CH 26

A loner’s gourmet (The true power of loners)

Translated by HamletJr

Edited by Spynine01

“―Rinka, won’t it be really troublesome for you if your followers see us together with you?”

I asked Rinka as we headed back towards the entrance of the school building.

“It’s okay, my followers and I always hang out on the rooftop for the entirety of the lunch break. I’m sure they’ll be up on the roof again today.”

“I-I’ve heard of that! They say that the rooftop is unusable since it’s always crowded with delinquents!”

“Delinquents, huh. Even though one of those ‘delinquents’ is actually… Oops, let’s put some distance between us here.”

The moment we entered the school building, Hasumi and I distanced ourselves from Rinka.

Oi, Rinka. Don’t look at us with such sad eyes.

If we were to walk with you, a person from the top of the school caste, we would attract a lot of attention from others.

We followed behind Rinka a slight distance away, and as we passed by the women’s bathroom, I suddenly bumped into a silver-haired girl who just got out.

“―Woah?!”

“Ah, my bad. Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

An item the girl was carrying fell to the floor from the impact.

She was about the height of an elementary school student, and as I held her body in my arms to keep her from falling, she glared at me with sullen eyes.

I was surprised when I realized who she was.

“Sh-Shiina-san…?!”

“Wha?! Shio―Suda-kun?! A-Ah!”

As soon as Shiina found out that the person she bumped into was me, she immediately hid the item she had dropped behind her back.

―Sorry, Shiina.

I saw the item you dropped on the floor: a lunch box.

I also noticed that, in your pride, you hastily hid your lunch box the moment you came out of the restroom…

I don’t want to believe it, but Shiina, could it be that―

“Do you always eat your lunch in a restroom stall?”

“―!!!”

When I whispered my question to her in a low voice, Shiina’s face turned bright red.

So I was actually on the mark, huh.

What on earth happened for the famous celebrity with over a million followers online, the prodigal drummer “Shiina” of Personia, to become a loner who eats their meals in the restroom…?

Well, I was a loner too though, just one who ate in a different spot…

Her situation was so pitiful, I even started thinking that it was more important for me to help Shiina before Asamiya-san.

Shiina was an important band mate, so I want her to have a more enjoyable school life.

I felt so sorry for her that I was actually starting to cry a bit.

I looked pleadingly at Hasumi, who was right in front of me, and asked her.

“Hasumi, err… What do you think about eating your lunch together with Shiina-san from now on? You also seem to always eat your lunch alone.”

“Yes! I-Is it really okay?! Shiina-san’s a legal lol―ehem, she’s so cute, I even thought I should’ve been the one to ask her for this honor!”

Hasumi looked at Shiina with a sparkle in her eyes.

Shiina’s face flushed and her mouth slackened when she heard herself being called the word “cute”.

“I-I understand… I’ll eat with her…”

“Thank you! I’ll use the stall right next to yours, and we can eat together through the wall! Ehehe, I’m so excited~.”

“No, you should invite her to the back of the school building. Why the hell are you trying to adapt by eating in the restroom, Hasumi?”

Rinka noticed that we stopped walking to converse with each other and was waiting for us at the end of the corridor.

Oh right, lunch break’s about to end soon.

We have to hurry up and get to class…

“Hasumi, hurry up.”

“Okay. Shiina-chan, wanna come along with us?”

“Yes…”

I told Shiina what we were trying to do as we walked down the corridor.

When I told her that I was concerned about Asamiya-san, Shiina for some reason also looked somewhat unhappy, just like Rinka.

Well, she’s always grumpy one way or another though…

We somehow managed to get to our classroom, which was where Asamiya-san was, with enough time to talk to her.

Me, Hasumi and Shiina peeked out from the back entrance of the classroom to see what was going on in the classroom.

Asamiya-san, who was sitting in her seat, had already finished her lunch and was chatting with a group of girls in our class with her as its center.

“―Suda-kun, is Asamiya-san actually depressed? She seems to be bright and cheerful as always…”

At Hasumi’s question, I shook my head with a smug look on my face, trying to flaunt my non-existent experience.

Seeing this, Shiina muttered, “Annoying…”

I guess I’ll go die.

“If you listen closely, you’ll notice that her tone is slightly higher than usual. It’s not her natural voice, so she’s definitely pretending to be okay.”

“I-Is that so… Mmm, I’m trying my best, but I still can’t hear any difference~.”

“…How impressive, Suda-kun… It’s almost as if you were a singer…”

Shiina started saying dangerous things again, so I looked at her in protest, but she averted her eyes and turned her face away from me.

“But man, I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to talk to her when she’s surrounded by tons of people like that… I’m glad I asked Rinka to help me.”

As I muttered this, I looked at Rinka who was standing by at the entrance in the front of the classroom.

She was staring at Asamiya-san with an expression as if she had found her prey.

“Hooh~, so that’s Asamiya-san. The very same girl who’s been messing around with my Ritsuki… You vixen…”

Rinka quietly muttered a few words as she headed over to Asamiya-san, who was surrounded by female students.

The class started making noise when Rinka, famous for being a leader of beautiful girls, walked into the classroom.

Ignoring the uproar around her, she walked straight in front of Asamiya-san’s seat.

I knew I could count on Rinka.

Besides, she has the kindest heart of anyone I know.

I’m sure she’ll be really kind to her, especially since we’re talking about an incredible beauty like Asamiya-san.

“Alright, now I’m sure Rinka will gently call out to her and try to win over her heart.”

“Y-Yup. I misunderstood her before, but she does seem to be a kind person.”

“It’ll be okay… It’s Rinka-sama we’re talking about… After all, she’s a riajuu…”

We’ve basically won here, so maybe I should go relax and take a bath or something.

With all of us feeling a sense of tranquility and relief, me, Hasumi, and Shiina watched Rinka from the shadows of the classroom.

Rinka spoke to Asamiya-san, pointing with her thumb to the entrance of the classroom.

“―Oi, you’re that Asamiya girl, ain’t you? Lemme borrow that face of yours for a bit.”

Asamiya-san’s huge smile stiffened, and her face turned as pale as a sheet.