I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

"But I won't tell anyone."

"It's actually okay to tell others..." It's just a little troublesome to dispel the rumors. "Those are basically all fake anyway."

"As your fangirl, I'll just trust you for now~" She patted her chest, still looking very proud. Of course, any normal girl would be more developed than our Miss Rin.

"When did I have a fangirl like you..."

But compared to the development of her breasts, I care more about what she said casually.

"Eh? Isn't that how Ye Hui introduced me when he asked you to come?" This was the first time a puzzled expression appeared on her face since the conversation began.

So I quickly recalled what Ye Hui said when she asked me to talk to her.

"Ah, she just said you were a very interesting person."

It seems that this is really the only description... It seems that Ye Hui doesn't know her very well either.

"Oh, I see." She didn't seem to care about Ye Hui's impression of her. "So what do you think after talking to me?"

"...it's really interesting."

In every sense of the word.

"Yeah~ It feels so good to be praised."

She was so happy just because of my words of affirmation. She is really easy to satisfy.

"Well... if there's nothing else, I won't bother you for now." It was really hard to talk to her. And... her overly optimistic personality really made the conversation feel daunting.

Guys who are too active always give me this feeling.

"Oh~ Go ahead and get busy."

“....” It’s finally over.

"Oh, by the way, Shaji-san." She suddenly called me just as I was about to turn around. "If possible, can you visit my studio?"

"...studio?"

"Yeah, it's a clothing studio I own." Seeing my puzzled expression, she mistakenly assumed I was interested. "You'll be surprised when you see it, and I think you'll like it. How about it? Let's do it for a class activity."

"You'll come, won't you?"

...I should have said no.

"...oh."

But maybe my brain short-circuited and I just agreed to it.

"OK~ Then I'll record the time in my schedule... Is this a day off okay?"

"Whatever, I have plenty of free time."

There is very little time left until the cultural exhibition, and being ordered around like this will probably happen more frequently... Ah, this is indeed the most troublesome day of the year.

Suspicion

"Have you and Feng Rongqing ever had any conversations?"

"No, she just came to me out of the blue and said she wanted to discuss some costumes for an event with you... and she seemed quite interested in you as well."

"Eh... Am I the type of person who easily piques people's interest?" If that were the case, why didn't I feel that way? Although I could vaguely sense that Ye Hui and she were not familiar with each other.

"It's not easy to get interested... but there are some interesting aspects. So it's normal for someone to be interested in you."

"...I don't think so."

"So what did Rong Qing tell you?"

"...about her hobbies and stuff." Although it's a bit of a generalization, that's probably the core of the conversation.

"She does like clothes and things like that. I told you that before, didn't I?"

"...Wait a moment."

After hearing what Ye Hui just said, I suddenly thought of something and couldn't help but want to confirm it again.

"You mean... you told me about her?"

"Yes, she was in the same class with me at that time."

“…Ah.”

So, I do have an impression.

More importantly, I noticed she was deliberately lying. However, I was so distracted that I didn't immediately point it out. During our conversation, she said she'd been in the same class as me, but she should have been in the same class as Ye Hui... While I didn't know why she lied, I felt a sense of agreement. Firstly, I'd never noticed anyone like that had been in my class, and secondly, she roughly recounted what happened between Ling Can and me. So, out of inertia, I simply accepted her words.

Now it seems that she really understands me...but I have no idea what her motive is.

"What's wrong?" Ye Hui couldn't help but ask when he saw me hesitant. "Did you remember something?"

"Oh, I was just sighing." I thought she was just an ordinary girl who liked designing clothes, but now it seems that's not entirely true. "She's really an interesting girl."

This is certainly a thought that comes from the heart.

"Well, she's a great artist, has a lively personality, and is very pretty... All in all, she's a really interesting person."

"..."

Well, let’s not mention other things about Feng Rongqing to Ye Hui for the time being.

Chapter 22: Doubt

So after the second get out of class, I went to the back row of the classroom again, and of course I found Feng Rongqing drawing something on her notebook.

"Oh~ You're already missing me after such a long time? That's not okay. You already have a girlfriend."

As if she'd anticipated my return, she was actually in the mood for a joke. That smile, which seemed quite calm to others, seemed quite sinister to me... Well, I couldn't tell if she had any bad intentions, so perhaps using the term "sinister smile" would be more appropriate.

"Actually, I just want to understand one thing."

Of course, I wouldn't pay any attention to her provocations. If I did, I'd be falling into her rhythm, so being direct and straightforward about my intentions was the best option.

"Yes, please go ahead~"

"...Before I explain the problem, I want to confirm whether you will lie to me again."

"...Well, I can only leave it to you to judge for yourself."

Come to think of it, someone who can lie to classmates without batting an eyelid wouldn't be so honest at crucial moments. Wait, why do I feel like I'm being a little bit affected?

"Well, that doesn't matter." He sighed slightly. "You're not the kind of person who takes pleasure in other people's suffering, are you?"

She was stunned for a moment when she heard my question.

"Oh... I thought you were going to ask something more important. If that's the case, I won't be interested in telling lies anymore." She seemed disappointed. "I'm not that kind of person. After all, designing clothes is all about making people feel good. If I had such a twisted personality, why would I do something so contrary to my character?"

"..." Although it sounds reasonable, I still remain a little skeptical to be on the safe side.

"Then why did you tell me that you were in the same class with me?"

"That's your second question... Well, I'm not the kind of person who takes things too seriously. So I'll definitely answer any questions you ask if I want to." She seemed to enjoy talking to herself. "As for saying I was in the same class with you, that's because I wanted to."

"...That's not really an answer."

"That's an answer, of course it is. I thought you wouldn't notice it, so I did it. And that's exactly what happened. You only realized it now and came to ask me why I did it."

"...You mean you're playing a prank?"

"Is this a prank? Now that you put it that way, it certainly seems like it." She then revealed a cheerful expression, "But I don't mean any harm."

"I originally thought you really had no ill intentions...but the fact that you brought it up like this actually makes me feel a little uneasy." And how on earth did she know about me?

"Hmm... If you really have doubts about me, we can talk about it in detail another time."

It seems that she didn't tell me the whole truth.

"No need to find time." In this case, it's better to solve the problem as soon as possible. "There's no need to wait until this weekend. Why not go after school today?"

"...I didn't expect you to be such an impatient person. But I have no objection. It's really good to save the waiting time." She accepted my suggestion very readily.

"..."

what is going on.

If she'd already been interested in me, why did she have to wait until now to contact me? If she said there wasn't some hidden agenda, I wouldn't believe it at all... but what kind of a stir could a high school student cause? Subconsciously, I didn't want to be on my guard against her, which was a conflicting feeling.

..........

If I think about it, Feng Rongqing is probably someone who has clearly defined her goals. Everything she does now is laying the foundation for her future—whether it's painting, designing and making clothes, or reading those fashion magazines buried under her reference books. In comparison, I'm probably the type who spends every day doing meaningless things, completely unworthy of attention.

"It's within ten minutes, really punctual." She put her phone back into her school uniform pocket as soon as she saw me step out of the teaching building. "But is it really okay with the club?"

"The next thing is to let the actors find their own feelings, and the seniors are also here... so it won't be a problem."

"Oh." She nodded, "But I'm asking about another club."

"...What?"

"It's the club you, Yehui, and that young lady belong to. Did you explain to them about leaving?"

It wasn't a secret that Linquanchuan, Yehui, and I were in the same club, so it was normal for everyone in the class to know about it. But there was something else in this guy's tone that made me feel like there was something else going on.

"...I already told them today."

"Is that so~" She didn't hesitate too much. "Rather than that, could you buy me something to drink?"

"...How could someone take the initiative to bring up something like this..."

Although we are classmates, we are not very familiar with each other.

"Ah, sorry, I'm the type who says whatever comes to mind." She closed her left eye and stuck out her tongue, smiling. "But it's not an unreasonable request, is it—"

"...Well...I can."

This kind of personality isn't new to me... I have a guy like that right next to me. Ye Jin, yes. She almost always pesters me to treat her to a meal, as if the money I have is all windblown.

"Oh, that's great." She suddenly changed the subject again, "I'm a little hungry, so why not treat me to dinner as well?"

"..."

It's really like whatever you think of comes true.

"Even if we're classmates... you wouldn't just ask for a treat right away, right?" But... since I'm a kind person, "Well, as long as they don't order something too expensive, it's fine."

"I knew you would answer like this—"

"I'm curious how you knew I would agree to it."

"Would you say 'no' to a cute girl like me?"

In reality, it is not ordinary people who can say such words.

"I don't know where you get the confidence to say something like that..."

But if you look closely, this girl is actually quite cute. It would be even better if she was pestering another guy instead of me. I really can't handle girls like that. I just want to be left alone in peace...

"If you meet other classmates, will you let them ask you to cough like this?"

"Of course not. People will hate you."

At this time, he gave a very normal answer.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll hate you..."

"You wouldn't hate someone like me." She seemed very confident about this. "Because subconsciously, the more special someone is compared to ordinary people, the more you want to get close to them. Isn't that right?"

"of course not..."

However, as soon as I said this answer, I realized that almost none of the people I know can be called normal... Perhaps the only one who is relatively close to normal is Liu Yan.

"It doesn't matter if you deny it. I've already determined that." She didn't care about my answer at all. "And I just happen to have the same personality as you... I completely despise those ordinary guys. So you're the one who piques my interest."

"..."

While listening to her confession, I was also thinking about something else. It just occurred to me after hearing what she said. Since I couldn't come up with a good answer right away, I took the opportunity to ask her the question instead.

"Well then, Rongqing-san."

"Hmm? Is there something wrong, Shaji-kun~"

“Do completely ordinary people really exist in this world?”