Chapter 18 – The Refreshing Pretty Boy Finally Makes His Appearance

Thursday is a complicated day.

While it gives off the vibe that the weekend is just around the corner, it also reminds you of the immense despair that Friday still exists.

There is no day more complex than this one.

I felt like the schedule, with its two consecutive math periods, was a testament to that harsh reality.

“So, what’s the occasion today?”

“Exams are coming up soon, so I came to check on the progress of my worthy rival.”

‘Worthy rival,’ he says.

Ryuuji is basically quiet in the mornings.

He doesn’t talk to anyone, just focuses intently on his desk.

Sometimes I wonder if a first-year really needs to study that hard, but since he’s aiming for Harvard, all I can really say is “good luck.”

Even when he sat next to me, he was surly in the mornings and wouldn’t even return my greeting.

And yet today, that same Ryuuji went out of his way to come over to my desk and talk to me.

Of course I was going to ask him what the occasion was.

“How have things been lately?”

He’s as bad at conversation as ever.

“Thanks to you, I’ve been getting dragged into all sorts of things.”

“I see. That’s unfortunate.”

“Just so you know, you pulled a pretty big stunt yourself, Ryuuji.”

Ryuuji, who said something unnecessary to Matsumaru-sensei.

Now, I’m starting to think that was the root of all this.

If Ryuuji hadn’t mentioned that I’d been dumped, Matsumaru-sensei never would have gotten involved with me, and the Go-Home Club might never have been formed as a result.

“Aki, look.”

Shinichi, who had been erasing his presence, chose this moment to appear.

Shinichi fits into the “gloomy nerd otaku” category, but he’s acknowledged by everyone in class as a pretty interesting guy.

The idea that introverts are shunned is already outdated.

The 21st century is the era of the introvert.

The popular kids are starting to realize how amazing introverts are, and their social standing is gradually improving. It must not be forgotten that Shinichi is at the forefront of this movement.

“—!”

Shinichi was pointing at the classroom entrance.

Standing there was a beautiful boy, as refreshing as chocolate mint.

A well-defined face and silky, flowing hair.

The bangs, parted in the middle and hanging down, hid the upper half of their eyes, giving off a somewhat cool vibe.

The way they wore their uniform was exceptional, too; their simple slacks looked like a model’s outfit. And yet they were the exact same ones we wore.

And, unless the distance was messing with my perception, they had a small frame. Comparing them to the girls swarming around, they were probably a little over 160 centimeters tall.

That’s precisely why the term “beautiful boy” suited them so perfectly.

“That handsome guy is…”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. By the way, ‘ghost’ in English is—”

“You look like you’ve seen the Grim Reaper. By the way, ‘the Grim Reaper’ is how you say shinigami in English.”

Seeing me stunned, Ryuuji chimed in with a bit of trivia.

His pronunciation had an American accent.

As a believer in the superiority of the British accent, I had a few things I wanted to say, but this wasn’t the time.

—Chifuyu’s boyfriend.

No, the beautiful boy who was walking so familiarly with Chifuyu. That handsome guy is them.

“So he was in the same school, same grade…”

Even now, the refreshing, handsome student was being fawned over by the girls with squeals of “kyaa, kyaa.”

“Whoa, that kid’s cute~”

“When did you get here?”

I turned to find Souichi standing next to me.

He didn’t mean it in a weird way or anything.

“Which kid are you talking about?” Shinichi immediately asked.

“C’mon, obviously that kid. What are you talking about?”

“So you’ve finally started making eyes at guys, too.”

“Shinichi, that statement could cause a lot of misunderstandings. In this day and age, same-sex attraction should be accepted as normal. LGBTQ is—”

“I don’t care about barbecue. And anyway, isn’t that kid a girl?”

Barbecue is BBQ, you idiot.

“They certainly have an androgynous look and are on the shorter side, but considering the reaction from the girls and the fact that they’re wearing slacks, they’re probably a guy.”

Apparently, Souichi thought the refreshing, handsome student was a girl.

But, as Ryuuji said, the probability of them being a guy was higher.

The school rules allowed girls to wear slacks, but I had almost never seen a female student who actually wore them.

“Should I go check?”

The man with the least amount of delicacy in the entire world, Takizawa Souichi, just suggested something outrageous.

“That would be rude.”

“You think so? But it’s their fault for having a look that makes it hard to tell.”

What an unreasonable argument.

“Anyway, absolutely do not ask them that.”

“Fiiine. So, if that kid turns out to be a girl, can I make a move?”

Why is he asking me?

“Be my guest.”

“Alright!”

I feel sorry for that handsome student.

They have no way of knowing that Souichi is looking at them that way.

　＊＊＊

When Chifuyu arrived at her classroom, her best friend, Shiromizu Shigure, was there.

She had consulted with her over LIME the day before, so Shigure had made the trip all the way from Class 1-1, the furthest classroom from Class 1-6.

“Sorry I’m late. But I came five minutes earlier than usual to talk with you, Shigure.”

“You took so long I was about to head back to my classroom. So…”

Shigure, a refreshing smile on her face, glanced awkwardly around the classroom.

She meant she wanted to change locations.

They were drawing too much attention here.

Her popularity with the female students in particular was explosive. So cool, so handsome, so beautiful, such a nice nose… most of the comments were about her well-proportioned, androgynous features.

They moved to a stairwell landing where no one was likely to overhear them and resumed their conversation.

“It seems like everyone thinks I’m a boy,” Shigure said, her cheeks flushing slightly as she smiled, amused by the situation.