Chapter 45 - For Some Reason, There Are Rumors About the Social Guy and Me (なぜか、リア充と噂があるんだが)

Unpleasant sweat oozed on my forehead.

I did it now. At this moment, I could relate to a politician who unconsciously said something improper.

Rin looked at me apologetically.

No, this was completely my fault. I was the one who called her first. Rin reflexively replied using my first name, so she’s not guilty at all.

This was my responsibility. After I went to the amusement park with Rin, I didn’t feel any sense of discomfort when she called my first name.

I inwardly clicked my tongue. Getting used to something sure was scary… Whoever thought that I would break the promise I proposed on my own?

Ahh, I wanted to escape from reality. Moreover, we’re talking about Kenichi. He’s definitely misunderstanding something…

“Oh~ What’s with that? You two are so close that you’re calling each other by first name now? Then that means you are dating? If that’s true, you should tell us sooner~”

See. I knew it. He came to that conclusion…

“...Rin, you kept it a secret from me?”

“Um…”

Fuji-san stared at Rin.

Rin usually looked dignified and calm, but now panic colored her expression. She glanced at me with teary eyes as if asking me what we should do.

It can’t be helped.

“Hey, aren’t you both misunderstanding something?”

“Huh? Misunderstanding?” “...Misunderstanding?”

“Yeah. It’s not like we’re automatically dating because we call each other by first name, right? That means you’re dating everyone who calls you by your first name.”

“Well, that makes sense. But it’s still strange~”

“Then if we’re going with that, Kenichi is dating me since you’re calling me by my first name.”

“Towa and me…? Ugh… Impossible.”

“...Tokiwagi-kun is my rival in love. What an unexpected ambush… I lost my guard.”

Hey. Pretending to vomit here is too rude, isn’t it? I won’t deny that I felt disgusted when I imagined it, though…

And Fuji-san. You’re joking, right? Her line of sight towards me had become sharper…

When I glanced at Rin, she put her fingers on her chin and muttered something. The only thing I heard faintly was, “...that’s why his interest…”

Well, I probably didn’t have to know what she was saying. I had a bad feeling.

As I thought about that, Rin approached me before I knew it and tapped my shoulder.

And for some reason, she sat straight with her legs folded underneath with an unprecedentedly serious look. She looked like a wife who blamed her husband for an affair.

“...Towa-kun, can I ask something?”

“Sure. As long as it’s nothing serious, I don’t mind answering a few questions.”

“Then I’ll accept your kind offer…”

Rin closed her eyes, placed her hands on her chest, and took deep breaths.

“Towa-kun, do you… like boys?”

“Ah. You’re awfully direct when asking that, aren’t you?”

“What’s your answer?” “...I’m also curious. Please tell us, Tokiwagi-kun.”

For some reason, Fuji-san also sat in front of me. Did my words worry her that much?

Behind the beautiful girls sitting in front of me was my friend, enjoying the situation with a hateful smile.

Remember this later… Kenichi.

I sighed.

“...I’m not. If you think about it normally, it’s impossible, right?”

“...It’s not impossible. There are rumors.”

“Huh? Rumors?”

I tilted my head and glanced at Kenichi, who was still grinning. However, he also tilted his head, not understanding Fuji-san’s words. Rin probably knew. She had an awkward face.

“Fuji-san, can you tell me about that rumor?”

“...Sure. It’s about ‘the forbidden love between a prince and a servant’...”

“Eh, what’s that?”

‘The forbidden love between a prince and a servant’? What kind of rumor was that…

The prince was probably Kenichi, the handsome guy.

That means…

“Hey, am I the servant?”

“...Yes.”

“In other words, the rumor is about him and me having a relationship?”

Kenichi held his head behind me and muttered, “For real?”

Someone probably spread that rumor because they found it funny.

It’s true that Kenichi always came to talk with me during break.

And I didn’t talk to other guys at all. Even if I do, it’s nothing personal, like passing the print-out to the desk behind me.

That’s why that rumor appeared. They probably had a strange delusion that ‘we had something special’ since I was only close to him.

To be honest, I never really thought about homosexuality…

But could I use this topic to scare Kenichi a bit? Alright——

“Haa… Kenichi. They finally found out about us.”

“......What?”

Kenichi widened his eyes. The other two girls were dumbfounded.

I stood up and approached Kenichi. Then I hugged him. It was so unpleasant even if I did it with a handsome man.

“I’m sorry! It’s because I’m not good at hiding it…”

After that, I dabbed at my eyes and ran into the washroom. Not forgetting to pretend that I was crying, leaking sobs…

“...Kenichi. What is this? No way… You’re really…?”

“No no no!! This is a misunderstanding! Towa, you bastard… He’s framing me!!”

“...Framing? Kenichi… Come here for a moment.”

“W-wait a minute! It hurts! My ears~!!!”

A sad cry echoed in my room.

Fuu. You deserved it.

If Kenichi managed to come back alive, let’s listen to his whines later. For now, I’ll pray for his life.

“Towa-kun?”

“R-Rin…”

I flinched a little at Rin who suddenly appeared next to me.

The washroom was quite small for two people to fit here. Perhaps because of that, Rin’s and my shoulders were touching.

“Was that a lie?”

“Of course.”

“Then, are you interested in boys?”

“I told you I don’t!”

I shook my head in denial. Even so, Rin stared at me with doubt.

I sighed. There’s nothing to doubt, right…

“Do you have any evidence?”

“Evidence? There’s nothing I can prove, though? What should I show to prove it? Only me myself will know this kind of thing the best”

“Then I will check it.”

“What!?”

Rin went behind me, clinged to my back and buried her face there.

I couldn’t see her since she was right behind me, but the reflection in the mirror showed her head.

The soft touch on my back and the warmth different from the summer heat made my head feel like it was burning.

Filled with panic that Kenichi and Fuji-san might catch us in this special situation, my heart throbbed even more. If it got any faster than this, I most likely would die.

Unlike me, who lost my calm, Rin chuckled.

“...Why are you laughing?”

“The heartbeat I heard from your back was so fast that I couldn’t help myself.”

“Tsk. This is normal, isn’t it? I’ll naturally react if you hug me…”

“I was wondering what to do if you didn’t react. This makes me relieved.”

“Don’t be too serious about this… And you don’t have to go this far to check my sexuality, right?”

“It’s not just for checking.”

Not understanding what Rin said, I frowned. “Then… why?”

“It’s because I wanted to do it. Is there any other reason?”

The clear voice I heard from my back answered without hesitation.

Haa. I could only sigh. Did Rin understand what she was doing now?

It’s still good since we were in my apartment. There’s no one watching us…

What if she did this in public… I’d like Rin to think about her influence.

Let’s warn her.

“...You shouldn’t do this to anyone else, okay? Some people will misunderstand…”

“I know. I won’t do this to anyone.”

“Then it’s fine…”

“And Towa-kun… I don’t mind if you’re misunderstanding it, you know?”

“As if I will. And hey, how long will we stay like this? You’ve already checked it, right?”

“No.”

“Eh…”

I sighed and tried to peel Rin off my back. However, she wouldn’t let me go. Her arms only became tighter.

I never knew that this delicate body could have such a power. Maybe she was actually a lot more athletic than me?

...No, that’s impossible. Our specs were too different.

In the end, we stayed like this until Kenichi called us. He crawled it, turning into a zombie.

Well, I managed to change the subject from the first name call. It’s all good now.

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