Even Today, the Genius High School Programmer Cashes In on Day Trades, Completely Flustered by Beautiful Girls' Growing Affection. - Chapter 15: “He’s Not a Weirdo”.

“He’s Not a Weirdo”.

“But if you had a boyfriend, wouldn’t you be worried about people getting the wrong idea?”

“I-I don’t have a boyfriend!”

“You don’t have to deny it that hard.”

I laughed as I said it.

“I’ve heard you get confessions from guys pretty often, though?”

“Huh? Oh—um, yeah. I mean… it’s not that often…”

Sakuraba gave a small, lonely smile.

“I just don’t get it. What could possibly be good about someone like me?”

“Well… Sakuraba, do you seriously not realize how cute you are?”

“Ehh? I-I don’t know about that…”

Her face flushed bright red in an instant. Busy girl.

“But isn’t that just about looks in the end? It’s not like they actually understand the real me or anything…”

She murmured the words with her gaze lowered.

“Well, isn’t that pretty much how high-school romance works? Not that I’d know—I’ve got zero experience.”

“Really?”

“Like a weirdo like me could ever get a girlfriend.”

“I’ve… never dated a boy either.”

“That’s… actually kind of surprising.”

“Back in middle school… I was really invisible. Like, completely.”

“Seriously? Then you must have worked insanely hard to change that.”

“Huh?” Sakuraba suddenly stopped walking. She looked up at me with wide, startled eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Um… I was just wondering… why you’d think that…”

Her tawny eyes fixed on me, soft and searching.

“Hm? No, it’s just basic logical deduction…”

I continued as we started walking again, slowly.

“The Sakuraba standing in front of me right now is nothing like me. You read the room perfectly, you’re popular with both guys and girls, you’re kind and considerate, yet you never act arrogant or full of yourself. You’re modest, your looks are stunning, your figure is flawless. You’re the exact opposite of ‘invisible.’”

I kept my eyes forward, speaking quietly as we moved.

“So if back in middle school you really were someone who blended into the background—if neither the boys nor the girls paid you much attention, if your appearance and style weren’t anything special back then—”

I glanced at her face again.

“—then I figure you must have hated that version of yourself. You wanted to change, so you set your sights on becoming the person you are now… and you fought tooth and nail to make it happen. If that’s true—”

A thin film of water shimmered across Sakuraba’s eyes; they trembled faintly.

“—then honestly, that’s incredible. Not many people can pull that off. Effort doesn’t lie.”

Right when the tears seemed about to spill over the edge, Sakuraba abruptly turned her face forward. Her steps quickened.

I hurried after her, clutching the umbrella.

The rest of the way to the station, she kept her head down, occasionally giving a small sniffle, saying almost nothing.

I didn’t push conversation either.

Somehow, it felt like silence was kinder.

We passed through the ticket gates and descended the stairs to the platform.

When I asked, she said we were headed the same direction; her stop was just one station before mine.

I’d half-expected we were neighbors, but my house is on the north side of the tracks and hers is south—walking would take about thirty minutes.

The train wasn’t crowded, so we sat side by side.

This was the most restless after-school commute of my life.

Every now and then a breeze slipped through the car, and her beautiful hair would lift gently, brushing against my cheek.

God, what is this… she smells amazing…

We talked about the tests starting next week.

“Think that problem’s gonna show up?” “I hope it’s easy…”—harmless, meaningless chatter the whole way.

She probably spared me the talk about trending songs or dramas since I wouldn’t know any of them.

By the time we reached her station, the rain had—miraculously—stopped.

What happened to the forecast?

Just to be safe I offered her the umbrella anyway.

“It’s close to the station, and if it starts again I can just run, so I’m fine,” she said, politely but firmly refusing.

When the doors opened she stood up.

“See you Monday, then.”

She turned toward me with a bright smile and added,

“Ooyama-kun… you really are exactly what I thought you were.”

“? What do you mean?”

“Secret!”

She stepped off the train through the open doors, looked back over her shoulder, and gave a tiny wave near her chest.

“Bye-bye.”

I raised one hand in a rough “Yeah, see ya.”

Through the closing doors, I couldn’t hear the quiet words she murmured to herself.

“He’s not a weirdo at all… He’s a gentle person who really understands how people feel.”