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‘I wish I can say all of you have a future with infinite possibilities, but unfortunately, I can’t. If even I, a hapless, hopeless high schooler, could make his way into university, then for me to say stuff like “don’t waste the future” to you all, people far more talented than I am, would be a tad unconvincing.
‘I’m not the kind of senpai who has the renown to lecture you like this – I don’t know what Kanbaru or Higasa-chan said to you all, or rather, I can imagine what those two have been saying, but please set aside whatever falsities you’ve been hearing about me.
‘With that done, let’s start with the formalities.
‘Greetings to all incumbents of the Naoetsu Girls’ Basketball Club.
‘I’m Araragi Koyomi.
‘I was in Naoetsu High School myself up until last year, so you may have seen me with your own two eyes – yes, the one always quietly lurking in an unattended corridor, that’s me.
‘If you did indeed know me as that sulky, lonely high schooler, you must be wondering “why should I listen to the likes of you”, and that my advice would be worth nothing.
‘Not that there’s anything incorrect with that.
‘I may be your senpai in terms of age, but the same can’t be said for experiences in life – my experiences are only comparable to a middle school student.
‘Unlike you all, I never got to enjoy my teenage years.
‘No, really, in retrospect, even I really hated myself – but, I’d imagine such a self-deprecating rant is not what you’re here for.
‘One girl amongst you said to me not too long ago,
‘“Green as we are in our youth, that shade of green is deeper than you think. It’s a dark green bordering on darkness.” “Did it look like we were giggling and having a good time? Like high school girls with nothing to worry about?”
‘Those were “her” sincere words, and I believe it’s what everybody here thinks as well…when she said “we”, she meant every member.
‘Including people she never managed to get along with, such was her assertion – to which I offer no rebuttal.
‘So the reason I accepted this request wasn’t because Kanbaru asked me to, nor was it because Higasa-chan asked me to.
‘It’s for “her”.
‘Plus, I want to say sorry to all of you.
‘I want to apologise for this misunderstanding, and I want to apologise for my arrogance.
‘I once had put opinions like “adolescence isn’t necessarily fun” in the same vein as “rich people have a hard time too”; it’s a past version of myself I’m trying to eliminate.
‘Friendship reduces one’s intensity as a human.
‘That’s the kind of stylish excuse I used for the sake of hiding in my own shell, without ever imagining how intensely difficult it is to have friends – that having a companion to go through struggles together could diminish and reduce one’s life.
‘No, it’d actually be really easy.
‘Life’s dead easy if you don’t have any friends.
‘Exceedingly comfortable.
‘I say this having acquired a taste for this luxury – don’t be like me. If you become like me, you turn into me.
‘If even a high school failure like me could turn out so brilliant – I can’t bring myself to say anything like that. This isn’t some set-up for a joke, this is serious.
‘This isn’t me being humble or me kicking myself.
‘This is plain fact.
‘Even today, I’m still the same; even in uni, I’m still trying to salvage what I lost in high school. The three years I spent in high school isn’t something that can be looked back on with “those were the days” just yet.
‘I’m in the middle of a rehabilitation.
‘I’m supposed to talk about my experiences, but if anything, don’t learn from me. Instead, I’m going to disappoint you by saying – give everything your all.
‘Give it everything.
‘Studying, playing, working, relaxing, making friends, falling in love – I never did any of them well.
‘Don’t think to yourself, “it’s fine either way”.
‘Don’t think to yourself, “it’s fine if I’m dead”.
‘And never think that you’d be better off dead; if we’re all going to die, then there’s no reason it has to be tomorrow.
‘And if you don’t, you’ll find yourselves doing it in no time;
‘You’ll turn into me – you’ll become a monster.’
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