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~ - 62-63

Chapter 62: Just as I Thought, This Place Is Bad News

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“…You can praise me all you want, but nothing’s going to come of it.”

“I-I’m sorry! Hearing something like that from me must just be gross, right…?”

“It’s fine, Runa-chan. She’s just embarrassed, that’s all.”

“Hey, Masaki!? Don’t go saying things like that on your own!”

Hina raised her voice at me, but I ignored that. Instead, I turned to Runa-chan and gave her a warm smile.

“S-so that’s how it is?”

“Yeah. So you don’t have to worry.”

When I said that and nodded, the corners of Runa-chan’s mouth lifted slightly. The fear that had filled her face gradually faded away.

“What is it with you two, deciding things on your own like that?”

Hina grumbled, but there was no anger or irritation in her voice. She was just embarrassed and trying to cover it up with sharp words. Runa-chan probably felt the same way I did. The fact that she’d stopped clinging to my arm was proof of that.

“By the way, have you two gone on the water slides yet?”

“No, not yet. We’ve just been in the lazy river the whole time.”

“Then that works out perfectly. Let’s go together after we eat. It’d be a waste not to experience the main attraction here.”

“Eh… Is it really okay for me to come along too?”

“Of course it is.”

Hina answered Runa-chan’s hesitant question with a confident smile.

“Mai-chan is like a little sister to me. So that makes you, Mai-chan’s friend, a cute little sister to me too.”

“Yuuki-san… Uum, thank you very much!”

“…You can call me Hina. And I’ll call you Runa-chan too. Um… Nice to meet you.”

Runa-chan responded to the hand Hina extended slightly shyly and…

“Yes!”

She clasped it tightly with both hands. A big smile spread across her face. Runa-chan really had grown up. I remembered the day we first met. Back then, Runa-chan hadn’t even been able to shake my hand and now look at her. She was gripping Hina’s hand firmly—someone she’d only met today—and greeting her with a smile. It was a remarkable growth.

…Uh-oh. The deep emotion swelling inside me caused my eyes to burn. But crying here would make things awkward, so I desperately held back the tears threatening to spill. Just being able to see this made coming to the pool worth it.

I thought that from the bottom of my heart. I was really glad the plan hadn’t been canceled.

“Hina-san. There’s something I’d like to ask you… Is that okay?”

“Yes, of course. Go ahead and ask anything.”

“Thank you. Um, well… Hina-san, are you one of the girls Onii-san is two-timing with?”

“Wha—!?”

I heard something I absolutely couldn’t let slide. Turning my body toward her, I leaned forward and firmly grabbed Runa-chan by both shoulders.

“Runa-chan! I told you before, didn’t I!? That’s just something Mai says on her own!!”

“I’m sorry! You two look so close that I couldn’t help but wonder…”

“Hey, Masaki! What is this ‘two-timing’ thing!? What do you mean by that!?”

“Wait! That’s a huge misunderstanding! I’ll explain everything, so just put down that raised fist for now! No violence, okay!?”

We’d finally gotten into a good mood and it was completely destroyed in an instant. This just proved it. Just as I thought, we shouldn’t have gone to the pool after all. 

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Chapter 63: An Important Event

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Midway through summer vacation, that afternoon.

“Man, today is yet another hot again, huh, Murase-kun?”

Amamiya-san was sitting beside me on the edge of the bed in my private room. She had shown up suddenly a short while ago, without any prior notice.

I said nothing about that. No, I did have thoughts about it.

When someone comes to my house without an appointment, it really startles me, and honestly, I wish she wouldn’t do it. I have things to prepare on my end too. But, no matter how many times I say it, she just doesn’t listen…

I want her to contact me beforehand when she comes to my house…

Every time Amamiya-san came over without an appointment, I told her that. In fact, I had told her that at least ten times by now. But she never stopped. She always replied, but the words just slipped cleanly from one ear out the other.

Because of that, I had already given up on warning her. Unwilling as I was, there was nothing I could do, so I had no choice but to accept it. Unaware of my inner turmoil, Amamiya-san had a bright smile on her face. She seemed to be in a better mood than usual.

“Now then, Murase-kun, here’s a question. What day is tomorrow?”

“Was there something…? Oh, I know. It’s a school attendance day, right?”

Tomorrow was the day we had to go to school, the attendance day. Even if it ended in the morning, it was still an absolute pain. Why would they do something that ruins a perfectly good long vacation? It totally killed my mood.

There must be various intentions and meanings behind setting an attendance day. But personally, I wanted it abolished.

Important adults, I’m seriously begging you!

“Bzzz—wrong! There’s a more important event, isn’t there? Come on, think about it!”

“Hmmm… I can’t think of anything more important than that. I heard skipping it causes a lot of trouble.”

If you skipped without an official reason, apparently you’d get summoned by the grade head and thoroughly chewed out. On top of that, as punishment, you’d have to clean the school grounds for an entire week. Just getting scolded would be bad enough, but cleaning outside under the blazing sun would be torture.

I absolutely didn’t want that. That was the reason why I wanted to skip, but couldn’t.

“No, that’s true! The attendance day is important, sure! But that’s not it! What I mean is…. this! Right! Here!!”

Leaning forward, Amamiya-san thrust her smartphone in front of my face. Displayed on the screen was an introduction page for the summer festival held every year in this area.

“The important event that’s more important than the attendance day… Is that?”

“Of course!”

“……”

Amamiya-san looked as if this were the most obvious thing in the world, but I couldn’t agree at all. In terms of importance, the attendance day ranked much higher. I probably thought that because I didn’t have a favorable view of festivals in the first place.

The reason was simple. Just like with the pool, I was really bad with events where huge crowds gathered.

“I’m happy you invited me, but sorry. I’ll pass.”

I declined, feeling apologetic. But then—

“No! I won’t accept that!”

Amamiya-san raised both arms and crossed them in front of her face. She made an X sign. It was clear to see she was showing no sign of backing down. 

“I told you before, didn’t I? ‘I want to make lots of fun memories with you during summer vacation, Murase-kun.’ That’s why… Please!”

My chest thumped softly. Amamiya-san’s actions were because she wanted to make memories with me. When I thought about that, my feelings soared uncontrollably. I was happy to be treated as something so important to her.

Going to the festival, too… Well, it might be okay. Knowing how she felt made my heart sway deeply.

“And besides, you went to the pool with a middle school girl, didn’t you? Just the two of you.”

“—!? How did you know about that…!”

“I heard it from Mai-chan. …You wouldn’t go out with that girl and then turn down plans with me, right, Murase-kun?”

Amamiya-san got down on all fours and slowly crept toward me. Her lips were tightly pressed together, and I couldn’t read what she was thinking at all. That unsettling, unknowable feeling was downright terrifying.

I slid backward while still sitting on the bed, but my back hit the wall. I couldn’t move back any farther. My escape route was gone. Amamiya-san rose to her knees, tugged the corners of her mouth upward, and firmly grabbed both of my shoulders.

“You’re going tomorrow, right?”

“…………Yes.”

Completely ruled by fear, I had no choice but to nod. I had just started to feel like going of my own free will, yet in the end, I ended up getting forced to come anyway. 

What even is this ending?

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