Casual Conversation at the Dining Table

As Miyama Saku spoke with his classmates, a brisk set of footsteps sounded at the classroom door.

Ichinose Honami walked in from outside, carrying several documents. There was still a helpless smile on her face from having been ordered around by Teacher Hoshinomiya.

She swept her gaze across the classroom, spotted the girls still gathered together and whispering, then followed their line of sight to Miyama Saku.

"What's going on?" Ichinose set the documents on the teacher's desk and walked a few steps closer, her tone carrying her usual concern. "It's so lively in here. What are you talking about?"

"Ah, Ichinose." Netakura Asako quickly turned around, as if she had found someone who could change the subject.

"Good timing, Ichinose. We just finished talking with Miyama."

"Huh?" Ichinose tilted her head, looking at them before looking at Miyama Saku. "Miyama looks like something's off."

"It's because of the forum." One of the girls explained quietly. "That Beautiful Girl Ranking thing..."

Ichinose froze for a moment, then seemed to recall something and made an expression as though she was holding back a laugh. She quickly suppressed it, lightly coughed, and walked over to Miyama Saku.

"I saw that post too," she said with a gentle smile. "Don't take it too much to heart, Miyama. If it's causing you trouble, we can ask Teacher Hoshinomiya to help deal with it."

Miyama Saku glanced up at her, thinking of how unreliable their homeroom teacher Hoshinomiya was. "I feel like she'd just laugh at me, so forget it."

He paused before adding, "At first, I was only curious why the boys and girls in class were looking at me strangely. And I didn't expect you to have seen that post too, Ichinose."

"It's pretty popular, so it'd be hard not to see it. Honestly, most first-years have probably seen it by now. I'm not sure about the other grades," Ichinose admitted frankly.

"But I think it's less that people mistook you for a girl and more that you really stand out, Miyama. You're very good-looking, and whether it's your long hair or the impression you give off, people can't help looking at you twice."

The girls beside her nodded repeatedly.

Miyama Saku did not respond. He knew Ichinose meant well and was even trying to help him out of an awkward situation, but he had no interest in this sort of thing to begin with, much less in continuing the discussion in the classroom.

"Forget it. I'm going to the cafeteria first." Miyama Saku began tidying his desk, intending to head to the cafeteria afterward.

"Want to come with us? I've already arranged to eat with some other classmates too," Ichinose said naturally.

Miyama Saku did not stop walking, merely turning his head slightly. "If I hang around with a group of girls like you, won't people from other classes be even more likely to mistake me for a girl?"

"It's fine, it's fine. Just once isn't a big deal." Ichinose smiled and naturally followed after him. She waved to the girls beside her to have them go on ahead, then waited for Miyama Saku to finish packing up before leaving the classroom with him.

Ichinose did not bring up the forum again. Instead, she talked about some trivial things she had heard while visiting the staff room, her tone relaxed and natural, as though she were helping distract him. Miyama Saku did not say much, but he did not show any resistance either.

When they reached the cafeteria entrance, Ichinose suddenly said, "The attention on the forum will die down in a few days. Once new posts come out, people won't keep focusing on this anymore."

"I know," Miyama Saku said.

"But before then, someone might come talk to you." Ichinose turned her head and smiled at him. "When that happens, I'll explain it for you."

The cafeteria was already fairly crowded. Ichinose led Miyama Saku to a long table by the window, where several girls had already claimed seats. They all looked up when they saw the two approaching.

"You took so long, Ichinose. Miyama came too?" The speaker was a girl with twin ponytails, her tone filled with undisguised curiosity.

"We ran into each other on the way, so we came together." Ichinose casually pulled out a chair and sat down, then adjusted the angle of the chair beside her for Miyama Saku, as though worried he might feel uncomfortable sitting there.

Miyama Saku said nothing, thanked her, and sat down.

"What are you planning to eat, Miyama?" Another girl leaned forward.

"As long as it's not especially bad, anything is fine. You can recommend something."

"Then I'll order for you." Ichinose stood up and patted his shoulder. "Just sit here. Is a fried chicken set meal okay?"

Miyama Saku looked at her and nodded.

After Ichinose left, the atmosphere around the table fell quiet for a moment.

The girls exchanged looks. In the end, Netakura Asako was the first to speak. "Um... Miyama, about that forum post, none of us thought there was anything bad about it."

"Yeah, yeah." Someone beside her joined in. "And honestly, the girls in our class were talking about it in private. Based on the current voting trend in that ranking, you might even make the top three."

"Wouldn't that just confirm it?" Miyama Saku's voice was not loud, but it carried a hint of helplessness.

The girls paused for a moment, then all laughed.

"That's not what we mean! We're saying Miyama is good-looking, not that you look like a girl!"

"If possible, I'd still like to find whoever made that ranking and have them remove me from it."

"Also, the person who made a ranking like that was definitely a boy."

Netakura Asako blinked. "How do you know, Miyama?"

"Girls wouldn't use that kind of wording."

The girls at the table looked at each other, apparently finding some sense in that. The twin-tailed girl rested her chin on her hand and thought back. "Now that you mention it, the title and content of that post really were... how should I put it? They sounded like something a boy would write."

Miyama Saku did not respond. He simply picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of water. He did not truly care who had posted it. Such posts had always been topics of discussion on school forums. It was him today, but it could be someone else tomorrow. He simply found it troublesome, nothing more.

Before long, Ichinose returned to the table with his lunch tray. The fried chicken set meal was neatly arranged, with an extra small dish of pickles beside it.

"I grabbed these too. The cafeteria's pickles are pretty good." She placed the tray before Miyama Saku, sat down herself, and casually asked as she unwrapped her chopsticks, "What were you talking about?"

"We were guessing who made that post," the twin-tailed girl said.

Ichinose paused for a moment, then revealed a subtle expression. "That person..."

She drew out the last word, as if choosing her phrasing carefully. "I think I might know who it is."

The table instantly fell silent.

"Huh?" Netakura Asako's eyes widened. "You know, Ichinose?"

"I can't say for certain. It's only a guess."

"Earlier, when I was at a café with friends from another class, I happened to hear a male student from Class D nearby talking about the post."

Miyama Saku looked up at her.

Ichinose curved her lips at him. "I didn't say it was him. It's only a guess."

The twin-tailed girl lowered her voice. "Someone from Class D... who?"

"It wouldn't be appropriate to say. There's no solid evidence, after all. But I feel like he might be one of the people behind it?" Ichinose shook her head, her tone gentle but firm enough to discourage further questions.

"And even if you knew who it was, with your personality, Miyama, you wouldn't plan to go settle the score with them, right?"

She looked toward Miyama Saku as if seeking confirmation.

"..." Miyama Saku was silent for a while. He put a piece of fried chicken into his mouth and chewed it, only speaking after swallowing. "That's not necessarily true."

The table went quiet for a moment.

Ichinose's expression visibly froze. Her chopsticks hung in midair, as though she had not expected that answer. She blinked, looking unusually caught off guard. "Huh?"

"Miyama, you're not actually planning to..." Netakura Asako began cautiously.

"I'm kidding."

"I knew it."

After that, everyone began talking about topics girls might discuss, such as whether anyone wanted to visit the shopping street over the weekend and whether the new dessert shop behind the school was any good.

Miyama Saku quietly ate his meal. Whenever someone asked him something, he gave a brief reply, but most of the time, he simply listened.

However, as he lowered his head to pick up some food, he caught sight of two boys nearby repeatedly looking in this direction from the corner of his eye. One of them held a terminal with its screen lit up, vaguely displaying the forum interface.

Miyama Saku withdrew his gaze and continued eating his fried chicken.

The chatter in the cafeteria continued, and the two boys at the neighboring table eventually looked away, seemingly unable to find an opportunity to start a conversation.