The weekend came and went in the blink of an eye. It was rather uneventful, slow, and stagnant; just the way I like it. Sure, there was that cafe excursion with Kurebayashi and Asamura, but at least I got to spend the rest of the weekend just chilling in the house with gramps. And best of all, I finally got to read some of the manga I've been meaning to catch up on.
Man, I'm still pumped after reading that chapter from the shonen manga I read yesterday! I feel like I can take on anything the world has to throw at me for this week. Whether it be tests, activities, or anything else, I can take it!
Invigorated and pumped, I open the door to the classroom with a bit too much force and end up slamming it to the wall. The sound made me flinch. Well, there goes all the enthusiasm I had, down the drain because of sheer stupidity. I brace myself for the stares and awkward silence as I step foot inside the classroom. But as I look around, everyone is too busy looking at their phones or talking among themselves. I don't think anyone even noticed the little debacle of mine.
I look to the corner of the room where the popular group hangs out and see Asamura motioning for me to come over. I even notice her mouthing the words "Come here now!"
Like hell I'll go over there. I'd stick out like a sore, infected thumb. I respond to her by pointing towards the door. I then walk out, hoping that she gets what I meant and follows after me. It did take her a few seconds but she eventually came barreling out the door.
"Sugiyama-kun, have you seen the school group chat?!"
"... We have a school group chat?"
"Of course we do! Everyone is there— Wait. Are you not in the group chat?"
"No, I'm not. I didn't even know there was one."
"... I'm sorry. I feel like I opened a can of worms that I shouldn't have."
It didn't even bother me until you pointed it out. Not that I would have wanted to be a part of the group chat in the first place. But having someone realize just how socially pathetic you are is a different kind of feeling that I wish I didn't have to experience.
"Don't worry about it. I'm used to it by now. So then, what's in the group chat?"
"Oh right! Everyone is talking about Suzuki-senpai! Here, look."
Asamura turns on her phone and faces it towards me. I see a bunch of messages all popping up at the same time. And it isn't stopping. It's so fast that I could barely read even just one sentence.
"It's giving me a headache… Can you just tell me what they're saying?"
"Well, it's mainly people asking about the girl he supposedly confessed to. Apparently, the manager's name is Inoue Saori. Why didn't we think to ask Suzuki-senpai about that?"
"It didn't matter who she was. Anyway, what else are people saying?"
"Let's see… There's a bunch who are excited about it since Suzuki-senpai only ever talks about baseball. Oh, and there are girls who are kinda sad I think and wish that Suzuki-senpai confessed to them instead."
"Hmm… None of that matters actually."
"Then why'd you ask what people are saying?"
"I'm nosy in a way. But all that matters is if Miyoko took the bait."
"Yeah, I guess… But how do we find that out?"
The fastest way to find out if the plan worked is to have Kurebayashi stroll in front of Miyoko and gauge her reaction. If she displays any sort of violence, then the plan failed. But if she pays her no mind, then it's a success. But of course, I can't bring that up with Asamura. There's no way she'd ever agree to putting Kurebayashi in any sort of risk.
"We could just go to her classroom directly. We still have a few minutes before class starts."
I heard someone speaking from behind me. The shock from it was enough to make me jump and skillfully maneuver to the safety of Asamura's back, much to her displeasure.
"Ahaha! Sorry about that, Sugiyama-kun. Didn't mean to scare you."
Sakakibara Daiki puts up his hands in an apologetic way. Like that's enough to repay me for what you did. Not that I care if Asamura's perception of me goes down even more, but it's still not a good feeling to have to show your cowardice in front of someone!
"Daiki! What's up?"
"Nothing much. I just overheard the two of you talking about Miyoko-senpai and thought I'd lend a hand. We can go over to her now if you two are okay with it."
"That'd be great! Thanks, Daiki!"
Without even waiting for a response from me, the two of them head off. Geez, is this really how popular people act? They just naturally assume that once they decide on something, the lesser students will have to follow. Though I will admit that I would have said yes as well. But that doesn't mean that I'm a lesser student, okay?! I'll follow along just this once.