The smile on Yumiko Miura’s face looked somewhat contorted, her brows knit together aggrievedly, and her small face flushed red with effort.
Simply put, she looked as if she were right on the verge of tears.
Minoru was so startled that he immediately deactivated the passive effect of [Constant Composure], pressing frantically, “E-Hey, don’t cry!
What’s wrong?”
As everyone knew, straight-laced guys only ever knew how to ask “What’s wrong?”
And typically, far from relieving anxiety, a question like that would often worsen it to a certain extent instead.
Sure enough, hearing Minoru ask this, Yumiko Miura suddenly couldn’t hold it together and sobbed softly.
“Hm?!”
At the same time, not far away in the classroom, Yui Yuigahama acted as if a keyword had been triggered, snapping her head over.
“Huh?
Yumiko?
What’s wrong?”
Seeing Yumiko’s expression, Yui panicked instantly, running over at a trot to grab Yumiko’s arm as she asked.
“N-Nothing!”
Seeing Yui come over to express concern too, Yumiko Miura instantly held back her tears tsundere-style, forcing a facade of being completely fine.
However, the redness at the corners of her eyes still betrayed her.
“Huh?
Lying!
You clearly look like you’re crying!”
“I’m not!”
“Ah, I know.
It’s because Kuroe-kun thanked Miura-san for giving him the bento just now, which is why this happened.”
“Though I don’t really understand why Miura-san would have such a big reaction.”
Just then, a gentle voice sounded out, causing the three people present to freeze in utter bewilderment.
Not that the words themselves were particularly strange, but rather…
This voice sounded almost as if it had emerged out of thin air, without the slightest warning!
Minoru spun around abruptly to look behind him, only to see a sweet-looking girl with a bob cut gazing calmly at them.
“Good morning, Kuroe-kun, Miura-san, and Yuigahama-san.”
He froze for a moment.
Isn’t this Megumi Kato?
He had originally wondered why he had seen Eriri but hadn’t spotted Megumi Kato or Utaha.
So she was right under his nose all along!
“G-Good morning, Kato-san.”
Megumi Kato didn’t seem surprised at all that Minoru could call out her name in one try, merely nodding flatly.
Afterward, she shifted her gaze back to Yumiko Miura, who was still holding back her tears.
“Miura-san, Kuroe-kun smiling at you just now probably wasn’t because he thought your bento tasted bad.”
Megumi Kato spoke in a flat, understated tone.
“Hmm…
If I had to put it a certain way, he might just simply not be very good at interacting with people.
When I saw him smile just now, his eyes actually looked quite sincere.”
“Plus, he even said he was ‘looking forward to today’s taste.’ If he disliked it, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to say that.” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
As Megumi Kato spoke, she tilted her head slightly, seemingly analyzing the situation with genuine earnestness.
“Huh?”
Yumiko Miura froze.
Under Megumi Kato’s analysis, it suddenly hit her.
Oh, right!
Minoru had clearly finished the entire bento yesterday, and he had properly returned the washed container to her this morning too.
If he really disliked it, he wouldn’t have done any of those things at all!
Was it just…
her overthinking things?
Realizing this, Yumiko Miura’s face flushed a deep crimson all the way to her ears in an instant.
Recalling her aggrieved look on the verge of tears just a moment ago, she was so thoroughly humiliated that she wished she could dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it!
“I-I wasn’t overthinking things!”
Yumiko Miura’s stubborn streak flared up in an instant.
She stood up abruptly, snatched her own bento off the desk, and dashed out of the classroom with a flushed face.
“Ah, Yumiko, wait for me!”
Yui Yuigahama blanked for a moment before hurriedly chasing after her.
*Alright, alright, you two just going out right when class is about to start, huh.*
*When the time comes, Shizuka Hiratsuka will treat each of you to a giant bump on your heads.*
The previously bustling corner instantly fell quiet, leaving only Minoru Kuroe and Megumi Kato.
Minoru scratched his head, caught between laughter and tears.
“Thanks for helping smooth things over, Kato-san.
To be honest, I was completely baffled as to why Miura-san suddenly burst into tears just now.”
“No need to thank me, I just said what I saw.”
Megumi Kato smiled faintly, no major emotional ripples visible on that sweet face.
“Besides, this is the first time Kuroe-kun has called me by my name.
I’m actually a bit happy about it.”
“Huh?”
Minoru was stunned.
“Does Kato-san mean we’ve been in the same class since our first year?”
“No.”
Megumi Kato shook her head gently.
Before Minoru could put his mind at ease, however, Megumi Kato continued:
“We’ve been in the same class since elementary school.”
“My seat has always been right near Kuroe-kun’s.”
Minoru: “…”
“I’m sorry.”
“Eh?
Why are you apologizing?”
“Uh, well…”
They could almost be considered childhood friends, yet in his own memories, he had never paid much attention to her at all, and he hadn’t even noticed her when searching through his past memories.
One had to admit, Megumi Kato’s low-presence trait was absurdly overpowered!
It was practically more absurd than the presence-lowering effect of his [Miniature Detective Disguise Glasses]!
Just then, the bell for class rang.
Shizuka Hiratsuka walked into the classroom carrying her teaching materials.
“Everyone back to your seats and sit down.”
Minoru and Megumi Kato exchanged a glance, returning to their respective seats.
Only then did Minoru notice the two creatures walking behind Shizuka Hiratsuka, both sporting large bumps on their heads.
One blonde, one pink-haired.
After entering, the two listlessly returned to their seats and sat down obediently.
After sitting down, Minoru didn’t pay them any mind, instead subconsciously glancing back over his shoulder diagonally.
Megumi Kato was sitting there quietly, taking out a notebook and pen from her pencil case to prepare for class.
Then, her entire being seemed to blend into the background, dissolving into a harmless patch of air.
Sensing Minoru’s gaze, Megumi Kato raised her head, crinkling her eyes slightly at him with a faint smile.
Minoru returned the smile, then turned back around.
The first period was Shizuka Hiratsuka’s Modern Japanese Literature.
Minoru rested his chin on one hand, his gaze seemingly fixed on the blackboard, while his thoughts had long since drifted away.
In just a few short days, he had encountered the female leads from multiple anime series one after another.
From Oregairu: Shizuka Hiratsuka, Yui, Yumiko Miura, and Yukino.
From Saekano: Eriri and Megumi Kato.
His neighbors—the unmarried Mrs.
Izumi and Sagiri—were from Eromanga Sensei.
And the last one was Hitori Gotoh from Bocchi the Rock!.
That aspect was alright at least; so far, he hadn’t discovered any battle anime elements.
Aside from the various monsters from Kamen Rider, it was basically all slice-of-life romance stuff.
“Kuroe.”
“Here!”
Suddenly called on by Shizuka Hiratsuka, Minoru—having activated [Constant Composure]—shot to his feet instantly.
“Answer this question.”
Shizuka Hiratsuka pointed to a Modern Japanese reading comprehension question on the blackboard, looking at him with a half-smile.
“Please analyze the meaning of ‘youth’ expressed in this sentence.”
Minoru looked at the question on the blackboard, falling silent for a second.
Then, without batting an eye or letting his heart skip a beat, he spoke up.
“Youth is a lie.
It is deception, and it is hypocrisy.”
“Anyone who praises youth is a hypocrite who looks straight at falsehood and turns a blind eye.”
The classroom instantly went dead silent.
Shizuka Hiratsuka’s hand holding the textbook trembled as she looked at Minoru in utter disbelief.
*Isn’t…
isn’t this that guy’s line?!*