I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 19

Chapter 19: I Like the Vibe

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《Hiroko Anno’s POV》

I was able to greet him in the morning. “‘Good morning,’ I said.” Just that alone made me feel happy. But both Miura-san and Hino-san had greeted Mukei-kun too. Hino-san had played basketball with him. Miura-san had been saved from a groper by him. Mukei-kun would surely be kind to both of them in a completely natural way.

My chest prickled just a little. No… It hurt. Even so, because I had decided to do my best, I sat with Mukei-kun under the camphor tree in the courtyard. Half in the sun, half in the shade. We sat side by side on the border between light and shadow, and I opened the lid of my lunch box. Mukei-kun tore pieces off his bread, and he liked milk. Just knowing what he liked made the inside of my chest feel ticklish.

“Your posture looks beautiful again today.”

He said it so suddenly that my breath stopped. Someone like me… Being called “beautiful” by someone like him…No one other than Onee-chan had ever said anything like that to me. I touched the black hairpin above my ear without thinking. I had only done it the way Onee-chan taught me. But he noticed. He really saw me.

“And you changed your lip color too, right? Yesterday, I thought it might be different, but I couldn’t find a chance to talk to you.”

He noticed! It was no use—my face was getting hot. Even I could tell. I wanted him to notice, but having it pointed out embarrassed me. The contradictory feelings all rushed up at once, and I looked down, hugging my tote bag tightly. On top of everything, Mukei-kun was always calm, and he always spoke to me gently. I liked that mature, composed vibe of his. So when the food inside the lunch box came into view, the words slipped out of me like a way to escape.

“…Do you want some?”

He accepted the tamagoyaki I offered without hesitation.

“A-ahhn.”

Why… Why did I do that? The next moment, what flashed through my mind was what happened the other day. When I had him eat tamagoyaki before.

This is our second indirect kiss…

As soon as I became aware of it, my face burned so hot that even my ears throbbed. Mukei-kun didn’t seem bothered at all and smiled, saying, “It’s good.”

“The flavor’s a little more put together than last time.”

Even the tamagoyaki—he noticed and complimented it properly. I was happy. Helplessly, hopelessly happy. My feelings felt like they were about to spill out, and all I could do was hide it with the sound of closing the lunch box lid.

“Thank you… I’m really happy.”

If I said it out loud, it felt like the words would melt into tears. Even so, I wanted it to reach him properly. Because you chose me, because you called me beautiful, just being with you, Mukei-kun… I felt like I might be able to change.

“When you told me I looked pretty… Uum… it made me really happy. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I also think I like your vibe, Anno-san.”

“L-Like!?”

The words Mukei-kun said.

“I think I really like your vibe, Anno-san.”

It was just too unexpected. They didn’t just linger in my ears. They echoed over and over in the deepest part of my chest. Your… Vibe…? He liked it…? That was… The first time anyone had said that to me. I had heard words like “you’re pretty” or “you’re doing great” from Onee-chan. But “I like your vibe”… That was a phrase that accepted me as me, entirely. Not the me who worked hard on posture and lipstick, not the me who forced myself to change, but the me I had always been… He had been seeing that part of me properly. It made my heart pound too hard. But I couldn’t find any words to give back.

Blurting out “Like!?” in such a loud voice only made my face burn even more. After that, it became just an ordinary conversation. Mukei-kun calmly ate his bread and continued talking about the book. And I answered as usual—“yes,” or “that’s true”—while trying to keep my trembling voice steady.

The truth was… I was so happy I could have cried if I said it out loud. I didn’t even remember when I returned to the classroom after lunch.

♢♢♢

After school.

When I left the classroom, the laughter of Miura-san and Hino-san lingered in my ears. For both of them, talking to Mukei-kun felt natural, like it was the obvious thing to do. I still could only say “Good morning” after I gathered my courage. But… Today I had managed to ride the same train with him. So, I wanted to try saying “Bye-bye” too.

That hope alone made my steps lighter as I went down the stairs. When I passed through the ticket gate and joined the line forming on the platform, I found him. A few steps ahead, I saw Mukei-kun’s back. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Takatou-kun, talking about something. He hadn’t noticed me. But just that made me happy. Because we could ride the same train.

To be in the same space, in the same moment… That alone made the end of my day feel special. The train arrived, and I boarded the same car as Mukei-kun and the others. Of course, I couldn’t bring myself to speak to him. I sat on the opposite side and opened my paperback. But his profile stayed in the corner of my vision the whole time. I secretly watched his reflection in the window. The way he smiled a little, or listened with a serious expression.

We’re riding the same train. Just that fact alone  is enough to make me this happy.

The words on the page didn’t enter my head at all. After a few stations, Mukei-kun and the others got off. He adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder and walked toward the doors.

He’s getting off? Here? 

My heart shrank tight, and I hurriedly closed my book. At the next station, the doors opened. He slipped into the crowd and got off. His back grew farther and farther away.

He’s leaving… 

Before I realized it, I had stood up. My body moved on its own. Hugging my tote bag to my chest, I jumped out before the doors closed. The hem of my skirt fluttered, and my heartbeat thundered all the way to my ears. When I stepped onto the platform, his back was right in front of me. Even in a crowd, I could spot him immediately. Mukei-kun was laughing with Takatou-kun as they walked toward the ticket gate. Of course, even after following him, I didn’t have the courage to call out to him. But I didn’t want to be apart from him.

Why…? Just riding the same train with him already made me so happy. But because I couldn’t say bye-bye… I chased after him. To avoid losing sight of his back, I kept walking while maintaining some distance. My heartbeat was so fast it made breathing difficult, and yet, deep inside, my chest felt warm. Watching their backs pass through the ticket gate, I whispered softly.

“…Where are they going?”

As I continued following them, they entered a game center. At a station I usually never got off at, I found myself chasing after Mukei-kun in confusion. But in the alley beside the game center, Kiritani-san was talking to a frightening-looking man.

“Ah? You still haven’t paid me back?”

“……”

His voice was low and scary. After Kiritani-san said something, he got angry and went into the game center. Could Mukei-kun be in danger? I hurried toward the game center.

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