LMLCG – Episode 27 – Time for Self-Introduction

**Beep beep…** **beep beep…**

Yawn… Okay… I woke up in one go.

Yesterday, I went to bed without playing any games or reading manga.

Thanks to that, I’ve got plenty of time this morning.

Since it’s a meeting, showing up early is just common courtesy.

I went to tidy myself up in the bathroom… Hmm…

Even though I do this every morning, looking in the mirror really makes me realize I’m not exactly good-looking.

I wish I could at least fit into the “average” category, but it’s not something I can change, so I stopped worrying about it.

Anyway, I have time to stop by the convenience store, so I’ll just eat breakfast and head out.

I bought some onigiri at the convenience store where we agreed to meet and checked the time on my phone.

There’s still about fifteen minutes left until our appointment…

I passed the time by scrolling through my phone and occasionally glancing around. After about five minutes, I spot the the senpais approaching.

They’re earlier than I expected, but I’m glad I got here first.

“Good morning, Takanashi-san. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Good morning, Senpai. No, I just got here a bit earlier than I expected, so I wasn’t waiting at all.”

The woman next to Senpai also greeted me.

“Good morning, Takanashi-kun!”

“Ah, good morning, Natsu… um…”

I wasn’t sure what to call her…

If I also call her “Senpai,” it’ll be unclear who I’m addressing… But calling her Natsumi-san right off the bat feels too familiar…

“Oh, right! This is the perfect chance to introduce ourselves. I know a bit about you already, Takanashi-kun, but you probably don’t know much about me.”

“I’m sorry, I know you’re a friend of Senpai’s, but…”

“Takanashi-san, I apologize for the late introduction. This is my friend, Yuuzuki Natsumi. I call her Natsumi.”

“We’ve met a few times already and talked a little, but it’s nice to meet you again, I’m Yuuzuki Natsumi. Looking forward to getting along, Takanashi-kun.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Takanashi Kazunari. Is it okay to call you Yuuzuki-senpai?”

Up until now, I’d been mentally referring to her as “Senpai’s friend”…

“Hmm, that’s fine if you want to, but most people I’m close with just call me Natsumi. When someone calls me Yuuzuki, it kind of feels like it’s someone I don’t know well. Your way of talking is a bit stiff too, so feel free to be more casual. You can call me Natsumi, okay?”

I thought this the last time we spoke too, but now that we’re having a proper conversation, she’s actually really easy to talk to and approachable.

“Got it. Then is it okay to call you Natsumi-senpai? I’m sorry I never properly introduced myself even though we’ve met a few times.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’d already heard about you from Sara, so I kinda spoke to you like I knew you.”

I guess I was just going along with the flow in our earlier interactions too…

“Yeah, I guess I just missed the right timing. Oh, and Natsumi-senpai, it’s late, but thank you for the help on the rooftop the other day. You really saved me.”

“Ah, yeah, I was panicking too. I had a bad feeling, so I rushed to grab Daichi.”

Daichi… That must’ve been the student council president who showed up that time… What was his name again?

“Daichi… You mean the student council president?”

“Yeah, his name’s Uesaka Daichi. He’s a third-year, so I guess most people know he’s the president, but not many remember his name.”

So the student council president is Uesaka Daichi, huh.

But calling him just by name… they must be pretty close. Wait, don’t tell me… they’re dating or something?

“Ah, whoops! We’re going to be late if we keep chatting here. Let’s talk while we walk.”

“Yes, good idea. Alright, Senpai, let’s get goi… huh? Senpai?”

?

Now that I think about it, Senpai hasn’t said a word…

She’s smiling, but… the atmosphere around her feels intense, like there’s a dramatic “gogogogo” sound effect behind her… Kind of scary… (TL Note: It’s like in Jojo “ゴゴゴゴ”)

“Hmm? Sara? What’s wro… what’s wrong?”

Looks like Natsumi-senpai noticed it too…

“No, it’s nothing… Nothing at all.”

No… It’s clearly not nothing.

Did I do something to upset her?

“Um… Senpai? Did I… do something wrong…?”

I feel like every time I speak, she gets more annoyed…

“Senpai?”