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

Because I Know About Her Leg

“Because, you know, I said it too, right? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a ‘good night’ for a ‘good night.’”

“Uuuh, that’s so embarrassing…”

Yoshi-san’s voice wavered. Her reaction was so cute that it made me want to tease her a little more.

“Um…”

After a moment of silence, I heard her flustered but gentle voice through the phone.

“G…goodnight, Muku-san.”

Her soft, kind tone melted into my ears and sent a chill through my brain. I was so glad I’d asked her to say it.

“Yeah, thanks.”
“Waaah, I’m so nervous! It’s your fault, Muku-san, I got super nervous!”

“I get it, it’s nerve-wracking, huh?”
“Then don’t make me say it if you know that!”

Though she sounded slightly annoyed, she also seemed happy as she fussed on the other end of the call.

“Then, goodnight, Yoshi-san.”
“Mm… goodnight, Muku-san.”

That slightly different way of saying goodnight was proof that our distance had shortened just a little.

Even after we hung up, I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep. I kept replaying her “goodnight” in my head over and over again, spending a sleepless Friday night.

The following Monday, the first day of the new week, now that I could talk casually with Yoshi-san, I was quietly spending my lunch break in class.

Not because I was in a bad mood or anything—I just happened to be the quiet type.

“Alright…”

After muttering that to myself, I pulled a book from my bag.

This was my “Sorry, I can’t talk, I’m reading a book” strategy—also known as the “Look, being quiet really suits me, right?” strategy. The second name is what I imagine my classmates would say in their heads.

“……”

It was a book of fruit trivia by a fruit blogger that Yoshi-san had told me about during one of our calls. When I’d read their blog, it was surprisingly interesting—it had unique fruit introductions and tips on how to best enjoy each one—so I ended up buying the book.

See, everyone? There’s a real reason I’ve been quiet all this time! I just wanted to read! It’s not that I’m pretending to be mysterious or anything!

Well… okay, maybe I secretly hoped at least one person would say something like, “Hey, Rokuhara-kun, what are you reading? Is it interesting?” But no one came over to talk to me.

At this rate, I was starting to worry that being quiet all the time had made me almost invisible in class.

And of course, the one person I most wanted to notice—Sakura-san—was chatting with other people, so that seemed impossible for now. Honestly, I brought this book today hoping she’d notice it.

“Wait, wait! You went to an insect exhibit on your first date? That’s insane!”
“She said she’d go anywhere I wanted, so…”
“Still! Why would you pick somewhere full of bugs? Is she okay with insects?”
“Nope. Turns out she’s terrified of them. She started crying five minutes in.”
“Oh no! Everyone, this guy’s the worst boyfriend ever!”

…Yeah, I learned within five minutes that noisy classrooms aren’t great for reading. And that story about bugs was way too funny, so I couldn’t even focus on the page.

In the end, I closed the book and went back to being my usual quiet self. “Rokuhara-kun is quiet.” That could honestly be a manga title—though it wouldn’t progress at all since the main character never speaks.

But that’s fine! I have #Tsuwabo! Even if Drop-san and Millennium-san only use me for advice sometimes, at least Yoshi-san and I can always have fun chatting.

“Hey, Sakura-san.”

One of our classmates called out her name.

“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Teacher Koshida from the student council said she has a handout for you—she wants you to come to the staff room.”
“Ah… got it, thanks!”

Between her reply, I noticed Sakura-san glance briefly at her left foot.

Right—Sakura-san had hurt her leg. She might have it taped up, but since she was wearing socks, it wasn’t visible at first glance. Judging by how her track teammate Ogawa-san hadn’t said anything, she probably didn’t know about the injury either.

In that case, someone who did know should help her out.

I waited until Sakura-san stepped into the hallway to head for the staff room, then quickly followed her—just like I had during the candy incident before.

“Sakura-san, I’ll grab the paper from Koshida-sensei for you.”
“Huh? You will?”
“Yeah. I was heading to the staff room anyway for something else.”

That was a lie, of course—but I didn’t want her to feel bad about it.

“Your leg’s hurt, right? I noticed you were limping a little.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, and then she scratched her cheek awkwardly with a sheepish smile.

“Ehehe, I guess the observant ones can tell, huh?”
“You’ve got a competition coming up soon, right? If you push yourself and make it worse, that’d be bad. You should stay here and rest.”

It wasn’t about trying to look cool. What was in my mind was simple and honest—
I just wanted her injury to heal.
I wanted her to be able to give her best in track again.

It wasn’t about wanting to date her or anything—realistically, that’d never happen anyway.

But at the very least, I wanted to be able to talk to her comfortably.
And that’s why, when I have a chance to step forward, I do.