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

Wanted to Follow Up

“Yeah, the tournament’s next weekend.”

“I see. Then you really should take it easy and take care of yourself.”

“Yeah… okay, I’ll take your advice. Thanks, Rokuhara-kun.”

“Don’t mention it. Really.”

After saying that, I parted ways with her and hurried to the staff room.

Yeah, it really is nice being able to talk properly through #Tsubowo. It lets me follow up with Sakura like this.

Besides, it feels like I can naturally get closer to her. While others have their chance to close the distance through everyday conversations, for someone quiet like me, this is how I make up for it—using what we talked about on #Tsubowo to bridge that gap.

It might be a little sneaky, but I’ll keep this strategy going. I’ll think of it as my own special privilege to make up for all the times I failed before.

“Excuse me, Mr. Koshiba, Saginuma-san said she had something to do, so I came to pick up the handouts for her.”

“Ah, I see. Then could you pass them to her for me?”

Five minutes later, I was walking back to the classroom, holding a paper listing the next student council meeting’s agenda and the request for the ceremony speech.

As I walked, I remembered when Saginuma spoke at the last morning assembly. That was the one where they handed out mango candies.

“Good morning, everyone! How are you all doing? First-years, you’ve finished your first midterms and are probably starting to get used to high school life by now.

It’s been getting hotter lately, hasn’t it? Please be careful not to get heatstroke! The student council will do what we can to make sure everyone stays healthy and comfortable. Well, depending on the budget, that is! Right, teachers? Please help us out!

And if there’s anything else you’re struggling with, feel free to talk to us anytime and in any way you like. The student council is much closer to you all than you might think. Thank you!”

It was short, funny, full of energy, and still managed to get her message across—a model speech.

Being able to say that in front of the entire school in the gym… that’s something only someone with her charm and confidence could pull off.

Watching her speak so boldly made me realize again that Sakura really is the student council president. In class, she’s smart, cheerful, and athletic—and she represents all the students. She’s incredible.

“Sakura-san, sorry to keep you waiting.”

She was sitting in the classroom, chatting with another girl. I didn’t want to interrupt, and I didn’t want her classmate wondering, “Why is the quiet guy bringing her stuff?” so I waited until their conversation ended.

When she stepped out into the hallway again, I called out to her.

“Sakura-san, here, this is from Mr. Koshiba.”

“Oh, thank you.”

I was about to head back to the classroom when she suddenly called out, “Hey, um…”

“Rokuhara-kun, you’re usually so quiet, but you actually talk quite a bit, huh?”

Oh no! That’s… a dangerously sharp observation!

“Well… yeah, kind of.”

If I told her that I stay quiet on purpose, she might, out of her sense of justice, try to make the class environment more comfortable for me.

That would be awful. It’d be like when teachers in elementary school would say, “Everyone, make sure you include ○○-kun!”—pure humiliation.

So I had to dodge this.

“I’m just not great at talking when there are a lot of people around.”

“I get that. Some people are like that.”

She didn’t tease or pity me—she just accepted it. That broad-minded, gentle reaction was so her.

“Thanks again for helping me out… huh? Wait, why are there so many copies of this handout?”

She tilted her head as she counted the papers in the file.

“Oh, Mr. Koshiba said to make copies if necessary, so I thought it’d be better to have enough for everyone listed. There were five names, so I asked another teacher to help me copy them.”

They were meant for the student council officers, her included.

“If you don’t need the extras, you can just throw them—”

I stopped when I noticed her frozen expression. She was staring straight at me with a look of surprise, maybe even awe.

“You went that far for us… thank you. You’re really kind, Rokuhara-kun. You helped me out back then too, with the mango candy.”

“No, really, it’s nothing. I just happened to notice and wanted to help.”

It wasn’t a big deal at all. I just knew a little bit about her, so I acted on it. Even if I’m kind of cheating by using #Tsubowo…

“I hope your leg gets better soon.”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best to recover. Thanks so much!”

Even after I went back to my seat, she kept looking my way for a while.

It made me really happy, feeling like #Tsubowo had brought me and Sakura a little closer at school too.

Then, a few nights later, I got a message from Yossy. She wanted to talk again.

We’ve been calling each other pretty often lately. At this point, we might as well be a couple, right? I don’t really know how often normal couples talk on the phone, but still…

“Hey, can I be the one to call this time?”

That’s what her DM said. I replied, “Of course!” and immediately saw the read receipt pop up.