CH 12

Coincidental Encounters are a Characteristic of the Protagonist



Even after finishing her lunch, Shimotsuki still seemed to have more to say.



I just listened and occasionally gave her a nod or two, but her stories had a strange charm that made me listen to them.



She doesn’t have any pretense or punchline like comedians do.



But that doesn’t mean that the contents are random.



What I can say is that Shimotsuki’s stories contain a lot of her emotions. She talks vividly about what she felt and how she feels about trivial things.



Maybe that’s why I never get tired of listening to her.



I was thinking that it would not be a bad idea to continue to listen to Shimotsuki until the very end of the lunch break…….



“…”



Suddenly, Shimotsuki shut her mouth.　



Her small ears twitched, and then she instantly lost her expression.



With a transparent complexion, Shimotsuki whispered in a low voice.



“There’s a disgusting sound. …… It’s the sound I hate the most in this world.”



I didn’t know what she was talking about at the time.



A dozen or so seconds later, I saw the person who had come to us and realized the reason for her statement.



“I’m sorry, Ryoma Oni-chan. I didn’t mean to call you here. ……”



“What’s the matter though? It’s still in the middle of lunch, so please hurry up, okay? I want to eat the bento that Yuzuki made for me, it’s delicious.”



Two people, a guy and a girl, suddenly arrived at the back of the school building. They didn’t seem to have noticed us sitting in the corner yet and they were facing each other, trying to talk about something.



They were people I knew well.



One was my stepsister, Azusa Nakayama.



The other was someone I disliked, someone Shimotsuki had a deep dislike for.



“Ryoma Ryuzaki ……”



I couldn’t help but mutter his name.



He has black hair, black eyes, and a medium build, not much different from me in terms of features. However, he has an overwhelmingly gorgeous appearance and aura. It’s an aura that only a person with absolute confidence in himself can produce.



“Hmm? Why is Nakayama here ……, hey!”



And then he looked at us and as soon as he knew she was there, his expression changed.



“Shiho ……, what are you doing with Nakayama? Just the two of you, what’s going on?”



It was probably because Shiho Shimotsuki, whom he liked, was sitting side-by-side with a guy.　



The girl liked by Ryuzaki, who has always been liked by women, is alone with a guy who is as insignificant as a mob character. I’m sure a lot of emotions must be bubbling up in him.



“The timing is bad. …… Haha, boring.”



As soon as Ryuzaki recognized us, Shimotsuki sighed.



She let out a disgusted sounding voice that they couldn’t hear and quickly began to put her own lunch away.



“Nakayama-kun, shall we go back?　I don’t want to hear the sound of that guy.”



Yeah, you’re right.



I want to go back too……, but I don’t think Ryuzaki will be satisfied with that.



And perhaps it is Shimotsuki, not me, who will be questioned after returning from this.



As proof of this, Ryuzaki was looking straight at Shimotsuki.



He looked like he wanted to ask something.



That’s just too pathetic.



Shiho Shimotsuki is a girl who doesn’t like Ryuzaki.



She’s very emotional and loves to talk, but she hates him so much that when he’s next to her, she turns into a mute girl as cold as ice.



I don’t want to burden her too much.



I don’t want her to have a hard time just because she became my friend.



So, I shook my head.



“No, Ryuzaki wants to talk to me, so I’ll stay here at ……. Go ahead and leave.”



When I told her that, Shimotsuki’s eyes widened slightly.



“…… Sometimes, Nakayama, you make me wonder. You seem like a normal boy, but you sound unusual. …… Ummm, that’s nice. I’m going back first. I’ll see you later and we can chat a lot, okay?”



Then, after a lot of words spoken in a quiet voice, Shimotsuki stood up.



“Oh, hey. Shiho, what are you whispering about? I told you before that if you ever need help, I’m here to help. …… Hey, Shiho?”



“…………”



Shimotsuki passed by Ryuzaki in silence.



She walked away without even looking at him.



And after that, only me, Ryuzaki …… and my stepsister Azusa remained.