The Issue of Why I'm Frequently Mentioned in Conversations Among S-Class Beauties ~Please Stop Fabricating Things I Have No Memory Of~ (Dropped) - Chapter 15: Café with the S-Class Beauty

Chapter 15: Café with the S-Class Beauty

For Haruya, indulging in “shoujo manga” was one of the few hobbies he had. He had always enjoyed it in solitude, as he lacked family or friends to share it with. However, at this moment, he was realizing the joy of discussing it with someone else.

” —Right? I was really moved by that scene too!”

“…I see. It seems like we have a lot in common.”

After finishing their grocery shopping, Haruya and Yuna had decided to continue their conversation about shoujo mangas at a nearby café. Seated across from each other, they were passionately exchanging their thoughts on the topic.

Yuna struggled with the conflicting emotions of wanting to engage in conversation and being cautious with a man she had just met. But her eagerness to share her love for shoujo manga won over, and she gradually opened up to the convo. Though she still maintained her reserve, she started to speak more.

“How many “shoujo manga” do you have at home?”

“I can’t count them all, but I probably have over a hundred.”

“I knew it! It’s so great to find fellow enthusiasts.”

“…”

Haruya’s excitement was palpable as he flashed a wide grin, his heart racing with the thrill of finally meeting someone who shared his interests.

As the conversation about shoujo manga gradually cooled down, Haruya sensed that he had bridged the gap with Yuna, and he shifted to more everyday topics.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Haruya casually asked Yuna, 

“By the way, do you think things that happen in shoujo manga really occur in real life?”

Haruya had recently become intrigued by a trend he had heard about from Yuki and other girls in his class. According to them, the stunning beauties in their class had experienced events reminiscent of those found in shoujo manga.

As he looked at the girl in front of him, who he couldn’t help but notice was beautiful, Haruya felt that she might be the perfect person to ask about the reality of such events. Yuna appeared to contemplate for a moment before responding.

“In reality, events similar to those in shojo manga do happen. Some do occur in real life.”

“Ah, so it’s not just in manga then.”

“Yes, one of my friends actually went through something like that.”

Yuna said with a slight smile, placing her finger on her lips. Haruya was taken aback as he realized it was the first time he had seen her smile, as she had been expressionless for a while.

Intrigued by Yuna’s reaction, Haruya nodded and encouraged her to continue.

“So, what happened to your friend?”

“Ah… I’m sorry. Let me tell you about my friend’s story…”

Yuna began, her tone reflecting a mix of concern, envy, and amusement.

She proceeded to share with Haruya how her friend was helped by a gentleman who approached her, how they bumped into each other at a department store, how the gentleman displayed gallant behavior towards her friend, even accompanying her during her sports practice, and how her friend was now searching for this gentleman.

In a nutshell, Yuna shared the details with Haruya.

As he listened, Haruya couldn’t help but feel inadequate, cursing himself for not being as much of a gentleman as the one in Yuna’s friend’s story. He felt a pang of self-pity, thinking, “I’ve had similar experiences, but I’m not that of a gentleman. I feel so pathetic.”

As Yuna spoke with genuine fondness about her friend, Haruya couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth. He relaxed his cheeks and took another sip of his coffee, lost in thought.

“It would be nice if she could find that man.”

“Yes, I’m also cheering for her love.”

“She really has a good friend, huh.”

“Yes, Sara is a really good girl…”

Haruya chuckled, realizing Yuna had misunderstood him.

“No, I’m talking about you. I thought it would be nice to have friends like you who care for their friends. I’m envious,” Haruya said, unintentionally adding in his mind, “And you seem to like shojo manga too.”

“…”

Yuna’s face turned red upon hearing his words.

“I-I’ll, um, go order some more drinks.”

“But you still have a lot of juice left in your glass.” 

Haruya pointed out, puzzled. However, Yuna’s face grew even redder, and she spoke in a small voice.

“I-it’s okay, I’ll go order some more drinks.”

“I see.” 

Haruya nodded, understanding that sometimes you may want a different drink even if you haven’t finished your current one.

Once Yuna left the table, Haruya leaned back against the wall and relaxed.

(It’s nice to have a friend who likes shoujo manga…)

♦︎♢♦︎

As Yuna made her way to the counter to order a drink by herself, she couldn’t help but reflect on the enjoyable conversation she had just had. “It’s so much fun to talk about things you like. Of course, it’s fun when I’m with Sara and Rin too, but it’s a different kind of fun right now, with him,” she thought to herself, a smile playing on her lips.

Her mind drifted back to Haruya’s face, lit up with excitement as he talked about his favorite shoujo manga.

(He had such an innocent and pure smile. There was no trace of malice in it…)

She couldn’t forget the words he had uttered,

“No, I’m talking about you. I thought it would be nice to have friends like you who care for their friends. I’m envious,”

(Why am I so nervous? But it’s the first time I’ve been praised by a man for something other than my appearance…)

Yuna’s heart raced as Haruya’s words lingered in her mind, refusing to fade away. Although the café was air-conditioned and kept at a comfortably cool temperature, it was not enough to cool down Yuna’s heated body.

“Um, excuse me, ma’am? What would you like to order?”

“Uh…ah, I’m sorry… C-coffee, please.”

Although she hadn’t realized it yet, Yuna would later regret her choice. 

She couldn’t drink coffee with her immature taste buds. 

Then why did she order coffee in the first place? 

It was because her mind was filled with thoughts of Haruya.