I Reincarnated as the Villain of an NTR Game, But I Don't Want to Make the Main Heroine Unhappy so I'll Live Earnestly - Chapter 137

It was Monday during lunchtime.

Since today was the day of the girls’ tennis club meeting, I didn’t have lunch with Kuzuhara-kun. Instead, I headed to the tennis club’s room.

“Okay, that’s it for today’s tennis club meeting. Good job, everyone!”

“Good job, everyone!”

With the vice-captain’s command, today’s meeting ended. My classmate and friend, Yukina Yuki, who was sitting next to me, started talking to me.

“Saeki, good job. Let’s quickly eat lunch now.”

“Yeah, right. We should eat quickly before afternoon classes start.”

This morning, Yukina and I had agreed to have lunch together in the clubroom, so we took out our lunch boxes and started eating while chatting happily.

“Oh, right. By the way, Saeki, I’ve heard you’ve been getting along well with Kuzuhara-kun recently?”

“Huh? Ah, um… well, yeah. I think we’re getting along pretty well, but… why are you asking all of a sudden?”

Yukina suddenly brought up Kuzuhara-kun, making me a little flustered. I asked her what she meant by that.

“Oh, so it’s true? Lately, rumors about you and Kuzuhara-kun have been spreading among the girls. I heard a rumor that you two were studying together in the library not long ago. Is that true?”

“Ah, uh, yeah… Well, it’s true that I studied with Kuzuhara-kun at the library during the midterm exams…”

“Really? I see, I see… Haha, looks like something fun is happening without me knowing.”

“Ugh… I-I don’t know about that…”

Apparently, Yukina had heard rumors about Kuzuhara-kun and me studying together in the library. I felt a bit embarrassed and turned away.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed! Getting along with a classmate is a good thing, right? Haha, but I’m a little jealous. I’d love to have a study session alone with a cool guy like Kuzuhara-kun.”

“…What? C-Cool… What’s this all of a sudden?”

Yukina laughed as she said something with a deeper meaning. I was a bit surprised and asked her what she meant by that.

“Well, you know, Kuzuhara-kun used to be that scary guy with bleached hair and piercings everywhere… But now, he’s dyed his hair black, and he’s become a handsome, nice young man, right? So, he’s pretty popular with the girls now.”

“Wait… What? Seriously!?”

According to Yukina, Kuzuhara-kun’s popularity skyrocketed after he dyed his hair black. I was surprised to hear that he was highly regarded among the girls.

“Yeah, that’s right! And rumor has it that lately, he’s been helping out the juniors pretty often too. Being kind to the juniors is definitely one of his appealing points!”

“Wow… I see.”

Yukina seemed to be enjoying herself as she talked about it. I was a bit surprised by how much Kuzuhara-kun’s popularity had grown, but still…

(Yeah, that makes sense… After all, Kuzuhara-kun is a kind and charming guy…)

Listening to Yukina’s story made me realize that again.

I already knew that Kuzuhara-kun was kind, and unlike before, he’s become a much more serious person. I think he’s truly become a kind and wonderful guy.

So, I think it’s great that people’s perceptions of Kuzuhara-kun are changing for the better. But…

(It’s great, but… I feel a little lonely for some reason…)

While I was happy, a small feeling of loneliness sprouted in my heart. But why was I feeling lonely…?

“Oh, right! There are a few girls in my class who want to know Kuzuhara-kun’s LIME (messaging app). Could you be the go-between and ask him?”

“…What? No, that’s…”

Yukina suddenly asked me to help connect the girls with Kuzuhara-kun by sharing his contact information.

“Why are you looking so down, Saeki…? Wait, could it be… Do you like Kuzuhara-kun?”

“Wha… Huh!? N-No, that’s…!”

“Haha, so that’s how it is! Okay, then I won’t ask you for that favor. I’ll tell my friends to give up on Kuzuhara-kun!”

“Wait! Yukina, what are you talking about? I haven’t said anything like that…”

“Haha, you don’t need to say anything. Your face is turning super red!”

“What…!? It’s hot!”

When Yukina pointed it out, I touched my cheeks, realizing they were burning up.

I could easily imagine how red my face must have looked if I saw myself in a mirror.

“Haha, your face is so red… You must really like Kuzuhara-kun, huh?”

“What!? N-No, it’s just that, um… Honestly, I’m not sure…”

“Not sure? What do you mean?”

Even though I was at a loss for words, I told Yukina how I truly felt. She looked at me curiously and asked.

“Well, I mean… It’s true that I’m really close with Kuzuhara-kun as a friend. That’s for sure. But it’s just that… I’m not sure if this feeling is something stronger, like wanting him to be my boyfriend…”

I spoke to Yukina while blushing. After all, I had never dated a boy before…

So, I couldn’t tell if the excitement I felt around Kuzuhara-kun was just friendly affection or if it meant I wanted to date him.

(And besides…)

To be honest… I always thought I had feelings for Hiro, my childhood friend, ever since I was little. But I had never felt this excited around him.

So, I wasn’t sure what this excitement I felt around Kuzuhara-kun, something I had never experienced with Hiro, actually meant.

“I see… I guess it’s hard to tell if your feelings are just friendly or something more, huh? But you don’t need to rush. Just take your time and figure it out.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll take my time thinking about it. Thanks for the advice, Yukina.”

“Haha, no problem at all! If anything comes up, feel free to talk to me anytime. I’ll always be there to help you out, Saeki!”

“Yeah, thank you so much.”

And so, we continued chatting about various things while eating our lunch.