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~ - 23-24

Chapter 23: Yankee, Change Form!

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I left the school with Takashiro-san and went into a nearby family restaurant. We sat facing each other at a table.

“P-please take your time.”

The voice of the server, who set down glasses of water, was trembling badly. That was hardly surprising. Takashiro-san was currently radiating an abnormal aura of irritation. Being exposed to that head-on, I was of course shaking too. It felt like having the tip of a knife pointed straight at me. If I could, I wanted to run away from this place immediately.

F-for now, I should drink some water and calm down.

With a trembling hand, I gripped the glass and poured the water into my mouth. And then…

“Hey, Murase.”

“—!”

Startled by being suddenly addressed, I nearly spat the water out. But if I did that, splashing Takashiro-san was inevitable. If that happened, it would be the end for me. I worked the muscles in my cheeks at full throttle, desperately holding it in. With my face bright red, I somehow managed to swallow the water.

Th-that was close…!

Takashiro-san, unaware of my struggle, continued speaking without a care.

“Are you two-timing or what?”

She spoke in a low, menacing voice and glared straight at me.

“Noa and Hina are my precious friends. If that’s true, there’s no way I’m letting you off.”

Amamiya-san and Hina each belonged to different groups. And coincidentally, Takashiro-san belonged to both of those groups. In short, she was a mutual friend of Amamiya-san and Hina. Thinking her friends were being played by me, she must have come to confront me. That was probably why she had been glaring at me lately, too.

Well, it was all a misunderstanding, though….

Thanks to the guys in class, a completely baseless rumor that I was two-timing had spread. Takashiro-san had probably taken that rumor at face value. From my perspective, I was entirely caught in the crossfire. It was a real nuisance.

“That’s a misunderstanding.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not two-timing, and I’m not even dating either of them in the first place.”

“Then why have you been coming to school together with them every morning lately?”

“They just show up at my house on their own. I don’t know why, though…”

Ever since the first day the three of us went to school together, Amamiya-san and Hina had started coming to my house every morning. When I asked why, they both just said, “We decided to fight,” and left it at that. It was way too vague. I wanted a proper explanation.

“That’s the truth, right?”

“Yeah.”

I looked straight into Takashiro-san’s green eyes as I answered. I had nothing to hide, so I could be completely straightforward.

“…Doesn’t look like you’re lying.”

Maybe my honest attitude helped, because she believed me. And just like that, the suspicion that I was two-timing was cleared. I probably wouldn’t get glared at anymore from now on. Case closed. All’s well that ends well.

“Well then, I’ll be heading out.”

I stood up from my seat, but…

“Hold it. We’re not done talking yet. Sit back down.”

What flew out of Takashiro-san’s mouth was a voice packed with intense pressure. It left no room for argument.

“…Yes.”

I answered quietly and sat back down. She was scary, so I had no choice but to obey her. This was exactly why I hated delinquents.

“You’re pretty close with Kenzaki, right?”

“Well… Yeah.”

He was the one who unilaterally misunderstood things and came to me for love advice, but we did talk often. Whether that counted as being “close” was debatable, but to someone who didn’t know the details, it probably looked that way.

“U-um, hey…”

Takashiro-san’s face suddenly turned red. The sharp edges of her intimidating presence melted away, and she abruptly became demure. And more than that…

She started poking her index fingers together with both hands. As I stood there bewildered by the drastic change, Takashiro-san shyly averted her gaze.

“Does he… You know, have a girlfriend or anything?”

Standing there was no longer a terrifying delinquent, but a bashful maiden. Before I knew it, she had completely changed forms into something else entirely.

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Chapter 24: The Gyaru Yankee Girl’s Love Consultation

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Overwhelmed by confusion, I couldn’t say anything. I never imagined the atmosphere could change this much. She looked like a completely different person. As I stood frozen, I realized Takashiro-san was staring straight at me. She seemed to be waiting for my answer, so I continued the conversation.

“I don’t think so. I’ve never heard anything like that.”

“I-I see!”

“Oh, but he does have someone he likes. A senpai one year above him.”

“Seriously!?”

Takashiro-san raised her voice and clutched her head. She was clearly suffering a massive shock, obvious at a glance.

“So… You like Kenzaki, huh.”

“H-how did you know that!? Are you some kind of psychic!?”

No, anyone would figure it out. With reactions that blatant, even an ordinary person like me without psychic powers could tell. Honestly, how did she think it wouldn’t be obvious? But that didn’t really matter. It wasn’t my problem.

From here on, Takashiro-san would have to win over someone who already had feelings for another person. And judging by how invested she sounded, it was going to be tough. Still, in the end, it was someone else’s business. The only thing I could really do was…

“That sounds rough, but good luck.”

Yes. I could only offer encouragement like that. That should have wrapped things up. 

 “Well then…”

I said and tried to leave.

“Wait. Where do you think you’re going?”

“If we’re done talking, then it’s over, right?”

“No, we’re not. …Hey, you’re some kind of romance master, aren’t you?”

“I’m not.”

The moment I denied it without hesitation, Takashiro-san glared at me. Her mode switched, from maiden mode to delinquent mode. The fear she’d tucked away came roaring right back. She really was scary after all.

“Don’t lie. All the guys in class are saying it. …What, are you lying to me!?”

It’s not that I lied. You just jumped to conclusions on your own.

I kept that perfectly reasonable thought to myself. Takashiro-san was furious. She was on the verge of exploding. If I spoke logic right now, I’d probably get killed, so I stayed silent. Life was more important than being right.

“Help me with my problem too.”

“…So you mean you want me to help Takashiro-san get together with Kenzaki?”

“D-don’t say it so loud. …I’ll kill you.”

The words themselves were pure delinquent, but her mode had returned to maiden again. At this point, even threats didn’t scare me anymore. Apparently, whenever the topic turned to Kenzaki, she became meek. If it was maiden-mode Takashiro-san I was dealing with, I could afford to be a little bolder.

“No thanks. Why don’t you ask your friends? You’ve got way more of them than I do.”

“…I can’t. Kenzaki’s popular, right? A lot of my friends are aiming for him too. How am I supposed to ask for advice from people who are after the same guy?”

“Well… Yeah, that’s true.”

If multiple people were after the same guy, there was a good chance it would put cracks in their friendship. Since Takashiro-san valued her friends, she probably wanted to avoid that kind of trouble.

“That’s why you’re the only one I can rely on! Please, Murase!”

Takashiro-san squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hands together as she begged. Her desperate tone and expression didn’t look like acting at all. Honestly, there was zero benefit for me in accepting her request. It would be a hassle, and turning her down was clearly the correct choice. But..

“…Alright.”

I didn’t do that. I knew I was making the wrong decision. But when someone said I was their only hope and begged me so desperately, I just couldn’t refuse.

“I’ll say this up front, though. I can’t do anything amazing.”

“That’s fine! Thanks! I always thought you were some boring, useless gloomy guy with dead fish eyes, but you’re actually a good dude!”

That was way too honest. Maybe it was meant as praise, but the poison was way too strong. In fact, that was basically all poison.

“So, what’s the plan? Should I ambush that senpai or something?”

“…No, we’re not doing anything that dangerous.”

That way of thinking was way too savage. That shouldn’t be the first idea that comes to mind. As expected of a delinquent.

“First, we start by investigating the relationship between Kenzaki and the senpai. The way you approach things changes depending on that.”

If the two of them were already close, then making a bold move wouldn’t make Kenzaki fall for her. In fact, it would probably backfire and just make her seem annoying. She’d need to proceed carefully. But if the distance between them was great, then it was the opposite.

She should go on the offensive and aggressively steer his feelings toward Takashiro-san. Which direction to take… To decide that, we first needed to confirm how close the two of them actually were.

When I explained that, Takashiro-san’s eyes sparkled.

“Oh! You’re amazing for thinking of that! Just what I’d expect from a romance master!”

Her loud voice was filled with every ounce of emotion she had. I could clearly tell she was genuinely impressed. Anyone could think of that…

That said, considering her earlier “ambush” comment, Takashiro-san was probably just bad at romance. That was something you’d never imagine from her flashy, cute appearance.

“I’ll ask around on my end. I’ll let you know once I find out.”

“Oh, I’m counting on you! Alright, now that we’ve got a plan, let’s eat! Food!”

Takashiro-san picked up a menu and handed it to me with a smile.

“My treat today. Looking forward to working with you, Masa!”

We’d only just started talking, and she was already using a nickname… As expected of an extrovert. Her ability to close distance was on a whole other level.

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