GBLINC! Volume 2 Chapter 14

A huge dilemma is here!
I have no impressions of ever meeting her.
If I have, then it was like that of observing a passerby — something along those lines.
Yet now she’s calling me out by name.
My brain worked in overdrive, and the final conclusion was.
Unfortunately she must have been someone the original Nagase Kanade knew, maybe while she was young. But that wasn’t certain.
The me of now wasn’t certain even of her name.
Not knowing how to respond, I could only smile awkwardly.

「Ha… haha… what a coincidence.」 I settled on such a noncommital response.

「It’s been 3 years since I last saw you, yet Kana-chan hasn’t changed at all~」

It seemed I was right.
A gap of 3 years, height and looks yet unchanged, where did such a legal loli come from…?

「Well you’ve certainly changed a lot…」 Because I didn’t know her name, my responses became rather strange.

At this time, the crucial waitress came back again.

「Kiyotaka Suzune-san, would you like to order now?」¹

It’s here! Just like that!
Though, would a waitress usually call address someone with their full name like that…?
Thank you very much for your detailed explanation.

「Oh… Ok then.」

I tentatively sat down, and not really able to understand the menu, copied Suzune and ordered a serving of spaghetti.
The waitress left after confirming our selections.
I should be fine with using a first name right? ²

「Um… so is Suzune-san also studying at this school?」

「Yep, because of family circumstances, I ended up choosing to attend middle school here. Though, why is Kana-chan also here? How should I say this… the tuition here isn’t exactly cheap.」

「Mm. Actually I’ve been taken into a foster home.」

I gave her a rough explanation.
To avoid unnecessary pity, I only said that my father is in prison and my mother is gone.
Though telling her about just this, her eyes had already softened considerably.
From a outside perspective, maybe my experience was a bit complex.

「Anyway, my foster family are really nice to me, it’s all fine now.」

Sensing that they had tears in their eyes, I hurriedly ended that topic.

「Kana-chan also had it rough…」

Suzune-san seemed to understand the abrupt end, and that I didn’t want to continue recalling.
And so the talk about the past ended like that.
It was better this way.

「Though, Kana-chan, you don’t seem to be stuttering as much anymore! Compared to elementary school, you’re on a completely different level now.」

「Haha… M-maybe so.」

For Suzune-san it was meeting an old friend, but for me it was meeting with a stranger, and I had to even act as if we had met long ago.
I wasn’t a people person to begin with, and so the conversation was stiff.
Well then we should get back to the main topic then.

「Cough, anyway, Suzune-san, this letter was yours right?」

「Ah, yep. Does that mean Kana-chan is the one managing the mailbox! Wow!」

「Maa… most people don’t even notice it.」

Writing a formal letter and then putting it in, is something only people with a serious personality like Suzune would do.

Looking at Suzune, I let out my thoughts.「Suzune-san, why don’t you try confessing directly? I’m not flattering you, but with your looks and serious personality, there shouldn’t be any boys who would reject you?」
Especially with those extremely attention seeking balls of fat. However I swallowed these words.

「It isn’t as easy as Kana-chan says… and I did confess already, I was completely rejected.」

「PFF!」 I almost spat out the noodles in my mouth.
As a former male, I cannot understand.

No matter how you look at it, Suzune should be a perfect girlfriend.

「The reason for the rejection was 「I already have another girl that I like, sorry.」, but usually there’s only his sister, no other girls…」

That might be just an excuse then.

「Um then, when did Suzune-san confess?」

「Oh… I think it was two weeks ago? I didn’t look for him again after that…」

「Don’t give up so easily! Maybe he was just being prideful!」

Even though I’ve never seen a male who was still prideful when being confessed to.

「Oh… maybe you’re right! I’ll look for him tomorrow!」

「Yep! But before that, let’s eat lunch together!」

「Mhm!」

「Um, can I ask who it is?」 Such a strange male, I was kind of curious.

Suzune lit up with a blush. 「I-it’s a secret! Even if it’s Kana-chan, I won’t tell!」

Her expression was overpoweringly cute. I was stunned in an instant.
If he didn’t want Suzune, let me have her!
Guhuhuhu.

「Uwa! Kana-chan let out a evil laugh!」

I exchanged mails with Suzune, and promised to help her full force these next few days.
I probably won’t be able to eat with Yuu and the others this week.
But it can’t be helped, with such rare society work and to have to help such a cute girl.
I felt as if my entire body was pumped up.
While walking back to the dorms, only one problem stuck with me.
Why does everyone call me Kana-chan straight away? ³
Was it because I looked so small — wait it actually might be that.
It was a complex feeling.

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— POV change —

Meanwhile, Yuu was calculating the expenses of the student council for this month.
And as for Rin who was next to him, she who had nothing to do was comfortably huddled on the desk, looking over at Yuu.
From there, the occasional 「Ah~ The hardworking onii-chan~」 sounds would float by.
Though he had a deadpan expression, Yuu was somewhat used to it. ⁴
This sister who shared half his blood, yet who also had feelings towards him that familial love, he wasn’t too dense to miss it.
Was it because they had spent so much time together when they were young?
Yuu would usually wonder.
Compared to typical siblings, the answer would definitely be a no.
But playing together, sleeping together, isn’t that what every pair of siblings would do?
It needs to be said, perhaps Yuu’s common sense was a bit skewed.
Finishing off that train of thought, Yuu started a different one. About yesterday and this morning’s Kana-chan.
Even though he had been thoroughly educated by Rin’s excuse of 「It’s a girl’s mensural period, they’ll have mood swings!」
He was still unable to understand.
That kind of reaction, was it really because of the period?
Yuu felt positive that there was an uncrossable distance, one that separated Kana-chan from others.

「Onii-chan, what are you staring off into space for?」

Suddenly realizing that his hands had rested on the keyboard for multiple seconds now, Yuu shut off the computer.
It was probably best not to continue working today.

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TN Notes:

I’ve translated 10 chapters. Hopefully I’ve done a good job so far. Please let me know if there are any issues! (〃 ω 〃)

TN1: Classroom of the Elite reference? First part from ML, second part from FL. Assume Suzune here is based on that Suzune-san, Yamato Nadeshiko description fits.

TN2: In Japanese culture you have to be very close to start on a first name basis, usually addresses even between friends are with last name. And then there’s varying degrees of san, chan, sama, etc honorifics added on top to show closeness. I’ve chosen for Kana to refer to people with san because she(he) is very stiff and not cute at all (Suzune and Rin and everyone else fawning over her is just her innate moeness I mean they all just wanted a hug). Only Yuu has gotten no honorifics (because foster family). Suzune will have a san attached, though I kind of want to use just Suzune since she hugged and all. Let me know your opinions on this.

TN3: chan suffix is usually for close relationship girls and little kids. This is why I’ve had everyone call her Kana-chan, kind of treating her like a little kid. The original is xiao zou (小奏) which is typical endearing address and the joke is the emphasis that everyone always starts off calling her xiao 小, also meaning small, instead of progressing into it or addressing her in any other manner.

TN4: Original had manga style black lines that appear on characters. Kinda like below or think Saitama with the “OK” line.