Baka to Tesuto to Syokanju:Volume10.5 Me and Usagi and My Ambiguous First Love

Me (Watashi) and Usagi and My Ambiguous First Love

Me and Rabbits and My Ambiguous First Love

Even till now, I have been having a recurring dream.

It was about what I saw after school during primary school.

What that girl wrote on the blackboard silently, in the classroom where the sunset was shining into.

It was neither her punishment nor her duty. At first glance, it seemed to be something done for an unknown purpose.

She would write and erase, and, after erasing, write again.

That kid kept repeating this seriously — this girl left an exceptional impression within my heart.

“Yes. I think it’s great to have Himeji Mizuki-san as a Rearing Committee member.”

I was nominated during the first class meeting in 4th grade, and couldn’t help but freeze.

“Choosing Himeji Mizuki-san is a great idea!”

“Isn’t it perfect? It’s a plain and boring job anyway.”

“It sure suits our ‘Plain Lover’-san!”

I could hear whispers from all around. The only ones who would call me that were those classmates who were in the same class as mine in 3rd grade.

“What is it, Himeji-san?”

The facilitating teacher said that, and everyone looked over.

“W-Well, about that…”

I must refuse it. Even though I had that thought, I was so nervous that I couldn’t speak up properly.

At this moment, the stares that were shot at me got sharper.

My mind went blank, and I could only lower my head.

I must refuse it.

It wasn’t that I hated the job, but that my body’s frail. If I get hospitalized, I’ll have to be excused from school for a long time, and that’ll cause a lot of trouble to many people. I don’t want that…

“I, I…”

I tried to squeeze the words in, but everyone’s stares intensified, and I couldn’t say anything.

“—You’re not willing to?”

I heard a concerned and friendly voice.

I looked up, and saw that the boy sitting at the table next to me is talking to me.

“…Yes.”

I nodded my head.

“I see. If you don’t like it, you can say it out loud.”

I looked at the boy and saw him put on a bright smile as he said:

“Erm, can I call you Mizuki-chan?”

I nodded my head silently.

Then, that boy stood up and said to the teacher for me,

“Sensei, Mizuki-chan is very obscene!”

……………Eh?

The boy had stares raining all over him as his voice rang through the classroom.

Ah, well…wait a moment…that sounds like it means another thing altogether.

That boy ignored my doubts as he repeated it again, clearly:

“Mizuki-chan is really obscene!”

It, it really means something completely different when you say it like that!

“Wa, wait wait.”

I hurriedly pulled the boy who still wanted to go on. Don-Don’t repeat such a line so many times!

“Hm? What is it?”

The boy gave me an incredulous look, apparently not understanding why I was trying to stop him. Uu…how, how am I going to explain this…

“I-I-I’m not obscene…”

“Eh? Aren’t you unwilling?”

“I, I’m unwilling.”

“Then it’s the same, right?”

“I’m unwilling, but I’m not obscene.”

“???”

The boy looked cute as he blinked. Ah, what should I do…he didn’t understand at all…

“Aki-kun, the way you say it makes it sound like ‘that kid’s very H’, you know!”

“How pitiful~ Aki-kun’s bullying a girl here!”

“Onee-chan will get angry too!”

The boy’s friends seemed to be teasing him and having fun with this as they spoke up.

On hearing that, that boy finally seemed to understand what I was trying to tell him.

“Ah, no, it’s not like that! It’s a misunderstanding! Mizuki-chan’s obscene but isn’t obscene at all!”

“Which one is it??”

“A-Anyway, it’s obscene to be a Rearing Committee member!”

“Aki-kun, you can’t say that either!”

This situation went on in class as everyone was looking at us.

Auuu…I, I really couldn’t take it…

“W-Well…I’m willing to be a rearing member…”

I was not used to the stares everyone shot at me, and couldn’t help it as I decided to become a rearing member. Uu…I’ll have to talk to the teacher about what’ll happen when I get admitted into hospital…

My name’s written on the blackboard, under the ‘Rearing member. Girl’ column.

“Well then, how about the male rearing member? Is anyone willing to nominate himself?”

The teacher looked around and asked everyone. The male Rearing Committee member column was the only empty slot left.

Who will it be…?

I wanted to know whose name will be written on it. If that person’s going to work with me, I would end up bothering him a lot. No, maybe no one will raise names because nobody wanted to work with me. If that person get nominated and didn’t like this job, it would cause trouble to me too…

Thinking of it really made me depressed.

Then, right beside me…

“E-Erm! I’d like to be a rearing member too!”

The boy from before raised his hand energetically.

“You want to be a rearing member!? Aki-kun!? Really!?”

“Aki-kun. Do you know how to take care of animals here!?”

“Alright, I’ll do it too!”

And, after saying that…

“Mizuki-chan, please take care of me.”

The boy turned to me and smiled.

“Y-Yes. Please take care of me too…”

And this was my very first encounter with Yoshii-kun.

☆

“Heh~ so that’s how a rabbit house looks like on the inside.”

On the first day of rearing duty, Yoshii-kun and I arrived at the rabbit house located beside the school building as rearing members.

“Ah, there’s a new rabbit this year.”

Yoshii-kun carried the smallest of the three rabbits.

The rabbit was shocked, and at first, it started flailing its legs.

“Good boy good boy.”

The rabbit quickly calmed down after it was patted, and quickly quiet down within Yoshii-kun’s clutches.

“Do you want to carry it too, Mizuki-chan?”

“Eh?”

Yoshii-kun carried the young rabbit in his hands over to me.

“Ah, are you not good at dealing with animals?”

“Er, erm, that…”

I was at a loss of words.

Actually, I really could not handle animals. When I went to a pet exhibition, I wanted to pet a dog on the head when I got the permission, only for the dog to timidly let out a growl “Uuu…!”

“It’s because you’re scared of the dog that the dog is frightened of you, Mizuki. That’s why it started barking.”

Otou-san said after he saw this, and continued, “If you want to be liked, you have to like others first.”

“—Mizuki-chan!”

“Ah, it, it’s nothing.”

“Really?”

“Right, we should start cleaning.”

I remember what happened when I tried to touch the dog, and turn my eyes away from the rabbit.

“You’re right. Then, everyone, be good kids and stay here.”

Yoshii-kun put the rabbits at a place where they won’t interfere with the cleaning and takes out the grass from their nest. During this time, I used the broom to sweep the floor.

“I’ll go change the water then. Mizuki-chan, please do the feeding.”

“Eh? Ah, okay.”

Yoshii-kun took the rabbit water pail and walked out of the house. I wanted to change the water because I was scared of them biting my hand when I feed them…

However, it could not be helped. I would still have to continue my job as a rearing committee member, so I should get used to it earlier.

I put the grass and vegetables on the large plate, and got ready to put it in front of the rabbits.

“He, here…”

I timidity push the plate, and once the rabbits smelled it, they came scampering over to me

“Nu, nu♪”

They seemed to be humming as they ate.

Ahh…they look, so cute…

Its small mouth continued to nimble. I guess it was tasty as their ears and tails were twitching. The smallest one seemed to be having a hard time eating it as though, as its food continued to slip outside, and its tilted face was rather dazed. It really looked adorable.

"Erm…there’s quite a lot that overflowed…”

I said these words as I was overly concerned that too much food overflowed.

However, the rabbit continued to look into the tray energetically.

“The, then, please excuse me…”

I said softly, and put the vegetables the rabbit tossed out onto the floor back onto the tray.

And then, that rabbit looked like it really wanted to eat a lot as it ate the vegetables in my hand.

“Wa…wa…”

Its unexpected action caused my body to stiffen up.

However, the rabbit continued to nibble without caring about me, and even started licking my hand, maybe because of the smell of vegetables on it.

“Hya.”

It was warm, and a little itchy.

I let out a cry, and the rabbit tilted its head at me in a mystified manner before turning to eat the food on the tray again.

The young rabbit happily twitched its ears and tail, and did not look scary at all, but cute. I started to have a feeling beside fear at this point.

Should I touch it a little…?

It is feeding now, so it should be alright to touch the back. I thought as I reached my hand to the rabbit’s back.

The child that was focused on eating did not show any signs of irritation after I touched it.

I felt a soft and fluffy feeling on my hand, together with a slight throbbing.

“Waa…”

This first touch on a rabbit felt a lot better than I expected, and I was engrossed as I continued stroking its back.

“It’s cute, isn’t it?”

“KYAH!?”

A voice suddenly came from behind, and I jumped up in shock.

“Ah, sorry, did I scare you?”

Yoshii-kun, who returned, looked at me in an apologetic manner.

It seemed I was not the only one shocked here—the rabbits seemed to be protesting or were simply panicking as they hopped around Yoshii-kun.

“Wa, WAH WAH!”

Yoshii-kun lost his balance trying to dodge them, and the water he was holding was poured down his head.

“Auu…looks like I have to go back again…”

Yoshii-kun took the water container and went out of the house again.

It was really funny to see the rabbits give the “How about that!” look as they watched him leave, and I could not help but laugh.

☆