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

At lunch break, I sat quietly, thinking about the strange coincidence. Sakura had picked up my lost item, but what if she was also Yossy, the girl I’d been talking to online?

“No way,” I muttered. The thought felt unrealistic.

The chat app only showed people from the Kanto region, but meeting someone from the exact same class was too much of a coincidence. Voices on the phone don’t sound exactly the same either—they get processed. So maybe Sakura’s voice just resembled Yossy’s.

Besides, “Yossy” could be anyone—Yoshida, Yoshioka, or even a nickname not tied to her real name.

At that moment, Sakura’s cheerful voice broke my thoughts. She was chatting with friends about a comedy video. She laughed brightly, saying she’d love to try acting in a play. Her classmates encouraged her, saying she’d be perfect.

She sounded so confident and outgoing. Totally different from the Yossy who had asked me for advice late at night.

Later, while eating lunch, I found two chocolates in my bag. I unwrapped one and enjoyed its sweet-bitter taste. Then Sakura walked by and pointed at the other chocolate.

“Oh! I love those! I even have one right here.”

She pulled the same candy from her pocket and smiled.

“You like them too, Rokuhara-kun?”
“…Yeah.”

Her smile was warm, and I remembered—Yossy had also mentioned that very chocolate yesterday. Could it really be…?

That evening, at home, my sister Chitose complained while I was making dinner.

“Aniki, why are you always so quiet around me?”
“I didn’t want to bother you while you were doing makeup,” I said.

She crossed her arms. “It’s not just that. You don’t talk to me at all.”

I tried to explain. “I don’t talk much at school, so it carries over.”

But she wasn’t satisfied. “You used to talk more before. What changed?”

Her blonde hair swayed as she shook her head. I sighed and tried to tease her.

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

Her eyes went sharp, glaring like ice.

“Do you really think talking to you is that fun? You’re full of yourself, Aniki.”

“…Sorry.”

The air felt heavier. If I joked further, I might have ended up cutting myself along with the cabbage I was chopping.