautiful but plain… so I ended up becoming like this… I just didn’t have the courage to wear it to school…”
She made up a bunch of excuses on the spot.
“I’m sorry if this offends you, but you sure are a quiet person, aren’t you, Kamisato-san?
If a quiet girl wears flashy earrings, I think everyone would be thrilled. Why don’t you wear them to school?”
“Ugh… I doubt it.”
“I’d be pretty thrilled.”
“Please don’t, it’s embarrassing!”
Reika’s face turns red and she stops Haruka with a troubled smile on her brow.
“Oh, um… Are you a friend of Reika’s?”
Natsumi came back to senses and fearfully asked Haruka.
“Friend? or an acquaintance?
My name is Obi Haruka. Nice to meet you.”
Haruka smiled at Natsumi and Ayaka while he gave a small wave at them.
“Since we’re here, Kamisato-san, would you like to be my friend?”
“Oh, by all means! Please do!”
Yunika and Shinku had exchanged friend IDs with Haruka, but he hadn’t talked to Reika since the [Apocalypse], so he didn’t had a chance to exchange IDs with her.
As for Haruka, Reika was one of the few classmates who knew about Ria’s situation, so he wanted to be friends with her as much as possible.
Reika and Haruka exchange friend IDs.
After that, Natsumi and Ayaka joined in the conversation and the four of them chatted.
Natsumi wanted to know how Reika was doing in the [Apocalypse], and Ayaka wanted to know how Reika was doing at school.
Haruka was waiting for his sister to come, but since it didn’t look like she’ll show up any time soon, he decided that it was a good opportunity for him and Reika to get to know each other.
“Well, you know… I’m embarrassed… I’ve been watching you since the first day I entered school.”
“Eh? A confession?”
“I-It’s not!
Obi-kun, you always wear different earrings, so I was wondering what kind of earrings you’re wearing today.”
While her cheeks are still flushed red, Reika happily exchanges words with Haruka.
“Um!!!”
There was someone who interrupted the space between the four of them.
It was Akishino Yukito.
Yukito intervenes between Haruka and Reika and stands there to protect her.
“E-eh. What?”
Haruka looked at Yukito’s face, who was a head smaller than him.
“If you stay here talking for a long time, other customers will not be able to approach and she will not be able to sell her products.
Kamisato-san is troubled too.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Reika-san.
I’m sure Nee-san will be here soon.”
“No, I’m totally fine. We’ve got four hours before the flea market closes,
Besides, you’re not bothering me!
Akishino-kun, I’m fine. You can go back… Okay?”
“Eh?!
…… A-alright.”
Yukito was stunned.
He felt as if Reika had told him to go back even though he had saved her from being tangled up with a delinquent.
With a faint sense of despair and shame, Yukito reluctantly left the place. When he turned around and looked at them, he found that Reika had resumed her conversation with Haruka without paying attention to him.
Reika’s expression was joyful, which was totally different from the amiable smile she usually shows to him.
(Is Kamisato-san a b?i?t?c?h? who’s attracted to delinquents? N-no, that can’t be true… Kamisato-san is not that kind of woman.)
Yukito was tending to his booth, repeatedly thinking back to the incident that just happened, and became sulky. Whether or not that was the reason, Yukito’s products did not sell well that day.
“Ha-ru! I found you!”
A new customer visits Reika’s booth.
Seeing her, Yukito, Reika, Natsumi, and Ayaka are all startled.
A woman with light hair color similar to Haruka’s and multiple piercings in both ears. Contrary to Haruka, she has a prominent flame tattoo from her right cheek to her right eye.
It was Obi Yuzurika who came to Reika’s booth.
Yuzurika’s arrival draws even more attention to Reika’s booth, even though Haruka alone had already attracted a lot of attention.
“Nee-san, this is my classmate Kamisato Reika.”
“I’m Yuzurika, Haru’s big sister, nice to meet you!”
“H-hyah!?”
Yuzurika came up to Reika at once and hugged her lightly. She seems to have meant it only as a greeting, and she quickly pulls away. Reika, however, overheated and her mind went blank.
“Reika is so cute!”
“Well, I guess so…” said Haruka
“Right, she’s cute. Will you be my sister-in-law?”
“E-eh? That’s…”
“Nee-san! It’s not nice to talk for too long in front of the store.”
Remembering what Yukito said to him earlier, he rebukes Yuzurika.
“I was just saying hello. Don’t be so mad at me!”
Yuzurika looks at Reika’s items.
“I’ll buy this, this, and this.”
Quickly paying using her Talisman, Yuzurika picked up three earrings without showing any sign of hesitation.
All the earrings had flashy designs.
“Ah… Thank you for your purchase…”
“You have good taste, Reika!”
“A-a little bit!”
Yuzurika praises her with a big smile, Reika shrunk back while expressing her gratitude. She didn’t feel any sarcasm from her words, so she’s happy for the praise.
“Well, we’re going to go now. Good luck with selling your products.”
“Okay. Thank you very much for today.”
Reika bowed deeply to her classmate and his sister, and looked away from them.
When they were finally out of sight, Reika sat down in her chair as if she had lost all strength.
“They were kind of amazing, weren’t they?”
“Yeah…”
“I’m glad your work sold well.”
“Yeah… I’m glad.”
After that, Reika’s products were sold out , and thanks to Yuzurika and Haruka, her motivation was restored, and she immediately went home to imagine new designs for accessories.
Reika was so excited that she failed to notice the strange behavior of Yukito until the very end.
?
As Haruka returned home and begins to prepare for dinner, the doorbell rings.
“Okaa-san?”
Yuzurika opens the door to find her mother standing there.
She looked just like her daughter. She had dull brown hair that reached down to her shoulders. She was dressed in a casual suit with a small bag slung over her shoulder.
Matsurika made eye contact with her daughter and smiled briskly, showing her white teeth.
“Hey, Yuzurika. Long time no see.”
“Long time no see, Okaa-san! Come on in. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
“I’m home.”
“Welcome home!”
Smiling, Yuzurika invites Matsurika to come inside.
As soon as Matsurika arrives at the living room, Haruka stops cooking and rushes to her.
“Okaa-san, welcome home!”
“I’m home!”
He greets her and hugs her vigorously.
Matsurika looked at him clinging to her with a troubled smile.
“You still haven’t grown apart from your mother, haven’t you?”
“I love my mother.”
“Mamacon! Lame!~”
Yuzurika sneers at Haruka with a smirk on her face. Matsurika turns her head to look at her.
“Yuzurika, have you graduated from being a mamacon?”
“N-no! Okaa-san, I love you!”
Yuzurika also smiles broadly and hugs Matsurika from the side.
People who live in the [Countryside] can come to the city only twenty four days a year.
City people can also stay at the countryside for only twenty four days.
It’s very difficult for family and friends that are living on each side to meet and spend time together.
Since the separation is inevitable, Haruka, Yuzurika, and Matsurika cherish their family reunion time.
“I’m glad you are doing well. But Haruka, I see that there are penalty points on your student ID card….”
“N-no, there’s a reason for that…”
Haruka tries to make an excuse, but he hesitates to say so.
“I know that much. Well, don’t be too hard on yourself.”
Without scolding him, Matsurika smiled and patted his head.
“I’m making a nabe right now. Sit down and watch TV or something and relax.”
“Yes, I will.”
Matsurika answered and sat down on the carpet.
“Mom, scratch my ears!”
Yuzurika puts her head on Matsurika’s lap with a sweet voice. She hands the earpick in her hand to her mother.
“You still can’t get over being a mamacon huh?”
“I’m going to stay like this forever!”
Matsurika and Yuzurika are enjoying the parent-child relationship, reporting on their recent activities to each other.
While looking at them enviously, Haruka continues to cook silently.
“By the way, is Mother doing well?”
“Oh, she is very well. She only pays attention to Darling just as usual though.”
Matsurika is not Haruka’s biological mother. She is Yuzurika’s mother. They share the same father.
Haruka’s mother is still living in the [Countryside] with his father. She seems to be the same as ever, and he was relieved at her unchanging attitude.
It would be a lie to say that he doesn’t feel lonely, but he doesn’t have any problem about it because Matsurika loves Haruka enough to make up for his cold mother. Haruka loves Matsurika very much.
While the nabe is simmering, Haruka has free time and goes to Matsurika with a bouquet of flowers.
“Okaa-san, this is for Mother’s Day while this is your birthday present.”
“Thank you, Haruka.”
Matsurika was handed a bouquet of flowers from Haruka and the watch that he bought from Reika. Matsurika accepted them with a smile.
“This is from me!”
Yuzurika handed one of the earrings she had bought from Reika.
“Happy birthday, Okaa-san!”
“Thank you!”
Fourteen days ago, Matsurika had celebrated her birthday.
Matsurika had turned twenty two years old.
“Aa, I’m so happy. Both of you, thank you for being born.”
Matsurika hugged them tightly and strongly. They hugged back in return.
After that, Matsurika stayed at the Obi family’s house in the city for four days, and then returned to the [Countryside] with a fond farewell.
Translator Note
Mamacon: Mother Complex