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

Episode 7 – A Voice That Sounds So Familiar

“Talking was fun, but I should probably go now. I’ve got morning practice tomorrow.”

“Oh, right. You’ll need some rest then.”

I glanced at the clock—already 12:30 a.m. Almost an hour had passed without me noticing. I wanted to hear more about her club activities, but keeping her up late wouldn’t be fair.

“Thanks, Mukk-san. You’re so easy to talk to. Honestly, I was close to quitting this app after a bad experience with another guy. He started saying things like, ‘I love you,’ or, ‘You must be cute,’ right away. It made me not want to use this anymore.”

“Yikes… yeah, that would turn anyone off.”

Some guys confess after a few minutes, as if this were a dating app. No wonder she’d been wary.

“Um, Mukk-san!” she cut me off before I could end the call. “Could we talk again sometime, if there’s another chance?”

That was exactly what I wanted too. “Of course. Just DM me anytime.”

There was a small intake of breath on her end, then: “Yes! Thank you. When you said you’d be waiting, my heart skipped. Your voice is really amazing. Do you lower it on purpose?”

“Eh? No, this is just how it comes out on calls. It’s not really my natural speaking voice though.”

“I see. Well… it’s very calming.”

“Glad to hear that.”

Her satisfied sigh came through the speaker.

“Good night, Mukk-san.”

“Oh—y-yeah, good night.”

It wasn’t strange, just a simple bedtime farewell, but on this app people usually end with “thanks” or “see you.” Somehow, hearing good night from her felt different.

“Sorry, it’s just… no one’s ever said ‘good night’ to me on here. It startled me a bit.”

“Hehe, then we’re even. You startled me earlier too.”

Her playful laugh made me realize something. “Ah—sorry, I slipped into casual speech.”

“It’s fine! Actually, I’d prefer it. Please, talk to me normally. It makes me happy.”

If she wanted that, I’d go along. “Okay then. Next time, too.”

She gladly agreed. After another round of goodbyes, I hung up and flopped back onto my bed.

“Wow… that was so fun.”

She was easy to talk to, kind, and definitely not using the app for sketchy reasons. But what stuck with me most was the sound of her voice saying good night. It lingered in my head like a couple’s first moments together—though I had no experience to compare it to. Even so, my cheeks still felt hot.

“…But still. Her voice reminded me of someone.”

I let the thought go. Lots of voices sound alike. Better to sleep and shake off the drowsiness.

“Good night, Yoshii-san,” I whispered into the dark, as if she could still hear.

The next day at school, I had a quiet morning. Quiet for me, anyway—everyone else was loud as usual.

“Did you see the Good Game News stream last night? That new console is insane!”
“With that lineup, five-man yen is a steal!”
“No way we’ll get one at launch though, it’s gonna be lottery-only for months!”

Apparently, a new system had been revealed during a live broadcast. I hadn’t seen it—I was making dinner for Chitose at the time.

“Let’s all play together if one of us gets it!”
“Yes! Count me in!”

The classroom buzzed with excitement, but I stayed silent. Nobody expected me to join in, and I kept up the “quiet guy” persona. That was fine. I’d had my fill of conversation last night.

I slipped into the hall toward the vending machines—when suddenly:

“Rokuhara-kun, you dropped something!”

The voice froze me in place. It sounded exactly like Yoshii-san’s.

“Ah, th-thanks…” I turned around—and nearly stopped breathing.

Standing there was Saginuma Sakura.

The student council president. An ace athlete. Smart, sociable, perfect at everything.

And holding out my handkerchief.

“…Huh?”

She tilted her head. “Isn’t this yours, Rokuhara-kun?”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”

Same year. Same class of people I’d never talk to normally.

Her first name was Yoshino.

Yoshii.

…Wait. What?!

“Talking was fun, but I should probably go now. I’ve got morning practice tomorrow.”

“Oh, right. You’ll need some rest then.”

I glanced at the clock—already 12:30 a.m. Almost an hour had passed without me noticing. I wanted to hear more about her club activities, but keeping her up late wouldn’t be fair.

“Thanks, Mukk-san. You’re so easy to talk to. Honestly, I was close to quitting this app after a bad experience with another guy. He started saying things like, ‘I love you,’ or, ‘You must be cute,’ right away. It made me not want to use this anymore.”

“Yikes… yeah, that would turn anyone off.”

Some guys confess after a few minutes, as if this were a dating app. No wonder she’d been wary.

“Um, Mukk-san!” she cut me off before I could end the call. “Could we talk again sometime, if there’s another chance?”

That was exactly what I wanted too. “Of course. Just DM me anytime.”

There was a small intake of breath on her end, then: “Yes! Thank you. When you said you’d be waiting, my heart skipped. Your voice is really amazing. Do you lower it on purpose?”

“Eh? No, this is just how it comes out on calls. It’s not really my natural speaking voice though.”

“I see. Well… it’s very calming.”

“Glad to hear that.”

Her satisfied sigh came through the speaker.

“Good night, Mukk-san.”

“Oh—y-yeah, good night.”

It wasn’t strange, just a simple bedtime farewell, but on this app people usually end with “thanks” or “see you.” Somehow, hearing good night from her felt different.

“Sorry, it’s just… no one’s ever said ‘good night’ to me on here. It startled me a bit.”

“Hehe, then we’re even. You startled me earlier too.”

Her playful laugh made me realize something. “Ah—sorry, I slipped into casual speech.”

“It’s fine! Actually, I’d prefer it. Please, talk to me normally. It makes me happy.”

If she wanted that, I’d go along. “Okay then. Next time, too.”

She gladly agreed. After another round of goodbyes, I hung up and flopped back onto my bed.

“Wow… that was so fun.”

She was easy to talk to, kind, and definitely not using the app for sketchy reasons. But what stuck with me most was the sound of her voice saying good night. It lingered in my head like a couple’s first moments together—though I had no experience to compare it to. Even so, my cheeks still felt hot.

“…But still. Her voice reminded me of someone.”

I let the thought go. Lots of voices sound alike. Better to sleep and shake off the drowsiness.

“Good night, Yoshii-san,” I whispered into the dark, as if she could still hear.

The next day at school, I had a quiet morning. Quiet for me, anyway—everyone else was loud as usual.

“Did you see the Good Game News stream last night? That new console is insane!”
“With that lineup, five-man yen is a steal!”
“No way we’ll get one at launch though, it’s gonna be lottery-only for months!”

Apparently, a new system had been revealed during a live broadcast. I hadn’t seen it—I was making dinner for Chitose at the time.

“Let’s all play together if one of us gets it!”
“Yes! Count me in!”

The classroom buzzed with excitement, but I stayed silent. Nobody expected me to join in, and I kept up the “quiet guy” persona. That was fine. I’d had my fill of conversation last night.

I slipped into the hall toward the vending machines—when suddenly:

“Rokuhara-kun, you dropped something!”

The voice froze me in place. It sounded exactly like Yoshii-san’s.

“Ah, th-thanks…” I turned around—and nearly stopped breathing.

Standing there was Saginuma Sakura.

The student council president. An ace athlete. Smart, sociable, perfect at everything.

And holding out my handkerchief.

“…Huh?”

She tilted her head. “Isn’t this yours, Rokuhara-kun?”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”

Same year. Same class of people I’d never talk to normally.

Her first name was Yoshino.

Yoshii.

…Wait. What?!