The Reason Why The Cool Beauty Who Repeatedly Ignores Messages Replies Only To Me. ~The Lonely Beauty Wants To Know The Lonely Me〜 - Chapter 8
Episode 8: Reconciliation And Semi-Forced Weekend Date
“Isn’t it okay… to be a little happy.”
H-Happy…?
There’s no way I’d be happy about a troublesome job like being on the cultural festival executive committee. Besides, I can’t imagine Saeki being the type to happily take on such a job…
“Was Saeki happy? It’d be the worst if she were forced into this kind of obligatory socializing.”
“…I-I was happy, you know.”
She was happy to be on the executive committee…?
Even though she hadn’t been doing any work as a committee member, just leaving everything to Harada?
“But because of you, I lost my motivation.”
“Ha? What did I do—”
Saeki raised her eyes from her book and pointed her index finger at me with a glare.
“Why did you give the lottery ticket to that guy behind you? If the committee members on the girls’ side had been Machibari-san or Michifuji-san, you wouldn’t have given it up, would you?”
“Ha?”
“Are you doing this because you’re dissatisfied with me? Because you hate me? Even with the Lime message from before, you just dodged the issue with those stickers. Are you perhaps dating Machibari-san behind my back? You were even sitting next to each other on the bus, weren’t you? And when I stopped sending Lime messages as an experiment, you didn’t send any either, did you?”
The usually quiet Saeki was now listing (what seemed to be) complaints against me, speaking rapidly.
She talks a lot, but her flat tone makes it sound like a spell that doesn’t quite sink in.
It feels like being lectured by a teacher.
“Hey, calm down. I have no idea what you’re trying to say.”
“……”
“I don’t really get it, but if I made you feel bad, I apologize. Sorry about that.”
“…Don’t ever do that again.”
The conversation was too long, and I couldn’t even understand what “that” was supposed to mean… Anyway, I apologized.
Saeki sure is strange.
She talks a lot when she’s with me, but she always seems irritated.
Well, if she hates me, it’s actually convenient for me.
“Okami-kun.”
“What now? More complaints?”
“We’re having a meeting for the cultural festival tomorrow, so come to the cafe in front of the station.”
“Huh? Can’t we just do it on Lime?”
“That’s all. If you don’t come, I won’t talk to you ever again.”
Saeki closed her book, stood up from her chair, and left the library without another word.
She won’t talk to me ever again… huh.
…Should I just not go?
✳︎✳︎
The next day, Saturday.
Under the cloudy sky, I was summoned to a stylish cafe in front of the station.
From the way Saeki was angry the other day, I thought that if I backed out, she would ● me, so here I am.
Meeting Yukine Saeki for a weekend date at a cafe.
For other guys, it might be the chance of a lifetime, but I, who had no enthusiasm whatsoever, felt as indifferent as going to the nearby convenience store as I headed to this cafe.
For me, spending holidays alone is the norm, so meeting with friends or classmates (excluding Tamari) is a first, and on top of that, the person I’m meeting is… Yukine Saeki.
Maybe I should just pass the baton to Harada even now…?
If I were to call Harada to the cafe now, I could easily imagine the expression on Saeki’s face.
She’d probably get furious and leave.
“There’s no point in looking for an escape route anymore. Let’s just go in.”
Having made up my mind, I entered the cafe in front of the station and scanned the interior.
And there, sitting at a table by the window in the back right corner, was someone who seemed to be Saeki, reading a book at a two-person round table.
I say “seemed to be ” because Saeki’s outfit and appearance seemed more mature than her usual school uniform, making me wonder if I got the wrong person.
She was wearing a black boat-neck sweater that revealed her collarbone, emphasizing her slim legs in denim pants. And she had black-rimmed glasses on, which she doesn’t usually wear, giving her a more intellectual look while reading.
Her appearance was like that of a model.
She seemed like someone from a different world, and I hesitated to even approach him for our meeting… but I gathered my courage and called out to Saeki.
“Sorry for making you wait, Saeki—”
The moment Saeki noticed me, she took out her smartphone from her pocket and for some reason pointed the rear lens towards me.
Snap, the shutter sound of the smartphone camera went off, and my body twitched in response.
“W-Why did you just take a photo? Hey, delete that.”
“Don’t misunderstand. I have no interest in your casual clothes.”
“Then you should definitely delete it!”
“…Th-This is, just in case, to post on the internet when necessary, as a deterrent to you.”
I-I don’t get it.
Having a nonsensical argument right after meeting, I managed to get Saeki to delete the photo from her smartphone.
Saeki sure has too many mysterious actions…