The Pain of an Inferior: A Blistering Love Comedy That Begins After a Broken Heart - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Pain of an Inferior 4

It was after school. Miyako and Shun had headed off to their respective clubs.

Miyako had entered A-10 and was ranked at the top of her year. Meanwhile Shun had possessed a number of achievements varying from sports to gaming clubs. The two of them were widely famous and were highly sought after among various clubs.

Having already decided on their future careers, it seemed that the two were participating in multiple club activities and were already getting excellent results in each and every one of them.

As for Haruka, he had been immersed in studying during his grade school days as he had set his sights for the competitive A-10 Academy entrance exam. And as a result of that, he still hadn’t discovered his own talents or things that interested him.

From grade school up until the student stepped into high school, their academic performances were highly evaluated. However, starting from high school up to university, club activities that would align to each student’s respective future goals had became increasingly important.

Students were required to explore in various fields, such as music, athletics, programming, design, professional gaming, architecture, and more, to find a balance between their talents and interests in order to determine their career paths as they move forward.

Since Haruka devoted most of his time in grade school to studying, that ended up putting him behind the others. It would prudent of him to catch up in high school in order to make up for lost time.

However, Haruka was a boy who only had been watching Miyako for so long that nothing else had been in his sights. He was having a hard time in choosing which club he wanted to join.

He was not interested in anything.

Ria was the same, he doesn’t belong in any clubs. Haruka thought about inviting him to search for a club together, but as they exited through the school gates and started their journey home, he decided to put it in the back burner for the time being.

On his way home, Haruka received a message from Miyako. He stopped walking to check her message.

[Can we talk together after I finish club activities?]

It was a simple one line message.

Just with that message, Haruka’s heart trembled with joy.

It had been a long time since they had talked alone.

Haruka rushed his way home and prepared dinner.

He called out “I’m home.” as he entered his house, but there was no answer. Haruka’s busy older sister seemed to be still working in the virtual world just as usual.

The Obi household did not own any androids or robots to do household chores. Instead, Haruka was in charge of cleaning, washing, and cooking.

Since he was unaware when his sister would be back, he basically prepped breakfast, lunch, and dinner in advance for her.

He checked the fridge to see if the meals that he had prepared were gone. If not, he would whip up some new dishes and eat the meals on the fridge.

Haruka made breakfast and lunch for his sister earlier in morning. The one he made for lunch was still in the fridge, so he decided to eat it for dinner. However, he was not that hungry since it was still four o’clock in the afternoon.

Feeling restless, he picked up a pair of wireless earphones and wore them on his ears.

He listened to his favorite songs and lied down on the sofa.

From his perspective, time felt like as if it was passing very slowly.

By reading books, listening to music, and watching videos, Haruka had managed to pass the time. Four hours had passed from him doing that.

A message icon blinked at the edge of his vision. The sender was Miyako.

[I’m free now. Is it a good time right now?]

[Yeah.]

After Haruka read Miyako’s message, he replied immediately. The message icon flashed again.

[I’ll be waiting for you at the park.]

Most likely it was the park near where Haruka and Miyako had first met.

He left his house in a hurry and heads for the park. It was dim and a little bit chilly outside.

Haruka arrived quickly, since the park was located only around a hundred meters away from his house.

Miyako was sitting on the swing, where they used to play a lot in the past.

Although it couldn’t be seen from observing her, Miyako seemed to be watching something from a holographic window with her Talisman. Noticing the presence of someone approaching, she closed the window and looked up.

Miyako smiled a little when she saw Haruka.

“I’m glad you came, Haru-kun.”

“I was free.”

Haruka replied and sat down on the swing next to her. Seeing that, Miyako started swaying her swing.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

At Haruka’s question, Miyako sunk into a thought. With a vacant expression on her face, she rocked and swayed on her swing. Eventually she stopped swinging and began to speak in a small voice.

“It’s about Shun-kun.”

As soon as the word “Shun” came out of Miyako’s mouth, Haruka was filled with a desire to go home.

“… What’s wrong with Shun?”

Miyako’s shoulders slump as she sighed deeply.

“… I’ve been feeling anxious lately.”

Haruka’s heart sank. His instincts warned him that listening to Miyako any longer was definitely a bad idea.

“Back in grade school, I honestly didn’t think of anything about him being surrounded by other girls. They were just a bunch of random girls, and I knew that Shun-kun wasn’t serious about them.”

Miyako paused for a moment.

In this moment of silence, Haruka could clearly hear the sound of his heart cracking.

“… But now I’m scared. All the girls in our class are so beautiful.”

Thinking of the girls hanging around Shun, Haruka was convinced that this was true. It’s a fact that Miyako was the best, but there were many girls who are just as attractive as Miyako.

“What do you think I should do to prevent other girls from taking Shun-kun?”

“……”

Upon hearing Miyako’s words, Haruka’s heart, which was at it’s limits and had been barely holding on, collapsed with a resounding crash.

Up until now, Miyako had been repeatedly asked whether she liked Shun or if she’s in a relationship with him.

Each time, she just smiled ambiguously and dodged the questions.

That was why Haruka was able to keep his feelings alive without giving up.

He believed that he could kiss her happily again like he used to, he held on to that hope.

But, the possibility of that happening was now gone.

For the first time, Miyako had openly revealed her affections for Shun.

Haruka desperately suppressed his trembling and crumbling body, as he managed to deliver his words with a composed expression.

“You don’t have to worry about that. Shun has special feelings for you, Miyako.”

Haruka knew how seriously Shun had chosen the birthday present, Valentine’s gift, and Christmas present for her. Without a doubt, Miyako was special to him.

“But well, I think he would choose bigamy. If you don’t like that, you might have to deal with him about it…”

If Haruka had to compare it to something, he could say that it was a war of love. A battle of romance, perhaps.

Meaning, one has to make the popular person choose only them and prevent them in taking any more partners. On the other hand, a person liked by many could try to convince their admirers to accept the idea of polygamy.

If one’s opponent had a lower status, the matter could be easily be settled. But if one’s opponent held a status similar to themselves, then things could get complicated.

“I don’t want him to be a bigamist. I want him to look only at me.”

“… If you told him that, I’m sure that he would do it.”

“Do what you want to do”, Haruka spoke reassuringly. But at the same time, he was trying to put his own mind at ease.

If Haruka was honest, he doesn’t know what kind of choice Shun will make. There was no doubt that he held special feelings for Miyako, but since he was quite fond of women, it was very likely that the would choose bigamy. If Shun went for that route, he might try to get Miyako to accept it.

“Really?”

“Yeah, but I can’t guarantee it. After all, that guy is quite fond of women.”

“That’s not really reassuring. Fufu.”

Miyako’s face broke into a smile as she pulled back her uneasy expression. It was a smile that could be compared to an adorable angel.

There were no absolutes in the world, so thinking too hard about it won’t help. Haruka thought.

“But I assure you that Shun has special feelings for Miyako. If you still feel uneasy, why don’t you talk to him first?”

“I guess so.”

For a while, there was a silent atmosphere between the two.

Feeling a bit restless, Haruka gently swayed the swing back and forth.

“I feel a bit better now. Thank you, Haru-kun.”

Miyako said as she stood up. While Miyako’s heart feels lighter, in contrast, Haruka’s heart remains as heavy as iron.

“We can’t rely on our relationship as childhood friends forever, now can we?”

Miyako implied this not to herself, but to Haruka.

“Thank you, Haru-kun, for listening to my problems.”

“You’re welcome.”

Haruka watched Miyako, who had just become unreachable to him. No, that’s not right. She was always out of reach for him.

He was only favored on a whim when they were children. It was already a miracle that he got to be acquainted with her as a childhood friend, since Haruka was clearly inferior to the two of them.

If it were Shun, he could make Miyako much happier than Haruka ever could, he thought.

Haruka knew that he could never bring Miyako as much happiness as Shun.

If he truly wished for Miyako’s happiness, he should be happy that Shun and Miyako would finally be together.

His heart refused to accept it, even though he knew in his mind that it was not meant to be.

His heart ached.

He could feel it breaking, as if it cried out in sorrow.

“Haru-kun, shall we head home?”

“… I’m sorry. I have an errand to do first.”

“Is that so? Okay, see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

The two of them smiled as they said their farewells to each other.

He stared at Miyako’s back as she left the park.

Haruka wondered if he had managed to smile convincingly.

Tears well up in his eyes as if they had burst from a dam.

He hunged down on the swing and continued to weep miserably.

His long lasting first love was finally over.