I (30), Who Works for a Black Company and Died While Regretting My Gloomy Life, Started Over From High School!

Chapter 14: Preparation for a battle is essential.

TL:Netori-kunED:Anima

What are you doing, Aniki?

Kanako asked me curiously in the living room, where the sizzling and delicious sounds echoed.

Dont you see? Im making takoyaki.

Yes, right in front of me is a takoyaki machine that I won in a lottery at a nearby shopping district a long time ago.

Its pretty good for something cheap, and when I flip the dough over with my pick, it turns out to be quite crispy.

No, I know that when I see it, but , why all of a sudden again? Are you having a takoyaki party?

Well, in a nutshell, its for Shijoin-san. I want to stop her from being sad.

Is? The sadness will stop with takoyaki ? Whats up with that? Does eating powdered food make Shijoin-san feel better?

Of course not. Dont make fun of Shijoin-san.

Aniki is overwhelmingly lacking in words! Or rather, my brothers intelligence level drops when Shijoin-san is involved!

What do you say?

How can that be? No, well, its possible that when I think about Shijoin-san, my mind becomes happy and my thoughts become a little simpler .

Im sorry for the phone call.

The number on the phone was one that I was familiar with.

Oh, Domo! Im Nihama! Thank you for taking your time!

! ?

When I start the call, Kanakos face somehow turns into a scared expression.

Thank you for the estimate! And the price is Oh, I see. Im sorry, but I dont have enough money in my budget, so Im afraid Ill have to ask another company. Yes, yes!

Oh, I miss this kind of negotiations.

Well, its the same old thing.

Ill give it one more push, okay?

So, you see, I was wondering if I could ask you if I could get a little discount! Oh, could you do that for me? Oh, no, Im so sorry! Well, Ill contact you again in anticipation of the delivery date soon! Yes, yes! Oh, thank you, excuse me!

I end the call and close the phone with a snap.

After all, a foldable phone is so convenient to carry in your pocket.

This is good , thats it Hmm? What happened to you, Kanako?

Whats wrong with you is my line! Whats with that creepy businessman talk?

Ah

I wasnt aware of it at all, but when it came to business meetings, I seemed to have unconsciously switched to the external mode of my company slave days.

Its scary how habits can become ingrained in your soul.

You say I talk in a creepy way, but this frank and fast-paced way of speaking can make negotiations go quite smoothly, you know?

No, I was just talking to a vendor right now. I just matched it because he was talking like that.

Hmmm Well, its not the first time my love-struck Aniki has behaved in a strange way, so thats good.

Strange

Well, just now, that may have been strange behavior for sure, but for her to call it strange behavior is .

Im not sure what to make of it, but Im sure it will be worth it. Youre trying to do something for Shijoin-san, arent you?

Hey, this girls got a sparkle in her eye for a change!

She thinks that what Im doing is funny. !

You know, , Im not trying to make an interesting show for you, okay?

Hahahaha! The story about how you yelled at the stupid Yankees who were robbing you and made them scared, as well as the story about the second-rank  guys who tried to shame you with false confessions was so funny that it made my stomach hurt! Im a big fan of yours, you know Aniki?

In front of my sister, who smiles with a cute face, the only thing I can do as a brother is to say, Good grief, and let her do as she pleases.

Good grief.

Well, yes. What Im trying to do this time is

When I explained my plan, my sister burst into a hearty laughter.

Ha-ha-ha-ha! Seriously! Youre going that far! And youre already fully prepared, Im going to be the president of your fan club!

Dont laugh so hard that you cry Im dead serious here.

Haha, sorry, sorry! Well, you know, .

Then Kanako turned her gaze to me, looking somewhat happy.

Its an idea that Aniki would have never come up with even if he stood on his hands. You ve already told me about your feelings many times, but I think the reason why youre willing to go that far is because its an important love that you rarely encounter in your life.

With a strangely mature expression on her face, my younger sister speaks.

Im really popular, but you know what? no matter how many guys come to me, I cant find someone who says, I love you so much! so I feel empty. Bitchy girls love to have boyfriends to show off, but I dont have that kind of taste.

No, you know, this guy, what are you really? I mean, how can you talk so much about love in middle school?

Does being popular make you mature that much in romance philosophy?

So, dont ever let Shijoin-san go, Aniki!  You may never find someone you can love that much again!

Yeah, I know.

I nodded strongly to Kanako, who clenched her fists and gave me a cheer.

I know exactly what my sister is implying.

In my previous life, I went out into the society and met a lot of women through my work, but I never had feelings for any of them.

On the other hand, I have been in love with Shijoin-san ever since before I returned to the past.

There are a lot of women out there, but a person you can fall in love with is quite rare.

In the meantime, tomorrow Ill start my plan and raise my affection while dispelling Shijoin-sans worries.

Yes, yes! Im glad to see you understand, Aniki! Im scared that youre already thinking of something like terrorism, but youre really doing well!

Oi!

By the way, since it was a special occasion, we had a family takoyaki party with my mom and ate a lot of food while having a good time.

My mom smiled happily at me, so I thought it might be a good idea to do it again, and afterwards, I finished all the preparations for tomorrow.

And on that day, there was no progress at all in the class festival presentation meeting.

Im so tired of this! If you want to do something other than the exhibition so badly, you can do it on your own! We who want the exhibition wont help you!

No, you cant do that! We all need to work together on the festivals presentation! Please discuss it properly!

Yeah, yeah! Lets have a blast with everyone! Something that stands out!

Noroda, who wanted to avoid trouble as usual, Kazamihara, who only wanted to prioritize the rules and reach an agreement through discussion, and Akasaki, whose voice was loud even though he only had an image without any specifics.

When I think about it, the root of all evil was when Kazamihara first said, Lets not have a majority vote, lets discuss it thoroughly.

At first, there were  lots of meaningful discussions about this idea or that idea, but then Akasaki said, Isnt that too normal and uninteresting?  As Akasaki continued to make complaints, everyone eventually became annoyed and abandoned the discussion.

Its too much trouble and I want to end it quickly, but Noroda got mad at the situation and said, Why dont you make a simple display? That s too much work! Its too much trouble!

(Do they realize that the important time for preparation is being wasted while they do this?)

And as time was wasted, the face of Shijoin-san, who was looking forward to the cultural festival with the whole class, became more and more cloudy.

The other students were also exhausted, and everyone had already given up on the situation, saying, Let it be what it is. There was no longer any way to resolve the situation.

So Im going to turn this thing around.

I let out a breath and try to stand up from my seat.

(..hmmm.?)

For some reason, my movements stopped.

The reason for this came to mind immediately.

Its the past me thats inside of me.

The gloomy part of me rejects my actions as a dull pain.

(Haha, I thought I got rid of it pretty well after I went back in time, but its still in there inside me, isnt it? )

In my previous life, when I was in high school, I never stepped outside of the small territory that was my seat.

I never raised my hand to express my opinion, actively tried to expand my friendships, or ran for a position.

I tried to be inconspicuous under my breath and trembled in fear that someone would hurt me.

(Ive had to deal with people attacking me a few times before, but that was just to defend myself, and they were separate individuals. This time, Im going to take on a whole class and Im going to do it proactively. I guess my timid side is starting to hurt.)

But Im not the one who lets my cowardice get the best of me anymore.

The past that kept me from getting up from this seat in fear of pain is over.

(Well, , lets go then.)

The sound of a chair being pulled with a jerk echoed through the classroom.

I stood up in that moment, drawing the attention of the whole class.

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