Delivery Boy and Masked Girl - A delivery boy discovers the secret of a beautiful gal at his delivery destination. - Chapter 3: A Friend and His Gaze.

A Friend and His Gaze.

It was lunchtime the next day, after I had delivered Shizuki’s order.

I was biting into a loaf of bread from the store and looking at my Japanese history textbook.

Since I was a loner, I guess I should at least study.

“Miori~! Why don’t we go to the cafe over there today? The new one in front of the station!”

“Sounds good! Let’s go!”

With the lively conversation of the flamboyant girls as background music, I memorized the prime ministers of the past.

“Ikuyamai mai oyaikasa kasa.”
[TN: A way of remembering successive prime ministers.]

All of the “I” is Ito Hirobumi, is it easy to remember, or is it hard?
[TN: Ito Hirobumi, Japan’s first prime minister and father of the Meiji Constitution/ Takii Kazuhiro. If one wants to know more about him then, click on the name please.]

“Komi is also coming, right?”

“No, I’ll pass.”

“Wait, why? Oh, so you’re the one I was talking about the other day!”

“Shut up.”

It’s still the same flashy-girl interaction.

Everyone in the class, including me, is used to it by now.

However, today was the only day that I didn’t mind it more than usual.

“I don’t mind! I’ve got Miori~n! Hey~, Miori~n!”

“Y-yes! We’ll go together!”

Despite what had happened, Shizuki and Miori seemed to be going about their business as usual.

She was well acquainted with the flamboyant gals, their atmosphere and conversation, and one of them was extraordinarily cute.

But when I saw her as she was yesterday, I can’t help but feel a gap, or rather a difference.

I promised not to tell anyone, but that doesn’t mean I can forget about yesterday.

It may not be the right thing to do, but I was feeling a little nervous.

“Yo, Yuuga.”

I looked up when I suddenly heard my name called, and there was a boy standing there.

He is the only friend I have in this school, Senba Haruomi.

He gave me a bright smile and sat down on the seat across from me.

“What are you doing here?”

“I thought Yuuga might be lonely.”

“Really?”

“It’s a feast for the eyes anyways~.”

Then Haruomi pointed his thumb towards the fancy girls.

And then he nodded as if satisfied and grunted.

“Today as well, she’s so cute~, Shizuki-san.”

“That’s what you’re after, isn’t it?

Haruomi sometimes comes to admire Shizuki like this, despite the fact that he’s in a different class.

He’s incredibly handsome and popular, but he has a thing for beautiful girls.

According to the rumors, besides Shizuki, he has several other favorites.

“Her makeup is pretty heavy, but she’s definitely beautiful without it too. She can’t hide the natural beauty of her body.”

Haruomi is not afraid to give Shizuki a cursory glance.

As he said, the Shizuki I met at the delivery yesterday was unquestionably cute, even without makeup.

Well, even if he doesn’t say that, it’s easy to see that Shizuki’s natural beauty is very good.

“By the way, is Yuuga still a loner?”

“Of course.”

“Oii. Don’t say it like you’re proud of it.”

“I’m a proud loner, you know.”

I’m a self admitted royal loner.

Well, I’m not bothering anyone, so I don’t have anything to complain about.

“If only you hadn’t made that mistake on the first day of school, things might have been better. Stupid.”

“It wasn’t a mistake. Besides, even if I hadn’t made that mistake, it wouldn’t have made a difference.”

“Well, so be it.”

“Is that so?”

I was still a little annoyed when he said that.

“Oh, by the way, Miori, did you do your math homework?”

Suddenly, the voice of the flamboyant girls jumped into my ears.

I was somewhat curious, so I glanced over to the side.

“What? Umm, yeah…, well, just for the record….”

“That’s great. Hey, let me have a lookー”

“Oh, sorry, Miori, me too, lemme have a look~!”

“O-okay…! Here you go!”

After such an exchange, the flamboyant girls gathered at Shizuki’s desk, scribbling away in their notebooks.

Shizuki was the only one doing it.

“Don’t get mad at me if I’m wrong okaii~!”

Even though her voice was cheerful, Shizuki’s expression seemed to be somewhat strained. 

This is the first time I’ve felt that way.

I wonder if I’m imagining things.

“…..o”

At that moment, as I weaved my way through the gap between the flashy girls, my gaze met Shizuki’s for a moment.

Shizuki looked surprised, and then immediately turned her gaze to glare at me.

It seems that she hates me.

Hey! I’ve been keeping your secrets to myself.　

“Hey, Yuuga, what happened?”

“….No, nothing at all.”

“Is that so? Don’t you think? Even so, Shizuki-san is rather serious despite being a gal, her value is quite high.”

Haruomi was already satisfied, nodding to himself and quickly leaving the classroom.

He’s a free and easy-going guy, but I don’t dislike the fact that he lives naturally.

We had only met at a cram school for high school entrance exams, but somehow we had become very close.

The rest of the day was without any trouble, and in no time it was time to leave school.

Nothing worth mentioning happens in the school life of a loner.

Well, well.

I grabbed my bag and quickly went to the gate by myself.

I’m going to study and work again today.

Then, I’ll do a little online shopping.

I think I’ve saved up enough money from my part-time job by now.

As I was yawning, someone suddenly grabbed me by the wrist.

“OWAA! What?”

“Hey, come here for a minute!”

When I turned around, I saw Shizuki Mizuori standing there, her face reddening as if in a hurry.