What Should I Do If I, Who Suffers from Social Anxiety, Accidentally Joined a Group of Popular People?

"Ding-dong!"

The bell signaling the end of class rang out, and the students began to stir. Some were busy discussing their plans for the afternoon, while others prepared to head off with friends to their respective club activities.

To clarify, two weeks had passed since the start of the school year. During this time, Chiba Yu had lived a life of simple routine: pretending to listen during class, sleeping through the breaks, and heading straight back to the dormitory the moment school ended—a textbook member of the Homebound Club.

This had resulted in him having very few friends in class. Well, if one had to count, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka would count as one, and Horikita Suzune as half, so he supposed his efforts at making friends were a grand success.

Just as Chiba Yu finished packing his books and prepared to head back as usual, Ayanokoji's voice reached him.

"Um, if you two are heading back, I was hoping you could accompany me somewhere."

???

This caught the attention of both Chiba Yu and Horikita Suzune. Since there was no one else around, he was clearly addressing them.

"What is your objective?"

"Where are we going?"

Two vastly different responses, yet unexpectedly logical in their own right.

"So, this is the place you wanted to bring us to?"

Looking at the coffee placed before him, Chiba Yu felt a bit puzzled, his eyes betraying a hint of confusion.

"Because if I came here alone, wouldn't I look out of place?" As he said this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka scanned the surrounding students, the implication behind his words self-evident.

"Fair point." Looking at the surrounding tables, which were filled almost exclusively with couples or groups of girls, Chiba Yu deeply understood just how lethal this scene was to people like them who suffered from social anxiety.

However, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka didn't strike him as the type of person who would come here just to experience the atmosphere.

Sure enough, not long after the three of them sat down, a familiar figure entered their line of sight.

"Horikita-san! What a coincidence. Oh, Chiba-kun and Ayanokoji-kun are here too."

Kushida Kikyo, currently the most popular person in the class after Hirata.

Seeing her, Chiba Yu realized why Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had uncharacteristically invited them here today; it turned out he had been asked by someone else to do so.

"What a coincidence. Do you three come here often?"

"No, today was just a fluke."

"I see. I..."

"I'm leaving!" While the two were still talking, Horikita Suzune seemed to sense something, stated her intention bluntly, and stood up from her seat.

"Didn't you just get here?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked.

Horikita Suzune merely glanced at Chiba Yu, who was sitting beside her quietly sipping his coffee, and then at Kushida Kikyo, who was looking at her with concern. "Since you already have this guy to keep you company, you don't need me. And now that Kushida is here, there's nothing left for me to do."

Chiba Yu hadn't expected to be dragged into this while he was just sitting there quietly drinking coffee, and he sighed helplessly in his heart.

Following that, after a bit of analysis from Horikita Suzune, Kushida admitted that today's encounter had been pre-arranged, which made Chiba Yu feel bored.

Heh, and here I thought it was something important. Turns out she just wants to 'make friends' with Horikita.

"Horikita-san, please be my friend!" Under the gaze of everyone present, Kushida steeled herself and spoke firmly to Horikita.

"I would prefer it if you didn't bother me. I won't cause any trouble for the class."

Ah, what a heartless statement.

"But, you're always alone. Don't you feel lonely?" Kushida still didn't want to give up.

"I never feel lonely being by myself. It's a waste of time."

A wandering, aloof soul has no need for bonds; those who are solitary do not feel lonely because of it.

After saying these words to Kushida, Horikita grabbed her bag and turned to leave without looking back, ignoring Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's attempts to persuade her otherwise.

Just like that, only the three of them remained. The atmosphere didn't seem particularly good; in fact, one could say it was rather stagnant.

"And what about you, Chiba-kun?"

"Hm? Me?" Chiba Yu was taken aback, clearly not expecting that there would be something involving him next.

"Yes. Actually, I've really wanted to be friends with you, Chiba-kun, but every time class ends, you're either sleeping or leaving immediately after school. I never found the chance."

Only then did Chiba Yu understand why Ayanokoji hadn't just invited Horikita today—he had been waiting for him here as well.

"Sure, why not." Saying this, Chiba Yu took out his mobile terminal and held it out toward Kushida.

"Really?" Kushida put on a very happy expression and eagerly pulled out her own phone.

How hypocritical, he thought. This woman—even though her true self wouldn't be liked by anyone, she still insists on putting on this lovable facade. To be able to endure to this extent, I have to admire her.

Chiba maintained his calm and indifferent expression. After exchanging phone numbers, he didn't linger, picked up his bag, and slowly walked out of the coffee shop, leaving Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Kushida behind.

Where to go next? This was a grave problem Chiba Yu now faced.

He had originally intended to head straight back to the dormitory as usual, but after giving it some thought, he realized that since arriving at the school, aside from his initial trip to the store for daily necessities, he had barely stepped outside. Thus, the energy-saving youth suddenly decided to go for a walk.

But having said that, where should he go?

"Eh? Isn't that Chiba-kun?"

Walking down the street, a group of people headed straight toward Chiba Yu. Following the source of the noise, he saw Hirata, Karuizawa, and Matsushita gathered together, seemingly preparing to head off to some activity.

"Good afternoon."

"Are you heading back, Chiba-kun?" Hirata asked, taking a step forward to stand before me.

"Yeah... something like that." It wasn't a definitive answer, but it didn't seem to be a problem either.

After the greetings were exchanged, I assumed Hirata and the others would let me be, but reality didn't quite align with my expectations.

"We were just about to head to karaoke together. Would you like to join us, Chiba-kun?"

"..." Chiba Yu fell silent. He felt an urge to escape, but he couldn't think of a reason to leave. Just as he was frantically searching for an excuse, Hirata stepped forward once more, looking at him with a gentle smile on his face.

"It's livelier with more people, and besides, you don't have anything going on right now, do you? Consider it a personal request from me, alright?"

Damn it, this man was damnably gentle. What was with this sense of déjà vu, like he was some kind of saintly nice guy?

"Um... but wouldn't that be intruding on you all?" Chiba Yu tilted his head slightly, glancing at Karuizawa and the others standing behind Hirata.

"I don't think anyone would mind."

"...Sigh..."