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

Chapter 70:

Yuria and I headed to high school together.

“Hey,”

“Hmm?”

“The number of manga and light novels in Ryota’s room. It was impressive, right?”

“I’ve been collecting them since elementary school. It’s natural to have that many.”

“Elementary school… I see.”

“Hmm?”

“By the way, that Animate bag you mentioned, it reminded me of the blue bag that the kid who introduced me to otaku stuff had.”

Ah, the kid who gave Yuria erotic manga from boys’ magazines and got her into the otaku world.

She mentioned having a blue bag… but there are probably other blue bags, and besides…

“If it was an Animate bag, wouldn’t you have noticed it earlier, Yuria?”

“W-Well, it was my first time going to Animate with Ryota. Even when we bought Milk-tan’s feeding bottle, I had a feeling, but…”

Come to think of it, was that Yuria’s first time at Animate? I completely forgot.

“But if an elementary school kid like you who has slightly erotic manga goes to Animate, it wouldn’t be strange, right? I’m sure the manga you gave Yuria was bought at Animate too.”

“Yeah, that makes sense…”

Yuria spoke with an unusually serious expression.

Since that kid was like the trigger that turned her into an otaku, maybe she really wants to meet them again?

“Um, more than that, I was worried Yuria might slip up yesterday.”

“Huh? I wouldn’t slip up! How long do you think I’ve been a closet otaku?”

Seems like she’s been a closet otaku for a long time…

“Actually, if that’s the case, Ryota is… not good at hiding things.”

“Hiding things?”

“…Under the bed, there were a lot of erotic games. Almost all were adult games.”

“…”

“When I sat on the gaming chair, my phone fell under the bed. When I tried to pick it up, I saw them… you know.”

“…”

“Any comments?”

“…Chop me gently.”

Once again, I was chopped gently.

☆☆

With that, Yuria and I went to school together.

If it was just Kuroki, it would be fine, but to think Yuria found out too… It’s so embarrassing that I could die of shame.

“Ryota, are you still worried about the adult games?”

“Of course I am! My fetish for muscular men was exposed! You wouldn’t understand how I feel right now!”

“That’s old news… but well, I use a boob mousepad normally, so I didn’t think much of it. It’s not embarrassing, right? I just thought you were a teenage boy like me.”

“You’re not disgusted by it?”

“I told you yesterday too. I watch that kind of stuff too… I can tolerate it.”

Ah… right, that’s true.

Then, maybe Yuria doesn’t talk about it here, but does she play extremely erotic games in secret?

“By the way… I’ve been feeling eyes on us for a while now.”

“Eyes?”

Yuria mentioned it, and I looked around.

As expected, as we approached the high school, the eyes of those around us were focused on Yuria and me.

Just like there are boys aiming for Yuria like Miyama and Kuroki, jealous and envious gazes were directed at me.

(You guys must be jealous… but I’ve had my fair share of struggles too.)

I recalled my past struggles.

Rumors spread when I went to the cafeteria and Snowto with Miyama, Yuria glared at me when I tried to walk home with Kuroki under the same umbrella, I ended up playing Snow White in a gender-swapped play due to Kuroki’s suggestion, Yuria found my erotic goods because of Kuroki… too many things caused by Kuroki.

“Oh! Good morning, both of you.”

When Yuria and I arrived at the shoe lockers at the entrance, Kuroki, who had just finished the morning practice of the track team, was changing shoes.

“Good morning, Rui. Good job on the morning practice.”

“Yeah, thanks. But… the prince and princess coming to school so friendly, Yuria is quite enthusiastic, right?”

“W-What are you saying, Rui! I just happened to meet Ryota and we came together!”

I think she was waiting in front of my house… oh well.

Seeing Yuria flustered, Kuroki suddenly leaned close to my ear.

“If you keep flirting with Yuria all the time, the prince of the afternoon, me, might get jealous, you know?”

Jealousy… she’s saying things that I haven’t even thought of.

More than that, I can’t help but worry if Kuroki will use the erotic goods incident to threaten me.

“Rui, what were you talking to Ryota about?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s go, both of you.”

—

Chapter 71:

After school.

Today marks exactly two weeks until the cultural festival, and the preparations after school have become hectic. The script was completed yesterday, props, costumes, and sets are almost ready, so you could say our class is doing well.

In the past, there were classes that couldn’t get organized, and the script was barely finished three days before the cultural festival, so I think we’re better off.

Starting today, classmates with roles will have a script reading session.

Chairs were arranged in a corner of the classroom, and while looking at the script, each of us read our lines for the roles…

“Um, Mr. Dwarf, please let me stay here…”

“Wait a minute.”

As I read my lines while looking at the script, Hino suddenly interrupted.

“I-Izumitani, you’ve been… you know…”

“W-What, Hino?”

“I mean, you’re bad at this.”

Whether it was because I was wooden from the start or not, Hino bluntly told me.

That’s obvious. It was clear from the start when they chose an introverted person like me.

“What should we do? If you want, I could play Snow White or something.”

“Huh, really!? I don’t mind that at all—”

“I object to that.”

“Me too.”

When I tried to accept Hino’s suggestion, Kuroki and Yuria flatly rejected it.

(I wouldn’t mind giving Snow White to Hino…)

Maybe Hino wants to play Snow White because Yuria and Kuroki got the prince roles.

“Ryota-kun’s wooden acting is severe, but…”

“Severe?”

“In that case, how about reducing Snow White’s lines and supplementing with narration?”

“Supplement with narration?”

As I asked, Kuroki showed the script to everyone and continued, pointing.

“For example, for this line ‘Mr. Dwarf, please let me stay here,’ you could change it to ‘Snow White asked the dwarf to live together,’ using narration. We could smoothly progress with narration for other lines too.”

“Wow.”

The classmates nodded without opposing the proposal from the authoritative figure, Kuroki Rui.

(Is it okay for the lead role to do that…)

“Hehe, since I’m reducing your lines, you won’t quit playing Snow White, right, Ryota-kun?”

“Uh, yes.”

This guy… is he really determined to make me play Snow White?

I was completely cornered with no way out.

☆☆

After finishing the cultural festival preparations, I left the school building alone.

Thanks to Kuroki, the lines were reduced, but… why did those two oppose so strongly when Hino suggested playing Snow White?

(I could have avoided playing Snow White a little longer…)

I don’t know if it’s because they think I’m better suited to play Snow White or if they just dislike Hino…

I hope it’s the former.

“Ryota-ta, wait, wait.”

“Huh, Miyama?”

As I walked alone, Miyama, swinging her proud bust, caught up with me from the school building.

Distracted by her approaching bust, I stopped in my tracks.

“Hey, want to walk home together?”

“S-Sure, but… what about the other two?”

“Yuria is busy with the cultural festival committee, and Rui-chan has a track team gathering. It’s lonely to walk alone, so I thought of going home with you, but you always disappear without a trace.”

Miyama furrowed her brows and puffed out her cheeks.

Yeah, she’s cute.

“Do you have time after this?”

“Well, (I’m free), but…”

“Great! You know, I want to thank the old man at the candy store with cardboard. I’ll buy lots of sweets for him.”

She just wants to eat them, right?

“And also… you seemed down earlier, so I want to cheer you up.”

“Miyama…”

“Everyone saying you’re bad is mean, right? Even though you’re trying your best!”

It seems she thought I was feeling down because Hino called me bad.

I was feeling down because I couldn’t give Snow White to Hino… oh well.

“Miyama is kind.”