I Just Wanted a Peaceful Life After Transferring, but I Fell into a Rom-Com Trap and a Hidden Battlefield No One Knows About

Chapter 44: A Class Trip Full of Classmates

“Huh? Isn’t that Misaki-kun?”

While I was at the takoyaki stand with Umika, a familiar voice suddenly reached my ears.

I instinctively looked up, and on the other side of the stall, I saw two boys buying ice cream—one with red hair wearing sunglasses and the other with blue hair.

I knew them well. The blue-haired boy was our class representative, Kiritani Yamato, and the red-haired boy was his best friend, Sugita Satoru.

Of course, Sugita was also a classmate, and he and Kiritani were as close as brothers.

Incidentally, they were also the president and vice president of the school’s photography club… Well, I could understand why Kiritani was the president, but Sugita being the vice president? What the hell? Was it just connections?

“Misaki-kun, what a coincidence running into you here.”

Kiritani approached me and greeted me.

“Yeah… what a coincidence.”

Why the hell were these two here too? Was this place some kind of tourist hotspot for summer break? First Asakawa, and now Kiritani…

“Onii-chan, who’s this?”

Umika, holding her takoyaki, walked up beside me and gave Kiritani a puzzled look.

“He’s our class rep.”

“Yo, nice to meet you! I’m Kiritani Yama— wait a second… You’re that super popular— No way! Am I really seeing this!?”

Kiritani stared at Umika, his face filled with shock.

“No need to be that surprised. She’s a famous idol, but she’s still a person.”

“I mean, yeah, but still! This is unreal. I feel like I’m dreaming.”

He took a deep breath, clearly overwhelmed. But honestly, I was used to this reaction by now. Hardly anyone saw Umika and didn’t get surprised.

At least his response was on the calmer side. Some people, mostly girls, would start screaming out of excitement.

“Well… anyway, as you can see.”

“Incredible… I can’t believe I actually met Chise-san in real life. And she’s your sister!?”

“Haha… H-Hello…”

Umika let out an awkward laugh and greeted him back, to which Kiritani responded immediately.

“Hey there!”

“Oi, Yamato! Why’d you wander off? Hurry up and pay for the ice cream.”

Sugita, who had been licking his cone, walked over. Wait… was he trying to make Kiritani pay for him?

“We can talk about that later. Misaki-kun’s here.”

“No, seriously, don’t mind me…”

“Oh! Misaki, huh? What are you doing here? I thought you’d just be lazing around at home all summer.”

“…Hah? What kind of assumption is that?”

I mean, he wasn’t wrong, but hearing it so bluntly pissed me off. It felt like I was being bullied…

“C’mon, everyone knows it! Misaki-kun is gloomy, lazy, always—”

“Oi, Satoru! Quit it!”

The moment Sugita started talking, Kiritani cut him off and quickly turned to me with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, Misaki-kun. Don’t mind him. He’s always like this.”

“Well… whatever.”

I’d already heard worse from Tsunekawa, and it wasn’t like he was completely wrong… But seriously, was my reputation really that bad?

“Onii-chan, who’s this?”

“Oh, he’s another classmate of mine.”

“Yo! That’s right. I’m Misaki-kun’s best friend, Sugita Satoru! Nice to mee— huh? Wait a sec… aren’t you that popular idol!?”

Sugita’s eyes widened, mirroring Kiritani’s earlier reaction.

“She’s Misaki-kun’s little sister.”

Kiritani explained, and as soon as Sugita realized Umika was my sister, his demeanor completely changed.

“I see… So that’s how it is. This must be fate! Nice to meet you again. Like I said, I’m Sugita Satoru. I’m truly honored to meet you.”

…What the hell?

One second, he’s acting like a total idiot, and the next, he’s suddenly putting on this mature, gentlemanly act? This guy was the worst.

He’d always mess around when talking to guys, but when it came to girls, he’d act all suave and charming. That was Sugita for you—a total fake. No wonder he was so popular with the girls.

Honestly, I couldn’t stand him.

“U-Um… just call me Umika. ‘Chise’ is just a stage name… It feels kinda weird.”

“Ohh! Got it! I love singing too, so if there’s ever a chance, let’s talk about it sometime. Since I’m your brother’s best friend, you don’t have to hold back!”

Sugita casually placed a hand on Umika’s shoulder. She immediately shot me a look, silently pleading for help.

The hell do you think you’re doing? Don’t touch my sister!

“Hey! Hands off my sister!”

I raised my voice and shoved his hand away from Umika’s shoulder. She quickly hid behind me.

“Satoru, that was rude! You scared Umika. Apologize!”

Kiritani scolded him, and Sugita quickly bowed his head, apologizing to Umika. Kiritani then turned to me again with another apology.

“Sorry about that, Misaki-kun…”

“D-Don’t worry about it… Just be more careful next time.”

I waved my hand, pretending I didn’t mind, but in truth, I was just saving Kiritani’s face. Otherwise, there was no way I’d ever accept Sugita’s apology.

People who always put on a false front, hiding their true intentions—those are the ones I fear the most in this world.

“By the way, Misaki-kun, did you also come here with a pair ticket?”

“Yeah, but I got mine from Sasaki-sensei.”

“Sasaki-sensei? That means… she’s here too?”

“That’s right. Not just her—Tsunekawa from our class, Nakano and Satohama from Class E… Oh, and Sensei’s little sister as well.”

“I see… So it’s just a coincidence, huh? Looks like a lot of people in our class got their hands on these tickets.”

Kiritani let out a deep sigh.

What’s he trying to say? Could it be that even more classmates are here…?

“What do you mean by ‘a lot’?”

“Well… actually…”

Kiritani pointed towards a blue parasol a short distance away.

“Ayase and Reiko are here too. They got in with these tickets as well. They’re over there talking right now.”

“Ayase and Reiko? Wait… You don’t mean Takanashi Ayase and Tsukishima Reiko!?”

“Yeah, those two.”

No way… Those two are here too? Tsukishima alone would have been fine, but Takanashi as well…

For the record, those two are also my classmates and members of the Magic Club. Seems like they get along well with Kiritani and Sugita.

Takanashi Ayase—she’s got a vicious mouth. If Tsunekawa occasionally throws annoying remarks my way, then Takanashi’s words are on an entirely different level. She wouldn’t just make me feel bad—she’d verbally annihilate me before I even had the chance to complain.

We hardly ever interact, but I still remember how she tore me apart during my first day at this school, when I messed up my self-introduction out of sheer nervousness.

“U-Uh… Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Misaki Nagisa, a transfer student from the DEATH District, just as Sasaki-sensei mentioned. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to listen to my introduction. Uh… um…”

“If you can’t even handle a self-introduction properly, don’t embarrass yourself up there. You look like a shy nerd, but in reality, your head is probably filled with nothing but dirty thoughts, huh? Total creep.”

…Yeah. It went something like that.

I mean, seriously? That was our first conversation, and she went straight for the jugular. That was downright brutal!

And creep? Creep!? Where the hell did she get that idea!? What a rude, foul-mouthed woman!

Sasaki-sensei scolded her afterward, but the psychological damage she inflicted still lingers to this day.

That’s why she terrifies me. And I hate her.

I’ll admit, she’s not bad-looking—she even has this mature, alluring beauty to her. But her razor-sharp tongue completely cancels out any appeal. No misunderstandings, please. I have zero intention of getting anywhere near her.

Now, her best friend—Tsukishima Reiko—is the exact opposite.

She’s articulate, cheerful, and doesn’t seem to care about other people’s opinions. In a way, you could call her and Takanashi a match made in heaven, their personalities complementing each other perfectly.

On top of that, Reiko loves gossip. She’s got an ear for every rumor floating around and digs into them relentlessly. That’s why people call her the Gossip Girl.

Unlike Takanashi’s mature beauty, Reiko gives off the vibe of an energetic, playful girl. Honestly, rather than best friends, their relationship feels more like an exasperated mother trying to keep up with her mischievous daughter.

“…Well, that’s quite the coincidence.”

“If Sasaki-sensei’s here too, we were actually planning to have a barbecue. How about we all do it together?”

Kiritani assessed the situation before making his suggestion.

Why do the numbers keep increasing? I really don’t want to have a meal with Takanashi…

“Kiritani? Sugita? You two are here too?”

Suddenly, I heard Sasaki-sensei’s voice from beside me.

H-Hey… When did she get back!? That startled me—I didn’t even notice her approach.

“Oh, Sensei!”

“You guys came too?”

“Yeah, and Reiko and Ayase are with us.”

“Perfect timing, then. We were just about to start our barbecue. Want to join us?”

“Huh? We were actually planning the same thing! In that case, I’ll go call those two over, so Satoru, you go ahead with Sensei first.”