How I, a Hated Person, Ended Up Staying With Three Beautiful Sisters
It was lunchtime.
Class ended without incident, but the atmosphere in the classroom was still stifling.
The pain had subsided, so I removed the wet compress from my right cheek. Thanks to that, I felt like my gaze had settled a little.
So, I quickly left the classroom and headed to the school store.
“One tuna rice ball and one salmon rice ball…and some barley tea…please.”
It was a lonely lunch lineup. Total: 300 yen.
Until yesterday, I had been cooking my own meals and making bento every day, but in my current lodging situation, I don’t have that luxury. I’m not allowed to use the kitchen, and if I try to use it without permission, I’ll be kicked out. Or maybe I’ll get slapped again.
I had a simple breakfast of yakisoba bread and barley tea, but I can’t believe this lifestyle will continue for another month. On the first day, I was already facing a crisis.
“I can’t take it anymore.”
I smiled wryly as I clutched my rice ball and headed to the back of the school building.
The back of the school building was a quiet place. There were a few benches, and the shade of the trees allowed for a pleasant breeze.
It’s an incredibly comfortable place to spend time, yet hardly anyone comes here. Why? Because I’ve been claiming it since my first year.
Once I started coming here, rumors started spreading, and before I knew it, no one else came anymore.
So it was the perfect place to eat lunch alone.
“But why is Senpai there?”
For some reason, there was someone already there today.
Fifteen meters in front of the bench where I sat, under the shade of a tree, Senpai was standing, fiddling with her smartphone, as if waiting for someone.
She was wearing a beige cardigan over a white shirt, standing there with a calm expression. Her mature demeanor set her apart from the other students.
Her wine-red short haircut also had a seductive quality that didn’t seem typical of a high school student. Well, I couldn’t quite tell what she was thinking behind her smile.
“Is she waiting for someone? In a place like this?”
I muttered to myself while eating my tuna onigiri. I wasn’t particularly interested, but I couldn’t help but glance over.
Then, a male student appeared.
He had a frivolous air about him. His hair was dyed a light brown, the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and he was wearing a silver necklace and jangling earrings. Even though the school rules were lax, he was too sloppy.
“Akane san, you came today too.”
The frivolous boy said that as soon as he opened his mouth, then placed his hands on Akane senpai’s shoulders.
“Could you take your hands off me?”
“Then how about here?”
He tried to put his hand on her wine-red hair, but it was forcefully pushed away by Akane senpai’s hand. She refused firmly, as if to say, “No way.”
“If my shoulders are off-limits, then my head is definitely off-limits too. How many times have I been called out like this? Are you going to confess again today?”
“Yeah, this is the eighth time. Have you thought about it yet? I really like you, Akane san. We’re both in the same third-year class, so if you go out with me, I’ll be kind to you every day. I won’t make you regret it. I’m experienced, so I’ll take the lead !”
It seemed like a confession, but there was none of the urgency, tension, or nervousness you’d expect in a romantic comedy. On the contrary, he seemed absurdly desperate.
Akane senpai shook her head repeatedly.
“I’m sorry. I’ve told you before, and before that, that I can’t go out with you.”
“I know…but I’m serious about you, Akane san—-“
“Yeah. But I don’t plan on having a boyfriend or anything like that.”
She said it calmly, without blame or denial, just quietly stating her case.
“…Why? Are you just being stuck-up because you’re so popular? I’ve confessed to you eight times, and every time you brush me off like this? Just once, will you go out with me? Yeah ! My parents are out working today, so let’s watch a movie together ! No?”
The frivolous guy raised his voice slightly. But Akane senpai didn’t break her smile.
“I’m sorry. I think I have the right to choose too.”
It was a quiet but firm rejection. She kept her gentle smile.
The frivolous man looked like he wanted to say something to Akari-senpai, but in the end, he just clenched his lips, clicked his tongue once, and walked away.
I saw something strange.
That’s how confessions are done, huh.
Feeling a little awkward, I stuffed a rice ball into my mouth and stood up from the bench.
But at that moment, Akane senpai noticed me and quickly closed the distance between us.
“Hey, you were watching, weren’t you, Kojiro kun?”
After a few seconds of silence, I finally finished chewing and opened my mouth.
“…I just happened to see it.”
“You saw something weird, didn’t you?”
Senpai laughed heartily. There was no solemn atmosphere. But her voice sounded a little dark.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to peek.”
“No, it’s okay. This kind of thing happens all the time, so I’m used to it. Even though I say I don’t want to date anyone, people keep confessing their feelings to me. Well, this time was a bit of an exception…”
Akane senpai shrugged and chuckled. She still seemed mature, but it also looked like she was under a lot of stress.
It felt like she was trying to act like an older sister. I don’t know.
“Are you forcing yourself?”
I asked casually.
“Eh?”
“I just…thought so. You had to endure a lot when you turned down those confessions. I mean, you get confessed to by all kinds of people all the time, and then the same person confessed to you eight times. That must have been tough.”
I think Akane senpai was careful with her choice of words and attitude.
But the other person was the problem. They were being stubborn. I had a feeling things were heading in a bad direction.
“You understand, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t understand anything. I don’t know anything about Akane senpai.”
“That’s cold.”
“We’re both cold. So, is that person your classmate?”
That frivolous guy seemed to be quite persistent even after being rejected.
“Yes. Kuzuyama kun from Class 3-A. He’s my classmate. There are constant rumors that he’s always changing girlfriends.”
“So that’s why you rejected him. But is that okay?”
“What?”
Akane senpai tilted her head in confusion, as if she really didn’t understand.
“He seemed like a playboy, but he was pretty handsome, wasn’t he? If rumors like that spread about someone like him, it would be a big deal. Plus, the look on his face at the end made it seem like he was up to something.”
“Oh, I see. It’s okay. Even though I look like this, I’m well-liked, so I won’t be hated just because of something like that. Anyway, if rumors like that spread, just ignore them and they’ll disappear on their own, right?”
That confidence and solid popularity are truly enviable.
But I’m concerned about her naivety.
“Rumors don’t just disappear that easily…but if you’re okay with it, I won’t say anything. Well, I’ll be going now.”
“Ah, wait ! Don’t tell anyone about what happened earlier, okay?”
She grabbed my arm lightly.
“Of course. I don’t have anyone to tell it to anyway, so it’s fine.”
“…Don’t tell Maho and Miyu either, okay?”
“You can tell from yesterday that I can’t talk to them normally. Even if I could talk to them, I have no intention of telling them, and besides, I don’t want anyone to know that I’m talking to Senpai like this.”
“Why?”
She doesn’t seem to understand. I wish Senpai would weigh her influence and my unpopularity on a scale.
“If rumors spread that I’m talking to you, I’ll be hated, right? My nickname is ‘Executioner,’ and I’m known as a pervert who rapes women, right? So, of course, I won’t tell anyone about what happened earlier. Well, even if I did, no one would believe me anyway.”
I left the school building after saying that.
It was sad to say it myself, but it was the truth.
I’ve given up on ever becoming friends with anyone.
If I had even the slightest hope, I could try to blend in by going along with everyone else, but I don’t even have that small hope.
Kuzuyama senpai, please don’t do anything that would bother Akane senpai.
If you upset her, my position at home would become even more unstable…..
Maigetsu