Actually, the Hungry Gyaru Who Eats a Lot Was Being Cheated On, so I Decided to Win Her Heart (And Stomach) From Her Jerk Boyfriend - 77

Chapter 77: Going Solo and a Cliché Development?

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“Um, excuse me, are you here by yourself right now?”

I was addressed in a slightly nasal, affected voice just before I exited the row of stalls. It was right after I had bought twelve chicken skin gyoza and gotten two servings discounted. When I turned toward the voice, I saw two women who looked like college students.

They wore yukata and gave off a modest, refined atmosphere, but that only made me think of Rika Katagiri, the girl who had secretly been dating Hachimachi. The fact that they were both well-featured only reinforced the resemblance.

“…Me?”

“Yes! You’re really tall and handsome!”

“…Thanks.”

What do they want from me? Some kind of shady sales pitch… Or maybe one of those honey trap setups?

Either way, I didn’t have a good feeling about this. Even though I was suspicious, I couldn’t just flat-out ignore them after responding. I needed to wrap this up quickly so I wouldn’t keep Shizuku waiting.

“Sorry, I’ve got someone waiting for me. Can I go?”

“Aww, come on. Just talk with us for a little bit!”

“Yeah, yeah! It’s like a commemorative meeting since we happened to run into each other!”

As she said that, the woman in the camellia-patterned yukata who had first spoken casually touched my arm. At the same time, the strong, sweet scent of perfume tickled my nose. I nearly recoiled on reflex, but I forced myself to hold steady.

As expected, they’re more aggressive than they look…

This had turned into something of a hassle. It seemed they weren’t going to let me go that easily.

“You bought a ton of food. Are you eating all that by yourself?”

“About half of it, yeah.”

“Wow! You can really eat a lot, huh?”

“I think I eat more than the average person.”

Seriously, why me?

They definitely picked the wrong guy to hit on. As I grumbled internally, the woman in the navy yukata dropped her gaze to my upper arm and widened her eyes.

“…Whoa, your arm muscles are amazing! Do you work out or something?”

“Yeah, somewhat.”

“Really? I love guys who work out!”

“Me too! It’s so manly and attractive!”

“…I see.”

Can they just let me go already? If this keeps up, not only will Shizuku be waiting, but all the food I bought will get cold.

I glanced at the extra-large plastic bags hanging from both my hands, and a faint sense of impatience began to build.

“Ooooi, Suou-kun! I’m done buying over here!”

I heard Shizuku’s voice from the meeting spot. When I immediately turned around, I saw her waving both hands energetically from a short distance away. The moment she entered my field of vision, relief naturally brought a smile to my face.

“Yeah, I’m coming over now! —Sorry. I can’t keep my companion waiting, so I’ll be going.”

When I turned back, the two women were looking back and forth between me and Shizuku, their faces slightly twitching. I didn’t know exactly why, but they seemed overwhelmed by an immense sense of defeat. They didn’t respond, but I didn’t feel the need to be overly polite.

I gave a light bow and headed toward Shizuku.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Nope, I just finished buying too, so it’s fine! More importantly, what did you get, Suou-kun?”

“I just bought anything that looked good from the stalls I saw.”

When I lifted both plastic bags to show her..

“Ahaha, that’s so random it’s hilarious! But yeah, I guess that’s what happens!”

Shizuku lifted her own plastic bags in the same way. Combined between the two of us, it looked like enough food and snacks to feed about twenty people. Even though we hadn’t coordinated it at all, we both naturally smiled.

After that, we headed toward the fireworks viewing area as originally planned. There was still plenty of time before the fireworks were set to begin, but with how much we had bought, time would probably fly by while we were eating.

I was thinking that as we walked…

“Hey, Suou-kun.”

Shizuku stared at me intently as she asked.

“It looked like you were talking to some girls earlier. Do you know them?”

“Not at all. They just suddenly came up to me.”

Instantly, Shizuku’s expression turned bitter. She openly frowned, her irritation clear.

“Ugh, you were totally getting hit on.”

“Me? No way.”

“Then what did they say to you?”

“Well… they complimented my looks, at least.”

“See? They were hitting on you.”

When she put it that way, it finally clicked.

“…So they were hitting on me. I thought they were either going to try to sell me something shady or lure me somewhere secluded and start some weird trouble.”

“In situations like that, it’s usually flirting. How does your brain even jump to that other stuff?”

“Well… other than my family, no girl besides you has ever approached me in a friendly way in my entire life.”

When I answered while scratching the back of my head, the corner of Shizuku’s lips lifted for a moment. But she immediately let out a weary sigh.

“…Shizuku?”

“Oh, sorry. Don’t worry about it.”

She tried to force a smile, but…

“…Sorry, that’s a lie. I’m just a little… no, actually, I’m really bothered.”

Shizuku lowered her gaze as she continued.

“I really am happy you dressed up for today. But when I think about how that makes girls like earlier try to get close to you, it makes me feel awful. I don’t know… I can’t stop thinking that maybe someone else might take you away from me. Sorry, I’m being annoying, right?”

She turned her face away, her head fully lowered.

What should I say?

I hesitated over how to respond. But no matter what, there was only one thing I needed to tell her.

After a few seconds of silence, I slowly opened my mouth to speak.

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