He, who is beautiful – Chapter 2

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Translator: Harse

Editor: Michelle Quaife

Proofreader: Sakura

Chapter 2

In the spring of his second year in high school, on the first day of class placement, he had felt nervous from the morning.  

This day begins with a self-introduction, which Hira is pathetically bad at. When he saw the poster announcement of class placement, he felt even more depressed. There were many docile students last year, but in this year’s class, there are a lot of popular people even in this grade and the risk level is high for students like Hira.  

The stuttering remained to this day, but thanks to the years of practicing, it doesn’t look like it is such a big handicap. Hira, who tends to keep his head down and is reserved, is recognized as a lower class and he thinks it’s okay to be viewed in such way. It doesn’t hurt to be completely ignored like a typical person at the bottom class of the social pyramid, rather than being pitied and treated as strange because of illness or inferiority.  

Please, let this year be peaceful. 

With this wish in mind, Hira entered his new classroom. He sat on the seat according to his attendance number and surveyed the classroom through the gaps in his long bangs. Somehow, groups have already been formed. Everyone is desperate not to be alone. The classroom on the first day of class placement is a bright and lively battlefield and everyone is fighting with an imaginary rifle. Hira is just observing it.  

The bell rang and the homeroom teacher came in. After a short greeting, they started the regular self-introduction and Hira took a deep breath, without attracting attention. One, two, three. The inhaled air presses against his stomach and stability settles in. It’s been more than 10 years since he was in elementary school, so he was used to it to some extent.  

Everyone says their name and hobbies in order. The homeroom teacher responds to every joke and makes everyone laugh. Meanwhile, Hira kept the anxiety at bay by thinking of the image of the duck captain flowing without resistance.  

As his turn approached, the boy in front of him stood up.  

“I’m Kiyoi Sou.”  

Suddenly, he had an illusion of being placed on an ebb tide. When he raised his head, dragged by that magnetic pull, all the students in the classroom were looking there at the same time.  

Hira couldn’t see the face of the student named Kiyoi from where he was sitting. From here, all he could see an incredibly beautiful jawline and a thin, long neck. Because his head was small, his overall body proportions were very good.  

Kiyoi just said his name and sat down again without further introduction.  

“Hey, isn’t there anything else? What about your hobbies?”  

He tilted his head at the teacher’s question.  

“Not really.”  

He rested his elbow on the table with the chin in his hand and with one leg on his knee. However, his limbs are long and slender, so it’s amazing how he looks like a model, who is posing.  

Even though he didn’t say anything interesting, the girls giggled as if they were feeling shy and the boys were also grinning. It seemed like he was a person from the top of the social pyramid.  

“Then next, the boy on seat 13.”  

Hira’s eyes were fixed on the slender back, not realizing that he was being called.   

“Hey, number 13, what’s wrong? The big one there!”  

Hira was startled as Kiyoi suddenly turned around.  

The shock was as if someone clapped their hands in front of his eyes.  

He was beautiful. The corners of his eyes looked like they were swept with a brush. Thin nose and well-shaped lips. His features, which seemed to have been carefully created and arranged by God, were more beautiful rather than just good-looking.  

His eyes seized Hira, as if he was briefly checking him out from head to toe, then he averted his eyes as if he had lost his interest immediately.  

Not worth it. 

Hira understood that he was judged in an instant. There were neither feelings of anger nor sadness. Such arrogance suited him a little too much, he, who was unbelievably beautiful.  

As he stared like a captivated fool, he felt something lightly knock on his head. When he looked up, the teacher with a rolled notebook stood right next to Hira.  

“You’re not answering no matter how many times I called you. Introduce yourself. Don’t be absent minded on your very first day. ”  

Hira stood up quickly, as if he was being kicked hard. He wanted to say just his name. I’m Hira. Just that. However, he stumbled on the first syllable.  

“Hi──”  

Ah, this is bad. When he thought that, he couldn’t stop anymore.  

“Hi-hi-hi-hi-hi-hihi-”  

Kiyoi, the teacher and everyone else looked at him with their mouths open. While he stuttered over this one syllable repeatedly like a peashooter, his face suddenly heated up. Cold sweat rolled down his back and under his armpits.  

“Ah, got it. Hira Kazunari. You may sit down.”  

The teacher who understood something said that, so Hira sat down on the chair.   

“What was that?”  

“Oh my god.”  

“Did he just laugh?” * 

“He said that.”  

*(TN: Because he stuttered “hihi”, they think he laughed) 

Whispers were flying all around the classroom.  

Even without raising his face, the judging eyes were piercing him through and through.  

Ahh, Captain Duck.  

Even if he thought he was used to various situations like this, at times like this he always wanted to disappear. New shame was added to the shame that has been stored up so far and the wall in which he trapped himself became thicker again.  

Why am I like this?  

The self-introduction continued and eventually, he stopped hearing the whispers.  

When he timidly raised his face, in the classroom filled with spring sunshine, his classmates’ backs appeared to be strangely dignified in his eyes. Everyone’s lives were worlds apart from his own, where he feels like he is dying.  

In the corner of his once again hidden eyes, he noticed a tapping finger.  

It was Kiyoi.  

He is sitting sluggishly in his chair, his long legs crossed and secretly playing with his smartphone. Thin and long fingers swiped up and down and left and right on the small screen. His fingers looked like they were dancing.  

The class introductions continued, but he wasn’t listening at all.  

Hira slowly raised his gaze and as if stage curtains were opening, he saw him in all his majestic shine.  

A small head with a well-shaped occipital region. Long neck and limbs. The light brown hair reflected the sunlight with its contours almost melting together. He stopped playing around with his smartphone, resting his chin in his hand with an elbow on the table and yawned, looking bored.  

He was in a totally different mood than Hira who felt like dying. Kiyoi’s and his classmates’ world also seemed completely different. 

He and Hira were the only ones who seemed to be in a different world. 

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