My Classmate Whom I Helped Seems to Be Mentally Sick, So I've Been Trying My Best to Hide My True Identity, But It Seems Like I've Been Found Out - Chapter 3

I Can’t Help but Worry

I’m 166 cm tall.

For reference, I weigh 53 kg, and I’ve always hated how my physique makes me look smaller than my height.

It’s not a popular type among the girls.

Lately, androgynous-looking men are becoming more common on TV, and clothes that look like women’s are in trend.

However, many girls still prefer tall, reliable-looking guys.

That’s why I don’t like my own physique.

“My height is… 168 cm, I guess?”

I’ve developed a habit of increasing my actual height by two centimeters whenever I’m asked about my height.

So, a lie slipped out of my mouth spontaneously.

“…You’re taller than I thought.”

Murasaki responded in a rather uninterested tone.

To her, I said, ‘Well, it’s because I’m thin,’ and left the rooftop.

After dashing down the stairs, I slumped in my seat once I returned to the classroom, realizing that it was a close call.

“Sigh… That was close. She was definitely suspicious of me, wasn’t she?”

I wondered why she asked about my height at that moment.

It was surely because she suspected I might be the person inside the ‘Momo-nyan’ costume from the other day.

If I had honestly told her my height back then…

There was a chance she would have confronted me on the spot, revealing my true identity.

It was really close.

But, the fact that she misjudged my height turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Now, any suspicions she had about me should have been cleared.

There’s no more reason for her to investigate me.

If things stay normal, we’re not even in the same class, so there’s no reason for us to interact in the future.

“…everything is fine, right?”

I felt a slight pang of regret.

Sumire Murasaki is a beauty that all the boys in the school admire.

A chance to be liked by someone like her probably wouldn’t come twice in my life.

But she gave off a dangerous vibe…

It was that heavy feeling specific to a ‘Menhera,’ or I felt a kind of distorted, obsessive affection from her.

(TN : Menhera (メンヘラ) is a Japanese slang term referring to people who are suffering from mental illness or are in need of mental health care. It is derived from the words “mental”, “health”, and the suffix “er”, meaning “mental healther”.)

Even if I became close to her because I had helped her, I’d likely be facing a storm of possessiveness, constraints, and jealousy.

I want to live a more peaceful life.

When I become a college student, I want to dress up, join a nice club, become close with a kind-hearted girl, and have a fun campus life.

It’s for that modest wish of mine.

I feel bad for Sumire Murasaki, but I hope she lets the true identity of ‘Momo-nyan’ remain shrouded in mystery.

***

” ….. ”

Right after school, as I left the classroom and hurriedly made my way to the main gate to head home, Sumire Murasaki was standing there.

I stopped in my tracks.

Thinking about turning around and waiting for her to leave before I departed, a male student approached and spoke to Sumire Murasaki.

“Sumire Murasaki-san? You know, I’m actually the person behind ‘Momo-nyan’.”

I’ve never seen him before, but he’s probably an upperclassman.

He has flashy spiky hair and a slightly nasal voice, but he’s handsome.

And his height is about the same as mine.

He’s even more slender.

I see, his physique matches the one Sumire Murasaki deduced for ‘Momo-nyan’.

I stood a little distance away, waiting to see if she’d believe him.

Like me, a few others stopped to watch the scene unfold.

“…You’re lying. Go away.”

“Huh? No, really, it’s me. I’m only 166 cm tall.”

“No, I’m convinced that if you were really him, you wouldn’t say something like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“The slightly hunched posture and timid demeanor embodied his shyness. He’s not the type to talk confidently while looking into someone’s eyes like you. But that’s what I like, okay? I believe he’s the kind of person who will only care about me.”

Again, Murasaki’s demeanor shifts.

The guy who approached her seemed taken aback by her sudden change.

“Ah, I guess I was mistaken…Sorry, I hope you find him… Bye!”

He ran off just like that.

And the onlookers also dispersed, murmuring, ‘Wow, another lie, huh?’

Unable to join the dispersing crowd, I was left behind.

Watching her standing still in front of the main gate, I snapped back to reality and thought of heading back to the school.

Just then, someone suddenly grabbed my arm.

“… M-Murasaki-san?”

“Takizawa-kun, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“W-What?”

With her small hand, Sumire Murasaki, who has a slender yet firm grip, holds onto my seemingly rugged wrist and looks into my eyes.

“Your posture seems a bit hunched, isn’t it, Takizawa-kun?”