A Popular Girl Confessed to Me, the Loner—Thinking It Was a Prank, I Tried to Scare Her Off... But She Was Actually Serious. - Chapter 19: Surrounded by Sunshine Girls

It was lunchtime.

I already knew Hiyori wouldn’t be around—she had committee duties today.

She’d said it earlier with that usual innocent smile,

“Sorry, I won’t be around for lunch today~.”

So, I was prepared.

No lunch break spent pushing our desks together and sitting side-by-side.

Just me in the corner of the classroom, unwrapping my lunch box alone—

“Masatooo~! Isn’t it a waste to eat all the way over there by yourself?”

—And then, I was suddenly called out.

From across the classroom came the cheerful voice of Suzu Tachibana.

Blonde half-twin tails, loose socks, a smile that practically defines her—pure gyaru energy.

Beside her sat the easygoing Amane Minamino, smiling gently as always.

And next to her, quietly staring in my direction, was Mei Saeki.

…The entire trio of sunshine girls had assembled.

“…Wait, me?”

Frozen mid-lunch, I looked up, only for Suzu to beam even wider.

“Yeah, you~! Hiyori’s not here today, right? So come sit with us instead!”

Why? Why am I being invited so casually like this?

I was supposed to be the kind of guy who was basically part of the classroom wall—the part with no decorations.

“…No, I’m fine. I can eat on my own—”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! There’s space, right, Amane?”

“Yeah. Masato-kun has this calm, fluffy vibe. It’s relaxing.”

“…”

Mei didn’t say a word, but she silently slid over, clearing a seat for me.

Her expression gave nothing away, but it didn’t feel like she was rejecting me.

(Uh… this is scary. But I seriously can’t say no to this vibe…)

And so, half-resigned—no, totally swept up—I ended up taking the open seat.

***

Eating lunch alongside a gyaru, a soft-spoken girl, and a silent mystery girl—

If this were a manga, there’d definitely be a “Weirdly mismatched lunch group!” banner flashing across the page.

Suzu wasted no time diving into conversation.

“Hey, Masato-kun, your last name’s kinda stiff, you know? Makes you hard to call.”

…What does that even mean? Are gyaru just hardwired to close distance like this?

“…Then use my first name, I guess.”

“Okay! But then you’re banned from calling me Tachibana-san, got it?”

“Uh, right… Then… Suzu-san?”

“‘San’ is off-limits too~!”

“Wait, hold on—”

This was getting tricky.

I only just got used to calling Hiyori by her first name.

Calling other girls by their first names, no honorifics? That feels unbalanced somehow.

“I mean… I only recently started calling my girlfriend by her name, you know?

So, going straight to calling other girls by theirs just feels… weird.”

Hearing that, Suzu’s eyes lit up, and her energy exploded.

“Whaaat!? Masato-kun, that’s way too cute! Oh my god, this is pure youth~!”

“Okay, fine—then you can call me Suzu-san~♡” she added in a sudden cutesy voice.

Amane raised her hand and chimed in with a giggle.

“Then me too! Call me Amane-san, okay~?”

“And I’ll be… just Mei.”

“Wait, you were listening this whole time?!”

I couldn’t help blurting out at the sudden “just call me by my name” declaration from Mei Saeki.

“…Too loud.”

She shot back blankly. What’s her deal?

Still, the atmosphere didn’t feel tense at all. If anything—

(This vibe… is surprisingly nice…)

“How’s it going with Hiyori? You two all lovey-dovey yet? Bet you are~!”

Suzu grinned and nudged me with the question.

“Nah, we’re not like that.”

“Liar~! Everyone says Hiyori goes full ‘Dere-Hiyori’ mode only when she’s around you.”

“Wait—people talk about that?”

“You have a low voice, Masato-kun. It’s soothing.”

Amane chimed in dreamily. Her voice was so gentle it caught me off guard. Seriously, stop. That’s embarrassing.

“Yeah, we were just saying how Masato-kun is the ‘quiet but kind of nice’ type.”

“What kind of category is that…”

Somehow, I was getting used to Suzu’s casual way of talking.

Amane’s calm, floaty pace didn’t make me feel nervous anymore either.

And as for Mei… she just silently ate her salad, occasionally glancing at me.

For some reason, even that felt oddly comforting.

(…This vibe. It’s way better than I imagined.)

That thought echoed in the back of my mind.

***

As we neared the end of lunch, Suzu twirled her empty juice box and casually said:

“Hey, so—are you free this Sunday?”

“…Huh?”

For a moment, the background noise of the classroom seemed to fade.

“If you’re free, let’s go to a café~! Amane found this awesome place with a great vibe!”

“Wait, you guys are going, right? Just you three—”

“Nope! You’re coming too, Manabe-kun!”

“…”

She just casually dropped a ‘Manabe-kun’, even after we discussed using first names.

Guess it’s a gyaru thing—naming conventions are based on pure vibe.

And now, without missing a beat, she was trying to induct me into the café-going sunshine squad.

Unbelievably, Amane and Mei both nodded in agreement.

“I feel like you’d like chocolate desserts, Masato-kun.”

“…Same.” ← Mei. Rare comment.

Wait… Have they been watching me this whole time?

No way. But also… maybe?

…Not that I mind, actually.

(Café with sunshine girls…?)

Still struggling to believe any of this was real, I mumbled a vague response.

“…I’ll think about it.”

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

The sound of everyday life returning—except today, it felt just a little bit different.

(Lately… it really feels like my world is getting bigger in all sorts of ways.)