Dullard Buddy-kun: Heading Reluctantly to School Again Today - Episode 13

Riding off on a stolen bike~♪

Well, I didn’t steal anything at all, though.

The name has been properly and appropriately changed at the government office.

For now, I’m glad that my part-time job ended today without any particular incidents and was quite uneventful.

So, right now, I’m just riding my bike, feeling the night breeze on my way back from my part-time job, heading straight to the gas station.

Thinking about it again, the sense of speed is even more intense than I expected. I don’t dislike this feeling of running at night. It makes me feel somewhat grown-up.

For now, since there was at least a little gas in it when I got it, I’ve been using it as is. But somehow, I feel like I should fill it up more, so today, I’m quietly planning to make my gas station debut.

As I was running while thinking about such things, I finally saw a sign that looked like a gas station.

It looks like a self-service station, but I checked the refueling method online just in case, so it should be fine… probably.

For now, I slowed down and arrived at the fuel lane.

First, remove the fuel cap…

So, the refueling screen…

Huh, this is different from what I expected.

No, calm down. Even if the specifications are different, the fundamentals should be the same…

No, maybe this is it. Is it really correct?

If I made a mistake, it could be gasoline and it could explode…

“What’s wrong?”

Then, from behind, a beautiful voice that seemed to belong to a female employee suddenly came.

Since I was so flustered, did they come out from inside out of pity?

“Uh, sorry. It’s a bit embarrassing, but it’s my first time refueling. I thought I had prepared for it…”

Saying that, when I turned around, sure enough, there was a stylish female shop assistant in a blue uniform and hat.

“Well then, I’ll teach you.”

And saying that, she walks around my bike with a cool expression.

“Excuse me, thank you.”

I’m glad they were a kind person…

No, could it be that I misjudged? Or is it just someone else’s business?

If you look closely, the face of the clerk over there looks incredibly familiar…

That said, we haven’t even talked, and even though I felt like I was being watched a bit the other day, I don’t think they even recognize me…

Those incredibly beautiful, clear eyes, the profile, and that glossy, beautiful long hair are indeed strikingly similar to someone I know.

It might be impossible, but they look too much alike.

Yeah. The class next door.

Shibuya Arisa looks just like her.

Even now, I’m wearing my school uniform, but she doesn’t say anything about it. Judging by her reaction so far, it seems she doesn’t know me and is simply not interested.

In the first place, they don’t seem to be interested in other people at all. Especially someone like me, who is just a nobody among nobodies.

So, for a moment, I felt like my eyes widened, but it was probably just because I was wearing the same school uniform as her, and nothing more or less than that.

For now, she is not particularly friendly, but not unfriendly either; she is just politely teaching me how to refuel as part of her job.

Unlike her carefree image seen at school, she wears her uniform impeccably and appears to be working professionally.

And then, upon closer inspection, the name tag on the chest clearly says “Shibuya.”

Yeah. It’s really him…

Is that it? I don’t really care at all, but do they like bikes or something?

If Shibuya-san rides a motorcycle… then that’s way too cool and way too stylish.

Unlike me, you look too much like a painting.

“Hey, hey, Shibuya-chan, let’s go grab a bite after work today. Also, can you show me how to refuel step by step?”

And then, while I was having such disgusting fantasies alone, I heard another voice from behind me. This time, it was a young man’s voice. And it was the kind of really sleazy voice that I hate…

“Hey, you know, my friend got arrested recently for some stuff, and I’m really pissed off about it. If you keep ignoring me like this, I don’t know what I’ll do either.”

For now, the girl next to me glanced at the man behind me for a moment, but then ignored him. For a moment, I thought she might be a friend of hers, but it seems that’s not the case.

“Hey, big bro. I want to learn how to refuel too, so lend me your girlfriend. Okay? Hey, at least give me a response!! Idiot!!”

Then, for some reason, this time he says that and, worst of all, he grabs my shoulder forcefully from behind.

Yeah. It’s the worst. I don’t want to have anything to do with someone whose friends get arrested, but for some reason, I reflexively turn around at those words.

What….
“Ah…”

Oh no. No, this is seriously bad.

Because behind me, there is a face I know again.

I definitely know. I just don’t know the name.

I don’t know, but that unhealthy-looking, skinny, dark-skinned body with a sun tattoo on the right shoulder. And the blonde hairstyle that doesn’t suit him, along with a nose piercing.

Yeah. This guy, he’s one of the guys I punched at the station the other day when they were messing with me…

If I remember correctly, he was the one who ran away at full speed when I tried to punch him last time…

Oh no.

This reaction. This guy remembers my face too…

In that situation, I couldn’t help but quietly clench my fist.

“Uh, um… s-sorry. I made a mistake…”

Wait, what?

Aren’t you going to retaliate…?

“Um, is she, uh, an acquaintance of yours, big brother?”

Are you… an acquaintance?

I wonder what it is. For now, I gently direct my gaze to her face in response to the question, and there is Shibuya Arisa, eyes wide open, looking at me with an expression I can’t quite understand.

No, I’m the one who wants to widen my eyes…

What is this situation?

Even just meeting Shibuya-san was surprising enough, but encountering someone so strange too is making my head spin a bit. No, it is.

For now, how should I respond to the question from earlier?

First of all, there’s no doubt that we are not friends. And if asked if we are acquaintances, I would say… we are not. However, if I answer “I don’t know her” here, I have a feeling this guy might start bothering her in a strange way again…

In that case…

“W-well, um, I mean, just a little, just a little bit, I know about it unilaterally, I guess…”

Well, if it’s like this, she will probably forgive me.

If I outright say that we know each other here, there’s a chance that tomorrow at school someone might say, “I got recognized as an acquaintance by that loner from the next class,” or something like that.

Yes. This is proper risk management.

“Uh, oh, is that so? I’m sorry about something. I won’t come again. Well then…”

No, what the…

I don’t really understand, but are you going home?

What the heck is going on? The pace is just too fast for my brain to keep up.

In reality, in my eyes, he said that and then got on his bike and rode away from the gas station…

Well, at least I wasn’t weirdly bothered like last time…

What was that all about? That guy…

In the end, you didn’t even put any gas in, did you?

“Eh, the person from earlier… are they an acquaintance?”

When I heard those words and looked next to me again, I saw Shibuya-san, who still had her eyes wide open, not at all like her usual calm self.

“No, I don’t know…”

I know, but I don’t care.

That’s already over. Even if it was self-defense, if things had gone wrong, I could have ended up with the police too…

So I don’t know.

For now, it seems like she’s already finished filling up the gas thanks to her, and all that’s left is probably just to close the fuel cap. I paid by putting money into the machine at the beginning.

So, there’s no longer any need for me to be here.

“Um, thank you for teaching me so many things. Well then…”

At this rate, it’s a one-way ticket home at the speed of sound.

Really, too many things have happened here, and my head is still in a state of confusion.
Anyway, I thanked her, quietly put on my helmet, and left the place…

And then, a few hours later.

As for me, I had encountered the worst possible event and was holding my head in despair at home.

This is really the worst. It’s way too terrible.

It is currently 10:30 PM.

Just a little while ago, since payday is coming up, I was checking my wallet to see how much money I should withdraw next…

Yeah. It’s not there. No matter where I look, my wallet is missing.

Until now, even in the worst-case scenario, it might have been enough to just give up the money that was in there, but now the driver’s license…

It has a lot of personal information like face photos and date of birth, and I just got it.

Moreover, there was also a 30% off coupon for Dokumanaldo exclusively for part-time employees in my wallet…

This is the worst.

I thought there was a high possibility that I might have dropped it at the gas station earlier, so I called just a few minutes ago, but there was no result.

An older-sounding male clerk came out and clearly said there were no lost wallets…

Since I came straight home from there without any detours, the chances of having dropped it somewhere along that road are quite high, but at this hour, it’s too dark to search.

For now, I’m thinking of going out on my bike early tomorrow morning before school to look for it…

This timing is just too much. It’s way too much.

Anyway, tomorrow is my first delivery debut at my part-time job. Well, to be honest, I don’t really care about it being my first time, but according to the shift schedule, I’m the only one who can ride the bike at the time the orders come in tomorrow…

At worst, I might have to ask someone to cover my shift.

In any case, I need the wallet to show up by tomorrow morning, or I’ll be in trouble.

Ah, I’ve never dropped my wallet before, but why does it have to happen now?

Where on earth did I drop it? Me…