I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 67

Chapter 67: Not a Mob Character

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

After parting ways with Akira, my thoughts kept circling around the same place in my head.

“Not a good match.” “She could get anyone she wants.” “She might already be dating someone.”

They were supposed to be nothing more than sounds, but once they pierced me, they wouldn’t come out. Even when I worked up a sweat at the dojo, even after a shower, even when I stared at the ceiling before bed, they surfaced again in sudden flashes.

To be honest, I was scared. I was scared that the distance we had now would break. When I imagined the possibility that the bench soup, the shared scarf, and those quiet moments might never return, my chest tightened. But leaving things as they were felt even worse. Letting myself get swept away by outside voices and giving up on my own was the exact opposite of the confidence I had grabbed during the championship.

During the tournament, the Three Great Beauties had been there, and everyone’s eyes had gathered on them at once. The atmosphere in the venue had buzzed a little. I was just another competitor who happened to win by chance. But the ones the competitors in that venue had truly focused on were the Three Great Beauties and Hiroko-san…

I had thought the time I spent with Hiroko-san was a distance the two of us had built together. And yet I had started assuming on my own that if she got a boyfriend, everything would just be overwritten from the outside with no effort. That was why the word “not a good match,” which I had overheard in the hallway, struck right at my core. It was still stuck there, and I didn’t know how to pull it out.

Did she really get a boyfriend? Every time I thought about confessing, imagining what would happen if I failed made my hands freeze. I didn’t want the time on that bench to disappear. I was scared that she might tell me she couldn’t come anymore because she had gotten a boyfriend. But if things stayed like this, it felt like I would be the one thinning out those moments myself and I hated that even more.

On my way home from the dojo, I decided to take the long route and pass through the park. I thought a walk through the big park might help cool my head. Then I heard the rhythmic sound of a ball hitting the ground. A steady, lively tempo. At the edge of the court, Hino-san was practicing alone. She had a supporter on one leg. She wasn’t running. Within a small two-meter radius, she quietly repeated ball-handling drills and form shots. There was a folding chair set under the hoop.

“Hino-san?”

“Hey, Mukei-kun.”

“How’s your leg?”

“…It’s getting there. Running is still a no-go, but if I don’t touch a basketball, I get anxious. So I’ve started training that doesn’t involve running.”

Up close, her expression looked calmer than before. The initial panic that came with her injury had faded. Her eyes showed someone who had decided what she needed to do.

“You’re strong, Hino-san.”

“Strong? No. I can move because of you, Mukei-kun.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. What you showed me at the karate tournament. Even surrounded by opponents way above your level, you still won.”

Hino-san had come to cheer for me. Something about that must have reached her heart. I scratched my cheek, embarrassed.

“Hey, Mukei-kun. Do me a favor. Practice with me a bit, like before.”

Playing basketball with Hino-san cleared my head.

“Yeah, sure.”

I caught the ball, dribbled a few times, and passed it back. Her rhythm was good. Her landing angle was controlled. She wasn’t overdoing anything. She shot without moving much, and I fetched the rebounds and passed the ball back, supporting her practice. When she made five shots in a row, she took one slightly long pause—still within reason—and her focused expression stayed serious.

“Next, can you pass for mid-range shots?”

“Yeah.”

She didn’t stop. As I picked up the ball, I checked what she was looking at. Hino-san’s straight gaze was fixed only on the rim. Even though the autumn air should have been chilly, the sounds of the park and the heat of practice erased the cold between us entirely. She wasn’t bothered by anything outsiders said. She concentrated on what she needed to do, and after finishing ten shots, she took a drink of water.

“Whew. You looked pretty gloomy earlier. Are you feeling a little clearer now?”

“Huh?”

It seemed she had noticed the fact that I had been stuck circling in my own worries over and over.

“…You noticed?”

“Of course. You know, there’s something like this in basketball too. You know the expression people make when their rhythm is off? It’s really similar to that. The eyes waver. So, what happened?”

There was no point hiding it. Talking around it felt like it would only make me hate myself more, so I told her directly. I repeated the conversation I’d overheard in the hallway—the “not a good match,” the careless “she could get anyone,” and the rumor that “she might already be dating someone.” As I spoke, my throat grew a little hot.

“Hm. That’s kinda unlike you, Mukei-kun.”

“Unlike me?”

“Yeah. You can easily say things that make girls happy, but I thought you were the type who didn’t care about what other people said.”

“I’m not that strong. I know I’m just a mob character in the class.”

“A mob? You?”

Hino-san looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Yeah. I’ve always been the type to sit on the edge of class, keeping my distance from you, Miura-san, and the others. Just quietly joking around with Akira.”

“Hmmm. I don’t really know if that makes someone a ‘mob.’ But if you ask me, you’re definitely not one.”

“Huh?”

She stood and began dribbling, taking two light steps. Then she shot the ball straight into the basket.

“Amazing! Even long shots?”

“That’s what I mean. You praise people honestly. When I was struggling with Kai, you immediately told me it wasn’t my fault. That was a really important thing for me.”

“Did I say that?”

“You did. But I guess it was such a natural thing for you to say that you don’t even remember.”

Hino-san laughed cheerfully and stood right in front of me. Looking up at her, I understood why people called her one of the Three Great Beauties. She really was beautiful.

“So maybe you should just say what you’re feeling to Anno-san. Just let it out.”

“…To Hiroko-san… Yeah. I’ll talk to her properly. I’m scared, but I won’t run.”

Hino-san grinned.

“That’s the spirit. And if it doesn’t work out, I’ll comfort you. We’ll play basketball, and then go eat something good.”

“Something good?”

“You know, as part of teammate mental care expenses. And if you win, you’re treating me instead.”

“What is that? But… Thanks. I think I actually feel better.”

We both laughed, picked up the ball, and I passed it to Hino-san.

“Mukei-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“When Anno-san is with you, I think she looks like she’s stretching herself just a tiny bit. I’ve thought so for a while. So maybe she’s thinking about the same things you are. Good luck.”

Her words pushed gently against my back. I was grateful.

“Thank you.”

“Sure. We’re friends, after all. I should head home soon.”

“Do you want me to walk you?”

“No, I’m good. The area is bright enough once we leave the park anyway.”

“Then at least up to there.”

“Alright. Sounds good to me.”

We walked together through the park and parted ways in a well-lit area. Compared to before I entered the park, the fog in my chest had cleared away.

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