The God of Study is Shy of Strangers Chapter 1.1

Finding the G.o.d

The chime at the end of the lesson raised the consciousness of the sleeping Madoka Kisaragi. When she raised her face, the teacher had already gone out of the door, left the place. The lesson seemed to have ended.

The scene seemed like a dream; but something like that was impossible. He that appeared like a G.o.d; even now he sits silently, preparing for the next lesson.

His name, if I’m not mistaken…it is Ichiyanagi.

Almost unnoticeable, also because he didn’t enter conversations around, Madoka too couldn’t be sure if the name was right.

A month had pa.s.sed since High School enrollment, but I had never heard any talks except that he excels at studying.

He always disappears quietly every time lessons end. Apparently, he is also not taking part in club activities. But Madoka, convinced of the previous sighting, thought that if someone could teach her the lessons, he is the one.

Since junior high school, Madoka belonged to track and field club, and was a lively girl who was better at sport than studying. In junior high school, her hair also kept short, and she had good features; but in personality, it was like a boy. After becoming a high school student, her hair also began to grow longer, girly prettiness could be seen, although the person herself was not aware.

However, the person had to mind about bad grades.

Till now, she had never thought about it, but when she entered high school, she found a new dream. For the sake of it, there was a need to increase her performance somehow. But she didn’t know what should be done; instinctively felt that in order to be taught by him, there’s something that could make her pa.s.s this wall.*

The intuition closed in; up until now she always treats such intuition as serious matter.
This time too, to take care of the feeling, she thought that next is the time to take action.

In between those thought, the next lesson had started.
The physics cla.s.s went more “lesson”-y than before; his figure too, drowned among the students.**

“When this lesson is over, let’s greet him”
was what Madoka decided, but it didn’t go well. When she was going to exchange talks with her close friend Yoko Kamiya, his figure disappeared. Although it was just a few minutes, his presence had truly gone; seems like he had gone back home quietly.

“Oops…”

“What’s up?”

“Ichiyanagi-kun…is it, the person with gla.s.ses that had been sitting there. There’s something I want to talk with him a little…”

“Ichiyanagi-kun? who is it…is it probably, that person who is inconspicuous but smart at studying?”

“It is probably him.”

Madoka nodded unconfidently.
Yoko was also unsure.

“What matters you need him for?”

“Well, a little bit…”

The reason was still embara.s.sing to be spoken out. Because it involved studying and grades, also a possibility of having to disclose her dreams, somehow it had to be hidden. It was still new, vague, a dream that was unknown if it could be realized or not.

“Ah, the club started, see you!”

After Madoka waved her hands toward Yoko, she started to run to the track and field club.

Even among members of the track and field club, Madoka excelled at sprints. Running in a crowd was by no means easy, but she really liked the concentration at that moment and the feeling of running towards the future.

When in junior high school, she luckily became runner-up in the prefectural tournament. Then without hesitation entered the track and field club too in high school.

 

Upon completion of the usual practice, the day had darkened in the neighborhood. After preparing her clothes while still dressed in jersey, she saluted the seniors; then with a bike that was parked in the bicycle parking area, she started riding the bike to go home.

Madoka liked evening scenery like this. From somewhere, nice smell of cooked meals wafted, and by hearing the sounds of laughters from children who rushed back home, her heart somehow felt happy.

Madoka always intentionally returns home through the shopping district. It’s safe because there’s no car pa.s.ses by. She also likes to see people’s evening crowd.

Amid the scenery, Madoka who found an unexpected person suddenly braked. He didn’t wear school uniform, but that Ichiyanagi-kun was there. He was walking down alone with a shopping bag.

All this time too, they could have pa.s.sed each other like this.
However, now he stands out in the crowd.

“Found the G.o.d!”

While Madoka’s heart pounded, it was not possible to call out all of a sudden. Although it is normal to call him in the cla.s.sroom, but it’s unnatural in this shopping district.

Furthermore, the other person probably do not know me.

“How should I…aah, lost him…”

Uncertain of what to do, she followed him while pus.h.i.+ng her bicycle.

“Like this, I seem like a suspicious person…”

Although feeling that way, somehow she felt that losing him like that was a disservice, so she followed him for a while. Fortunately, he didn’t notice that; he left the shopping district, turned in an alley, and walked to an apartment complex.

In an old 8-storey building with more or less four established buildings.***
The sun had set around the high building, somehow gave a nostalgic impression. There were children played between the buildings, in the same way housewives on the road back home, walked leisurely.

He also went into one of them. Apparently, he was living here.
Madoka stood still. In her line of sight back then, he disappeared into the building.

In the end, I couldn’t call out to him.

“Haa…”

Madoka sighed.
It didn’t seem like the usual Madoka. Usually, even with people she didn’t know, it was easy to blend in and became familiar. But Madoka that usually never restrained herself, this time hesitated.

“What should I do…”

While looking up at the building, she muttered alone.
When she saw the scene of the G.o.d-like figure in the cla.s.sroom, she felt something like destiny. Surely it should be related to something. Her belief who trusted that there was a destiny was shaken.

“I should return, shouldn’t I…”

Madoka once again sighed and started to walk.

 

Translator Notes:
What’s frustating about this was “tenses”. I’ve usually got no problem when translating Indonesian-English and vice versa, but somehow this is confusing (T_T). I need more practice. And there were some pretty awkward sentences wasn’t there? like these starred points:
[1] Raw:  ただどうしたら良いか解らずに悩んでいた彼女だったが、彼に教えてもらうことで、何かこの壁を超えられそうな予感がした。
[2]Raw: 物理の時間は、先程よりは授業らしく進み、生徒たちの間に彼の姿も埋もれてしまった。

TLC Notes:
[3]In j.a.pan, it’s usually cheap apartment. In Indonesia, it’s like “Rumah Susun”