After discovering Yuria Ichinose's secret at the arcade in the neighboring town and now finding myself sharing otaku hobbies with her, I lay on my bed at home, thinking about it.
"No way… Yuria Ichinose, the top of the class hierarchy and a downer gal, is an otaku…"
It was surprising enough that Airi Miyama, the busty beautiful girl, turned out to have a tough life, but the fact that the downer gal Ichinose was an otaku was even more shocking.
What's more, knowing their secrets led to me exchanging contact information with these two girls with erotic bodies.
A few days ago, I was just an otaku loner reading light novels in the corner of the classroom. Now I'm sharing secrets with two of the top three beauties in the school, admired by all the boys… It's like something out of a light novel.
(And it's all because of that seating change that Miyama and Ichinose noticed me.)
If it wasn't for that seating change, Miyama, who worked at Tatsuya in front of the station, wouldn't have noticed me, and I could have just been a customer buying books from her. And if Ichinose hadn't seen me reading light novels next to her, she wouldn't have noticed me either, and none of this would have happened… probably, surely.
(My peaceful high school life has been threatened because of that seating change.)
I feel even more resentful towards Rui Kuroki, who proposed that seating change.
Good or bad, the only way I can make sense of my changed daily life is by blaming Rui Kuroki.
As I was thinking about these things, I got a notification on my phone in my pocket.
"Message from ♡Airi Miyama♡"
A message from Miyama on Lime? What's this about?
I opened the chat with Miyama.
"Miyama: Did you meet Yuria at the arcade? Also, did you find out about the morning thing?"
Oh yeah, I consulted Miyama about this, didn't I?
I owe her an explanation… but if I say, "Ichinose was just an otaku!", she might punch me.
To cover it up, I replied, "I couldn't ask in the end! Sorry!"
(Well, it's better to keep this thing vague.)
"Miyama: I see~. I was curious about what Yuria said, but it's probably unimportant! Let's forget it~."
Miyama casually reassured me.
It was a huge deal, though.
"Miyama: Hey, hey Ryota~, since I told you about Yuria, how about treating me to the new drink at Sno-To as a thank you? Take me there~"
And now Miyama is using this as an excuse to ask for something.
I bet Miyama got used to having me buy her katsu don curry.
(She's relying on me too much because I'm the only one who knows about her tough life…)
Though irritated, I wanted to reply with, "I spent a lot this week, so maybe next week."
Guys can't say no when a cute girl asks for something (At least not a virgin such as myself).
(If I'm seen with Airi Miyama at the Sno-To, I'll definitely get beaten up by her fans…)
"Uh. sure I guess?"
Hm? Another Lime notification?
This time, it was a message from Yuria Ichinose.
"Ichinose: Thanks for today. I wanted to thank you for the figure, so if you'd like, how about going to a movie next time?"
A movie… with a girl. An event like this is happening in the life of a perpetual loner like me…
"Ichinose: If you don't want to, we can do something else. What do you think?"
Ichinose kept asking.
(There's no way I'd refuse this!)
I told her on Lime that I'd go.
So now, my schedule includes "New Frappuccino at Snow Top with Miyama" and "A movie with Ichinose," making me look like a player.
"My calendar, which only had light novel release dates, is now filled with extrovert events…"
Oh man, this isn't good… I'm losing it. I'm destroying my peaceful, loner high school life myself!
(Is this what they call being love-brained?)
I hate to admit it, but there's a guilty thrill in being able to talk with Yuria Ichinose and Airi Miyama, the top two in the class hierarchy.
After all, they're admired by everyone at school, boys and girls alike.
For someone like me, who was just a pathetic otaku until two days ago, to be in this situation feels unreal.
Is this all because… or thanks to Rui Kuroki?
I glanced at the "recommendation" section on Lime.
The app has a feature that shows friends of friends. Now that I've exchanged contacts with Miyama and Ichinose, Kuroki's account is showing up in my recommendations.
I don't know if that seating change was planned or just a coincidence.
But if it was planned, why would Kuroki place someone like me, an introvert, in that central seat?
(Does Kuroki hold some grudge against me…?)
Although we went to the same middle school, Kuroki and I never spoke in the same class.
In middle school, Kuroki Rui was so popular that every boy in her class confessed to her, a crazy story that shows how much she was admired. She probably didn't even notice someone as insignificant as me.
"I have no reason to be hated… It must have been a coincidence."
Thinking this, I slowly closed my heavy eyelids, worn out from the day