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…
Lunchtime.
Some head to the school store with friends, others push desks together to eat lunch with everyone. As everyone starts moving, I couldn’t get up from my seat.
Yesterday, I ate lunch with Nanase, Tsukimi-san, and Serizawa-san… but there’s no guarantee they’ll eat with me again today.
What if I go over to Nanase’s group and they don’t welcome me?
What if they gave me that “Huh, you came again today?” vibe? I’d never recover.
Damn it, Earth’s gravity is holding me down. It’s gravity’s fault.
“Irie, why are you sitting all alone?”
“S-Serizawa-san…”
The one who spoke to me as I sat slumped was Serizawa-san, looking at me curiously.
“Aren’t you going to eat lunch with us?”
“Huh, ah… Is it okay if I eat with you?”
“Huh? Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Ah, yeah… No, I’ll eat with you.”
Phew… Looks like it’s okay to eat with them again today.
“…Do you go through this exchange every single time?”
“Of course. After all, the process of confirming intentions is important.”
“…I think you lack a certain heartfelt friendliness, Irie.”
Serizawa-san said this with an exasperated look.
Hah, friendliness…
Feeling truly grateful to her for extending a helping hand, I headed towards Nanase and Tsukimi-san.
But only Tsukimi-san was there.
“Huh? Where’s Hiyori?”
“Hmm? She got called away for something. Said it might take a while, so she told us to eat first… Wait, why are you here too, Irie?”
“Hey, hey, Tsukki~ Don’t be so cold.”
“Huh? What’s with this guy… He’s creepy…”
“Eh, ah… Sorry.”
S-such… I tried so hard to be friendly…
“Only Hoshino, not fair… I want you to call me by my nickname too.”
“Is that really where you’re going with your comment?”
Tsukimi-san rolled her eyes at the pouting Serizawa-san.
“This is gonna take a while… What could Nanase possibly need?”
“It’s probably a confession.”
“Oh, a confession… A confession!?”
“Why are you so surprised?”
Huh, but… It’s a confession!? A confession!!
It seemed like I was the only one surprised; both Tsukimi-san and Serizawa-san seemed used to it.
No… they probably really are used to it. These three are among the top beauties in our grade. Confessions must be an everyday occurrence for them.
Well, in my past life, confessions were an everyday occurrence for me too.
I was the one getting rejected, though.
“…I’m gonna step away for a bit too. You guys go ahead and eat.”
“Huh? No way… you’re going to the confession scene? Oh”
“No, I’m just going to the store!!”
I firmly denied it to Tsukimi-san, who was clearly backing away, and headed for the store.
A confession, huh… I wonder what kind of answer Nanase would give now.
Is she still okay with that sort of thing, or would she respond, seeking a new love?
Maybe my role here won’t last much longer either.
“Would you… go out with me?”
A collective “Whoa!” echoed as the confession line rang out.
I spun around toward the sound to see the handsome basketball captain confessing to Nanase.
Wh-what… A confession in the courtyard…?
So bold in front of all these spectators… Is he invincible?
“Getting confessed to by that Sasahara-senpai… Normally, you wouldn’t turn him down, right…?”
“Yeah… Not so much ‘wouldn’t turn him down’ as ‘couldn’t turn him down’.”
“Lately, Nanase’s been… well, like that. They’re probably going to date, huh?”
The crowd watching began to buzz with excitement.
It felt like they were already certain the confession would succeed… that kind of atmosphere.
Could it be he deliberately chose the courtyard to create this vibe?
He’s… a strategist… Truly a master of romance. Sasahara-senpai… Could he be the seasoned veteran here?
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to date anyone right now.”
Nanase bowed her head and politely declined. The scene only made the surrounding crowd murmur louder.
“I see… I know about your situation, Hiyori-chan. That’s exactly why I want to be your support. So—”
“It’s okay. I already have more than enough support.”
Seeing Nanase state that so clearly made me feel strangely happy.
It made me feel like I could finally be confident that I had been properly supporting Nanase all along.
Suddenly, my eyes met Sasahara-senpai’s.
Sasahara-senpai’s gaze toward me was clearly filled with hostility.
“I believe… it’s Irino-kun… right? There’s been some talk about you. My guess is, he is definitely preying on Hiyori-chan’s weaknesses.”
I wanted to scream from the bottom of my heart, “You’re the last one who should be saying that,” but I have nerves of steel, so I managed to hold it in.
Also, my name is Irie. Remember that, you jerk.
“Besides, as someone standing beside you, he’s not suitable—”
“Um, could you please stop saying bad things about the person I love?”
“…Huh?”
I couldn’t see her expression.
But the voice Nanase used was clearly dripping with disgust.
“Bun-kun isn’t the kind of person you think he is. He’s much nicer than you are. Stop saying things about him without even knowing him properly.”
“W-well… that…”
…She’s pissed. Nanase is clearly pissed.
Even kind and cheerful Nanase is still just a girl. She gets angry when her friend is spoken ill of, and her tone naturally hardens.
But alongside that anger, a hint of rejection was also visible.
“Excuse me.”
Nanase turned away without looking back at the senior once and headed back to the classroom.
As the air around them froze, the senior could only lower his head.
“…………”
Browsing the school store merchandise, I recalled Nanase from earlier.
I never seen Nanase Hiyori this angry at ‘Tenichi’. In situations like that, she’d usually… cry while angrily denying things. That was the image I had…
“Heyyy, Bun-kun~”
“Whoa!”
Nanase bumped into my shoulder.
Huh? Didn’t she go back to class…?
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
“Hmm? Just now… I had something unpleasant happen, so I thought I’d eat something sweet.”
“Oh… I see…”
Something unpleasant… The scene of the confession earlier replayed in my mind.
Today’s confession would definitely spark all kinds of rumors about my relationship with Nanase.
“Listen… Buni-kun.”
“Hm?”
“I don’t care at all about rumors people spread… So—”
Nanase’s gaze fixed on me as she gripped my sleeve tightly.
“Don’t disappear, okay?”
“Huh? Yeah… I mean, I promised I’d stay by your side, right?”
I made a promise to Nanase.
No matter what choices she makes from now on… I’d stay by her side.
If I were to distance myself, it would mean breaking that promise. That was the one thing that absolutely couldn’t happen.
“…That’s right.”
Saying that, Nanase smiled happily.
But when Tenma and Ichika find out about today… I’ll have to face them properly.
Thinking of that inevitable ‘time’, I left the school store.
“Excuse me. Is Irie Bungaku here?”
After school. Just as I was about to leave, the classroom began to stir.
My gaze drifted toward the doorway, where the main heroine, Ayabe Ichika, stood.
Nanase and the others had already left the classroom and weren’t here.
“Ah, Irie-kun!”
The moment she noticed me, the main heroine, Ichika-san, waved her hands vigorously. Ignoring the reactions around me, I headed toward Ichika.
“Um… Ayabe-san, right? Did you need something?”
Somehow, I ended up using polite speech at the end.
“Ugh, why are you being so formal? We’re close, aren’t we?”
Ichika smiled amusedly, giggling softly.
Huh? What…? Wait, this is kinda creepy… What do you mean “close”?
“Um, we’re meeting for the first time!! Right? Nice to meet you! Right?”
I emphasized to my classmates that this was our first meeting more than necessary.
“…I should have been clearer. Let me rephrase.”
Ichika stood on tiptoe and whispered in my ear.
“Fumika-chan. How about we talk for the first time in a while?”
SHE KNEWW~!!!!!
ABORT MISSION~!