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

—

Why is Rui Kuroki so obsessed with me?

That day she came to my house, she said she would explain why after the cultural festival.

“Ryota-kun, I need you to keep being perfect.”

I still don’t understand what she meant by that.

“Wasn’t it because I was the only one who didn’t confess to you in junior high, and you couldn’t accept that, so you wanted me to confess?”

“…That was actually a lie.”

“L-Lie!?”

“That whole thing about you being the only one who didn’t confess in junior high—I don’t care about that. I’m not the kind of girl who strives for perfection over something like that.”

Rui says this calmly. But if that wasn’t the reason, why did Rui get involved with me?

“The reason I said I need you to be perfect is that you’re my hero.”

“H-Hero? Like when we were standing in line at the maid café earlier?”

Rui nods slightly and continues.

“Ryota-kun, you might not realize it, but you’ve saved me from difficult situations twice.”

“Could it be… our graduation ceremony in the second year of junior high?”

“You knew? Did Tanaka-san from the broadcasting club tell you?”

“Yeah… Rui, you forgot your speech script for the farewell address to the underclassmen, right? But the ceremony got interrupted when I collapsed due to illness, and the script arrived in time.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

For someone like Rui Kuroki, who always aims for perfection, it was surprising to hear about such a rare mistake, and it was even more surprising that I had helped without realizing it.

“Back then, I was overwhelmed with the national track and field competition and the Junior Olympics, so I didn’t have time to look over the farewell address the student council president gives at the graduation ceremony. When I realized I didn’t have the script in my uniform pocket, I was in despair. I thought my perfect image would crumble in front of everyone… I was more panicked than ever.”

Even Rui can panic. She always seemed perfect and capable of anything, so it was unexpected.

“Even though it was just a stroke of luck, I was saved thanks to you, Ryota-kun. The perfect me today exists because of you. If I had failed back then and lost my confidence, the current me might not exist.”

“Rui…”

“Thank you for that time, Ryota-kun.”

“…W-Well, I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Rui’s gratitude and pure smile make me blush.

“There it is, tsundere.”

“I’m not tsundere!”

When I deny it, Rui giggles.

(Seriously, where am I tsundere?)

“But, you said I saved you twice, right? What’s the other time? I have no idea.”

“Hmm… the other time was probably when we were in elementary school?”

“E-Elementary school? But we went to different elementary schools.”

“That’s true, but… remember the cat story I told you before?”

“Cat?”

I become even more confused. Cat story…?

Rui did mention having a cat before… wait.

“Could it be the story about losing the cat in the parking lot?”

“Yes. When I told you that story before, you didn’t react much, so I didn’t say it…”

“No reaction?”

“Back then, it was you, Ryota-kun, who saved my cat.”

“Wha… me!?”

So the boy who saved Rui’s cat in the multi-story parking lot in the neighboring town was me!?

I can’t believe it, and I have no memory of it.

Sure, I often went to the neighboring town for my parents’ errands when I was in elementary school, but…

“I don’t remember much from elementary school… It feels like it happened, but it also feels like it didn’t…”

“Ryota-kun, did you have a habit of leaving your name tag on when you went out to play after school in elementary school?”

“Wha…! H-Hey! How do you know that?”

As Rui says, I often forgot to take off my name tag and went out to play with it still on after school in elementary school. I was scolded by my class teacher and parents for it all the time.

But for her to know that…

“Then, could it be that the boy who saved the cat had my name on his name tag?”

“Yes. It clearly said ‘Izumiya Ryota.'”

R-Really…?

With all the circumstantial evidence, it seems I really did save her.

(To notice the name tag on someone’s chest and remember their name instantly… Rui’s observation skills are as sharp as a detective’s.)

“Back then, I was desperate and almost crying because I lost the cat because of my mistake. But Ryota-kun caught it for me, and I was saved…”

Rui recalls the memory with a heartfelt expression and looks at me gently.

“But I never imagined that years later, in junior high, ‘Izumiya Ryota’ would save me again.”

I can’t believe someone like me helped Rui Kuroki twice… Unconsciously, my younger self did a great job.

Because I helped her back then, it led to now… Wait a minute.

“Rui, you knew my name before we entered junior high, right? Then why didn’t you talk to me until we were in our second year of high school?”

“Well…”

“?”

“I couldn’t dismiss the possibility of someone having the same name, and back then, I was still a young girl and not perfect in that aspect.”

“Huh?”

This is the most confusing statement so far. And which aspect is she talking about?

W-Well, it’s not like I wanted her to talk to me, so it’s fine.

“Okay! That’s the end of my story!”

“End?”

“What I mean is, Ryota-kun has always saved me. So today, I helped you to return the favor.”

“Yeah, I’m grateful for that.”

If Rui hadn’t helped me today, I would have been in big trouble.

“Now, do you understand what I meant by ‘I need you to keep being perfect’? I feel like I can always be perfect if I’m with you. Forever, for eternity, for life…”

W-Wait, this means…

“So, Ryota-kun, I want you to stay by my side from now on.”

In short… is this a love confession!?

D-Does this mean I’m going to date Rui Kuroki!?

Me, with Rui Kuroki!?

“W-Wait! Sure, I’d be happy to date someone as beautiful as you, Rui, but suddenly getting into that kind of relationship is a bit…”

“Uh…”

“Rui?”

“Sorry, Ryota-kun. I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Huh?”

“In this year’s student council president election—if I get elected, I want you to be the vice president.”

“…What?”