The Reason Why The Cool Beauty Who Repeatedly Ignores Messages Replies Only To Me. ~The Lonely Beauty Wants To Know The Lonely Me〜 - Chapter 2
Episode 2: The True Identity of Yukine Saeki?
Even for classmates like me and Tamari, there are aspects of Yukine Saeki personality that we can’t quite grasp.
That’s because Yukine Saeki always wears a stoic expression, and she seems emotionally dead and silent.
But now, Yukine Saeki has replied to my Lime message.
Moreover, the content of that message is—.
“Saeki: I was planning to delete it anyway, even without you telling me.”
“”……””
Just this reply alone gives us a glimpse into Yukine Saeki ‘s character.
It’s now confirmed that her usual cool demeanor is indeed her true self.
“I can’t believe you got a reply from Saeki-chan… Kotoku-kun, are you secretly popular or something?”
“Read it carefully. There’s nothing friendly about that reply.”
“But she doesn’t even reply to anyone else, right?”
“Well, maybe she’s just capricious. She happened to have some free time now, and my meddlesome Lime message might have annoyed her, so she replied with something like ‘Stop sending me messages’.”
“Is that really the case…?”
Of course it is.
Even from the content of the reply, you can sense her annoyance.
Regarding this matter, even though I’m at fault for sending unsolicited Lime messages, I don’t feel any resentment towards receiving such a reply. But I never expected a reply to begin with, so the surprise is overwhelming.
“Tamari, don’t breathe a word about I got a reply from Saeki’s to anyone else, got it? Keep it absolutely secret.”
“Yeah, of course. If this gets out to the boys in the class, Kotoku-kun will get gang-lynched for sure.”
“What era is ‘lynching’?”
“I’m… worried.”
Although Tamari is usually a lively girl, she seems unexpectedly surprised by Yukine Saeki’s reply and doesn’t even have the energy to tease me.
While it might not lead to a lynching, if this were to be discovered by the outgoing boys, it would undoubtedly cause trouble.
As a precaution, I delete the chat and block Yukine’s account from my friends list.
With all evidence now erased…
Letting out a sigh of relief, I’m tapped on the shoulder from behind.
“—Excuse me for interrupting, Okami, but can I have a moment?”
The class representative, Himawari Machibari, spoke to me from behind.
Himawari, the class rep, is usually kind, but she can be strict when necessary. She’s like the stereotypical class representative and always ranks first in our class exams.
With her black hair tied in a low ponytail and her large eyes, she’s the tallest girl in our class, and her straight posture makes her seem even taller.
But why would the class rep suddenly approach me…?
Surely, she didn’t overhear our conversation just now—.
“I’m collecting the notes for our Modern Japanese class. Please hand yours in.”
…It seems like Machibari came to collect the notes for Modern Japanese.
Since my class has many unserious students (including the outgoing boysin the back), today during fourth period, the Modern Japanese teacher said, ‘I will check if you are copying the board after class’. So, it seems like Machibari, who is the class representative, was ordered to collect the notes.
“Okami, hurry up and hand over your Modern Japanese notes.”
“…Uh, do I have to hand them over right now?”
“If you don’t, I’ll just tell the teacher.”
“Tamari, have you already submitted yours?”
“Yes! Right, Machibari-chan?”
“Michifuji-san has already submitted hers.”
In that case, I’m completely screwed.
While I mentioned before that the boys in the back are lazy, including me, Kotoku Okami, I can’t criticize others when I’m just as negligent. I’ve been completely absentminded in Modern Japanese today.
Naturally, there’s no way I’ve copied down the notes in my notebook.
“Machibari, please. Can you lend me Tamari’s notes since she’s already submitted hers?”
“Nope. If I allow that, everyone will start doing it.”
“Ugh… Tamari, can’t you say something?”
“Huh? But that’s your own fault, Kotoku-kun.”
This girl… abandoning her childhood friend like this.
I guess you really can’t trust anyone. (Well, in this case, it’s my own fault, as Tamari pointed out.)
There’s no helping it… I’ll just have to honestly apologize.
“Sorry, Machibari. Actually—”
I mustered up the courage to confess to Himawari that my notebook is blank.
“Sigh… I figured as much. Okami, you’re always looking out the window during class anyway.”
“I still manage to get the average scores on tests, so it’s fine, right?”
“No, it’s not. Anyway, you’ll receive a stern scolding from our Modern Japanese teacher today. Reflect on your actions.”
With those words, Machibari took a stack of notebooks and left the classroom.
“As inflexible and unyielding as always, huh, the class rep?”
“This time, Himawari-chan is 100% correct. Kotoku-kun, it’s your own fault for being a loner and a slacker.”
“I’m not a loner, and I’m not a slacker. I just like being alone.”
“Yeah, yeah, nice excuse.”
I felt annoyed, but arguing further seems pointless, so I kept quiet and opened my book.
I’m fine being alone…
After a while, Machibari returned from the staff room and asked me to come to the front of the staff room after school.
I’m used to getting lectured by the Modern Japanese teacher during class, so it’s not much of a stress.
Letting out a sigh of resignation, I began reading the paperback book that was on my desk.
“Hmm?”
That’s when—
My phone in my right pocket vibrated again, interrupting my reading once more.
Who could it be this time—?
“Saeki: There, I made it.”
A Lime message arrived from an account named, “Yukine Saeki” in hiragana.
Since I’ve already blocked the account named, “Yukine Saeki” from before, there shouldn’t be any more messages… Which means.
Is this Saeki’s new account…?
Why would Yukine Saeki, who just made a new account, need to send me a Lime message?
I don’t understand.
Saeki and I have never talked in person, and she sent a rather annoyed reply to my Lime message. So, she should dislike me…
“This makes no sense.”
Confused, I closed my phone and escaped into reality.
✳︎✳︎
After school.
Summoned by the Modern Japanese teacher, I reluctantly descended the stairs and made my way to the front of the staff room on the first floor.
But the eyes of the students passing by in the hallway were all focused on one point.
Yes… Yukine Saeki was standing there.
Just like how you’d automatically point your camera towards Mount Fuji when you see it from the Shinkansen, she too was being observed like some rare creature.
Saeki leaned against the window in front of the staff room, oblivious to the surrounding gazes, lazily yawning and lightly wiping away tears from her eyes with her fingertips.
Why is Saeki standing here…?
As I stared intently, Saeki also turned her gaze towards me and didn’t look away.
That Saeki , she’s been staring at me this whole time.
Should I confront her about the Lime message from earlier?
I’ve been curious about the reason she went through the trouble of creating a new account just to report it.
I stopped a few steps away from Saeki and looked straight at her.
“…Okami-kun?”
In a voice so small that it could be drowned out by the crowd, Saeki called out my name.
That Yukine Saeki …calling my name…?
“I have something to tell you.”
Something to tell me?
What could it be?
The only thing that comes to mind is the Lime message from earlier…
As I nervously stared at Saeki, she continued to gaze back at me with the same expressionless face.
“I went to the trouble of Lime-ing you from my new account, so could you at least reply to it?”
“You… You’re the last person who should be saying that!”
A genuine retort slipped out.
[Afterword]
A heartfelt punchline.