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~ - 9-10

Chapter 9: The Hellish Three-Party Meeting

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“Yeah, right? That really surprised me.”

Amamiya-san laughed happily. It seemed my joke had come across properly. I felt relieved from the bottom of my heart. If she had misunderstood and thought my sister and I were in some forbidden relationship, that would have been the worst. Letting out a small breath, I turned my face toward Mai, who was standing at the entrance.

“So, what did you come here for?”

“I brought drinks!”

Mai was holding a tray. On top of it were cups filled with barley tea.

“Thanks. How thoughtful of you… Huh?”

I was about to praise her, but then I noticed something strange. There were three cups on the tray. It was one too many. How weird… It was unusual for reliable Mai to make a mistake like this. Could she actually be nervous, despite how she looked?

“I’m glad you brought drinks, but you got the number wrong.”

“It’s not wrong. One for you, one for your friend, and one for me!”

“…So what you’re saying is, you plan to stick around in this room?”

“Yes! Please let Mai join the conversation too!”

So she really intended to act on what she said yesterday. At this rate, the hellish three-party meeting was about to begin.

Not happening! I’ll stop this no matter what!

“Hey, Mai. You shouldn’t suddenly say things like that. You’ll trouble our guest, right? …Hey, isn’t that right, Amamiya-san?”

If Amamiya-san agreed with me here, Mai would probably give up quietly. No one liked talking with someone they had just met. My chances should have been pretty good.

Please, just nod!

Everything depended on Amamiya-san. I waited for her answer, pouring all my hopes into it.

“I don’t mind. It’d be mean to leave her out, wouldn’t it?”

My wish was completely crushed. Right… I had totally forgotten, but Amamiya-san was an extrovert. Unlike me, a socially awkward mess, she was the type who could talk freely even with people she’d just met. My chance of winning had been nonexistent from the start.

“Thank you very much!”

Mai set the tray down on the table and sat down right next to Amamiya-san. She leaned forward excitedly.

“So, what is my brother like at school?”

And thus, the hellish three-party meeting finally began. To make matters worse, it opened with a straight-up question. This was the worst possible scenario.

“Hmmm, let’s see… He’s pretty quiet, and he’s usually alone.”

You’re being blunt too?!

My status as a lonely introverted guy was exposed immediately. My mental stamina gauge took massive damage all at once.

I mean, you’re not wrong… You’re not wrong, but still… Aren’t you being a bit too honest??  Who says that right in front of the person themselves? Couldn’t you wrap it up in a little more tact…?

“But you know, when we eat lunch together, he’s totally different. He talks a lot, and it’s really fun talking with him!”

…Seriously? Lowering me first and then raising me up… What is that? That’s not fair. And the way she praised me was way too direct too… Please, wrap it in some tact already.

My whole body heated up from embarrassment. If I kept listening to this, I felt like something bad might happen to me. Turning my back to the two of them, I put my earphones in. I blasted music at full volume, completely shutting out their conversation.

Several hours later. Amamiya-san tapped my shoulder lightly. I took out my earphones and turned toward her.

“Mai-chan says she’s going to make lunch now. Let’s go eat together, Murase-kun.”

“Yeah. Oh, but Amamiya-san, you brought bread with you, right? What are you going to do about that?”

“I’ll eat it as a snack, so it’s fine.”

So she wasn’t going to save it to eat at home or something…  It seemed Amamiya-san’s appetite was in top form today as well. Truly, she was a mystery of humankind.

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Chapter 10: The Promise of a Homemade Meal

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The three of them gathered in the living room on the first floor. Mai was cooking in the kitchen while Amamiya-san and I sat facing each other at the dining table.

“I heard this from Mai-chan, but you two live together, right? Does Mai-chan usually handle all the housework?”

“No, we split it up. We switch who’s in charge of which chores every week.”

“Then does that mean Murase-kun can cook too?”

“Yeah. Well, kind of.”

“Onii-chan’s cooking is really delicious!”

From the kitchen came Mai’s energetic voice. I was glad she said that, but I really wished she wouldn’t do it when Amamiya-san was around. It’d be awful if she thought something like,”He doesn’t look like it, but he actually cooks?!” To be honest, I also couldn’t even imagine what kind of face someone who cooked should have, but in any case, there was a chance she’d get a strange impression of me.

But Amamiya-san’s reaction was…

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

She leaned forward and praised me enthusiastically. It was a relief that she didn’t get a weird impression of me, but this was embarrassing in its own way. I really wished Mai hadn’t said anything.

“I kinda want to try Murase-kun’s home cooking!”

“You might be expecting too much, but it’s not like my cooking is all that amazing, you know?”

I was confident I could cook better than average, but I was still just an amateur. If she was expecting professional-chef-level quality, that was asking too much.

“That’s fine anyway!”

“…I see. Then, maybe next time.”

“Yeah! It’s a promise!”

A big smile spread across Amamiya-san’s lips. Her light-blue eyes shone brightly.

She’s really looking forward to it… What if it doesn’t suit her taste?

Knowing that Amamiya-san was expecting something made the pressure enormous. I absolutely couldn’t fail. But that wasn’t all. The fact that she was genuinely looking forward to it made me honestly happy. If I was going to do it, I wanted to make sure she enjoyed it no matter what.

I’ll definitely make it a success!

I steeled myself for “that day” that would come someday.

“Sorry for the wait!”

Mai came over and skillfully placed three plates on the table. On the plates was omurice topped with fluffy eggs. After saying “Itadakimasu,” the three of us started eating.

As always, it’s good!

I nodded in satisfaction. Without any sibling bias, Mai’s cooking was delicious. Mai praised my cooking skills, but I felt the same way about hers. Today’s dish had turned out to be top quality once again.

“Wow, this is super good! It’s like something from a restaurant! Mai-chan, you’re a cooking genius!”

Amamiya-san praised it lavishly. She reached out toward Mai, who was sitting next to her, and started patting her head.

That’s right, that’s right. Mai’s cooking is exquisite!

Seeing my little sister being praised made me as happy as if I was the one being praised. I felt proud. Maybe… This was what people referred to as a siscon? I didn’t really know, but I hoped it wasn’t.

“Yay! Noa-san praised me!”

Mai squealed with excitement and hugged Amamiya-san. It was easy to tell she was truly happy. But seeing them like this, they really looked like sisters. Had the two of them gotten this close while I had my ears blocked with my earphones? As expected of two extroverts. The speed at which they bonded was incredible.

“Let’s talk lots this afternoon too!”

“Yes! I’m really looking forward to it!”

I heard something I couldn’t ignore.

They’re planning to keep the three-way meeting going? I have to stop this somehow!

I was already tired of using my earphones to endure the awkward atmosphere. I wanted to have a peaceful afternoon at least. 

“How about we all play a game together, since we have the chance?”

If everyone was focused on the game, there wouldn’t be time to talk about me. That was the idea behind this suggestion.

Please nod! Please say yes!

I prayed fervently in my heart.

“I want to talk too, but… Playing a game sounds fun as well!”

“Yeah! Let’s do it!”

Both of them agreed enthusiastically. Great! My plan worked! Pleased with the success I had seized after overcoming failure, I made a small fist pump under the table.

After the meal, the three of us played games together using the large TV in the living room. The games were a huge hit. The lively voices of the three of us filled the living room without pause.

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