Mob Character Reincarnation Loner: As a Result of Supporting the Heroine Who Had Been Rejected, I Ended up Being the Recipient of Her Heavy Emotions…
“Yay! Let’s start the pajama party—cheers!”
“Cheers!”
Saturday night.
Hiyori, Hoshino, and Misuzu were having a sleepover at Misuzu’s vacation home. True to the name “pajama party,” everyone was dressed in their pajamas.
“…Why the sudden pajama party?”
Hoshino muttered while picking at the snacks scattered messily on the bed.
“Because I stood you up last time and made you feel lonely, so this is to make it up to you.”
“…I wasn’t lonely or anything.”
Hoshino turned away with a pout, as if hiding her embarrassment.
In truth, that day she’d spent from morning till night at Bungaku’s place. Watching anime together, going shopping, even trying to make paella after being inspired by a cooking video they happened to see—it had been a frustratingly fun day.
Well, she’d never tell Bungaku himself that, of course.
And she definitely wouldn’t tell Hiyori or Misuzu either. It would just get complicated.
“………………”
“………………”
“………………”
The conversation stalled, and the three silently began eating snacks.
“…Hoshino, what do we even do at a pajama party?”
“Don’t pass it off to me… Well, the classic thing is talking about love, right?”
“Love talk sounds good. Let’s talk about love.”
Immediately after saying that, Misuzu’s expression changed abruptly as she looked at Hiyori.
“It’s okay. Thanks to everyone, I’ve really gotten over Tenma. Let’s do it. Love talk.”
Understanding Misuzu’s intent, Hiyori smiled at the two of them. Her smile showed no sign of being forced.
“Well then, first up is Hoshino, since she brought it up.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Hoshino, you get confessed to a lot too, right?”
“…Well, occasionally.”
“Occasionally? No way. Hoshino gets confessed to just as much as me and Hiyori… But you always brush them off. Every time.”
“I don’t need a boyfriend. There. My love story’s done.”
“Hoshino, that was way too quick…”
“Come to think of it, Hoshino, you seem pretty comfortable around Irie, huh?”
“Huh!?”
Hoshino choked on her snack at the sudden mention of Irie Bungaku’s name.
“Wh-what are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Nah, just wondering. At first, you kept the same distance from Irie as you do from other guys, but lately you’ve been talking to him a lot. Did something happen?”
“Well, I guess… I might be letting my guard down around him. But that’s because he actually cares about Hiyori in his own way… I mean, he’s not a bad guy, I guess.”
Otherwise, even someone like Hoshino wouldn’t go into a guy’s house alone. She’d observed Irie over time and trusted his character in her own way.
The reason she’d started talking to him more recently was because she’d been visiting his house more often.
But she’d never admit that either.
“Do you have a crush on anyone, Mi-chan?”
“I don’t really understand what ‘liking’ someone means…”
Misuzu said this while flapping her feet.
Both girls thought it was a typical answer for her. But at the same time, flapping her feet at this moment felt uncharacteristic.
“Misuzu, you get confessed to a lot too. Isn’t there anyone among them you think is nice or who you’re interested in?”
“Well…”
Hiyori and Hoshino looked at Misuzu, who kept flapping her feet, with expectant eyes.
[Everyone has their own views on love. The most important thing is for Serizawa-san to enjoy romance, right?]
Hearing Hoshino’s question, the face that came to mind was Irie Bungaku’s.
“………………I guess not.”
What… Hiyori and Hoshino looked visibly disappointed.
Watching the two of them, Misuzu was surprised at herself.
(…Huh? Why did I just lie?)
She didn’t know why. It just felt somehow embarrassing to mention Irie here.
(…Sorry about that, Irie)
“Hmm. Well then, what about Kimura-kun from the student council?”
“…Who’s that?”
“He’s the vice president of the student council and Tenma’s best friend. He’s great at sports and models too~”
“Come to think of it, the other day I saw Kimura score a goal in class and all the girls were squealing.”
“Is he an idol…?”
“He must be that popular, right? Though I hear he’s a womanizer…”
“Huh, really…”
“Mii-chan, you don’t seem interested at all.”
“…Yeah. I’m not interested in pretty boys at all.”
“Oh, speaking of which… After school today, Bun-kun got called to the student council office.”
“Hiyori, tell me about that. Details.”
“W-Whoa, you’re jumping right in. Um…”
Unlike earlier, Misuzu leaned forward eagerly as Hiyori answered, looking slightly flustered.
“Something about dealing with some weird rumors going around.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“Like Bun-kun scammed someone, or he’s a habitual shoplifter… bad rumors.”
Hiyori, Misuzu, Hoshino, and Ichika.
These four were among the most popular girls in the academy, especially with the boys. Recently, more and more male students had grown jealous of Irie Bungaku, surrounded as he was by such beauties.
These rumors were likely spread by such boys trying to frame Irie.
“Tenma’s handling it, so I think it’ll be okay, but…”
“I see… So, Irie got involved with the student council members… Hmm, that might be a bit problematic.”
Saying this, Misuzu crossed her arms and fell deep in thought with a serious expression. Hiyori and Hoshino watched her curiously.
“…Actually, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you two.”
“Discuss?”
Hiyori tilted her head and repeated the question. Misuzu nodded.
“How can we keep Irie Bungaku all to ourselves forever?”
““Huh?””
Both girls were taken aback by Misuzu’s statement, staring blankly.
“Exclusively… He’s not exactly popular, is he?”
Hoshino sighed, and Misuzu nodded in agreement.
“True. Irie’s a loner, he’s timid… far from popular, he kinda sticks out like a sore thumb.”
“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think…?” Hiyori and Misuzu thought in unison, though they kept it to themselves.
“But Irie’s a real charmer.”
“Totally!! You’re right, Mi-chan!”
“Even Hiyori…”
“Hoshino. Can you say the same thing about Tenma and Hana-chan?”
“………………”
Hoshino fell silent at Hiyori’s pointed remark.
It was true. Both Tenma and Hana seemed quite taken with Irie Bungaku.
“Plus, Irie’s so close to the janitor he sneaks snacks from him. A real charmer works on everyone, regardless of age or gender.”
Hiyori nodded deeply at Misuzu, who spoke with a smug look on her face.
“If this keeps up, Irie will charm all sorts of people, and eventually, he’ll have less time to hang out with us… He won’t be just ours anymore.”
“So, to stop that from happening, we should fill all his after-school and holiday time with plans with us, right? Then we can surround Bun-kun, who’s that loner floating around class, and keep him close.”
“You’re sharp, Hiyori. I appreciate how quickly you get it. Exactly. We have to act now, while he’s alone and has no one to hang out with.”
“You two… do you realize how rude you’re being about him?”
Hiyori and Misuzu discussed their plan, while Hoshino watched them in disbelief. The three-person party lasted until dawn.