Chapter 144: 144: Feeling Good

Words : 1407 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

"Huh, Ohtani-kun, Tanaka-kun, what are you doing here? Where's Takashi?" Marin and Wakana arrived at the meeting spot, but Takashi was nowhere to be seen. Instead, they saw Ohtani Shota and Tanaka Kouta squatting on the ground, radiating an intense aura of resentment like vengeful spirits. "Look at him, he's surrounded by girls!" Ohtani Shota pointed at Takashi, who was at the center of a group of female cosplayers taking a group photo. His resentment was just as strong as any office worker's. Judging by his posture, he could probably support ten evil sword immortals. Marin and Wakana looked in the direction Ohtani Shota pointed, and saw that Takashi was indeed surrounded by a girl on each side, with one more hugging him from behind. No wonder Ohtani Shota and Tanaka Kouta were so upset. Failing on your own is tough, but seeing your friend succeed is even harder. Watching Takashi surrounded by a group of girls, Ohtani Shota and Tanaka Kouta's teeth nearly ground to dust. This was more painful than being killed. They could accept sharing both hardship and joy with their friend, but they just couldn't accept the disparity between their own failure and his success. Takashi noticed Marin, declined the further group photo requests, and walked up to her. "What took you so long to get here?" "I got delayed taking pictures with others! By the way, Takashi, you really are popular," Marin joked with a smile. Takashi gave her a neutral glance and responded in a flat tone, "Let's go, time to take pictures." "Ohtani, Kouta, why don't you come help us?" "No way!" "Not a chance!" Ohtani Shota and Tanaka Kouta both rejected the request at the same time. They hadn't even thought about them when it came to picking up girls, but now that they needed help, they remembered them? They treated them like brothers, but did Takashi think of them as beasts of burden? "What a pity!" Takashi said lightly. "I was thinking that I didn't need to have you guys watch these contacts for me, but now it looks like I'll have to give them to someone else." "Father!" X2. The two of them quickly knelt on the ground with a dramatic "thud!" and gave the highest honor between men. "Let's go, let's take the photos over there." "Alright, wait a second, is that Kashiwagi-sensei?" The moment Marin turned around, she noticed a long line forming at a spot not far from her, diagonally ahead. Her attention was drawn, and she curiously looked over. When she saw the sign labeled [Kashiwagi Eri], her eyes went wide. "I can't believe Kashiwagi-sensei is also here at the convention, she's really making a fortune!" Marin's eyes sparkled brightly with excitement as she began stamping her feet in place. "Hey, hey, Takashi! Can we wait a little while before taking pictures? I want to go and get a stamp from Kashiwagi-sensei!" Takashi continued walking without stopping. "No." "Aww~ why not? I'll be back quickly after getting the stamp!" Marin grabbed his arm and started shaking it, acting cute and playful. "Please, Takashi! This is a once-in-a-lifetime wish of mine." Takashi stopped in his tracks, sighing helplessly. Marin's face brightened, thinking he was about to agree. Very few people remain indifferent when faced with her cute pleading. As Marin was happily celebrating, she didn't notice Ohtani Shota and Tanaka Kouta nervously swallowing their saliva. Takashi turned his head, his eyes calm but his face expressionless as he stared at her. "Do you want us all to stand here and wait just for you?" "How big do you think your face is?" "What time is it? Tell me." Takashi detested people who wasted his time. When he got angry, he didn't raise his voice or make a scene; he simply stared at the person, calmly stating the facts. But when Takashi stared at someone without expression, his gaze would unconsciously become sharp, creating immense pressure. Marin felt the air seem to freeze, and she subconsciously released her grip on his arm, standing still like a student being scolded by a teacher. "Ten, eleven thirty." "We entered the venue at nine-thirty. Thanks to you, two whole hours have passed and we haven't taken a single picture. And you still dare to make demands?" Takashi's voice was cold and authoritative. Marin had no words to respond, her face showing confusion and fear, as she had likely never been scolded in such a way before. "Do you think I'm as idle as you?" "Do you think that just because you're being cute with me, I'll indulge you?" Takashi's words were very harsh, with no attempt to hide his disdain, leaving Ohtani Shota, Tanaka Kouta, and Wakana too scared to even breathe. "We're equals. I'm not someone you can make concessions to." "If you don't want to take pictures, just say so. I don't have time to waste on you." Under the weight of Takashi's presence, Marin fell silent. With her head lowered, no one could see her expression, but from her tightly clenched skirt, it was clear what her emotions were. "...I'm sorry." Marin's shoulders trembled slightly, her voice too soft to hear as she apologized. Takashi's tone returned to normal, and he spoke without any sign of happiness or anger, "Let's go." Without waiting for anyone else, he took the lead and walked ahead. Ohtani Shota and Tanaka Kouta hurried to catch up, speaking in hushed voices. "Did you go too far? It looks like Kitagawa is about to cry." Takashi responded indifferently, "Whether she cries or not has nothing to do with me. She's not really that important." "If it weren't for you two dragging me into this meetup, we'd never have had anything to do with her." "You don't think that just because she knows us, she's going to be one of our people, do you?" They went to the prestigious Aoba Private High School, and they'd all be attending top-tier universities in the empire in the future. Their future careers would be in fields like medicine, law, civil service, and high-paying white-collar jobs. They were destined to be from two completely different worlds. As time passed, the gap between them would only grow, until they were strangers to each other. Since this was a relationship that would not have much interaction in the future, Takashi wasn't going to invest too much emotion into it, nor did he care how Marin viewed him. "You guys too, don't be soft-hearted just because a girl's being cute or crying." "Girls like that will play you like a fiddle." Ohtani Shota curiously asked, "Is that why you're so popular?" "No, I'm popular purely because I'm handsome. It has nothing to do with this." Takashi ruthlessly spoke the harsh truth. "No one will care about your inner self if they don't like how you look." "If you're ugly, no one will even want to talk to you." Even in stories, there has to be a beginning. If you're ugly, there's no story to start with. Tanaka Kouta mockingly laughed, "You don't have to be this realistic." "I'm doing this for your own good." "For my good? Then give me that face of yours." "Send me that skin for a 1?" Ohtani Shota: "1!" Tanaka Kouta: "1111..." After glancing at the three who had walked off into the distance, Wakana looked at Marin with concern. "Kitagawa-san, are you alright?" "I... I'm fine." Marin still kept her head lowered, her shoulders slightly trembling. Wakana grew even more worried. 'Being scolded like that, Kitagawa-san must be feeling really down.' But at this moment, Marin, who was still with her head down, had flushed cheeks, her legs tightly pressed together. She didn't dare to tell Wakana that Takashi had actually scolded her to the point where she felt strangely satisfied. ____ So here, the M in kitagawa Marin stands for masochist lol. ___ 20 Advanced Chapters available on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you! Don't forget to leave a review too~ Check out the other translations too ___

Chapter 144: 144: Feeling Good

Comments (0)