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…
โHey, Bun kunโฆ can we talk for a sec?โ
โHuh? Uh, sure.โ
After school, Nanase and the others called out to me as I was about to head home.
Tsukimi-san beside me had this distant look in her eyes.
What is itโฆ Could it be something heart-wrenching about Tenma and Hana-san again?
Nanase and Serizawa-san exchanged glances, nodded to each other like a signal, and fixed their gaze on me.
โWe’ve been through a lot togetherโฆ You’ve really blended into our group now, right? So from now on, instead of just lunch, wouldn’t it be nice if the four of us went out somewhere after school too~?โ
โHuh? Is that okay? Am I not a bother?โ
โOf course not!! Actually, since you’re a guy, maybe you’d rather hang out with guys than us?โ
โWell, that’s trueโฆ But you guys are pretty much the only ones who ever invite me out.โ
It sounded pathetic, but it was the truth.
โSo, I’d be happy if you invited meโฆ really.โ
โOh, I see!! Well then, keep your schedule open every single day from Monday to Sunday!!โ
Every single dayโฆ
โOh, right! Let’s share our schedules using a calendar app for the four of us!โ
โHiyori, that’s a great idea.โ
My schedule will be completely exposedโฆ
โIrie, give me your password so I can get the app.โ
โEh, umโฆ I’m not sure about letting others see my scheduleโฆโ
โWasn’t it 123*0#?โ
โWhaโ reallyโฆ Hiyori, nice one.โ
My password was already knownโฆ
The schedule on the handed-over smartphone was packed solid with upcoming plans.
โAlright, Mission โOperation: Exclusively Encircle and Capture Irie (After-School Schedule Monopoly Edition)โ complete. Right?โ
Huh? What’s that supposed to meanโฆ
Suddenly, my eyes met Tsukimi-san’s, who was standing stiffly nearby.
โโฆTsukimi-san, did something happen at the sleepover the day before yesterday?โ
โNothingโฆ Nothing happened.โ
โNo way, something definitely happened, right!?โ
โI know nothing about itโฆ!!โ
Dammit, Tsukimi-san. Are you seriously going to play dumb about thisโฆ?!
โAlright, Bun-kun. Right after thisโโ
โKyaa! Kimura-kun!! So cool!โ
โHuh?! What?! Why is Kimura-kun here?!โ
A shriek of excitement echoed from the classroom entrance.
My gaze instinctively turned toward the door. It seemed the girls in our class were making a commotion. At the center of the gathered girls stood a male student with model-like good looks, tall stature, and flashy blonde hair.
No mistake. He was Tenma’s best friend and Vice Student Council President, Kimura Ryota.
โIf you want, I’ll listen to your story!! Kimura-kun!!โ
โHey!? I was talking to Kimura-kun first, you know!?โ
โHuh!?โ
He ignored the arguing girls and scanned the classroom.
โโฆOh! There you are!! Bunchin!!โ
โBunchin!?โ
โBunchin!! I got free bowling tickets from that senior girl I’ve been talking to a lot lately!! Let’s go together!โ
โHuh, is it okay for me to go with you? Ryo-kun?โ
โNo wayโฆ Wait, Kimura-kun invited someone to hang out!? And he did it himself!?โ
โWh-why with someone like Irieโฆ!?โ
โWait, what do you mean โRyo-kunโ!?โ
The girls grew even more restless at Ryo-kun’s invitation. Um, ladies. Your stares are scary.
โI’m terrible at bowling though, I always get gutter balls.โ
โIt’s fine, it’s fine!! I’ll teach you how to do it properly!!โ
โWell, if that’s the caseโโ
โHold on a sec.โ
Serizawa-san stopped me as I tried to head to the bowling alley.
โKimura Ryotaโฆ What’s your relationship with our Irie?โ
She stepped forward, glaring at Ryota-kun with sharp eyes.
Huh? Why is she so openly hostile? Also, what’s โour Irieโ?
โHuh? Wellโฆ Bun-chin and I are the kind of friends who’d get covered in mud buying croquettes to eat on the streetโฆ I guess?โ
โHuh? Wh-what? Irieโฆ bought croquettesโฆ to eat? With someone other than meโฆ?โ
Huh? Why is she so shocked?
โB-Bun-kun? R-Ryo-kunโฆ what?โ
This time, a pale-faced Nanase grabbed my shoulders with a firm grip.
โHuh? Since it’s Kimura Ryota, I called him Ryo-kunโฆ Was that too obvious?โ
โThat doesn’t matter at all!! Why, that, uh, a-a nicknameโฆ Ryo-kunโฆ Bun-chanโฆ Why are you calling each other that? Why?โ
โUm, yesterday, with everything that happened, kindaโฆ in the heat of the moment, we just started calling each other by nicknamesโฆโ
โW-Why do you call me Nanase-san, butโฆ Bun-chin, Ryo-kunโฆ Bun-chan, Ryo-kunโฆโ
Nanase-san. She’s turned into a robotโฆ
โI haven’t lost yetโฆโ
โHuh? Serizawa-san?โ
โKimura Ryota is a guy, and if I give you a billion steps, I get that I could become close with Irie in just one dayโฆ So I haven’t lost yetโฆ!!โ
What exactly is Serizawa-san fighting against?
โTh-that’s right!! Even if I give you ten billion steps, Kimura-kun is a boy!! So it’s fine if Bun-kun charms him, right?!!โ
What on earth is Nanase saying now?
โIfโฆ if Kimura Ryota were a girl, it would’ve been instant deathโฆ right?โ
โVice President, are you here?โ
Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, Kirifuji-san suddenly appeared from the hallway.
โG-geh, Kirifuji-chanโฆโ
โAh, so you were here after all.โ
Her lustrous flaxen hair fell to her waist, and though petite, her figure asserted femininity. Her dignified bearing and demure demeanor made her appear so mature it could easily be mistaken for a third-year.
When Kirifuji-san entered the classroom, the boys started making a commotion. Her presence made the boys’ eyes sparkle, and even the girls gazed at her with admiration.
ใ
Between the reaction when Ryo-kun came and these twoโฆ They’re like idols or something.
โHello, Bungaku-senpai. It’s been a few days, hasn’t it?โ
โHelloโฆ Why are you here?โ
โI came to see Bungaku-senpaiโฆ What do you think?โ
โEh?โ
Kirifuji-san’s words made me freeze. Seeing me like that, she chuckled softly.
Ah, what? Just kidding
โVice President, you were trying to skip out again, weren’t you? The President was angry.โ
โUgh, Tenmachi found out tooโฆโ
โYes. So it would be best for you to go quietly to the student council room.โ
โGuhโฆ Guess I have no choiceโฆ Ugh, paperwork is such a painโฆ I wanna go bowling with Bunchinโโ
โIn that case, how about asking Bungaku-senpai to help with the paperwork?โ
Huh?
โOh!! That’s a great idea!! The paperwork’ll get done faster, and then we can go bowling afterward!โ
Huh? Huh?
โWell then, it’s settled. Bungaku-senpai. Please come along with usโชโ
โEh? Eh? Eh?โ
Saying that, Kirifuji-san smiled and wrapped her arm around my right arm, pulling me closer to her.
โH-Hey!! Hey!! Stop!!โ
Nanase, who’d been in a daze since Kirifuji-san appeared, snapped back to life and clung to my left arm, which she seemed about to drag away.
โYou two!! You’re too clingy!!โ
Well, umโฆ Nanase-san is clinging to me pretty hard too.
โI don’t think it’s good to be so clingy! People around us might get the wrong idea!โ
Exactly. Right now. The guys are totally looking at me like I’m the enemyโฆ I can’t stop sweating bullets.
โWrong idea? Ahโฆ There’s no problem at all. I like him, Bungaku-senpai.โ
“As a senior! As a senior!! Thank you!! I’m so happy!!”
I appeal to everyone staring at me like they’ve seen something unbelievable.
This is bad. The stares around me are bad. Specifically, they’re the kind of looks women give their enemies. No doubt about it. My gut is telling me so.
โHey, why did you start liking Irie?โ
Serizawa-san, who had somehow recovered, dug deeper with keen interest.
โHuh? Wellโฆ If I had to sayโฆ it’s his face. I guess you could call it love at first sight?โ
โIrie, don’t get fooled. This is definitely some kind of love scam.โ
โSerizawa-san, that’s pretty harsh, you know? Are you aware of that?โ
Everyone else seemed to agree. They must have thought, โOh, it’s a joke,โ because the hostility faded.
โHey!! What exactly is the relationship between Kirifuji-san and Bun-kun!?โ
โMy relationship with Bun-kunโฆ Hmmโฆ Would you say we’re on kissing terms?โ
“”โGa?โ””
The bombshell was so shocking that not only Nanase and Serizawa-san, but even Tsukimi-san was speechless.
โN-no. It’s a misunderstandingโฆโ
โButโฆ Bungaku-senpai. I was a virginโฆ and you say something like thatโฆ sniffโฆโ
โIndirect kiss!! It was a Indirect kiss!!โ
I began a life-or-death explanation to the three girls glaring at me