I Was Reincarnated As the Hated Scummy Best Friend in a Gal Game and the Protagonist Is Useless

25

7, Love’s Clumsy Fool

“Minako, what’s with Toyotomi-kun!?”

“Calm down, did you ask the teacher?”

It seems Toyotomi-kun, a fellow kendo club member who I know, happened to pass by and carried me when I fainted.

Did I… touch Toyotomi-kun’s skin!?

“Ugh… I must have seemed so heavy…”

“Everyone’s heavy, human-wise. You’re rather on the thin side, actually.”

“I’m so embarrassed I could die…”

“When the frail Yumi says it, it’s alarmingly convincing.”

I’m hit with a painfully valid point.

I don’t care what anyone says anymore.

“If it’s come to this, I owe you, I owe you.”

“Right, I should go thank him. How much do you think? Would 50,000 yen be enough?”

“If you give him money, he might actually dislike you for it. Toyotomi-kun isn’t the type to care about money, you know.”

“Minako, you’ve been getting along with Toyotomi-kun lately, haven’t you?”

“We see each other every day at club activities! I’m closer to Toyotomi-kun than you are!”

“Ugh… to think my rival in love was right beside me…”

“I have a boyfriend, you know. And it’s not Toyotomi-kun.”

Today, unable to sort out my feelings, my friends decided for me that I would go thank Toyotomi-kun tomorrow morning.

Even though a day’s delay is just procrastination.

“Go for it,” they said, and threw me into Toyotomi-kun’s class where I approached him at his seat.

“To… Toyotomi-kun, right!?”

“O-Oh?”

Toyotomi-kun, surprised by my sudden approach.

After a moment of thought, his face lit up with recognition.

“You were with Yoshida yesterday, right? Good, you’re feeling better. I was worried about you yesterday.”

“Tha… thank you very much!”

“No need for such thanks.”

“Thank you very much!”

“Haha, I heard that just now.”

“Right…”

Out of things to talk about, I ended up saying thank you twice in a row.

Toyotomi-kun seemed to be struggling with the conversation too.

“If you ever need anything, just tell me! If Toyotomi-kun feels like he’s going to collapse, call me and I’ll carry you to the infirmary!”

“Yeah. I’ll try not to let it come to that. I’ll take care of my health. Mental care is important, you know.”

“Got it! Also, it’s surprising to suddenly hear words like ‘mental care’.”

“Then no foreign words, got it.”

Toyotomi-kun, who accommodates my struggle with English terms, is just too charming.

Even though he hardly knows me, I adore the kind Toyotomi-kun too much.

“I’ll try to take care of my mental health, just as Toyotomi-kun taught me!”

“Yeah. Do your best. Also, it’s unrelated, but I was surprised when you suddenly used the term ‘mental care.'”

“So, English terms are a no-go, huh?”

It seems we both have a no-go for English terms.

Maybe we get along after all!

With that, having finished expressing my gratitude, I left the classroom with a beaming face.

There, I met up with the friend who had egged me on.

“How did it go, Minako!? I just had a conversation with Toyotomi-kun!”

“I saw the whole thing, but from Toyotomi-kun’s perspective, it was like ‘who are you?’ You didn’t even introduce yourself…”

“Ah… I’ll go introduce myself.”

“You’re late.”

“Waaah!”

I had a conversation but forgot to introduce myself…

I felt like I had made ten steps forward, but it was only one.

“Yumi, you’re such a romance klutz… I’ll take it as a lesson on what not to do.”

“I am a klutz! And unrelated, but I was surprised when you suddenly used the term ‘romance klutz!'”

I grew to like the kind Toyotomi-kun even more, but I hated that I couldn’t express it in words.