The Story Of How I, A Gloomy Guy, Ended Up Surrounded By the Top-Tier Beautiful Girls In Class After A Seat Change - Chapter 105

Yuria and I were supposed to have a study session together, just the two of us, but thanks to a surprise visit from Tanaka—who we now call “Tanafura”—she ended up joining us.

And so, about 10 minutes after we started studying…

“Munya… Hehehe, I can’t drink anymore, Airi-tan…”

Tanaka had fallen asleep. Within minutes, her forehead was pressed against the textbook on the table, sound asleep.

I knew this would happen.

“Seriously, she’s already in a deep sleep? Is Tanaka really ranked second in our grade? It’s hard to believe she’s right behind Rui in terms of intelligence.”

“Even like this, Tanaka’s smart. She’s had an incredible memory since middle school. She can remember all the lines after watching a manga or anime just once, and when it comes to studying, she can memorize the textbook right away.”

“What kind of cheat ability is that? She’s like a protagonist in an isekai story. I’m so jealous.”

Tanaka isn’t just smart; she also has an extraordinary memory. That’s the main reason I went to her to ask about Rui back in middle school. But it’s a problem that most of that memory power is used for otaku hobbies…

“But if she’s that amazing, couldn’t she beat Rui?”

“I’ve thought about that too… But ever since middle school, Tanaka has always been second in our grade, never managing to surpass Rui.”

“Really? Not even in a single subject?”

“Yeah. Even Tanaka’s monstrous memory wasn’t enough to beat Kuroki Rui, who might just be a perfect superhuman.”

The more I think about how incredible Tanaka is, the more it highlights how much of a monster Rui is in every aspect.

“Even though Tanaka seems like this, she’s fighting battles on a level I can’t even imagine.”

Yuria said this with admiration as she played with Tanaka’s hair while she slept.

“But Yuria, you got into this high school too, so that’s pretty impressive.”

“I’m really not… impressive at all. In my third year of middle school, I didn’t have anything else to do but study. And, well… I didn’t want to go to the same high school as *that person*.”

Yuria bit her lip and said this with a pained expression, completely different from her usual cheerful, gyaru face.

“*That person*… Are you talking about the former best friend you mentioned before, the one you’ve grown distant from?”

“Yeah. She said my hobbies were gross and pushed me away. In my third year, I was basically ostracized from her group. But because of that, I was able to focus on studying and become friends with Rui, Airi, and Ryota… So, I guess it turned out okay!”

Even though she was trying to act cheerful, it was easy to imagine how tough it must have been for Yuria.

When you’re an introverted loner like me, you tend to become surprisingly knowledgeable about your class’s social dynamics. I’ve seen many people get ostracized from the popular groups over the years. And every single one of them ended up in a really tough position.

At first glance, the popular groups seem glamorous, but they’re surprisingly harsh on the inside. Once you get kicked out of one, you can’t join the other introverted groups, and you end up completely isolated in the class.

If there’s someone kind enough in the introverted group, they might let you join, but most introverts are intimidated by the popular kids, so that’s usually not realistic.

“I’m not very good at dealing with things, so I honestly don’t even know how to make up with her. I knew she was going to a nearby private school, so I figured I had no choice but to go to a public one. In the end, it was just me running away.”

“…Yuria, you’re strong. In everything.”

“S-Strong? Me? No, I was just talking about how weak I am.”

Yuria responded with wide eyes.

“Because, if I were in your position, I would’ve stopped going to school the day after getting ostracized. I would’ve given up on everything. But you kept going to school, worked hard on your studies, and got into our high school. That’s really amazing and definitely proof that you’re strong.”

“Me… strong, huh?”

Maybe she’s not aware of it, but I genuinely think Yuria’s unbreakable spirit is amazing. I could never do that.

“Ryota, you’re usually just a perverted brat, but at times like this, you say some really nice things.”

“Hey, leave out the perverted brat part.”

“But, you know… you should only comfort me like this. Otherwise, people might get the wrong idea.”

“The wrong idea? What do you mean by that?”

“Never mind. But in return… I’ll be your ally, Ryota. Always, always.”

Yuria smiled warmly, different from her usual cheerful smile.

An ally? What does she mean by that? Does she mean it literally, or is it something else…?

“By ally, do you mean… ‘thigh’ as a euphemism? Are you saying I’m your thigh (with hidden meaning)? If that’s the case, I’d be happy.”

“What? Seriously, this guy… You’re so annoying, you’re banned from looking at my thighs for a week.”

“W-What!? Please, anything but that!”

“At least until the tests are over. Try to control yourself a little.”

“Come on…!”

“Munya… Ah! You two! You’ve stopped working! You need to focus on the study session!”

“Don’t say that when you’re the one who was sleeping!”

Tanaka, who had woken up at some point, began scolding us with sleepy eyes, and the two of us immediately responded.