In a World of Reversed Chastity, I’m Rumored to Be an Easy Bitch (♂) Among Lustful Girls - 17

Chapter 17: Rather Than Watching in Envy From Afar, I’d Rather Have a Handsome Guy’s Dic-

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“—I just can’t accept this!”

After school, I had been practically dragged up to the second floor of McDonald’s, where I found myself listening to Riria’s endless complaints for some reason. The topic? Haruto, who was the absolute embodiment of Riria’s type, had suddenly started making moves on Hinayo after she cut her bangs.

Even as his close friend, I found it unusual for Haruto to be that forward with a girl. For Riria, who had been quietly watching and waiting for her chance with him, this situation must have been unbearable. Though, I still didn’t quite get why she was venting all of this to me.

“…I mean, whether you accept it or not, it’s Haruto’s choice. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

“But, but, but, but, but! Super, super, super, super, super, super, super, super plain old Hinayo Nishimeya suddenly went and cut her bangs! That has to mean she’s trying to get Fujisaki-kun’s attention! No doubt about it! She may look innocent, but deep down, Hinayo Nishimeya is definitely a seasoned player!”

Riria rattled on at high speed before grabbing a handful of French fries—one of the two large sizes she had insisted on buying since they were all the same price during the promotion—and stuffing them into her mouth. She was fueling herself with food while burning with rage, like some kind of wood-burning stove. Given her current state, there was no way I could tell her that I was the reason Hinayo had cut her bangs. Normally, I would just tune out Riria’s ramblings, but since I felt at least somewhat responsible for nudging Hinayo toward that decision, I had no choice but to go along with her venting this time.

“Well… I mean, there’s no point in blaming Nishimeya-san.”

“I… I guess that’s true, but still…”

“Are you worried about something?”

“I used to think, ‘She’s just an introvert, so she’s probably not much of a threat, right?’ But when you actually take a good look at her, she’s got some seriously good features. If I were a guy, I’d totally be all over her. I’d totally assault her. I really shouldn’t have let my guard down….”

“That’s a terrifying way to put it… Also, I think Nishimeya-san is already ahead of you in this race.”

“That’s exactly why I can’t accept this!”

“And we’re back to the start again!”

I let out a deep sigh. Not ordering anything would have seemed weird, so I had settled for a simple ¥100 hot coffee. I took a sip of my custom blend coffee, with just a bit of sugar and a generous amount of milk.

“Anyway, if you’re that concerned about Haruto, instead of keeping an eye on Nishimeya-san, shouldn’t you focus on how to approach him yourself, Sotogahama-san?”

“…Well, yeah, I can’t deny that you’re right no matter how I hate the thought of it…”

“I think you should do something to catch Haruto’s attention.”

“Then that means I have to invite him on a date, right? Since Fujisaki-kun’s in the basketball club, maybe yakiniku?”

The fact that Riria immediately picked yakiniku as a first-date option reassured me in a weird way—her sense was just the right amount of dumb. No, wait, this wasn’t something to be reassured about. She hadn’t even talked to Haruto before. Shouldn’t she start by making contact first?

“Wouldn’t it be better to figure out how to start a conversation with him first?”

“That’s easy. I’ll just eat lunch with you. Hirakawa-kun will be there too, right?”

“No, no, it’s going to be so awkward. You’re always hanging out with that loud girls’ group, and then suddenly you show up at our table? It’d be way too obvious. Plus, I can already see how this ends… Sotogahama-san gets too nervous, only talks to me, and doesn’t get a single word in with Haruto.”

“T-that won’t happen! I’ll do my best… If I talk to him a lot, I should be fine, right? That’s all I got to do, right?”

“I don’t know… Haruto actually prefers quieter girls. I feel like you and he are just on completely different wavelengths…”

“What the hell?! The harder I try, the worse it gets! So what, am I just supposed to sit back and watch with my hands tied to my back?! I’m not going to watch envy from afar! Rather than putting my finger in my mouth, the only thing I want in my mouth is a tall, lean, muscular guy’s dic-”

“STOP RIGHT THERE!!!! This is McDonald’s! You can’t be yelling that kind of stuff here!”

We weren’t at school and this wasn’t the school lunch break. She couldn’t just scream that at full volume like she was with her friends. This McDonald’s had a reputation for being classier than others in the area. If she started yelling banned words, that reputation would tank fast.

“Then what the hell am I supposed to do?! If you’re gonna shoot down all my ideas, you better have at least one good one yourself!”

“A good idea… Well, I do have a way for you to meet him naturally.”

“For real?! What is it? Tell me! What’s the master plan?!”

“W-well, I mean… Haruto’s in the basketball club, so wouldn’t it be a good idea to go watch one of his games?”

I had just said something completely obvious, but Riria’s eyes widened like I had just revealed the trick behind a mystery novel’s big twist.

Don’t react like that, it’s not that deep.

“If you go to his game, you’ll have something to talk about afterward. And if you start getting into basketball, it’ll naturally bring you closer to Haruto.”

“T-that’s… That’s brilliant…! Hirakawa-kun, are you secretly aiming for Tokyo University or something?”

“Tokyo University isn’t that cheap of a goal, you know.”

“Alright! Now that I know what to do, it’s time to take action!”

“Wait, you’re going to Haruto right now?”

“Nope.”

“Then… Where are we going?”

“I need to learn about basketball first, so obviously, I need to go read some basketball manga!”

“That’s your way of gathering information…?”

“If what Hirakawa-kun says is true, then obviously basketball manga could also be a conversation starter. I have no other choice but to shoot my shot, you know?”

“Wow, that’s… Surprisingly logical for you, Sotogahama-san…”

“Alright then, let’s go! You’re coming with me!”

“Huh? Me? Where are we even going?”

When I asked, Riria pointed at a sign outside the window. The words written there: Pleasure Club… In other words, a net café.

…Why the hell do I need to come along for this? Aren’t those places basically a bunch of  private rooms with PCs and all?

Even as a million questions swirled in my head, Riria grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the net café.

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