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~ - 4

Chapter 4: Eating Alone Again After a While

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During lunch break that day. As usual, I was having lunch—not on the bench behind the gym this time, but in an unused, empty room in the practical training building.

Judging from how the sky looked, it seemed it would be raining today and true enough, when I looked outside, rain was pouring down relentlessly. The bench behind the gym was completely exposed, with nothing to shield it from the falling rain. If I ate there on a day like this, I’d be soaked through.

Wanting to avoid that, I decided to eat my lunch somewhere different from usual.

“It’s been a while since I last ate lunch alone.”

For about the past week, I had been eating lunch every day on the bench behind the gym while talking about anime with Amamiya-san. Because of that, eating my boxed lunch alone like this made me feel oddly nostalgic.

“…I mean, there’s no way, but… Amamiya-san didn’t go there, right?”

Just like always, yesterday during lunch break she had said, “See you tomorrow,” and left. Thinking about the possibility that she might have acted on those words made me worry. Maybe I should’ve said something before leaving the classroom—just a quick, “I’m eating somewhere else today.” Should I go check the bench behind the gym right now?

No… I was probably worrying too much. If she saw how it was outside, she wouldn’t think of eating there. Surely Amamiya-san was eating somewhere else by now. I was probably just worrying about it for naught.

Having reached that conclusion, I stretched both arms up toward the ceiling. Letting out a small breath, I gave a light stretch. Since today was my long-awaited solo lunch, I didn’t have to be considerate of anyone like usual. I could relax as much as I wanted.

Right now, I was completely free. And yet… Even so…

“…It’s lacking something.”

My mood just wouldn’t lift. I knew the reason. It was because Amamiya-san wasn’t here.

Talking about anime together and getting fired up while eating lunch had been fun. For someone like me, who’d been living a dull high school life ever since enrollment, it had been the first time my heart truly soared. It must have been something really important to me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t feel this unsatisfied and… This lonely.

“Please let tomorrow be sunny.”

Looking out the window, I found myself praying. I was supposed to like being alone, and yet before I knew it, I was thinking the complete opposite. It seemed I had changed quite a bit over the past week.

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Almost at the same time the warning bell rang, I returned to the classroom. I sat down at my desk and began preparing for the afternoon classes. Then I heard footsteps. They came straight toward me and stopped right beside my desk.

“Why didn’t you come?”

The voice was trembling and weak. Standing there was Amamiya-san. Her white blouse was wet, and she was holding a convenience store bag in her hand. The bag was still bulging.

Inside were large amounts of convenience store bread—all of it unopened. There was only one conclusion that situation pointed to.

“Did you… Did you go to the bench?”

“…Yeah. I wanted to eat with you, Murase-kun, so I waited there the whole time.”

Amamiya-san clenched the hem of her skirt tightly. She was looking down, on the verge of tears. A sharp, crushing pain shot through my chest. Guilt threatened to overwhelm me.

“I’m sorry! It was raining, so I thought you wouldn’t come…! But I’ll definitely go tomorrow!”

I didn’t want my relationship with Amamiya-san to end. With that single thought in mind, I poured every bit of my feelings into those words. So much so that I was surprised by how loud my voice came out.

Naturally, the surrounding classmates heard it. As a result, the classroom instantly erupted into an uproar.

“So he was in that kind of relationship with Amamiya-san!? Nice one!”

“But wasn’t Amamiya-san dating Kenzaki? …Wait, does that mean he stole her from Kenzaki!?”

“Beating Kenzaki is insane! Wooooo!”

The male students were going wild. They showered me with unreserved praise for supposedly getting together with Noa Amamiya, the unattainable flower on the high peak. Which was a massive misunderstanding.

What the hell is wrong with these guys, getting worked up however they want!? Anyway, I have to deny it—fast!

If rumors spread that she was dating someone like me, it would just be trouble for Amamiya-san. I was already drowning in guilt toward her. I didn’t want to pile on any more.

“Sorry to interrupt while you’re excited, but Amamiya-san and I—”

Just as I was about to tell the truth, my mouth slammed on the brakes. Amamiya-san had tightly pinched the sleeve of my shirt with her fingers. Caught completely off guard, I could only freeze in confusion. But then I immediately realized…

This is bad…!

If they saw something like this, the misunderstanding would only grow. I needed to correct it, now! But by then, it was already too late. With fresh fuel added to the fire, the boys’ excitement skyrocketed even further. Cheers and whistles filled the room.

“No, um… That’s not it.”

I tried again to explain the truth, but my small voice was instantly drowned out. No one heard me.

…This was bad. This had turned into something ridiculous. I slumped my shoulders in defeat. And maybe because I was in that state…

I failed to notice the sharp gaze being directed at me by one female student.

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