Chapter 16

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

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Speaking of things getting rough, it feels like the atmosphere in the class has been a bit tense lately too.

It's not like any major problem has happened, but with such a strong mix of personalities, the classroom ends up being noisy every day.

First of all, the fact that the three “top beauties” of the year—Maaya, Rin, and Shizuno—are all in this class already makes it a center of attention.

Guys from other classes constantly come over to mess around.

Just the other day, someone even had the nerve to confess to Maaya right in the middle of the classroom.

…Unfortunately for him, he got shot down.

Maaya's a dangerous one. She's all soft and airheaded most of the time, but when someone tries to get close to her, she cuts them off without hesitation.

And Rin and Shizuno are just as popular as Maaya.

Rin, with her gyaru-like appearance, is especially popular among the outgoing crowd. She lacks friendliness, but purely in terms of looks, she might be the top.

Shizuno, on the other hand, appeals to a more niche crowd. The kind of people who want to be scolded tend to approach her. Among honor students, she's also admired as someone to look up to.

While the class has these three top beauties, it also happens to have the so-called “three biggest troublemakers.”

If you're perceptive, you've probably already figured it out—two of those three are me and Ryosuke.

…What an embarrassing title.

It's not like we've been rampaging enough to deserve being called “troublemakers,” though.

At the very least, compared to Ryosuke, I'm pretty harmless.

Honestly, whoever decided this class lineup should probably be fired.

And to top it off, the third “troublemaker” is also in this class.

That would be a guy named Koji Ueno, who sits at the very top of the social hierarchy among the popular crowd.

Well, opinions on him are divided.

On the surface, he's a friendly, good-looking guy, and despite it only being two weeks into the new class, he's already gathered a lot of popularity.

Among the outgoing students, he's a central figure, and unlike me or Ryosuke, he's not treated as a problem child.

But some people mockingly call him a “harem guy.”

He's always surrounded by girls.

At first glance, he might just seem like a popular guy, but there are whispers that his methods aren't exactly admirable.

Apparently, he has a strong sense of social hierarchy—he mocks the loners in class for laughs, makes rankings of attractive students, and tries to elevate his own status by dragging others into it.

In short, he has a lot of allies—but just as many enemies.

Personally, I don't care. I doubt I'll ever have anything to do with him anyway…

What does concern me a bit is that Rin belongs to his group.

While the popular crowd chats happily, Rin sits there alone, fiddling with her phone.

At a glance, she looks bored.

Maybe that's just how she is now, but it's very different from the Rin I used to know.

The Rin from back then was lively.

She wasn't exactly honest, but she was cheerful, energetic, and always smiling.

But now, she never smiles.

Since we ended up in the same class, I don't remember seeing her smile even once.

When she's with Maaya, her expression softens a little, but even so, she seems completely different from how she used to be.

…Though I guess I'm not one to talk.

“—Oh yeah, Rin-chan, someone said they saw you walking to school with Kawakami this morning. Is that true?”

Just as I was thinking that, Ueno suddenly brought up my name.

Looks like the fact that we walked to school together partway has already become a rumor.

This is exactly what I wanted to avoid… but what's done is done.

Pretending not to hear, I quietly listened in.

“N-Not really. He just suddenly talked to me, that's all.”

Rin smoothly lied to brush it off.

In reality, it was Maaya who approached me…

But Rin probably knew that telling the truth would only complicate things.

“Rin-chan, don't tell me Kawakami's got his eyes on you?”

“No way…”

“But I heard he's been talking to a bunch of girls lately. Seems like he's after Maaya too. Dude's seriously bad news.”

…If I weren't trying to keep things calm, I'd go beat him up right now for spreading nonsense like that.

But causing trouble isn't an option anymore, so I'll let it slide for today.

“If he does anything to you, tell me, alright? I'll help you out.”

“…O-Okay.”

With a smug look, Ueno reached out and patted Rin on the head.

Rin had a hard-to-read expression on her face.

—And that's the kind of guy Koji Ueno is, always using situations like this to boost his own image.

Whether he does it on purpose or unconsciously, I don't know—but either way, his personality is pretty rotten, which is probably why he's labeled one of the “three troublemakers.”

Not that I have any right to criticize him.

I'm not in a position to judge others, and dealing with someone like that would just be a waste of time.

More importantly…

She really doesn't smile.

Rin, I mean.

It's not just that she doesn't smile—there's something tense about her expression.

Just like back then—

…No, I should stop thinking about it.

Like I keep saying, I'm not in a position to worry about other people right now.