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 21: I’ll Keep Telling You

Monday morning. In the classroom.

Just like always, Hiyori walked in cheerfully, calling out, “Good morning!”

But for a split second, something about her voice felt… off.

—It was a little stiff.

Just a tiny bit too cheerful, like she was forcing it.

“How was yesterday?”

She sat down next to my desk with a smile and asked.

“It was fun. Pretty normal, really.”

“Yeah? I’m glad.”

The conversation itself was normal.

But for some reason, something about it felt not normal.

***

The day after the café.

I was fidgety through classes, and during lunch break, I suddenly sensed someone approaching and looked up.

“Manabecchi~! Thanks for yesterday~!”

Suzuki waved from the classroom entrance. Amano-san and Mei-san were with her, all smiling naturally.

“Oh… sure. No problem.”

“Let’s go again sometime~! What about a sweets buffet next time?”

“No way… my stomach would die.”

I laughed as I replied, and beside me, Hiyori silently unwrapped her bento.

“Hiyori…?”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Nah… never mind.”

That’s all I said.

But maybe what I should’ve asked was, “Is something wrong?”

***

After school, we walked home side by side.

After leaving the school gate and walking a bit, Hiyori suddenly spoke.

“…Our class really is bright and cheerful, huh? Suzuki and Amano-chan and them… They all accepted you so easily.”

“Yeah…”

“You know, before I realized it, everyone stopped calling you ‘Manabe-kun’ and started calling you ‘Manabecchi’ instead.”

“…Yeah.”

Hiyori was smiling.

But behind that smile, there was the faintest trace of shadow.

“…Sorry I didn’t mention it. But Suzuki and the others talked to me while you were in committee meetings.”

“I know. I gave them my okay, remember?”

“…Yeah.”

“It’s not like it’s a bad thing. But I don’t know how to put it… It just made me a little uneasy. Like… they’re getting to know a version of you that I don’t.”

Her voice… almost sounded like it wanted to say lonely.

“But it’s just me being overconfident, thinking I know everything about you. You’re a good person, Manato. I really do trust you.”

“…Thanks. For trusting me.”

I stopped walking and turned to face her.

“Hiyori.”

“…Yeah?”

“Talking to Suzuki and the others was fun, yeah. But—where I feel most at ease… is when I’m with you.”

“…”

“Honestly, even during the café trip yesterday, I kept thinking, ‘I wish Hiyori were here.’ And just because you weren’t there doesn’t mean I’d do anything shady. I’m not that kind of guy. I’m a coward when it comes to stuff like that.”

Hiyori stared at me.

Gradually, the tension in her eyes began to soften.

“…That was kinda unfairly sweet. You just said something that made me way too happy.”

“It’s not unfair. It’s just the truth.”

“Still, I’m happy.”

She smiled shyly—the smile I was used to seeing from her.

“…I feel silly now, getting all worked up over something like this.”

“Stuff like this matters. If you don’t tell me how you feel, I won’t know.”

“…So, it was okay that I told you?”

“Yeah. It got through to me.”

Before we realized it, the sun had begun to set.

Our shadows stretched out, slowly overlapping.

Not long ago, I was scared of how people looked at me.

But now, I could walk beside her, head held high.

(That’s probably because… you were always there.)

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Just a quiet, honest thought from the heart.

—You’re the one who matters most to me.

And I’ll keep telling you that. As many times as it takes.