I’m an Introvert, but After Taking Care of the School’s Most Beautiful Girl Who Lives in an Apartment When She Was Sick, She Became Attached to Me and Started Inviting Me Over to Her Place! - Chapter 24-25

Chapter 24

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“Alright then, today is the first round of elective classes, and this group is in the volleyball course. We’ll start by getting used to the ball basics~.”

P.E. class finally began, and after finishing the initial warm-up exercises in the gym, Sorato and the other students who had chosen volleyball each took a ball in hand. Since this was the very first lesson, it seemed they would start from the fundamentals. Under the teacher’s guidance, they began with the bare minimum skill drills, such as “receives” and “overs.”

“Listen up first—”

The teacher called out, cutting off the students’ eagerness to finally touch the ball. After making them stop, he announced he would demonstrate and proceeded to perform receives and overs in front of everyone.

“For receives, lower your hips and… Like this! For overs, like this!”

No, saying “like this!!” doesn’t explain anything. I don’t get it.

But once the teacher actually started demonstrating, everyone who had been listening looked away with weary expressions. That was right. This P.E. teacher, Tanaka-sensei… He definitely had solid skill, but he relied far too much on instinct. As a result, he was spectacularly bad at teaching.

Well, maybe that was normal for a P.E. teacher, but his lack of explanatory vocabulary was so severe that the students had more or less given up. Completely oblivious to the looks they were giving him, Tanaka continued his enthusiastic instruction. Watching him, Sorato muttered inwardly.

He’s a good teacher and all… But more than that, this is suffocating… I feel way too out of place.

Feeling a bit sorry for the teacher, who was receiving lukewarm stares from the students, Sorato instead focused on his own situation. His chest felt tight, like after a full sprint. Around him were about three groups, each made up of roughly four people. Sorato didn’t know anyone in any of them and couldn’t join in, so he stood alone, keeping an awkward distance from everyone while looking around uncertainly.

To begin with, among those who chose volleyball, there were overwhelmingly few boys. Most of the male students had gone to soccer or table tennis, and including Sorato, there were only enough boys here to count on one hand.

And none of them really stand out, either…

Not that Sorato was in any position to talk, but most of them were people wearing glasses and looking down, or with their faces almost entirely hidden behind masks. With so many of those types clustered together, he hesitated to step into that group.

Agh—! Why aren’t Tenma or Kohaku hereee!!??

A misplaced, pointless frustration welled up at the fact that none of his close friends were around. And it only made it worse knowing he’d chosen volleyball so casually, thinking, “I played it before, so I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Alright! Then we’ll start about ten minutes of individual practice right away!”

At last, the teacher’s explanation ended. Everyone began practicing with friends in their respective groups, conversations breaking out here and there. Sorato, who had no acquaintances among the boys, and naturally none among the girls either. He was now seized by a faint sense of unease.

It wasn’t just that he was alone without friends. Sure, not having anyone to get through this grueling fifty-minute class with was a problem, but it was something more than that. A bad premonition was looming over him.

Ah… First of all—

He had been doing his best not to let them enter his field of vision. Even though they were just “girls from class,” he’d been careful not to look that way at all. And yet, the moment he let his guard down, their eyes met squarely. Silver hair so radiant that even the gym lights looked like spotlights, and pale azure eyes that locked onto his.

Yes. Despite what had happened just yesterday, she was here. Among the same elective group was that girl. Proclaimed the school’s number one beauty, brilliant in both looks and talent, and exceptional at sports. Her existence was the complete opposite of Sorato’s current state.

“—Hey, hey, Kaon!”

“Kaon, this is—”

In this class, there was Sorato’s greatest threat… Furthermore, Kaon Natsuki was unmistakably looking straight at him.

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Chapter 25

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There’s probably going to be a skills test or something… It’s been a while since I last played, so I can’t get cocky. I need to do this properly.

Practice finally began, and the students started working within their respective groups. In response, Sorato also began practicing on his own. He made sure to handle the ball as close as possible to the group of boys from his class, trying his best not to make anyone think, “Huh? Isn’t that guy all alone??”

I really have zero communication skills when it comes to moments like this.

Every time he was placed into situations like this—where he had to interact with people for the first time—he grew thoroughly sick of his own lack of social skills. If it were Tenma or Kohaku, they wouldn’t have had to resort to such a gloomy, clingy, introvert-style method.

“—No, no! And keep your arms fixed like this!”

Just as he was beating himself up over his own pathetic state, a familiar, energetic voice reached his ears.

While continuing his overhand practice, he glanced sideways toward the voice. There was Natsuki, her long silver hair unusually tied into a ponytail, gently holding a group member’s hands as she carefully taught them underhand receives. The boys around her occasionally stopped touching their balls mid-practice, unable to tear their eyes away from the sight of Natsuki in a hairstyle she rarely donned on. 

…She seriously has amazing athletic sense… That’s exactly how someone with volleyball experience teaches…

Even from Sorato’s perspective as a former middle school volleyball player, her teaching was top-class. It was clear and easy for beginners to understand, yet precise, to the point that she didn’t seem like an inexperienced player at all. More than that, the way Natsuki empathized with others, her choice of words, and her humility all stood out strongly.

“Just as expected of the school’s number-one beauty~. You can really do anything—”

Ah.

While he had stopped moving his hands and was staring in admiration at her all-rounder nature, it happened. In a fleeting moment during her instruction, Sorato’s eyes met Natsuki’s pale aqua-blue gaze with a sharp snap. And what was more, she flashed him a smug, unpleasant grin—one angled just enough that her other friends wouldn’t notice—directed squarely at Sorato, who was standing isolated.

It was the exact same expression she’d worn just yesterday. It was her private face. She was no longer pretending to be a harmless heroine. In that instant, he realized that the Natsuki he had seen yesterday had not been a hallucination after all.

What… what is she thinking…!? No way, but—

If that expression truly reflected the mischievous side she had shown yesterday, then she was definitely planning something. Sorato tried to shake off the thought, telling himself, “I’m overthinking it, right?”—that he was letting yesterday’s impression affect him too much.

But the very next moment, he understood that his intuition had not been wrong.

“Ah! Suzuya-kun? Wait. Did you use to play volleyball before?!”

She did it. She actually came over. Is she out of her mind?? Damn it.

Cutting straight through the center where everyone’s eyes naturally gathered, Natsuki came running over—dragging along Kaede-san, who looked annoyed and was frowning deeply. Instantly, all eyes turned toward him, and unpleasant sweat trickled down his body.

“N-Natsuki-san…? What do you need, exactly?”

“Hm~? I saw you earlier, Suzuya-kun, and you were really good! So I thought maybe you’ve got experience~?”

“Ah, yeah. I guess you could say I do have experience…”

She tilted her head slightly and looked up at Sorato from beneath her lashes. The sheer destructive power of that gesture made the surrounding students—boys and girls alike—start murmuring excitedly. In the middle of all that attention, Sorato somehow managed to keep the conversation going while maintaining eye contact with the school’s number-one beauty.

Beside them, Kaede-san pressed her palms together and mouthed “sorry,” her eyebrows forming a helpless inverted V. Inside, Sorato’s body felt out of sync. His heart was throbbing unpleasantly, but this wasn’t the time to worry about the stares around him. As Natsuki leaned in eagerly, Sorato exhaled softly and continued.

“Then, then! Could you teach us? We’re beginners, and I don’t really get it either.”

“…Even if you say ‘teach,’ it’s not like I’m that good. And honestly, I’m bad with girls, so I’ll pass. I can give advice, though.”

“””—!?!?!!”””

When Sorato firmly rejected her invitation, the surrounding noise only grew louder. Everyone had completely forgotten about practice and was now staring at the three of them.

“Huh? Oh, is that so? Then sorry about that~ Could I at least get some advice?”

Damn… She’s really used to this kind of situation…! I thought turning her down so coldly might shake her a bit…!

Natsuki brushed off Sorato’s best attempt at refusal with a smile and tried to dig even deeper into the conversation.

At this point…Help me! Kaede-san!

With no remaining way to escape, Sorato silently begged the still-quiet Kaede-san beside him for help. The stares from around them were starting to feel physically painful as they pierced into his back. He didn’t want to draw any more attention than this and desperately wanted out as soon as possible.

“(I’m sorry. I don’t think I can do anything about this either.)”

“Eh—”

However, the hand he stretched out for help was brushed away with ease. Kaede-san shook her head and raised both hands into the air, looking completely defeated. Apparently, from the moment they chose the same elective, there had never been a future where they wouldn’t be involved with one another.

My high school life is over.

Standing frozen in place, Sorato could only listen as the sound of his peaceful high school days quietly crumbled away.

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