The Beautiful Girl I Accidentally Helped Who Has Somehow Become Attached To Me. - Chapter 5: Rumors And My Feelings.

Rumors And My Feelings.

The chime signaling the end of the school day rings.

After homeroom, the hallways are a chaotic mix of students heading home, going to club activities, or meeting friends from other classes.

Usually, I quickly slip out to avoid diving into the crowded hallways and make a swift escape home, but today, just as I stood up to leave the classroom, I realized I’d forgotten something in my desk. My ideal “quick escape” was foiled…

I stuff the forgotten item into my bag, let out a small sigh, and gaze at the now bustling hallway.

Being a step late means the corridor is already getting packed.

But since it’s already come to this, I have no choice.

I decided to wait here quietly until the crowd thins out. I slump over my desk, pretending to nap as a way to pass the time.

From this position, I can clearly hear the sounds of other students’ indoor shoes tapping and scraping against the hallway floor. Footsteps heading towards the entrance and others not, blending into a disharmony that gradually fades. While waiting for the noise to die down, I catch snippets of a conversation just outside my classroom.

“Hey, do you know? That girl, Mikami-san from Class 2—she’s super cute, right?”

“Totally! She’s really cute!”

“I’m kinda thinking about asking her out.”

“Really? Don’t bother. Rumor has it that she’s already turned down tons of guys.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that too. One of my friends even got rejected, so it’s probably true.”

Mikami-san… that Mikami, right?

Since they said Class 2, it should be her. But wow, you guys are bold, chatting so freely in such a crowded space.

Well, it’s no surprise that Mikami-san is popular. I even happened to witness a confession myself, watching as she turned the guy down. The rumor’s probably true.

“Oh, speaking of rumors, I heard from a friend in Class 2 that Mikami-san might actually be interested in someone.”

“Really? Who?”

“I don’t know exactly, but apparently, Mikami-san’s been leaving the classroom every lunch break recently, carrying what looks like a lunchbox. People are speculating she might be eating with someone she’s interested in… or maybe even dating.”

“No way.”

I choke a little at hearing this.

Wait, what? There’s a rumor like that going around? Really?

“A first-year? Or maybe a senior?”

“Who knows? But apparently, she got confessed to by a senior shortly after the school year started, so that’s possible.”

“She really is a high-class beauty.”

“Exactly! Oh, and by the way, that game releasing this week—”

Their topic shifts, and their voices fade along with their footsteps.

Even though I was only eavesdropping, my heartbeat pounds loudly in my ears. I never expected such a rumor to be going around…

***

Now that I know this… what am I supposed to do?

The next day. I attend classes as usual, getting through another ordinary day. And when lunchtime rolls around, I head to my usual spot… there she is, as expected.

“Hello, Kirishima-san. It’s nice weather today, isn’t it?”

“…Oh, yeah. I’m not surprised anymore.”

“Is there something surprising about this?”

“No, never mind.”

As if it were the most natural thing, Mikami-san arrives at my favorite spot. But I no longer react with exaggerated surprise every time.

…I mean, I did say “anymore” after all.

I sit down beside her, pulling out my lunch from a convenience store bag. I tear open the wrapper on today’s meal—a yakisoba bread—and take a big bite, savoring the taste of the sauce-covered noodles.

Glancing over at Mikami-san, I notice she’s brought her usual colorful and delicious-looking homemade lunch. I quickly avert my gaze, afraid I’ll start craving it, and focus on munching my bread.

It’s just another ordinary moment like any other, but I can’t shake this strange tension, probably because of the rumor I overheard yesterday.

“Is something the matter?”

“Huh? No… nothing at all.”

“But, you keep glancing over at me. Is there something on my face?”

I’d been glancing at her so often that she’s starting to get suspicious.

“No, really, it’s nothing.”

“That’s a lie. Tell me the truth. I’ll keep asking until you do.”

“Uh…”

I know it’s just my own reaction to the rumor, but as I try to brush it off, Mikami-san presses me, her face showing she’s serious. It doesn’t look like she’s joking.

Seems like… I have no choice but to confess.

“Um, well… I overheard a rumor about you yesterday.”

“A rumor about me?”

“Yeah, you know… you’re really cute and popular. Even back when I helped you, someone was confessing to you… So, recently, since you’ve been leaving your classroom with a lunchbox every day, people are saying… maybe you’re spending lunch with someone special, maybe even a boyfriend.”

“That’s…”

“So, you know, maybe it’s better if you don’t hang out with me anymore. I mean, you wouldn’t want to be rumored to be with someone like me—a loner, right? It’d probably be a nuisance to be seen with me.”

As I say this, I can feel a bit of warmth that had settled in my heart start to fade away.

That’s right. I’d ignored it because I found our time together comforting, but I’m just a failed high school debut loner, while Mikami-san’s this high-class beauty. It’s like two lines that intersect only once by chance, and then move apart in separate directions.

“And who decided that?”

“…What? Huh?”

“Who, when, and where, exactly, said that I’d hate being with you?”

“Well… but people around us—”

“What do you mean by ‘people around us’? Does any of that include my feelings?”

“Your… feelings?”

“Yes. Is it really so strange that I would want to spend time with you?”

With a slightly annoyed expression and a lowered voice, Mikami-san questions me firmly. Her intensity leaves me speechless, and I look away.

“Sorry. I got a bit carried away. But I’m here because I chose to be… because I want to be.”

I see. Is that… really how she feels? That makes me genuinely happy.

But even so… isn’t it risky for both of us to keep meeting like this in secret?

“Please, tell me your true feelings, Kirishima-san.”

My true feelings?

“If you really don’t want to see me anymore, if you find this bothersome, I’ll stop coming here. But… if that’s not how you feel, please tell me your honest thoughts.”

Ha, ha… you’d stop coming here?

All I need to say is one word, just one “It’s a bother,” and I’d be back to being alone?

It should be an easy decision. It should be… but that one word won’t come out. All that escapes my throat is a strained breath that holds no meaning.

Why? Why can’t I say it? …But I’ve known the answer all along.

“I… don’t hate it. I don’t think it’s a bother at all.”

Because I’ve come to enjoy this connection. This closeness. Just from sitting next to her a few times, eating lunch together… I couldn’t help but feel that way.

“I see. Then I’ll keep coming here. It doesn’t matter what rumors people spread.”

“…You’re strong, Mikami-san.”

I tried to push her away, assuming she’d hate being rumored to be with me, distancing myself for her sake. But the truth is, I was afraid of the rumors myself. That’s all it was.

But enough of worrying about that.

Mikami-san showed me what really matters—being true to my own feelings.

“I’ve made up my mind too.”

“…Made up your mind about what?”

She looks at me, her expression puzzled. Adorable as ever, yet somehow unaware of how much of an impact her words have.

“Um… Mikami-san? Do you realize you’re, well, way up on the social ladder?”

“The social ladder? What does that mean?”

“People call you a high-caste beauty, a ‘flower on a high peak.'”

“Oh, yes, I think I’ve heard that before. And, by the way, earlier you mentioned that I’m… cute. Do you mean in general, or… do you think so too, Kirishima-san?”

Huh? Where did that even come from? This feels like some kind of public interrogation. Do I really have to answer that?

“Uh… well, yeah. I think you’re… really cute.”

“Thank you. That makes me happy.”

She blushes, her ears turning red, but then smiles like the sun itself. Isn’t that a bit unfair? Honestly, she’s so cute I can’t even look straight at her.