I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 16

Chapter 16: The Greetings Continue

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

I reached the classroom a little earlier than usual today, where a sheet of sunlight had fallen across the blackboard, and chalk dust drifted faintly in the air. I put my bag on my seat and pulled out a sheet of loose-leaf paper. Akira hadn’t arrived yet. The first shadow that fell over me came together with a bright scent.

“Mukei-kun.”

When I lifted my head, Yua Miura-san was standing there. Her usual curled hair was a little looser, and though the edges of her eyes were slightly red, she was smiling.

“Good morning. You’re early.”

“Good morning.”

“Yesterday… Thanks. I was all shaken up yesterday and couldn’t properly thank you.”

“As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters.”

I had actually felt a little guilty that I ended up hearing Miura-san’s moment of weakness yesterday. But being thanked like this didn’t feel bad at all.

“Yeah. I told my mom, too. Also, um, is it okay if I contact you again when I get scared? Will you walk home with me?”

“We go the same direction, so that’s fine by me.”

“That helps~. …Ah, this is a thank-you. One mint gum. Don’t call me stingy, okay? I’m on an allowance, so I’m poor!”

I could understand why her personality—saying she was poor on her own—was so likable. She placed the stick of gum on my desk with her fingertips and waved lightly. Before she walked away, she added in a small, serious voice, “Really, thanks.” I slid the gum into the shadow of my pen holder. Just then, almost as if he’d been waiting for that moment, Akira burst through the door.

“Goo— huh? Weren’t you just talking to Miura-san?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, he says… Dude, which romcom timeline are you living in?”

“This one.”

As Akira opened and closed his mouth like a fish, a sneaker squeaked once in the hallway. Kotsun.

“Mukei-kun.”

The one who poked her head in was Asuka Hino-san. She wore her uniform jacket over her gym clothes. She wasn’t sweaty, but her eyes were alert.

“Thanks for yesterday. For Yua. And let’s play basketball again.”

“Yeah. Be careful not to get injured.”

“I won’t. If you have time tonight, play with me again.”

“If the timing works.”

“Make it work. Okay, see ya.”

She bumped her fist forward, and I tapped it with mine. With just that, Hino-san turned on her heel.

“…Hey, Sora.”

Leaning back against the chair, Akira lowered his voice.

“When did you become the kind of guy who bumps fists with a sports heroine?”

“The fist has always been here.”

“Don’t answer with metaphors.”

Just as Akira grabbed his head, another shadow appeared. This time, it was a quiet one. Footsteps approached as if looping around from the window side.

“…Mu—Mukei-kun.”

It was Hiroko Anno-san. Her posture was straighter than usual, and the black hairpin above her ear glinted faintly. Her lenses were clear without fog, and her uniform ribbon sat perfectly in the center. Seen from the front, she definitely had lip gloss on. Her lips looked soft and glossy.

“Good morning, Anno-san.”

“G–Good morning…!”

She widened her eyes, paused for a beat, and then returned the greeting. It was the first time she had initiated a greeting with me, maybe thanks to the conversation we had during lunch break. She lowered her gaze to steady her breathing, then lifted it again.

“Um, ab–about the day before yesterday…Thanks.”

“The day before yesterday?”

“Um, for… Fixing my desk. And picking up my pen.”

Her voice was soft, but it carried clearly. I nodded.

“Yeah, you’re welcome.”

“…Mm.”

The moment she got the words out, something around her throat loosened a little. She had probably come to say thank you, that was why she greeted me. Thinking that her expression of relief was cute was something I kept entirely to myself. She dipped her head slightly and returned to her seat by the window. The ends of her black hair bounced once in the morning light.

“………Sora.”

Akira planted both hands on my desk and leaned in.

“That was Anno-san, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Was she always that cute?”

“She was already cute from the beginning.”

Her overall vibe hadn’t changed. But she had probably been trying her best lately.

“What did you do? Microtransactions? Cheats? Secret route?”

“None of those.”

Akira collapsed into his chair and stared at the ceiling.

“Miura-san → Hino-san → Anno-san, all greeting you in succession… This is the morning of some romance-simulation hard-mode conqueror. Are you the harem protagonist now!?”

“I don’t want a harem. I want to love only one woman. There’s no way I could handle multiple women at once. And it’s morning. Of course they’d at least say hello.”

“You answer like an adult… Seriously, you’re more popular than me, aren’t you?”

At the front of the room, the homeroom teacher flipped through the attendance sheet, and the chatter flowed quietly toward the seating area. I spun my pen once and faced forward. Beside me, Akira was still groaning under his breath. And then, Okabe slipped into the classroom at the last second.

“Safe!”

“Out. Okabe. You’re late today.”

“Sensei!”

Laughter filled the classroom. At the window seat, Anno-san gently pushed up her glasses and opened her notebook with her posture still perfectly straight. Hino-san was in the front row, explaining something to her friends with gestures, earning a round of laughter. But the look she gave Okabe was a little cool.

Miura-san, catching the light from the window, reapplied her lip gloss, then glanced at me and gave a little wave. She quickly turned back to face the front. Morning came for everyone, I had said—but yes, today was a bit livelier than usual. Akira jabbed me lightly in the side.

“Hey, Sora.”

“What.”

“My mission today is to say good morning to Kiritani-san in the classroom, right?”

“That’s right. Go for it. Anyone is allowed to say good morning.”

“Roger. Greetings first!”

The warning bell rang, and the chalk scraped once—kii—across the blackboard. I took a deep breath. Somehow, it felt like a pretty good start to the day.

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