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~ - 17-18

Chapter 17: The Restless Feeling in the Heart

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Crunch, crunch, crunch!

Amamiya-san, who was eating lunch next to me, was tearing into her convenience-store bread at an unbelievable pace. Normally, I would have admired such a hearty appetite, but today was not one of those times. The atmosphere Amamiya-san gave off was unmistakably foul. She was irritated, far more intensely than I had ever seen before.

If I reacted with admiration or something like that, it felt like she might actually bite me.

“Um… Why are you angry?”

“I’m not angry!”

I asked because I wanted her to calm down, but she snapped back at me in rapid-fire words. No, she was obviously angry, right? But since she herself refused to admit it, there was probably no point pressing her further. She wouldn’t tell me the reason anyway.

This is bad…

Just as I was thinking that, Amamiya-san opened her mouth.

“What was that this morning?”

“You mean walking to school with Hina?”

“…You call her by her first name.”

Amamiya-san’s irritation level jumped up another notch. 

“She’s my childhood friend.”

I had no idea what about calling her by name rubbed her the wrong way, but I hurriedly added as a bit of damage control. Wait, could it be that those two don’t get along? Both Amamiya-san and Hina sat at the top of the social caste, but they belonged to different groups. And I had never once seen the two of them chatting amicably.

Maybe they actually hated each other, and I just didn’t know. If I had walked to school with someone she disliked and she was taking it out on me because of that, then at least it made a kind of sense. If that really was the case, though, I was being hit with an outrageous case of collateral damage.

“So? Why?”

“Honestly, I don’t really get it myself.”

“…Huh?”

At Amamiya-san’s suspicious look, I began explaining my relationship with Hina. That we were childhood friends and used to be close, but various things happened and now she hated me. That for some reason, this morning she suddenly came to wake me up. And that things just kind of flowed from there, and we ended up going to school together. I told her everything I knew, exactly as it was. No secrets. If she understood the situation I was stuck in, maybe she’d sympathize and calm down.

That was what I hoped, but…

“So she’s trying to pick a fight…!”

Amamiya-san did not calm down. If anything, she grew sharper and even started saying dangerous-sounding things. I had tried to improve the situation, but I failed. No, I had made it worse.

Amamiya-san took a huge bite out of the bread in her hand. The image of a carnivorous beast devouring its captured prey flashed vividly through my mind.

“Fine… I’ll bite! If that’s how it’s going to be, then it’s all-out war!”

I had absolutely no idea what she meant by that dangerous declaration, but the uneasy feeling in my chest wouldn’t go away. I had a bad feeling that something big was about to happen.

The next morning.

“Why are you here!? You can just go to school by yourself!”

“You’re one to talk. You should go alone.”

What woke me up was the sound of two girls arguing loudly. Both of those voices were painfully familiar. It was Hina and Amamiya-san.

No, that can’t be right, can it?

Hina aside, Amamiya-san being here this early in the morning made no sense at all.

I must still be half asleep.

Convincing myself of that, I opened my eyes. But it was my assumption that was wrong. Beside my bed, Hina and Amamiya-san were glaring at each other, sparks practically flying between them. I wasn’t dreaming. This utterly impossible scene was a solid, undeniable reality unfolding right in front of me.

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Chapter 18: The Three of Us Going to School Together

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Which one should I deal with first…? Should I start by asking Amamiya-san why she came here? Or should I step in and break up the two of them, who were practically shooting sparks at each other? This was an unexpectedly difficult two-choice problem.

Hey, hey, hey. I have just woken up and my brain isn’t fully working yet. Please don’t make me deal with this kind of thing right now. From the gap in the door, a single hand stretched into the room, swaying back and forth as if to say come here.

That was Mai’s hand. Mai, who was out in the hallway, was beckoning me over. She must be trying to tell me something important. It seemed better to hear her out before taking any action.

Alright. Decision made. I got out of bed and slipped past Amamiya-san and Hina, leaving the room. The two of them were so absorbed in their argument that they didn’t notice my movement at all.

“Who would’ve thought you’d be two-timing… Onii-chan, you’re quite the villain, aren’t you?”

Mai, who had been waiting outside, spoke in the tone of an old-time period-drama bad guy. She looked thoroughly amused, grinning shamelessly.

“What are you even talking about? I’m not even one-timing, let alone two-timing.”

“But no matter how much of a scumbag you become, Mai will never abandon you! You can rest easy!”

“No, listen to what I’m saying…”

Mai had always had a tendency to jump to conclusions. If it weren’t for that, she’d be perfect. It really was such a shame.

“Wait, so you called me out here just to say that?”

“Yes! I wanted to clearly establish Mai’s position!”

I had thought she had something important to tell me, but this was it. Honestly… How ridiculous. I braced my hand against the wall and slumped my head down in exhaustion. Still, there was one good thing. Mai’s face looked bright as ever.

Maybe she had gotten used to the change in Hina’s demeanor since she wasn’t scared like she had been the day before yesterday. That was a good sign. I’d just call it even, the annoyance of being dragged into such a pointless topic balanced out by that. That made it net zero. I nodded slightly. Almost at the exact same moment, the two girls came out of my room.

“What are you dawdling around for, Masaki!? Hurry up and change!”

“Murase-kun, we’re going to school together!”

The two of them advanced on me aggressively, both wearing frightening expressions. I was forced back against the wall, trapped between it and the two girls. I wanted to run, but I couldn’t move. I looked to Mai for help, but she was just grinning. She was clearly enjoying the situation. There was little hope she’d save me.

What would happen if I said anything other than “okay” right now? Just imagining the outcome was terrifying enough. Cold sweat running down my back, all I could do was nod.

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“Hey, how far are you planning to follow us?”

“Obviously all the way to school.”

Even after leaving the house, Hina and Amamiya-san kept bickering as they walked down the school route. And they were doing it with me sandwiched right between them. Being flanked by two beautiful girls was an arrangement any guy would dream of. But right now, I wasn’t happy at all. It was just painfully awkward.

Damn it, this is turning into yesterday all over again.

At this rate, I’d have to go all the way to school while feeling uncomfortable.

“Maybe you two could try getting along a little better… Or something.”

I worked up the courage and spoke. And then what happened? Both sides fell completely silent.

Fuahahahaha! It worked! I celebrated, but only for a moment. Not even a second later, the silence ended, and the two of them started arguing again. It was clearly proven that my comment had absolutely no effect.

Please, just let us get to school already…

I tried, okay? I really did my best! But it didn’t work. There was nothing left for me to do but pray.

That day at lunch break…

The atmosphere around Amamiya-san, who was eating bread next to me, was tense. It seemed her morning irritation hadn’t faded yet. I hesitated to talk to her, but there was something I really wanted to know. I couldn’t chicken out.

“Um, Amamiya-san. Why did you come to my house this morning?”

“There wasn’t any special reason. I just wanted to walk to school with a friend. Wait, why do you look so surprised?”

“…Ah, sorry. I was just happy that a cute girl like you, Amamiya-san, thinks of me as a friend.”

Ever since starting school, I’d been a loner, gloomy introvert. And she had called me her “friend.” On top of that, she was a beautiful girl at the top of the social caste. Of course I’d be happy. I was so moved that I almost felt like crying.

“Say it again.”

“Huh?”

“I mean what you just said. Say it one more time.”

“…Okay. Um, why did you come to my house this morn—”

“Not that. The part after.”

“I was happy that a cute girl like you, Amamiya-san, thinks of me as a friend… Is that good?”

When I said it like she asked, Amamiya-san’s face turned bright red. As if she didn’t want me to see it, she quickly turned her head away. Did I make her mad? But then…

“Here. Take this.”

Without turning back, she held out a melon bread. The tense atmosphere from before had completely disappeared. I thought I’d upset her, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Thank goodness. She was finally back to her usual self. 

Feeling relieved, I accepted the melon bread.

“…Hey, Murase-kun. Are you free tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

Tomorrow was a school holiday, and I didn’t have any particular plans. Amamiya-san turned her face back toward me. Her cheeks were still faintly red, and she looked a little shy.

“Then, um…Would it be okay if I came over to Murase-kun’s place again?”

“Of course!”

If Amamiya-san came over, Mai would definitely be happy. And so would I. I genuinely had a fun time the last time she went over to my place. Just thinking that I might get to experience something like that again made my heart race with excitement.

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