I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 50

Chapter 50: The Distance of “Are You Okay”

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

When lunch break ended, I stopped walking on my way to fix the hallway bulletin board at the teacher’s request. Hiroko-san was surrounded by three boys from another class. Their laughter was bright. The atmosphere wasn’t tense. But I saw that she was gripping her printout tightly.

She wasn’t good at being approached by people she didn’t know. That fact hadn’t changed.

“I saw your performance the other day. It was amazing.”

“Can we take just one picture together? I won’t post it on social media.”

“Do you want to exchange LINE?”

I didn’t think they meant any harm. Their tone was gentle. But every time a question followed, her replies grew shorter.

“Um…”

She adjusted her glasses twice in a row. I thought she was troubled. I didn’t change my pace and simply approached. I angled myself so I could slip between them. I waited for a momentary break in the conversation without bumping into anyone.

“Hiroko-san.”

She lifted her face. When she saw me, she looked slightly relieved. Her eyes were hidden behind her glasses, but I probably did the right thing by stepping in.

“About that bulletin board from earlier, are you okay? We were called by the teacher, and right now she’s waiting for us in the staff room.”

All three boys turned to look at me at once. I gave them a small bow.

“Sorry, I’m taking her with me.”

The three froze, unable to grasp the situation. One of them furrowed his brow.

“Eh, right now? It’ll just take a second and we’ll be finished though.”

“The teacher needs us now. I’m really sorry.”

My voice wasn’t forceful, but I emphasized “now.” I closed in using the spacing I usually hid from my karate training to add weight to my presence. To someone who didn’t do martial arts, it should’ve caught them off guard. The three of them sensed something off about the distance and stepped back.

“Thanks.”

They unconsciously retreated. I conveyed that distance as their own intention and guided Hiroko-san away. Hiroko-san gave me a small nod. I heard one of the boys mutter quietly, “What a jerk…” Another glared at me openly. I had no intention of fighting. I bowed once more and started walking beside Hiroko-san.

After we turned the corner and the flow of people thinned, I slowed down.

“Sorry. I used the teacher’s name without asking.”

“No… Thank you. If you hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

The edge of the paper she had been gripping was slightly creased. She smoothed it out while walking and took a deep breath.

“Are you okay?”

Our eyes met. Her expression was softer than before.

“Yes! Lately everything around me has been changing so quickly that I can’t keep up on my own.”

“Yeah. A lot of people have been talking to you. I don’t think they were bad guys. But when they keep pushing, it gets hard.”

“Yes. I need to practice how to turn people down.”

She kept growing every day. Maybe I had been the first catalyst. But she was changing rapidly on her own.

“Hiroko-san, you’re amazing.”

“Me? Amazing?”

“Yeah. Not only did you become beautiful, but you used to struggle with talking to people at all. Now you’re approached by so many and you’re learning how to handle it.”

“But you helped me just now!”

Yeah. Soon enough she wouldn’t need me at all. That was the kind of person she was.

“…Whenever you’re in trouble, I’ll help you.”

“Thank you! But I can’t rely on you every time, right? I have to learn to refuse people myself!”

She pumped her fist in front of her chest. She didn’t need me.

“Perfect. ‘The teacher’s waiting’ is an easy phrase to use.”

“Hehe. You used it earlier.”

A vending machine appeared at the end of the hallway. I took out some coins.

“Milk tea okay with you?”

“Eh? I can get it myself—”

“It feels like it’s been a while since I talked with you. Let me treat you.”

She smiled softly and nodded. The hand accepting the bottle was steadier than before. Her hands weren’t shaking anymore.

“They glared at you back there.”

“Yeah. Well, it can’t be helped. Part of it was because of how I said things.”

“Sora-kun didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Thanks.”

We didn’t actually have plans to go to the staff room. So we walked toward the courtyard where we could take a quick detour. We didn’t have time to sit on a bench, but we could take a sip in the shade.

“In situations like that, how do I refuse without making them upset?”

“It might be hard to avoid upsetting them. Refusing something is naturally unpleasant for the other side. But it’s better if you can clearly say you don’t want to or you refuse. If you don’t give a reason, it won’t lead to follow-ups later.”

“I see… That’s really helpful.”

She put the cap back on, lowered her eyes, then looked at me again.

“Thank you again for helping me.”

“You’re welcome.”

Just about a minute spent with her. The words faded, the sound of the wind entered, and the chime layered over it.

“Shall we go back?”

“Yes.”

As we started walking, we passed one of the boys from earlier. Our eyes met, but I bowed lightly. He didn’t respond. That was fine. In front of the classroom, Hiroko-san stopped.

“Sora-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“Back there, you helped me when those boys surrounded me… And you asked, ‘Are you okay?’ I was really happy.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

She gave a small nod. She adjusted her glasses and placed her hand on the door. From inside, Miura-san’s bright voice could be heard.

“Hiro-chan, thanks for the proofreading!”

“I’m coming!”

She turned back and gave a small wave. I raised my hand at the same height. The door opened, and she disappeared into the group. After taking one breath, I began walking down the hallway. Being glared at, playing the bad guy without being asked… None of it mattered much.

I wanted to be close enough to ask “Are you okay?” when she was struggling. That was all I could do right now. She shone with a radiance that rivaled the Three Great Beauties, showing everyone she truly was a heroine. There wasn’t much a mob character like me could do anyway…

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