The Silent Me Who Talks on the Phone at Midnight with the Class’s Most Beautiful Honor Student - Chapter 3

“Hmm, I see… so maybe I should try inviting him in a different way? Mukk-san, do you have any recommendations?”

“Uh, well, it’s hard to say without knowing much about him… Does he have any hobbies or interests? Like, if he’s into games, you could go to an arcade; if he likes manga, maybe a bookstore or something.”

“Hmm, not really. He doesn’t seem to have any particular hobbies.”

That makes it tricky to figure out how to invite him. I was frowning just like Drop-san when I suddenly heard her voice, sounding a little down.

“I guess it is hard… sorry.”

“…No, wait a sec. Give me a moment to think.”

When someone says that, it just fires me up even more. I may not know anything about this guy, but I do know Drop-san’s feelings for him are real. So I really want to help her somehow.

There’s got to be a good idea somewhere… As I looked around my room, inspiration struck.

“Ah, I’ve got it! Drop-san, what if you went to his house?”

“Eh? His house?”

“You’ve known each other since elementary school, right? Back then, didn’t you hang out at each other’s houses?”

“Yes, I used to go over to his place.”

That’s it! Perfect!

“Then how about saying, ‘Can I come over and hang out sometime, for old times’ sake?’ It’s simple! Going out somewhere costs money, depends on the weather, and takes planning but visiting his house is easy as long as your schedules match.”

“Oh, that’s true! It’s nearby, so I could go anytime!”

Right, if they’ve known each other since elementary school and neither of them has moved, their houses can’t be far apart. Honestly, I thought that was a pretty good idea.

“Thank you, Mukk-san! I’ll try inviting him next time we talk!”

“I hope it goes well.”

“Even if he refuses, I’ll break in if I have to!”

“Please, keep it to just the enthusiasm.”

At this rate, she might actually try it, and that’s what scares me.

“Well then, Drop-san, since your problem’s solved, how about we just chat for a bit?”

“Ah, sure. But not too long, okay?”

Not interested in anything but romance! Totally unwilling to just chat!

“Th-then, just a little. Uh, have you been into any manga lately?”

“Yeah! There’s this one about childhood friends falling in love”

And that was that. Our small talk barely lasted five minutes, and she wrapped it up with a very “leave-it-to-you” kind of goodbye: “Please let me ask for advice again next time!”

“Man, I’m exhausted… and it was such a short call, too.”

We hadn’t even talked for thirty minutes, but it felt like I’d burned a ton of calories.

Friday night was still young, though. So I decided to post again:
[Got some free time, so I’m taking calls again!]

Then, someone new reached out.

[I’m a 3rd-year middle school girl. I just want to talk about stuff if that’s okay!]

A middle schooler, huh…? I wasn’t sure if we’d have much in common, but I wasn’t done talking yet. Might as well give it a try. If things got awkward, I could always say something urgent came up or maybe she’d come up with her own excuse to end it.

That’s one of the nice things about #tsuwabo you can hang up anytime.

I typed out my reply and hit the call button.

“Ah, good evening.”

“Hello? Is this Millennium-san?”

“Yep, that’s me! Nice to meet you, Mukk-san.”

Her voice was unusually high-pitched definitely not her natural tone.

“Mukk-san, your voice is seriously nice! Like, really deep.”

“Oh, uh, it’s not always like this. For some reason, my voice just sounds lower over the phone.”

“I see. Mine always gets higher, for some reason.”

She was super casual right from the start, which startled me a bit. I guess that’s how middle schoolers talk these days.

Still, she seemed like a decent kid. Looked like we could actually have a nice conversation.

“So, Millennium-san, what did you want to talk about tonight?”

“I wanted some advice.”

“Already? That was fast.”

First Drop-san, now her… Seriously, is it okay to spill your heart out to a random guy you just met online?

“Uh, Millennium-san, maybe we should chat a bit first? It’s easier to talk about serious stuff once we know a little about each other.”

“Sure! So, lately I’ve been really into this beauty YouTuber named Cap-san! Her video yesterday was so funny!”

Wow. She really jumped straight into a topic I had zero context for.

But hey, I’ve gotten used to #tsuwabo by now, so I can handle random topics like this.

“Oh yeah? What was so funny about it?”

“Hmm, hard to explain. I’ll just send you the link you should watch it!”

Seriously? That’s not how a conversation works! It’s like she just sidestepped the ball I threw.

“Okay then… So, Millennium-san, do you have any hobbies?”

“Hobbies, huh… I guess just chatting with my friends after school.”

“Ah, that’s nice! Like hanging out at fast food places and stuff? What do you usually talk about?”

“The same thing! About Cap-san! Oh, and she did a livestream the other day—”

And we’d come full circle. The endless Cap-san loop. By the time our small talk ended, I still had no idea who this YouTuber was.

“Well then,” I said, “if you’re ready, I’ll listen to your problem.”

“Thanks! So, I actually have an older brother… but he’s been having a hard time fitting in at school lately.”

“Ugh…”

Crap. I sympathized so hard that I accidentally let out a weird noise.