Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/822139836292219594
After that, every break time, my classmates kept asking me stuff like, “When’s the proposal?” and “What about the engagement ring?” Why the hell am I getting mobbed like some celebrity news interview?
What’s even weirder is that nobody tries to talk to Toka directly.
Back when she was labeled a “failed project,” they avoided her for the opposite reason… The power of social media is terrifying.
I get why they bombard me with questions instead of her—I’m easier to talk to than Toka. But it still feels off. Not cool.
Then, lunchtime.
As I lay face-down on my desk, feeling frustrated, Toka approached me with an angelic smile.
“Ryo-kun, wanna eat lunch together?”
I could feel the classroom buzz with excitement.
“Toka, wanna eat on the rooftop today?”
“Huh? You wanna be alone?”
“I wanna be alone!”
I blurted it out without thinking. The classroom fell silent for a split second.
And then the next moment—
“WAAAAA!!”
A storm of applause and whistles! What the hell is this?! This isn’t Koshien Stadium!
“H-huh!? Ryo-kun…?”
Toka’s face was bright red up to her ears, and she was clutching her lunchbox tightly with both hands.
That sight was explosively adorable, making the guys around us get even more hyped up.
“Well, I kinda wanted to have a strategy meeting…”
“Mou, Moou, let’s just go already.”
…Dragged along by Toka, we practically fled the classroom.
Once we reached the rooftop, we finally regained some peace and quiet.
The breeze felt refreshing, making the earlier applause and cheers feel like a lie.
“Hehehe, school’s not so bad after all, huh?”
Toka looked supremely satisfied as she ate her lunch.
Wait, the typhoon generator was right here!
“Toka, we shouldn’t do too many coupley things at school… it causes a commotion.”
“Just so you know, Ryo-kun, you’re the one who started it earlier.”
“Guh…!”
“But when Ryo-kun yelled ‘I wanna!’… I kinda got a little fluttery.”
“No, that was an accident! An accident!”
While I was still confused, Toka picked up a side dish and held it up to my mouth.
“Here, Aaahn.”
“Stop it! What if someone comes by?!”
“No one will. Come on, hurry up.”
Reluctantly opening my mouth, Toka smiled brightly.
“Is it good?”
“It’s just normal since I made it myself.”
“That’s when you say, ‘It tastes even better because Toka fed it to me.’”
“It’d taste even better if Toka made it.”
“Just casually requested a homemade bento.”
“I wasn’t trying to be subtle though.”
When I said that, Toka suddenly switched to a serious tone.
“But if I’m eating with you, Ryo-kun, even a convenience store rice ball would be the best in the world.”
She went and said something like that.
“Nice words, but I can totally see you just trying to avoid making lunch!”
“But I’m still not confident at all…”
I hit the nail on the head… Toka scowled and started trembling.
Hmph, I know Toka inside out by now!
“But I’m kinda annoyed too.”
“Annoyed? Why?”
“Because everyone keeps talking to my Ryo-kun.”
Toka’s cheeks puffed out. Wait, hold up—that’s beyond my control.
“Just so you know, they all want to talk to Toka.”
“Then they should just talk to me directly!”
“Look, it takes guts to talk to a former celebrity.”
“But you talked to me first, Ryo-kun!”
“Hmm.”
“Did you work up the courage?”
“Well, that…”
“Ehehehe.”
Toka pressed her shoulder right up against mine!
“So stop clinging to me at school!”
“No one’s watching, it’s fine, it’s fine.”
“That carelessness will be your downfall…”
“As long as Ryo-kun is here, even if it’s my downfall, I can recover, so it’s okay.”
“…Am I Toka’s save point or something?”
“Ryo-kun, you just said something good!”
“What part!?”
Well, what can I say… I’m hopelessly soft on Thka. Even though we were at school, I gently stroked her hair.
◇
Afternoon homeroom period.
Our homeroom teacher dropped a bombshell.
“Since it’s the start of the second semester, I think it’s about time we change seats!”
The classroom erupted into a buzz of commotion.
Huh? I’d completely forgotten. Come to think of it, middle school often changed seats after summer break too!
“Ha? Ha?”
A dark aura drifted over from beside me. That’s the kind of vibe a national beauty—even if it’s her former self—absolutely shouldn’t be giving off!
“School really is full of enemies. I was an idiot to think it might be even a little fun.”
“First time I’ve seen someone show that much hostility over a seat change.”
“Ugh…”
She furrowed her brows and let out a huge sigh. Then, suddenly, big tears welled up in her eyes!
“I don’t want to be separated from Ryo-kun…”
“Stop saying that, it sounds like we are breaking up.”
Hmm… What should I do?
I try not to show it outwardly either, but I don’t want to be separated from Toka. But then again, I guess this kind of thing happens in a place like school…
“Teacher!”
Toka’s voice echoed through the classroom. The homeroom teacher turned around with a startled look on her face. Sure, Toka speaks up in class, but this might be the first time she’s ever addressed a teacher herself!
“I’m being trained by Ryo-kun, so I refuse to sit anywhere but next to him!”
“Trained…?”
Toka, you idiot!
Hearing her blurt that out of nowhere, the teacher’s face twisted into utter bewilderment!
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