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 38: A Person Who Caught My Eye

From Soma’s Point of View —

After school, in front of the art room.

I — Soma Haruto — was wrapped in a level of nervousness I could count on one hand in my entire life.

(Alright, calm down… Just like the Master said: act natural, go slow, don’t rush…)

Muttering that to myself, I took a deep breath in front of the art room door.

The person waiting beyond that door wasn’t just a classmate.

Before I even realized it, I was following her with my eyes. Just hearing her voice made my heart feel lighter. Any day I could walk next to her became brighter, like it had its own spotlight.

That person — Saeki Mei.

I liked her.

That feeling, at least, was rock-solid.

Which is why, just for today, I wanted to walk home with her. Even just a little bit.

“Okay, here goes…”

I opened the door, and there she was, in her usual spot by the window, paintbrush in hand.

“…Hey, Saeki—uh, Mei-chan.”

“…Hm?”

She glanced up and gave a small nod. That alone was enough to make my heart do a somersault.

“Are you almost done for the day?”

“…About five more minutes.”

“I see… Mind if I wait?”

Her eyes widened slightly. Then, slowly, she gave a small nod.

“…Sure.”

That was it. Just that.

But my heart was pounding like a drum.

(Crap… I’m gonna explode…)

— Five minutes later.

“…Done.”

Mei-chan set down her brush and closed her sketchbook.

“Um… wanna walk home together?”

“…Yeah.”

She said yes…!?

But calm down. Calm down. Follow the Master’s teachings.

We started walking side by side. We didn’t talk much, but just walking next to her was enough to make me feel happy.

We left the school building, passed through the gates, and stepped out onto the main street.

During that time, Mei-chan didn’t say a word. But sometimes, she matched her footsteps with mine.

Whether she was being considerate or it was just a habit, I had no idea.

But still—

(We’re together.)

Just that simple fact made me happy.

***

After about five minutes, when we reached the front of a convenience store, Mei-chan suddenly stopped walking.

“…You can stop here.”

“Huh? You’re heading home already?”

“Yeah. There’s something I want to draw today.”

“Ah—okay, okay!”

“Well… see you tomorrow.”

“…Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

Mei-chan gave a small wave and disappeared down a side street next to the store.

Watching her walk away, I couldn’t help but pump my fist in the air.

“Yessss…! She said ‘see you tomorrow’…!!”

Making sure no one was around to witness it, I let out a silent victory cry.

That alone made my heart feel full to bursting.

***

The Next Day

“Master!!”

“Ugh, not again…”

Soma flopped dramatically onto Manabe’s desk and shouted.

“Yesterday… I walked with her… We walked side by side…!”

“…Where did your vocabulary go?”

“It was only for five minutes, but it was a miracle… and she said ‘see you tomorrow’…!”

“…That’s great.”

“Manato-kun, you’re starting to sound like a boyfriend cheering him on,” Hiyori said with a little laugh from beside them.

“Shut up!”

But… just a little.

Really, just a little.

(…He’s trying so hard.)

That thought crossed Manabe’s mind as he watched the boy who had taken another step closer to someone else. Somehow, that sight seemed to shine just a little brighter.

***

From Mei’s Point of View —

The sound of the pencil tip scratching paper was comforting.

That sound alone echoed through the quiet art room.

The sun was slowly setting, casting soft light through the window and across my desk.

I was sketching that light and shadow.

A peaceful, undisturbed moment.

— Or so I thought.

Clack.

“Hey, Mei-chan.”

…He’s here again.

I expected it. I figured he’d come.

But… he showed up sooner than I’d thought, and for some reason, my heart jumped just a little.

“…Yeah.”

Even I was surprised I responded. I hadn’t meant to ignore him or tell him to go away or anything.

But I also didn’t really know how to respond.

“Are you almost done for today?”

“…About five minutes left.”

“I see… Can I wait?”

There it is again. He always lets me choose.

He never barges in. But if I tried to push him away, I could tell he’d be ready to quietly step back. That kind of distance.

He’s loud. Too cheerful. His energy is way too high.

— But somehow, it doesn’t feel wrong.

“…Okay.”

I answered again.

Like my hand moving on its own, my voice came out without thinking.

Then—

I finished sketching, washed my brush, packed up my supplies.

“Um… wanna walk home together?”

We walked side by side.

No special conversation. Sometimes our steps would fall out of sync, but then they’d line up again.

Strangely, the silence didn’t bother me.

This guy’s kind of an idiot, probably.

But he’s surprisingly sensitive. He reads the room.

And even when I don’t say anything, he doesn’t force a reaction.

That part of him — just a little — I thought was nice.

***

We stopped walking in front of the convenience store.

“…You can stop here.”

“Huh? You’re heading home already?”

“Yeah. There’s something I want to draw today.”

“Ah—okay, okay!”

His sudden change in tone almost made me laugh.

“Well… see you tomorrow.”

“…Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

I bet he practiced that line a hundred times.

Thinking that… I found it kind of cute.

***

That night, at my desk—

I opened my sketchbook.

The air from this evening. Our shadows side by side on the pavement. The sound of our footsteps as we walked.

I wanted to express all of that — not in words, but in lines and shapes.

My hand wouldn’t stop.

Just “walking next to someone” — that alone made me want to draw. It had been a long time since I felt like that.

Looking at the finished drawing, I murmured to myself:

“…What a weird guy.”

But not in a bad way.

Loud, but quiet.

Talkative, but knows how to be silent.

It’s not “love.”

But… maybe this is what it means to be “interested” in someone.

Just a little, I started to think so.