Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

Episode 26: Isn’t This Where We Should Say “Nice to Meet You?”

“Please wait.”

The girl’s voice called out just as he was about to quietly slip away behind the male student walking out of the auditorium doors.

…Had he been discovered?

Running away now would undoubtedly leave a bad first impression, considering he’d likely need to interact with her in the future. Besides, it would be too embarrassing.

So he stopped, vigorously rubbing his face to coax his sleep-stiffened cheeks into forming a natural smile before turning around.

“G-good afternoon, Ogiwara-san.”

Seeing his face, she looked somewhat surprised. Then her lips curved into an ambiguous smile that could have been either cold or gentle as she responded calmly.

“So you don’t have communication problems after all, um…”

Starting with that?!

“Ah, you can just call me by my given name.”

His surname was difficult for Japanese people to pronounce.

“Liang-kun, good afternoon.”

The black-haired girl gave him a polite nod.

“Just now…”

“Liang-kun doesn’t talk much in class, right? And with that face of someone who’s clearly overindulged in being a shut-in, I thought you might have social interaction problems.”

I think you’re the one with social interaction problems.

“So, what were you doing here? Does Liang-kun have an interest in prying into others’ privacy?”

The girl’s ink-black pupils narrowed slightly, sharp and cold like thin shards of ice.

“…Ogiwara-san, are you in the habit of speaking harshly to people you don’t know well?”

The novelist put on a serious expression.

Even someone like him who prided himself on his patience would get angry at being insulted by strangers… of course, with the exception of cute beautiful girls.

So he was actually just putting on an act right now.

“I don’t think basic courtesy is necessary for disgusting peeping toms. You were behind that corridor pillar just now, weren’t you? Eavesdropping on my conversation with Miki-kun? How despicable.”

She looked down at him with an air of cold superiority. What would she do next? Pull out her phone to call the police, or deliver a roundhouse kick? Both seemed equally possible.

Come to think of it, that unfortunate rejected guy was called “Miki-kun”… Hmm, noted. He’d have to gather information about that later.

He considered his next excuse carefully.

The safe answer would be “No☆ I was just passing by, I wasn’t eavesdropping!” but whether Ogiwara-san would believe it was another matter, and more importantly, it lacked conviction.

“Yes, I apologize. I did hear everything.”

The novelist maintained his serious expression.

“That… Miki-kun was confessing to you just now, right? And even though he was firmly rejected, it seems he hasn’t given up.”

“…So?”

“I was… a bit worried.”

He scratched his cheek, showing an embarrassed expression.

“If he were to do something irrational after being rejected by you… and with no one else around, it could be dangerous for a girl alone, right? I don’t distrust Miki-kun’s character. However, if something were to happen to a classmate when I could have prevented it, I would feel terrible.”

“…”

Ogiwara-san’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Yes! Perfect! To come up with such an ingenious lie in such a short time, I truly am amazing!

The girl’s gaze unconsciously shifted left and right, seemingly weighing the truthfulness of his words.

“I’m sorry.”

After a while, Ogiwara-san bowed deeply, her attitude respectfully apologetic.

“I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

Isn’t showing your chest while apologizing common sense in these situations?! Though with her personality, she’d probably just use a roundhouse kick against any guy making such comments.

“However, I can’t guarantee that this is what Liang-kun was really thinking. But…”

The black-haired girl raised her head. Her expression seemed to have softened somewhat.

“If that really was your intention, I would be happy and regret my earlier rudeness.”

…Unexpectedly frank.

It seemed she wasn’t an unreasonable girl after all.

“By the way, I noticed earlier that you stayed behind that pillar for several minutes. If you had dared to tell such a poor lie as ‘I was just passing by’… I would have dealt with you with a roundhouse kick.”

So you really would!

“It’s fine, no problem.”

The novelist waved his hand dismissively, preparing to turn and leave.

“Ah, right…”

Ogiwara Yayoi called out to him from behind again, as if remembering something.

“There’s going to be a birthday party for our class soon. Liang-kun rarely participates in group activities. Would you like to come this time?”

“…Is it Ogiwara-san’s birthday?”

“No, it’s not mine.”

The girl shook her head.

Her expression seemed a bit strange, but it quickly returned to its original cold demeanor. Almost like an illusion—

“…Never mind. You’ll probably receive an invitation later anyway, since we’re classmates after all.”

She seemed to lose interest in continuing the conversation, walking towards the doors and passing by the novelist without a sideways glance. As always, her slender figure was perfectly straight.

*

“Hmm…”

Sitting cross-legged on his bed with her arms crossed, Miyagi-san swayed her body side to side while appearing to contemplate something troublesome.

“What’s wrong?”

He tried his best to keep his gaze from falling on the area beneath the girl’s skirt, deciding to organize his books and notes instead.

“So to sum it up, Landlord-san was entrusted by a beautiful female teacher, and then got to know a cute girl who’s a school idol, right?”

Aki stared at him with an “Hmm~”

“How annoying, is Landlord-san bragging about his female connections to me?”

“…It’s not quite right to say I ‘got to know’ Ogiwara-san. After all, we’ve been classmates in the same class for a year.”

But thinking about it, when was the last time he spoke with Ogiwara-san before today’s chance conversation?… Unfortunately, he couldn’t remember.

In that case, perhaps it wasn’t wrong to say he “got to know” her.

“That high school girl called Ogiwara-san, her current situation seems pretty bad, right?”

“Can Miyagi-san understand?”

“Do you know that crows have a habit of driving away those who are different?”

She answered with a smile.

“Just because their feathers are a different color, they’ll viciously peck with their beaks. People who have lived in groups since childhood generally have this habit.”

“Moreover, from your description, Ogiwara-san seems more like a swan in distress. There are probably many people who want to soil her originally pure white feathers with dirty mud. Landlord-san, do you want to help that child?”

“No, absolutely not.”

Just ‘watching’ is troublesome enough, please spare me.

“Hehe~ Is that so?”

Miyagi-san seemed to be in a good mood.

“You’ll go to the birthday party, won’t you, Landlord-san? Speaking of parties, they’re great opportunities to greatly expand your social circle.”