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 27-28

Chapter 27

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Ding dong ding dong~

“Ahh… It’s finally over…”

“Good work. Sorato, it sounds like you did something pretty outrageous back there. The moment class ended, information came flying in, you know?”

The end of a class chime rang, and classmates who had returned from their respective elective classes began filing back into the classroom one after another. Blending in with the noisy chatter of students, Sorato—having changed from his gym clothes back into his uniform—slumped forward onto his desk with a languid motion, letting out a muffled “uuuuugh~” over and over again.

Seeing how drastically different their friend looked compared to the morning, Tenma laughed in amused disbelief.

“Then you can assume about eighty percent of that information is exaggerated misinformation, so you don’t have to take it seriously…”

“‘Sorato flat-out shut down Natsuki-san’s question,’ apparently.”

“Why does it get conveyed accurately only at times like this…!”

“Huh? So it was true? I honestly thought it was a dramatized rumor.”

“Mmm… I won’t deny that information is indeed factual.”

Information like this was usually embellished as it spread, especially when it came from her or people around her. But contrary to Sorato’s expectations, this time only the bare facts seemed to have been shared. The identity of the gazes he and the others had faintly felt ever since returning to the classroom turned out to be those who had already heard the rumor, which had spread at an absurd speed.

Ever since earlier, glances had been gathering on him from all directions as people passed by.

“Man~ I’m beat, totally wiped… Wait, what’s with this guy? Why is he so completely deflated?”

“It’s rare for Kohaku to be late on news slightly related to Natsuki-san. Apparently, Natsuki-san asked him for something, and he firmly turned her down right in front of everyone.”

“Ehh??? This goes beyond jealousy or anything. Honestly, that kind of mental fortitude scares me. He’s usually such a coward, so why is he so gutsy in moments like that?”

“Shut uuup… I meant it as a declaration to the girls, like, ‘A gloomy guy like me has no intention of associating with a noble person like her, so please forgive me,’ and yet… Why am I drawing this kind of weird attention…?”

“You’re so awkward it’s actually starting to feel sad…”

“You’re the one overthinking everything.”

“Shuuut uuuup… You extroverts would never understand how my brain works…!”

What Sorato had intended, in his own awkward way, was simply to show everyone that he had “absolutely no involvement with Natsuki.” Yet he had never imagined he’d end up attracting this much strange attention as “the guy who turned down an invitation from that Natsuki-san.”

Because he overthought things and let them fester, everything he did ended up backfiring, leading to the worst possible results. Exposing his own pathetic behavior left him feeling utterly miserable.

I mean, it’s not like I did anything wrong!? Natsuki-san suddenly came at me first…! I was consciously trying to avoid her, and then she flashes that ridiculously beautiful smile at me! Don’t tease introverts for fun, damn it?!

Having finally reached his limit internally, Sorato directed his anger—at least in his head—toward Natsuki, the root cause of it all. But it wasn’t true anger. Rather, like indulging a child’s mischief, there was a strange sense of delight mixed in. Compared to her always-perfect public persona, he felt frustrated with himself for finding it just a little bit pleasing to be teased by her more catlike side.

No matter what he did, the memory of her smile from yesterday simply refused to leave his mind.

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Chapter 28

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“Alright, for this period, I want you to decide your free-activity groups for the off-campus study trip.”

With that single sentence from their homeroom teacher, Tanaka-sensei, the classroom instantly erupted into noise. And for good reason. An off-campus study trip, for second-year high school students with their entrance exams only a year away, was one of the few large-scale events they could look forward to—second only to the school trip for students who usually devoted themselves to studying.

“Wooooooah!”

“Hey, hey! We’re making groups too?!”

“Let me in, let me in!!”

“Where are we going!?”

“Hey, no pairing up with your girlfriend, got it?!”

The classroom that had been quiet just moments ago was now buzzing as if that silence had been a lie. The girls immediately began forming teams, while the boys let their imaginations run wild over a destination they still didn’t know. And the instant the words “off-campus study trip” left the teacher’s mouth, one particular male student called out to a friend seated nearby.

“Hey, Tenma, let’s group up. I don’t really have anyone I can properly team up with besides you two.”

“It’s fine. I figured that would happen, so I put everyone else on hold just in case.”

“I don’t know how to feel about that… Part of me’s happy, but part of me feels painfully seen about how few friends I have.”

“Kohaku probably said something similar and kept a slot open too, so you should be grateful to us, you know?”

Tenma, with his friendly demeanor and handsome face, was extremely popular among the boys as well. Once group selection truly began, he would likely be snapped up immediately. Sorato was one of the people who wanted Tenma—though that also meant he was, conversely, the most pitiful person there, having no one to rely on besides Tenma and Kohaku.

“By the way, where do you think we’re going?”

“I heard it’s different from last year, so there’s basically no information—”

“This year’s destination is a place called Maikasa Amusement Park. It’s pretty famous, so I’m guessing you all know it?”

“An amusement park, seriously?”

“I heard last year they did independent study in a city outside the prefecture. That’s a huge change.”

“Honestly, isn’t this better than just walking around a city?”

“When did you even get here, Kohaku?”

“While you two were leisurely speculating about the destination.”

“That was literally just now.”

Kohaku, who had somehow positioned himself behind them without being noticed, seamlessly joined the conversation. Naturally, the two people Sorato had wanted to group up with for the off-campus study trip gathered around him.

The destination chosen this time was Maikasa Amusement Park—a theme park that boasted one of the largest roller coasters in the country, along with massive swimming pools during the summer season, making it enjoyable for everyone from children to adults. Seeing the students’ excitement spike after hearing the destination, Tanaka-sensei spoke with a slightly resigned tone.

“Well… I guess this might not be something a teacher should say, but… Yeah. Go ahead and enjoy yourselves as much as you want.”

““““““WOOOOOOOOAH!?””””””

Once the details were explained, the classroom erupted even more loudly, especially with the boys’ voices. In past years, the trip had consisted of independent study visits to local tourist sites. This year, however, the wind had completely changed direction, and an amusement park had been chosen as the destination.

“Eh!? Then I want to ride that one—!”

“I’ve never been there before!!”

“…Whoa, the girls got fired up all at once.”

“Well, in terms of choosing a place both boys and girls can enjoy, this feels like a total success, doesn’t it?”

“Up until last year, they kept saying ‘off-campus study trip is just an extension of learning.’ I kind of want to know how they convinced those stiff old teachers.”

“So, Sorato, what do you think about it? Sounds fun?”

Watching the girls—now brimming with energy on par with the boys—Tenma and the others smiled happily. Among them were a few eccentrics who enjoyed things from unique perspectives, but this year, it seemed everyone would be able to have even more fun.

This unexpected destination had set not only the boys but the girls off as well, eliciting high-pitched excitement. An amusement park was a place both boys and girls could naturally enjoy, and in no time, the classroom was filled with talk of the theme park, regaining all the liveliness it had before.

“This is looking way more fun than I expected.”

“The amusement park, huh… The preparation research for the trip is going to be much easier then.”

For students, the most enjoyable time was just beginning.

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