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Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 7 Chapter 2.2

The men and women were separated and stood at their designated spots. Dazzling spotlights were shining on us.

「There’s no particular order for confessions. When you are ready boys, start! And just as I thought, immediately one boy steps forward.」

Indeed, as the announcer said, it was… Tetsu-kun who boldly moved to the forefront among us men at the starting signal where he immediately got everyone’s attention.

Tetsu-kun moves straight towards her. 「Wh-what? Me!?」, M (aka Yun-chan) is completely flustered at the sudden approach.

「M, please partner with me.」

Saying this, Tetsu-kun stretched out his hand.

To begin and without any hesitation he went straight to Yun-chan and presented his hand… Man, how gallant can you get?!

Confronted with Tetsu-kun’s straightforward proposition, M (or rather Yun-chan) blushes at full power and looks down, fumbling in embarrassment.

「Well… um…」

「I’m serious. Trust me… trust in me.」

The response Yun-chan gave following Tetsu-kun’s insistence was…

「Um, I’m sorry.」

「Guh-huh?!」

And thus, Tetsunoshin Tsujimi collapsed to the ground.

「I’m sorry, but no.」

Tetsu-kun got rejected. Rejected in front of TV cameras. Completely rejected. The first to jump in, and the first to go down in flames. How can this not be seen as comical? And will this not be broadcast later on live TV?

「Wait, Tetsu!… I mean, you’re an honest-looking person! I… I have my circumstances… and it’s not that I dislike you or anything! I don’t dislike you at all! In fact, I… Anyway, I can’t partner with you!」

Yun-chan’s frantic backpedaling is piercing Tetsu-kun like a flurry of stabs.

Please, Yun-chan, spare him already! Stop attacking him with a knife known as kindness!

I saw Tetsu-kun out of desperation rise shakily to his feet and wander over to a stool by the bar counter in the corner of the grand hall.

And then, to the bartender gorokuma, a single request.

「Master, give me a cocktail that’ll erase my memory.」

The bartender gorokuma silently offers a glass without a word.

Taking a gulp of the drink, Tetsu-kun collapses onto the countertop. By the way, the glass’s content is Oolong tea.

There’s only one thing I can do for Tetsu-kun now.

「Gyah-hah-hah-hah, serves you right, you cocky fail-forward guy!」

I ridiculed him. Yes, I got heeeem! I was sincerely overjoyed.

That’s what you get for betraying a man’s friendship. A fitting end for a betrayer.

Alright, having thoroughly ridiculed him and feeling better, maybe it’s my turn to move.

And thus, I proceed to be the second one to step forward.

「Now, the second guy. The one with the menacing look. And he has chosen…」

With that, I stop in front of my well-known next-door neighbor, the great detective.

「Well, nothing much to say, but… Wanna team up, Tensai?」

Upon seeing my extended hand, Tensai cracks her usual cunning smirk and retorts.

「I refuse. Why should I team up with you, Juugo?」

「Gah!」

Blood spurts as I collapse onto the ground.

Surprised by an utterly unforeseen reply, I vomit blood from the stress. Wait, what? Something’s wrong. Why was I rejected… I mean, why did she refuse to team up with me?

「Unfortunately, it seems the second guy has been rejected too. By the way, the camera and I were closely watching him. He had just made fun of the boy who bravely stepped up first. To be frank, I find people like that distasteful.」

「Ugh!」

Another slam from the wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing announcer jabs me in the back.

Meanwhile, Tetsu-kun, who I had mocked as a loser, begins looming over my field of view.

The very figure I had scoffed at now mirrors me.

I don’t want to be like that, so pitiful! I need to do something… I must salvage this somehow…

Struggling to my feet, I turn to stand beside Tensai. There, a girlish lady stands expressionless.

「Um, so Yukihime-neesan. Would you like to team up?」

In that moment the world seemed to be engulfed in darkness… I was engulfed in an extraordinarily intense killing intent.

「What do you mean ‘so’? Why am I the one you’re asking ‘so’ casually?」

The killing intent surrounding her caused her beautiful black hair to stand on end, shivering.

「No, I mean… um…」

「Why am I not your first choice?」

That glare could kill on sight. I felt as if she had my heart in a vice grip.

「Um… I mean…」

「Why?」

「I’m sorry.」

「Who asked for an apology? I am asking you ‘why’.」

Her voice was eerily calm yet her silent fury felt like it could drive someone insane with just a slip in concentration.

「Please answer properly, young man.」

「No. That is. This… um…」

Yukihime-neesan simply kept closing the distance with every step. With each step she approached, I stepped back, sobbing. Until I hit a wall and could retreat no further.

The hellish figure looming over me asks again with a voice that could come from the depths of hell.

「Why am I not your first choice?」

Overcome by fear, a scream fails to escape my clenched jaw.

At that moment, I truly regretted my very existence.

「It’s quite an interesting turn of events.」

「And there goes our third boy!」

Ignoring the exchange between myself and Yukihime-neesan, Hiiyo Ikusaba moves forward as the third one up.

He stands in front of a girl.

「How about it, Ikkyu-kun? Will you team up with me?」

As Ikusaba-san proposes, as I’m cornered into a wall being kicked repeatedly. Tensai, who had just rejected me, is now his proposed partner.

Tensai’s response:

「Call me by my family name, or not at all.」

Tensai takes Ikusaba-san’s hand readily.

「Thanks, let’s do this, Tensai-kun.」

「The first couple is established!」

「We’re not a couple! We’re a team!」 Tensai shouts back at the lewd commentator with flushed cheeks.

But to me, none of that matters anymore.

My world turned gray. Everything seemed distorted and twisted.

「Ever since you were young…」

Yukihime-neesan lectures while turning her head away in disdain, but none of it registers with me.

Like a ghost slipping past Yukihime-neesan, I start walking aimlessly.

Crushed. Really, really crushed. Exceptionally, devastatingly crushed.

The ghostly figure finds himself at the bar counter.

I sit next to Tetsu-kun who is holding a glass of Oolong tea and collapsed onto the countertop defeated. I order from the bartender with a dead look on my face.

「Master tell me, where is a time machine to redo everything. Or at least give me the contact of the number 13 assassin to eliminate worthless rubbish like me?」

As if saying ‘I have no clue what you’re talking about’, a glass of Oolong tea is placed before me.

Am I not even allowed to die after being mocked so harshly?

As I give in to despair with the Oolong tea in hand, someone pats my shoulder.

It was none other than Tetsu-kun.

Despite his terrible heartbreak. Despite being rejected by someone he truly loves, undoubtedly feeling a hundred times more the desire to die than me, Tetsu-kun still gave me that comforting tap.

There were no words, just a gentle tap that seemed to say, ‘It’s okay’. Tetsu-kun’s kindness envelops my heart with warmth, and the tears I was holding back surge forth.

「Tetsu-kun, I’m sorry.」

「Why apologize when you’re the one in pain, Juugo?」

As I am in tears and apologizing, Tetsu-kun’s voice is endlessly gentle.

「Because I was genuinely happy to see you get rejected.」

「That you must sincerely apologize for.」

Tetsu-kun’s voice reverts back to normal for a moment.

「It looks like, after all, you’re the only one for me, Tetsu-kun.」

「That’s sincerely disgusting, stop it.」

「I said our alliance was over, but I take that back. Let’s keep going, together.」

「Wait… was that no alliance thing serious?」

「I’m always serious.」

「That’s a lie for sure.」

And so, the two rejected men ended up side by side at the bar counter, licking their wounds.

「How pathetic, both of you.」

As we turn, standing there is a dignified lady.

If I remember correctly it was Kachou Ageha-san right?

「You two will become my servants from this moment forward.」

「Servants?」

「It suits you losers. You should be crying with joy since I’m offering to team up with you.」

「That’s a bit harsh.」

It seems a bit much to gouge at our wounds like this upon first meeting.

But the lady’s words didn’t end there.

「Well losers are losers, but at least you fought before losing. Not the worst kind of losers, don’t you think?」

「Your actions, both of yours, were rather manly.」

With a turned head, the lady’s comment struck us to the core… or rather, our souls.

「O, lady!」

Tetsu-kun and I knelt before the lady, Kagetora Ageha, our tears flowing and our heads bowed.

「Please, let us be your servants.」

The two of us were nothing but losers. But this lady saw us striving. She recognized and appraised us. We could dedicate ourselves to this person, this lady.

So we sincerely thought, tears streaming down our faces.

In response, the lady graced us with a beautiful smile and simply stated:

「I’ll allow it.」

And so she gave her consent.

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