Chapter 3

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

Chapter 3 Previous

Life

I just noticed this

after translating chapter 9 but I forgot to add the prologue…I’m really sorry!

Link to

prologue: https://tiredtranslation.blogspot.com/2022/06/chapter-0-prologue.html

—

I, Edward Astrea, was

a Japanese named Kuga Haruma in my previous life.

My alias “Kuga” was

taken from my family name Kuga. (we’re going with last name, first name basis

with japanese names btw.)

I lived with my

father, an office worker, and my mother, a part-time worker.

I was an ordinary boy

with nothing special to say about myself, and my test scores were just above

average.

My appearance was not

bad, but not good enough to be called a handsome person.

If I were to appear in

a comic book, I would have been a mob whose face would not have been drawn.

But I was a lucky mob.

I had the good fortune

of having a beautiful girlfriend, a girl who would have banished me from the

mob world.

The person of my

dreams, who became my girlfriend as a mob—

—Sakura Mana.

“The last time I saw

her was at the scene of an affair. I saw her on a date with a handsome guy.”

(Oof, Pain, Ouch, Hinagpis.)

Mana was three years

older than me.

We started dating when

I was in junior high school and Mana was in high school.

We continued to date

despite the pain of three years that we could not make up no matter how hard we

tried, and one day when I was in high school and Mana was in college…

I was working

part-time without telling Mana.

Since I met with Mana

during Saturdays and Sundays, I was only allowed to work after school on

weekdays, but when there was free time on Sundays, she asked me if I wanted to

join her.

But then, Mana said

she had to run an errand that day, so I was free.

Because of it I

started working at the family restaurant in the morning.

Time flies when busy,

and after the midday peak had passed, I found myself at idle time.

“Well then, take a

break for now.”

“Yes, sir.”

I was given an hour

break, so I ate some makanai and went to a convenience store to buy

some juice to refresh myself.

I bought a bottle of

milk tea, which I don't drink, because it had a strap of a cat character that

Mana likes.

I was strolling

around, feeling a little ashamed of myself for doing this for her, when—

“...Mana…?”

I saw her.

I saw Mana alone with

a man while she had turned down my appointment because she had something to do.

—No, that was

different, that was…something else, for sure.

I desperately ran my

head, which had frozen at the same time as my body, and desperately looked for

something to deny that I wasn’t having an affair

That man was her

brother…No, Mana was an only child.

Relative?

A cousin?

Maybe they are just

friends?

They got out of a

luxury car, which did not suit the two young people, and entered a brand-name

store on the main street that everyone knew.

I felt as if the

complex I had been harboring all my life had become a ticking time bomb inside

me.

I felt someone had

pressed the wrong switch, or cut the wrong conduit, and because of it the count

to detonation was rapidly ticking away…

I'm not old enough to

get a driver's license yet.

I ride a rusty

bicycle.

Even if I got a

license, I don't think I could afford such a nice car.

I am sure I couldn’t

even bring her to a brand named store like this.

I don't know how many

family restaurants I would have to work part-time just to buy one of the things

in that store…

It would be impossible

to give her a gift during her high school years.

The only thing I can

give you now is an extra strap that I hold in my hand.

“Stuff like this…”

Shall I throw it away?

My hand gripped the

strap, as if it was worth something.

A free gift that comes

with a juice that costs about 150 yen, and a first-class product from a luxury

brand.

That's the difference

between me and that guy.

The stylish store had

a glass wall that allowed me to see the inside of the store.

The man had his arm

over Mana’s shoulder while she was looking happily at the store's merchandise.

I'd like to think it

was different…but it was not…

That was…no matter how

someone else looked at it.

Mana's smile brought

me back to reality.

I'd like to go and

yell at him, but if a guy in a family restaurant uniform walked into that

place, he would be looked at strangely or stopped.

Besides…I'm a kid

compared to that guy.

The man was annoyingly

good looking.

He was tall and had

long legs.

His hair was dyed and

set nicely, unlike mine, which was just a matter of fixing my sleeping habits.

He was dressed

stylishly.

I was completely

defeated.

He looked a little

older than Mana.

He might be a senior

in Mana’s college.

College student—

I remember the bad

memory that made me start working part-time.

『Hey, Mana, where do you go when you hang out with your

boyfriend?』

『Karaoke, arcade, library…and parks? I think we go to a lot of

places around here.』

『What is that? He’s not a highschool student but a junior high

school student!?』

『There’s no way~』Then a voice that seemed to be laughing

echoed.

It was a conversation

between Mana and her friend that I overheard by accident.

Since that day, Mana's

friend's laughter has been echoing in my head.

I started working

part-time so that I could go away for Mana's birthday, but I guess…it was all

for nothing… (dw dude you can hangout with me instead QAQ)

I clutched the bag and

strap from the convenience store and went home feeling miserable without saying

a word.

I'm really stupid for

buying milk tea that doesn't even taste good to drink.

I had really enjoyed

myself until yesterday.

We met in the morning

because it was a Saturday when there was no school, and at night I was invited

to stay at Mana's house because her parents were out of town.

Two young lovers

shared a night together.

I was ready to go up

the ladder of adulthood at last, but I couldn't…do it.

The first thing that

comes to mind was the fact that the two of us have been together for a long

time.

I wish I had pushed

her over as hard as I could if this was going to happen.

No, I don't think it's

possible that…I couldn't do anything yesterday, so the good-looking guy got

over on me.

The topic of such an

act would have been normal around Mana, a college student.

Is it still wrong

because I'm just a kid…?

I had been chasing

after Mana since I was a child, but she was still in another league.

Now that I thought

about that, it became even more painful.

The time bomb was

activated, but it didn't go off with a bang.

It only made a boring

sound without being discovered by anyone.

It just became a piece

of trash that no one would look at anymore.

I took out my phone

and sent a message to Mana.

『Be happy with someone who is worthy of you. Thank you for

everything. Goodbye.』(Wait, talk about it with her first jeez.)

I wanted her to dump

me and move on, not cheat on me, or why did she date me in the first place?

I don't need a reply.

I tapped the screen to

delete Mana's registration information.

“...Haha...”

I stopped and I

hesitated to press the word [delete].

—You’re still curious

about your reply, right?

—Maybe there's a

reason, you know?

My other self asks me.

As I was busy thinking

of not pressing it…I didn’t notice it—

“HARUUU!!!!!”

I had no idea that a

car driving on the side of the road was coming straight at me—

Kuga Haruma, aged 16,

died in an accident.

—

Poor dude, welp that’s

all folk see you all next week!

TOC