For Some Reason The Girl Who's Too Popular Only Drinks with Me - Volume 1 Chapter 3.8

Hamasaki Misaki hesitated, and I filled in the blank. She gripped the cup handle tightly, her small hands turning white, her expression grim.
I felt sorry for her, but the story didn’t surprise me.

Without having seen Hamasaki Mai in her sixth year, I can’t be certain, but I could guess she was beautiful and cute back then too.

Understanding why someone might harbor such feelings towards a beautiful girl, I couldn’t sympathize but I could comprehend.

“It was almost successful.”

The fact that Hamasaki Mai is cautious around men, possibly due to past trauma, was something I was about to conclude when Hamasaki Misaki spoke again.

The word “almost” made me frown and lean slightly forward. Then, Hamasaki Misaki looked into my eyes and continued her story.

“She was really attacked. She was ambushed in the corridor when she was about to go home. My sister fought back desperately, managing to break free and tried to run away. But she was caught again near the exit. Just like the first time, she screamed and struggled to escape. Then, the teacher slipped and fell down the stairs.”

Hamasaki Mai’s elementary school had a long and wide staircase right before the exit. The assailant, having been shaken off, slipped and rolled down the stairs, hitting his head on bricks in a flower bed at the bottom.

Tumbling down the long stairs, he was covered in bruises, and a significant amount of blood flowed from his head.

Just moments ago, the man with a devilish face was now lying at the bottom, eyes rolled back. That was the scene Hamasaki Mai witnessed.

It was an accident. A tragic accident, but also a legitimate self-defense.

Several students and a school janitor saw Hamasaki Mai being attacked by the teacher, ensuring that she remained the absolute victim. Of course. She was entirely blameless.

“About that thing you said last time… that my sister hates men, it’s actually more severe than that. Not just men, but she also dislikes women. No, not dislikes, but she’s lost trust. She has a phobia of people.”

The incident was tough, but what followed was even more challenging.

Hamasaki Mai entered middle school but developed an instinctual fear of men, leading her to dread attending school surrounded by male students.

To make matters worse, due to her appearance and modest demeanor—merely being scared—she was popular among boys. Teachers aware of her past were overly considerate, probably appropriate for her, but to other students, it seemed like special treatment. All these factors led to her being bullied by female students.

Eventually, Hamasaki Mai went from regular to health room attendance, couldn’t continue even that, became a truant, and ultimately transferred schools.

“Even in high school, it was hard for her to attend at first, but little by little, she really did start to recover. She had a boyfriend in her second year… well, they broke up after about a year or so.”

Her recovery must have been almost miraculous. Or perhaps, it was the result of Hamasaki Mai’s own desperate efforts.

This indeed was a significant secret. Not something to casually share with anyone.

Which made me wonder. Why did Hamasaki Misaki tell me this?

Was she implying I should give up because of the heavy burden her sister carries? Or was it sympathy, as in, “You should feel sorry for her because she’s been through so much”?

While trying to understand Hamasaki Misaki’s true intentions, I finished my now lukewarm coffee.

The acidity and bitterness had separated, making me grimace.

“My sister… It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her so happy.”

Hamasaki Misaki showed a wistful smile, murmuring softly.

Though usually mature-looking, just for that moment, she had the face of a sister her age.

“After that incident happened, my sister was always scared during middle school. In high school, she seemed to have her guard up all the time. She rarely laughed out loud; it was always just a faint smile. But this year was different.”

When Hamasaki Misaki secretly visited her sister, she stayed at her place and talked until late into the night.

Most of their conversation was about the club activities.

VIP seats at a live concert thanks to Sugino-senpai, drinking with the artist after the show, karaoke sessions.

A trip to a theme park with the club members, where instead of rides, they went bar hopping, and Mikami-senpai, drunk, almost got banned for lunging at a character.

A visit to a whiskey distillery, where they all drank excessively, leading to Sugino-senpai calling for a helicopter ride, during which I vomited from about 120 meters high.

Such nonsensical, trivial memories were shared with joy.

For me, those memories were like hell, but for Hamasaki Mai, they were blissful enough to bring a smile to her face.

“Please keep being with my sister.”

While I was sipping my completely cooled coffee, Hamasaki Misaki said this.

“I’m not asking for special treatment or for you to be extra kind, just… keep drinking with my sister. I think she doesn’t realize it yet, but I believe she likes you.”

Her final words made me grimace terribly while still holding the coffee cup.

What a ludicrous idea. Hamasaki Mai unconsciously liking me? That’s impossible.

After all, are you okay with that? What happened to the watchdog who snaps at any man approaching her sister?

Expressing my discomfort with a distorted face, Hamasaki Misaki raised her head. Seeing my ugly expression, she twisted her face in kind.

“You don’t believe what I’m saying, do you?”

“Of course not… But, wait, aren’t you contradicting yourself? You said I should give up when we first met.”

“That was because I didn’t know you back then. Now, I think it’s okay to leave it to you.”

Hamasaki Misaki crossed her arms and huffed through her nose. Damn, it seems I’ve stumbled into some strange route along the way.

Perhaps Hamasaki Misaki is mistaken. Maybe she thought I was reliable after seeing my actions at the school festival, but I wouldn’t want to repeat that, and if things got more dangerous, I’d surely run away.

There’s a limit to my self-sacrifice.

Unaware of this, Hamasaki Misaki has placed her trust in me. This is the problem with naive high school girls