The Case of Liking the Most Beautiful Girl in the School Even After Being Told Not to Like Her - Chapter 14 - Would You Like to Have Lunch with Me?

Chapter 14 – Would You Like to Have Lunch with Me?

“Eh? So the sister you were talking about is Tachikawa?”

“Yeah. I’ve been trying to tell you, but I haven’t been able to say it.”

At lunchtime at the beginning of the week, I told Katayama that my dad had remarried and I was living in the same house with Tachikawa.

When Dad and Kaho-san came home and I was about to go to bed, I noticed a message from Katayama. The text message said that he had seen Mina-san entering the house.

Katayama said that after he left and went away from the house, he saw Mina-san walking from the opposite direction from where he was leaving. He then happened to see Mina-san entering my house…

One of the rules with Mina-san was not to tell anyone that we are family, but after discussing it with her, we decided that it was okay to tell him. I didn’t think it was necessary to hide it in the first place…

“Seriously…? So, what’s Tachikawa like at home?”

“Well, she’s—”

Just as I was about to speak, Tachikawa, who was sitting in front of me, turned around and spoke to me.

“Asai-kun, would you like to have lunch together?”

“”Eh…?””

Katayama and I looked at each other in surprise at the same time. I got painful looks from my classmates who overheard Tachikawa asking me out for lunch, but I ignored them for now. Tachikawa looked at me as if to say, “What were you going to say just now?”

“Aren’t you going to eat with the kids in your group?”

“Well, I wanted to eat with Asai-kun today.”

Wanted to eat with me… I’m suddenly scared. I can’t help but think she’s up to something. Katayama poked me on the arm with his elbow and whispered to me.

“I’ll eat by myself, see you later.”

I grabbed Katayama by the arm as he was about to leave the classroom.

“I have no intention of eating with Tachikawa.”

The moment I said that in front of Tachikawa, she covered her face with both hands and burst into tears.

“Asai-kun, do you hate me? Even though I only invited you to lunch to get to know you, Asai-kun…”

“Hey, what are you making her cry for?”

Katayama told me that, but the answer in my mind remains the same. Because Tachikawa isn’t really crying. But things are getting messy. Classmates are looking at me to see what’s going on while I’m trying to eat in the classroom. The people around me will think that I made Tachikawa cry.

If I don’t do something about Tachikawa as soon as possible, tomorrow I’ll be rumored by my classmates to be the one who made her cry.

Well, what do I do now…

I want to avoid being alone with her as much as possible… I’m afraid of what the other boys will think of me if we’re alone together…

“Uh, Tachikawa… Well, if you don’t mind eating with Katayama, you can eat with us…”

Upon hearing my words, Tachikawa raised her face and grabbed my hand with both hands.

“Really!?”

“Yeah…”

And now you’re smiling…

I knew it was a fake cry.

“Iori~! Let’s eat together with Asai-kun and Katayama-kun today.”

Tachikawa beckoned to Nakahara-san, who had come this way.

“Ah, you were able to invite him. Katayama’s there but I guess it’ll be fine.”

“What did you mean by that… Anyway, where will we eat?”

We tried to eat in the classroom, but there was already no room for four people. It is no wonder since most of my classmates eat in the classroom.

“It looks like there’s only the courtyard. We don’t have much time, let’s get going.”

The four of us, with Nakahara-san in the lead, moved into the courtyard with our lunch boxes.

＊＊＊

“So, Asai-kun, I hear you live with Mina, how’s it going?”

Nakahara-san asked me while I was eating my lunch. I don’t know how many people Tachikawa told about our relationship, but apparently she told Nakahara-san.

“What do you mean? It’s nothing special.”

“Hmm~… Come to think of it, does Asai-kun know why Mina invited him to lunch?”

“Hey Mina!?”

I shook my head at Nakahara-san’s question, and for some reason, Tachikawa was panicking. Tachikawa was trying to stop Nakahara-san, but Nakahara-san ignored Tachikawa and continued talking.

“Mina, if you don’t say it here, you’ll regret it. If you can’t say it in the classroom, you have to say it here and now.”

“Yes, I know, but…”

“Come on! Do your best!”

Me and Kouki looked at each other when we heard Tachikawa and Nakahara-san’s conversation. I wondered what she was going to say now.

It’s not a confession, is it… Tachikawa doesn’t seem to like me.

“A-Asai-kun!”

Having decided to say something, Tachikawa called my name.

“Would you like to go see a planetarium with me?”

“Planetarium?”

The unexpected invitation made me ask back. I don’t understand why she wants to go with me. If you want to go, why don’t you go with your friend Nakahara-san or something?

“Mina, Asai-kun is making a face that says, ‘Why me?’”

“Ah, sorry for the suddenness. I enjoy looking at the stars, and if anyone else has the same hobby, I’d like to see the planetarium at the recently built science museum with them… Asai-kun, when you first entered the school, you said you liked to look at the stars when you introduced yourself.”

So that’s it…

I didn’t know Tachikawa liked to look at the stars.

I was a little pleased that someone had listened to my brief introduction, which I thought no one would be interested in.

“If you’re okay with me, I’ll go with you.”

“Really!?”

Tachikawa’s expression brightened.

“Yeah…”

“Good for you, Mina. Asai-kun promised to go on a date with—”

“”This is not a date!!!””

Tachikawa and I denied Nakahara-san’s statement at the same time.