The Reason Why The Cool Beauty Who Repeatedly Ignores Messages Replies Only To Me. ~The Lonely Beauty Wants To Know The Lonely Me〜 - Chapter 5
Episode 5: The Cool Beauty is Jealous
The next morning.
When I woke up and opened the curtains next to the bed, it was raining outside.
It was mid-June now, which should be the rainy season, but this year it hadn’t rained much, so I didn’t feel like we were really in the rainy season.
Feeling the damp air on my skin, I rubbed my sleepy eyes.
“Was yesterday… just a dream.”
I picked up my phone, which was lying on the bed, and found that I had received a lime from “her” in the notification box.
“Saeki: Good morning.”
…It seems like it wasn’t a dream after all.
I had thought the conversation ended after I sent the sticker last night, but I unexpectedly received good morning lime.
What does Saeki want by sending me these limes?
While the outgoing guys who want to become friends with Saeki and increase their self-worth might be thrilled to receive them… for me, who wants a peaceful school life without interference from anyone, this situation is not good.
“But if I just leave it on read, I won’t be able to say anything to Saeki…”
It’s ironic that I know Saeki’s feelings about being left on read through Saeki’s lime.
After replying, “Good morning. It’s raining today, huh?” I left the room to wash my face.
I felt bad about always replying to Saeki’s limes with the same thing, so I mentioned the weather this time, but…
After washing my face and returning to the room, I saw that Saeki had read my message and replied.
“Saeki: Knowing you, you’ll probably forget your umbrella.”
What does she know about me?
How could I forget my umbrella when it’s raining like this?
When I replied, “I won’t forget,” she read it immediately, and the conversation abruptly ended there.
Uh oh, did I upset Saeki’s mood…?
“…No, wait. Why am I trying to gauge her mood? Saeki finally left me on read for once, so I shouldn’t worry about it anymore.”
No matter what, Saeki sees herself as being in a superior position.
Normally, I don’t care about class hierarchies or anything like that, but when it comes to Yukine Saeki, it’s a different story.
Should I talk to Tamari and have her tell Saeki that I’m in trouble?
…No, stupid Tamari probably wouldn’t be able to handle something like that.
As I pondered various things, I finished getting ready in the morning and left the house with an umbrella in hand.
The weather was rainy, and combined with Saeki’s situation, I felt quite nervous.
As I commuted by bus, I walked through the underground passage to the bus stop from the station.
When I arrived at the bus stop for the high school, there were several other students waiting for the bus besides me.
I lined up at the end and took a paperback book out of my school bag.
Reading like this allows me to forget everything.
I continued reading until the bus arrived, and even after getting on the bus, I sat by the window reading the book.
“Beside you…can I?”
As I focused on my book, a voice suddenly came from the side.
I shifted my gaze from the book to the person next to me.
With her ponytail and large eyes…
The owner of the voice was Himawari Machibari.
I wondered why she was sitting next to me, but when I looked around, there was no other empty seat besides mine.
“…It’s fine, I don’t mind.”
As I said that, Machibari said, “Thanks,” and sat down next to me.
Come to think of it, Machibari also commuted by bus.
There was a slightly awkward atmosphere between us after yesterday’s incident, but I tried to forget everything by reading my book.
However, as I was reading, Machibari lightly nudged my shoulder from the side.
“Okami… Are you mad about yesterday?”
Machibari asked me that directly.
“I’m not really mad.”
“…Really?”
“It was my fault for not taking notes. You don’t need to give a guy like that a helping hand and you, as the class representative, were right.”
“…Hehe.”
Machibari chuckled softly and glanced at me sideways.
What? Is she making fun of me because I talked for so long?
“Don’t laugh.”
“Sorry, sorry. I thought Okami would be more like a delinquent.”
“A delinquent?”
“Yeah, because you always look so sullen, and you hardly talk to anyone except Michifuji-san, right? And you don’t seem to have any male friends, and you’re always looking out the window during class.”
I find Tamari annoying just by talking to me from over there.
“But yesterday, when I saw you trying to borrow Michifuji-san’s notes, I thought maybe you’re different. As the class representative, I feel like I need to investigate whether it’s necessary or not.”
“What’s with that? Do you think I’m some kind of rare animal?”
“Yeah.”
“You think so?”
When I retorted, Machibari laughed even more than before.
“Well, I don’t plan on being nicer to you from now on. If you do something like that again, I’ll be mad at you too.”
“Yeah… Can I go back to reading my book?”
“Go ahead. Sorry for interrupting.”
Machibari seemed surprised by my reaction, but I was also surprised by Machibari.
Although she usually gives off an aura of being a serious class representative, she can also talk frankly.
✳︎✳︎
Later, at the bus stop in front of the high school, I put away the book I was reading and started walking towards the school gate.
There’s no obligation to go to the classroom together just because we’re classmates, so I wanted Machibari to go to the high school first… but she walked beside me from the bus stop to the school gate.
I don’t want to get too involved…
“By the way, where’s Michifuji-san?”
“She always oversleeps, so she always barely catches the bus.”
“Barely catches it… Since you’re childhood friends, shouldn’t you wake her up?”
“I’m not doing that. It’s not like we’re in a manga.”
As we talked and approached the school gate, the attention around us was focused on one point again.
This feeling… No way—
I nervously glanced in the direction of those eyes.
Even though her face was hidden by an umbrella, her proportions and long swaying hair were unmistakable.
There was Yukine Saeki, who was on her way to school.
The moment I looked in her direction, Saeki reacted to me at the speed of reading a message and glanced at me briefly before continuing to school.
The lukewarm outside air suddenly froze, and her cold gaze sent chills down my spine.
What was that just now…?
“Okami? Why did you suddenly stop?”
“…N-Nothing.”
I’m way too timid.
We’re chatting on lime, but Saeki doesn’t have any reason to talk to me anymore, and we won’t have anything to do with each other in the future.
Eventually, Saeki will get bored too, and lime won’t come anymore, so there’s no need to worry.
As I thought that, a notification popped up on my phone.
…I had a bad feeling, so I opened my phone, and as expected, it was from Saeki.
“Saeki: Instead of ignoring it and why don’t you just explain yourself already?”
Ugh, what a pain…
I was full of the desire to just leave it on read.