“Huh? I’m the one who’s getting bullied?”
“I mean, I’m the popular girl and you’re like the beta male. As if you’d ever try to bully me.”
I stared at her silently. The look on her face said, “Why are you even asking me this question?” I kinda feel like crying now...
“So? What’d you wanna ask?”
“Why do you look like you’re gonna cry? Oh, right. The question!” She clapped her hands together and then stared at me. “You’re, like...always alone, right?”
“So now you’re just insulting me? You’re starting to annoy me.”
“Ah, sorry! No! I didn’t mean it like that!” She frantically shook her head. “That’s not it. What I meant to ask is... Can you teach me, Yashiro-kun?”
“Teach you?” I repeated.
She nodded and said with determination, “I want you to teach me how to be alone!”
◊◊◊
“Because, like... I have lots of friends, you know?”
“Now it just sounds like you’re bragging.” Not that I was jealous or anything. I couldn’t imagine myself smiling in a group full of extroverts.
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” she said with a self-deprecating smile. “It’s hard to feel like you belong in a big group, you know? I have to watch stupid dramas I don’t even care about just because some popular actor’s in it, and I have to constantly buy new clothes to keep up with the latest trends. It’s expensive!”
“Uh-huh.” I would tell her to just not keep up with trends, but I guess then she wouldn’t be one of the popular kids.
She let out a sigh. “Sometimes I wanna be alone too, you know? But every time I try to be alone, I just don’t know what to do with myself! So I was hoping you’d teach me how to get used to being on my own, since you’re so good at it.”
Was she sure she wasn’t trying to bully me?
“Just do whatever you want when you’re alone. It’s not like you’re bothering anybody.”
“I know, but what do you do when you have an hour or two to yourself?”
“Wander around the bookstore, or study at the library or a study room.”
“What’s fun about that, though?”
Okay, now she was just being rude. When you don’t have many friends, sometimes studying’s the only thing you’ve got.
“Sometimes I go sing karaoke by myself.”
“Oooh, I wanna do that! Teach me!” She was suddenly very interested.
“What do you mean, teach you? Can’t you figure that out yourself? You literally just go to a karaoke place by yourself.”
“Huh? But karaoke’s something you do with a group of friends.” She blinked at me in confusion.
Seriously? We really lived in two different worlds. “There are lots of karaoke places that have private booths for just one person. It’s totally normal. It’s definitely not as tough as going to get ramen with extra garlic by yourself.”
“Maybe, but going to karaoke by yourself makes it seem like you don’t have any friends...”
“That’s a really outdated way of thinking.” Why were popular kids so afraid of being alone? “The people who work there will just think you really like singing, that’s all. Plus, since you don’t get a group discount, sometimes you end up paying more by yourself. They aren’t gonna complain about that.”
“I dunno...”
“It’s true. Stop overthinking it and just go.”
“W-well, will you go with me?” she suddenly asked.
What the heck was she talking about? “Then you wouldn’t be going by yourself.”
“Well, you’re really good at fading into the background, right? So it would basically be like I was alone!”
Maybe she really was trying to pick a fight, treating me like some zero-calorie food.
She pressed her hands together in front of her face. “Please! I’ll pay for you! All you have to do is just stay there, that’s it!”
Oh, she’s paying? Hmm, in that case... I’ll do it. “Just this once.”
“For real?! Thank you!” A happy grin spread across her face as she grabbed my hand and shook it.
Hey, that’s a little too close for comfort. Why did extroverts always invade people’s personal space?
“All right! Let’s go there right now!” She pumped her fist into the air excitedly.
And that was how I got roped into going to a karaoke joint with a girl.
...I just wanna go home.
◊◊◊
“Welcome! How many will there be today?” the karaoke employee asked with a smile.
“Two students for two hours,” Hanamizawa-san said without hesitation. She was definitely an extrovert, speaking to the employee like it was nothing. I bet she came here often with the other cool kids after parties or something, but maybe that was just a stereotype.
“You sure you need me? You could’ve done that on your own.”
“Oh, right. If I were doing this for real, I’d have to do that by myself.”
She’s suddenly started acting weird. “Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Well... I was just wondering if I could’ve talked to her as easily if I’d come alone.”
“You did fine.”
“I know, but maybe it’s because you’re with me. And I feel more confident because I’m not alone. So...” she mumbled.
The employee handed us some menus. “A two-hour student ticket means you can order one drink.”
“Oh, right! I’ll have a ginger ale. How about you, Yashiro-kun?” she asked in a cheerful voice, regaining her composure.
“An iced coffee, please,” I answered after a pause.
“One ginger ale and one iced coffee, coming right up.”
We filled out a form and went to our karaoke room. The instant we walked inside, Hanamizawa-san grabbed the touch panel remote. “Let’s see here...”
Meanwhile, I adjusted the AC and put my textbooks, notebooks, and pencil case on the table.
“Wait, you’re gonna study now?!” Hanamizawa-san screamed at me through the microphone. The skreeeeeeeeeeeech of the feedback hurt my ears.