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After that, she’s gone back to being colder than usual.
Without any further heart-thumping or provocatively hot incidents occurring, we arrived at school. I sat down on my seat.

「And, like, it was so cool!」
「*Eh~* For real? *Kyahaha!*」　

Ignoring my female classmates chatting up a storm, I fiddle with my smartphone by lonesome.
Despite being in the same class, Miyu and I don’t proactively interact with each other.

However, this isn’t anything new. Miyu tends to hate standing out in any way. Well, I’m not that different from her, since I do prefer enjoying my manga alone over chatting with other people.

Last night, I installed a new manga app and now I’m dipping my hands into shoujo manga.
How do I say this? I want to understand the feelings of a girl in love? Since I’m actively aiming for Miyu, I was thinking that it might make for a good reference.

So, well, it’s just for reference, see? And to profess myself a manga master, I can’t be picky about something I haven’t even tried.

I generally prefer physical copies, but it’s embarrassing to buy a shoujo manga paperback, so for now, I’m reading on an app.
Still, like, what’s the problem with a girl reading a shoujo manga anyway? Don’t mention how I only act girly when it’s convenient for me, m’kay?

What I’m reading is one with a cocky and self-confident male love interest, who then coincidentally falls in love with the withdrawn girl.
I bore no ill will when choosing this story. It just happened to be within a free-to-read promo period.

*Ah～ sure, it’s that trope. Yeah, yeah.*

I muttered to myself, but before I noticed it, I was engrossed.
My mistake in scoffing at the cocky male lead from the get go; it’s surprisingly good. I guess girls might just prefer these sorts of characters. Miyu being no exception.

『Miyu, you actually like me, don’t you?』
『Be honest with yourself, Miyu.』
『You actually want to flirt even at school, don’t you?』

I sent Miyu several messages over Line, but then I regretted it.
It was because I realized that, in writing, it projects less of a cocky and self-confident feel and more of the typical try-hard loner.

However, to my surprise, they were already marked read.
I quietly turned to Miyu’s seat. She was just looking at her smartphone before our eyes met.

Upon seeing me, Miyu mouths out, 「Lo-ve-ya.」 It’s not, 「Stu-up-id,」 absolutely not.
After breaking eye contact, Miyu then shoves her smartphone into her back.
Ah, she’s not going to reply.

While my Miyu capture has not progressed at all, another small problem has broken out.

「Misaki, wanna go to the toilet?」

The nerdy class gyaru, whom I had hit it off with, is coming on to me hard.
The nerdy class gyaru in question is Ruka, who I got to know during yesterday’s lunch break. The truth is that she messaged me last night, and we chatted for a bit.

And today, she once again comes on to me at every opportunity. Ruka actively went to my seat to talk to me.
I don’t know why, but this situation is like one of those RomCom titles that’s popular these days.

「Misaki, whatchu looking at? Manga?」
「*Ah*, no-… w-wanna go to the toilet?」

That was close. I was just dissing shoujo manga yesterday noon, and now look at me.
Putting my smartphone away, I exited the classroom with Ruka.

During break time, the girls in class form their parties to venture to the restroom.
Still, I don’t really get the going in groups thing, and Miyu shares my sentiment.

In the first place, Miyu isn’t the type to pee with others. It’s one of her patented ‘*I-hate-that*s.’ Despite how she acts, she’s actually the daughter of a well-off family.

「*Ahaha*, so then, you see-」

In contrast to Miyu, Ruka smiles a lot and talks a lot.

「But those are panties, right?」
「Yeah, yeah, like, the panties are on wrong, bruh! *Ahahaha!*」

She’s partial to physical contact and would hit me on my arm when retorting.

Her slightly slanted ponytail is cute. And her uniform; she’s wearing it stylishly. She wears it loose, but not in a disheveled way. Her skirt is neither too long nor too short.

Ruka doesn’t give off pure gyaru energy; it’s more like a subtle polish? Frankly a good balance. Also, her perfume? Not harsh at all. It’s just a touch of fragrance.

She’s around as tall as me.
Her figure is slender, but her thighs? Quite meaty. Sexy.

This girl is definitely popular.
If I were still a boring old boy, I’d absolutely feel conscious of her. I’d absolutely fall just from talking to her.

We probably wouldn’t be this close in the first place.
‘*What’s with that loner, gross,*’ would probably be our only interaction.

And so, Ruka and I walked down the hallway to the restroom at a different building. Since the closest restroom might be crowded, we went out of the way to this slightly distant one.

There was nobody inside.
I finished my business first and left my stall, and as I was about to wash my hands, Ruka popped her face from behind me.
While staring at the mirror in front,

「*Ugh*, next to Misaki, I’m just so ugly～……」

She scowls.
I don’t know how to respond. Also, your face is close.

「It’s not that bad; you’re pretty cute, too, Ruka.」
「You think so? Really?」
「Yep, really, really.」

Ruka’s eyes sparkle with joy.
Naturally, I’m not trying to flatter her.
Unlike a certain someone who’d say, 「I’m not even near your level, anyway,」 her reaction is more honest.

「But Misaki, you know, you’re seriously cute. I’d never get tired of staring at you.」

Faced with her ardent gaze, I instinctively cast my eyes down.
Messing around, she cheekily draws her face near.
No, that’s close. Too close, too close.

「Hey, could you turn this way?」

Although surprised by the sudden order, I raised my line of sight.
Simultaneously, my shoulders were abruptly grabbed. She stares right at me with a serious expression.

Ruka was silent.
While keeping a tight hold on my shoulders, she draws her face closer.

I step back; she steps forward.
Step back again, and she steps forward more.

「W-what…」

I was about to speak before my back bumped into the closet partition.
I could no longer step back, yet Ruka’s face continued to draw near. In an attempt to move Ruka’s hand away from my shoulder, I raised my right hand.

Ruka pushed my right hand away and then slammed her palm to the wall right next to my face.
Bam! A sound exploded next to my ear, causing me to shrink in reflex.
Taking this opportunity, Ruka slipped her face next to mine, close enough for our cheeks to almost touch.