In a World of Reversed Chastity, I’m Rumored to Be an Easy Bitch (♂) Among Lustful Girls - 21

Chapter 21: You Know, I Have Some Manga at My Place… Wanna Come?

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The next day. During lunch break, I ate lunch together with Haruto, just like usual and of course, my bento was packed full with karaage too. 

This really is the best.

I took a bite of a fairly large piece of karaage. Since it wasn’t freshly fried, it didn’t have that crisp texture, but the seasoning had soaked well into the meat, making it go perfectly with rice.

Yeah, karaage is justice.

Meanwhile, across from me, smiling as he opened a bento box nearly twice the size of mine, was my best friend, Haruto Fujisaki. Standing tall at 185 cm, he was the next ace of the basketball team, meaning he had to eat a lot to match his physique and energy consumption.

His mom (or maybe his dad?) must have a tough time making his bento every morning.

After finishing about a quarter of his meal, Haruto suddenly looked like he had remembered something and spoke up.

“Ah, right! Something good happened.”

“Something good?”

“Yeah. Actually, for the next game, I’ll be wearing jersey number 8.”

“Ohh, nice. …Wait, is number 8 special or something?”

“In basketball, jersey number 8 is for the power forward position. That means I made it as a regular starter.”

“Power forward?”

That sounds like a strong position.

I had a vague idea that “forward” in soccer was an offensive position, so I could somewhat grasp the concept of that position in basketball. And if “power” was added to it, then it must be a position where you push through with raw physical strength, right?

That totally suits Haruto.

I could easily imagine him grinning as he bulldozed through opponents, sending them flying.

Scoring would probably be a breeze for him.

Well, not that I know much about basketball.

“Basically, you secured a regular spot, right? That’s awesome.”

“Hehe~ But it’s not for the Inter-High qualifiers. It’s just an invitational match in the neighboring city, so I think they’re testing me out as a regular.”

“No, no, Haruto, this is your chance to prove yourself! Star players never let these opportunities slip. If you perform well, you can solidify your position as a starter.”

“Yeah, you’re right. So, Asahi, why don’t you come watch the game? The match is this Saturday.”

Haruto smiled at me. His smile was so pure and devoid of any malice that I seriously thought UNESCO should consider protecting it.

“Of course, I don’t mind, but I don’t know much about basketball.”

“As long as you know the team that scores more baskets wins, you’ll be fine.”

“I mean, even I know that much… But yeah, since you finally got a regular spot, I’ll come support you. Not that I think my cheering will make much of a difference.”

“Thanks, Asahi! But honestly, I think you should bring someone with you. It feels kinda risky for you to come alone.”

“Eh? Am I really that vulnerable?”

“Yeah, I mean, you just got harassed by a pervert the other day.”

“Th-That’s true, but…”

“I’ve been feeling that way, especially lately. Did something happen, Asahi?”

If he asked me if something had happened, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. But I couldn’t tell him everything, so I just gave a vague, polite smile and dodged the question. Apparently, according to Haruto, I had poor awareness of my surroundings and looked like an easy target. Something about me supposedly gave off an aura that attracted troublesome women.

…Seriously?

“Yeah, I really think you should come with someone.”

“Someone…? Like who?”

“Hmm… Oh, I know! Hey, Nishimeya, would you be interested in watching the match?”

Haruto suddenly called out to Hinayo, who had been sitting next to me. She had her ears blocked with earphones and was chewing her sandwich in small, rabbit-like movements.

She really gives off major herbivore vibes.

“…Heeey, Nishimeya-saaan?”

When Haruto waved his hand and called out to her again, Hinayo finally noticed.

“Y-Yes? W-Wh-What is it?”

“I’m glad you noticed! So, this Saturday, we have a basketball game. Would you like to come and watch?”

“Eh!? M-Me!?”

“Yeah, with Asahi.”

“W-With Hirakawa-kun!?”

“Yep. Asahi can be kind of defenseless sometimes, so I thought it’d be better if you went with him.”

Hinayo immediately became visibly flustered. Well, that made sense. Up until recently, I’d never even seen her talking to anyone. Of course, an introverted girl suddenly being spoken to like this would react that way. Still, Haruto sure was bold. Even though they sat nearby, he didn’t have to go out of his way to call out to Hinayo, who practically shut herself off from the rest of the class.

…Oh. I get it now.

Haruto’s real intention was the complete opposite of what he was saying. He claimed it was because I was defenseless and needed someone to accompany me, but that was just an excuse. The one he really wanted to invite was Hinayo. The other day, when she got a haircut, he had reacted way too much. There was no doubt about it. He must be interested in her. 

Since it would’ve been awkward to invite her directly, he used me as a buffer to make it happen.

Damn, Haruto, you’re more of a strategist than I gave you credit for.

“Umm… Is it really okay if I go?”

“Of course!”

“Then, if you’re okay with me… I’d like to go.”

“Really!? Nishimeya-san, I’m so happy you’re coming!”

Haruto beamed at her. He was the friendly, sociable type who smiled at everyone. From a girl’s perspective, if this was just his standard classmate-level smile, then it was honestly dangerous. It’d be too easy for girls to get the wrong idea. But I knew better.

Haruto was being pretty serious about inviting Nishimeya. As proof, after that, the speed at which he devoured the rest of his bento was unreal. And as soon as he finished eating, he took off for the gym. He was probably so excited he couldn’t sit still.

Haruto, working hard for his crush… What a pure maiden he is…

With Haruto gone, I continued eating my bento at a leisure pace. Unlike him, I didn’t eat particularly fast, so I still had about half of my rice left. When I glanced over at Hinayo, she had finished her sandwich and was watching something on her phone. I peeked slightly and realized it was the same series as the manga I read yesterday.

“Nishimeya-san, that anime—”

“Fwah!? W-W-What is it, Hirakawa-kun!?”

“Oh, sorry for surprising you. That anime, it’s the same one as the manga I happened to read yesterday.”

“You know ‘AraShota,’ Hirakawa-kun!?”

Hinayo looked even more shocked than when Haruto had invited her to the basketball game. So that manga I read yesterday was called ‘AraShota’… First time hearing that.

“‘AraShota’—officially titled Reincarnated Thirty-Something OL’s Life in a Village Surrounded by Shota—was insanely popular as a web novel! The manga adaptation made it even bigger, and now it’s finally getting an anime this season! The series has even surpassed five million copies in total sales—”

“Y-You sure know a lot about it…”

“Ah…! S-Sorry, sometimes I tend to ramble away…”

“No, no, it’s fine. Actually, I was thinking of reading more because it seemed interesting, but I couldn’t remember the title… So this really helps.”

Hinayo shyly murmured.

“You’re welcome.”

But then, as if suddenly realizing something, her expression changed.

“Hirakawa-kun, if you’d like… Would you like to read more of AraShota? I have the whole series, so…”

“Really? Then maybe I could borrow them after school. Would it be okay if I came over to your place, Nishimeya-san?”

“Huh… Y-Yes…!”

And just like that, I suddenly had after-school plans with Hinayo. I was excited to read more of that manga.

Little did I know, this was all part of the introverted girl’s plan.

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