When the Introverted Me Got Surrounded by S-Tier Beauties After a Seat Change, a Secret Relationship Began V1 Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Who is Kuroki Rui?
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter…I’m pulled from sleep by the faint, persistent tapping of rain against my bedroom window.
The sky is a uniform, dreary gray, so thick with clouds it barely feels like morning.
"Seriously? It's only 6:30?"
Yesterday, I stumbled upon Ichinose Yuria’s secret: she’s a closet otaku. My discovery led to an impromptu, late-night anime discussion that stretched into the dead of night. For someone who’s usually so low-energy, she becomes surprisingly passionate when it comes to anime.
"So sleepy… Maybe I'll just go back to bed…"
"Oi, Ryouta! Get up already! Your big sis ate all your breakfast!"
"A little late for a heads-up, don't you think?!"
And just like that, my breakfast was, in fact, gone.
☆☆
Under a perpetually rainy sky, I walked to school, umbrella in hand.
It seems the rainy season has officially begun. Looks like I'll be needing this for a while.
I placed my umbrella in the stand at the school entrance. The handle is wrapped with anime character masking tape, a simple trick that making it unlikely to be stolen.
"Ah, good morning—Izumiya-kun."
As I’m swapping my shoes at my locker, Kuroki Rui, who arrived just after me, offers a greeting.
Jet-black straight hair, delicate features set in a small, well-defined face, and an aura of innate grace. That flawless, superhuman presence of hers is as overwhelming as ever.
"G-good morning." I manage a curt reply.
"It's rainy today, isn't it?"
"Y-yeah."
Just because our seats are next to each other, we're suddenly having this mundane conversation. The feeling of the distance between us closing so abruptly is jarring.
Was Kuroki always this talkative?
"Ah, Rui-chan, morning!"
"Rui, morning."
The other two members of the Beauty Trio arrived right behind us.
"Morning, you two. What's this, Yuria? Feeling lonely, so you came to school with Airi?"
"That's not it. Airi's umbrella broke or something, so I just let her share mine. That's all."
"Oh, come on, Yuria! Don't be shy. You sent me a love call begging to walk with me!"
"Stop making up weird lies."
While Ichinose pokes Miyama's cheeks, she shoots a quick glance in my direction.
Right. We have to keep what happened yesterday a secret.
"What's wrong, Yuria?"
"Nothing… I'm heading to class first."
Even when questioned by Kuroki, Ichinose maintains a perfect poker face and slips away to the classroom.
"…I see."
"Rui-chan? What do you mean, 'I see'?"
"It's nothing. Let's go too, Airi."
Kuroki said to Miyama, but for some reason, she glanced at me and let out a small, enigmatic smile.
Wh-what was that just now?☆☆
In the end, Kuroki only spoke to me that one time in the morning. For the rest of the day, she didn't approach me during breaks or between classes.
And yet—that silence only made things feel more ominous.
If she's figured out my relationship with those two… that would be very, very bad.Of course, the shifts in my relationships with Ichinoseand Miyamaonly happened yesterday and the day before, respectively. There's no way she could have found out so soon.
But Kuroki Rui's intellect is on another plane entirely. I've even heard a legend that she once predicted every single question on a test just by reading the teacher's thought patterns. She’s a true genius, a modern Yamato Nadeshiko who dominated the Junior Olympics in track and field during middle school and scored an A-rank for the University of Tokyo's top science program on a practice exam in her first year.
That's why the only ones who can approach her as equals are the other two, who each possess something she doesn't.
Miyama Airi has the super-high-school-level explosive breasts that Kuroki lacks. Ichinose Yuria is a trendy gyaru with a fashion sense Kuroki could never replicate, armed with captivating thighs that are a class above Kuroki's own weaponry.
Because Miyama and Ichinose possess such absolute, defining traits, they can stand confidently beside Kuroki Rui. Simply put, the three of them get along.
And that's precisely why if Kuroki discovers that a bottom-feeding, introverted otaku like me holds their secrets, she will undoubtedly corner me to protect her precious friends.
If that exchange this morning was her way of testing the waters… I have a very bad feeling about this.
The only other possibility is that either Ichinose or Miyama consulted Kuroki about me. That could explain why she's watching me… No, that would risk exposing their own secrets. I refuse to believe either of them would be that reckless.
"Hey, Ryouta."
After fourth period, as I'm lost in thought at my desk, a small voice calls to me from the seat in front.
Miyama is turned halfway around, beckoning me. With lunch break having started, Ichinose and Kuroki are nowhere to be seen.
"Check LINE. Quick. Meet me there."
Before I can even pull out my phone, Miyama stands up and wanders off.
Wh-what's going on?'Miyama: Let's eat lunch in the empty classroom on the 3rd floor, 'kay? Yuria's at the cultural festival committee and Rui-chan has a club meeting, so Airi's got nothing to do.'She even sent an angry octopus stamp with the text "Hmph."
Another lunch invitation.
But this time she picked a place away from prying eyes. Is she actually being considerate?
Still, an empty classroom… that means we'll be completely alone.
Could it be? Has Miyama—fallen for my hidden masculine charm?
…Not a chance. Not even a one-in-a-million chance.
Thinking about it with post-nut clarity, I realize my 'hidden charm' is absolutely nonexistent.
Lunch alone with Miyama… Man, if only some erotic development would happen so I could grope those breasts…My mind fills with vulgar thoughts as I buy some onigiri from the school store.
No, no, the Kuroki situation is more important than any erotic fantasies. Yesterday's Ichinose problem was resolved, more or less, after I talked to Miyama. Maybe I should consult her about this, too.
☆☆
The third floor houses the science and home economics rooms. Unless a class is in session, the hallway is almost always deserted.
Wait, isn't this classroom usually locked…?Despite my skepticism, the sliding door opened with surprising ease.
The room is bare, save for six desks and chairs clustered at the front.
"Ryouta, you're late~"
Miyama is already inside, eating by herself.
"S-sorry."
I apologize, placing my onigiri on the desk next to hers.
"Is that all you're having for lunch again?" she asks, her tone laced with concern, just like yesterday.
"W-well, yeah."
It's partly because I'm broke, but I also have a small appetite.
Miyama, on the other hand, is wolfing down a takeout container of the same katsu curry she had yesterday.
How much can one person love katsu curry?
"So you actually went to the game center yesterday, huh?"
"W-well, yeah. You went out of your way to tell me about it, so I figured I had to go."
"Even so, if you really didn't want to, you'd normally just blow it off, right?"
"Huh, is that… how it works?"
"You really are a serious one, Ryouta." Miyama said, her mouth full of curry.
I can't tell if that's a compliment or if she's making fun of me.
"Hey Ryouta, do you like Yuria?"
"N-no no no!"
"Really? I just assumed you did, since you're always stealing glances at her."
D-damn it… so there was another witness to the Ichinose-thigh-staring incident.I need to be more discreet with my staring (at thighs and breasts) from now on…
"I see. I thought you liked Yuria, so I was trying to help out."
"H-helped out?"
"Yeah. I was actually planning to check out that game center in the next town myself yesterday. But after you told me about everything with Yuria, I passed the job on to you. I thought Airi could play cupid!"
Playing cupid? She needs to keep her airheaded fantasies in check.If Miyama had gone there instead of me, it would have triggered a crisis great enough to dissolve the Beauty Trio.
"First of all, where did you even hear that Ichinose was at that game center?"
"From a friend in another class. She commutes from the next town and said she saw Yuria going into a game center near the station. Another friend told me the same thing, so I've been curious for a while."
"Huh… you have that many friends? You've got a pretty wide network, Miyama."
"Hah? My face is small! I use my beauty roller all the time! Look, look!"
She desperately shoves her face toward me. That's not what I meant.
"But Yuria wasn't there in the end, right? Maybe my friends were mistaken?"
"W-who knows…"
"And if I ask Yuria directly if she goes to game centers, she won't answer, will she?"
"That's… I don't know."
Of course she can't answer. There's no way Ichinose Yuria could ever admit, "I've been going to hunt for prize figures of explosive busty beauties."
"Oh yeah, Ryouta. This morning, before Airi and Yuria arrived, weren't you talking to Rui-chan?"
"Huh…?"
"That's been bothering me. What were you two talking about?"
Could it be that Miyama invited me to lunch again just to find this out? And this time, not in the cafeteria, but in an empty classroom where we could talk one-on-one…
From her perspective, I'm the only person who knows her secret. It's not strange that she'd be curious if she saw me talking with her close friend, Kuroki.
So I'm still not trusted…
Though I guess I already knew that.
"I'm not so loose-lipped that I'd go blabbing your secrets, you know? Is that what you're doubting?"
"Huh? What? Why are you bringing that up now?" Miyama asks, a dumbfounded look on her face as she licks her spoon.
"N-no, I just thought you were testing me, in case I'd leaked your secret—"
"Hah… Ryouta, you don't get Airi at all! I can't do complicated stuff like that. If I were doubting you, I'd just ask you straight up!"
"I-is that so?"
"What I really want to know isn't about you, Ryouta. It's why Rui-chan was in such a good mood!"
G-good mood…? What does that mean?I try to recall my conversation with Kuroki, but she didn't seem particularly cheerful…
"You see, Rui-chan always has this super-blank expression when she talks to guys."
"B-blank face?"
"You know, like her eyes are saying, 'I don’t care about what you're saying'?"
"So she's a man-hater, like Ichinose?"
"Hmm, not exactly a man-hater like Yuria. It's more like she's looking down on them?"
Looking down on men…?"But when she was talking to you, Ryouta, Rui-chan seemed kinda… happy."
"D-did she?"
"I thought so on the day of the seat change, too. When Rui-chan introduced you to us, she was in a good mood."
Now that she mentions it, Kuroki was unusually cheerful when she explained that we went to the same middle school.
"I've got it! Rui-chan must like Ryouta!"
What is this explosive-breasted airhead spouting now?
"That's why her expression was softer only when she was talking to you! It has to be!"
"That's way too simplistic… Kuroki and I had zero contact before the seat change, you know?"
"But you went to the same middle school, right!? Rui-chan probably fell for you back then without you even knowing! Kyaa!"
The explosive-breasted airhead squeals, covering her cheeks with her hands.
"Ah! Airi just had a great idea~"
I have a very, very bad feeling about this…
☆☆
"Well then, Ryouta, Airi's heading back to class! Don't forget to return the key to the staff room for me~"
After finishing her lunch, Miyama bounced her explosive breasts and dashed off.
She said she had a "great idea," but what could it be? She's even more of an airhead than I thought. I just hope she doesn't drop another bomb on me like she did with Ichinose.
Still, Kuroki Rui liking me… that's about as likely as the sky falling.
But the fact that her attitude is different only with me… that is definitely something to think about.
Is it just because we're from the same middle school? Hmm, I don't know.
This Prefectural Natsuhama Central High School is a fair distance from my old middle school. The only other students from there are me, Kuroki, and my otaku friend Tanaka in the next class. This school is also a top-tier public prep school; plenty of my former classmates tried to get in, but most failed.
Setting aside the mystery of how an explosive-breasted airhead like Miyama got into such a school, Kuroki probably treats me differently simply because we're a rare connection.
So it's definitely not what Miyama is thinking.
"Heh… don't underestimate my years of introverted experience. I'm not one of those delusional loners."
I lock the empty classroom and head straight for the staff room.
☆☆
I managed to get through the entire afternoon of dull classes without once glancing at Ichinose's thighs. Finally, the school day was over.
Now then, what to do after school?
The day before yesterday I bought 'I Sucked S-Rank Beauties' Boobs' at TSUTAYA, and yesterday I went to the game center in the next town. My after-school hours have been surprisingly hectic lately…
It's raining today, so I'll just head straight home. I'm broke anyway.
I finished packing up and headed to the entrance, bag in hand.
I still have no idea what "great idea" Miyama had… what was it?
"…Ah, you're finally here."
When I arrived at the entrance, Kuroki was there… wait, why?
Looking closely at her hands, I see an umbrella with a handle wrapped in anime character masking tape.
"That's… m-mine!"
I don't know why.
But Kuroki Rui was unmistakably holding my navy blue umbrella, waiting for me.
"…K-Kuroki?"
Why is she standing there with my umbrella?
Unable to process the situation, I put on my shoes anyway.
Calm down. This has to be a mistake. She must have me confused with someone else—"Izumiya-kun, I was waiting for you."
Yep. Not a mistake.
I should have known the moment I saw my umbrella in her hands.
"Airi said she was in a hurry to meet her boyfriend and needed to borrow an umbrella, so I lent her mine."
Kuroki explained without me even asking, as if talking to herself.
So this is the work of that explosive-breasted airhead… Unforgivable… At least let me grope them as compensation.
"But then Rui-chan wouldn't be able to get home, so Airi asked you for me, right? Since we're from the same middle school and our routes home are almost the same."
I have absolutely nooooo memory of being asked such a thing.
"Sorry for dragging you into this, Izumiya-kun."
"Dragged into this" is an understatement.
Miyama, under the delusion that Kuroki likes me, deliberately engineered this outrageous romantic scenario where we'd walk home under a shared umbrella.
Okay, fine, I'll concede that it's Miyama's fault… but even with that explanation, something doesn't add up.
"Geez, Airi is so much trouble. She's just so crazy about her boyfriend… I'd love to see a picture of him sometime."
In the first place, how does Kuroki… know that this navy blue umbrella is mine…?
"Hey, shall we get going?"
"…Y-yeah."
The atmosphere makes it impossible to refuse.
If I turned her down now, our relationship would turn hostile. No matter how much she intimidates me, I want to avoid any awkwardness with the girl sitting next to me for the next six months.
Besides, Kuroki could have easily shared an umbrella with another friend… I don't understand why she's so insistent on me.
Kuroki lives in a large, traditional Japanese-style house in my neighborhood. It's true that our routes are similar, so Miyama's logic is surprisingly sound… but still, no normal person would want to walk home with a bottom-tier class introvert like me, right…?
"Hey, may I open this?"
Before we left the entrance, Kuroki started to open my umbrella.
"You've been using this umbrella since middle school, right?"
"Huh, y-yeah."
"Hehe… I knew it."
How the hell do you know that?!"There we go… This umbrella is pretty big, huh?"
"I-I'll hold it."
"Hmm, how sweet of you."
I tookthe opened umbrella from her and heldit over us.
"Pardon the intrusion~"
"……"
The tension rendered me speechless.
We never spoke a single word until the seat change. Why is the distance between us shrinking so rapidly?
"Hey, Izumiya-kun."
Just as we started walking, Kuroki, on my left, looks up at me.
"You got a girlfriend recently, didn't you?"
I'm stunned.
The question is so out of left field that I stopped in my tracks.
"Could that girlfriend be… Yuria or Airi?"
"N-no no no! Th-there's no way a bottom-tier class introvert like me could date beauties like Miyama or Ichinose!"
"Obvious flustering. Rapid denial, despite being usually quiet. The hand gripping the umbrella is trembling… Conclusion: you're lying."
Her observational skills are uselessly sharp. Is she a detective or something?
"Hey, why are you lying to me? We're from the same middle school, aren't we? Aren't we?"
Kuroki pushes her face closer to mine.
Just being from the same middle school doesn't mean anything!Trapped by the rain, I can only endure as my face flushes.
"I'm not lying! I'm not dating anyone!"
"Then why have you been getting so friendly with Airi?"
"Miyama?"
"You had lunch with her in the cafeteria yesterday, right? I heard from a friend on the track team. How did you two get so close?"
So my lunch with Miyama is already common knowledge?
"Hey, answer me."
Could that be what's bothering her…? Well, I guess anyone would worry if their best friend suddenly started hanging out with a class introvert.
"That was… just me thanking her. I happened to run into her at a store the day before yesterday, and she let me have something I wanted."
Technically not a lie.
I happened to meet Miyama (while she was working) at a store, and she let me have (put on hold for me) something I wanted ('I Sucked S-Rank Beauties' Boobs' Volume 1).
"Really? There's nothing between you and Airi?"
"Of course not. In the first place, there's no way a beauty like Miyama would fall for an introvert like me."
"…Hehe, I see. Well, that's a relief."
Kuroki breathes a sigh of relief.
She must be incredibly glad that her best friend isn't dating a toilet bug like me.
Her refreshed expression is so beautiful it could win an award if it were painted. An overwhelmingly beautiful girl… It's unbelievable that she's right next to me. She feels like a being from another dimension.
Kuroki may not have breasts or thighs, but her face alone is more beautiful and refined than any girl I've ever met, with a charm that draws you in the more you look.
"This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I've been a perfectionist since I was little."
Having calmed down, Kuroki suddenly starts talking.
"Perfect grades, perfect athletic ability, a perfect reputation with parents, teachers, and everyone around me… My personality is such that I can't stand it unless everything is perfect."
Ah, so she means, "If my best friend Miyama were dating someone like you, then I wouldn't be perfect anymore."
Then rest easy, Kuroki. I'm not in that kind of relationship with either Ichinose or Miyama—
"That's why I was so relieved that Izumiya-kun hadn't become Airi's…"
The rain begins to fall harder.
Under a shared umbrella in front of the empty school gate, Kuroki and I stopped and stared at each other.
"Hey, what do you mean by that—?"
When I asked, Kuroki just smiled.
"You know, of all the boys in my middle school class, Izumiya-kun, you were the only one who never confessed to me."
Just… me…?
Does that mean every other single male classmate confessed to Kuroki at least once?
I don't know why she's telling me this.
But it's as if she's saying that because I alone didn't confess, she wasn't 'perfect.'
Is what she's saying even true? It's hard to believe that every boy in middle school except me confessed to her. It's completely unrealistic.
And yet—when Kuroki Rui says it, I find myself strangely believing it can't be a lie.
"Ah, are you doubting me?"
"N-no way…"
"It's true, you know. Every single boy who was my classmate in middle school confessed to me at least once. You were the only one who didn't."
Saying this, Kuroki gives a coy smile, as warm as the sun and completely out of place on this rainy day.
"W-wait, what about the guys who were dating other girls?"
"They only chose other girls because I rejected them, didn't they? Hehe, they all really wanted to eat chateaubriand but had to settle for kalbi or loin instead… Love is cruel, isn't it?"
Your metaphor is what's cruel…!I suppressed the urge to retort.
"But—you were different, Izumiya-kun. In your case, you didn't even look at the meat in the first place. A herbivore, so to speak… That's what made you different from the other carnivores."
Me, a herbivore…?
I don't think there's anyone more carnivorous (a lover of explosive breasts and thick thighs) than me…
"See? You actually like me too, don't you, Izumiya-kun? You were probably just too embarrassed to confess, right?"
"…S-sorry, but I don't have feelings like that—"
"You actually like me, right? Right?"
Kuroki presses forward, her smile radiant and aggressive.
This girl… she's trying to forcefully manipulate my feelings just to satisfy her perfectionism.
I'll admit her face is drop-dead gorgeous. And it's true that the pleasant scent wafting from her prized black hair has my heart pounding.
"Come on, just say you like me."
"That's why I—"
I try to back away from her sudden advance, but the rain leaves me with no escape.
"Hehe, you're only just noticing?"
"Don't tell me you—"
As long as we're under the same umbrella, if one person stops, the other can't move. In other words, I'm trapped.
"Well then, let's start a little game."
Kuroki proclaims with the biggest smirk of the day.
"The rules are simple. Until you say 'I like you' right here, I'm not moving from this spot. If you really don't want to say it, we can stay here until morning. I'm totally fine with that."
"D-don't be ridiculous! I-I'm going home!"
"The rain's getting heavier again… Are you really going to leave a girl behind in a downpour like this…? Izumiya-kun, that's so mean."
Th-this woman…! Is she really this desperate to make me confess…?!"What will it be, Izumiya-kun? Will you abandon me here in front of the school gate, or will you confess and get it over with?"
Wh-what am I supposed to do…? Even if Kuroki is an exceptionally talented and beautiful girl, being forced to confess like this is just wrong.
"Stop teasing me. I'm never going to say I like you, and there's no way you'd be happy with a confession you forced out of me, right?"
In desperation, I hit her with pure logic… or so I thought.
"…What if I said I would be happy?"
"Huh? Th-there's no way!"
"It's true. Because, ever since that day—"
And that's when it happened.
From behind, a delicate hand with light blue nail polish reaches out and touches Kuroki's shoulder.
"Hey, Rui? I finally found you… wait."
I turn to see a pair of plump thighs peeking out from under a skirt.
Those thighs… It's Ichinose!Even though I deliberately avoided looking all day, the image of those thighs is burned into my mind.
"Why are you and Izumiya walking home together? You promised you'd walk with me, Rui. If you're going to hit on someone, pick someone else."
"I-Ichinose and Kuroki promised to walk home…?"
"Airi borrowed Rui's umbrella for a date or whatever, so Rui promised to walk home with me. I told her to wait since I had committee work… so why is she under Izumiya's umbrella?"
That's strange.
Before we left, Kuroki said, "Miyama told me to go home with you," didn't she?
"Come on, Rui… let's go."
Ichinose pulled Kuroki from under my umbrella into her own, and they start walking away.
Thanks to Ichinose, the showdown with Kuroki has been swept under the rug… I should be grateful.
Just as I think that and start walking myself, my phone vibrates in my pocket.
A LINE notification.
'Ichinose: I acted cold because Rui was there. Sorry, Izumiya.'I see. That explains her chilly demeanor. Ichinose must be having a tough time being caught in the middle.
As I'm about to put my phone away, another notification pops up: 'You have received a LINE message from a user who is not your friend.'
"Not my friend…?"
My eyes lock on the account name: 'Kuroki.'
'Kuroki: Hehe, we got close so I added you as a friend ♡ Keep what happened earlier a secret from everyone, okay? If you tell… I don't know what might happen ♡''Kuroki: Also, I'm definitely going to make you fall for me, Izumiya-kun ♡ So don't worry and just wait, okay?'Two consecutive LINE messages, each more horrifying than a scene from a horror movie.
Far from reassuring, they're utterly terrifying.
Why does an introverted otaku like me have to be targeted by the most formidable beauty of our generation…?!
My peaceful life… is definitely about to be shattered.
And so, I ended up (unwillingly) holding the secrets of all three girls in the top of our class.
Their secrets that nobody knows, all because a random seat change put me near them…
And I had a feeling my high school life was about to become even more outrageous.
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