CH 10

Mob High School Student is being Peeked at

I got exhausted yesterday so after I got back from walking Eihashi-san home, I took a bath and immediately went to sleep without eating my dinner.

I couldn’t even make today’s bento since I forgot to set the alarm but since I still have the Karaage bento from yesterday, I decided to bring it to school with me for lunch today.

As usual, I went to school early and started reading my book then chatted with Masato until the classroom got noisy when Eihashi-san arrived.

So far, everything is going as normal. However, at lunch break, something started to become unusual.

‘Stare……Stare…….’

Accurate Depiction

That’s right, someone is peeking at me. Moreover, the one who keeps sneaking a glance at me is Eihashi-san.

Nothing unusual happened to me until lunch break but then……when I started eating my lunch, I have a feeling that I was being peeked at.

Strange, why is she looking my way? Did she find out? No, there shouldn’t be anything that she could connect Kousei to me…..

Maybe she wants to eat my Karaage? Or perhaps…… it is not mob-like to bring a supermarket bento!?

Yesterday, since I led her to question herself, [Was the person I met really Kamishiro Kousei], there shouldn’t be any connection she could make to connect him to me…….

……in fact, rather than making a connection, the clue I left yesterday was around the same level as Cinderella leaving behind her shoe.

Now, let’s see if I missed something.

First is my bag. I usually use the same bag for both work and school most of the time.

The bag I used back then was one of a set of two bags I bought at an event. One of the bags is dark blue and the other one is black so I thought that it would be okay since they have different colors.

I have two miscalculations there. The first one was that it is impossible to distinguish between dark blue and black in the dark. Reika must have remembered that the bag’s color is darkish.

The second is that the writing on the bag is too unique.. ……..that is why I like those bags in the first place though.

The bag that Kamishiro Kousei had yesterday had [Villager A] written on it while the one I am carrying right now has [Friend A].

On top of the fact that most bags don’t have such writings on them, Eihashi-san saw the second bag with the same design and similar writing on it when she entered the classroom today.

The next one is my voice. If I am a loner, the only chance she would hear my voice would be during classroom roll call but unfortunately, I am a mob.

Since I had my normal mob-like conversation with Masato, she must have heard my voice then. If it had been a few days, she would get the feeling like ‘Hmm, I heard this voice somewhere before……’ but it was only yesterday, Eihashi-san who was nearby should immediately notice my voice.

If she heard my voice through some kind of media then if I slightly changed my voice, she wouldn’t notice it but Eihashi-san has heard my real voice. There is no room to deceive her on this one.

Then, Eihashi started staring at me seriously after I took out this Karaage bento. She must have been doubtful at most before I took it out.

But when I handed this to her yesterday, the discount sticker on it should have been in clear view.

[30% OFF!] I chose this Karaage bento not only because I rarely make fried food myself but also because I live alone, I couldn’t resist its charm.

And Eihashi-san who also knows that feeling must understand that charm as well. The image of that [30% OFF!] must have been imprinted in her eyes.

Bag, voice, bento. If I think that she wouldn’t recognize that it is me even with all that then I would be worse than a guy who hopes to hide his identity with a butterfly mask.

Her stare changed from doubtful to convinced then. That being the case, being stared at like this means that Masato who is eating together with me right now should also notice her gaze……

“…..Hey, I might just be imagining this but……”

“…wha, what’s wrong?”

“No, I think I might be imagining things but, Don’t you feel that Eihashi-san has been looking at us for a while now?”

“Nah, it must be a coincidence right. We are sitting at the window seat after all. Maybe she is just looking at something outside, don’t you think?”

That was absolutely no coincidence! She is definitely looking at me! I am being stared at! Isn’t her intuition too sharp? Even if she looks up Kamishiro Kousei’s profile on the internet, she should only know that we are the same age right!

She should think that my appearance is completely different from Kousei in the first place. Since Suzuka normally looks the same as when she is working as Asuka, she shouldn’t think that I am changing my appearance either.

Moreover, even if Eihashi-san did meet Kouse yesterday, it was only our first meeting. Even if I count the time after I…..rescued……her…… 

“AHHHHH! THAT TIME!?”

“What!? Why are you shouting all of a sudden!?”

“–! Sorry……”

Ahh, I ended up calling Eihashi-san by name when we only just met…….don’t tell me, she found out from that?

My high school life is over…..I have to change class to an enviable mob now huh…….

The enviable mob is a class that can suddenly evolve into the [No.1 in the Class] or [No.1 in the school]. The main job of that class is to be told ‘Someone like you doesn’t deserve…….’.

No, she shouldn’t be sure yet, right? That should be the case, right? See, even how I talk is different……she might just be paying attention to her surroundings doesn’t she?

It wasn’t until lunch break that I began to feel that gaze too…..she might think that Kousei is somewhere close by but in the end, that is all she has…..there’s nothing that could expose me in the first place right? Maybe she is just thinking that everyone around her is suspicious, that must be the case, right?

Since I don’t know whether Eihashi-san has already confirmed her suspicion by matching the clues that are my bag, voice, and bento together or not, I made up that fault reassurance.

Fortunately, since I don’t want to slack off on my study, I have not taken any scheduled photoshoot for a month.

If I behave appropriately during this one month, her suspicion should die down.

Thus, I renewed my determination.

“I will absolutely be mediocre!”