Why wasn't I the one who got the male lead's script?

The reason may be his weak presence and unremarkable personality, but it is more likely due to the aftereffects of that adolescent syndrome.

So much so that after entering high school, the only person he had private contact with outside of class time was Futaba Rio.

Well, but recently, Xingjian's interpersonal relationships have undergone some subtle changes.

Ever since one of the three famous people in the school, Tomoya Aki, started talking to him, the other party seemed to be consciously absorbing him into his own small circle.

But...

"Huh? You're still trying to get different girls into the club, Tomoya!??"

Eriri Sawamura, like a puppy whose sore spot had been poked, slammed the table with unexpected force, her eyes wide open - causing the glasses on the table to shake slightly and the drinks inside to almost spill out.

"No, no, I'm not that attracted to you... It's simply that you all are the candidates I want, and Kato-san is the one I absolutely cannot change!!"

Aki Tomoya quickly took off his glasses and wiped the sweat from his forehead, his tone extremely sincere - he seemed to have a strong desire to survive.

"Well, of course... Eriri, you and Shiwa-senpai are also special people who are absolutely indispensable to me..."

"Hmm, your excuse just now does sound a lot like the indecisive and incompetent male protagonist in a sadomasochistic novel, Ethics-kun."

Hearing this, Kasumigaoka Utaha gave an ambiguous smile, straightening her curvy figure slightly. She seemed to enjoy this tactic of fanning the flames while simultaneously offering sarcastic remarks.

For the three of them, this should be an indispensable part of their noisy daily life.

The argument had been going on for about an hour and had not ended until almost all the desserts and drinks on the table were finished.

Xingjian, who was holding the bill, just quietly counted the dishes on their table and found that all of them were served. Then he stood aside as if it had nothing to do with him, playing the role of the only background board that no one paid attention to.

Well, the other one is of course Kato Megumi, who is on the edge of the storm - holding the glass and leisurely taking the last sip of the drink.

Aki, Eriri and the other two continued their heated argument as they paid the bill. After placing their plates in the designated area, they continued chatting with each other as they walked out of the store.

As a waiter, Xingjian followed them out of the store and left a professional and polite greeting of "Welcome back next time".

The three of them seemed to be still immersed in their own world and ignored his words.

The black-haired boy looked at the three people in a stalemate and let out a sigh of helplessness.

It's time to get off work now.

He ignored the sharp stares Isshiki cast upon him as he passed by, and went to the dressing room next to the kitchen to change into his regular clothes. When he left, the three Amakis were still standing there, talking, as if they could never finish their conversation.

It was nothing more than girls, games, and other related things. This made Xingjian a little puzzled. Didn't they never have to worry about studying?

“…………Hmm.”

Just as he was carrying his schoolbag and planning to sneak away by himself while being ignored by them.

Standing beside the road was a girl with short black hair, also wearing a school uniform and carrying a schoolbag. The look she gave her made Xingjian stop unconsciously.

Miss Kato Megumi tidied up her schoolbag and met Hoshimi's slightly puzzled gaze.

"Um... this is Kato-san, right? What's going on?"

Of course Xingjian would not forget her name...well, probably.

"No, I just have something to say."

The girl expressed her plan naturally, with a calm and gentle expression.

She pointed at Aki and the other three who were still gathered nearby and completely oblivious to the others. Her expression remained calm, but her tone seemed a little embarrassed - yet it was as if even this little bit of embarrassment did not exist.

"They seemed to be having a great time chatting."

"Ah, indeed."

"I don't feel like I belong [over there]."

"Then come [this way]."

Xingjian agreed disapprovingly, then picked up his schoolbag and started to leave.

It’s on the way anyway.

"........."

What was a little unexpected to him was that after being stunned for a moment, Kato Megumi picked up the schoolbag in her hand, quickened her pace and kept up with him.

"Ah... but it's not strange. Kato's family and mine are indeed in the same direction."

Thinking of this, his originally tense shoulders relaxed unconsciously.

The three people, An Yi, who were gradually left behind by them, seemed not to notice their departure, and continued to chat about topics that only concerned the three of them, as if they had not heard anything.

Turning to Hoshimi and Kato.

The two of them walked side by side for a while, their pace surprisingly in sync, without talking to each other - but the atmosphere seemed to be quite good.

Hoshimi, feeling rather tired from work, was contemplating how to prepare dinner. Meanwhile, Kato was taking in the passing scenery, his expression tranquil and peaceful.

The two people who were not talkative tacitly remained silent all the way, and this situation lasted for about twenty minutes.

"I was invited here by Amami-kun after school today."

But in the end, it was Kato who spoke first in a light tone.

"To be honest, I felt a little flattered at first, so I followed it subconsciously."

To her, it seemed as if she was just explaining an insignificant little thing - although at the moment there seemed to be no need to explain.

"Well, that's certainly true of Tomoya's passionate personality. It's quite embarrassing a lot of the time."

Xingjian nodded with experience, not holding back on his approval.

"And the other two also have different personalities, which makes them quite troublesome in various ways."

"Yes."

Ms. Kato also breathed a sigh of relief—although she still maintained a calm and composed expression.

"I feel like I don't fit in with those three celebrities. After all, people like me really don't have much to offer."

"Me too. We're both on the same page."

Hearing this, Kato fell into a brief silence - then she smiled gently and shook her head.

I don't know what he is denying.

"...But relatively speaking, being with Hoshimi-kun does make me feel more grounded."

"After all, we are different from them. We are just ordinary guys."

----

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He seems to be a tool but actually he is making a fortune quietly (just kidding). Get down from here even if you are green!

Don't bother with the work anymore. If you give me 60 votes this afternoon, I'll give you two more chapters! Go go go! ! !

Aki Tomoya can't predict the future: Chapter 7: NPCs should act together (Part 2)

“…Ah, that’s right.”

Xingjian, who thought of something, raised his eyebrows and turned his head to look at Kato beside him.

"Um, Kato-san."

"Well?"

The short-haired girl looked up in confusion.

"Um...can you smile?"

What's this new "Girl, give me a smile" move?

"...Hoshimi-kun, are you trying to capture my facial expressions like Aki-kun?"

"No, no, I'm just curious. I've never seen you have such big mood swings. If that's not possible, just pretend I never made this request."

"It's not impossible...it's just very ordinary. Hmm...something like this?"

Miss Kato lowered her head and muttered for a while, then raised her head and gave him her usual gentle smile.

It looks ordinary, but if you savor it carefully, you will find that there is a kind of feeling in Kato's smile that makes people feel calm unconsciously.

“…Ah, okay, thank you.”

Xingjian's expression was a little intriguing.

"Why do you suddenly want me to smile?"

"Well, maybe it's because Kato is actually very cute when he smiles."

"Eh……"

The short-haired girl froze at the boy's careless words—but he himself seemed completely unaware of it.

"Even if you say the lines of the male protagonist of a shojo manga, no one's heart will flutter, Hoshimi-kun."

"Haha, I understand, I understand."

"...It's this familiar feeling indeed."

He was thinking about something else.

I always felt that the expression in Kato's every move was very familiar.

Now he finally understood where that sense of familiarity came from.

"...After all, it's a similar feeling looking at myself in the mirror every day."

The expression she just showed was exactly the same as the smile she usually noticed herself smiling.

Why do I have such a coincidental understanding with Kato in such a strange place? Is this a common setting unique to people who are just passers-by?

He was a little confused, but didn't take it too seriously.

Maybe this is just a common characteristic among ordinary people. After all, everyone prefers to face others with a smile.

"—By the way, during this after-school meeting, Aki-kun probably planned to introduce me to the other club members."

This time it was Kato who started the conversation first - is she usually such a talkative person?

"………Um."

Xingjian's eyes turned to the side.

"...Well, I'm a little curious why we're the only ones here."

Miss Kato walked beside the boy at a steady but not too slow pace. Because she was half a head shorter than the boy, she had to raise her head to meet his gaze - even though he was not looking at her.

She omitted the sentence "There are people not here yet", but Xingjian knew what she meant.

"...Maybe Ren knew I was going to work part-time, so he didn't call me."

The boy thought for a moment and then spoke, not knowing whether he was making excuses for himself or others.

"It's the same with Eriri and the others. After all, they're not close to me, so they might not have noticed for a moment. It's not a big deal, and I'm not a big player in this club—so it doesn't matter what happens."

His practice of elevating others by making fun of himself has always been acceptable.

Although for Xingjian, this requires compromise and tolerance when getting along with others, as well as the self-knowledge required to understand oneself.

“…Is that so?”

Hoshimi originally thought that Kato would say something like "You can't look down on yourself like that", but in the end she just kept a calm expression and said these three insignificant words.

"Hoshimi-kun and Aki-kun...are completely different people. They're pretty much the same as me."

Then, the black-haired girl put her hands holding the schoolbag behind her back, raised her head, and looked at the cherry blossom trees on the roadside with gentle eyes, where cherry blossoms were falling from time to time.

She seemed to have just expressed a little sigh, her tone gentle and soft, like a little lamb.

"But I feel like they're the type that can cause trouble for others."

The black-haired boy observed her expression out of the corner of his eye, and finally gave up his little guard and cast his gaze on the cherry tree like her.

"Why did you become friends in a club?"

In her calm eyes, there seemed to be a curiosity that wanted to find out something.

Hmm... maybe one of them is too thick-skinned?

"Well, I'm just asking casually, please don't mind it."

Finally, the short-haired girl stopped in front of a house.