Today, once again, I find myself alone in the classroom, likely the only one who is more earnest in facing my desk than anyone else in this school—the loner.
During today’s break, I’m quietly reading a book by myself.
The title of this paperback… What was it again? I don’t know.
That’s right. I’m not actually reading the book. That’s why I can’t remember the title.
I’m just pretending to be focused on reading in order to get through the break between classes…
“Hey, loner-kun, you got totally mugged yesterday, huh?”
“Looks like how you’d expect, huh?”
“Hahahahaha, that’s seriously hilarious!”
Yes, for me right now, reading is just a tool to block out the endless stream of pointless gossip that enters my ears, or should I say, background noise.
The trick is to just read the words without thinking about the meaning.
This is one of the many loner skills I’ve perfected: air reading.
And as expected, the source of this noise right now is them—those guys who are convinced that they are the center of the class, the overly cocky guys. Sakaki, Moriya, Takasago, and the others.
It seems they’re all having a laugh about the mugging I went through yesterday.
Seeing their filthy, rotten grins makes me remember Takasago’s mocking face from yesterday. The sneering, spiteful smile they gave me.
Just recalling it makes my stomach churn with anger.
“Man, how pathetic. Getting mixed up with those guys…”
“Getting mugged? At this point, you’re just done as a person, huh?”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to hold back, and I’d totally snap. Suspension? Whatever, I’d go for it.”
And, of course, those other half-hearted losers who can only ever look up to guys like Sakaki, just echoing their words while sending me cold smirks and glances.
When I see this, I can’t help but remember how, just yesterday, Sakaki and the others were too scared to even make eye contact with those thugs and silently slipped through the gates without saying a word. But really, paying attention to this kind of gossip is pointless. No, at this point, it’s not even gossip anymore since it’s clearly reaching my ears.
Anyway, it’s best to just ignore this.
It’s better to not engage, especially considering someone might find out about yesterday.
“Hey, Sayaka, let’s go home together today. You stand out too much, and honestly, I’m worried after what happened yesterday.”
And then, I notice Sakaki, who’s making some sort of shadowboxing motion while saying all that sensible stuff, right in front of me.
“Hoo, Sakaki-kun, so cool~”
Next to him, Takasago, as usual, gives a familiar response, hyping up Sakaki.
“Yeah. Leave Sayaka-sama’s bodyguard duties to me.”
Am I the strange one here for thinking this whole scene is absolutely ridiculous?
I really can’t understand why these kinds of guys are popular, or why they get so much attention.
“Hmm… Sure, it’s a bit scary, but I think I’ll be fine today.”
Then, I hear the reply from the woman who’s talking to Sakaki.
It’s that kind of voice—a tone that’s clearly meant to appeal to men.
But there’s something different in her answer than what I had anticipated.
I couldn’t help but glance up from my book for a moment, curious to see how Sakaki would react to her response.
And there he was, putting on a composed face, pretending like nothing had happened, despite being turned down.
Well, normally, he would have just agreed right away without hesitation.
“Huh? But seriously, isn’t it dangerous? Sayaka’s really cute, you know.”
“Hehe, thanks for worrying! But really, I’m fine today.”
Once again, I return my gaze to the book in my hands, trying to ignore the conversation that really doesn’t matter to me.
But then… again.
I just don’t understand.
I quietly glance again toward the source of the feeling of being watched.
And then… it hits me.
There, standing not far from Sakaki and the others, is Sayaka Yamamoto, the girl they’ve been talking to.
What’s going on?
This is strange… or honestly, it’s a bit scary.
At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, but after it keeps happening, I can tell it’s not a misunderstanding.
Yes. For some reason, I’ve been locking eyes with her several times today.
Sayaka Yamamoto—a girl from the top group in my class, just like Sakaki and the others.
With chestnut-colored hair and a figure that turns heads, she’s the kind of girl who catches the attention of men without even trying.
Despite being a regular high school girl, she has an impressive following on social media—so much so that she has more influence than some minor celebrities.
I privately call her the “Little Devil Bitch.”
The reason is simple: she’s always surrounded by guys. In fact, most of her followers are male.
Her looks are obviously a part of it, but it’s especially her sweet, seductive voice and the way she speaks that’s the real draw. Recently, she even had donations flying in during an ASMR stream.
From the way things are, I can tell that even guys like Sakaki and Takasago are likely interested in her.
Seeing how she flirts with them—her sweet voice and constant body contact—there’s no denying that she knows exactly how to make guys fall for her.
But still, there’s something I don’t get.
For some reason, Sayaka and I have been making eye contact a lot today.
It’s been about three months since I became a second-year student and joined this class, but until today, I’ve never once locked eyes with her.
But today, it’s happened more than five times.
And if that weren’t enough…
Just a while ago, when our eyes met, she smiled at me.
I didn’t do anything to earn a smile from her.
In fact, up until now, I don’t even remember her speaking to me, let alone smiling at me. I probably don’t even exist in her eyes—at best, I’m probably nothing more than air to her.
And yet, here she is, smiling at me.
I’m not foolish enough to smile back. I have no idea what her intentions are, and it could very well be some kind of trap.
So, I bury my face in my arms on the desk and pretend to sleep.
That’s the only thing I can do right now.
But… what is going on?
I really don’t understand this at all.
