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

Something Only I Can Do

“Hmm, what should we talk about? I was going to say something, but now I forgot…”

“Then, Mu-kun, please listen to my story!”

“Eh? Oh—sure, of course!”

“Today, we had dessert at home! It’s been a while since we had dessert after dinner.”

“Yeah?”

As I listened, I was a little surprised.
It was the first time she had ever started a conversation on her own.

It might not seem like much, but just that small thing made my chest feel strangely warm.

“My mom said, ‘I got something really expensive for cheap!’ so I got all excited.
But when I saw what it was—it was mango.
I’m not really good with mangoes.”

“Really? That’s surprising! There are so many mango-flavored sweets, though.”

“I’m not good with those either. It’s that sticky, heavy sweetness—I can’t handle it. What about you, Mu-kun?”

“Me? I’m fine with it. But yeah, it’s got that sticky texture—kind of like a banana, right?”

“Exactly! But it’s even sweeter than a banana, almost too much for me.
My mom loves them, though.”

It wasn’t a deep conversation or anything—just small talk.
But even that made me happy. It felt like our relationship had become more relaxed, more comfortable.

“So, Yocchi, what’s your favorite fruit then?”

“Definitely strawberries! And I want to pour lots of condensed milk on them!”

“Ugh, I can’t handle condensed milk! Isn’t it too sweet?
And it’s got that same sticky sweetness, doesn’t it?”

“No way! Condensed milk is totally different!
I could drink it for hydration if I had to!”

“You absolutely could not.”

We went on like that—talking about our favorite fruits, her memories of strawberry picking, and some fruit blogger she liked.
It was silly and pointless, but fun. We chatted until around midnight.

Because of her morning club practice, we always had to end around this time.
We said our usual “Good night,” and that was that for the evening.

The next time I interacted with Sakura-san in real life was a few days later—on Friday that same week.

“Okay, everyone! I’m handing out the candies we got this morning!”

Right after homeroom, one of the girls started passing out individually wrapped candies from a big bag.

That morning, during the all-school assembly, there had been a weird three-grade bingo event.
Our class placed eighth—an extremely mediocre result—but we got a small candy pack each as consolation.

“Did everyone get one?”

I hadn’t.
Since I rarely talked, my presence tended to fade into the background.

People say “the loud ones have all the influence,” and I realized—yeah, that’s actually kind of true.

“Huh? Mukuchi-kun, did you get yours?”

“Ah, no…”

“Here you go. You need to speak up next time, okay?”

…And now I felt like a sulky kid who didn’t get a snack.

That’s not it! I want to talk!
But if I suddenly started chatting a lot, everyone would just stare at me like I’d grown a second head—
or worse, someone might say, “Why’s he suddenly talking so much? That’s creepy.”
Then my already fragile social ranking would plummet to the center of the earth.
That’s why I keep up the “quiet guy” act.

“Haa…”

I let out a sigh—quiet enough that no one would hear—and then noticed Sakura-san.

She looked a little down, too.
When I looked closer, I realized the candies being handed out were mango-flavored.

Oh, right. She told me before that she didn’t like mangoes.

It’s just candy, sure—but still, getting a flavor you hate is a bit disappointing.
And since I happened to know that, I felt like maybe I could help, even just a little.

Most people had already left, so no one would notice me.
I waited until Sakura-san stepped out into the hallway alone, then quietly followed.

“Um, Yo—Sakura-san.”

“Hm? Rokkubara-kun, what’s up?”

That was close!
I almost said “Yocchi”!
The “s” sound had already escaped my lips!

If I ever slipped up and called her by her online name, it’d all be over.
She’d never talk to me again! Focus, man, focus!

“It’s nothing big, but… want to trade your candy for my muscat one?”

And then it hit me.
This is a really weird thing to say.

I mean, chasing after her just to swap candies?
That’s either someone who despises muscat or someone who loves mango like it’s their soulmate.

“Eh…? Um, sure, we can trade—but why?”

“Well, uh… I just noticed you looked a little disappointed when you saw the candy.
So I thought maybe you didn’t like that flavor.
You know, mango isn’t everyone’s thing. I figured maybe you’re one of those people.”

I used what I’d learned from our calls to improvise an excuse.

She might have found it suspicious—but instead, her face suddenly lit up with a warm smile.

“Yeah, you’re right! I’m not a big fan of mango.
Wow, did I really look that obvious? Thanks, Rokkubara-kun! That makes me really happy.”

Oh no—she smiled at me.
And just like that, every part of me felt like it was overheating.

…This feels kind of nice.

Thanks to “Yocchi” telling “Mu-kun” all those little things, I could use that information to help Sakura-san in real life.
It’s something only I could do.

But still… I don’t want to just help her when she’s in trouble.

Someday, I want to be able to talk with her in person—just like we do in our late-night calls.
Maybe, if it’s for that, I can try to speak up more, even at school.

I don’t know exactly how to start, but… the thought made me feel hopeful.

“Then I’ll take the muscat one, okay?
Thanks again! Now I can face club practice with energy!”

She popped the candy into her mouth right away and jogged off toward the school field.

It was originally my candy, so… does that mean this counts as an indirect kiss?

Smiling at my own dumb thought, I slipped the still-warm mango candy into my pocket.