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~ - 53-54

Chapter 53: The Nuisance Will Disappear

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“I’m going back to my room. Well then, Runa-chan, take your time and relax.”

“Eh? You’re leaving already?”

As I tried to leave the living room, Mai stopped me.

“Ah! We’re about to work on our summer vacation homework now, but why don’t you do it together with us, Onii-chan? Stuff like this is easier later if you start early!”

“That’s true, but… I’ll pass. I’d feel bad getting in the way.”

Mai might not mind, but Runa-chan surely would. Even if we were close enough to joke around, we weren’t the kind of best friends who could be completely unreserved around each other. If I stayed here, I would definitely make her feel uncomfortable.

She had gone out of her way to come over, and that would be unfair to her. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to study with them, but in this situation, I was nothing more than a nuisance. I felt bad for Mai, but I had to decline.

“Getting in the way? That’s not true at all. Ruu-chan thinks so too, right?”

“Yes. If Onii-san stays, I… Uum… I’d be happy.”

Runa-chan looked up at me hesitantly. Her upturned eyes were shimmering, to the point that it felt like she might start crying if I refused her.

“…Maybe I should do it together with you after all.”

I couldn’t let a middle school girl cry. And since she was Mai’s best friend, that made it even more so. Even though part of me wondered if this was really okay, I had no choice but to agree to it.

“Thank you…!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I’ll go grab my homework, then.”

After saying that to the visibly relieved Runa-chan, I headed toward my room. But just before I could grab the doorknob… Mai stepped in front of me. She blocked my path.

“You treat me and Ruu-chan totally differently!”

Leaning forward, Mai puffed out her cheeks. She seemed quite dissatisfied that I had changed my stance so easily.

Well, I mean…

But there was no way I could explain the reason with Runa-chan here.

“Come on, come on. Don’t sulk like that.”

As if to gloss things over, I patted Mai on the head and left the living room.

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Flash! Rumbleeeee!!

A violent bolt of lightning tore through the sky, which was covered in pitch-black clouds. The three of us studying at the dining table in the living room all turned to look out the window at once. Outside, rain was pouring down. It had been sunny just moments ago, yet it had suddenly turned into this.

“Runa-chan, you should stay here until the rain lets up.”

The time was 6:00 p.m. Normally, this would be about when Runa-chan headed home. But if she went outside now, she would undoubtedly be soaked from head to toe immediately. There was no way we could send her home in this. And with the wind picking up as well, that only made it worse. She would be better off staying here until the weather calmed down.

“Thank you.”

“But it looks like this rain is going to continue until late tonight.”

Saying that, Mai held her smartphone out for us to see. The screen showed the weather forecast, and just as she said, that was exactly what it indicated.

“…What should I do?”

“In that case, why don’t you stay over at our place!”

Mai cheerfully suggested it to Runa-chan, who looked troubled and on the verge of tears.

“Is that really okay? I’d be happy, but… Wouldn’t I be a bother to suddenly do that?”

Runa-chan first looked at Mai, then glanced at me with a slightly awkward expression. She was asking for permission to stay.

“That’s not a problem at all.”

I answered without hesitation, a small smile forming on my lips.

“Going outside in a downpour like this is dangerous. If Runa-chan’s parents say it’s okay, then I’d be more than happy to have you stay over at our place.”

Considering Runa-chan’s safety, staying over was surely the best option. And if that happened, Mai would be happy too. I had no reason to object.

“I want Ruu-chan to stay over too!”

“Onii-san, Mai-chan… Thank you both so much!”

After bowing deeply, Runa-chan immediately contacted her parents. It didn’t take long at all before permission for her to stay the night was smoothly granted.

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Chapter 54: Cola Tastes Great Late at Night

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“Cola tastes especially good when you drink it late at night!”

Cola was delicious no matter when you drank it, but I thought it tasted especially good in the middle of the night. With just a hint of an adult atmosphere mixed in, it became a nice kind of spice that turned it into the ultimate flavor.

…That was just my personal opinion though. It was a little past one in the morning. I was alone in the living room, savoring the best cola imaginable.

“Hm?”

I heard a noise coming from the direction of the stairs. When I listened closely, it was footsteps. Someone was coming down the stairs. There were currently three people in this house: me, Mai, and Runa-chan, who had ended up staying over unexpectedly. Which meant that whoever was coming down the stairs had to be either Mai or Runa-chan.

I couldn’t really imagine Runa-chan wandering around in the middle of the night, so was it Mai? But she didn’t usually do stuff like that either. While I was still drinking my cola without reaching an answer, the footsteps finished coming down the stairs. And then they started approaching this way. The living room door opened.

“O-Onii-san!?”

The one who came in was Runa-chan. She must not have expected someone to already be there, because her eyes went wide when she saw me.

“What’s wrong, being up this late? Don’t tell me Mai’s sleep-talking was so loud you couldn’t sleep or something?”

When I joked like that, Runa-chan let out a small laugh. Still smiling, she came closer to me.

“No, that’s not it. I just got a little thirsty.”

“Oh, I see. I’ve got barley tea and cola, which one do you want?”

“Um… I’ll have the same thing you’re having, Onii-san.”

“Okay.”

I opened the refrigerator and took out an ice-cold bottle of cola. I held it out to Runa-chan and said.

“Here you go.”

After bowing politely, Runa-chan took the bottle and slowly opened the cap. Holding it with both hands, she brought it to her mouth and took just a single sip. She didn’t chug it all at once, huh…

I felt a little disappointed for a moment, but then immediately corrected myself. No, no, that wasn’t right. Taking just one sip was perfectly normal. That person who once chugged down cola right in front of me—Amamiya-san—was a mystery of mankind, an irregular among irregulars. I shouldn’t compare a normal person like Runa-chan to her.

Thanks to Amamiya-san, my sense of normal had gotten completely numb. I really needed to be more careful about that going forward.

“Thank you for letting me stay over today. I was in trouble, so it really helped me a lot.”

“It’s no big deal. Don’t worry about it.”

“You really are as kind as ever, Onii-san.”

“I’m happy you’d say that, but even if you flatter me, nothing’s going to come out.”

Runa-chan and I looked at each other and shared a small laugh. At that moment, I felt something like comfort. It might be rude to say this, but I thought Runa-chan and I had quite a lot in common.

What parts, you ask? Obviously our good looks… Just kidding, that was a lie. Yes. Sorry for getting carried away even though I’m an introvert.

What I thought was similar were our vibes and personalities. It was those invisible parts you couldn’t see at a glance. Because of that, she was easy to talk to, and it made moments like this feel fun and relaxed. I didn’t know what Runa-chan thought of me, but at least that was how I felt about her.

“But what I said just now wasn’t just polite talk. I understand why Mai-chan likes to brag about you.”

“That girl… She does stuff like that?”

“Yes. She’s always talking about you, Onii-san. She talks about you with a big smile on her face.”

“……That’s, uh… Kind of embarrassing.”

“Fufufu, that reaction is very much like you, Onii-san.”

“Hey, don’t tease me.”

Feeling awkward, I looked away from Runa-chan, who seemed to be having fun. Being talked about when you weren’t around was really embarrassing. She probably didn’t mean anything bad by it, but maybe I should tell Mai to stop. But if I did that, Mai would definitely be sad… That would be cruel…Yeah. I’d better not say anything after all.

“…U-um! Onii-san!”

Runa-chan raised her voice more than usual and looked straight at me. She seemed a little nervous.

What’s wrong?

Wondering that, I was just about to bring the bottle to my mouth when…

“The other day, Mai-chan said something that caught my attention. She said, ‘Lately Onii-san is super popular with girls! I mean, he’s even two-timing—no, three-timing!’”

“Bwah!?”

She had suddenly said something absolutely outrageous, and I ended up choking hard. Thank goodness I hadn’t taken a sip yet. If I’d had cola in my mouth, I definitely would have sprayed it everywhere.

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