I Was a Loner Who Tried Finding an Otaku Friend on a Matching App and Ended Up Matching with the Number-One Beauty Who Won the University Miss Contest

Chapter 10: It’s Precisely Because I Became Friends with the Opposite Sex That the Rom-Com Truly Begins

“Akito-kun, I wonder if you’ll keep using dating apps in the future?”

Hearing the question from Yui-san made me think about it for the first time.

I had honestly never even considered whether I would continue using the matching app or not.
To begin with, I only started this because Tamura-senpai asked me to… I never in a million years imagined I would match with the famous girl who won first place and the grand prize in the Miss Contest.

But my wish—to make a friend who likes light novels—had already come true.

So there was no longer any reason for me to keep using the matching app… was that it?

“Yeah… I think I’m going to quit. After all, I already have Yui-san now.”

“…!”

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“…N-nothing? I mean, from your perspective, Akito-kun, once you’ve matched with such a beautiful older sister like me, the other girls probably don’t even matter anymore, right~?”

No, it’s not about beauty or anything like that. I’m quitting because I made a light novel friend…
Does this person even realize how astronomically low the chances are of finding a girl who likes light novels while searching for light novel friends through matching apps in the first place?

Yui-san has this weird habit of being overly confident in the strangest places, yet at the same time she’s full of contradictions. She really gives off that hopeless-but-charming big-sister vibe…

“What about you, Yui-san? Do you want to find more light novel friends besides me?”

“Hmm… since my identity already got exposed to you, Akito-kun, I think I’m too scared to continue anymore.”

“Oh, really?”

I figured someone with Yui-san’s sunny extroverted personality might switch to searching for female light novel friends this time… but apparently the incident with me made her afraid of having her Miss Contest winner status exposed again.

“Besides, if it’s a kind junior like you, Akito-kun, I don’t mind if you find out. But if I accidentally match with some evil guy… he might use this secret to blackmail me and force me to do… you know… all those kinds of things that happen in ‘Opasui’…”

“…!”

Th-the kinds of things that happen in Opasui…!?

Just imagining Yui-san being put through something like that made my head… ugh…!

“Ah, Akito-kun, you just thought of something perverted, didn’t you?”

“You’re the one who made me think of it!!”

When I shot back, Yui-san burst into loud giggles.

“Sigh… please stop making me imagine brain-destroying developments like that, even as a joke.”

“Sor~ry. But you know… you’re actually worried about me, aren’t you, Akito-kun? Even though we’ve only just met recently.”

“Of course I am! You’re ridiculously cute, you have an amazing figure, and you’re more beautiful than anyone else—please be careful!”

“Eh… uh… u-un…”

“What’s with that reaction?”

“No, it’s just… you’re praising me way too much…”

“Huh? Why?”

I was only stating facts…

For some reason I didn’t understand, Yui-san’s cheeks turned bright red and she pouted her lips out sharply.

☆☆

After the light novel exchange meet-up at the café ended and we left the shop, Yui-san immediately started walking toward the station.

“See you later, Akito-kun?”

“Ah, yes. See you.”

So Yui-san commutes here by train, huh.
I still haven’t asked anything private like where she lives, of course.

“Ah! From now on, whenever I spot you at university, I’ll come say hi, okay~”

“Yeah, yeah… wait, WHAT!?”

W-wait—Yui-san is going to talk to me… at university…!?

Oh no. Oh no no no.

If that actually happens, every other guy at school is definitely going to glare at me with pure jealousy…!!

But if I told her to please not talk to me, that would be awful to Yui-san… and above all, that wouldn’t be what a friend does.

“Th-this… this is going to turn into something huge.”

While staring at Yui-san’s dazzling back as she walked away, I had the strong feeling that my university life—which had always stayed safely in the shadows—was about to change 180 degrees.

—

Chapter 11: Miss Contest Queen’s Scandal!?

After chatting with Amane-san at the café and finally becoming light novel friends with her, I felt genuinely happy.

Even after I got home, I couldn’t help grinning like an idiot, which wasn’t really like me.

My very first light novel friend.

Back in high school I had a few safe, friendly classmates, but our tastes were all over the place.

So having a hobby friend I could share and geek out over the same things with felt really precious—especially when that friend was the Miss Contest number-one grand-prix winner, Yui Amane.

It was almost like one miracle was calling another miracle into existence.

I wanted to treasure my relationship with Amane-san from now on.

“Right…… let’s read volume 4 of TS Milk that Amane-san lent me.”

I wanted to finish it quickly so I could share my thoughts with her.

I lay down on the bed and opened the fourth volume of TS Milk that Amane-san had lent me.

Then……

“Hm…… this.”

A faint, sweet scent drifted out from between the pages.

This has to be Amane-san’s perfume……

Oh no…… Forget about whatever TS Milk is about—every time I read more, her scent surrounds me and I can’t concentrate at all.

“No, why is it like this! Focus, me!”

Well, it’s pretty much all erotic scenes anyway, so maybe it’s not the kind of work that really demands deep concentration……

Page after page, wrapped in Amane-san’s fragrance, my turbulent day finally came to an end and the night grew deeper.

☆☆

—The next morning.

The new week began, and as usual I attended lectures at university.

Monday starts with first period, which honestly I hate.

Amane-san had said she would talk to me if she spotted me, so I decided to spend my campus life staying a bit on guard.

But when I actually thought about it, the only lecture we shared was the Tuesday fifth-period Man’yōshū class in the large lecture hall.

She’s one year above me, plus she’s in the literature department while I’m in economics, so even though we’re on the same campus, our schedules rarely overlap.

Probably just that one Man’yōshū lecture on Tuesdays.

After first period ended, I walked over to the vending machines, bought a can of coffee, and sat on a bench since I had time before third period.

The familiar kashh sound opened the can, and the aroma of black coffee spread around me.

“Well, if our lectures don’t overlap, there’s no problem. This is way more peaceful than I expected—”

Yes, I really thought it would be peaceful…… right up until that moment.

“—Ah! Hey! Akito-kun!”

While I was lost in thought in the hallway on my way to the next classroom, a voice suddenly called from behind me, accompanied by slightly loud footsteps.

N-no way……!?

“Good morning! I’m impressed you’re properly attending class from first period.”

「……Haa, Amane-san.”

I held my head in my hands and quickly glanced around.

“Hey, did you hear that guy just now?”

“Did you catch it?”

“Yeah, didn’t she call him by his first name?”

“Amane Yui’s boyfriend or something?”

Just from this one action of Amane-san’s, the entire university hallway instantly buzzed.

As expected, with posters of her plastered everywhere, she really does have idol-level popularity.

But seriously, this person…… she has no idea how much influence she actually has……!

“Come on, just come with me for a sec!”