My Popular-as-Hell Best Friend Is Annoying, So I Want to Get Him a Girlfriend and Shut Him Up - Chapter 32 & 33 & 34

Chapter 32: Tenacity

I didn’t hear about Natori Mayoi’s rejection directly from her.

I casually asked Uryu, and he dodged the question, so I just assumed he rejected her.

I’m probably not wrong.

I don’t know exactly when it happened, but her attitude in class didn’t seem to change.

She didn’t seem to be dragging around the shock of rejection, and she still greeted Uryu normally.

If she was just pretending nothing happened, that’s some serious acting skill.

But in reality, that wasn’t the case.

Hearing Rando-dono’s story, I realized she’s got some serious resentment boiling inside.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have targeted Rando-dono with harassment-like behavior twice.

Rando-dono’s boldness is just that striking.

Going into an upperclassman’s classroom takes guts, and joining the same club to cheer for him?

Most people couldn’t pull that off.

For anyone eyeing Uryu, she must be a real thorn in their side.

And that kind of action could easily be seen as cocky—by someone with a twisted perspective.

“—I’m fine.”

But she doesn’t waver.

Hand on her chest, she looks at me with a steady, resolute gaze.

“When I heard about Aoyagi-senpai’s reputation, I kinda expected stuff like this.

If Natori-senpai likes him, that’s all the more reason I can’t lose.

I want to follow through with my own will.”

“…Impressive.”

“No kidding, I’ve got my hands full just trying to become Aoyagi-senpai’s girlfriend.”

“Damn right.”

As expected of the Rando Sora I respect.

No matter the obstacle, she never forgets to keep looking forward.

She might actually have a shot at capturing Uryu’s heart.

Then I’ll support Rando-dono with everything I’ve got.

If she says she doesn’t need me, I’ll back her up from the shadows.

I’ll make sure she can unleash all that energy she’s brimming with—

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

The sound froze all three of us mid-dramatic pose.

We left the cafeteria eight minutes ago, so we could just make it back to class.

That is, of course, if we didn’t get caught up talking in the hallway.

“Hurry, you two!”

“Yes!”

Me and the two kouhai bolted up the stairs.

If the school rules say no running in the halls, I’d argue this is a staircase, not a hallway—that’s how serious we were.

“It’s your fault, Ai-chan!

If you hadn’t stopped me back there!”

“Yeah, what were you thinking, Ai-chan!?”

“Huh!?

It was important, wasn’t it!?”

“No way, Rando-dono!

Ai-chan’s not showing any remorse!”

“Sorry!

I’ll lecture her properly later!”

“I’m the bad guy!?

Me!?”

The three of us scrambled toward our destinations.

Right now, we just kept running to our classrooms.

But then I realized something.

We were talking at the staircase where first- and second-years split, yet all three of us were heading the same way.

“Wait, senpai, is your class this way!?”

“We messed up!”

“Messed up, huh?

My condolences!”

Why did we climb stairs we didn’t need to?

Momentum’s scary.

Suddenly feeling like rushing was pointless, I did a U-turn and slowly descended the stairs.

Hmph, who cares about time?

Being late’s a trivial issue.

With my slick talking skills, I’ll win over the teacher.

Thinking that, I strutted into class ten minutes late.

Chapter 33: Latecomer’s Debate

“Well, Hirose, this makes the 13th time you’ve been late to class since your first year. Got anything to say?”

“It’s not my fault.”

“Oh? Then whose fault is it?”

“Ai-chan’s.”

“Hm, Ai-chan, huh? And who’s Ai-chan?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Blaming someone else but still loyal to them? That’s commendable.”

“Thank you.”

“Specifically, why were you late?”

“I was helping Ai-chan with a problem. I hurried back, but it wasn’t enough…”

“Didn’t you just stroll back casually?”

“That’s your imagination.”

“Fine, whatever. If you were really helping Ai-chan, I’d let it slide, but you’ll need to introduce me to her later.”

“That’s a no.”

“Why’s that? I’m not planning to scold Ai-chan.”

“Because I’d be in trouble if she said something that doesn’t match with my story.”

“That sounds like you’re admitting you’re lying.”

“Ai-chan’s in a state of confusion right now. She’s not fit for conversation.”

“Didn’t you just say you were helping her with a problem?”

“Right after our talk, she fell into confusion. It’s tragic.”

“Tragic, huh? Is she okay now?”

“She’s bouncing between a timeline where she consulted me and one where she didn’t. It’s precarious.”

“Sounds like she’s really confused. Schrödinger’s Ai-chan, perhaps?”

“Uh, probably something like that.”

“Probably?”

“Definitely. Ai-chan is Schrödinger.”

“Ai-chan’s not Schrödinger, is she?”

“No, Ai-chan has also shifted to a timeline where she recognizes herself as Schrödinger.”

“Wow, Ai-chan’s something else. Is she really okay?”

“She’s fine. She’s attending class properly.”

“Even in a confused state?”

“There’s a part of her that got confused precisely because she wanted to attend class.”

“What about the timeline shifts?”

“Yeah, sometimes you might see Ai-chan looking translucent.”

“…Enough. Sit down.”

“Thank you.”

“Hirose, how about just apologizing honestly for once?”

“I’m not at fault.”

“Right, it’s Ai-chan’s fault.”

“It’s Ai-chan.”

“Sigh… Fine, let’s resume class.”

13 battles, 13 wins—complete victory.

T/N: Damn this guy, even I can’t do that with a straight face.

Chapter 34: A Small Step Forward

“Yukiya, it’s been a while since you were late to class.”

“Shut up, I don’t wanna hear that from a hair-rule-breaking guy like you.”

“It’s my natural hair, though.”

After fifth period, as I took a breather, a guy with an annoyingly cheerful voice piped up from beside me.

Needless to say, it was Aoyagi Uryu.

Is it really okay to sound so amused about someone else’s tardiness?

“Did you see the teacher’s exasperated face?

You come up with wild stories every time.”

“It’s the truth, I tell ya.”

“No way. Does this Ai-chan really turn translucent sometimes?”

“That’s not the point!

I was late ‘cause I was helping her with something.”

“Don’t lie.

There’s no way you’d do something that noble.”

Hey, Uryu-kun, you do know I’m always dealing with girls who like you, right?

How dare you say that?

Should I compile my efforts into a professional presentation and burn it into your eyeballs?

Suga-san, please, sing a song for me.

“Hirose Yukiya.”

Just as I came up with a subtitle—“The Man Living for Peace, Fighting Human Inequality”—our class rep, minus her usual scowl, called out to me.

“What?

If it’s about being late, it’s not a made-up story.”

“If it’s true, that’s the worst.

Calling a real person ‘confused’ like that?”

“I had no choice.

I didn’t want Ai-chan to be questioned.”

“That’s what caught my attention.”

“Huh?”

Cutting me off abruptly, Misono Izumo cleared her throat to get to the point.

“It’s a super familiar phrase, so I had to ask—is this Ai-chan you’re talking about the one in the tea ceremony club?”

Oh, yeah, that’s what’s bugging her.

Come to think of it, I did talk to Ai-chan about the tea ceremony club—something about Izumo-senpai banning me…

“Hey, what’s this about me being banned from the tea ceremony room?”

“Huh?

Answer my question first!”

“Tch, impatient much?

Yeah, it’s the tea ceremony club Ai-chan.

She was so impressed by my wabi-sabi finesse that she invited me to come drink matcha.”

“What kind of situation is that!?

And what’s ‘wabi-sabi finesse’?

Stop making up weird terms!”

“Talk about a rigid mind.

You girls are way better at making up words.”

“Huh, really?”

“Like, chilling with my boyfriend, but it’s so annoying, totally a buzzkill, ugh~.”

“What?”

Yikes, she’s glaring at me with this super low tone.

Doesn’t our school have girls who talk like that?

“Whoops, got off track.

Forget the ‘ugh’ stuff—how do you know Ai-chan?”

“I told you, she was blown away by my overflowing tea ceremony knowledge and begged me to come drink matcha.”

“That’s not what you said before!

How much matcha does Ai-chan want you to drink!?”

“When tea ceremony lovers brew matcha and talk wabi-sabi, it’s pure elegance.”

“You don’t love the tea ceremony—you just love matcha!”

God, what a noisy girl.

No consideration for classmates trying to have a quiet break, and she’s the class rep?

If she sticks around, it feels like she’ll just get louder, so I decided to quickly spill how I met Ai-chan.

Classmates, you’re welcome.

“She’s friends with Rando-dono, so we chatted a bit.”

“Rando—oh, the girl who came to our class today.

The one who declared war on you.”

“Forget that.

Now we’re close enough to trade witty banter.”

“That’s a whole ‘what happened in one day’ story.

So, Ai-chan’s close with Rando-san?”

“Seems like they’re a great duo.

Like the prime Arriba combo.”

“Arriba…?

The sink?”

Not that sink!

No way—Arriba’s the go-to for iconic duos, right?

Does she not watch sports?

I was young back then, but to think I’d feel a generation gap with someone my age.

Whatever, that should clear up Misono Izumo’s questions.

Now she’ll probably toss in a “Don’t mess with Ai-chan” and head back to her seat.

That’s how it’s always been.

“…Does Aoyagi-kun have any interactions with Ai-chan?”

So, for a split second, I couldn’t believe my eyes when Misono Izumo glanced at Uryu to keep the conversation going.

“Not directly, but I’ve heard about her from Rando-san.

She’s a good friend of hers.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Didn’t expect her to know Yukiya, though.

Is it true she turns translucent sometimes?”

“Hey, don’t take it seriously, Aoyagi-kun.”

“Haha.”

…Huh.

They’re actually having a proper conversation.

Uryu’s communication skills are superhuman, sure, but Misono Izumo holding her own with his teasing?

Not a bad scene for me.

“…What?”

Noticing my stare, Misono Izumo shot me a slightly embarrassed glare.

“Just thinking you’ve finally decided to knock Kirita Akari out of the race.”

“Don’t put it like that.

It’s just a conversation.”

“Feels like you barely even had ‘just conversations’ before.”

As I grinned, Misono Izumo’s cheeks flared red, and she looked away.

“I-It’s not like I’m doing this because you told me to, okay?”

“Did I say something?”

“Huh!?

You’re the one who said it—don’t give up on your own!

And, uh, um…”

“Oh, you mean when I said you’re beautiful?”

“Don’t just say it so boldly!

It makes me look stupid for getting embarrassed!”

“I’ll say it boldly.

It’s the truth.”

“Ugh!!

Enough! Just stop!”

Her face practically boiling, Misono Izumo shouted to cut me off and stormed back to her seat.

“What’s with her…”

Saying it’s not because of me but clearly hung up on my words?

Not that I care, but if she’s this worked up from the start, it’s gonna be a rough road.

Still, taking a step toward the starting line is a good thing.

Rando-dono’s my top pick, but the more people aiming for Uryu, the better.

Love’s not a sprint—starting late’s fine if you can overtake later.

Whether Misono Izumo’s up to it is another question.

“Oh.”

I forgot to ask why she banned me from the tea ceremony club.

That girl, just saying her piece and bailing.

I’d love to grill her now, but this sudden good news has me in a great mood.

I’ll let it slide for another time.

With that, the hectic break after fifth period came to an end.