[The Weight of a Promise and the Thighs of Panic]
Thighs, I’ve gained weight, I’ve actually gained weight?! Trying to settle my heart, which had been in a state of turmoil because of someone, I returned to my seat only to find guys waiting for me out of the blue. They were the three male classmates who always yapped about "which girl would be good to date." Their notable characteristics were that none of them were popular and they all harbored a longing for erotic things. ...Aren't these the kind of guys who always show up in a rom-com?
"Jun, I've got something to ask you."
"Nothing happened. Move aside."
I said that, sat down, and checked the next period. It was Science; that meant it was time to put on some anime. The teacher only ever looked at the blackboard, so I could get away with wearing earphones during class. As I was fumbling to pull out my earphones, the most active one of the bunch tackled me.
"Wait! You don't even know what we're going to ask!"
I had a pretty good idea, but I supposed I had to listen. Yeah, surely they wouldn't ask something as cliché as what I did with Ruri Mitsune, right?
"You, tell us what happened with Mitsune-san!"
That was exactly what they were going to say. Seriously, try to be a little less predictable. 'And you're loud, too.' The trio crossed their arms, surrounded me, and kept pressing.
...Everything else was fine, but did they think she couldn't hear them just because the person in question had moved to a front seat? She was reading a book, though.
"Jun, tell us!!"
"How'd you do it!"
"Ah, just tell us."
With them pouring out questions all at once, my head started spinning.
"I told you, nothing happened."
I knew they might be curious, but nothing happened. And why were they coming to me instead of going to Ruri in the first place? Ignoring their fuss, I started preparing to watch my anime, but then:
"Ugh... that otaku Jun actually went out and enjoyed a date with Mitsune-san."
"This is a blow to Japan's national prestige."
What date? And before that, was this really a matter of national prestige? I was so dumbfounded that I took the earphones I’d just plugged in back out. I didn't know why they were huddled together interrogating me. It wasn't like Ruri Mitsune had any connection to them, anyway. My heart was already aching because of Suo-senpai; I didn't need a headache on top of it.
"I said nothing happened! Do I need to bet something to prove it?"
Regardless of time or place, if you want to add weight to your words, betting something works well. I wanted to wrap this up quickly, and fortunately, these guys accepted my proposal.
"What do we want you to bet for you to leave us alone?"
"That's obvious."
No, seriously, does it have to go as far as a vow? "Say it." I prepared to give a rough answer. But, I don't know what my usual image is like, but all three of them said it as if they’d been waiting for this...
"Anime."
"Games."
"Bishoujo games and love-comedy anime."
Why on earth were they asking me to bet things like that? "Are you serious?" No, you guys are high schoolers. Bet your mom, or bet your game accounts, or something. Especially the anime—I barely watched it at school. How did you guys even know?
I naturally bet those things on the fact that nothing happened with Ruri Mitsune. Because really, nothing happened. After I said it, everyone started nodding and accepting it.
"...Otaku Jun actually bet all of that."
"Can't be helped. We have to believe him."
"Wait a second, why are you guys reacting like that, you bastards."
I didn't bet my soul or my mom, but the fact that they believed me so easily was making me pretty pissed off. And wait, I'm in the back row, so I'm not visible, right? Were you guys just watching me the whole time during class? Just as my sanity was about to leave the building, whoosh. Ishikawa, who had been watching from afar, jumped in with a bright smile.
"Jun...! I was really worried. So nothing happened?! Keuk! As expected, you're my best friend."
Saying that the moment he appeared, he started to look relieved. He was genuinely happy that nothing happened between me and Ruri. He was radiating such a bright yellow aura that I couldn't even bring myself to say anything. Augh, for the record, I have no interest in Ruri.
"Oh, it's Ishikawa?"
"You were talking to Mitsune-san a lot, how'd you do it!?"
The trio who were glaring at me a moment ago and Ishikawa started chatting and laughing. They were guys who got close to Ishikawa in the original work, too, but it looked like they were trying to become friends at this opportunity. And they had to gather right in front of my seat, of all places.
"Get lost, all of you..."
Thinking what a bizarre day it was, I put my earphones back in. Today was the day the anime I’d been waiting for aired, so I planned to let go of my worries and enjoy it until school ended. Even if I fell into a rom-com, I still had to watch rom-com shows.
Class started, the surroundings finally quieted down, and I tried to focus on the anime, but... ...Why? What is this? Why does someone's face keep popping up while I'm watching the heroine?
Meanwhile. Suo Mitsurugi. Alone at home, in a rage.
"Kyaaaak!!"
In the empty house, Suo repeatedly climbed onto the sofa and jumped back down. A poor cushion was repeatedly crushed and flattened under her feet. Since she was the type to smash even cockroaches with a newspaper, it wasn't that an intruder had come into the house. The problem was a male student she had just exchanged texts with.
Suo, who had run quickly across the wide living room and into her room, buried her face in a pillow. And then, she thought of that name in question. Yamada Jun.
"Haaaa..."
It started with nothing special. The unique points that came from a personality different from other kids felt special, and everything he said was fun. Jun, who was different from the male students she knew, from one to ten. Mitsurugi opened her heart to his kindness and good character. And the proof of that was the LINE exchange. Suo Mitsurugi, who had almost never talked to other men online. If she had to pick one... it was just that time she’d been half-forced to exchange contacts after making a club.
To her, exchanging LINE meant having a true, close best friend. Even if others didn't, Suo, the loner bocchi, had always thought so. But after making such a friend, a problem arose.
'Was I too excited...?'
Mitsurugi had a history of being obsessed with extreme sports she enjoyed alone since she was a child. Because of that, she never had a friend with whom she could normally share hobbies. Especially because of a unique point that appeared when she reached middle school.
— "I pity you guys for not knowing the freedom of the sky..."
"Kyaaaaaak!!"
There was a black history that made her want to kick her blanket just thinking about it. She didn't have a single normal friend. Though she was completely unaware of it herself, she had literally become a rare existence, like a unicorn.
At this point, the reason her tension was unusually high in her conversation with Yamada Jun becomes clear.
'He's the first person I've met who's fun just to talk to, like Otaku-kun.'
Mitsurugi Suo scrolled up to the parts of their conversation that were fun.
"Hehehe... Won't I get punished if I get caught?"
Jun was a different kind of person to Mitsurugi. And perhaps because of that, every morning when Suo woke up, she would send him a message first. 'Otaku-kun likes anime, so... I watched the most popular one, too. I watched some movies... I'm not going to school right now, so...'
Suo, a self-proclaimed loner who thought she and Otaku-kun didn't have much in common. While she was slowly awakening to the taste of subculture and getting closer to Jun, an incident occurred. It was just a moment ago.
What? What, what?? Suddenly, like this, out of the blue, for real? Suo, wondering if the distance between kids these days was like this, tried to send a reply at high speed, but she thought about it herself and recalled. If it was the Otaku-kun she knew, there was no way he would suddenly be like this. First of all, he was more rational than anyone else. He must have been trying to say something and then stopped. As proof, since this text arrived, Jun had been repeatedly typing something and then stopping.
Mitsurugi Suo, who guessed the situation, naturally tried to answer first. Well, if she had done it like usual, it would have been enough. There was no way Otaku-kun had confessed. She just had to put in a few cute emojis and ask why he wanted to meet, and everything would have been A-OK, but...!
"Yes, I'd love to...!? Love to!? Kyaaaak!"
She had ended up replying formally without even realizing it. And with words that were completely meaningless, at that! It was a fatal mistake by Mitsurugi, who had a habit of her head going blank when she was flustered since she was a child. Mitsurugi Suo, taking the karma with her whole body. Formal language—it just felt like she was going to die of awkwardness. Even worse, she had sent it while Jun was still typing, so this picture was completed.
Even Suo, who had zero dating experience, could tell. Wasn't that like saying "let's go out"? 'Me? M-me?' She had never thought of him as a man, but suddenly facing this situation, she couldn't control her body. She wanted to hit something. She was also angry that he, a mere otaku, had made her feel so excited and embarrassed.
"Uuuuu..."
However, Suo eventually lifted her head. "...Did he reply?"
Suo was in a state where she couldn't make excuses because she was embarrassed by the reply she had sent without realizing it. What if Jun looked at her and laughed, thinking she was a "virgin"? Because of those various factors, Mitsurugi Suo, her face flushed red, approached the phone she had thrown aside, wriggling. And, nervous about Yamada Jun's next text, she unlocked it.
'Please, if he leaves me on read, I'll die of embarrassment.'
The moment she stretched her neck and checked the reply, Mitsurugi Suo's eyes began to sparkle.
The tension of Suo, who had been twisting her body in embarrassment just a moment ago, melted away. The polite sentences, considerate as only Jun could be, melted Suo's embarrassment. Was he reading a book or something to reply like this? Or was he... an aroma-type person who makes people feel at ease? 'It's nothing much, but he even used an emoticon. What is this, I'm happy!'
Her face, which had been red from embarrassment until just a moment ago, relaxed, and Suo quickly sent a reply.
Good, she naturally brought up the movie talk that otaku supposedly like. Just when Suo was waiting for the next reply with a pounding heart, a fast reply came. Suo, who had brought her face to the screen in a hurry.
"Ah! It's already time for class to start."
Suo was happy that she could understand the conversation she had with Yamada. And her tension began to rise again. "He's a really fun and good person, Ju, Jun is..." Mitsurugi decided to ignore why she stuttered when calling his name. She headed to the closet with her tension still high. Since it was an outing with a friend, she couldn't just go out wearing whatever, like last time. Because of her nature of going out often, she had all kinds of clothes prepared.
'...There's not much.'
Of course, feeling that way was just her own thought. Suo rummaged through white and blue clothes, pushing hangers aside. Then, something caught her eye. A white blouse and short shorts dyed in blue. They were very short shorts. If she went out wearing this, it was obvious that not Otaku-kun, but other men would stare and it would become annoying, but...
'What should I do, should I wear this?'
Why? Her gaze kept going to these clothes. She thought she absolutely didn't see Otaku-kun as a man. But still, considering the weather. That day... it would be hot, so maybe it would be okay to wear this...
"I'm just wearing it because it'll be hot."
...Swish, zip. Mitsurugi Suo put her legs in and went in front of the mirror.
"Huh?!"
Saying "Huh?!", she let out a single scream.
"Th, thighs, I've ga, gained weight!?"
After putting on the short shorts, she was horrified by the thigh fat that poked out slightly, and she quickly threw the pants off. It took quite a while for the tension of Mitsurugi, who was pounding her thighs with her fists, to subside.
"Ahhh."
The room was a mess, and finally, the realization hit Mitsurugi Suo. She, who had stretched out like seaweed, muttered.
"Ahhhh... what am I doing alone right now."
In the room where she let out a deep sigh, only the sound of the girl tossing and turning in embarrassment echoed for a while.
A new notification sound, completely oblivious, came along with it.
"...... Should I go back to school now?"