I Was Reincarnated as a Creepy Fat Guy, Then Trained Myself Without Sleep. And Then, for Some Reason, the Heroines Start Approaching Me - Chapter 71: Changing Friends. And Anxiety and Change of Mood

School’s Hidden Spot

Me, Manabu and Keisuke were sitting on a rusted bench in the school’s backyard, a hidden spot. At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary scene, but the crucial lid of our lunch boxes was still unopened.

Yes.

We had someone with us.

Perhaps those guys were quite nervous. As I directed my curious gaze at Manabu on the right and Keisuke on the left,

Surprisingly, both of them seemed a bit fidgety.

Oh…

Had they developed resistance to women? Or was it just a bluff? Thinking about such trivial matters, three girls who stood out in our exclusive space came over.

“Itsuki~ Sorry for making you wait!”

Led by Kanna, beside her were Mikami, who seemed to be fujoshi, and Tatsuzaki, who had consistently topped the class rankings, walking towards us.

So, I stood up from the bench and waved to welcome them.

“We just arrived too.”

Relieved to hear my words, the three of them each sighed in relief and smiled. All three of them, with a curious look, scanned this hidden spot and brightened up. Tatsuzaki spread the picnic sheet she brought for the excursion in front of the bench and gently tapped it with her hands.

Last time, when we had lunch together in the cafeteria with the same group, Manabu and Keisuke didn’t communicate well.

So, I made sure to lead properly…

“Thank you! Yumi!”

“!!!!”

Wha-what!?

Did Manabu just call Tatsuzaki by her name!?

If I were eating at that moment, I probably would have spewed out everything in my mouth. Well, let’s skip that analogy because it’s dirty.

In any case, I stood there dumbfounded by the unbelievable scene, and Mikami opened her mouth with a smirk.

“Kondo-kun, your face looks amazing.”

“Oh, yeah. Because it’s amazing.”

“Huh? What?”

While everyone else was sitting on the sheet Tatsuzaki laid out, I was the only one standing, just alternately looking at Manabu and Tatsuzaki.

“Hmm…”

As I stood there in response, Kanna also put her hand to her chin, lost in thought. There was only one conceivable cause.

“Manabu… did you become friends with Tatsuzaki?”

“Hmm… I don’t know if we’re friends, but… we occasionally drink tea together at a cafe, so it’s not bad, I guess.”

“Oh…”

As Kanna and I looked at Manabu with curiosity, Mikami interjected.

“By the way, Hosokawa-kun and I are also together! We always gather as four!”

“Arisa… is that true!?”

“It’s true!” 

Seeing Kanna’s surprised expression, it seems that these four have probably been building a connection without us knowing.

“Why didn’t you tell me? If you had told me, I could have given you a piece of advice or two… well, I was so eager to support Manabu that I could have given him 10,000 pieces of advice…”

But now, I shouldn’t worry about such things.

If I were to mutter something like, “You, who only have interest in 2D girls, are finally getting into reality…” here, it might become an act trampling on Manabu’s dignity.

So, I slowly sat on the picnic sheet, grabbed Manabu’s shoulder firmly with one hand, and with the other hand free, I gave him a thumbs up, saying,

“Forget everything past me told you. You are shining the brightest right now…”

“Hey, Itsuki… What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? It’s creepy.”

Even though my earnest words were in vain, Manabu gave me a look like, “Huh? What’s this guy saying?”

He seemed a bit hurt, but Tatsuzaki explained while opening the lunch box.

“Manabu-kun and Shizukawa-san, we get along well with them, so we go to cafes after school and talk about various things.”

After finishing her explanation, Tatsuzaki slightly lifted the corners of her mouth and smiled faintly. Her brown hair and distinctive eyes and well-shaped features enhanced her charm, making me feel like the highest-ranking individuals couldn’t step into her space for a reason.

“Yeah, yeah! Hosokawa-kun is super smart, just like Yumi! Also, Shizukawa-kun likes books, so he recommends interesting novels! Shizukawa-kun, you should definitely read a BL novel or two…”

“Arisa, shut up.”

“Y-yeah…”

“Oh…  Mikami, are you trying to make Keisuke read BL books…”

As I glared at Mikami with a sharp look, Kanna spoke with a lonely expression.

“It would be nice if you had told me… If I had the time, I would definitely join with this group.”

Upon hearing Kanna’s words, Tatsuzaki directed a sharp gaze and calmly smiled before responding.

“Well Kanna, since you are always with Kondo-san, you might not have time to be with us, right?”

“”!!!””

We were surprised.

With an expression as if she could see through our relationship, Tatsuzaki’s words left us wide-eyed, and we stared at each other. Then, both Kanna and I glanced at the four’s expressions.

Surprisingly, none of them seemed angry.

Keisuke, in a hushed voice, delivered the final blow.

“Itsuki-kun and Kanzaki-san… are dating.”

“…”

So, it was exposed after all.

It seems this world doesn’t particularly favor keeping secrets.

My relationship with Tamaki-san, Kanna finding out about Tamaki-san, revealing my relationship with Kanna to Marin, and now, everyone here finding out about my relationship with her.

“What kind of incident awaits me next…”

I really don’t want to think about it too much.

We awkwardly smiled and averted our gazes. Taking this as an affirmation, Manabu firmly grabbed my shoulder, gave a thumbs up with his free hand, and then spoke.

“Itsuki, you’re being evasive. It’s fine even if you end up with one or two girlfriends; we won’t get mad.”

“R-right.”

For some reason, Manabu’s smug face was annoying, but strangely, it gave a sense of relief. Trying to hide my complicated feelings with a wry smile, I turned my gaze towards Kanna.

“Hosokawa-kun… there’s no need for two of them, right?”

“Huh!! Uh, yeah… r-r-re-re-retracting my previous statement.”

Manabu, who had confidently spoken earlier, hid behind my back, looking quite scared, just like in the old days.

His self-assured demeanor, which had grabbed my shoulder with a creepy triumphant look, seemed to have turned into mere froth.

Well, facing that sharp gaze from those blue eyes…

As I chuckled awkwardly, Mikami opened her mouth with a frustrated expression.

“Hey, let’s eat already! I’m hungry!”

“Oh, yeah… right.”

In my mind, I shouted, “Nice timing, Mikami!” but to my disappointment, Mika’s expression changed unexpectedly.

“Since we have a big group, how about attacking… whose bento should I go for? Oh! Being snatched might be interesting too… which means receiving! But, it’s also fine for these handsome guys to share the dishes amicably! What lies beyond the passionate friendship of these men… haha! Just thinking about it gives me shivers…”

Kanna, is it really okay for you to be with this person?

Well, I know she’s not a bad person.

With that, I opened the lunch box and started eating. Then, in this hidden spot, only the pleasant sound of six people chewing began to echo.

Along the way, the three women expressed their satisfaction, saying they didn’t know such a place existed and that they wanted to eat together in the future.

Before the morning bell rang, chatting with Kanna and others in class naturally led to the decision to eat together again. I’m truly grateful that Manabu and Keisuke came along without complaining.

Moreover, even after learning about Kanna and me being in a relationship, they didn’t interrogate us, ask too many questions, and maturely handled the situation. I genuinely feel happy about it.

Also, excluding Keisuke, who was always hard to read, it’s clear that Manabu is growing.

It’s both lonely and heartwarming.

Perhaps Manabu also feels the same way towards me.

X X X

We spent a heartwarming time, but complacency is the greatest enemy. After all, my class is occupied by the troublesome Hayama group.

I felt relieved seeing him, who always sent filthy, disdainful glares my way.

If he knew that Kanna and I are in a relationship, he wouldn’t make such expressions.

So, all the more,

I’m concerned about Marin.

There’s a considerable possibility that Marin, being the brother of Hayama, might hint at our relationship.

With such anxiety in mind, Kanna and I headed to the Kanzaki household after school without being noticed by everyone at school.

When we opened the door, Tamaki-san greeted us.

“Welcome, both of you!”

Tamaki-san, adorned in a beige-themed party dress.

Recently, thanks to various guidance from me, her body seemed even more charming, as if she had become younger. I unintentionally let out a sigh.

Unaware of my feelings, Kanna smiled and spoke.

“We’re back! That dress looks great!”

“Fufu, Kanna, go change quickly too.”

“Yeah!”

With an energetic response, Kanna took off her shoes and immediately ran towards her room.

Now, we were alone.

Tamaki-san glared at me, seemingly dissatisfied, with her arms crossed.

“Geeeee…”

“……”

“Geeeee….”

“…”

“Geeeee….”

“Tamaki-san, it suits you so well.”

“Hmm~ But it feels like the reaction is slow.”

“…”

She turned her face away from me, pouting.

She’s so cute that, if it weren’t for the situation, I wouldn’t mind showing my love to her right here and now. However, I calmed myself down for a moment before speaking slowly.

“It really suits you. Tamaki-san, you’re beautiful, so I’m not lying.”

“!!!!”

Even without a physical relationship, there were various ways to make a woman happy.

Especially when those means involve truthful and heartfelt words.

I’ve come to learn that recently from this mother and daughter.

“Fufu, Itsuki, I’ve prepared a nice suit for you. It’s in my room.”

“Yes!”

Saying that, I headed towards her room.

The reason we’re dressing up in fashionable clothes is none other than…

…because we need a little change of mood.