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~ - 49-50

Chapter 49: The Meetup

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The next day. I arrived at the plaza in front of the station. I was supposed to meet up here with two girls, and then we were going to head to the movie theater together.

“…Did I get here too early?”

It was currently 9:00 a.m. The meeting time was still an hour away. I’d left home early because I was way too excited about the movie, but this was clearly overdoing it. Neither Amamiya-san nor Takashiro-san was likely to have arrived yet.

“I might’ve messed up a bit. I’ll have to kill some time somewhere… Huh? That’s Takashiro-san… right?”

On a bench shaded from the sun, I spotted a girl I recognized. I was sure I’d be the first to arrive, but it seemed I’d been beaten to it. With a surprised look on my face, I headed toward Takashiro-san at a light jog.

“Yo, Masa. You’re pretty early.”

“You too. I never thought you’d beat me here. I was sure I’d be the first one.”

Laughing, I sat down beside Takashiro-san.

“Did you maybe get here a long time ago?”

“N-no! Not at all! I just got here myself! Th-that is… I was really looking forward to the movie, you know. I kinda showed up early.”

“I knew it!”

Just like I’d thought when we talked on the phone yesterday. Takashiro-san was really looking forward to today’s movie. Hearing it straight from her turned my ‘I hope she likes the series’ into certainty. She seemed a little flustered, like she was trying to cover something up, but that was probably just my imagination.

“But you know, talking like this with you, Takashiro-san—it kinda feels like it’s been a while.”

“…Yeah. It does.”

At school, Takashiro-san was always surrounded by her close-knit, outgoing group, and honestly, it didn’t feel like someone gloomy like me could just walk up and talk to her. She also hadn’t come to my place even once since that day, the day she’d gotten unusually close to me on my bed.

It had been a long time since we last talked slowly together like this. But today, Takashiro-san seemed kind of down somehow… She gave off a heavy atmosphere, like something was weighing on her mind. She was probably still hung up on being rejected by Kenzaki.

Then this was my cue! I’d make tons of fun memories and heal her wounds, even if I could only heal a little bit of her wounds!

“So, Takashiro-san, do you have any plans to go somewhere during summer break?”

“Not really. I’m bad with the heat.”

“…Huh? No way. You’re joking, right?”

“No, I’m serious. …Why are you so surprised?”

“Well, because your name basically means ‘cool, dignified summer,’ right? That alone makes it sound like you love summer. And yet you’re bad with it…”

On top of that, I had this image that yankees loved barbecues no matter what. Yankees meant barbecue. And barbecue meant summer. So I’d just assumed that Takashiro-san, who had a lot of yankee elements to her, liked summer too.

I wasn’t about to say that out loud, though. I’d probably get yelled at.

“What are you even saying? Your name doesn’t decide that stuff.”

Saying something like “That’s actually pretty funny~”, Takashiro-san let out a quiet chuckle. Oh, she might be feeling a bit better now. From an outside perspective, this conversation was probably completely empty and meaningless. But to me, just seeing her smile like that meant a lot.

After that, we kept chatting aimlessly, laughing together, when…

“Sorry I’m late! You two waited a lot, didn’t you?”

It was 10:05 a.m. Five minutes after the meeting time, Amamiya-san arrived. Now everyone was here. The three of us started walking toward the movie theater.

“The animation already looked god-tier just from the trailer, but the main feature looks like it’ll be even crazier.”

“Absolutely, Murase-kun! I mean, it’s totally gonna be moving like crazy!!”

Walking side by side with Amamiya-san, I let my anticipation for the movie we were about to see build up even more. I couldn’t wait to see it. As for Takashiro-san, she was walking a little behind us. Her mood was heavy, and she looked low on energy.

I tried bringing her into the conversation now and then, but her reactions were faint. I thought she’d gotten her energy back, but she’d gone right back to how she was before.

But it should be fine! The movie’s story already sounded incredible just from the synopsis. And on top of that, the animation was god-tier. An amazing story combined with god-tier animation. With those two together, this movie was basically unstoppable.

There was no way Takashiro-san wouldn’t cheer up after watching the ultimate movie in existence!

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Chapter 50: To the Movie Theater

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The three of us arrived at the movie theater and went inside the auditorium. The seats were arranged in a row. With me in between, Amamiya-san and Takashiro-san sat on either side of me.

“Yummy! When it comes to movie theaters, this really is the best!”

Popcorn, hot dogs, fried chicken. Amamiya-san happily stuffed her cheeks with the large amount of food she had bought at the theater concession stand. Her astonishing appetite was still going strong even here.

As expected of a mystery of humankind, she never failed to live up to expectations. In contrast, Takashiro-san had nothing in her hands. She hadn’t bought any food, or even a drink.

Won’t her throat get dry during the movie?

After taking a sip of the cola I’d bought at the concession stand, I turned my face toward Takashiro-san.

“Are you really okay without a drink?”

“Yeah, no problem. This is how I always do it when I watch movies. I want to focus only on the screen.”

“Yup yup. Karin-chan’s always been this way since way back.”

Amamiya-san explained for some reason with a proud look, then immediately bit into her hot dog as soon as she finished speaking. Ever since we entered the theater, her hands had not stopped moving with food even once.

I guess Amamiya-san’s always been this way too……

“By the way, have you two been friends for a long time?”

“Yeah! Karin-chan transferred to our school in fifth grade, so it’s been about five years now.”

Given how naturally Amamiya-san had used Takashiro-san as part of the alibi for staying over at my house, I had figured they were fairly close, but I see. Just as I’d thought, they’d known each other for a long time.

“But Karin-chan, you’ve changed your looks a lot, haven’t you? You used to be way plainer back then.”

“Hey, Noa! Don’t say stuff like that in front of Masa!”

“Ehh, why not?”

“T-that’s because, you know……”

“You’re getting all embarrassed! So cuuute! Ahaha.”

Amamiya-san let out a cheerful laugh toward Takashiro-san, who looked awkward and uncomfortable. As if that laughter were a signal, the lights inside the theater dimmed. The three of us stopped chatting and turned our faces toward the massive screen in front of us.

It’s finally starting!

I couldn’t stop feeling excited about the next 120 minutes.

With my heart pounding in anticipation, I stared at the screen.

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“Man, how do I even put it…… Everything was just way too amazing. It was the best! There’s no other word I can find to describe it.”

“I know, right!! I haven’t been able to stop crying since it ended!”

Amamiya-san and I passionately shared our impressions of the movie we had just finished watching. We were seated at a table in a family restaurant. After leaving the movie theater, the three of us had come to a nearby family restaurant to eat lunch. Naturally, the topic of conversation was the hottest thing right now, the movie we had just seen. It truly was an incredible movie.

Across from me, Amamiya-san was sniffling as tears streamed down her face, and I was crying just the same. However, the one person who wasn’t crying was Takashiro-san, who was sitting next to me. She did say it was interesting, but that was all. She didn’t try to join in the conversation between Amamiya-san and me either. It was unmistakably clear that she still wasn’t feeling well.

Even after watching such an amazing movie, she didn’t perk up. It seemed the damage she’d taken from her heartbreak ran pretty deep.

But so what if it does!

Under the table, I clenched my fist tightly. I would bring back Takashiro-san’s energy. I made that decision in my heart. No matter how difficult it might be, I would never give up. I would absolutely accomplish my goal.

I steeled my heart with that firm resolve. But then, just as I did..

“By the way, Karin-chan, what ended up happening with Touma?”

Amamiya-san dropped an absolute bomb.

Gyaaaaaah! Why would you ask that?!

What Amamiya-san did was like tearing open Takashiro-san’s wound. If she said something like that, Takashiro-san—who was already low on energy—would only sink even further.

This is the worst!

I grabbed my head at the dreadful turn of events, but Takashiro-san herself didn’t seem shaken. She was surprisingly calm.

“Huh? I don’t think I told you about that, Noa, did I? ……Ah, I see. You heard it from Masa.”

“Nope. I just happened to see you inviting Touma out on a date.”

“I see. Didn’t think you’d seen that, Noa. Well, um…… I got rejected. I confessed on the date, but it didn’t work out.”

Even though it should have been something she was still hung up on, Takashiro-san said it lightly, without hesitation. She even had a self-deprecating smile on her face. Kenzaki was in the past, she’d already moved on. That was what her words and attitude told me.

Then maybe the reason she’s down wasn’t because of the heartbreak? But if that was the case, then what was it……?

Bzzzz—bzzzz!

As I was thrown off by the unexpected development, my smartphone started ringing. It was Mai.

What timing! We were in the middle of an important moment! But there was no way I could ignore a call from my adorable little sister. Besides, there was always the possibility that something urgent had happened. Even though I really didn’t want to leave right now, not answering wasn’t an option.

“Sorry. I’ve got a call, so I’m going to step away for a bit.”

I stood up from my seat and pressed my palms together in front of my chest in a “sorry!” gesture toward the two of them. As soon as I did that, I hurried out of the restaurant.

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