NO X Limit: Nou X Rin

I sat next to Kinoshita-san on the bus ride home.

“….”

“….”

I’m feeling anxious.

What is this?! It’s so embarrassing it hurts!

I guess, come to think of it, it’s the first time we’re alone together!

I don’t know what to say… Kosaku and Kei are sleeping in the back seat…

“….” (peek)

“….”(fume)

What’s more, she’s in a bad mood!

T…this is bad isn’t it?! I wonder if she’ll get mad about what just happened in the field just now.

At that time, I was just going with the flow and having fun but… It’s still normally looked at like just bullying. Forcing someone to eat green tomatoes!

“Nakagawa-san.”

“It’s Nakazawa.”

I was surprised to be spoken to so suddenly.

But… I was even more surprised by what Kinoshita-san said next, while looking out the window.

“Let’s play shiritori.” (TN: Shiritori is a Japanese word game where one person has to make a new word using the last kana of the previous word.)

“S..shiritori…?”

“I’m bored. Do you hate it?”

“N..no, that’s not right. Let’s do it! Yeah!”

Bond.

This is a bond. This is the thing that makes friends.

Could it be Kinoshita-san…. that the reason you look so grumpy is to hide your actual feelings of embarrassment?

What the hell is this? This is such a cute thing for her to do.

“Then I’ll start. Shiri…”

Kinoshita-san took the initiative to start. She must be starting with Shiritori like the game.

“SHIRIDEKA” (big ass)

“Shirideka!?”

This is the first time I’ve ever seen a game start like this.

“So you have to use the ‘Ka’ from ‘Shirideka’”

“Ka….ka….kame…?” (clay pot)

“Mendokusai Onna” (annoying girl)

“Ooof”

Just a little bit of self-awareness from you wouldn’t hurt.

“Na…na…nasu?” (eggplant)

“Sugoku ushi ga dekaimindokusai onna” (Annoying girl with a big ass)

“…..”

As expected huh?

As expected, if you are going to be like this, then I won’t play nice either.

“Namaikina dorobou neko” (Cheeky thieving cat)

“Kobanzame” (Nurse shark)

“Mesubuta” (Female pig)

“Tareshiri” (Drooping butt)

“Tare torahen waa!!” (It’s not drooping!!)

It’s just a little big!

“You were supposed to start with ‘ri’ not ‘ta’”

“Ritaia Jiko-chuu aidoru” (Retired selfish idol)

“….”

“It’s ‘re’ right? What’s wrong? Hmmm? Hmmmmmmm?”

“Rusuban sa setara heya no naka ni shinobikonde shatsu toka pantsu toka kunkun shite sou” (When he leaves home, you’ll sneak into his room and sniff his shirt and underwear)

“I don’t sniff them like that!”

“The next letter is ‘u’. You pervert.”

“U….unko!” (Poop)

“Kourogi yori mo katoona ikimono.” (Creatures lower than crickets)

“No guso” (Shitting outdoors like an animal)

“No guso… Sorosoro…” (I think he’s getting really bored of his childhood friend. I know I am.) (TN these sentences are getting too long to type the whole thing in Japanese romanji)

“Negoto…” (He talks in his sleep and says that idols are dumb.)

“Shiri…” (She thinks because her butt is so big she can pretend to be his wife.)

“RI…ri…? Ri, ri, ri….Ringo?”

“Gomen” (Sorry)

“Nhe?” (Huh?)

“You lost because you were supposed to start with ‘n’. Game over.”

H…huh?

Sorry…. Huuuuh?

“Uh… Kinoshita-san? Just now…?”

“…I’m going to sleep.”

Saying that, Kinoshita-san closed her eyes.

I….. what?

Did she just apologize? To me?

Did she use Shiritori to apologize…?

“….what do you mean…. that I lose?”

And I didn’t even say ‘sorry’ to her.

I should have been the first to understand this kid’s true feelings and pains.

No.

I wish I had understood.

But I was only thinking about real things, like whether my friend will be taken away… I’ve only been thinking about myself, and I’m not even considering this girls feelings at all.

“…I’m the worst…”

Really. The worst.

Hell, this girl apologized to me.

“But…”

But after all, I can’t honestly support her. Yes, I know what you are doing, but…

Hey, Ringo.

Why did you come here?

If you would have stayed out of reach… in a different world than ours. If you would have done that, our relationship wouldn’t have changed.

To Be Cultivated… (They wrote this in English in the book instead of ‘To Be Continued’)