Volume 02: School Trip

Chapter 31: On the Plane

Right now, I’m on a plane heading towards Hokkaido, pretending to sleep as usual to pass the time.

Even if I stay awake, there’s nothing to do… Watching those guys having fun is nothing but painful…

Even the guy sitting next to me, despite it being a long-awaited school trip… I doubt he’ll have any fun with someone like me beside him.

I genuinely feel sorry about that… 

The one who became the sacrifice was Tanaka-kun.

Though we’re not friends, I think he’s a decent guy.

_________“I don’t mind sitting next to you, Mamiya-kun.”

He said so, and even during the ruthless rock-paper-scissors to decide our seats, he willingly raised his hand… 

The word “don’t mind” does bother me a bit, but… Well, even considering that, I was grateful. 

I was really grateful. 

Tanaka-kun… He’s also someone on the dark side, just like me, so to speak.

I don’t think he stands out much in our class. 

But unlike me, he has friends. 

That’s a big difference. Considering his willingness to sit beside me… 

Well, I can understand why he has friends. Anyway, no matter what, I’m really thankful to him. 

Thank you… Tanaka-kun. Thanks to you, I managed to avoid quite a bit of emotional damage…

~Tanaka’s POV~

The guy next to me, Mamiya-kun, is a peculiar person.

Personally, I don’t really like using this word, but he’s a “loner.” I’ve never seen him properly talking to anyone in the classroom… Most of the class treats him like a tumor.

Especially in this class… no, even in the whole school, it seems like Sakaki-kun and Moriya-kun, who stand out, have a particularly strong attitude towards him. 

If I were in his position, I would definitely become a school dropout.

Honestly, my personality is not exactly bright either, so it’s not something unrelated to me… 

This year, by chance, I ended up in the same class as friends I got along with last year, so it’s good… But next year, it could be me.

Terrifying…

However, something strange has been happening with him lately. 

Especially recently, he seems to be interacting a lot with cute girls. And it’s always the girls who approach him.

First, there’s Saya Yamamoto from our class. 

Honestly, I’ve never spoken to her, and Mamiya-kun, well… he probably never even made eye contact with her before.

This school, or even nationwide, she’s someone with top-level cuteness, not someone we can easily approach. She’s the kind of person who only gets involved with popular guys like Sakaki-kun.

That’s what I’ve always thought.

But now, what’s going on…?

As far as I can see, Mamiya-kun is talking to Yamamoto-san every day. 

Moreover, it seems like it’s Yamamoto-san who always goes up to Mamiya-kun to start a conversation.

Without paying any attention to Sakaki-kun and Moriya-kun, whom she used to hang out with frequently before, she seems to be completely obsessed with Mamiya-kun recently…

And when Yamamoto-san talks to Mamiya-kun, her face is always blushing. It’s as if she’s like a middle schooler or even an elementary schooler, shy but still teasing the person she likes…

It’s far from the image of Saya Yamamoto, the famous school beauty rumored to be experienced in romance…

It’s like seeing a completely different person. 

On the other hand, no matter what Yamamoto-san says to Mamiya-kun or even if she touches him, he always remains expressionless. 

It’s really mysterious. 

If it were me, I would faint instantly with a smirk on my face and my heart racing with excitement if I received that much attention from Yamamoto-san…

Also, if faced with the intense hostility from Sakaki-kun and the others who are staring at them with sharp eyes, I would probably faint instantly…

Next is the transfer student, Alice-chan. 

She’s a beautiful German girl with blond hair and blue eyes.

Alice-chan not only has a stunning appearance but also a cute, clumsy charm like a small animal. 

Many guys, including me, are stirred up with a desire to protect her. She’s a popular woman. 

She might be a bit shy or reserved because she doesn’t actively approach anyone.

But there is one exception, someone who doesn’t fit that pattern.

Yes, that’s Mamiya-kun.

Somehow, she always ends up being with Mamiya-kun… Alice-chan often grabs Mamiya-kun’s sleeve with her small hand, pulls it, and brings her face close to his ear, happily whispering something to him.

So cute.

However, Mamiya-kun’s expression remains blank even in that situation.

It’s too mysterious…

If it were me, being cutely pulled by her sleeve and whispered to in that adorable face… I would definitely faint with a blissful expression.

And, of course, even with Sakaki-kun and the others’ murderous glares…

Lastly, there’s Arisa Shibuya, the Madonna of the neighboring class.

She is the noble and perfect beauty of this school. She was supposed to be an unattainable flower on a high peak…

But now, she frequently enters the classroom, clearly targeting Mamiya-kun.

Quite aggressively…

Sakaki-kun and the others are being ignored, and Mamiya-kun is being chased after.

It’s really too mysterious…

However, Mamiya-kun’s expression remains indifferent even towards her.

If it were me, just being called by Shibuya-san’s name would be enough to make me faint in excitement.

Everything is truly too mysterious.

It’s like something unimaginable has happened in these past few months, and he has become the center of attention for cute girls…

Even though he doesn’t seem to have changed at all.

It’s unreal, but I can only think that he must have used some kind of magic or something.

Honestly… as a fellow guy, I’m too envious of this situation, and I want to know the reason.

I absolutely want to know.

And although it’s highly unlikely, if possible, I also want to experience being sought after by cute girls like Mamiya-kun.

Even now… every few minutes, Yamamoto-san and Alice-chan glance over at us from their distant seats.

Well, I should say they’re looking at Mamiya-kun… Yamamoto-san blushes and points her smartphone in our direction…

There’s no doubt she’s taking pictures of him.

How adorable…

Alice-chan, on the other hand, tries to sneak away from her seat and come towards us, but the tour guide stops her and she reluctantly returns.

So cute…

And then, from another block, Shibuya-san walks through the aisle next to our seats multiple times, heading towards the restroom.

It’s completely out of her way.

Beautiful… Just seeing her in my line of sight makes my heart flutter.

But, at the end of those cute and beautiful gazes, it’s always Mamiya-kun who is sleeping next to me, not me.

It’s truly too mysterious…

Where on earth does he possess such irresistible charm that captivates these girls?

Truly, who is he… And as for me, Tanaka, I am resolved to unveil his true identity during this school trip.

As I ponder over these thoughts, the plane will soon be landing.

Now, let the fun school trip begin.