#Kenbinru

[kenbinru]

I Can’t Believe I Have the Girlfriend of My Dreams! (An Unromantic Love Comedy LN). Chapter 1

                                                       Prologue

 I’m feeling light-headed. I can only tell that this is not my room. There’s an unfamiliar quaint septic smell that passes through my nose. I can’t remember how I got here, or where I am. I slowly open my eyes only to find my childhood friend Daisuke Akatsuka towering over my bed.

“Kept me waiting huh Kaz?” he says sarcastically.  

“Where…am I?” as I notice I’m surrounded by medical equipment. It’s weird since none of it actually appears to be hooked up to me.  I look down and also notice I’m wearing a blue colored gown.      

“Lucky for you, the doctor says you only have a small bump on your head dude. Only you and your big head could’ve survived that!”

My memories come flooding back to me and I remember now. I must’ve fallen off my bike going through the stupid shortcut while heading home. Mother always told me not to take that turn at night, but it was getting really late. Besides, I’ve taken it multiple times before with no problem.

“But I’m glad you’re ok Kazuki. What would I do if my partner in crime is gone?”

That was a surprise. Usually Daisuke was never the sentimental type. I must have really made him worried if I managed to crack his cool guy persona.

“How long have you been waiting Daisuke?” I ask.

Daisuke hesitated. He started to count his fingers and tried to recall how long I was out.

“Oh not much, you’ve been out for less than a week. I just happened to be in the neighborhood and saw your name down the hall. They announced your situation to us in class.”

Less than a week…? What could I have missed out on?  

Just then a sharp piercing pain is felt within my skull. I touch my head and it stings.

Ouch!

There are bandages or something wrapped tightly around my head. Ironically, even though I apparently nearly died, there’s something about the ease of being in a hospital bed. Although this bed wasn’t as comfy as the one at home, I barely had any energy to complain. Life has been rough so far honestly, and this was the first time in a while that I’ve felt relaxed. Daisuke interrupts the calm atmosphere by throwing me my missed homework assignments.

“By the way, here are your missed assignments.”

I look through the piles of paper, only to find two copies of every assignment.

“You do your own homework dummy!”

“It didn’t hurt to try haha.” Says Daisuke.

Did he really think that would work on me?

Somehow…, I’m not surprised.

                                                       Chapter 1

           “PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME!”

There was nothing but silence and gasps all around the school yard.

“How desperate is he?”

What was intended to be a one-on-one situation, eventually caught wind to being observed by the whole school. There she was, Akane Yuki, the undisputed “Ice Witch” of Kasumigaseki High standing in front of me. If I could see her face while I was bowing to her, I would hope it’s a smile. Instead when I raised my head, it was the look of shame and embarrassment. The long black haired Ice Witch looked unaffected by my sudden confession.

“Um…is this a joke?”

I could hear groans from the students hiding all around us. The Ice Witch’s words struck me like there was frostbite in my heart – if that was even possible. I know I’m the most average guy you could possibly meet, but that hurt.

Somebody please save me!

*RING*

By some divine intervention to save me from further ruining my already little reputation, the school bell rang. It’s time for me to go back to class, and go back to the corner seat where at least people won’t be staring. Maybe.

         As I head back to class 2-B, Daisuke grabs me in a headlock.   “Wow cherry boy, even I don’t have guts like that.”

The idiot actually convinced me that the infamous Ice Witch of school was interested in me since her new transfer to our school last semester. Valentines’ Day was coming up, and so it made sense to me at the moment. The only problem was she sat right in front of me in our class. It hits a man’s pride when someone hasn’t noticed you for a whole semester.

“You tricked me though! You said it was just going to be me and her, and that she was too shy to say anything about me!” I yelled to my obnoxious friend.

“I can’t believe you actually did it though! I guess I was wrong about you Kaz.” as Daisuke ended with a heartfelt laugh.

“Besides, you kept going on and on about the Ice Witch last semester, so might as well get it over with now. I just happened to be passing by near the old shed by the outskirts of the school yard when I saw her. I could’ve been killed from her icy gaze y’know!”

 The Ice Witch of Kasumigaseki High didn’t even as much as look at anyone the whole semester from my observations. For example, when it’s lunch time, she just disappears off to somewhere on the school yard, and I guess I accidentally exposed her secret hiding spot. She must really hate me now. Whatever little relevance I’ve had in her life has officially disappeared.

Akane Yuki got her name the “Ice Witch” about a few weeks after the first semester from what I recall. From her introduction in our class when she introduced herself, it felt like love at first sight.

         “Nice to meet everyone. I hope we get along.” As she smiled.

It was going to be like any other day, but my heart fluttered. Here was an elegant woman who just exuded class, but yet she was here with us fellow plebeians at a second-rate high school. That long black hair that looked endless, her fair pale skin like ice, and it was all neatly wrapped in a package with her hazel eyes. Our uniform wasn’t exactly something that could go down the fashion runway, but she looked like an angel had fallen from above. If she had any fault, it would be her smile. There was something off about her smile, something about that didn’t feel like it was genuine. It looked like it was rehearsed, like an idol’s during a press conference. Our eyes met for a split second when she walked towards me to take the only open seat in front of me. I looked away immediately from her cold gaze, but for some strange reason it seemed comforting. It felt like those were eyes that had seen a lot. Maybe I’m a masochist internally, but Yuki-san was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. And here she was, the woman of my dreams, handed right in front of me like it was destiny.

         Only problem was I seemed to be the only one who looked at her with admiration. With her introduction, all the girls of class 2-B all asked Yuki-san to hang out and go to their club meetings. After all, it turned out she was a born natural at sports despite her rather delicate demeanor. She even outran our track star Mary Kaneko, who’s won multiple state wide championships! However, she shot down every single invitation from everyone.

         “Are you in any clubs yet?” asked Renge-san, one of the members of the literature club.

“No, I’m busy today.” She would say. Or:

“I have to study for exams.”

It wasn’t a lie, since the moment she entered class she scored the highest in nearly every exam and quiz. Our track star Kaneko-san went from first to second every time – by a significant margin. A normal person would have taken advantage of the chance of becoming the most popular person at school, but it seemed like she was actively avoiding everyone for some reason. Eventually the invitations stopped completely. It was odd to have someone with so many positives choose be a hermit. Her apathetic attitude towards a social life led her to become infamous for shooting down relationships with anyone, which led to her having zero friends (that I know of). What seemed to be a warm exterior turned out to be cold, hence the nickname: “Ice Witch.”

“You’re an idiot!” Said the track star Kaneko-san.

“It was obvious she was going to reject you, but yet you still went for it you dummy!”

Kaneko-san ran into class 2-B after the school bell rung. She was in the more lively class 2-A, and I guess by coincidence all the loud characters were all in class 2-A; even Daisuke was in it. Kaneko-san came running into our class in her signature red track suit. She managed to change quickly somehow before club practice but I’m not surprised since she always wore as part of our uniform. She had her blonde hair done up into a ponytail like usual. She was wearing her worn overseas exclusive Masked Avenger pin. She got it from her father when he was on a business trip in the US. Despite being a girl, Mary Kaneko was a bit of a tomboy personality-wise, since she was the first girl I’ve ever met that was interested in the hero stuff. (I’ve outgrown that cringey period of my life). Apparently the pin is her good luck charm. It must be a coincidence.

“Hmph! I’m glad she said no though, otherwise you wouldn’t have time to tutor me anymore! I have to beat the Ice Witch and you’re gonna help me!” pouted Kaneko-san.

“Mary-chan! C’mon we’re gonna be late for practice!” shouted the other track team members outside.

Before I had time to say something witty she ran off like the roadrunner. She’s quicker on her feet than her head.

Last year, our Counselor and (apparently certified) Dr. Mori encouraged (by forcing me) to tutor Kaneko-san when her grades were starting to fall. Since I wasn’t really in any clubs afterschool, I seemed like the perfect candidate to teach Kaneko-san according to Dr. Mori. I just happened to be in the right place at the wrong time. Being the roadrunner track star of the school, it would look bad if our best athlete was all brawn and no brains. Although I may not seem like it, I managed to get consistently high marks on the exams and quizzes. Every day, Kaneko-san and I would study together in order to bring her grades up. Math. English. Literature. We studied it all. It was a pain at first since she can be sort of an airhead, and I’m not exactly the best teacher material either. But, it was good review for me so it was not a total pain.

For the last semester you could say we both got to know each other a little better, since in most circumstances someone of her social order would never interact with someone as low on the ladder as I. Everyone knew about Mary Kaneko, Kasumigaseki High’s “roadrunner” track star that won us the state championships last year. I would see her passing by in the hallways and although we were in the same class last year, we didn’t talk much. She would always be surrounded by an entourage of admirers that followed her every word, laughed at her jokes, and treated her like a queen. Being half-Caucasian further expanded her reputation as a celebrity in our school, like she was the shinning diamond in the rough (until Yuki-san came along). Everyone in our school was watching over her, since we were wondering how high she could achieve, since the bar was getting higher and higher with every time she broke another record in the track meets. Mary was the best candidate that would bring back the “glory days to Kasumigaseki High.” Even in passing I would overhear the teachers saying to her “You’re our star athlete, I hope you keep it up for us!”

The only problem was Mary Kaneko always felt out of my reach, even if she was an airhead. It was hard not to be in awe of someone like her, who worked hard to be where she was. So it was an interesting in a sense for the two of us unlikely people to interact with another. Meeting her for the first time she was loud, obnoxious, and exactly pretty much what I expected. She reminded me a lot of Daisuke, a dummy with a big mouth.

I can’t believe I’m forced to help her. Dr. Mori owes me big time for this!  

         I’m waiting inside one of the open classrooms afterschool for Kaneko-san. Dr. Mori told me to come to one the empty clubrooms in the old building next to our main classroom building. I’m sitting in boredom, and looking at the clock, she’s about 30 minutes late.

         Where’s the roadrunner? Maybe I should leave this stupid thing since she’s not coming.

         I start to pack my things away until the sliding door opens up, and there she was. Mary Kaneko has finally arrived.  

“I don’t need your help you idiot!” yelled Kaneko-san. Since I was forced into this mess, I might as well have fun with it. I needed to put Kaneko-san in her place.

“I don’t want to be here either!” I rebutted.

“You…you shut up!” as her face became a bright red. I could literally see steam coming out of her ears.

She reluctantly heads towards my table and plots her things down onto the table. Upon closer inspection, I notice her pin. It was a worn “Masked Avenger” pin, exclusively from the US. I’m excited, but I can’t let her see my weakness; I was too old for that stuff anyways. This is also first time I had a good look at Kaneko-san up close. She was exactly as what people described her as. She had blonde hair fixed in a pony-tail, blue eyes, and more Caucasian features than I expected. She had big cat-like eyes, that were bright like a child’s was. Although her body was similar to a child, it was petite enough that you could tell she wasn’t a kid. You could say she was cute, until she opens her mouth and started talking.

“Wha…what are you staring at pervert!” said Kaneko-san.

“Uh…nothing! It was just your Masked Avenger Pin. Where did you get it?” I asked.

She calmed down. I breathe a sigh of relief.

I may have been staring too long…

“I got it from my father, when he was on business in the US. I like that kind of stuff even if it is for kids.”

Kaneko-san rubbed her pin slightly, as it was very worn with the paint and plastic shell faded. I’m still surprised she likes that hero stuff, especially being a girl. I look at the clock, and notice that we had to start soon.

“Anyways, since English is somehow your weakest subject, let’s go over that first.” It made no sense since she was half-American. You think that she would have an advantage over all of us, but nope.

“Wha…what do you mean “somehow”? I just forgot to study after all. I can speak it naturally of course but on paper its hard…” she whined. She said some stuff in English under her breath I couldn’t make out since we haven’t been it taught yet.

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that.” Kaneko-san was shocked that I was able to hear her mouse-like whisper. My exceptional hearing was really useful, especially for hearing footsteps sneaking up on my room…

We spent every night going over subjects last year, and by the second semester she improved dramatically. She shoved her first exam that she passed in my face the day she got it back.

“HAHA! I scored a 70! There’s no one that can stop me now!” She let out a rather villainous laugh.

This could get out of hand, I better say something.

“Thanks to my help…”

“Shut up…idiot! But…thank you.” For a second I saw an actual caring girl, but Kaneko-san reverted back to her energetic self.

It was great to see my hard work pay off! Only problem is now she scores higher than me overall in the exams, and she’s not gonna let me forget that anytime soon. I should be proud that the student has become the master, but not with Kaneko-san. I need to try harder to bring her down to Earth.  

It was time to head home. Given what happened today, I told Kaneko-san to reschedule for tomorrow or something.

I just want this day to be over…

I grabbed my old bike that could barely hold together. I’ve tried looking for a part time job, but the school forbids anyone getting a job. The only way to get a job without the school knowing was taking one across town, but that wasn’t the effort for me; I’m not that strapped for cash. It takes about half an hour anyways for me to get home, and I notice the sun is nearly set by the time I head out. My mother told me to stop by the convenience store to pick up some milk on the way home. I managed to spill all the milk today while trying to pour a glass. It managed to slip, somehow. The street lights were already on by the time I made it to the store. I just hoped that there was a least some light on the way home.

It’s getting too dark, I have to take the short cut.

The secret short cut would cut my time in half. Only problem was that it was off road, and passed through the abandoned factory that apparently was haunted. People heard noises, but it was probably some kids messing around or something. Also, it didn’t help that this bike could barely hold itself together.

I’ll bike carefully.

Just kidding. What a rush going downhill and off-road on a bike! It makes me think of when the Masked Avenger rode his motorcycle super-fast to save the day.

“WOO-HOO!”

Now I’ve gotten past the off-road part onto the main road. Just ahead, I could hear noises of what sounded like a bat being hit against cars, and random cat meows.

 Probably some kids messing around. I should bike faster!

The adrenaline was kicking in and I biked even faster making it past the factory in a second. I scream as loudly as I can as my bike goes even faster.

“YUKIIIIIIIII-SANNNNNNNN!!!”

The short catharsis makes a sigh of relief went through my body. I have to slow down a little since there’s a truck going my way. Panic started rushing through me as the brake wasn’t going to be enough to stop me in time.

“Aw crap.”

I hear the carton of milk explode as I’m feeling light-headed…

[kenbinru]

I Can’t Believe I Have the Girlfriend of My Dreams! An Unromantic Love Comedy LN.

Kazuki Kaneshiro is down on his luck. After being rejected by the school's "Ice Witch" Akane Yuki, he gets into an accident! Miraculously, he wakes up in the hospital with no injuries! As he tries to gets back to his normal every-day life, he starts having weird dreams…where Akane Yuki is his girlfriend! So comes the romantic-comedy of Kazuki trying to make his dreams a reality!

Updates weekly until end of Vol. 1. Enjoy! 

[kenbinru]

Announcements + Break!

Hello everyone! This formally marks the end of volume one of “I Can’t Believe I Have the Girlfriend of My Dreams!” I will be taking a short 2-3 week break, and will return by the end of September. In the meantime, here are illustrations by Op Boba, my collaborative artist, along with a short prologue of things to come in volume 2. Thank you for reading, and continued support! ~ Kenbinru

Prologue

         Breathe in, breathe out.

         This shouldn’t be that big of a deal right? I’ve been in worse situations before. However my routine isn’t working! Before every big track meet I would just focus on breathing in and breathing out. I rub my old Masked Avenger pin that my father gave me. I probably shouldn’t do that since the paint is worn and faded, but I can’t help myself! Planning this out was a struggle. I’ve been staying up late and practicing test chocolates for him for the last few days. I’ve overheard from Daisuke that he likes caramel the most, and so far this batch doesn’t taste as bad as the first one I made.

         I’m getting embarrassed just thinking about it agh!

         Today was a special day. Today is the day of the big test, and after what’s happened to him so far, it seems he would appreciate this chocolate. I don’t wear make-up often, but mom insisted in helping me today; she even helped straighten out my blonde hair. I’m ready for this test anyways, and ever since he’s started tutoring me, I’ve been on the rise. I want to prove to everyone that this girl is not all brawn, but has brains too! Walking around school this morning, I see a lot of girls from my class give away their chocolates already to their crushes, and for those that didn’t want to admit their crushes, give away some “pity” chocolates too. Even I know that would be cruel, and besides, I want to make sure that my chocolates are only for him. I made about a dozen pieces and it’s all wrapped in a special heart-shaped box. In fact, it’s big enough that it’s pretty hard to hide within my red track suit. I even decorated all the pieces to look like the Masked Avenger, since he likes it a lot (even though he won’t admit it). Personally, I’m not that big of a fan as he is, but it’s something its innocence that I like. For some reason, I’m feeling this strange anxiousness within my chest. My heart is pounding loudly like a hammer! I want to give it to him, but I’m afraid.  

         What if he says no? Or hates the chocolate?

         I just haven’t had the right opportunity yet!

         Where is that idiot?

         He’s been making me walk around school trying to find him. I’ve even been avoid my track team mates since they have zero idea of my master plan. Here I am going out of my way to make him some chocolates as a thank you for tutoring me (that’s all), and yet looking around Class 2-B, he still hasn’t shown up yet. I can’t help but notice a lot of the boys in the school were all eyeing me today.

         Perverts!

         It’s just hard to hide my special chocolate box in this track suit and uniform!! I can’t take it off either since everyone will know I’m going to give chocolate. It’s just going to spread more rumors about me in this school since everyone’s always watching the roadrunner anyways. As I turn the corner to head to the bathroom, I see him in the hallway!

         Eep!

I can’t do it!

         I’m a coward!

I turned away and headed back to the other direction.

         I have to go around now to head to the bathroom…

         For the rest of the day I couldn’t concentrate and stop thinking about the chocolates. In our next period, the big test that we were studying for the last couple of tutoring session begins.

         I have to give it to him before then! It’ll totally motivate that idiot to do well!

         I gather my strength and brave face on and head over to class 2-B. The door to the classroom was open and I could see him in his usual corner seat, but this time the class was quiet. I pause and hide outside the door, peeking with my head in a little to see what’s going on. It was Yuki-san standing in front of him, and my heart sinks. It’s chocolate. There’s no doubt about it. I can hear the whispers of people around me saying that it was a special limited edition chocolate that was super hard to find.

I don’t want to see this anymore.

I fall to my knees and my chest tightens like a boa constrictor is wrapped around me. There’s nothing left for me to do as the school bell rings for us to begin next period.

         It hurts…

         It hurts so much…

        I stain my sleeve with tears and runny make-up and head back to class with a smile.    

^ Cover

^ Kaneko-san 

^ Yuki-san (so scary but cool...)