In a World of Reversed Chastity, I’m Rumored to Be an Easy Bitch (♂) Among Lustful Girls - 59

Chapter 59: Loser Loser Loser Loser Hinayo

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“Have you calmed down?”

“Y-Yes… I’m sorry… I lost control of myself…”

“It’s okay. No matter how you look at it, that guy from the other school screamed bad news.”

“No… It was all my fault…”

I invited the tearful Hinayo into the room and stayed by her side. I waited patiently until she calmed down. She was usually timid, but even so, the way she cried this time was clearly abnormal. It was clear to see that guy we met had hurt Hinayo deeply.

“For now, try drinking this and calm yourself down. Look, we also have some cream puffs.”

“…Thank you, I’ll have some.”

I opened a bottle of tea I had at home and poured it into Hinayo’s cup. The cream puffs we had bought were miraculously intact, not even a bit squashed. Apparently, they were sturdier than expected. Hinayo bit into one with her small mouth. At that moment, so much cream burst from the filling hole that it nearly overflowed. It was a treat that showed the owner’s dedication at making them.

Drawn by how Hinayo ate the cream puff, I took a bite of one myself and… 

Yeah, it’s good. 

“These cream puffs really are delicious… They haven’t changed, ever since back then.”

“Yeah, they’re seriously good. I might end up buying them again.”

“…I haven’t changed at all, too.”

Hinayo muttered that with a lonely expression on her face. Just what had happened in her past?

“Hey, Nishimeya-san. I’m aware I might be overstepping here, but…”

“What is it?”

“What happened between you and that guy earlier?”

“N-Nothing… I don’t even know him…”

“Come on, pretending that you don’t know him at this point is pushing it. I know I’m a busy body, but I’d really like you to tell me.”

“Y-You don’t need to know, Hirakawa-kun. Even if I told you, I’d only be troubling you…”

“That’s fine. Causing a bit of trouble for each other is part of being friends, isn’t it?”

“Ahaha… Friends, huh.”

“W-Well… There are different kinds of friendships, after all…”

I felt a little awkward after saying it myself. Earlier, I’d blurted out “friends” on impulse, but describing my relationship with Hinayo in that way felt too simplistic. It was like putting “Earth” in the address field—just too vague. Even so, it wasn’t like we weren’t friends either. The nature of our relationship was hard to define, but “friend” was probably the most convenient label.

“That boy, Yuuto Misawa-kun, is my childhood friend.”

“A childhood friend… I didn’t know you had someone like that.”

Honestly, I was surprised. From how she was now, it was hard to imagine she’d had a male childhood friend.

“Yuu-kun and I were together all through elementary and junior high, but now he goes to a prep school in the city, so it’s been a while since we last met.”

“Ah, that uniform was from that school, huh…”

The uniform Misawa had been wearing earlier was from the highest-ranking high school in the city. I hadn’t recognized it at all. It was only natural I didn’t recognize his uniform though. After all, I had zero connection to that place. 

Sorry for being dumb.

“He’s smart, athletic, popular… But for some reason, he was always hanging around me.”

“Wait, so you and that Misawa guy were close?”

“‘Close’ might not be the right word. I was a loner who couldn’t socialize, and Yuu-kun just kept bothering me, I guess…”

Hearing that, I thought maybe Misawa was the kind of guy who liked to look after others, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

“I’m clumsy, dumb, an ugly introvert, so he’d always tease me. After tests, or during sports events, he’d show off the gap between us and put me down… Or show me how much better he is than me…”

“Uh, wow… That’s…”

“But I accepted it all. Maybe you’ll think I’m stupid, but back then, I was happy.”

“Why?”

“Because the only one who paid any attention to someone like me was Yuu-kun. Even though he always mocked me like ‘loser, loser,’ I felt like he actually saw me… Like he actually noticed my existence…”

Maybe what Hinayo had felt back then was nothing but a cognitive distortion. From an outsider perspective, it was clear to see Hinayo had been devalued. Misawa had been using her to stroke his own ego, but given the lonely world she lived in at the time, that attention, distorted as it was, must’ve looked like a blessing to her.

Listening to her story, I finally began to understand the root of Hinayo’s abnormally low self-esteem. She had convinced herself that being inferior to Misawa was better than being alone. In truth, Hinayo had remarkable potential.

Her beautiful black hair, a face like a traditional Japanese doll, slender limbs with graceful proportions. On top of that, her academic ability in science was said to be high enough to aim for Tokyo University. Devaluing someone like her all the time was definitely the act of a jerk desperate to maintain his superiority over her. Misawa was someone who didn’t understand others’ pain and only cared about feeling good himself. Practically speaking, Yuuto Misawa was nothing but a bundle of living ego.

“I thought our relationship would go on like that forever, but I messed up during the high school entrance exams.”

“Messed up?”

“Yeah. I got sick and couldn’t focus on the exams… I still forced myself to take the test, but I didn’t get into my first choice.”

“That must have been rough.”

“I had always managed to keep up with Yuu-kun in studies, so I really tried my best. But after I failed, he insulted me even more than usual… That’s when I finally woke up, I guess…”

“You realized that Misawa was just putting you down to make himself feel better.”

“Exactly… Luckily enough, since we ended up in different high schools, I never had to see him again… Until now…”

And of all times, they had to reunite now.

“…It’s all my fault, isn’t it? If I’d handled things better, this wouldn’t have gotten so complicated.”

“That’s not true. You’ve been doing your best, Nishimeya-san. Even if someone else denies that, I’ll vouch for you.”

“H-Hirakawa-kun…”

“So it’s okay. If things were bad before, then let’s make them better from now on. I’ll help you however I can.”

I knew I was saying something really cheesy, but I still believed Hinayo deserved to be properly seen for who she was. I could say with confidence that I wasn’t lying about that part. But then… 

“…Then, Hirakawa-kun, will you ‘help’ me a little more…?”

“…Huh?”

With tearful eyes, Hinayo looked up at me. She was begging me for a kiss without uttering any words.

Help, huh… I guess I don’t have any other choice, do I?

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