For Some Reason The Girl Who's Too Popular Only Drinks with Me - Volume 1 Chapter 5.7

“Hahahaha! You got totally punched! That’s hilarious! Too funny!”

As soon as I entered the bar and Sugino-senpai saw my face, she pointed at me and burst into laughter.

“Look at you, hah, pfft, hahaha! A perfect example, hahaha, of getting punched! Ahahahahaha!”

Mikami-senpai was laughing along too. Laughing so hard that she ended up lying face down on the table, still holding her rocks glass, after her loud laughter.

Is it really that funny? I accidentally made eye contact with the bar’s master. Seeing my face, he visibly struggled to hold back his laughter. Seems it was that obvious.

“Kirishima-kun, you should apply this for now. Just keep it on for about twenty minutes.”

Hamasaki Mai applied a cold towel to my cheek. The cool sensation spread across my skin.

“Thanks, twenty minutes it is. By the way, where did this towel come from?”

“I borrowed it from the staff here. Make sure you keep it on, okay?”

“It makes drinking hard.”

“Don’t whine so much.”

“Hey, no getting all cozy while we’re around. Come on, let’s toast.”

While still holding the towel to my cheek, Sugino-senpai butted in. “We’re not,” I retorted, taking my usual seat.

Across from me sat Mikami-senpai, Sugino-senpai diagonally across, and Hamasaki Mai to my left.

For the time being, Hamasaki Mai and I decided to drink the craft beer that had already been placed on the table. I reached for the bottle to pour myself a glass, but Hamasaki Mai took it from me.

“Let me pour for you, Kirishima-kun, just sit still.”

“No, I can pour my own drink.”

“You really shouldn’t be drinking at all. Here.”

While I resisted, she went ahead and prepared my beer. Looking at her somewhat annoyed profile, I muttered a “thanks” and accepted the glass. Ever since we arrived, she’s been preemptively taking care of things for me.

And Mikami-senpai and Sugino-senpai were smirking at me. Somehow, the seniors today seemed to have a strange sense of solidarity.

“Alright, let’s toast!”

At Sugino-senpai’s signal, we all clinked our glasses together. Gulping down the beer seemed to dull the pain, probably just my imagination, though.

“Ahh~ Nothing like the beer you drink after getting punched.”

As I sarcastically commented on the taste of the beer, Sugino-senpai spat out her drink laughing. Mikami-senpai joined in, and only Hamasaki Mai looked on disapprovingly.

“So, why did you get punched? I have a rough idea, but still.”

Sugino-senpai asked, wiping her mouth.

I finished the last of my beer. Immediately, Hamasaki Mai poured me another. I quickly said “thanks” and covertly moved the bottle closer to me.

“It’s nothing special. Just as Sugino-senpai said—”

“You went to retrieve Mai-chan from a mixer, and got punched by some guy who suddenly showed up?”

“…Exactly.”

Spot on. It was as if she had been there given the level of detail. I took a hefty gulp of my beer to fill the silence.

After a moment, Hamasaki Mai, sitting next to me, suggested, “Maybe you should take the towel off for a bit.”

I did as suggested, folding the towel and placing it beside me. A staff member passing by with our food took it away.

“By the way, Kirishima-kun, how was the cheesecake I gave you before?”

Just as I reached for the freshly baked Margherita pizza, Hamasaki Mai brought up the topic out of the blue.

Cheesecake—memories started to become more vivid. Ah, yes, that one. The memory of that message card also came to mind, but it didn’t seem like the right time or place to discuss it, so I shelved it for now.

“What? Cheesecake? What happened?”

“I baked a cheesecake on Christmas Eve, and it turned out pretty well, so I thought I’d give one to Kirishima-kun.”

“Ehh, just Kirishima-kun? Lucky~ Was it yummy? Was it delicious?”

“It was absolutely delicious. Really, it was fantastic. I’ll pay you later. How much was it again, eight thousand yen?”

“No need, no need! It’s okay! But well, if it was delicious, then I’m glad.”

“Just Kirishima-kun, that’s unfair! Despite being such a wuss! Why didn’t you make any for me or Mikami-senpai?”

“Well, well, well, I see why you didn’t give any to Mikami-senpai. But why not me? Why didn’t I get any?”

Surrounded by accusations, Hamasaki Mai held her glass with both hands and looked away from Sugino-senpai as if trying to escape her gaze.

“Um, well. You know, Sugino-senpai, you’re from a good background, right?”

“Indeed, I am well-bred.”

Nodding to herself in agreement, Sugino-senpai took a swig straight from the bottle. Regardless of her background, this is what she turned out to be, showing how challenging it truly is to raise someone.

“You must have eaten lots of delicious sweets since you were little, so I thought a homemade cake from someone like me might not…”

“Yeah! That’s definitely true!”

“Well, I suppose if it were me, even if it were a failure, I wouldn’t mind.”

“That’s also true!”

“Wait! That’s not it! That’s not what I meant, it’s not like I thought anything would do for Kirishima-kun.”

“I get it, but I was surprised. I didn’t expect a whole cake.”

“Was it? Was it too much?”

“No, that much I can easily eat. I just thought it was the last piece given out to various people.”

“…You got a whole cake?”

Sugino-senpai shot me a suspicious look. I calmly responded, “Yes, that’s correct.”

“It was a compact size, though. Still, to think you had enough ingredients to make a whole cake.”

“…Had enough?”

“Had enough?”

“Had enough.”

All three echoed my words, giving me scrutinizing looks.

I made a mistake. That wasn’t the right way to phrase it.

“You don’t say someone ‘had enough’ to make a whole cake, man.”

“Well, uh…”

“Kirishima, you’re too much of a wuss. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Embarrassed about what, exactly?”

“…Sigh.”

“Just sighs.”

Faced with their varied reactions, I clearly panicked. Sometimes, my words fall flat, and I get cornered by all three. And unlike other times when they’d end up laughing, this time, they didn’t. What’s going on?

Sipping my beer, I observed the three of them. Even after a while, my comment seemed to linger, each of them giving me a look of mixed disbelief.

Overwhelmed by the sense of alienation, I placed my empty glass down and let out a sigh.

“I mean… how could I say it was specifically made for me?”

“I knew it! If you knew it, then say it properly!”

Sugino-senpai yelled loudly. As if I could say that. I’m not that type of character.

“Kirishima, I thought you changed a bit, but at the core, you’re still the same.”

“That’s how it is. I have trust issues, after all. Don’t underestimate my level of mistrust.”

“Pfft! Why would you, hahahaha, so boldly…”

Laughing out loud, Hamasaki Mai was followed by Sugino-senpai and then Mikami-senpai, trying to suppress his laughter.

Good. I was worried about being judged weirdly, but it seems defiantly negative was the correct answer.

Feeling relieved, I reached for the beer again. There was only a little left, barely enough to fill half the glass.