05 I Wasn’t Told It Would Be This Tiring at the School Store
Hinase-san took my hand and led me out into the hallway.
“So, shall we go buy something at the school store?”
She invited me with a smile.
…For some reason, her grip on my hand was firm, and it didn’t feel like I had much of a choice.
“W-Why with me…?”
“Because you didn’t make lunch either, Amatsuki-san, right?”
That’s true, but…
That doesn’t mean she has to go with me.
“You could go with your friends.”
“But you’re my friend.”
Hinase-san pointed at me.
“…?”
Not understanding what she meant, I looked behind me.
No one was there.
“Hey, isn’t that reaction a bit harsh?”
Hinase-san wore a terribly sad expression.
“…You mean I’m your friend, Hinase-san?”
“Is there any other option?”
When did I become friends with Hinase Riri?
….
No way, no way, impossible.
Introverts are allowed to exist because they stay in the corner, in the shadows.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with a social butterfly, basking in the sun at the center of the class…
It’s too out of place, I’d be laughed at.
No, that’s not even the worst part.
The other girls would definitely hate me.
They’d definitely target me as the brown-nosing introvert trying to suck up to Hinase Riri.
“…We’re classmates, right?”
“Isn’t that a bit distant?”
Hinase-san’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
“…I feel like it’s still too early to call us friends.”
In reality, Amatsuki Suzuna didn’t have any real friends.
She was just inconspicuous and harmless, so no one disliked her.
But she didn’t have any particularly close friends either.
That’s the kind of girl she was.
“Ahh, is that so? I don’t think it’s something to think so deeply about.”
“But we’ve only just started talking, Hinase-san…”
“If our vibes match, isn’t that enough?”
…No, I think our vibes are the least compatible.
“Well, whatever. Then we just need to talk lots and become good friends, right? Okay, let’s go.”
“Ah, wait a minute…”
Hinase-san started walking, chuckling.
Since she was holding my hand, I had to follow…
“D-Doesn’t it bother you…?”
I thought my reactions to Hinase-san were terrible.
She said she “liked” me, and I replied “normal.”
She said we were “friends,” and I replied “classmates.”
…No matter how I think about it, it seems natural that she’d be offended.
“Not really. It’s more tiring to be treated nicely by someone who doesn’t actually like you.”
Is that how it is?
“Besides, Amatsuki-san, you’re interested in me, aren’t you?”
“W-What makes you say that?”
“Otherwise, you wouldn’t have saved me from that creepy guy in the suit.”
…So it always comes back to that.
I cursed my own shallow actions right after being reborn.
◇◇◇
The school store was more crowded than I expected.
“Ahh, it’s always crowded during lunch break.”
“It is.”
…Or rather, too crowded.
Students were crammed into a space that wasn’t exactly large.
It was so chaotic, I felt a little overwhelmed.
“But we’ll get hungry if we don’t buy something. Let’s get in line.”
“O-Okay…”
I wasn’t enthusiastic at all, but my hand was still being held.
I had no choice but to obediently follow.
We joined the back of the line.
…After a while, I noticed something strange.
“Aren’t we being stared at?”
It was hard to tell because of the crowd, but the students’ gazes were clearly focused on us.
Both boys and girls, but the stares from the boys were especially intense.
…Well, I quickly understood why.
“Sorry. I might have mentioned this before, but I seem to attract attention. People often say my voice and the way I talk are loud, so it’s probably that.”
…Oh, come on.
Not satisfied with just the protagonist, this heroine is also oblivious?
I knew it, but seeing it firsthand makes me want to call it an act.
“It’s not that, I think it’s because you’re beautiful, Hinase-san.”
“…Eh?”
“It’s not ‘eh.’ I know you get a lot of confessions, right? You’re popular, aren’t you? So it’s not because of your voice or the way you talk… no way.”
“Hehe…”
Huh, for some reason Hinase-san looked pleased…
“What are you laughing about…?”
“Nothing, it’s just that you think I’m beautiful, Amatsuki-san.”
“…Ah.”
I-I messed up…
I’m such an idiot.
It’s true, but what am I doing saying something that makes Hinase-san happy?
I don’t want to raise her affinity any further…!
“I-It’s just an objective fact…”
“I’m happy you think so, Amatsuki-san. So, see? We should be friends, right?”
“No, we shouldn’t!”
“Ehhh…”
No, no, no.
Raising strange flags is bad.
I’ll refrain from saying anything complimentary.
◇◇◇
“…Finally got it.”
With a sandwich in hand, my spoils of war, I was once again walking down the hallway with Hinase-san holding my hand.
“That took longer than I thought.”
The time wasn’t the only issue, the mental damage was greater.
…I realized partway through that the stares weren’t just directed at Hinase Riri, but at me too.
I think they were skeptical stares, like “Who’s that plain girl next to her?”
That made me even more tired of being in that space.
“Kids who don’t bring lunch do this every day. I can’t handle this.”
Hinase-san recalled the chaos with a mix of awe and exhaustion.
I definitely can’t handle it either.
The crowd is one thing, but the strange stares are just as bad.
And it’s all because Hinase-san forgot her lunch.
If she had been more responsible, this wouldn’t have happened.
I conveniently ignored my own role in this.
“…It’s rare for you to forget your lunch, Hinase-san.”
“Eh, is it?”
“Yeah, because you make it yourself, right? You seem pretty diligent when it comes to cooking.”
“…Eh?”
Huh, Hinase-san’s eyes widened.
That’s strange. I don’t think I said anything off the mark.
And I didn’t say anything complimentary this time either.
“Did I say something weird?”
“No, it’s just that I’ve never told you that I cook or make my own lunch. I was just thinking you knew a lot about me.”
“…Ah.”
Ahhh… I’m such an idiot…
My prior knowledge, my prior knowledge from playing the game…
I know things I shouldn’t know because I’ve already completed it.
“What, what? You said you thought I was ‘normal,’ but you’re totally interested in me, aren’t you, Amatsuki-san?”
“No, I’m not!”
“Then how does a ‘classmate’ like you, Amatsuki-san, know something that only my ‘friends’ know~?”
Hinase-san beamed at me, trying to read my expression.
T-Too close… Too close…!
“Any classmate would know that much. It’s just rumors.”
“Ehh…? I haven’t heard any rumors about you making lunch, Amatsuki-san.”
Stop treating me like I’m the same as you.
No one’s interested in Amatsuki Suzuna’s information, so of course there wouldn’t be any rumors.
Forget it, I’ll just forcefully change the subject.
I feel like I’ll only reveal more flaws if she keeps digging.
“So, why did you forget your lunch, Hinase-san? I asked you earlier, so answer me.”
“I told you this morning, I wanted to walk to school with you, Amatsuki-san. I woke up early and waited, so I didn’t have time to make lunch.”
Ah, so that’s why.
In the end, it’s all my fault, damn it.
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