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

It had been a few days since I became certain that the person I’d been talking to at night was my classmate.
June was now in full swing some days brought heavy rain, while others felt like summer was testing how much heat our bodies could handle.

I was still the same quiet guy at school, but inside, I was constantly caught between nervousness and excitement.

“Ogawa, can you tell the track team I’ll be late today?”
“Sure, no problem!”

At lunch break, I heard Sakura’s voice, and my body instantly froze.
Just hearing her talk nearby made my heart race.
Actually, that’s a lie she doesn’t even need to be nearby for that to happen.

“Hey, hey, doesn’t Saginuma have a boyfriend or something?”
“Me? No way! I’m too busy for that. And if I did start dating someone, I’d definitely make him help out with student council work.”
“‘Make him help’? That’s hilarious!”

Even when guys tried to tease her, she always managed to laugh it off with perfect timing.
That was Sakura’s social magic at work.

Then Ogawa, the track girl from before, joined in with a curious sparkle in her eyes.
“But still, Sakura, you’re so popular! There’s gotta be some guy you’re close to, right?”

For a second, Sakura froze then suddenly turned bright red like someone had flipped a switch.
“Um… actually, there’s this guy I sometimes talk to at night. I kinda want to get along with him more…”
“What? Wait, what?! Tell us more!”

Yeah, tell us more I mean, I’m also dying to know!

“Wait, Sakura, you made a guy friend?!”
“Come on, spill it!”

Like koi swarming toward food, her classmates all gathered around, drawn by the scent of romance.
Of course they were interested—it was Sakura’s love story.

As I was quietly eavesdropping, Ogawa noticed me.
“Hey, Muku-kun, you’re curious too, right? Come on, join us!”

Before I knew it, I was nodding and being pulled into the circle.
Now I could hear everything up close.

“W-wait, guys, you don’t all have to be that interested!”
“No way! We’re rooting for you, Sakura! Okay, who’s got a question first?”

Ogawa somehow became the moderator of what had turned into a full-blown press conference.
One girl immediately raised her hand.
It was now officially Q&A time.

“So, how did you two meet?”
“Um… it was kind of by chance. We just started talking sometimes after that.”

“Do you ever meet up in person?”
“Uh, not really… meeting up is kinda hard.”

She fumbled over her words, and someone whispered, “Talking that often with a random guy? That’s pretty close already.”
Honestly, I had to agree the way we’d gotten close so quickly was kind of crazy.

The questions kept coming about that “mysterious guy” (that’s me), but I could tell she was being careful not to reveal too much.
Makes sense if people didn’t know the full story, it could sound a little sketchy, like we’d met through some dating app or something.

“So what do you usually talk about?”
“Just random stuff, really. But he’s really easy to talk to.”

“Oh? So you actually enjoy the calls?”
“Yeah, they’re really fun! He’s such a good listener, and I feel like I can tell him anything. Listening to him is fun too. And also…”

Sakura suddenly stopped.
Everyone leaned closer. “And also…?”

She glanced around nervously, her face turning even redder. Then, as if trying to hide her embarrassment, she looked down.
“I really like his voice, I guess. It’s comforting… and it kind of makes my heart race.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s so sweet!”
“Sakura’s totally in romance mode right now!”
“She’s literally blooming Sakura, get it?!”

Her classmates cheered and teased, but the one person more excited than anyone was me.
My heart wasn’t just pounding it was doing a triple backflip.

Did she just say she gets butterflies when she talks to me?

No, no, calm down. I know what she meant. She just likes the voice, not the person.
She doesn’t even know who I really am.

Still… knowing she feels that way makes me so ridiculously happy.
How am I supposed to stay calm the next time we talk?

And then, as if to pour fuel on the fire, someone shouted:
“If you like his voice and you get along, that’s the perfect combo! Sakura, you should just date him!”

“Ehh?!”

“EHHHH?!”

I screamed that last one in my head.
Hold upwhat?!
Someone, pl ease, let me go vent about this on #Tsuwabo right now!

“No way! I mean, I don’t even know where he lives, and I’ve never dated anyone before…”
“What? Seriously?!”

Her friends gasped, and Sakura nodded shyly.
“Yeah… I guess I’ve never been in a relationship. Maybe I’ve never even had a first love.”
“Wait, really? But you’ve been confessed to before, right?”
“Well, yeah, but I wasn’t really into any of them…”
“Then have you ever confessed to anyone?”
“Ugh, you guys don’t stop, do you?”

She puffed out her cheeks like a hamster.

What the heck how can someone be this cute?
And wait she’s never dated anyone? Never even fallen in love?
She’s like… pure, innocent perfection. Actually, that just makes her even more adorable!

But I needed to get out of there before my heart overheated and exploded from emotional overload.

Then came the question.
“So, Sakura, do you like this guy you talk to?”

Oh no. It’s happening.
I wanted to hear the answer, but I was terrified to.

“L-like him? I don’t know, it’s not like that! I mean, I don’t think it’s love or anything!”
“Hmm? But how can you tell if you’ve never been in love before?”
“Hey, that’s an unfair question!”

She playfully hit the girl’s shoulder.
“Well, I really do like his voice, and it’s super fun talking to him, but…”
“But what? Wanna go on a date or something?”
“It’s not like that yet!”

Flustered, she waved her hands in front of her face to cool down, while the girls around her giggled and cheered her on.

Sakura was just… too cute for this world.