It's Hard for me, an Unremarkable Guy, to Believe that someone as Popular as Hirose-san would be Interested in me. - Chapter 2

I walked toward the station with Hirose-san by my side.

Her smaller strides and slower pace made me realize, Oh, I’m walking with a girl, so I adjusted my steps to match hers, walking slower than usual.

While I could manage to slow my pace, there was no way I could find the courage to be more talkative. So, the two of us walked in complete silence.

Hirose-san had said she wanted to get closer to me, yet here I was, failing to keep a conversation going. Feeling inadequate, I glanced over at her and noticed her ears were slightly red.

Could she be embarrassed about walking with me? I quickly dismissed the idea. No, it’s probably just the cold. As I mulled this over, we reached a quiet, deserted park, and Hirose-san suddenly came to a stop.

“Um… Yoshizawa-kun, do you… have someone you like?”

She looked up at me with an incredibly shy expression, her face resembling that of a girl in love.

For a brief moment, I thought, Could she like me? But I immediately dismissed the notion. After all, it would be absurd for someone as popular as Hirose-san to have feelings for someone as quiet and plain as me. This must just be another one of my naive misunderstandings.

“Oh, uh, no. I don’t have anyone.”

I lied. The truth is, I secretly like Hirose-san, but my feelings are just a hopeless admiration. There’s no way they’d ever be reciprocated, so confessing would only make her uncomfortable.

“I see… no one, huh…”

She lowered her head and fell silent, leaving an awkward tension hanging between us.

(What is this atmosphere? But… she did say she wanted to get closer to me. I should try to keep the conversation going…)

Determined to keep the awkwardness at bay, I decided to ask her a question in return.

“…Do you have someone you like, Hirose-san?”

Her answer came quickly.

“Yes.”

“…Oh, I see. Um, if you’d like, I could help you with advice or something?”

At that moment, I thought maybe she had brought up this topic in such a quiet, secluded place because she wanted to ask for my help. After all, I’m a guy, so I might understand a man’s perspective better than she would. And being the quiet type, I probably seemed like someone who wouldn’t blab her secrets. Maybe this was her way of trying to build enough trust to ask me for advice.

After a brief hesitation, she gathered her courage and began to speak.

“Well… can I ask you something? If a girl you didn’t like confessed to you… what would you do? Would you give it a shot and date her? Or would you turn her down?”

Her question was oddly specific and framed with, if it were you.

“Huh? If it were me? Hmm… That’s hard to imagine, but… I think I’d exchange contact information and start as friends first.”

I gave a noncommittal answer. I couldn’t imagine myself suddenly dating anyone, and rejecting someone outright without getting to know them first felt disrespectful, especially if they genuinely liked me.

But honestly, someone like me giving advice to Hirose-san felt absurd. A girl like her? Any guy would be thrilled to be confessed to by her. In fact, most guys would probably confess first if they thought she liked them.

Of course, that only applies to guys who are confident and outgoing.

While I was lost in these thoughts, Hirose-san spoke again, this time with more resolve.

“T-Then, Yoshizawa-kun! Um… would you… exchange contact information with me? I want us to be… friends.”

Her face turned bright red, and she looked so nervous that she might cry at any moment. Her voice was serious, without even a hint of teasing.

(Wait… does this mean she likes me?!)

For a moment, I couldn’t help but think that. But no, that couldn’t possibly be true.

“Huh? Oh, my contact info? Sure. If you’re okay with someone like me, I’d be happy to—”

Though confused by the unexpected situation, I exchanged contact information with her.

(Ah, I get it. She’s probably practicing how to ask for someone’s contact info. This is just a rehearsal for the person she actually likes.)

I tried my best to calm the excitement bubbling up inside me. But then—

“Yay! Yoshizawa-kun’s contact info!”

Hirose-san carefully cradled her phone in both hands, her face lighting up with a genuine smile.