I’m a Loner, Gloomy Guy Who Accidentally Witnessed the Moment the Top Girl in the Class Got Dumped. I Didn’t Know What to Say to Comfort Her, So I Just Gave Her a Cola and Somehow We Started Having Lunch Together~ - 11-12

Chapter 11: It’s Touching Me, Though

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Before I knew it, it had already gotten pretty late. Since Amamiya-san said she was heading home, I decided to walk her to the station. We walked side by side along the dimly lit road.

“Man, that was seriously fun! It’s been forever since I played games like that, but I had a blast! Thanks so much!”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Mai look that happy. That was thanks to you, Amamiya-san.”

Mai was always bright and energetic, but today she had been in especially high spirits. The reason she was different from usual went without saying. It was because Amamiya-san had been there. Mai was my precious little sister. That was why I was incredibly grateful to Amamiya-san for making her so happy.

“So, um, can I come hang out again sometime?”

“Of course. I still owe you my home cooking, after all.”

“Ohh, impressive, Murase-kun. You actually remembered. Good boy~”

As she walked beside me, Amamiya-san suddenly leaned her body closer. She reached out and started patting my head.

“H-Hey!? That’s embarrassing, so stop it!”

“Ehh, it’s fine. There’s nobody else around.”

She was right. There really wasn’t anyone nearby. But so what? That didn’t make it any less embarrassing.

“Or do you hate it when I do this to you, Murase-kun?”

“It’s not that I hate it or anything like that, but…”

I was a guy, after all. There was no way I’d feel bad about being patted on the head by a beautiful girl like Amamiya-san. But just as strong as that feeling was my embarrassment. Mai would probably be thrilled, but I couldn’t handle it.

“Then there’s no problem, right!”

A big smile spread across Amamiya-san’s lips. I had no idea what she found so fun about patting my head. I really couldn’t understand how extroverts thought.

“But could you move back just a little?”

“Why?”

“Because, um… It’s, you know…It’s  touching me.”

I shifted my gaze downward, toward Amamiya-san’s neck. There, two large, soft things were pressing firmly against my arm. To be honest, I liked it. I even thought maybe I could just not say anything but if she noticed later, she’d probably get seriously mad at me, so I reported it anyway.

Amamiya-san jolted and quickly pulled her body away. Her face turned bright red.

“…Murase-kun, you pervert.”

Whether I should apologize or thank her, I couldn’t decide. I couldn’t find the right words. If I’d had a cola on me, I could’ve handed it to her like last time, but unfortunately my hands were empty. At a loss for words, I looked down in silence. My face, staring at the asphalt, was probably just as red as Amamiya-san’s.

＊＊＊＊＊＊

After seeing Amamiya-san off at the station, I returned home. Letting out a deep sigh, I collapsed heavily onto the living room sofa. Maybe because of the unexpected incident, exhaustion washed over me all at once.

“Noa-san was such a nice person!”

Mai sat down next to me, speaking in a lively voice. She looked up at me with clear, unclouded eyes.

“I think I could trust my big brother to her!”

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

But Mai didn’t answer the question.

“Today was really fun. …It reminded me of when we used to play with Hina-oneechan, and I ended up feeling kind of nostalgic.”

Her voice sounded a little lonely. It was hard to imagine now, but back when we were in elementary school, Hina used to come over to our house all the time, and the three of us would play together. Mai loved Hina and was extremely attached to her, always calling her “Hina-oneechan.”

Maybe she had been overlapping Amamiya-san with Hina in her mind. She probably wanted to see her beloved Hina-oneechan again. She didn’t say it out loud, but that was likely what she was thinking.

But I’m sorry, Mai. My relationship with Hina has already been severed. It has been shattered beyond repair. Hina would never come to this house again.

“…What do you want for dinner?”

“Huh? I’m in charge of cooking this week, though.”

“Just for today.”

As the smallest form of atonement, I decided to cook. That was about all I could do for Mai right now.

“Say whatever you want. I’ll make anything.”

“Really!? Yay!!”

Leaning forward, Mai threw her arms around me with all her strength. The cloudy look she’d had earlier was gone, replaced by a bright, energetic smile.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Chapter 12: Kenzaki Comes for Advice

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

The time I liked most at school was after homeroom ended at the end of the day. The sense of accomplishment that the day was over, the feeling of freedom, and the anticipation of what I would do once I got home. This moment, when I could take in all of that at once, was something I loved beyond words.

While I was savoring that happiness, a male student approached me.

“Hey, do you have some time after this?”

The one who spoke to me was the top guy in the class caste, Touma Kenzaki. There was weight behind his words, an atmosphere that gave me no room to refuse. He was radiating tension, and the composure and refreshing ease that Kenzaki usually carried were nowhere to be found.

I could probably guess why he was like that. Because of the incident the other day, it had become public knowledge that Amamiya-san and I were eating lunch together. Because of that, our classmates had started to see me as “the guy who beat Kenzaki.” It was a completely baseless misunderstanding, but from Kenzaki’s perspective, just the fact that such a rumor existed probably wasn’t amusing.

He was likely planning to rough me up and make me understand my place. If that was the case, then the destination was probably behind the gym. Places with no people around were perfect for violence. I didn’t have any plans, but there was no way I was knowingly walking into that!

“Sorry. I already have plans today.”

“…I see. I actually had something important to talk to you about… Ah, sorry! It’s fine, don’t worry about it!”

His tone was bright, but his face looked extremely disappointed. It felt like he was forcing himself to sound cheerful so I wouldn’t feel bad. Huh? Maybe he hadn’t come to beat me up, and he really did have a serious problem to talk about? Guilt immediately welled up inside me.

“Ah, um… Maybe that plan was actually for tomorrow. So, I’m good!”

Trying to escape that guilt, I hurriedly corrected myself. Just like that, my after-school plans were decided. After leaving school, Kenzaki and I went into a family restaurant. We sat facing each other at a table. I came along on impulse, but maybe I really should’ve refused…

Today was the first time I had ever talked with Kenzaki. And yet here we were, alone together in a family restaurant. It was so awkward I felt like I might die. Regret washed over me, far too late.

“Sorry for calling you out so suddenly.”

“…I-it’s fine. So, what was the thing you wanted to talk about?”

At this point, I might as well get it over with quickly! With that resolve, I cut straight to the main topic. Kenzaki looked a little embarrassed at first, then his expression turned serious.

“I like Yuuki!”

“I see.”

Hina, an overwhelmingly beautiful girl who excelled both academically and athletically, was, naturally, extremely popular. Rumor had it that in the two months since enrollment, she had already been confessed to over a hundred times. So even after hearing Kenzaki’s words, I wasn’t surprised at all. I just thought, “Huh, so you like her too.”

“But why come to me with that?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Smiling, Kenzaki lightly patted my shoulder. The eyes looking straight at me were filled with tremendous trust.

“Murase. It’s because you’re a romance master.”

No, that’s a misunderstanding!

Because of that recent incident, I had ended up being labeled as someone incredibly strong in romance—earning the nickname “romance master.” It couldn’t be further from the truth, but the rumor had completely taken on a life of its own and kept spreading. Lately, it had even reached students from other classes, not just my own.

Every time I passed someone in the hallway, I’d hear whispers like, “Oh, that’s the romance master. You can totally feel his aura.”

What aura? There was no way you could see that. And even if something was coming off me, it’d probably be a gloomy loner aura. And it seemed Kenzaki, sitting right in front of me, was one of the people who had fallen for that misunderstanding. There was no way a gloomy loner like me could be some kind of romance expert.

Anyone who thought about it for a second should’ve realized that, so why…? If anyone deserved the title of romance expert, it wasn’t me. It was Kenzaki. A refreshing, handsome guy who excelled in both academics and sports and could do just about anything. Naturally, someone like that was incredibly popular. Compared to me, he was far more deserving of the title of romance expert.

“And besides, Murase, you and Yuuki are childhood friends, right? I figured you might have some good info.”

“Ah… Sorry, but if that’s what you’re after, it’s pointless. Hina hates me.”

“…Now that you mention it, I’ve never once seen you two talking. …Sorry. I said something that hurt you.”

Kenzaki bowed his head without hesitation. Being able to apologize immediately after recognizing your own fault wasn’t something just anyone could do. Especially when the other person was at the bottom of the class caste. Normally, pride would get in the way. Maybe that straightforward honesty was part of why he was so popular.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Oh, but you might want to bring cream puffs from that sweets shop near the station. They’re Hina’s favorite. …Though that was back in elementary school, so I don’t know if it’ll help you now.”

“No, no, that’s great info! Thanks, Murase! Alright, this one’s on me! Eat whatever you want!”

“…O-okay. Thanks.”

This was the first time we’d talked, but he was a seriously good guy. If I were a girl, I probably would’ve fallen for him just from that exchange. It seemed that the saying “handsome guys are handsome on the inside too” was actually true.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー