After I Picked up a Notebook Filled With Intense Emotions, the Girls Started Acting Strange - Chapter 29

<?? Page>

“He” needs to understand.

Why I ended up like this.

Why did I have to do something like this.

Why I was able to endure all this pain.

Why my heart is racing so much right now.

He has a duty to learn it through his own body.

I won’t let him run away.

This is my plan, and no one will get in the way.

:

:

:

If you’re reading this page right now… then you already belong to me.

Everything is yours now. I’ll give you all of me.

Now, realize it. It’s almost time.

◇

When Golden Week ended, the test period began immediately.

During that time, club activities were limited.

The school basically told us to focus on studying. I’d normally go straight home and study alone in my room, quietly preparing for exams.

But for some reason, this time was different.

“Yuu-kun, can you help me with this?”

“Ah, yeah, I don’t mind…!?”

“…Close? Don’t you think that’s a bit close? Way too close?”

We were sitting in a family restaurant.

Around this time of year, the place was full of students.

Not just from our school, but also from nearby high schools and even some middle schoolers.

Staying too long for study sessions like this usually might get us scolded, but the manager here was kind to students and never said anything.

Actually, it felt like he encouraged it.

The students often came in and ordered food, so the shop did well. It was a win-win situation.

But among all those students, there was one corner that stood out strangely.

That would be our table.

This study session started because Sena-san said she wanted to study for the tests together, and then Yukina decided to tag along.

If we were just studying, it’d be fine.

But for some reason, the two of them kept glaring at each other.

It all started with the seating arrangement.

While I went to the restroom, they picked the seats themselves.

When I came back, Yukina was sitting beside me, and Sena-san was sitting across from me.

From the very beginning, Sena-san looked annoyed, glaring sharply like she was trying to pressure me.

Meanwhile, Yukina kept leaning closer and closer to me. There was no way I could focus on studying.

“Yukina-chan. If you sit that close, Shioimi-kun won’t be able to teach you properly.”

“That’s not true. Yuu-kun doesn’t mind, right?”

“If you really want to sit close, how about switching seats? You can sit next to me, and I’ll help you study.”

“No. Thank you. I want Yuu-kun to teach me.”

At this point, even I couldn’t pretend not to notice that both of them liked me.

They were all pure, mostly, and definitely beautiful girls.

If I said their attention didn’t make me happy, every guy in school would probably hate me.

But still, I couldn’t help wondering, why me?

I’m just an ordinary high school boy.

Not especially good at sports or studying, and I’m not particularly handsome either.

Besides… both of them used to like Shindou.

He’s the type who’s good at everything, a perfect and good-looking guy.

So for their feelings to suddenly shift toward me, it’s honestly hard to know what to think.

Because of all that, it wasn’t just me who noticed the change. Everyone at school did.

After those two suddenly stopped hanging around Shindou and started spending time with me instead, strange rumors began to spread between us.

─It’s like a dating game, where one guy gets his girl stolen, and the other’s the thief.

Hey! Who are you calling the thief here!?

It’s frustrating, but from the outside, that’s apparently how it looked.

At the same time, people started saying that the two girls were being unfaithful for switching who they liked so suddenly.

But then, everything changed once Shindou’s ugly side got exposed.

There was that moment in the hallway with Yukina.

It turned out that during Golden Week, Shindou had done something really awful, and everyone found out.

That guy’s good-looking, but deep down, he’s messed up, huh?

People were saying things like that.

Because of that, the story became, “Well, if he got dumped, it’s his own fault.”

I was glad that the girls stopped getting bad rumors about them, but I didn’t seriously steal anyone, okay?

Still, strangely enough, those rumors disappeared too.

Even the gossip about Shindou being a terrible person stopped spreading.

If he were really that weird, people would’ve noticed back in our first year.

Something about it all felt off… and it honestly gave me chills.

And then there was the biggest mystery of all.

That notebook.

Ever since I picked it up, weird things have been happening around me and Shindou.

Don’t tell me, that notebook really is some kind of cursed thing…?

“Here, Yuu-kun. Ahh. Eat my French fry!”

“No way. Don’t give me that soggy one. Fries have to be crispy and fresh. I’ll order new ones. Excuse me! Ten orders of fries, please! Oh, and make sure they’re all freshly fried! Bring them one by one as they’re done, okay? Thank you!”

“…”

This was chaos. There was zero studying going on.

Dealing with one of them at a time was manageable, but the two of them together? Way too much.

Thank goodness we were sitting in the corner, where no one could really see us.

Otherwise, it’d be impossible not to stand out.

Anyway… I needed to figure out what was really going on, especially with Yukina.

Too many unknowns could lead to trouble.

If I asked her something like “Do you like me?” and she replied, “What? Of course not,” I’d probably die on the spot.

“When the fries come, I’ll feed all of them to you, Yuu-kun. Okay?”

“No! You’re not doing that! Absolutely not!”

Anyway…

“Hey, you two. Let’s focus on studying.”

“…I’m sorry. I must be annoying? I’m the worst. I only think about myself without considering how you feel, Yuu-kun… I really hate myself for that. Please, Yuu-kun, don’t hate me… If you ever said you did, I─”

“I’m sorry? Oh, but don’t worry! I made study notes just for you, Shiomi-kun! Look, this one, and this one, and this one… oh, and this too! I even made one for health class! With all of these, you’ll totally score high on the tests! And if there’s something you don’t understand, you can scan the QR code I stuck on the side─”

Someone help me.

There’s no health class exam during midterms.

Trying to escape reality, I turned my eyes toward the distance.

“Hey, Rei! I’ll teach you how to study! From the guy ranked 26th in our grade!”

“Thank you. But I’m ranked first in our grade.”

And that’s when I saw them, two unexpected people walking into the restaurant.