Inadvertently breaking into a cold sweat and tensing his face, Haruya was met with Kazamiya’s smirk.
“Hey, Himekawa-san is looking over here,” Kazamiya said.
“Eh?”
Although awakened to Kazamiya’s voice, Haruya thought it was just another one of Kazamiya’s usual jokes. Surely, it had to be.
“I’m not falling for that again.”
“No, seriously, she’s glancing over here.”
“That can’t be…”
As he spoke, Haruya turned to look at Sara’s seat, and their eyes met
(…So that’s what’s going on.)
However, from Sara’s perspective, even though their eyes met, she had probably only seen Haruya’s long bangs…
“…”
Sara confirmed their eye contact and immediately looked away from Haruya.
“Akasaki, I’m rooting for you,” Kazamiya said.
“No, it’s not like that… This is different.”
While denying it, Haruya straightened up.
It was a strategic retreat.
If he tried desperately to cover it up here, he would only expose his flaws in the end.
Kazamiya was sharp. He was not an opponent to be underestimated.
So, Haruya silently reassured himself and buried his face in the desk again.
Just as he was about to continue pretending to sleep, the sound of a bell caught his ears.
“Oh, by the way, Sarachin, you’re making a face like a maiden right now, is this about your love life?”
“Umm, uh, that topic is off-limits!!”
“Aww, come on, Sarachin, say something at least to Yuna.”
“Uh, yeah. Sara, let us know if there are any developments.”
“T-That’s… Um, y-yes.”
Sara answered with upward glances and poking her index fingers together.
From there, it was a conversation among the S-rank beauties, but Yuna seemed somewhat forced in her cheerfulness.
The asphalt on the rooftop was radiating heat.
The damp, humid heat was engulfing Haruya’s entire body.
Haruya, having reached lunch break, made his way to the rooftop, mindful of others’ gazes.
Generally, access to the rooftop was prohibited, but taking advantage of the broken lock, Haruya often visited it to enjoy the best view and air.
However, today, Haruya had come to the rooftop for a different reason.
“Akasaki-san, I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Ah, uh, yeah.”
Already, Sara, one of the S-rank beauties in the class, had made her way to the rooftop.
In fact, since Sara had found out about Haruya’s true identity, Haruya and the others had been gathering on the rooftop regularly. Despite inwardly sighing, Haruya sat next to Sara.
(Although I try not to, I can’t really look at Himekawa-san directly…)
Haruya was beginning to recognize Sara as the opposite sex to some extent.
That’s because, following the incident where Sara resolved her arranged marriage issue, she had kissed Haruya on the cheek. Such a stimulating experience… Haruya couldn’t forget it.
Supposedly, it was just a kiss of gratitude, but Haruya knew it was a lie.
Placing a hand on his chest to calm himself, Haruya opened his lunchbox.
“Uh, you brought a lunchbox?”
“Ah, yeah. I felt bad since you’ve always been sharing contents with me.”
“N-No, you don’t have to… be concerned about me like that.”
Haruya had been receiving contents for his lunchbox from Sara.
Since they started gathering on the rooftop during lunchtime, Sara had been meddling, unable to stand Haruya’s unhealthy eating habits.
To repay her kindness, this time, Haruya had considered sharing his own lunchbox.
(Well, she’s always been sharing her lunchbox with me, so I should return the favor…)
When he looked inside the lunchbox, Sara’s eyes sparkled, and she opened her mouth.
“Is this homemade, by any chance?”
“W-Well, yeah. Some parts use frozen food, though. If you don’t like lunchboxes as a return gift, feel free to tell me.”
“Is that so…? Um, I like it… thank you.”
Bowing her head, Sara quietly replied.
“Well then, if you’d like any specific contents…”
Today’s lunchbox was made specifically for Sara.
It wasn’t made for Haruya’s own consumption.
His main dish was a sandwich.
He bought it from a convenience store this morning.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Then, um, thank you… but I’m fine with just a little.”
“No need to hold back…”
“It’s not that… Akasaki-san, are you planning to settle with convenience store food again?”
Sara glared at Haruya. It seemed she had seen through everything.
With a confident tone, Haruya reluctantly gave in.
“I can see through you, Akasaki-san. So, let’s exchange lunchboxes while eating.”
“…But, then it loses the meaning of a return gift.”
“I said I didn’t need a return gift. This is something I want to do.”
“But still…”
“It’s like I can’t be satisfied with that.”
Understanding Haruya’s feelings, Sara raised her index finger and said,
“In return, please continue to be friends with me from now on. Right, Akasaki?”
“…Uh, if that’s okay with you…”
Unable to deny her radiant smile, Haruya found unable to say “no.”
(Damn, a beautiful girl’s smile is definitely unfair. Don’t look at me with such innocent eyes!)
Sara, being a dreamy girl, is blind when it comes to love.
Which is precisely why she looks at him with a face that believes in Haruya without any doubt.
That, more than anything, pierced Haruya’s heart.
“That’s right, Akasaki san.”
“Y-Yes!”
Haruya instinctively straightened my back at Sara’s unusually serious tone.
“Um… You seem to be sleeping all the time in class. Is that fake, or are you really sleeping?”
During homeroom and breaks,
Haruya has a habit of burying his face in his desk when it’s not lesson time.
Sara asked with a serious expression.
(Face-to-face… Himekawa…)
Haruya was taken aback by Sara’s approach and almost blurted out “pretending to sleep” without thinking. (Wait, what if I admit to pretending to sleep here? If Sara knows I’ve heard her talking about me as the ‘destined one’ or ‘ideal’ or ‘cool’ in class…)
He managed to calmly assess the situation at the last minute.
Sara had been dropping hints about him being her ‘destined partner’ or ‘ideal’ or ‘cool’ during conversations with other S-class beauties in class.
If Sara finds out that he knows about it, she will be able to ……….
Just the thought of her finding out terrified him.
(If I were in Himekawa’s shoes… I’d be so embarrassed I’d die. No doubt about it.)
It’s almost like indirectly confessing your love.
He hastily tried to cover it up.
“N-No… I’m really sleeping.”
“Why are you acting so smug about it?”
Haruya didn’t know. He didn’t know, but he answered confidently.
By the way, he didn’t really know what he meant by “really sleeping.”
Emboldened, he continued.
“I do sleep properly outside of class. Sleep is important, you know.”
“Y-Yes… sleep is important.”
Wide-eyed, Sara whispered, “…I’m relieved,” placing her hand on her chest.
He watched Sara with a sense of relief.
(I’m relieved… I managed to get out of that predicament. Now I just hope my name doesn’t come up in class discussions.)
Haruya prayed inwardly.
As an unremarkable mob student, he absolutely wanted to avoid being brought up in conversations in S-class beauties who drew so much attention.
However, contrary to Haruya’s wish, Sara was thinking this in her heart:
(I’m glad Akasaki-san didn’t seem to have heard our love talk. I was a little worried, but his deadpan sleeping face must mean he’s serious about it. In that case, I can an talk about your love a little more in-depth with Rin-san and Yuna-san…Ah, it’s so nice to be able to talk about someone you like!)
Haruya didn’t know
that his school life was about to become even more nerve-wracking than usual from now on.
Completely oblivious to that,
all he could do was hope Sara would soon realize she was severely overestimating him.
(Well…I have already gotten Himekawa-san’s promise not to reveal my identity in class. If I were to outright make Himekawa-san dislike me or distance myself from her now, that would just make me a topic of conversation among the S-class beauties and make it uncomfortable for me in class.)
“Whoa, so the guy Himekawa-san liked turned out to be a total scumbag pretending to be interested in her.”
“Damn, that’s the worst. Unforgivable…”
“After Himekawa-san showed interest in him! Let’s find the bastard and kill him…!”
“What a heartless jerk, making a girl cry like that.”
Something like that.
He could vividly imagine such conversations in class.
If that were to happen, the atmosphere in the class would become unbearable.
‘Ideal’ and ‘cool’ are fine, still somewhat embarrassing terms, but ‘jerk’ and ‘monster’ are unacceptable. He’d feel his life is in danger.
And a mob’s mental strength isn’t that strong.
So…
(As long as I interact with Himekawa normally, there shouldn’t be any problems.)
Just be yourself.
By doing so, Sara’s evaluation of him should normalize, or so he thought nonchalantly.
As Haruya and Sara spent lunch swapping contents from their lunch boxes…
Chomp, chomp… Sara turned her gaze towards Haruya and asked,
“By the way, Akasaki, are you in any clubs?”
The sudden mention of ‘clubs’ made Haruya choke for a moment.
“N-No, I’m not. And I don’t plan to join any. How about you, Himekawa?”
“I’m not in any either, and I don’t plan to. But I do admire them.”
Gazing up at the clear blue sky, Sara continued.
The school club was also mentioned by the teacher, but I think it’s a page of youth. Friendship and love. It seems fun to balance both sports and culture. Don’t you think so? Akasaki-san.
Under the sunlight, Sara, with a smile like dappled sunlight, murmured in a voice that suppressed emotions.
“Friendship and love and club activities at the same time? That’s impossible.”
“Eh…”
Perhaps because of the dark atmosphere around Haruya.
Sara’s eyes widened and she froze.
“Ah, um… I’m sorry.”
“N-No, it’s… okay…”
Haruya felt guilty for creating an awkward atmosphere.
Even more so, he couldn’t hide the discomfort of being dominated by old memories in his mind.
(Calm down… I’m not in the club anymore. Calm down.)
Haruya kept telling himself that several times, trying to calm himself down. Sara quietly gazed at Haruya’s profile.
(…It seems that what Akasaki-san is carrying is related to club activities. Probably Yuna-san too. It would be good if I could help.)
While regretting her own slip of the tongue, Sara clenched her fists tightly.
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