The Pain of an Inferior: A Blistering Love Comedy That Begins After a Broken Heart - Chapter 21

“Good morning, Haru-kun”

When Haruka leaves the house in the morning, Miyako greets him in the same way she always does.

“Mornin’”

Shun is the last to join, and they head off to school.

The morning scene is the same as usual.

The only difference is that Miyako talks to Haruka more than usual.

“Haru-kun, have you bought any new clothes since you entered the school?”

“Yes, I buy new clothes all the time.”

When Haruka goes on a date with Ria or Yuzurika, they usually go to the clothing section. They pick out clothes for each other, and if they like them, they buy them.

Both of them have a great sense of coordination, which always helps Haruka.

“So, are there any VR games that interest you?”

“Well, I’m not really interested in VR games…”

“Haru is not very good at games…”

“Shun and the others are too good!”

At Shun’s comment, Haruka countered with a tone of surprise.

Both Shun and Miyako are top rankers in two major fantasy VRMMO titles. They are both top-ranked in two major fantasy VRMMO games with more than a hundred million concurrent players at any given time.

“……”

Miyako is silent with a sullen look on her face.

Both Haruka and Shun, noticing Miyako’s unusually grumpy attitude, become a little more awkward.

“By the way, Hibiki mentioned a new cake shop in front of the station, should we invite Shinku and the others to go there sometime?”

“…. Why don’t the three of us go there?”

Miyako suggested to go with her childhood friends instead of the school members. This is the kind of thing that Haruka would have jumped to if he had been in love with her before he lost his heart.

Haruka remembers the newly opened cake shop that Riho had told him about, and asked the name to Shun.

“You mean Purgatorio’s?”

“Yes, that’s it. They have good tarts and cheesecakes.”

“I went there the other day. It was really good.”

Stores located in front of the station needed to have a good reputation in order for their business to survive. Remembering Ria’s blissful face as she ate the cake there, Haruka felt that the store was going to be fine in that regard.

Miyako, who’s face had lost it’s expression, peered into Haruka who was walking diagonally behind her and asked.

“Who did you go with? Yuzurika?”

“Yes, well… The first time I went there was with Ria, but it was so good that I went there with my sister too.”

“You’re still a siscon, Haru.”

Haruka is made fun of, and he replies with a miffed look on his face.

“It’s better to be a siscon than to be on bad terms.”

“Hey, how long have you been dating Ise? Are you a homosexual?”

“I just get along well with Ria.”

While they were talking, Miyako was clenching her fists so hard that they bled.

“Well then, you can come with us next time, right?”

Miyako invited Haruka with an awkward smile on her face and a flirtatious tone in her voice.

Haruka shakes her head and replies.

“It’s not that I’m sick of it, but I already went there for two weeks in a row now, so I’d rather not go this time. Why don’t you two go alone?”

Remembering Miyako’s anxiety yesterday when she was not being cared for by Shun, Haruka suggested a good idea to her. Since he couldn’t imagine such an answer from the previous Haruka, Shun seemed a little surprised, even if he doesn’t show it in his expression.

“That’s how it is, Miyako. Since it’s a good opportunity, why don’t we go together?”

“…. Yes.”

She agreed without any effort and turned her head down.

Shun felt something was wrong with her, but he didn’t pay much attention to it.

Haruka, who was preoccupied with his future with Ria, did not notice anything unusual about Miyako either.

?

“Good morning, Shiono-san.”

“Good morning, Obi.”

A little later than Shun and Miyako, Haruka entered the classroom through the doorway at the back of the classroom. He exchanged greetings with Yunika, who had already arrived. She had a seat right next to the entrance, so it was easy for him to greet her.

The problem was with Shinku. It was very difficult for him to get close to her since not only Shun and Miyako but also Fudo Akito, Kashiwagi Rui, Riho Hibiki, Unikumo Mika, Kamisato Reika, and Shirogane Tsuyuri, the area around her seat was filled with students who were in the top caste.

“Good morning, Haruka”

“Good morning, Ria.”

Sensing the presence of Haruka, Ria looks back. They greet each other with a smile.

As he sat down to prepare for the first period, he sends a greeting message to Shinku, thinking about sending her a message to deepen our friendship.

[Good morning, Claudia-san]

Sending [see you tomorrow] at the end of the school day or [good night] before going to bed would make her feel uncomfortable and he would be blocked immediately, but just [good morning] would not be a problem.

When Haruka sent his [good morning] message, Shinku’s eyes slid away from Shun’s group with whom she was having a face-to-face conversation to the open air. She is probably displaying a message window, though others could not see it. Shinku looked at Haruka with a sideways glance.

She waved her hand back with a small smile, and immediately turned her head back.

No message came back from her, but since it was just a greeting, this would do.

“Did you do something?”

“I just greeted her with a message.”

“Greetings are important, aren’t they?”

Ria giggles.

The teacher entered the classroom and homeroom begins.

Haruka look at the clouds in the sky, hoping to have a chance to talk with Shinku.

In the end, the school day ends without any chance to talk with her.

Although they say that one should create their own opportunities instead of waiting for them, Haruka didn’t have the guts to break into the upper caste group. If he had, he would have done so for Miyako.

“By the way, Ria and Shiono-san are on cleaning duty this week, aren’t they?”

Haruka didn’t notice it because Miyako had suddenly approached him yesterday.

“That’s right!”

“There’s nothing to do when I get home early, I’ll help you.”

“Thanks.”

Ria held no reservations towards Haruka.

Whenever Haruka offers to help Ria in something, she would always respond with words of gratitude. Such understanding from Ria warmed Haruka’s heart.

“Huh, Obi, what are you doing here?”

Yunika’s came to back to the classroom, her eyes widened as she saw Haruka there.

“Haruka wants to help me with the cleaning.” Ria said.

“I don’t have anything to do at home.”

“Hmmm… I don’t mind.”

After looking at Haruka and Ria alternately, Yunika also joined them with cleaning tools in her hands.

She carried all the desks to the back and arranged them, and swept half of the empty classroom with a broom.

“Why don’t they leave school cleaning to the robots I wonder?”

“Because school is a re-creation of ancient times. Aren’t they copying these parts too?”

Ria answers Yunika’s question speculatively.

“Yunika-san, here’s the rag.”

Ria, who had drawn a bucket of water, tossed one of the rags she was holding in one hand to Yunika.

It shakes a little erratically due to air resistance, but Yunika catches it without any difficulty.

“What, when did you start calling her by her first name?”

“Since yesterday when we were cleaning.”

Ria answered shortly to Haruka’s question, while wringing out a wet rag.

“That’s not fair. Shiono-san… no, Yunika, can I call you by your name too?”

“You already have… well, it doesn’t matter. You can call me whatever you want.”

“Yunika-chan”

“Don’t call me “-chan”.”

Yunika’s red hair that was tied into twintails was shook, she raised her eyes in admonition. Haruka settled by calling her Yunika-san.

“Now that we’re acquaintainted, I’d like to call Claudia-san by her first name too.”

When Haruka muttered this while leaning my weight on my broom, Yunika responded.

“Why don’t you ask her? Are you afraid you’ll be rejected immediately?”

She says nastily with a grin on her face.

Haruka would like to deny it, but the Shinku in Haruka’s imagination also rejected it, saying “It’s not right for you to call me by my name so casually.”

Haruka will ask her when they get to know each other a little better.

While they were talking, Ria and Yunika finished cleaning the rags.

Since they out of rags, Haruka takes over the heavy work. The desks that had been moved to the back are now moved to the front and packed, leaving the back half of the classroom empty.

Yunika asks Haruka, who has finished her work, about His conversation with Ria..

“Obi, are you perhaps aiming for Shinku?”

“No, I’m not aiming at her, but… Don’t you feel that you can get along with her when you call her by her name?”

“Well, maybe.”

“Through in the Apocalypse, people who shouldn’t have been involved in the first place have gotten to know each other, so I’d like to get to know her better.”

Besides, to Haruka, Shinku is a very interesting girl. He wanted to get to know her a little better in order to see where she would end up.

“You called me by my name so fast when I was with you, didn’t you?”

“Ria and I also got along really well.”

“I think we’re really good together. I really enjoy all the places that Haruka takes me to.”

As they continued to talk with Ria, Yunika glanced at them with half-lidded eyes.

“Hey you two, stop slacking off and get to work!”

“Yuni-kaasan”

Haruka calls Yunika “Yuni-kaasan” in a joking manner, and she snaps at him without a pause.

“Who are you calling your mother!”

“Yunika looks like my mom…”

Yunika sighs. She raises her voice, but she is not angry.

Haruka seems to know it too, and he and Ria are smiling alongside each other.

Soon after, the cleaning is finished and the three leave the classroom.

“Well, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Good luck with your club activities, Yunika-san.”

“Bye-bye, Yunika.”

Haruka and Ria wave to Yunika, then turn around and disappear down the hallway.

“They’re pretty strange…”

A small murmur leaked out into the hallway.