CH 10

The Silent Girl is bothersome



TL/ED: Bogdi

As soon as the lunch break started, Shimotsuki came over to me, leaving behind a trail of carefree footsteps.



“Ch-ch-check this out ……!”



However, I’m not sure what she’s trying to say. It seems that she’ s getting shy, and she’s too nervous to speak.



It’s quite unusual to be shy just because of the presence of others.



Perhaps as a countermeasure, Shimotsuki suddenly offered me a note. I reflexively accepted the note, which read, “Follow me.”



It seems she had prepared it in advance. …… It’s kind of cute.



“Okay.”



I nodded and Shimotsuki snickered a little smugly. She looked like she could easily communicate without talking to me.



I guess she’ s already acquired a taste for the art of writing letters. I am sure I will be receiving many more letters like this in the future.



And so, I followed Shimotsuki.



Her footsteps sounded very light, perhaps due to the low coefficient of gravity she was subjected to. Her steps were fast, and if I wasn’t careful, I might lose her, so I followed carefully.



What I found was a place where there was no sign of anyone at all.



A corner behind the school building. It was a blind spot and I was surprised that such a place existed.



“This is my secret place, you know? You see, it’s completely empty. I always eat my lunch here. I’ve always wanted to have lunch here with my friends one day. …… One of my dreams has come true.”



When the two of us were alone, Shimotsuki became instantly talkative. I am grateful that she explains things to me before I ask.



“It’s a quiet place, isn’t it?”



“I know, right? I have been alone since I was born. I’m good at finding places where there are no people. The only place I can eat lunch more quietly than here is in the teachers’ restroom.”



However, I was a little afraid that I could sense the darkness of Shimotsuki in every word she said.



She seemed innocent enough, but she might be carrying a lot of dark traits.



“The toilet is not a place to eat food, though.”



With a wry smile, I tried to open the bag of buns I had bought that morning.



However, I couldn’t eat it yet due to the fact that Shimotsuki was staring at me like she wanted to say something.



“Hmm? Hey? Huh?”



“What’s wrong?”



She was staring at me so much that I couldn’t help but ask her why.



As if she’d been waiting for that moment, Shimotsuki began to speak vigorously.



“…… Hey, Nakayama-kun, you talk to me when I talk to you, but why did you pretend to be someone else in the classroom?　I was really looking forward to it, you know?　I was expecting you to come up to me every break time and talk to me while wagging your tail like a puppy, but all you do is mope around like a koala. It’s like I’m the only one who likes you. It’s unfair as a friend. I want you to talk to me more in class and I want you to love me as a friend.”



It seems that she was dissatisfied with my attitude in the classroom.



I want to apologize for that. But before that, I want to say something.



“Love is …… a heavy word.”



It was like a lover. And it is quite a heavy type.



I think Shimotsuki is asking too much of our friendship. I really wanted to be a little more casual with her.



“After I spoke to you this morning, I suddenly realized. I thought, ” What?”. So, I waited for you, but you didn’t talk to me. I wrote you a note. That’s okay, because it was very fun, but you have to be more active, okay? I’m a very lonely person.”



“I’m sorry. ……”



I was expecting her to be quiet and unemotional like ice, but when I saw her, I realized that she was very human.



“I’m not very good at writing, so it was really hard for me. …… Well, the letter was more fun than I expected, so I’ll keep doing it, okay?”



“It seems that the cause of that elementary school-like note was Shimotsuki’s language skills. Come to think of it, yesterday she said that she can’t read manga or novels because they have weird sentences in them. …… Hmm?　Could it be that this girl is quite a little silly?”



I’ve always assumed that because she looks good, she’s also smart. I sensed that she reeked of clumsiness.



“But it’s great that you can say you’re sorry. I forgive you. From now on, you have to be more patient with me, okay? You’re my friend, so you have to talk to me a lot, okay? Okay, that’s enough. Lecture over.”



And it seems I was being lectured.



I see, this is the reason why I felt like, I was being watched in class. I guess she wanted to lecture me the whole time. …… After finishing her various comments, Shimotsuki looked very refreshed.



The quiet girl may be a troublesome and annoying person.



Yet, I found that part of her attractive, which made me wonder…