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

An Unexpected Third Person

“Hey, Mukk-san. Is there anyone in your class who doesn’t get along well with others?”

“Ah, yeah… there are. Some people don’t really fit into the group, or they can’t join in on conversations.”

“I see… but do they seem okay with that? Or are they just pretending, like ‘I’m fine being on my own anyway’?”

“I don’t think they’re actually fine… I think some of them do want to be part of the group, but they just miss the right timing to join in.”

“Really? But if that’s the case, couldn’t they just join in? I mean, it might be tough at first, but aren’t they just avoiding it themselves?”

“Millennium-san, give me ten seconds, okay? I’ll be right back.”

I took off my earphones, stepped away from my phone, and flopped down onto my bed, taking a deep breath.

What is this conversation? That hit way too close to home!
If I keep going like this, I’m going to end up with scratches all over my heart!

But well, I’m supposed to be the adult here, right?
Gotta keep up some dignity in front of a middle schooler. Time to pull myself together and respond calmly.

“Sorry, I’m back. So, what happened with your brother?”

“Um, it’s not really about him—it’s kind of about me…”

She hesitated. It was clearly something hard for her to say.
If I rushed her now, she’d probably clam up. So I just stayed quiet and waited.

“It’s just… I worry about my brother a lot. But that worry kind of flips around, and at home, I end up snapping at him.”

“Ah, I get it.”

Not being able to express worry or affection directly—it probably comes with the age.
When I was her age, I used to act rebellious toward my parents too. It’s kind of the same thing.

“So you don’t really mean to insult him or anything, right?”

“Yeah… that’s right.”

Her tone suddenly softened, her voice quieter now.

“My brother’s a really kind person. Even though he’s busy with high school and all, he still looks after me all the time.
Honestly, the reason I’m having fun every day is because of him.”

“I see. You really care about your brother, huh?”

“……!”

Millennium-san’s voice caught in her throat.
I thought she’d deny it right away—say something like, “That’s not true!”—but she didn’t.

“…Yeah.”

She admitted it clearly, without hesitation.

“I love him, and I really respect him. That’s why I want to get along with him… but it’s hard sometimes.”

“I think your brother’s really lucky to have someone who cares about him that much.”

I meant that from the bottom of my heart.
In my case, I was treated like a nuisance and ignored, so… yeah, I hoped her feelings would reach him properly.

“You don’t have to force yourself to be all nice or polite. Just… try to be considerate of him sometimes.
You don’t need fancy words—as long as he can feel that you appreciate him, that’s enough.”

“Hmm, but being considerate is hard…”

“Oh, then how about giving him something?
You don’t have to go out and buy some wrapped gift—just something like, ‘Hey, I bought two of these, so you can have one.’
Like a nice snack or something. I bet he’d be really happy.”

Millennium-san seemed to like that idea. Her voice instantly brightened.

“That’s a great idea! I’ve never given him anything before, so I wanna try it!”

“Yeah, go for it. I’m sure he’ll love it.”

“Hey, hey—what’s a reasonable price for a nice snack? Would something under 150 yen be too cheap?”

“This isn’t a school field trip, you know.”

What were you planning to give him—gummy candy?

“I think around 400 or 500 yen sounds better. Maybe some imported chocolate or something.”

“Got it, yeah. Thanks, Mukk-san!”

Nice. I feel like we’ve gotten closer again.
It’d be great if we could just chat normally next time.

“Okay, then can I ask you something—”

“Ah, sorry! I think I’ll head to bed now!”

Wow. Done with her topic, so she’s off to bed!
Kids these days, huh? Even though she’s only two years younger than me!

“But really, thanks a lot. You helped me tons. I’ll ask for advice again sometime!”

“Oh, uh—yeah, sure. Good night, Millennium-san.”

“’Night—bye-bye!”

The call ended.

Man… every time I plan to chat a lot, it just turns into a counseling session instead.
Still, I did think pretty hard about both their situations, so I’m kind of exhausted.
Maybe I’ll just sleep early tonight…

“…Huh? A DM from Yossy-san?”

When I casually checked SNS again, I saw a message from Yossy-san.

[Mukk-san, I have a little free time! If you’re available, could we talk? Even just for ten minutes?]

“Whoa…”

Any trace of sleepiness vanished instantly.
It made me genuinely happy—how she always reached out honestly, wanting to stay connected even for a short while.

[I’m free! I’ll call you!]

I immediately hit the call button, and she picked up right away.

“Mukk-san, good evening.”

“Good evening! Ah—sorry, I called before waiting for your reply. Was that okay?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

When I talk with Yossy-san, it actually doesn’t feel like I’m talking to Sakura-san.
Since I can’t see her face, and most of our long talks have been as Yossy,
I can separate the two in my mind and just chat naturally.