I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 21

Chapter 21: A Classmate’s Secret

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

It was Friday, and after school, Akira slapped the desk with a pan.

“Let’s hit the arcade!”

“Sure.”

“I’ll show you a thousand yen worth of medals—and my soul!”

“Your soul is so cheap.”

“I’ll sell it to you at a high price, just for you.”

We laughed as we headed toward the game center. On the train ride home, Anno-san was sitting in a seat. Naturally, my eyes drifted toward her, especially after thinking about Miura-san. Lately, it felt like we were getting along better. I’d never seen her talking to anyone else at school, so it made me happy to feel like I had a slightly special connection with her.

We got off at the station where the game center was, and the moment the automatic doors opened, the electronic sounds and lights surged all at once—the clatter of medals, the cold metal of the machines, the blast of the air conditioner.

“First, let’s check your wrist mobility with a rhythm game.”

“Got it.”

Akira placed both hands on the glittering panels and aimed for a full combo from the start.

With every increase in rhythm, his shoulders moved naturally, and his feet tapped along. Just watching him made me feel good.

“Yesss! S-rank!”

“Congrats. You’ve got rhythm, Akira.”

“Leave it to me! Music’s my specialty!”

Next up was the racing game. We sat side by side, the countdown began, and as soon as it started, Akira executed an unnecessary drift.

“Smoke’s in my eyes! I can’t see!”

“That’s part of the game!”

“The blocks are enough!”

He cut the inside at the corners and barely won on the final straight. Akira leaned on the steering wheel, pretending to pout, “I let you win this race,” and laughed. We took turns at the claw machine. He tried to get a small stuffed dog.

“This one would suit Mizuki-san.”

“No way. There’s no way you can give it to her.”

“Damn! If only I had a strong heart!”

The first attempt slipped due to a poor grip. On the second, he pushed it aside. On the third, he used the base of his fingernail as a fulcrum, tilted it, and rolled it over—success.

“You got it! You’re a UFO catcher pro!”

“I saw this trick in a video!”

Akira held the dog high, then shyly shoved it into his backpack. His excuse of “practice” was obvious on his face. He said he practiced so he could look cool getting prizes when on a date with a girl. As for me, I didn’t catch a dog keychain. Instead, I got a small rabbit keychain.  For some reason, imagining the tiny trembling rabbit reminded me of Anno-san. So I tried once, and I got it immediately.

“What should I do with this?”

Suddenly, from the back of the fighting game area, a familiar voice rang out.

“Low attack there. Gotcha!”

It was Kai Okabe, facing two or three boys from class, gripping the sticks. His laughter was loud, but he didn’t come toward us. They were enjoying themselves, so there was no need to interfere.

“He’s noisy wherever he is.”

“Doesn’t concern us. Friday’s for relaxing.”

We moved to another area and lined up at an old gun-shooting cabinet. We shot enemies in the screen while stepping on the reload button with our feet. Akira’s rhythm was unnecessarily fast.

“Sora, behind you!”

“Leave it to me, partner.”

“Got it!”

After taking down the boss and bumping fists, the noise on the other side abruptly quieted. I glanced over. A blond man was standing next to Okabe’s machine. Not dyed, but naturally bright hair. No school uniform—jacket and skinny pants, with unnervingly calm hand movements. Probably older. He bent slightly and said something brief to Okabe. I couldn’t hear it. Okabe’s expression froze instantly, and his laughter stopped. Pale. The word “pale” suited him perfectly. The stick loosened from his hands, and his friend on the other side leaned in.

“Hey?”

“…Was that an acquaintance?”

“Who knows. Doesn’t seem like a senior from high school.”

Okabe opened his mouth to say something to the man, then stopped. The man indicated the exit with just his chin. Okabe grabbed his wallet and silently followed. The friends left behind exchanged awkward smiles and quickly moved to another machine. The sound returned. Electronic beeps and cheers flowed back in, filling the void.

“…Curious?”

“A little. Not enough to check, though.”

“Yeah. We’ve got our weekend.”

We finished with one final round of taiko. The wooden splinters of the sticks remained in my hands. Walking toward the exit, the automatic doors opened again. Outside, the wind at the station was cooler than expected. The neon lights blended into the alley, carrying the lively hum of a Friday night far into the distance. Akira stretched both arms and looked up at the sky.

“Sora, we were the perfect team today. That gun-shooting game? Totally movie-worthy.”

“Movie-worthy is pushing it. But it was fun.”

“Whoo, we played a lot! I’ve got a place to stop by, so I’m off here.”

“Yeah, see you at school.”

I started walking away from Akira, but in the darkness, I noticed a familiar back.

“…?”

Okabe? 

My voice almost slipped. Under the streetlight, Kai Okabe faced the blond man. Neither was smiling. His usual loud voice, confident posture—all gone. His shoulders hunched, holding a wallet, awkwardly counting bills with both hands.

“…This should… Be enough.”

A few thousand-yen bills left his fingertips. The blond man received them with practiced ease, checked the number, and in a low voice said to him.

“Don’t be late next time.”

Okabe’s face was pale, and it was clear even from here. No bravado, just a silent nod.

“…I’ve returned it…”

A tiny voice. No one else was around. He could barely whisper. The blond man pocketed the bills, turned, and melted into the crowd. Okabe stood there, stranded, unable to wipe the sweat from his forehead, clenching his fists. He radiated an untouchable atmosphere. When he returned, our eyes met briefly, and he looked away. It wasn’t a pleasant sight. But there was no overt violence, and from the words “returned,” it seemed Okabe and the blond man knew each other. The nature of their relationship was unknown. Still, it wasn’t my place to intervene.

I walked alone to the station, where Anno-san was sitting on a bench.

“Anno-san?”

“Huh?”

“It’s rare to see you here.”

Maybe she’d been shopping? But she didn’t look well. She seemed like she might melt into the night.

“Ah, um!”

“Did something happen? You seem a bit down.”

“N-no, it’s nothing!”

Because I’d seen that unpleasant extortion-like scene with Okabe, I felt relieved just to see Anno-san.

“Hmm, I see. You’ve got a lot going on too, Anno-san. Here, take this.”

“Huh…?”

He gently placed a small rabbit keychain in my palm. I’d been thinking it looked like Anno-san and now I’d found her. It felt like fate.

“I got it from the UFO catcher earlier. I thought it would suit you better than me… Will you take it?”

“…F-for me?”

 “Yeah. Also, as a thanks for the tamagoyaki earlier today.”

Anno-san looked surprised but, with a trembling voice, accepted it.

“…Th-thank you.”

Her face, which had looked pale before, now had a slight flush to it.

“Good. You look better than before, like the pain’s eased a bit.”

“Ah!”

I didn’t know what she had been troubled by, but if I could cheer her up even a little, I felt happy. Afterward, we rode the train together, and I said goodbye when leaving.

 “Bye-bye.”

“!!! Bye-bye!”

Her face showed surprise, but I felt it was important to properly say goodbye to Anno-san, so I did.

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