Popular Period

Morning school time.

Yumika doesn’t hold my hand, but she walks beside me close enough that our shoulders touch.

We received envious glances from other students, as well as angry looks that seem to say, “Why is he with her?”

Having always stayed in the shadows and avoided attention, I feel a bit unsettled.

“Good morning, Nagasawa-san.”

When we reach the shoe lockers, Yumika is greeted by a girl from her class.

Standing next to her, I am completely ignored. I don’t feel sad, it’s just business as usual, and I only shed a single tear.

“Good morning.”

Yumika replied without changing her expression. She remained as unsociable as ever with anyone except me.

“You’re close with your boyfriend this morning.”

A classmate’s comment, which could be taken as sarcasm. It seems like she forced the topic of me, her boyfriend, because she couldn’t keep the conversation going.

“I can’t relax unless we’re always together.”

“I see…”

The classmate seems taken aback by Yumika’s display of affection. Yumika isn’t too unpopular with her classmates because she chose a plain guy like me as her boyfriend, rather than a handsome and popular student.

If she were dating a handsome guy and being seen with him around school, her female peers might think she was getting too full of herself. But since I’m not particularly noteworthy, they can feel a sense of reassurance, or even look down on me, which makes it easier for them to accept us.

“Good morning, Sakiya-kun.”

I feel a touch on my back and turn around to see Koharu.

“Good morning.”

Koharu, like always, doesn’t greet Yumika standing next to me.

“You’re as unsociable as ever.”

“I’m smiling on the inside.”

“That sounds fake.”

While talking to Koharu, I noticed Yumika glaring at us, so I left Koharu, who was just putting on her shoes, and headed to the classroom with Yumika.

_____________________

Third period class.

Due to the sudden illness of the math teacher, it turned into a self-study period.

No substitute teacher was arranged, leaving the classroom in a state of neglect. As a result, many students were whispering to each other or using their smartphones.

When I checked my phone, I was surprised to see that I had messages from three people.

Yumika, Koharu sitting next to me, and Sugiyama-senpai, who I had met by chance yesterday and exchanged contact information with.

Receiving messages from three girls at once made me feel a bit happy, like I was in a period of being popular.

[Do not talk to Bichishita-san and focus on self-study]

Yumika’s message was a warning.

Given what happened this morning, it seems she’s taking precautions.

I decided to reply to Yumika with a “Got it.” It felt like a bit of possessiveness.

[Did you get excited by the photo I sent yesterday?]

Perhaps considering Yumika’s warning, Koharu, sitting next to me, sent me a message instead of talking to me directly.

Koharu didn’t even glance at me, so Yumika wouldn’t get suspicious. Although there was nothing suspicious going on, Yumika would be wary if Koharu looked at me while using her phone.

I replied with [Not really, I’m used to Yumika.]

Yesterday, Koharu sent a photo of a woman in lingerie who looked like her. Before I met Yumika, I would have been extremely excited by such a photo, but now it doesn’t affect me. After all, I’ve even taken a bath with Yumika, so my immunity to such things has increased.

[I see~ that’s disappointing. I guess I’ll have to send something more s*xy to satisfy you, Sakiya-kun.]

I replied with [I won’t be fooled by anyone’s photos anymore]  It would only be troublesome if she sent another photo she found online.

[Got it. Next time, I’ll send a truly erot*c photo of myself.]

I held my head in my hands at Koharu’s response.

It sounded like I was provoking her. Photos more s*xy than lingerie would be explicit, and that would cause all sorts of problems if sent to me.

I decided to reply with [You should take care of yourself more]. While I was interested in Koharu’s er*tic photos, handling them would be problematic.

[Understood. I’ll take care of myself as you said.]

I felt relieved at Koharu’s reply.

It seemed she understood…

It felt a bit like a pointed remark, but there was no need to read too much into it.

With my exchange with Koharu wrapped up, I decided to check the message from Sugiyama-senpai.

[Fujigaya-kun, long time no see. This is Aki Sugiyama. It was such a surprise running into each other yesterday. At first, I thought it was fate, but since we go to the same high school, it’s not that unlikely. I almost got shocked thinking you didn’t remember me, but it turns out I’ve changed quite a bit. I guess becoming a college student made me feel like I had to be more fashionable, so I’ve been busy with makeup and shopping for clothes. But hearing you say I’d gotten prettier made it all worthwhile. Despite the changes on the outside, I’m still the same plain person on the inside, struggling to keep up with the college party crowd. I tried to fit in at first, but it didn’t work out, so I’ve decided to stop pretending. You haven’t changed a bit, Fujigaya-kun. You still seem a bit scary, but when I look closely, you’re quite handsome, and I like your voice. Seeing you again made me feel so relieved. Let’s hang out sometime. I’ve joined a tennis club and bought some gear, so how about we play tennis together? I haven’t gotten any good at it, and I’d love to practice with you. The club does more drinking than tennis, so I haven’t had much chance to play. Anyway, I really want to talk with you, so let’s grab tea sometime soon. I’m working part-time, so even if you’re broke, I can treat you. Don’t feel bad about it; I’m older, so let me act like a big sister. I just want to spend time with you… Sorry for the long message. Looking forward to your reply.]

…

……

……….

So long!?

I felt a bit of a chill reading Sugiyama-senpai’s long message…

Still, it was reassuring to hear she was managing her college life well. I liked the quiet version of Sugiyama-senpai, so it’s a bit sad, but people change.

Since Sugiyama-senpai is attending the university I hope to get into, I’d love to hear about her experiences there.

I’ll make some time to chat with her soon.