I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 48

Chapter 48: Gratitude

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

A little while after the performance ended, a simple celebration began in the classroom. We pushed the desks together in a circle, with paper plates and cups. Someone had written “Great Success!” on the blackboard. Bags of chips were opened, and juice was passed around.

“I’ll take the cape home and display it!”

When Okabe said that, Akai-sensei immediately replied, “Rejected. Return it,” and everyone laughed. The teacher said just one final line, “Well done. You should be proud,” and then immediately went back to patrolling the hallway.

Kiritani-san still couldn’t speak, so she wrote “Thank you” on a small note and showed it to us. When I gave a thumbs-up, she returned the same gesture. Hino-san, slightly favoring her injured leg, raised a single cup of juice and smiled.

“Switching the lead role like that, you handled it well.”

Miura-san was putting away spray and cotton.

“Hiro-chan, is this enough to remove your makeup? Use this.”

She handed a small pouch to Anno-san. Kogure-san and Tokitou-san were talking to Anno-san from both sides.

“Hiro-chan, that was seriously amazing.”

“You had guts.”

She gave them both a high-five. In the center of the circle, Anno-san smiled, slightly embarrassed.

“Thank you very much.”

Her glasses were back on, but the aura of the stage from earlier still seemed to linger. We took a group photo, pressed the timer, and huddled close. Shutter click. Applause. The atmosphere was good. Before anyone started cleaning up, my eyes met Anno-san’s.

I beckoned toward the door. She nodded. We quietly slipped out together. Just behind Anno-san, Miura-san and Kogure-san gave thumbs-up. The hallway was bathed in the pale light of the evening. We sat side by side on the bench behind the school. In the distance, the sound of the brass band cleaning up reached us, and the echo of footsteps ascending the stairs passed once.

“…First, thank you.”

“Huh?”

“Thank you for taking on the role at the last minute. Honestly, it must have been scary. But you stood on stage properly and saw it through to the end. You really helped a lot.”

Speaking the words made the tension in my chest ease. To be honest, I felt I had asked something unreasonable from her. Even though I knew she wasn’t comfortable in front of people, but seeing her recently, maybe that was why I had chosen her in this mood.

“Mukei-kun.”

“Hm?”

I looked up when she called my name. She dropped her shoulders slightly, then looked straight at me.

“Thank you for choosing me… I heard all your signals. Everything went according to practice, so I could feel at ease. If you hadn’t been my partner, I think I would have failed.”

Anno-san removed her glasses.

“Before, you told me I was beautiful without my glasses.”

“Yeah. Today, Anno-san, you were more beautiful than anyone.”

“Thank you! Um…Then, do you recognize my face?”

“Huh?”

I looked carefully at her face. Somehow, I felt like I had met her somewhere before, but I couldn’t recall.

“Sorry, I feel like I’ve met you before, but I can’t remember.”

“No, it’s fine. I know you’re that kind of person, Mukei-kun!”

“That kind of person?”

“Yes. Someone who helps people in trouble. When I was walking in town without my glasses, some guy harassed me, and you helped me.”

The person I had helped? I looked at Anno-san’s face again. Could it be the woman that was about to get dragged into the alley before? She had been wearing makeup and looked more mature then.

“Could it be…In the alley?”

“Yes! That’s right!”

Anno-san moved closer to me. Maybe because her glasses were off, she felt nearer. Her face came close to mine. I caught my breath at her beautiful face.

“Thank you for that time! I’ve wanted to thank you for so long!”

She wanted to thank me, but couldn’t before?

“Fufu, ahahaha, now you’re thanking me? We’ve been talking all this time though.”

“Y-Yeah! I know that! But, it was hard to find the right timing.”

“Yeah, that’s very Anno-san. I thanked you for being on stage. And you thanked me for when I helped you.”

“Yes!”

Her honesty was dazzling. I had thought all this time that she might have feelings for me. But no, she had just wanted to thank me. I must have been full of myself.

“Hey, Anno-san… I have a favor to ask.”

“Yes?”

Our eyes met. She probably didn’t realize how close she was to me. I was the one whose heart was racing.

“The others, Miura-san and the rest, call you ‘Hiro-chan,’ right? Can I… Can I call you by your name too? As a friend.”

After saying it, I felt my face heat up. Worried I wasn’t being too forward, I continued quickly.

“If you don’t like it, that’s fine. We can stay as we’ve been.”

Her eyes widened, then she smiled softly. Her voice was small, but clear.

“…I’d be happy. Please.”

“Then… Hiroko-san.”

“Yes!”

Her “Yes” sounded slightly brighter than usual. She leaned forward just a little.

“Can I ask something too?”

“Of course.”

“Can I call you… Sora-kun? As a friend?”

“…Yeah. Nice to meet you, Hiroko-san.”

“Nice to meet you, Sora-kun.”

Even with such short words, the meaning came through. We exchanged them and laughed.

“Oh, right. This is the photo from earlier. I’ll send it to our group, but I’ll send it individually too.”

“Thank you. I’ll show it to my sister too.”

She adjusted her glasses and took a deep breath.

“The stage was scary, but fun.”

“Yeah. I had fun too. It really helped having you there, Hiroko-san.”

We stood up from the bench. From the classroom, Akira’s laughter echoed.

“It’s time for the afterparty!”

Just as I thought we should head back, Hiroko-san raised her hand slightly.

“Sora-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m glad I could properly say today’s ‘thank you.’”

“Thank you too.”

That alone was enough. We returned to the classroom side by side. At the door, I checked once more.

“If you ever need help, tell me. I’ll be sure to help you.”

“Yes. I’ll do what I can too.”

As we opened the door, all our classmates turned to look.

“Hey! Where have you two been?”

Okabe shouted in his loud voice. Miura-san grinned, and Kogure-san and Tokitou-san teased, “Got Hiro-chan!”

I smiled wryly and shrugged. Among friends, Hiroko-san was smiling and I realized I liked this new side of her too.

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