The Silent Me Who Talks on the Phone at Midnight with the Class’s Most Beautiful Honor Student - Chapter 1

Episode 3 – Together with My Childhood Friend

“Ah, Chiyu-kun.”

“Oh, Shizuku.”

On the way home, as I was walking toward the bus stop, Murasame Shizuku called out to me. Her short black hair let a bit of her forehead peek through.

“Hey, hey, Chiyu-kun. What’s with the ‘oh’?”
“Sorry, sorry. I was just lost in thought.”
“Thinking about how you can talk more in class, right?”
“As expected, you really know me well.”

She held up a small peace sign at her chest and said, “We’ve been together for eight years, after all.”

With her black hair and glasses, she comes off as plain at first glance, but she’s actually pretty cute. Especially when her kind, drooping eyes crinkle as she smiles it’s healing just to look at.

She always said she wanted to reach 160 cm, but the way her assertive chest stands out makes up for it, at least from a guy’s perspective.

She talks to me more openly than she does with most, but overall, she’s as quiet as she looks. Still, since she’s nice to everyone, my guess is she’s very popular with the shy, introverted guys who don’t know how to make the first move.

Shizuku and I became classmates back in third grade of elementary school—that’s when our friendship started. We stayed together until sixth grade, then from second year of middle school through first year of high school. Honestly, that’s a crazy coincidence.

We’re not in the same class now, but since neither of us joined a club, we sometimes walk home together like this.

“Today, I saw you in the hallway and almost called out.”
“No way. You know the rule no talking at school.”
“Chiyu-kun, you don’t have to hold back so much.”
“No, this is part of my plan to survive peacefully.”

I’d asked her not to talk to me during school, so I could maintain my “quiet character.”

It’s not like I want to keep that image, but come on imagine if people saw me chatting happily with Shizuku at school:

“So he can talk after all? Does that mean he just can’t be bothered with the rest of us?”
“Wait, he only talks to the busty girl? That’s messed up.”
“Why pretend to be silent in class? Think talking to us is a waste of oxygen or something?”

That’s exactly the kind of gossip that would start. Just imagining it is depressing.

So if I ever want to change my character, I have to do it gradually. Shizuku is helping me with that.

“Even now, I’m worried someone might see us talking.”
“Well, almost nobody takes this bus, so we’re fine.”

True. This school’s pretty far from my district, so I have to take a bus and then a train. Hardly anyone from my middle school is here. That’s why I even practiced karaoke to try making new friends.

In that sense, having Shizuku around really helps my sanity. I should be grateful we ended up at the same high school.

“Chiyu-kun, you look down. You okay?”
“Ah, sorry. Just thinking.”
“Don’t mope too much. Let’s go get something sweet again sometime!”

“…Well, if there’s a chance.”
“Geez, you make chances, you don’t wait for them!”

She puffed out one cheek in mock anger.

Back in elementary school, we played together every day. Shizuku used to say, “I love you, Chiyu-kun!” all the time. But now that we’re in high school, we almost never hang out, and we don’t talk at school at all. Things feel a bit more distant.

“Ugh, Chiyu-kun, you should talk more at school. Your voice is cool, you know.”
“Huh? You think so?”
“I do.”

Blushing, she turned her face away. Looking closely, even her ears were red.

“On the phone, your voice drops lower it sounds really cool.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that. My voice goes deeper somehow.”

Most people’s voices get higher on the phone, but mine’s the opposite. Shizuku actually praised me for it not too long ago. My normal voice is nothing special, and when I try to talk at school, nerves make me squeak, so it’s not like I can use it to my advantage there…

“Hey, um… Chiyu-kun…”

When I glanced at her, she was fidgeting, hands clasped in front of her stomach.

“Could you… talk in that phone voice, right by my ear?”
“What kind of request is that…?”

“Come on, we hardly talk on the phone anymore. Just a little, okay? Until the bus comes?”
“…Fine, just once.”
“Yay! Hehe, okay, here.”

Looking delighted, she tilted her head slightly and turned her left ear toward me.

Even though she’s my childhood friend, leaning in this close is embarrassingly awkward. Still, I whispered:

“…Shizuku, you doing okay? Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“…Hehe.”

Out of nowhere, she pressed her cheeks with both hands, standing frozen in place with a blissful expression.

“Haah… Thanks, Chiyu-kun. That totally gave me energy!”
“Why though…”

Well, if it makes her happy, I guess that’s fine. Still, ever since last month, Shizuku’s been asking me for things like this a lot more often.

“Ah, the bus is here. Let’s go home, Chiyu-kun.”
“Yeah. Can’t wait to talk freely at home.”
“You talk that much at home? With Chitose-chan?”
“Eh, well… sometimes…”

The bus, packed full, roared to life with a heavy groan as it carried us away.