"Um, Yuria-san? You aren't... by any chance... angry, are you?"
"Hah? I'm not angry."
Give me a break. You're obviously furious!
"Anyway! I’m just... curious what kind of conversation leads to talking about S&M play with someone like Rui."
Ah, I see. That was a fair point.
After all, Rui always made sure to maintain a perfectly wholesome image whenever she was around Airi or Yuria.
(In reality, Rui is quite the eccentric. She sends me belly selfies almost every day and tries to manipulate me with lewd selfies...)
As I imagined this, the Imaginary Lewd Rui Kuroki in my head ruthlessly lashed me with a whip.
Guh...
Since it wasn't happening in real life, I had no choice but to endure it through mental playback. Was this how pathetic a virgin's weakness really was?
"Hey, Ryouta. You're thinking about something stupid again, aren't you?"
"Hah? W-What! That’s uncalled for!"
"No, whenever you're thinking about something dirty, you get this creepy, disgusting grin on your face."
Crap... I must have let it show on my face without realizing it.
The look on Yuria's face had been growing increasingly stern for a while now.
Anyway... setting myself aside, it would be a tragedy if I didn't protect Rui's honor.
"L-Listen. That misunderstanding about the S&M play this morning? That was just me jumping to conclusions after she told me to come to school Wednesday morning without explaining what we’d be doing."
"Nobody in their right mind jumps from 'meet me at school' to 'S&M play with Rui.' Nobody."
Her response was so perfectly logical that I couldn't find a single word to say in return.
Well, she was right, but...
"Hey, Ryouta. Are you and Rui hiding something from us?"
"Guh..."
I had managed to keep those kinds of secrets hidden well enough until now, but this was the ultimate crisis.
At this rate, she'd find out that Rui was actually a slightly mean-spirited Perfect Superhuman driven by a desire to win me over by showing off her belly!
What should I do...?
"—Hmph, you still have a long way to go, Ichinose-san."
As I was desperately agonizing over an excuse, Tanaka’s voice drifted back from the seat in front of us.
Tanaka?
"As someone with a profound understanding of Ryouta-kun, I can see right through him."
"Hah? What's that supposed to mean? Then you tell me, Tanaka."
Did Tanaka know? Did she know that Rui was a slightly mean-spirited Perfect Superhuman driven by a desire to win me over by showing off her belly?
"Fufu... Allow me to explain it simply."
If that was the case, this was bad!
"Stop! Tana—"
I tried to stop her before she could activate her "Tanapedia"—one of her long-winded explanations—but it was too late.
"At his core, Ryouta-kun is a Virgin Gloomy Otaku who automatically assumes he’s getting laid the moment a pretty girl invites him anywhere!"
""Hah?""
...Ah, she was just an idiot after all.
"So, you shouldn't expect 'normal' logic from Ryouta-kun, okay?"
"...I-Is that so?"
Tanaka gave her explanation with a smug look, while Yuria looked at me with pure disgust. Meanwhile, Airi was completely absorbed in the Chocobats she had bought in bulk.
"W-Well... that’s pretty much the long and short of it. Don't underestimate the adolescent brain of a virgin, Yuria."
For Rui's sake, I had no choice but to play the role of the pathetic virgin.
I don't think I'm getting laid every time I'm invited somewhere! Probably... maybe.
Well, in the end, Tanaka's bizarre misunderstanding actually saved me... but I was never going to forgive her.
"S-So... does that mean... back when I invited you to the movies... did you..."
"Eh?"
"D-Did you think there was a... chance for us... back then?"
Yuria asked in a whisper, her lips trembling slightly as she tried to hide her bright red cheeks with her hands.
"Eh? Ah, no, well... I-I mean..."
"...I-I see."
"..."
"..."
Yeah, okay. I definitely wasn't going to forgive Tanaka.
Despite the awkward atmosphere, the bus continued its journey toward the Inter-High stadium.