GJ Bu Vol 1 Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Punishment Game – Part 5

The last in line was Kirara.

“Sorry for the wait.”

Kyouya stood in front of Kirara and loosened his necktie to let some air in, refreshing him from all the heat.

“Hm.”

The girl, who had been waiting on top of a chair with her arms around her knees, slightly nodded her head.

A strange girl she was.

Ever since Kyouya had joined the GJ-club they’d spent almost 2 months together in that room, but he still couldn’t figure her out.

She gave off a very animal-like feeling.

However, that was not a domesticated animal like a cat or a dog. She was more like a wild, indomitable beast. The kind that could land you in jail if you tried to bring her inside national borders.

“Kirara’s turn?”

From her chair, Kirara glanced around the room.

Megumi was preparing tea. Mao, who’d seemed a bit too quiet up till now, had taken the club’s camera and was taking pictures of the penalty game. Shion fanned herself with a desk pad.

“Er… this is my penalty. I have to call out Kirara-sa… I mean, Kirara’s name one hundred times. Is that okay?”

“Uh huh.”

Kirara nodded.

She let her knees down and sat properly on the chair, facing him.

I shouldn’t be thinking about these things.

It felt a little weird that she understood his words so quickly.

“Alright, here I go.”

Keep took a deep breath and immediately started.

“Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara…”

“Hm.”

“Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara…”

“Wow, no honorific! You’re getting pretty cheeky there, Kyoro!”

Mao started to provoke him.

He ended up becoming self-conscious about it and started feeling embarra.s.sed.

“Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara…”

“Hm.”

Kirara bent one by one the fingers on both hands. (1)

Kyouya was already flushed bright red.

“Hm, it looks like you’ve come to understand my embarra.s.sment now. However, you offered me no mercy then, and so I can’t help you now. Even history’s oldest code of law, the Code of Hammurabi, already expressed the idea of equal retaliation in the phrase ‘eye for eye, tooth for tooth’.”

“And then G.o.d added: “‘Hyau’ for ‘hyau'”(2)

Mao provoked her. In response, Shion pulled on Mao’s cheeks, testing the limits of their elasticity.

“Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara…”

“Hm, hm, hm.”

As she folded her fingers, Kirara’s face was growing more severe.

“Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara, Kirara… Come on! Kirara!”

“Hm.”

Kirara had given her best. Kyouya too, had given his best.

“One hundred.”

Kirara said. The girls fingers were all folded down now.

“One hundred.”

The girl announced one more time. She raised her head and directed a smile at Kyouya.

Mao had fixed the camera on top of the table. She’d left it recording with the lens facing them.

She and Shion pushed themselves between Kyouya and Kirara, standing side by side.

“Hey, Megu. Come here for a sec. Get in the frame. Whatever, just come.”

Mao called Megumi over.

They all lined up side by side.

Somehow, if felt like a commemorative photograph. The camera was rolling all of the time though.

“Wait! There’s still 30 seconds left. Isn’t this cool?”

What sort of face am I supposed to make for 30 seconds? Kyouya was forcing a smile.

Kirara drew his attention with her finger.

With something in mind, she drew her face closer to his and whispered something to him in a soft voice so no one else could hear.

“One Kirara. Not a hundred.”

A mysterious smile spread right in front of him. Kyouya could tell that smile was telling him that she’d meant to keep it a secret from everybody else for his sake, and so he smiled back.

TRANSLATOR’S NOTES

(1) She’s counting Kyouya’s words.

(2) Mao’s referencing Shion’s squeal at the end of the previous chapter.