The Story Of How I, A Gloomy Guy, Ended Up Surrounded By the Top-Tier Beautiful Girls In Class After A Seat Change - Chapter 36-37

Episode 36:

After the movie, we headed to Animate to buy Nyu-kyun merchandise.

(We’d promised to go to Animate before our movie date anyway.)

In the commercial facility at the neighboring town’s station, besides the arcade where I met Ichinose, there were various shops, including Animate.

We went up to the 6th floor of the commercial facility. When Ichinose spotted the familiar Animate sign, her eyes sparkled like a child entering a theme park.

“Wow… it’s like heaven.”

“Is this your first time at Animate?”

“Well, technically. Until now, going alone felt like too much of a hurdle.”

I get that feeling.

Her gal-like appearance and standing out when entering made it awkward for Ichinose. Even for a total otaku like me, entering Animate for the first time felt like stepping into an otaku realm, making it a bit daunting.

(Once you get used to it, you can go in like a fast food joint…)

“I feel so relieved today with Ryota here.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah.”

Oh no… I’m not used to being relied upon by others throughout my life, so suddenly being relied upon makes me too happy…

“Oh, look! There’s a special Nyu-kyun corner!”

In a corner of the store, Ichinose found a special section filled with Nyu-kyun goods and eagerly leaned forward to check out the merchandise.

Recently, Animate seemed to cater more to female audiences, but having a dedicated section for Nyu-kyun showed its rising popularity.

“Wow! Milk-tan’s breast mousepad is the best! I want the milk bottle modeled after Milk-tan’s busty figure too!”

“Wait, they make merchandise like that for Nyu-kyun!?”

I had no idea about that, so I was genuinely surprised.

“Ryota! Can I take some time to decide what to buy here?”

Ichinose was in high spirits after the movie.

“Ah, sure. Take your time and pick whatever you like.”

This might take a while… Alright.

While Ichinose picked out Nyu-kyun goods, I checked out the light novel corner opposite the special section.

I’ve already read ‘Oppai Sui,’ which I bought last time, so it’s time for a new light novel… Huh?

One light novel caught my eye.

(Hoshino Hoshino… what a cheesy pen name.)

The author’s name seemed odd, but the illustrations were done by a popular artist, so… maybe I’ll buy it on a whim.

I decided to buy a light novel based on the illustrations. I glanced at the Nyu-kyun special section where Ichinose was choosing her items.

“How about it? Have you decided what to buy?”

“Um… Ryota, which is better, the milk bottle or the breast mousepad?”

“Uh, I think the breast mousepad might be more practical?”

“Well, yeah, but I kinda want to enjoy Milk-tan’s breast milk splash, you know?”

As an otaku familiar with Nyu-kyun anime, I understood Ichinose’s statement. Still, if someone like Airi or Kuroki heard her saying this, they’d probably be shocked to the point of their jaws dropping.

In the end, Ichinose bought both the breast mousepad and the milk bottle.

☆☆

“Phew, I made some good purchases.”

Ichinose exited Animate in high spirits.

She’s transformed into an otaku wearing a gyaru’s skin.

It’s quite refreshing to see this gal with big boobs and thick thighs carrying that familiar blue bag.

“Oh, Ryota. You’re staring at my thighs again.”

“W-why do you always notice?”

“Because your eyes always go down! Also, remember when we were with Airi at Snow Top last time, you were staring at her boobs, right?”

“…I won’t deny it.”

“Sigh… you’re such an otaku. Well, whatever. Airi’s pretty clueless, so I doubt she noticed.”

Ichinose always scolds me, but Airi has never scolded me before. By the way, Kuroki doesn’t stand out in particular, so I can always talk to her face to face… or rather, I’m drawn to her face.

“Well, I have more confidence in my chest than my thighs.”

“N-no way! Thighs are your signature!”

“Hey! Don’t decide things on your own!”

Ichinose jumped in with full force.

“Seriously, Ryota, you lack delicacy. It’s better if you don’t do that kind of thing with anyone other than me.”

“I-I’ll keep that in mind.”

“So, what should we do next? There’s one more place I want to go.”

“One more place?”

Ichinose nodded and started walking.

“Of course, to that arcade.”

—

Chapter 37:

Thanks to Ichinose’s suggestion, we decided to drop by the same arcade we visited that day.

“Ryota, can you try the UFO catcher again?”

“Sure. Is there a specific prize figure you want?”

“Of course!”

Ichinose pointed to the prize figure she had her eye on. Once again, it was a beautiful anime girl figure.

As usual, I aimed for the figure with my well-practiced technique.

“Hey, Ryota.”

“What is it, Ichinose?”

“Geez, I keep telling you to call me Yuria. You’ve been slipping back now and then.”

“I-I mean… I’m not used to calling girls by their names, so it’s not easy.”

“Then get used to it with me. It feels more natural when you call me Yuria.”

“Really?”

Yuria… Yuria… Calling a girl by her name still makes me nervous. But if Ichinose herself wants me to call her Yuria so much… I guess I have to.

“When we came here last time, we were complete strangers, but a few days later, we’re back as friends. It’s strange, isn’t it?”

“I never thought I’d be able to talk to you so casually either, Yuria.”

Not just with Yuria, but also with Miyama and Kuroki, I never expected to get along with them like this.

“Y-Yuria, why did you become an otaku?”

“Why did I become an otaku?”

“Yeah, I’m a bit curious about why you like anime and such.”

I had a feeling Yuria had a dark past, so I hadn’t planned on asking about it much, but today I decided to delve a little deeper.

“I’ve never really talked about why I became an otaku… It’s from when I was a kid, so my memory is a bit fuzzy.”

Yuria blushed shyly as she continued.

“It was when I was in the lower grades of elementary school.”

“That long ago!?”

“Yeah. The trigger was a certain manga I got at a neighborhood park where I played every day.”

“A certain manga?”

“It was a boy’s manga with a bit of ecchi content. After reading it, I got hooked on manga. I admired the gal heroine in the manga, which led to who I am now.”

So the school’s No. 1 gal, Yuria Ichinose, originated from manga…!? That’s incredibly unexpected.

“So, thanks to that manga, both the gal Yuria and the otaku Yuria were born?”

“Yeah, I guess you could put it that way.”

I can only be grateful to whoever gave the manga to Yuria Ichinose. With her perfect face, bust, and thighs, the dual traits of ‘gal’ and ‘otaku’…

“But what kind of suspicious person gives an ecchi manga to an elementary school kid in a park?”

“No, no. It was a kid about my age who gave it to me.”

“A kid!?”

“That kid was always sitting alone on a bench in the park reading manga, so I invited them to play. We ended up playing together. And when they went home, they gave me the manga.”

“So that’s how it was…”

An elementary school kid with an ecchi manga… I can’t believe there was another precocious kid like me in this world.

(I also read ecchi manga outside because I couldn’t at home when I was in elementary school… That kid was probably the same.)

Listening to Yuria’s episode made me feel nostalgic.

“Why did you become an otaku, Ryota?”

“Huh, me? Well, um…”

“Hmm?”

“Mo-more importantly, Yuria! It looks like we can get this figure soon.”

“Really? It’s still only 400 yen, that’s awesome!”

I skillfully redirected the conversation back to the UFO catcher.

(I definitely can’t tell her why I became an otaku…)

The reason I became an otaku is not something I can easily talk about, especially compared to Yuria’s story…

(I can’t exactly share the outrageous story of how; as a kindergartner, I ended up sitting on my busty, thick-thighed cousin’s lap and developed a taste for big busts and thick thighs, ultimately turning to the 2D world…)

I’ve always been a precocious and perverted kid.

☆☆

With Nyu-kyun goods and a beautiful girl figure in her arms, Yuria came to the station platform, looking delighted.

“Today was the best. Thanks, Ryota.”

“If you had fun, then I’m happy too.”

It was our first date… but if Yuria looks this satisfied, maybe it went well?

“Don’t call me Yuria in front of Airi or Rui, okay?”

“You tell me to call you that, then not to… It’s confusing.”

“I don’t mind if you call me Yuria, but it would be a problem if Airi or Rui misunderstood.”

“Please let me call you Ichinose.”

“Ahaha, right.”

Even with just the “Ryota incident” with Miyama, Kuroki was already quite suspicious. If I called her Yuria, it would definitely lead to more trouble.

“Next week, we’ll be busy with preparations for the cultural festival, but let’s hang out again, Ryota.”

Yuria said this with a gentle smile.

She seemed much more relaxed and softer than she used to be, thanks to this date.

“I-I look forward to it as well.”

“You’re too formal.”

“B-but…”

And so, my first date came to an end.

We got on the train together, but since Yuria gets off at the station before mine, we parted ways on the train.

Once Yuria got off and I was alone, I finally felt like I could breathe.

“Ah… that was nerve-wracking…”

But, the date was simply enjoyable…

With the satisfaction of the day in my heart, I got off at the next station.

However…

When the train stopped at my station, there was a beautiful girl with long eyelashes sitting on a bench on the platform, reading a paperback book.