The Story Of How I, A Gloomy Guy, Ended Up Surrounded By the Top-Tier Beautiful Girls In Class After A Seat Change - Chapter 110-111

Chapter 110: The Outcome of the Match, Summer Vacation

“Rock-paper-scissors? So, if I win, I get to play with Ryota first?”

“Yep. Whoever wins rock-paper-scissors gets to be the first to ask Ryota for anything during summer vacation—whether it’s carrying shopping bags, running errands, whatever. How about it?”

“Hehe… I like that idea. I’m fine with it too.”

What do you mean, “fine with it”? They’re deciding things on their own… Do I not have a say in this?

With Yuria’s suggestion, the conversation moves forward without me, the person directly involved, even being part of the discussion.

“Ryota, you better be ready, okay? We kept our promise and avoided failing, so you can’t refuse us now. You’re going to be with us all the way.”

“W-Well… I don’t really mind that, but…”

Getting dragged around by these three even during summer vacation is basically just a reward for me.

Besides, it’s a rare chance to see the three of them in casual summer clothes—light and breezy. No way I’m passing that up.

So yeah, there’s really no reason for me to refuse… except for one concern.

“Hehe… Rock-paper-scissors.”

Rui gives me a sly smile while glancing at me from the corner of her eye.

She’s definitely plotting something, so my biggest worry is whether Rui will give me some weird command.

(If she says something like “I’ll lock you up until you fall in love with me”… that would be seriously bad. She might even realize that I get excited by that kind of thing.)

While I was lost in thought, Rui suddenly reached out and pinched my arm hard.

“Ouch! W-What are you doing, Rui?”

“Ryota-kun? If you keep thinking strange things about me, I might actually do it, you know?”

Wha… how is she naturally reading my mind like that?

“D-Don’t read my thoughts!”

“I can’t do that.”

“B-But what I was thinking…”

“Well, Ryota-kun, you’ve been giving me these suspicious looks for a while now. I wasn’t planning to make any weird requests or anything.”

I’m not so sure. Last time we talked, she did say something about “taking me somewhere.”

But well, someone with Rui Kuroki’s superhuman abilities would probably have no problem winning at rock-paper-scissors, which is normally a game of luck for regular people.

“Alright then, let’s get started.”

The three of them faced each other and held out their hands.

Sitting in my seat, I watched the rock-paper-scissors battle that would determine who gets to “own” me.

“Rock-paper-scissors, shoot!”

As soon as they threw out their hands—someone won on the first try.

“…Huh?”

☆☆

——The first day of summer vacation arrived.

As soon as summer vacation began, so did the true heat of summer. Just standing outside made sweat slowly seep out.

So, where was I on this hot first day of summer vacation?

“Ryota, Ryota! We’re almost at Grandma’s house!”

Riding on a rickety bus with no air conditioning, with empty seats all around, we traveled down a country road lined with rice fields for an hour and a half.

When I got off the bus, I found myself in a rural town surrounded by forests, full of nature, and with refreshingly clear air.

“Oh my, welcome, Airi.”

“Thanks for coming to pick us up, Grandma! Oh, and this is my friend, Ryota Izumiya.”

“Oh my, is he your boyfriend?”

“No, he’s not!”

Yes—because of Airi’s victory in rock-paper-scissors, I was brought to Airi’s grandmother’s house in the middle of nowhere, for a certain purpose.

—

Chapter 111: The Things We Want to Do in the Countryside

On the first day of summer vacation, Airi brought me to a… complete countryside.

It’s a rural village area, nestled between large mountains about two hours away from the city where we live, after switching buses. When I looked around, all I could see were lush green nature, old houses, fields, and the community center—like something out of a countryside diorama set.

(Is this what the real countryside is like…?)

“Ryota, thank you for always playing with Airi,” Airi’s grandmother greeted us at the bus stop with a smile full of grandmotherly kindness.

“N-no, I should be the one thanking Airi for always looking after me.”

“You don’t have to be so formal! Ryota, let’s go find today’s mission!” Airi urged me.

“O-okay,” I replied, starting to prepare to search for our mission.

(Today’s mission… huh?)

I suddenly recalled the events that led us here.

—— One week ago.

The three beautiful girls had started a rock-paper-scissors game to decide who would get the first right to issue a command to me, as part of a punishment game (or reward) allowing them to boss me around as much as they wanted during summer vacation.

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

I expected the usual pattern where Rui would win, but this time, things turned out differently.

Airi had played scissors, while Yuria and Rui both played paper, meaning Airi won in the first round.

“I did it, Ryota! I got to make the first request!”

“Aww, I thought Airi would play rock like always,” Yuria said.

“I tricked you both! I studied hard for the tests, so now I’m a little smarter!” Airi said proudly, puffing out her chest, causing her large breasts to bounce.

(Wow… those are… huh?)

As I stared at her chest, I felt a dark aura next to me.

T-this aura…!

“Fufu… I can’t believe I lost,” said Kuroki Rui, narrowing her eyes more than usual, her brows furrowed. Despite her initial frustration, she gradually began to smile.

“Airi, good job. I thought you’d play rock too, but I didn’t expect you to switch it up.”

“Ehehe, Rui-chan praised me,” Airi said, smiling at Rui. But behind her back, Rui had her hand clenched into a fist.

Rui is a perfectionist in everything, so even losing a game of chance like rock-paper-scissors must have really stung. Or maybe she had something she really wanted to command me to do… but I decided not to think about that.

“So, what’s Airi going to order Ryota to do?”

“Well, it’s not just a command for Ryota; it’s something I want everyone to do.”

“Everyone?” Yuria tilted her head, and Airi nodded.

“This year, I want to catch a rhinoceros beetle! And maybe a big stag beetle too!”

“…What?”

“So my command is that as soon as summer vacation starts, we all go into the forest and catch insects! How about it?”

Of course, it was insect collecting… Airi will always be Airi.

“Uh, I’ll pass. Bugs are a big no for me,” Yuria said.

“That’s awful, Yuria! Bugs are living their lives just like we are!”

“Yeah… seeing bugs alive makes me feel like dying,” Yuria said flatly, her eyes looking lifeless, like a dead fish.

(Just how much does Yuria hate bugs?)

“Then what about Rui-chan? Let’s all catch beetles together!”

“U-um, I’ll pass too… Bugs are gross—I mean, I have an important competition right after summer vacation starts…”

Even Rui…? It seems the bond between these three beautiful girls is powerless in the face of bugs.

“You two are so mean! I wanted to catch beetles with everyone,” Airi pouted.

“Sorry, Airi. But Ryota is here, right?”

“Yeah, Airi, Ryota-kun is with you, so we’re good, right?”

Suddenly, Yuria and Rui were trying to throw me under the bus.

“Wait a minute! I’m not good with bugs either—”

“You promised you’d follow our commands, didn’t you, Ryota?”

“That’s right, Ryota-kun,” Yuria and Rui said with devilish smiles.

T-these girls…!

“Ryota, don’t you want to catch bugs with me?” Airi asked, looking up at me with tearful eyes.

Th-that face… it’s cheating.

I had promised to follow their commands no matter what, so I couldn’t refuse now.

“…Okay, fine. I’ll go catch bugs.”

“Really?! Yay!”

Airi’s tearful face immediately transformed into a bright smile as she bounced with joy.

And so, I ended up going bug catching with Airi… which brings us to now.

(Getting dragged out to the middle of nowhere in the height of summer, getting eaten alive by mosquitoes… sigh.)

“We’re here!” Airi suddenly stopped in front of an old house near the bus stop.

“This is my mom’s family home!”

“Oh, your mom’s.”

“For now, let’s leave our stuff here and relax until evening, okay? Right, Grandma?”

“Of course, dear. We’ve got some watermelon chilling in the river, so take it easy.”

Chilled watermelon at an old countryside house… this feels like the perfect Japanese summer.

So, for now, we’ll just hang out here until evening… Wait, hold on.

“H-hey, Airi.”

“What is it, Ryota? Do you need to use the bathroom?”

“No, that’s not it! Won’t the last bus have already left by evening?”

“Yeah, it will. Why?”

“Does that mean… we’re staying here overnight?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Of course?! (For the second time today.)