Dullard Buddy-kun: Heading Reluctantly to School Again Today - Episode 59

It’s currently Sunday morning.

In the end, I, Mamiya Kento, declined their invitations by saying I had plans.

To begin with, I don’t know how to handle the situation of being alone with a girl on a holiday, and rejecting just one of them feels awkward, or rather, I don’t know how to put it…

Besides… I don’t even know their intentions.

But now that I think about it, neither of them actually said anything about being alone together…

I just assumed that on my own and ended up overthinking things, which makes me feel incredibly embarrassed…

Anyway, I did actually make plans, so I guess my excuse wasn’t entirely a lie.

That’s right. Since I don’t have work today, I’m out for a rare excursion.

Maybe it’s because the biggest event of our school life, the school trip, is over, and I feel a temporary sense of freedom, even if just a little.

I happened to want to watch a movie, so now, after transferring trains, I’m sitting on a bench at the station platform, absentmindedly waiting for the next train to arrive.

I do feel a slight resistance to taking a train in the direction of my school even on a holiday, but I won’t be meeting anyone I know, so there’s no problem.

I could have taken my scooter, but the theater is right by the station. The weather is nice today, and I just wanted to space out while listening to music without thinking about anything, so I chose the train.

Even now, I’m just zoning out, drinking the coffee I bought from a vending machine nearby, but…

Something feels off.

Through my glasses, I see a woman behaving suspiciously…?

She’s petite but slender like a model, wearing large black-rimmed glasses and a stylish newsboy cap.

She’s flusteredly patting herself down and looking around anxiously.

Then, with a pale expression, she quietly walks toward me for some reason.

Ah… Here we go again…

“Excuse me, I lost my wallet… In Japan, what should I do in this situation…?”

I had a bad feeling about this, and as expected, I tend to get approached in these kinds of situations.

To put it in a good way, I have an approachable face.

To put it in a bad way, I probably look like an easy target.

But right in front of me, although she isn’t crying, this woman’s eyes are brimming with tears.

Ignoring her isn’t really an option.

She has a pretty face, but judging from her behavior, she seems like the clumsy type.

Also, judging by her Japanese intonation, is she a foreigner…?

Korean? Chinese? Well, either way, it doesn’t really matter.

But if it’s her wallet… One possibility is—

“Alright, I understand. Which direction was the train you took?”

“That way.”

“Did you have your wallet before you got on the train? Also, if you remember, which car were you in?”

“Yes, I remember buying my ticket, so I had it… I was in the first car, and my wallet is light pink.”

“I see. In that case, follow me for a bit.”

One possibility is that she simply dropped it on her seat and left it behind.

If that’s not the case, then unfortunately, it’ll be out of my hands.

Thinking that, I take her to the station office near the ticket gates.

“Excuse me. This girl may have dropped her wallet in the first car of the last train heading down this way. Could you check for us?”

“Ah, I see. You mean the train that just left here a moment ago?”

“Yes. It should be in the first car, and it’s a light pink wallet.”

I remember my younger sister, Ruruka, once left her backpack on a train, and the station staff helped us the same way.

So, they should check for us.

“I’m sorry for the trouble… Thank you…”

“It’s no problem at all.”

Well, it’s not like we’ve found it yet.

Is she here on a trip or something?

Losing your wallet in a foreign country would definitely make you panic. I can understand why she’d be in this state.

“If you’d like, would you like this? I just won a free drink from the vending machine.”

I don’t know why, but despite it being out of character for me, seeing her so distraught made me offer her the extra bottle of coffee that came out for free.

“Eh? Are you sure? Thank you.”

Well, it was free, so it’s no problem.

But now that I think about it, she reminds me of someone.

Her hairstyle is different, but her overall vibe is a lot like…

Yeah. She really resembles Yamamoto-san.

It’s like taking my classmate, Yamamoto Saya, making her a little more baby-faced, and adding the clumsy trait.

Maybe that’s why, unconsciously, I handed her the coffee.

“Eh? You found it? Got it, understood.”

As I was thinking that, I heard the station staff speaking into a radio. Probably to a crew member on that train.

“Looks like they found a wallet matching the description you gave.”

Oh, good. My guess was right. And I’m glad no one took it.

“Thank you so much! I’m so grateful! You’re so kind!”

Now, suddenly, she’s gone from distraught to beaming as she looks at me.

She’s really expressive. It’s kind of entertaining to watch.

Same age as me? No, maybe a bit younger?

“I’m Yujin. What’s your name? Also, are you a high school student?”

Well, I am a high school student, but…

As for my name…

There’s something I’ve always wanted to say in this kind of situation.

Yes—

“Oh, it’s nothing worth introducing myself over.”

Hah, I said it.

And yet…

“‘Introduce’? Huh?”

…She doesn’t understand what I meant.

Yeah. She didn’t get the meaning of the phrase.

This is really embarrassing… Too embarrassing.

Well, I’ll probably never see her again anyway.

Feeling overwhelmed with embarrassment, I quickly left the scene and headed back to the station platform.

But, well, at least I did a good deed.

It’s not a bad feeling.

So this is what they call a small act of kindness…

Honestly, it feels kind of nice…

…Wait.

I’m gonna be late for the movie.