The Story Of How I, A Gloomy Guy, Ended Up Surrounded By the Top-Tier Beautiful Girls In Class After A Seat Change - Chapter 39

“Da… date?”

Kuroki proposed a date to me as I returned from the maid cafe.

(Does this guy… look like he’s calculated everything?)

Pitying my situation of only being able to interact with girls at maid cafes, I reluctantly changed the atmosphere with a response like, “Well, if that’s the case, I guess I’ll reluctantly go on a date,” and invited her out instead.

Kuroki, who aims for perfection, was surely intending to go on this date from the beginning, right?

So she must have been waiting for me…

But I gave her a legitimate reason.

In a moment of relief, I managed to deceive Kuroki by pretending I went to the maid cafe, countering her move like a chess master who cleverly defends against a check and receives a counter-check.

In other words, did Kuroki Rui foresee my every move…?

(Too much of a strategist… almost like a game of chess.)

Well, I still can’t quite understand Kuroki’s obsession to that extent…

“Come on, Ryota-kun. You don’t need to be so guarded. Even if we call it a date, it’s already evening, so we’ll just walk together in front of the station.”

“K… Kuroki, why are you going this far?”

“This far?”

“I mean, I’m just a bottom-tier introvert in the class, you know? No matter how much you say you’re a perfectionist, isn’t this going a bit too far?”

“Too far?”

Every time I speak, Kuroki echoes my words back almost like a parrot.

“So, even though you were supposed to be exhausted from track practice, you waited for me on the station platform reading a book… that’s not normal, is it?”

“Were you happy?”

“H-Huh?”

“When I was waiting on the bench, were you happy, Ryota-kun?”

Kuroki sat back on the bench again and smiled slightly.

“I-I wasn’t happy… I was just surprised, honestly. I don’t understand why you’d go to such lengths.”

“That’s because… ever since that day, I’ve wanted you to like me.”

There it is again, the suggestive mention of ‘that day.’

Since it had bothered me for so long, I asked Tanaka if she had any idea.

And the conclusion was… our middle school graduation day.

“But Ryota-kun, you’re different from the other boys, so you’re special.”

“S-Special?”

“So shall we? A stroll date.”

I still can’t see the full picture of why Kuroki is so fixated on me… Regardless of the reason, waiting for me on the station platform on such a windy day, I’m not cold-hearted enough to just say “goodbye.”

In fact, when someone goes to such lengths, I just can’t refuse…

“Got it. Whether it’s a date or not, since we’re walking home from the station together anyway…”

“Hehe.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“N-No reason. Well then, shall we go?”

☆☆

We passed through the ticket gate and walked side by side with Kuroki along the main street in front of the station.

Walking beside me, Kuroki didn’t have her usual sweet perfume smell but rather a refreshing scent like deodorant.

As always, her profile is beautiful, with a high nose and long eyelashes.

Looking at Kuroki from the side, I could painfully understand why she is hailed as an absolute beauty.

She has a slight perfectionist streak and is a bit crazy, but Kuroki’s qualities are undeniably impressive.

“Ah, a cat.”

As we were about to pass by a park on the main street, Kuroki spotted a stray cat entering the park and began to head towards it.

“Hey, Kuroki!”

Chasing after Kuroki who was chasing the cat, I also headed into the park.

Kuroki crouched down and skillfully made a “chuchu” sound with her tongue, calling the cat over.

A plump, round calico cat.

From its appearance alone, it wasn’t exactly cute.

But even with such a chubby cat, Kuroki handled it effortlessly and petted it.

“K-Kuroki, do you like cats?”

I crouched down next to Kuroki, who was playing with the cat, and asked.

“Hmm… If it’s between Ryota-kun and a cat, I’d choose the cat.”

(You, you prefer cats over me!?)

“Ah, you look disappointed.”

“I’m not! Absolutely not!”

“You must have thought that even though you waited for hours for me at the station, you must like me, right?”

“No, that’s not it!”

Well, to be honest, that’s exactly right.

Having my weak spot pointed out, my expression showed it more and more.

“Getting jealous of a cat, Ryota-kun is cute, isn’t he? Oh, do you want me to stroke your belly too?”

“Absolutely not.”

Rather, I was thinking about wanting to see your belly button… but I kept that sinful thought to myself and replied.

“Hehe, but for me, cats are… special.”

Again, the word “special.”

“Why are cats special?”

“… Because I had one when I was young. It’s dead now, though.”

W-What a sudden heavy topic… Did I just step on a landmine?

“But because of that cat… another special thing was born. I’m grateful to cats, and I love them.”

Another, special thing?

I didn’t really get it, but it was clear that another mystery about Kuroki had definitely been added.