I Was Reincarnated as a Creepy Fat Guy, Then Trained Myself Without Sleep. And Then, for Some Reason, the Heroines Start Approaching Me

One day has passed since that night with Marin, and I was about to leave for school.

“Take care!”

“Yeah, I’m off.”

Mom sent me off to the door with her usual smile without breaking a sweat.

“Itsuki!”

But she called my name, perhaps forgetting to tell me something. I turned back, prompting her to continue with a glance.

“Is school fun?”

“…”

Normally, I’d instantly respond with “super fun,” but today, for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out. After a moment of silence, I cleared my throat and spoke.

“Well, it’s… normal, I guess.”

“Good! You used to not want to go to school! But you used to say that it couldn’t be helped because Gaku and Keisuke were there!”

“Haha… yeah, indeed. Well, I’m off.”

“Yeah!”

With a chuckle, I waved and headed to school.

X X X

School

Entering the class, the usual scene unfolded. The group of Hayama was engaging in stimulating conversations about yesterday’s mixer and the upcoming one, drawing attention.

On the other hand, near my seat, Kanna, Mikami, and Tatsuzaki sighed while glancing at the Hayama group.

Well, stimulating conversations have a considerable impact on those around. Especially for high schoolers.

As soon as they noticed me, they waved and greeted.

“Good morning, Kondo-kun!”

“Yeah, good morning.”

Hearing Mikami’s cheerful voice, I let out a short sigh.

The usual daily life, the usual class, the usual Mikami and Tatsuzaki.

And Kanna, different from usual.

For a moment, she moistened her eyes with a sad expression, but she quickly covered it up with a forced smile and spoke.

“Itsuki, you’re late!”

“Sorry, sorry. Missed the train.”

“…”

After that, the conversation came to a halt.

What topics should I bring up? I couldn’t find any keywords that didn’t feel forced or unnatural.

Until now, conversations flowed effortlessly, and communication with them was smooth. But now, it felt cold, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured.

Mikami and Tatsuzaki alternately glanced at us, tilting their heads.

I thought I could easily bluff my way through with my experience before reincarnation, but facing Kanna, words got stuck.

Unexpectedly, someone came to our rescue.

“Kanna.”

“Shota…”

“There’s something I want to tell you during lunch break. Meet me at the bench in the courtyard after you’ve eaten.”

“Huh?”

Approaching us to finish talking, Hayama bit his lip, glared at me, made a fist, giving off an aura like he’d punch me if our eyes met, then turned back to his seat.

“Unpleasant. Do you really need to go?”

“Yeah, he’s an incredibly rude guy.”

Mikami and Tatsuzaki whispered while looking at Hayama’s back.

Kanna, on the other hand, remained silent, just lowering her head.

X X X

Kanna’s side

Lunch break

Rooftop

Kanna arrived at the bench on the ground where they usually have PE classes. Since this space is also used by students, there are quite a few people around.

Kanna sat on the bench, watching Keisuke while he played soccer with the guys.

“Kanna…”

“What do you want to tell me?”

Without looking at Shota, Kanna coldly inquired, prompting him to say with enthusiasm.

“Talking like this, just the two of us, it’s been a while.”

“It’s not like we didn’t talk at the cafe the other day.”

“W-Well, yeah, but still, it feels like the two of us together is our style.”

“Can I go back to class now?”

“Huh! No, wait! Stay seated.”

“…”

Grabbing Kanna’s arm as she tried to stand up, Shota looked at her, then sighed. Kanna, after glancing at his face, sighed and sat back down.

“Let go of my hand.”

“…”

“I said let go. This is a school, you know.”

“…It’s okay if it’s not at school, right?”

“Don’t make me angry.”

“…….”

Shota reluctantly released Kanna’s hand under her sharp gaze. Then he spoke.

“I’m genuinely worried about you, Kanna. Kondo is getting too comfortable, so I think it’s better to maintain the distance we had before. Associating with that creepy fat guy and his introverted friends will only bring negative influence.”

A servile face, a mouth spewing slander, an accusing attitude.

It would be natural for Kanna’s patience to run out.

“Did you call me here just to say that?”

“Yeah. I’m always worried about you…”

“I came here feeling happy that you might finally apologize to me… for Itsuki.”

“Apologize? Why should I apologize to that jerk?”

“Because of your attitude, Shota, Itsuki ended up with Marin.”

“Did you say something?”

Shota tilted his head, asking Kanna, who was trembling slightly and speaking softly. In response, Kanna casually inquired with a poker face.

“Shota, why do you hate Itsuki so much?”

“Hate him? Well, it’s not like I care about that guy at all…”

“Calling him a creepy fat guy, a jerk, pressuring the whole class not to get close to him… your words and actions are completely contradictory, Shota.”

“That’s… all his fault!”

“What’s his fault?”

In Kanna’s transparent eyes, the blond guy plotting mischief is reflected.

The answer is extremely simple, yet Shota refuses to acknowledge it.

“All his fault because he’s lower than me.”

Kanna sighed deeply, stood up, and began to leave hurriedly.

Surprised by her reaction, Shota called out to her in a fluster.

“K-Kanna! Where are you going!?”

“Back to class.”

“…Hey!”

“……”

Even though Shota tried to stop her, Kanna’s feet didn’t halt.