The Story Of How I, A Gloomy Guy, Ended Up Surrounded By the Top-Tier Beautiful Girls In Class After A Seat Change - Chapter 191-192

Chapter 191: Rui’s Sense of Smell Is Strong

After lunch with Nozomi, my stomach felt stuffed, and I faced the afternoon classes, fighting sleepiness. By the middle of sixth period, I barely absorbed anything.

Geez, that owner overfed her pet…

“Ryota-kun, class is almost over.”

Rui whispered from my right, waking me just as I nearly dozed off.

“R-Rui…”

Apparently, Rui woke me up.

I rubbed my eyes and looked around. As usual, Airi and Yuria, part of the reverse-poster group, slept, but why did she only wake me?

“Fufu, Airi and Yuria aside, it’s rare for you to doze off, Ryota-kun. Sleeping during Ms. Tanabe’s class, the popular teacher with the perfect figure? That’s not like you.”

“Ugh, shut up. Some days are like that.”

“…”

Rui suddenly went silent and shot me a cold glare.

Rui’s vibe felt extra heavy today.

Or, well, maybe always.

“…Your stomach looks puffier than usual, and dozing off is unnatural for you, Ryota-kun. It could be sleep deprivation, but you don’t have bags under your eyes, and you didn’t yawn this morning, so that theory is rejected as incorrect. That leaves a blood sugar spike causing loss of focus and sleepiness. But you, who usually eats just one rice ball and fiber-rich zero-sugar soda for lunch to save money, wouldn’t eat enough to cause a blood sugar spike.”

What’s with this math-proof-like analysis? Seriously, what is this?

“…In conclusion, someone interfered with your lunch, forcing you to eat a large amount. And that someone wasn’t one of us three… Q.E.D., right, Ryota-kun?”

Sweat vanished from my clammy skin, and a shiver ran through me.

It felt like watching a horror movie mixed with the unease of a soap opera’s messy drama.

That’s how much her unfathomable insight terrified me.

This is bad… Between this and the incident before lunch, Rui’s definitely onto something.

She knows everything, or almost everything, and she’s toying with me for fun. No doubt about it.

But I can’t tell her everything about Nozomi… Here goes.

“Look, Rui, you’re misunderstanding something. I haven’t done anything shady. Please, trust me.”

“Fufu… Sounds like a cheating guy’s excuse.”

“H-Hey! Cheating? I’m doing this all for you, Rui.”

“For me?”

Crap… I slipped up.

“Hmm… So that’s how it is.”

Rui’s skeptical gaze shifted to a smirk as she looked at me.

“W-Why are you acting like you figured it all out?”

“No, it’s nothing. The Ryota-kun who practically confessed to me before wouldn’t betray me, right?”

“Tch, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Rui seemed to have analyzed and concluded everything on her own.

If I told her everything about Nozomi’s blackmail, who knows what Rui would do to her? If she’s pieced it together, that’s convenient for me.

“Fufu… You’re such a tsundere, Ryota-kun.”

Why do I feel like she’s completely misinterpreting this…?

—

Chapter 192: Just the Two of Us (With Himesaki)

After sixth period ended, school let out, and I received a lime message from Nozomi.

“Soon homeroom will end, so how about we go home together today? Maybe hang out at the station or something?”

It wasn’t even an order anymore.

I couldn’t tell who was the dog here. Was this the kind of play she wanted?

“Sorry, Ryota, I have to hurry to meet my boyfriend after this, so I’m heading out.”

A part-time job, huh? Got it.

“I’m going home first too since a new shipment arrived at my place—not a baby bottle. My family opens other people’s packages without hesitation, so I can’t let my guard down.”

It was probably that new baby bottle modeled after Nyu-kyun’s new character released recently.

So, Airi and Yuria left first, and Rui went to her club as usual.

Going home with Nozomi was, in a way, convenient.

I headed to the entrance where we agreed to meet.

(Come to think of it, always going home with one of those three makes me way too much of a normie.)

Yet, romance never developed, and everyone still treated me as the “perverted character.” Was that just the fate of a loner?

I enjoyed being dragged around by those three, so I hung out with them. I had no ulterior motives.

Sure, I sometimes stared at their thighs and breasts and saved Rui’s selfies, but I had no ulterior motives (second time).

It was the same with Nozomi… but she didn’t seem serious about treating me like her dog.

Since I was used to being dragged around by the three beautiful girls, Nozomi felt a bit lacking.

“…Right. Since we’re going home together, I’ll go to her first-year classroom and pick her up like a loyal dog.”

Maybe she’d scold me like, “You couldn’t wait quietly at the meeting spot? Bad dog!” and it’d naturally turn into an SM scenario… Well, probably not.

With faint hopes, I headed to the fourth floor where the first-year classrooms were… but I didn’t know Nozomi’s class.

As I wandered, students poured out of a classroom, probably still in homeroom.

Crap! What if Nozomi came out with her obviously popular friends?

If they found out she was meeting a loner guy like me, it might be bad for her.

As I thought about this near the classroom entrance, a group of flashy, top-tier gal girls passed by me.

Nozomi wasn’t there, so she wasn’t part of that group.

“…Wait, isn’t that guy standing there that super famous second-year?”

“Oh, I know him. He played the heroine at the culture festival.”

“No, more than that, rumor has it he’s got something romantic going on with Rui-senpai.”

“Seriously? That’s wild!”

Apparently, even random first-year gals knew me.

Romantic? My relationship with Rui was more erotic than romantic… but whatever.

Then, a quieter group, clearly from a cultural club, passed by me.

Nozomi wasn’t in that group either.

“Hey, isn’t that second-year Ryota Izumiya-senpai?”

“Yeah, definitely. First-year guys call him a living legend.”

“Rumor says his overwhelming aura repels everyone except girls.”

What kind of aura? Was this the Age of Sail?

Just because a loner hung out with three beautiful girls, they interpreted it like that? What a spiritual world. Also, don’t gossip at normal volume.

“Eh, Ryota-senpai?”

As I thought about this, Nozomi’s voice suddenly came from my side.

Nozomi, coming out of the classroom alone, looked at me with a surprised expression.

“Oh, Nozomi. Finally came out, huh?”

“Eh… Ryota-senpai, you came all the way to the fourth floor? Did I make you wait?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

I thought she’d come out chatting with friends or her entourage… but Nozomi was surprisingly alone.

Nozomi stared at me and slightly furrowed her brow.

Was that expression… anger?

“Uh, sorry for coming to your classroom! Even if we’re in a master-servant thing, it’s bad if your friends find out you’re going home with a guy like me. Are you mad?”

“N-No… it’s not that. I’m happy, honestly.”

“Happy?”

“Ah! No, I mean! Anyway! We’re short on time, so let’s go! I’m making you hang out with me all afternoon! ♡”

Nozomi’s face suddenly brightened, and she walked ahead with light steps.

…Nothing!!! Happened!!!

No SM scenario… at all!

In contrast to Nozomi’s joy, I bit my lip and followed her.