Murata VS Romance - Chapter 2
It was another school day for Murata at Kimetsu Academy. A few days ago, he asked Rui for help regarding his problem with finding a girlfriend. Rui didn't help him, but instead, he introduced him to his sister, Ane. After agreeing to help him, Ane gave him some advice. He was thankful for that, and decided to put her advice to good use.
As he was leaving from his soccer practice, he noticed something. On the bench in front of him were 2 girls sitting. The two were Nezuko and Makomo, two girls from a different class. As he was walking past them, he overheard their conversation.
"Hey! Hey! Have you seen our school team's last match?!" Makomo asked
"The one where they won 2:0? Yes, I saw that one! The last goal was amazing!" Nezuko replied
"Yeah! Totally!" Makomo replied
Hearing that, Murata froze up. Not only did he play in that game, he was also the one who shot the final goal. So, in other words, they were talking about him.
"Are they… talking about me?! T-this… is my chance!" he thought to himself
Taking a deep breath, he turned around and spoke up.
"H-hello!"
Both Nezuko and Makomo looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Sorry, but I overheard your conversation… were you talking about our schools last match?" he asked, trying to look as least awkward as possible
"Yeah! We both saw it! Did you see it too?" Makomo asked with a big smile
"W-well… actually… I was a player in it…w-well…" Murata replied
"IGH! WHY AM I STUTTERING!? WHY NOW!?" he thought to himself
"You played in it?" Nezuko asked
"Y-yeah!" Murata answered, as he looked at her
"Hmmm…" said Nezuko as she was scanning Murata with her eyes
Confused as to what she's doing, Murata spoke up.
"Ehm… what are you doing?"
"I can't seem to remember you… were you a substitute player?" Nezuko asked confused
"IGH!" replied Murata, as he was destroyed by words once again
"I can't remember you either…" added Makomo as she scanned him with her eyes too
"IGH!" said Murata again
"Hey! Do you know the guy who shot the last goal? He was super cool!" asked Nezuko
"Ye! Ye! I want to meet him! Do you know him?! Is he your friend?" added Makomo
Hearing those words, all of his determination left him in an instant.
"…yeah… I know him… I… introduce you to him… someday…" said Murata with a soft voice… and dead inside
"That would be cool! Thanks!" said Makomo
"No… problem…" said Murata, as he waved at the two and left... still dead inside
Leaving the school, he failed once again.
The next day, Murata was sitting in the school canteen. He was eating alone and thought about what to do next.
"What now… I still can't find a girlfriend… I still act awkward around girls… this sucks…maybe… I should give up?"
Being lost in thought, he was not paying attention to his surroundings, which resulted in him bumping into the person walking past him while he was standing up.
"Agh!" the person yelled and fell down
"OH NO! SORRY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Murata panicked as he helped the person up
"Igh… yeah… I'm fine… huh?"
"Huh?" replied Murata as he realized who he bumped into
"You...Murata, was it?" asked Ane as she got up
"Y-yeah… sorry for bumping into you…" he replied
After looking at each other for a few seconds, Ane's face became annoyed as she remembered what happened. And Murata remembered too.
"IGH! S-sorry again for what happened! B-but don't worry! That was Shinobu Kocho! I know her and I already told her that that was a misunderstanding!" Murata panicked
"I know." she replied annoyed
"Really! I'm not lying!" replied Murata because he thought she's not taking him seriously
"I know that you're not lying! That girl is in the same class as me and I have already spoken to her… geez… calm down." Ane replied
"Oh… ok." Murata replied as he became calm
Now, an awkward silence started as no one spoke up. After a few seconds, Ane finally spoke up.
"So… any luck? With… you know… that?" she asked awkwardly
Hearing that, Murata didn't say anything, just looked at the ground and shook his head.
Seeing that, Ane took a deep breath.
"Geez... Want to talk?" she asked as she crossed her arms
Murata looked at her with a surprised expression.
"Huh? W-what do you want to talk about?" he asked
"I don't know… stuff?" she replied
Hearing that, a small smile formed on Murata´s face, and he nodded.
The two were sitting at the table together now, and Murata spoke up.
"So… how is your brother doing?"
"Little bastard is sick… so he's staying home." she replied
"Oh yeah… I forgot. He didn't tell you that you were going to give me advice…" Murata said as he thought about it
"No, he didn't. He told me that someone needs my help, but nothing more." she replied annoyed
"W-well… thanks for your help again…" said Murata
Being curious, Ane faced him and spoke up.
"So, did it work? Did you make any progress?"
His smile left him again as he replied.
"N-no… There was this perfect opportunity… but I was so nervous that I stuttered… It was awkward." he replied defeated
He leaned back and continued.
"Maybe… I'm just not meant for this…? I can't speak with girls… I´m just awkward…" he mumbled to himself
"Idiot."
"Huh?" Murata looked at her as he heard that
"You're an idiot." Ane said again with a plain expression
"…ok?" Murata replied, as he didn't know what to say
"You said you can't speak with girls, but you're talking with one right now." said Ane as she stared at him
Looking at her with a blank expression, Murata thought about what she just said.
"I… I am talking with a girl… and I'm not being awkward?"
A smile formed on his lips again.
"I… I can do it! You're right! I can do it!" he said with a smile and new-found determination
"Yep. So, here is the plan. You will stop calling yourself awkward, and you will talk with girls like a normal human being. Do you understand?" she asked as she faced him
"Yes! Yes, I understand!" he replied
"Good." she nodded with a smile
"You helped me again, you're the best!" he said that and wasn't thinking…
…
…
…
…because he went closer to her and hugged her tightly
"IGH!" Ane squeaked as she wasn't expecting that
Ending the hug, Murata looked at her with a face full of determination.
"Thanks again! I will definitely do it!" he said as he stood up and left, leaving a speechless Ane behind
"…"
"…"
"…what… just happened…" Ane mumbled as she was blushing
Shaking her head and trying to process what just happened, she frantically looked around, making sure nobody noticed the two hug. After making sure nobody saw them, she mumbled to herself.
"Idiot… don't do that! Or… ask… me… first…" she said in a soft voice
Finishing her food, she got up and left too, not noticing one particular person…
"I knew it! My cute little friend and that boy… hihihi" giggled Shinobu Kocho as she was hiding behind a pillar, witnessing them hugging
