April 14th, Monday.
A week had passed since the first day of school. I would've loved to brag about getting closer to the prettiest girl in class, but that's unfortunately not what happened.
Shirase's friendliness towards me never changed. We chat on LINE about our interests and send funny memes to each other every other day or so, but things aren't the same at school. She would never try to start a conversation with me unless it was absolutely necessary. It was a sudden switch-up for someone who said I was interesting.
Why would a girl like her suddenly give me the cold shoulder?
Well, instead of overthinking it and having an emotional breakdown, let's think about this logically.
On the second day, rumors immediately made the rounds. Omiya Maki and Shirase Yumina were two of the biggest names for freshmen. Even the seniors were checking them out. Of course, each class has its own group of attractive students. For example, I heard that a girl who came all the way from Kobe earned the admiration of many boys for her looks and elegant demeanor. There was also a guy from Kougyoku who didn't look too attractive in middle school but became insanely handsome after a glow-up. Talk about a successful high school debut.
All of that among other stuff regarding the upper years.
Anyway, Maki's relationship with Gotou became well-known, and it broke the hearts of both boys and girls. Shirase, however, was a mystery to everyone. Many students were saying that she was hanging out with a certain guy on the first day. Of course, it didn't take long before my name was in the mix. A lot of my acquaintances from Fujitama asked if I was the lucky guy, and I said yes because I had no reason to deny it.
The guys who had their eyes on Shirase started giving Katsuhira Kazuomi funny looks, but they were immediately met with a confusing observation. Shirase was friendly with every other guy in class and she was mostly hanging out with Motokawa and Koyasu. Meanwhile, we never interact outside of classes.
As a result, the rumors around us slowly dissipated, and by Friday, three students— one of them a second-year— had confessed their 'feelings' for Shirase.
They were rejected, of course... but it got me thinking. If she wanted to use me as a deterrent against confessions, why would she treat me like air whenever class discussions are over?
There was only one conclusion that I could think of: She was testing me again.
"Alright, we're here! I'll be going on ahead of you guys since I have morning practice. See you later, Kei-chan, Kazu-chan!"
Hiro ran off without a care in the world.
"I wish I had that much energy in the morning," said Keisuke. "I can't count how many times I've felt tired just by watching him."
"You say that, but Hiro and I feel the same way when we watch you read through your study materials."
"Skill issue."
"Back at you, nerd."
"You studied harder than me back in elementary, so you're the original nerd."
Inside the Sekihou building, I dropped by his classroom before going to mine.
"Oh, 'morning, Kazehara. And you're here again, Katsuhira. What's up?"
A bunch of his classmates greeted us. Well, they were our former schoolmates so it wasn't anything new.
"Sup," I replied. "I'm just here to hang out for a bit like usual. I hope I'm not bothering you guys."
"Morning to you too," Keisuke greeted them back as he sat on his chair with a groan. "Ugh, finally."
YOU ARE READING
I Just Can't Win!
RomanceKatsuhira Kazuomi had always hated the idea of coincidences. Sometimes, they work in his favor, but most of the time, they make him miserable. Entering middle school, Kazuomi refused to give in to his misfortunes through effort. Of course, this end...
