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

Chapter 171: Tanaka Joins In, Yuria’s Frustration

Since Tanaka somehow ended up joining us, the three of us started moving together.

Damn it… If I hadn’t run into Tanaka, I could have enjoyed a lewd, thick-thighed barbecue (a.k.a. DDBBQ) alone with Yuria… What a shame.

That said, the last time I hung out with Tanaka during summer break was at the pool the other day, and before that, it had been since our third year of middle school two years ago.

Thinking about that blank year between us, should I consider it lucky that we’re back to hanging out like this, or is it more of a disaster?

“Ryota-kun? Why are you staring at me so lewdly?”

“Who the hell is looking at you like that? That was a look of disgust.”

“Wait, what?! What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Alright, alright, you two always fight. More importantly, I was thinking of heading to Cocosco now, but before that… Tanaka, have you already finished what you came here for?”

“My goal? Oh, you mean Animate? I haven’t gone yet, but… the BL books won’t run away, so I can always come back later.”

As Tanaka hesitated, Yuria suddenly leaned forward and grabbed her by the shoulders.

“T-Then let’s go there first, Tanaka! It wouldn’t be fair to drag you along for our errands without finishing yours!”

“Eh, but Animate is kinda…”

Jeez… How badly does Yuria want to go to Animate?

Now that Tanaka had found her, she should be trying to avoid getting exposed as an otaku. But instead, she was using Tanaka’s shopping as an excuse to go there herself.

Well, I get it. Animate is a paradise for otaku, so of course, she’d want to go. But the risk of getting exposed is way higher than the reward.

“Wait a second.”

“R-Ryota?”

“If Tanaka buys BL books at Animate, she’ll be too busy reading them to care about the DDBBQ, so Animate is off-limits.”

“Well, I can’t deny that… But what’s DDBBQ?”

“Oh, crap… A-Anyway! No Animate! Got it?”

“F-Fine. Let’s just go to Cocosco then.”

I understood Yuria’s feelings, but right now, the risk was way too high.

She had said before that going into Animate alone was intimidating. Maybe that’s why she thought this was the perfect chance, since both Tanaka and I were with her.

Still, she’d have to hold back this time.

But… to think she’d try something this bold while Tanaka was around. If it were just the two of us, I’d get it, but now? Maybe deep down, Yuria wanted to reveal that she was an otaku to someone like Tanaka, who already understood otaku culture.

“Hey, sorry about earlier, Ryota.”

As we walked toward Cocosco, with Tanaka leading the way, Yuria whispered into my ear.

“Sorry?”

“I usually can’t go into Animate alone, and I was dying to see what this mall’s Animate looked like… so I tried to use Tanaka’s errand as an excuse. Seriously, my bad.”

“Ah… I see.”

So, it was just her curiosity getting the better of her.

Yuria always treats me like some sex-crazed maniac, but honestly, she’s no better herself.

“If you want to go to Animate that badly, I’ll go with you whenever. So hold back for now, alright?”

“Eh… U-Um, yeah. You’re always there for me, Ryota.”

As she said that, Yuria lightly leaned her shoulder against mine.

W-Wait, wait! Is she… pressing against me?!

“Oh, by the way, aren’t you gonna invite Airi-tan?”

The moment Tanaka turned around and asked that, Yuria quickly pulled away from me.

“A-Airi is busy! She came over this morning, but she already left!”

“Ohh, I see.”

What the hell was that just now?!

My heart was pounding, and so was… something else.

—

Chapter 172: Yuria’s Lewd Bear and Tanaka’s Jealous Bear

We moved to Cocosco, which was next to the large shopping mall, and pushed a ridiculously big cart into the store.

“This is my first time pushing such a huge cart.”

“Really? I don’t think it’s that big.”

“No, it’s huge! If a regular supermarket cart is like Tanaka’s thighs, then Cocosco’s cart is like Yuria’s thick thighs.”

“Wait! What’s that supposed to mean?! M-My thighs are big too, you know!”

“……”

“Say something!!”

When I ignored her, Tanaka got pissed off and started smacking my back repeatedly as I pushed the cart.

At the same time, in my head, I heard the voice of a certain perverted C●7, saying, “Why are you laughing at her thighs? Her thighs are pretty decent.” A completely unhelpful comment.

But still… when I look at Yuria’s thighs… sigh.

They’re on a whole different level. The kind of thighs that make you want to bury yourself in them…

“Tanaka, you don’t have to be so mad. Even if your thighs were bigger, the only one who’d be happy about that is Ryota. Back in middle school, I also had a phase where I tried to slim down. Being thinner makes your proportions look better, and fashion looks way nicer too.”

“W-What the hell, Ichinose?! Are you looking down on me just because you won in the thigh department?! F-For your information, I’m ranked second in our grade academically! Don’t get cocky just because your thighs are bigger!”

“That’s not what I meant… Hey, Ryota, is Tanaka always like this?”

“Yeah. Tanaka is basically a walking thornbush, so her snapping at people is just part of daily life. You should get used to it.”

Honestly… The reason Tanaka has no friends isn’t just because she acts reserved around others—she’s also just like this all the time.

Well, if I buy her something she wants, she’ll probably cheer up.

“Tanaka, I’ll buy you something, so stop sulking.”

“Mm… Are you treating me like a kid again?”

“I’m not.”

“Then… I want that big teddy bear!”

“Huh? A teddy bear?”

Wondering what kind of bear she meant, I looked in the direction Tanaka was pointing…

“…That thing is way too big.”

A ridiculously massive teddy bear was sitting there.

It was so huge that even I could probably curl up inside it. What the hell is this… (What the hell is this?).

“I want to cuddle this bear while I sleep, so buy it for me.”

“At that size, you won’t be cuddling it—it’ll be cuddling you. And this thing costs over 20,000 yen for the biggest size!”

“Buy it! You were the one who said I could pick whatever I wanted!”

“There’s a limit! Pick a smaller one.”

“Oh, so you are buying me one?”

I grabbed a small bear that cost around 1,000 yen and tossed it into our oversized cart.

“Yuria, is it okay if I put this in the cart? I’ll pay for it separately.”

“Eh? O-Oh, sure.”

“Wow, asking really does work sometimes. Since it’s a special occasion, I’ll name this bear Ryota.”

“That’s creepy, so don’t. Anyway, let’s hurry up and—”

“U-Um!”

Just as I was about to move on, Yuria suddenly called out to us.

“Hm? What’s up, Yuria?”

“I-I also… um… want Ryota to buy me a teddy bear too…”

“You too? You really want one?”

“Y-Yeah…”

With a slight blush, Yuria pursed her lips and answered hesitantly.

That’s surprising.

Yuria does have stuffed animals in her room, but since we can come to Cocosco anytime, she could buy one whenever she wanted. Besides, I remember the ones in her room being cuter than these…

But if she wants one…

“Of course! Actually, consider it a thank-you gift from me today. Let me buy it for you.”

“Really? You sure?”

“Yeah! So, Tanaka’s getting a brown one—what color do you want?”

“U-Um… then I’ll go with pink! Oh, but purple could be nice too!”

With a happy expression, Yuria excitedly started picking out a bear like a little kid.

Did she really want a teddy bear that badly?

If so, I could always wear a bear costume and stay in her room 24/7…

As I felt jealous of the bear that would get to watch over Yuria’s private life, I put the pink teddy bear she finally decided on into the cart.

“Hey, Ryota-kun, isn’t your attitude totally different when it’s Ichinose’s turn? You should buy mine just as happily as hers!”

“What, Tanaka? If you’re gonna complain, I won’t buy it.”

“Aaah! I’m sorry! No complaints!”