I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 31

Chapter 31: Wavering Emotions

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《Hiroko Anno’s POV》

I never thought a day would come when I actually felt excited about going to school. I had always lived hiding my face, frightened of people’s gazes. But I made an effort with Onee-chan to become prettier, and I talked with Mukei-kun. That alone made me excited, and I came to school early.

“Good morning.”

The greeting wasn’t directed at me. Miura-san was greeting Mukei-kun. Her voice sounded bright. She spoke to Mukei-kun like they were already close, but since I knew he had saved her from that molester, I also understood why she would speak to him. But then, even Kiritani-san greeted Mukei-kun. Her tone was calm, but she still made the effort to approach him and speak.

Up until now, Kiritani-san had always been the one people approached. She never went out of her way to seek someone out and talk, especially not to Mukei-kun. I thought that, to Mukei-kun, I wasn’t the only special one. Even though I understood it in my head, something deep in my chest stirred quietly. My palms grew damp. But somehow, I managed to greet Mukei-kun too.

“O-Oh, good morning, Mukei-kun.”

“Good morning, Anno-san.”

I felt like the atmosphere around Mukei-kun had begun to change. He was always calm and composed. I liked that about him. But maybe everyone else felt the same……

Between first and second period. At the back of the classroom, Kiritani-san spoke to Mukei-kun.

“Mukei-kun, you’re on duty today, right?”

“Yeah.”

Mukei-kun looked at his name written on the blackboard.

“Could you help me bring prints from the science room for three classes? The teacher asked me to bring them.”

“Huh? Me?”

I kept my notebook open but couldn’t pull my gaze away. My throat felt dry. My movements as I opened my water bottle cap were awkward. Why would she suddenly talk to Mukei-kun? Kiritani-san had Okabe-kun, so I didn’t want her taking Mukei-kun away.

At lunch, I sat beside Mukei-kun on the bench in the courtyard. I wanted to ask if something happened with Kiritani-san.

“Today… You were talking with Kiritani-san, weren’t you?”

The words came out so easily it surprised even me. Why was it that something like this came out so clearly? I wondered if I made him uncomfortable.

“Yeah. I had the chance to talk with Kiritani-san and her big brother.”

“Her big brother?”

“Yeah. He’s blond and looks scary, but he’s actually handsome and a good person.”

“That scary blond man is her big brother?!?”

The person I saw at the game center—was that Kiritani-san’s brother? And the fact he received money from Okabe-kun… Did that mean something? On the way back to the classroom, Miura-san offered Mukei-kun some gum.

“Ah, Mukei-kun, do you want some gum?”

Her tone was casual.

“Thanks, Miura-san.”

Mukei-kun accepted it. Their exchange was so natural that I finally managed to speak.

“Hehe, it’s mint. Oh, and… if anything happens, I can talk to you, right?”

Miura-san was relying on Mukei-kun. I stopped near the end of the hallway. My heartbeat sped up. I couldn’t explain the reason. I took a deep breath and returned to my seat. The sound of closing my pencil case zipper echoed loudly.

After school. At the entrance, Hino-san called out to Mukei-kun.

“Hey, there’s no practice today. If you want, would you come with me to practice at the court in the park?”

“Sure. Let’s meet at the court in front at seven.”

The way they spoke made it clear there was a kind of shared secret between them too, and it tightened my chest. On the train home, I opened the light novel I borrowed from Mukei-kun, but none of the words sank in. I flipped the pages at uneven intervals, fidgeting with the rabbit keychain. I could clearly feel the stiffness of the ribbon. I remembered the card from yesterday.

Warmth spread in my chest. But today, girls were talking to Mukei-kun one after another, and my anxiety rose quickly over that warmth. The temperature inside me shifted back and forth. I couldn’t settle down.

When I got home, I placed the book on my desk. I cut a small piece of sticky note and put it in my notebook. I wrote, “There were a lot of anxieties today.” Putting it into words made things feel a little lighter.

I focused on gathering eraser crumbs. My hands stopped. The image of Mukei-kun talking normally with those three girls surfaced again and again. I had only watched from outside their circle.

I wasn’t special. I should have known that. But I compared myself anyway. I wanted his kindness to be directed only at me. When had I become so greedy? There was no answer. When I got flustered, my voice grew small.

“Hiroko?”

Onee-chan knocked on the door and came in. Her hair was tied up, and the cardigan over her shoulders was slipping off a little.

“Your face looks gloomy. Did something happen at school?”

I couldn’t tell her. I couldn’t tell her that Mukei-kun talked with three different girls. That seeing it made my chest tighten painfully.

“…I just realized I wasn’t the only one.”

The words that finally came out were very small. Onee-chan pulled out a chair and sat beside me.

“That’s right. Hiroko, you’re in love.”

“Love?”

“You get bothered when he talks to someone else. You end up following him with your eyes. Your heart sways at every little thing he does.”

Onee-chan smiled kindly and patted my head.

“Hiroko, you’re in love. Aww, how sweet.”

“Have you experienced it too, Onee-chan?”

“Of course~. That’s why I wanted to become prettier too.”

I always thought Onee-chan was pretty, completely different from me. But she had times like this as well.

“Hiroko, you’ve always hidden yourself because you’re a quiet person, right? Using your glasses, lowering your voice. But you worked hard to become prettier little by little.”

“…Yeah.”

“And the only person who knows about that effort right now is Mukei-kun, right?”

I nodded. My chest grew warm.

“In that case, why don’t you try talking to him more? Before you get anxious like today. People can’t understand you if you stay silent. Even if Mukei-kun understands more than others, feelings won’t get across unless you say them.”

“…But I’m scared.”

“You’re scared because you’re afraid he might dislike you, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“It’s okay. People don’t dislike others that easily. Actually, someone who can express their feelings is much easier to trust.”

Onee-chan’s voice was steady and reached deep into my chest.

“Just take one step. You don’t have to tell him, ‘I was anxious yesterday.’ Just tell him you want to spend more time with him. That alone is enough.”

I bit my lip, then smiled a little. It was embarrassing to be patted, but a bit of courage lit up inside me.

“…Yeah. I’ll try.”

“That’s right. If you try, you can do it.”

Onee-chan hugged me tightly, and it made me feel like I could really do my best.

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