The Story Of How I, A Gloomy Guy, Ended Up Surrounded By the Top-Tier Beautiful Girls In Class After A Seat Change - Chapter 46

The “favorite shop” that Airi mentioned turned out to be an old candy store near the station.

“A candy store!? Not something like Snow Top?”

“Yeah! Candy stores are super cheap, right? So I can get lots of snacks and I love it.”

I see… Airi must have been through a lot.

“Airi used to visit candy stores a lot since elementary school. There used to be one near Airi’s house, but it closed down. So now, this candy store near the station is Airi’s favorite!”

“Oh, so you come here after work?”

“Yeah! I always buy about ten Umaibo or Stick Kineko and then head home!”

I get it. So Airi’s busty charms are made of candy, huh…

Maybe we should give all middle and high school students in the country mountains of candy right now.

A super busty society. This is a major national strategy that should be pursued.

“Ryota? Why the serious face all of a sudden?”

“Ah, no, I was just thinking about something political…”

“Politics!? Thinking about such difficult things, you really are amazing, Ryota.”

“Ahaha…”

That was close… Almost got caught thinking about something totally useless.

Smoothly dodging the question, I followed Airi into the candy store.

The door slid open with a chime of wind chimes, and an elderly person who seemed to be the shopkeeper slowly walked from the back room to the front counter.

“So this is… the candy store.”

Old-fashioned Mizuame syrup, gummy candies shaped like hands, colorful small rice cakes, and even lottery tickets, string pulls, and darts—everything that makes you think of an old-fashioned candy store was right there.

Faded flyers were stuck to the shop window, and there were cabinets that looked suspiciously like they might still work.

All the prices inside were between 10 and 30 yen for candies, so cheap that it was hard to believe in this era of high inflation.

(Everything is nostalgic, huh. It’s amazing that spaces like this still exist.)

“Is this your first time at a candy store, Ryota?”

“No, back in elementary school, I used to ride my bike to a candy store a bit further away…”

“Oh! So you’re used to it?”

“Ah, yeah. But I haven’t been here recently.”

Back when I was a kid and obsessed with Wafer Kids, I used to collect them from nearby supermarkets and candy stores whenever a new anime or superhero version came out.

Nostalgically reminiscing about those days, I reached for the superhero-themed Wafer Kids placed a bit higher on the shelf.

In proportion to its height on the shelf, the Wafer Kids were a bit pricier at 100 yen compared to the other items.

It seemed like they weren’t selling very well, price-wise.

“Oh, are you getting the Wafer Kids, Ryota?”

“Ah, no, I was just looking.”

“Wafer Kids are so great, right?”

It seemed like Airi really liked Wafer Kids.

I think most buyers were more interested in the bonus inside than the Wafer Kids themselves.

“Ryota, Wafer Kids are a memorable treat for me.”

“Oh, memorable?”

“Yeah. I’ve mentioned this before, but Airi was really poor since elementary school, so she could only afford to buy candy from the candy store occasionally.”

Taking the superhero-themed Wafer Kids from my hand, Airi started speaking with emotion.

“On days when I couldn’t buy candy, I used to sit on a red bench in front of the candy store and watch everyone else eat. But one day, a boy with a blue bag suddenly sat next to me and gave me a Wafer Kids!”

“Oh, a boy with a blue bag…”

Come to think of it, I feel like I’ve heard a similar story somewhere before.

Listening to Airi’s story, I suddenly felt a déjà vu moment.

Recently, I feel like I’ve heard something similar… Am I imagining things?

“Apparently, that boy wanted stickers, so he gave me his Wafer Kids. I was so happy that day…”

As Airi spoke, her voice sounded like she was about to cry.

Was she really that happy about Wafer Kids?

“Airi… Because Airi was always teased just for being poor, she never experienced kindness from kids her age. That boy went to a different elementary school, but Airi has loved him ever since that day. So Airi didn’t have any interest in other boys until high school. She couldn’t even get a boyfriend.”

“I-I see…”

(Man, I’m so jealous of that boy…!)

Even now, if Airi still likes that guy, she could definitely date him if they met again. They could do whatever they want together!

It’s so enviable… capturing the heart of the beautiful, big-breasted Airi with just one wafer.

If he never shows up again, I wish I could take his place… (Well, with my obvious ulterior motives, I probably can’t become like that boy).

I ended up buying that wafer and a bottle of ramune, crying inside.

Meanwhile, Airi bought 10 Umya sticks.

“Hey, hey, since we’re here, let’s sit on the bench outside and eat!”

“O-Okay.”

Following Airi’s suggestion, I sat on the long red bench in front of the store.

Eating snacks from a candy store with a friend… It’s an experience I couldn’t have in elementary school.

“Mmm~, Umya stick, so yummy~!”

Airi opens her mouth wide and crunches on the Umya stick.

The powder from the Umya stick falls onto her huge chest, slightly dirtying her uniform.

(Breasts so big the powder doesn’t fall down… truly amazing.)

“Mufu~, Umya sticks are the best~”

Watching Airi from the side as she desperately bites into one big, strong “Umya stick” after another, gradually my own Umya stick starts to get strong—

“Ryota? Why have you been staring at me?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing! Oh, crap.”

Flustered, I looked away while opening the ramune bottle, and the foam sprayed onto my hand.

“Ugh, it’s all sticky.”

“Geez, what are you doing?! Ryota, you’re so funny~”

Airi laughs while taking out a pocket tissue from her bag, pulls out two sheets, and gives them to me.

“Wipe your hands with these. You don’t want to stay all sticky, right?”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks, Airi.”

Airi is really kind after all.

At first, I think she disliked me for being an otaku, but as we spent time together, we became close like this before I knew it.

But Airi has her wafer prince, so she probably doesn’t see me as a man.

It’s the same with Yuria and Kuroki.

Even though we’ve become friends, they both have guys they liked in the past.

Yuria has her prince who gave her a manga, and Kuroki has her prince who helped a cat.

By the time you’re in second year of high school, everyone has already had their first love, and already has someone they like.

At this point, there probably aren’t many girls who would like a weak male high school student like me…

“Sigh…”

“Ryota~, Airi wants to eat a wafer too~”

“A wafer? Okay, okay. I just want the sticker inside, so you can have the wafer.”

I open the wafer package, take out the sticker, and offer the wafer to Airi.

I offered her the wafer… but Airi didn’t take it.

“Hm?”

“……”

“H-Hey, Airi?”

“Um… it’s just that it overlapped, or rather, it was exactly the same line…”

“Huh?”

“N-Nothing! I’ll take the wafer!”

Airi takes the wafer from me and eats it in one big bite.

“Cough, cough, oh no, I choked on the powder.”

“Ah, geez, this is what happens when you eat so fast. Here, you can drink my ramune.”

“Th-Thanks, Ryota.”

Airi takes a gulp of the ramune I handed her.

“Puh, haa~! I’m alive again. Ryota, you’re my lifesaver!”

“Come on, you’re exaggerating. It was just a little choking.”

“No. I think Ryota is my lifesaver… probably, that is.”

“?”

Airi gives me back the ramune with a quiet, mature smile instead of her usual innocent one.

“Thank you — Ryota.”

“Uh, oh, yeah.”

Airi just now… was a bit strange.

She looked somewhat relieved.

By the way, this ramune bottle… isn’t this an indirect kiss chance?

Last time I was interrupted by Yuria, but if I drink this… finally, with Airi… Kiss…!

I take a big gulp of ramune while checking my surroundings.

The light carbonation of the ramune stimulates my throat, and my lips tremble with excitement.

(I did it. I did it! Airi’s first kiss partner isn’t the wafer prince! It’s me, Ryota!)

“Hey, Ryota…”

“Hm?”

While I was getting excited alone with my creepy virgin thoughts, Airi spoke to me.

“Um… n-never mind, it’s nothing.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Anyway, it’s nothing. More importantly, hurry up and finish your ramune, let’s go home together? Will you walk me home?”

“That’s… fine, but…”

“Ehehe, yay~”

Airi seemed like she wanted to say something earlier, but I wonder what it was.

I just hoped it wasn’t about the indirect kiss as I continued to think about such things.