Chapter 185 A Gloomy, Unkempt Nerd
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Hair had grown longer, so Ayumu asked Maina Uzuki—formerly one of Kiritani’s hangers-on—to give him a haircut.
He’d never cared much about his hairstyle before, so he left it up to Maina. Before he knew it, she’d given him a completely asymmetrical cut—something he’d normally never dare to try.
”Hey, wait! I did tell you to do whatever you thought looked good, but…”
”Huh? Hey, Sanai… you look kinda… cool now?” Maina blinked.
”No, really! Why?! We just changed your hair, that’s it! No way can it make this much difference!” another girl chimed in.
Surprisingly, though, Ayumu got nothing but compliments from the girls—especially from Takanashi Ami and Amagasaki Renka. Blushing, he tried to brush it off: “Wh-what’s with you guys? I was already kinda handsome to begin with, wasn’t I?”
But then the mood shifted.
”Eww… creepy. Who knew Sanai was such a narcissist?” someone muttered under their breath.
”No way. Before the haircut, he looked like some gloomy, greasy, basement-dwelling otaku,” another added, her words sharp enough to draw blood.
Ayumu winced. Harsh!
Even Maina, who’d just cut his hair, couldn’t help piling on: “Honestly, while I was cutting it, I started to realize—Sanai’s actually got pretty nice features. I was surprised!”
Unforgivable!
Ayumu’s fragile ego crumbled into dust.
”Who the hell are you calling a gloomy, creepy, wannabe-criminal loser!?” he shouted, fists trembling.
”Whoa, whoa, nobody said anything about criminals!” Maina backpedaled.
”Seriously, Sanai, don’t get mad! That’s just a figure of speech!” Renka added, flustered.
”Yeah! You’re totally twisting our words!” Ami laughed nervously.
Ayumu fumed silently.
If he made them really angry, he’d not only go hungry—he’d lose a place to stay, too. So, reluctantly, he swallowed his pride. The three girls, meanwhile, scrambled to smooth things over.
* * *
That night.
As the sun set and the air grew chilly in Lord’s mansion, everyone gathered for a warm meal: mutton stew, white bread, and a pear tart. Takanashi Ami, Maina Uzuki, Amagasaki Renka, and Hiyori Sashima stretched contentedly after eating.
”Ugh, I’m stuffed. So happy…” one murmured.
By the fireplace, they sipped watered-down spirits, letting the warmth seep in.
”Hey… I was wondering about that wooden box by Sanai earlier. What’s in it?” Ami asked, pointing.
The others perked up, eyes on the box.
”Oh, this? It’s a custom-made guitar I ordered from a luthier in Yugan,” Ayumu explained.
He’d thought, privately, that he might play a little for them after everyone returned to their rooms.
”Wait, you can play guitar?” someone blurted.
”Yeah. Kind of a leftover skill, I guess.” He shrugged.
Of course, everyone was surprised. Back in the old world, Ayumu had skipped school for work—and on the rare days he did show up, he’d bolt the moment classes ended, busy trying to cash in his patents. That day, he’d just happened to get caught up in a teleportation during a math quiz.
”Come on, play something!” Ami urged.
Ayumu opened the box, took out the guitar, and launched into a rendition of the Northern Irish anti-English ballad “Come Out Ye Black and Tans.”
♪♫ I was born in the Dublin street
Where the loyal drums do beat,
And the lovely English feet walked all over us;
And every single night when me dad would come home tight,
He’d invite the neighbors out with this chorus:
Come out you Black and Tans,
Come out and fight me like a man,
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders;
Tell her how the IRA made you run like hell away,
From the green and lovely lanes of Killeshandra.
Come let us hear you tell
How you slammed the brave Parnell,
And taught him well and truly persecuted;
Where are the stares and jeers that you proudly let us hear,
When our heroes of sixteen were executed.
Come out you Black and Tans,
Come out and fight me like a man,
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders;
Tell her how the IRA made you run like hell away,
From the green and lovely lanes of Killeshandra.
Come tell us how you slew
Them ol’ Arabs two by two,
Like the Zulus they had knives and bows and arrows;
Of how bravely you faced one with your sixteen-pounder gun,
And you frightened all the natives to the marrow.
Come out you Black and Tans,
Come out and fight me like a man,
Show your wife how you won medals down in Flanders;
Tell her how the IRA made you run like hell away,
From the green and lovely lanes of Killeshandra.
Now the time is coming fast, and I think them days are here
When each English yeoman heel and run before us ♫♪
The girls exclaimed, “Amazing!!” and “So cool!!”—and it goes without saying that Ayumu wasn’t entirely displeased… to be continued.
Notes:
• Kiritani – The class president who takes leadership and questions their situation. A smooth operator, laid-back and calm. The handsome one.
• Hiyori Sashima – A quiet, caring girl from the library committee, empathetic toward Sanai.
• Sashima – Family name of Hiyori. A quiet, caring girl from the library committee, empathetic toward Sanai. She followed as a Barrier Technique Adept.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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