Chapter 9

Ah, this guy didn’t even know about me.

The protagonist doesn’t even include characters like me in his field of vision.

That made me feel frustrated, and after that... I got irritated.

“Don’t you know my name? It’s been over a month since the opening ceremony, and you still don’t know the names of your classmates?”

My voice became rough.

I couldn’t control myself. It was as if I was trying to stab Ryuuzaki with my words.

Unable to suppress my frustration, I was about to say things I shouldn’t.

“I know about you, Ryuuzaki Ryuuma, right? You’re pretty good-looking, your grades are decent, you’re a good cook, and you have a lot of friends.”

I know the protagonist is just a main character, and I’m just a minor character.

But, we are classmates. Whether you’re the protagonist or a minor character, you should at least know someone’s name.

We are on equal footing, after all. We are both human beings, and we are both first-year high school students.

At least remember my name. It’s rude to your classmates—usually, I wouldn’t say such things, but I almost did.

I don’t want to start a fight.

But with this guy, I can’t help but say unnecessary things.

I hate Ryuuzaki that much.

But, the one who stopped me—of course, it was her.

“Here!”

As if inserting herself between us.

Despite being shy, she mustered the courage to raise her voice loudly. It was ShimoTsuki, who had been watching me from the side.

She must have noticed that something was off with me.

She stepped in and then firmly pressed something into my hand.

“I’m returning this, okay?”

What she pressed into my hand was the handkerchief I lent her yesterday.

I remembered lending it to her because I saw her drooling when she woke up.

Then, she whispered to me.

“Calm down? If you keep that face, you’ll end up unhappy. Here, I’ll share some of my good feelings with you... See you later, okay?”

After saying that, she returned to her seat.

Watching her back, I clutched the handkerchief and felt a faint warmth from ShimoTsuki. That warmth healed my agitated heart.

Through the handkerchief, it felt as if her kind feelings were flowing into my body.

That’s right. Getting angry won’t solve anything.

Getting mad here won’t produce anything.

“...Uh, what’s going on?”

Ryuuzaki looked confused, looking back and forth between me and ShimoTsuki.

Seeing that face made me feel irritated again, but I took a small breath and regained my composure.

Yeah, it’s okay.

There’s no point in fighting here.

I’m just a minor character, after all. Even if I oppose the protagonist, nothing will change.

So, I’ll just dodge it as usual.

With an ambiguous smile, I’ll act like a minor character... and be part of the background.

That’s fine. The feelings I once had for people I loved won’t be rewarded anyway.

“Yesterday, I lent you a handkerchief. I just got it back, that’s all. Nothing special.”

I said something casual and shrugged.

Then, I slightly intensified my tone.

“I’m Nakayama Koutarou. I’m a member of the same class as Ryuuzaki... I’d be happy if you could remember me.”

I declared that and glared at Ryuuzaki.

At that moment, he finally seemed to recognize my existence.

He glared back at me strongly.

“Ah... I remember. Nice to meet you, Nakayama.”

He said that and returned to his seat. Watching his back, I sighed.

That was close... I almost lost it.

To begin with, getting angry at Ryuuzaki was completely off the mark.

I’m just a loser.

I should be quiet and act like a minor character.

And I almost caused trouble for ShimoTsuki.

I need to thank her later for helping me—