I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 55

Chapter 55: Even When We Talk, You Feel Far Away

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

《Sora Mukei’s POV》

A message arrived first thing in the morning.

『Thank you for helping me during the play. Since we haven’t been able to have lunch together recently, would you like to have lunch together on the bench?』

The polite wording, so typical of Hiroko-san, made me chuckle a little. I replied “Yes” immediately. But the moment I sent it, my mind went completely blank about what to talk about. Up until the culture festival, I could talk to Hiroko-san simply because I liked the atmosphere she gave off. I hadn’t thought about how things started or ended… But what kind of conversations did we even have?

The morning went as usual. Hiroko-san was approached by Miura-san and the others, while I talked with Akira. Then Hino-san came limping in, and Kiritani-san spoke to her. It should have been an ordinary day, and yet I was going to talk with Hiroko-san during lunch break. Just that alone made me nervous and restless.

I headed to the bench surprisingly early, even for myself. With me were a milk carton and a sweet bread I had bought from the convenience store. My fingertips felt a little cold. She came out from behind the school building… At that moment, heat rushed through my whole body. Her walking pace was the same as always, the sway of her lunch bag was the same as always. And that alone made my heart beat faster.

“Sora-kun.”

“Thanks for inviting me.”

“No, I should be thanking you for coming. Here, this is for you.”

“Huh?”

She handed me a small lunch box. It was her own homemade bento.

“You always only eat bread, so I made soup and salad for you!”

“Oh—thank you.”

I hadn’t expected a homemade lunch. Not that kind of surprise. We sat down side by side. When I opened the lunch box, there were two soft-boiled eggs placed on top of the salad. The thermos-style soup bottle held warm consommé.

“It’s really good!”

“I’m glad!”

Sharing the soup bottle between us, we both relaxed a little. Tests had ended, the culture festival was over, and we were about to enter the second half of the semester. She was the one who spoke first.

“Lately, I’ve been asked to proofread the library committee’s bulletin postings more often. Everyone realized that unifying the wording into polite ‘desu-masu’ form makes it easier to read, so they praised me. Also, when we cleaned up the costume room, I made a return-list. An-san and Fuu-san suggested we start counting the number of pins in the pincushion every time.”

Hiroko-san must have been happy that she had made friends. She talked as if she were showing me little treasures, one by one.

“I see. They rely on you now.”

“Yes! …And also, I started sharing Japanese class notes. I just take pictures and upload them to the class group, but for subjects I’m bad at, they teach me.”

Maybe she no longer needed to study with me. She had begun moving within her friend group.

“I’m sure that helps a lot of people. Hiroko-san’s red circles are really easy to understand.”

She nodded and took a small breath. I could tell she was trying her best to keep the conversation going. I could barely manage to respond at the right moments.

“And… Hino-san.”

Her name made me lift my head.

“I saw her today in front of the nurse’s office. Her leg was a little swollen. But she said there were things she could still do even if she was only observing, so she was writing out the menu. She said she increased her morning stretching time, and at night she’s icing more often. She said, ‘I want to be strong when I come back.’”

“…I see.”

She paid close attention to the class. That must have meant her environment had changed a lot. The days she saw were in places I didn’t know.

“Sora-kun, after school you go to the dojo, right?”

Suddenly, the topic was about me, and my heart jumped.

“Yeah. I’m thinking about entering a tournament.”

“O-Oh! I’ll be cheering for you!”

“Thanks.”

Her profile, lit gently by the light, looked a little brighter. I almost said something, but swallowed it.

…Maybe I should have said that I wanted to see her. But for some reason, it felt like I didn’t have the right.

“Um… Recently, people have been talking to me more. It makes me happy, but the intensity increases so suddenly that I’m bad at turning people down. The other day you helped me, and I was really grateful.”

“It wasn’t a big deal. …But if you ever need help again, tell me.”

“Yes.”

Her “yes” sounded close in distance, yet somehow far away. Even though we were talking, it felt like we weren’t looking at the same map. Her everyday life glowed brighter and brighter, and she kept becoming more beautiful. My everyday life was spent between the dojo and the classroom, covered in sweat and paper. Neither of us was wrong, yet the overlap in our time felt small.

“…Are things going well with Miura-san and the others?”

“Yes. Yua-san told me: sleep, hydration, and sunlight.”

“Sleep, hydration, sunlight?”

“Yes! She said they’re the secrets to beauty!”

“I see.”

She looked down slightly, her ears turning red.

“How about you, Sora-kun?”

“My days haven’t changed much, I guess. But Hiroko-san is growing a lot.”

“Eh?”

“The old Hiroko-san struggled to talk to people. She didn’t seem very confident, and she was learning how to read and take care of herself.”

“Do you think it’s strange?”

“No. I think it’s wonderful that you made friends with Miura-san and the others, and that you’re becoming brighter and more beautiful. It’s amazing.”

I genuinely respected her.

“Ah—thank you. That’s kind of embarrassing.”

Her shy expression, the sparkle in her eyes behind her glasses, it all made her seem like she was moving farther and farther away.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー