The Silent Me Who Talks on the Phone at Midnight with the Class’s Most Beautiful Honor Student - Chapter 2

During lunch break on the day Sakura picked up my dropped item, I sat alone at my desk, lost in thought.

Not being noticed by anyone—whether I stayed quiet or not—felt convenient, yet lonely.

“Wait, hold on.”

I muttered to myself, scolding the silly thoughts I’d been having.

Calm down, Chihiro Rokuhara. There’s no way that could be true.

Sure, the app showed people in the Kanto region, but what were the odds that the random person I chatted with online would be a girl from my own class? That was far too unlikely—like grabbing a book at the library and accidentally touching your sister’s hand at the same time.

“No way. Absolutely not.”

Wanting to deny the possibility, I listed reasons against it.

First, phone voices aren’t transmitted exactly as they are. I’d once read online that voices get digitally converted, then rebuilt from stored sound patterns. So even if Sakura’s voice resembled Yossy’s, others with similar tones might sound the same through a phone.

And really, “Yossy” as a nickname could fit so many second-year girls. Yoshida, Yoshioka, Yoshika… or it could be completely unrelated to her real name.

So, assuming Sakura was Yossy was simply too naïve.

“Hey, Sakura!”
“What’s up?”

At that moment, I overheard Sakura chatting with classmates.

“I watched the play video you mentioned—only the first part, but it was hilarious!”
“Right? It’s such a mood booster! I’d love to try comedy or a skit like that someday.”

“You should! You’d play funny roles perfectly! What about at the cultural festival with the student council?”
“Maybe, though a lot of them are so serious…”

She sounded cheerful and confident, not like someone who would DM me saying, “I need advice.” Her vibe felt different from the person I’d spoken with last night.

“…Huh?”

After finishing lunch, I noticed two chocolates in my bag. Mom must have added them as dessert.

I unwrapped one and popped it into my mouth. The sweetness and gentle bitterness calmed me down.

Just then, Sakura walked by, pointing at the other chocolate.

“Oh! I love those! Hehe, I even have one on me.”

She pulled out the exact same candy from her skirt pocket.

“You like them too, Rokuhara-kun?”
“Y-yeah.”

I’d just tried one for the first time, but nodded. She smiled.

“Hehe, we’re the same.”

As she left, I remembered—wasn’t this the same new chocolate Yossy mentioned yesterday? The one she said almost sold out, until she convinced her friend to buy ice cream instead?

Could it really be…?

“Hey, Aniki. This is getting awkward.”

A few nights later, I was cooking dinner when my sister Chitose scolded me. She’d been practicing makeup all evening before her shower.

“Why are you always so quiet around me?”
“Well, I thought I shouldn’t interrupt while you were doing makeup.”
“Nope. You just don’t talk to me, makeup or not.”

…She had me there.

“What’s your deal? Do you hate me or something?”
“No, it’s not that. I told you before—since I don’t talk much at school, the habit sticks.”
“That’s what I don’t get.”

She pouted. “You used to talk plenty before.” Shaking her head, her blonde hair bounced wildly.

Alright, maybe I could lighten the mood with a joke.

“What’s this, Chitose? Do you miss chatting with your big brother?”

Her eyes instantly turned cold, glaring like I was something gross.

“Aniki… do you really think talking to you is that fun? You’re way too full of yourself.”
“…Okay, okay, my bad.”

Any harsher words and I might’ve ended up slicing my finger instead of the cabbage I was chopping.