59
Lunch break.
The hallway outside the restrooms was filled with students passing by.
As I watched them in a daze, I realized that a heavy sigh had escaped my lips.
“Haa…”
Not so much depressed, but just feeling down.
The reason was obvious. I was still hung up on what had happened during break earlier.
(I’m really bad at switching gears.)
As a result, I couldn’t concentrate on class at all.
The only saving grace was that the bell rang soon after, allowing me to end the conversation.
As I left, I noticed that Totsuka was giving me a somewhat resentful look. Maybe she thought I had betrayed her.
Judging by her expression, I figured she would try to corner me during lunch. So I used the excuse of going to the bathroom to make a quick escape from the classroom as soon as morning classes ended.
Totsuka didn’t follow me, so I guess my plan was a success.
However…
“I forgot to bring my lunch…”
I muttered to myself without thinking.
I suppose everyone has their own way of dealing with lunch, but I’m the type who buys bread or a boxed lunch from the convenience store in the morning and eats it in the classroom.
This school has a cafeteria, but it’s awkward to go there alone, and I’m not a fan of noisy places to begin with.
So I’ve never used it. Well, if you ask me if the classroom is quiet during lunch, I’d have to shake my head when faced with the boisterous chatter of the girls’ groups. But it’s also true that the number of people decreases.
Half of the students leave the classroom, which is a relief for someone like me who feels pressured by crowds.
Of course, by the time I put my convenience store bag on my desk, Totsuka always comes over to my seat, so I can’t just relax and look at my phone alone.
(I was starting to think that wasn’t so bad… but not today.)
I can’t avoid being asked about it anymore. I’ll just have to accept that.
But I wanted some time. As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. With time, the heat will always cool down… except in some cases.
Anyway, I didn’t want to be pestered about something that was already over, so I figured it would be wise to keep running until I got caught.
(Luckily, I have my wallet in my pocket, so I’ll just give up on getting my lunch…)
For now, I’ll just buy a loaf of bread from the school store and sneakily eat it in the hallway while I head to the library… I thought as I turned on my heel.
Rustle…
“Hmm?”
The atmosphere in the hallway had gotten a little noisier.
No, maybe it’s more accurate to say that the voices had become easier to hear. I suddenly noticed that the voices of the students who were leaning against the walls or chatting in the corners had become less audible.
“――And then, Miho’s boyfriend was cheating on her. Isn’t that awful?” “Ugh, that sucks. What a jerk. She should definitely break up with him.”
Instead, I could hear voices approaching.
A group of four or five girls seemed to be walking toward me from the opposite side of the hallway.
I was still thinking about something, so I followed suit and leaned against the wall to wait for them to pass by so I wouldn’t get in their way.
“Right? I said the same thing, but she’s being stubborn and insists that she’ll never break up with him.” “Oh dear… that’s rough…” “That’s just a recipe for getting cheated on again. I ‘m sure of it.’
I didn’t particularly want to listen, but I couldn’t help but overhear.
Apparently, they were talking about a friend’s love life.
They were getting closer, taking one step after another, while talking about a rather vulgar topic for a conversation in a public hallway.
I was looking down, absently thinking that they should hurry up and leave, when…
“Hey, why don’t you say something too, Mio?”
When I heard the name that came next, I reflexively looked up.
And there she was.
“Cheating, huh? That’s a tough one.”
Mio walked towards me, her finger pressed to her lips as she hummed thoughtfully.
“—!”
I instinctively lowered my head to hide my face.
At the same time, my heart started pounding like a drum.
From Noble mtl dot com
(Why is this happening…?)
How come bad things always happen one after another?
I run away from a topic I want to avoid, only to run into the person involved.
“I think that, no matter what, they should have a proper talk. I think talking things out is important.”
“Yeah, but what if neither of them wants to talk?”
If I listened closely, I could hear Kishima’s voice too.
I idly wondered if they were in the same group at high school.
“Well, I think you just have to be persistent. Oh, maybe I should talk to her boyfriend? He might be more willing to listen to a third party.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea…”
“Yeah. I feel like it would just give her boyfriend another person to cheat on her with.”
Why is it that classrooms, no, schools in general, always feel so small?
It’s like a cage. As long as I’m here, I’ll never be able to escape.
(…!)
If I can’t escape, then all I can do is hope.
I closed my eyes and wished with all my might that Mio wouldn’t notice me, wouldn’t talk to me, and would just leave. All I could do was wait.
“Huh…? Why is that?”
“Why? Well, Misaka-san is cute.”
“Yeah. No guy would be able to leave her alone. I mean, she’s already been confessed to by a bunch of guys, right? I’m so jealous.”
“I don’t know why you’d be jealous of me…”
“All the guys in class only have eyes for Misaka-san. Like, the other day, Shido had to stop…”
The conversation faded away.
The footsteps moved away.
That meant that they had left, and that Mio hadn’t noticed me.
“Whew…”
I let out a deep breath and relaxed my body against the wall.
When I opened my hands, which I had been clenching without realizing, they were damp with sweat.
Apparently, I had worked up quite a sweat in this short period of time.
I could feel something cold running down my back. Cold sweat, in the literal sense.
It was probably the price for my nervousness. It wasn’t a very pleasant feeling, but it was cold enough to make me notice it.
“What am I doing…?”
I’m so scared of just one girl. I’m really pathetic.
Was it fortunate that she didn’t see me?
No, there’s almost no one in this school who’s interested in me.
I don’t try to get their attention, and I don’t try to get involved with them, so that’s only natural.
People aren’t as interested in you as you think they are.
That’s especially true if you don’t have anything special about you—like looks that would make you the school idol or something.
“…Let’s go.”
I exhaled deeply once, and then I started walking.
I headed in the opposite direction of Mio and the others. In other words, I headed toward their classroom.
From there, I went down the stairs and headed toward the cafeteria.
With that many people, they’d probably go to the cafeteria, but I should be thorough.
It was a detour, but it would definitely allow me to avoid running into Mio.
Clack, clack. I finished going down the stairs, my indoor shoes hitting the floor, but there was no one in sight.
As expected from a route that was a detour, there weren’t many students coming from this direction.
Well, it doesn’t really matter. All I have to do is go straight, and then—
“Who is it?”
My vision was covered along with that voice.
For a moment, I panicked because I didn’t know what was happening, but then I heard a small breath next to my ear, and she whispered,
“Hint: it’s your very important childhood friend.”
My back prickled with goosebumps.
Reflexively, I said her name.
“Mio…ri…?”
“Aha, correct♪”
Suddenly, her voice became incredibly sweet and filled with joy.
“You noticed me just from my voice. No matter how much you try to look away, you still can’t forget about me, can you?”
That’s not true.
Because who else would do something like this?
“I still really love you like that. Hey, Kurenai-kun.”
The one saying such things so casually in this place wasn’t the Mio Misaka that I knew.