The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

......

...

..

"On a rainy day, just like the atmosphere of a broken heart, I met you who 'happened' to be nearby and took shelter from the rain in a small space. From the moment you held my hand, there was what we call fate between us."

"...It's just bad fate."

Haha, someone is getting anxious.

Hirayuko continued, "After that, you and I somehow tacitly chose to communicate through letters, or pen pals. Perhaps at first you wanted to get to know me better and gain my trust, and then indirectly ask about Asakura."

"..."

"But after a while you should have discovered that your imagination of Asakura being kept by rich guys or borrowing money to spend ahead of time didn't exist. What's more, most of the time she bought those things just out of interest, played with them for a bit, and then returned them. Although she spent a lot of money in the end, it was still within the 'safe range'... Is there anything wrong with the content here?" Pingxin asked after taking a sip of tea.

In fact, he was also very interested in people with personality like Asakura, but at the moment he was not as interested in the beauty in front of him. Perhaps it was something that naturally came out in some letters that made him choose to maintain the current relationship.

"No... rather, it's terrifyingly accurate—did you install a camera on my stuff?"

"No, no, no, that's illegal, right?"

What's more, if I really want to do something to you, I have a more convenient "tool" called superpowers, a power that even modern justice cannot punish.

"...So, what do you want to say?"

Now Higuchi Enka is like a blindfolded death row inmate. She knows that there is a dead end ahead, but she cannot face it calmly. Instead, she becomes anxious and uneasy.

"I want to put it simply... If your original 'purpose' has already been achieved, then why do you continue to correspond with me, and why do you come to sit here with me today?"

"I, I...I—"

What is this...

“There is only one answer.”

Stop talking... please!

"Because Miss Higuchi...you are interested in me too~"

This is the reason why he remained calm and composed from beginning to end, and the source of his undefeated confidence.

Because in the final analysis, we both "love" each other's teeth.

Chapter 36 This question is very simple

"...boring reasoning—after all, if there's no evidence, so-called [reasoning] is just pure [fantasy], isn't it?"

Higuchi Enka couldn't see any reaction, so she drank a sip of coffee in a depressed mood... Tsk, so bitter——

Pingxin smiled as he added two sugar cubes to her drink and stirred carefully. She had a chance to catch her breath during this intermission. Although her mood was churning like the coffee in her cup, she would never give up! ...never!!!

"Okay, Ms. Higuchi, you're such a weirdo... Is it so hard to admit that you're interested in me? I feel a little hurt."

Or are you, like me, also unhappy with things beyond your control? You're like a queen looking down on everything with arrogance.

"You should know more about this than I do, right? And... isn't it the same for you?"

"This is... unexpected. I didn't expect you to admit you're 'just like me.' Did you put some drug in your coffee today that helps you be honest?"

"..."

You're so ungrateful after getting an advantage, tsk——

"But is my personality weird... Indeed, I have always lived an awkward life. Although I like changes, I hate things that are beyond my control. Although I like women, I also think they are troublesome. Although I like lively occasions, I am alone most of the time. Although I have thought about dying, I don't even have the courage to do so--" Ping Xin drank the dessert in the cup. Bitter topics are suitable to be enjoyed with sweet drinks.

"...It's really awkward, twisted even, right?"

Even though I know he might be lying, putting on a show, or trying to attract my attention, I believe deep down that he wouldn't lie, that this is real, and that he is just showing his true self.

Yearning, despising; longing, disgusting; understanding, incomprehension.

Ahhh... As expected, I'm twisted—

"Yeah, you're right... That's why I want to change myself, that's why I want you, because you should have a share in my happiness... I can't explain why, but I just have this vague feeling."

"...You're using metaphysics to make up for the lack of logic in your reasoning, Mr. Fake Detective?"

"But you should also know that there are things in this world that you don't understand, such as... me."

"..."

The levitating cup, the warmth pouring into her body, the truth stared her in the face. Although she wanted to object to everything he said, she wasn't the type to be unreasonable. Ultimately, she could only resist with silence; not supporting him was her last act of resistance.

"So, any more questions, Ms. Higuchi? If you're done, it'll be my turn."

"...Question - Why do you think I'm interested in you?"

Ah, ah, she still won't give up. She's so stubborn, this woman... But it doesn't matter, because even the toughest mouth will turn out soft when kissed~

"Wealth, looks, power, and... mystery. Instead, I wonder, why would anyone not be interested in me?"

"...You're so confident."

"Of course... If you encounter a perverted priest in the West, cannibals dancing around you in the wilderness, and perverts on public transportation here, then you'll have a little bit of 'confidence' in yourself—"

Wow, what is this... Passersby next to him even said such words after hearing this. How many people can take this punch?

Others may not know, but Higuchi Enka definitely couldn't catch it. Growing up, she was used to looking at everything except "them" with a negative and pessimistic attitude, but that was all.

After all, her vision is limited. She has never seen a real priest, let alone a cannibal. Even the train pervert who is closest to her life is just an "urban legend" that she has heard of.

But that's just how most kids are, there's nothing to blame. But these words only made her more curious and... a little sympathetic. What kind of life had this peer gone through to become like this?

Although it's really just a little bit.

"But don't worry, I'm still very ordinary. After all, I have a father who can fight and a reliable mother. If there is a chance, maybe you can meet in the future..."

if you can.

"Then the next question is...what on earth do I have that deserves 'you' to do this?"

"Oh, finally an interesting question, hehe... But things never happen more than three times. Before I answer your question, please answer one of mine, Ms. Higuchi.

Today happens to be Valentine's Day, so I want to know...your love history?"

"...none."

"Wow... hehe, incredible~... ahem, so has no one ever confessed their love to you?"

"...No, Asakura is quite popular, both men and women—"

Because she is so incredible... Although Toru Asakura does things without any rules, has irrelevant ideas, is a natural loser, and even often forgets to bring her wallet when buying things, she is different from others, as if she was born with a fundamental species difference from others.

No one knows Asakura better than her, so she understands her unique charm better than anyone else.

"...Do you regret it?"

"Eh, what is that?...Oh, you mean over there... Sorry for being dazed, but even though you said that, I feel a little relieved and secretly happy——"

"Luckily, they're all blind~" or something like that? It's like there's such a beautiful woman right in front of them, but they don't even notice her."

"...Anyway, you've never been able to be so stubborn before you met Asakura."

"Hmm...but the Higuchi in 'Asakura~Asakura~' is Higuchi, right?"

"!"

"No matter how beautiful, unique, and distinctive she is, what does that have to do with you, Miss Higuchi? Does the sun's brilliance and majesty mean no one appreciates the moon's elegance and tranquility? Beauty is beauty, good is good. Could the truly wonderful you become less beautiful or less beautiful just because of the existence of others?"

"...You're really good at sophistry—"

What have you been like so far... No, maybe... Heh, it doesn't matter to me anyway, right?

In the end, Higuchi Enka didn't say anything, but just touched the coffee in the cup with her lips.

"So, back to your question, why would I pursue you... The answer to this question can be summed up in one sentence -

Because when I first saw you, I felt something!"

Chapter 37 So This Time I Will Love Absolutely

"...I want to go back... No, I'll just call the police—"

"I'm so sorry, I was too arrogant, Red Bean Paste Private Marseille!"

Ping Xin appeared to be slumping over you at lightning speed, but he was secretly complaining. Given your "shy" nature, it's no wonder no one dared to pursue you. Perhaps someone once had the foresight to spot your talent, but they were blindsided.

"Ahem... Anyway, a few days before our first meeting, I... should I say there was a slight problem, or a huge problem? Anyway, it was pretty serious."

"...The meaning is unclear."

"That's true... But after rethinking my failed 'first half of life,' I remembered what someone online once said: 'Happiness is living according to your own will.' I was deeply moved."

His eyelids drooped slightly, but the moment he was observing the tabletop, he suddenly looked directly at her. Reason told her to leave quickly, at all costs. But a part of her heart was secretly hoping that she could become—

"People often say, 'You always think too much about others and too little about yourself,' but for me before, that was enough... But it's still not enough, nothing is enough... So I have to learn to be willful, truly willful, without a care in the world."

"...So, what?"

Meaningless words, self-contained monologue, is this all you want to show me?

"At the beginning, I was thinking about some boring things... like the complementary nature of our personalities, the value it would bring to me personally, and what it could bring to me... But I was wrong—"

Wrong...what's wrong?

Aren’t these necessary things?

"Because the moment I saw you, the only thing that remained in my mind was this: I felt so good!"

"...I should call the police after all—"

"I want to hold your hand, hug you, taste your lips, marry you, have sex with you, and have you give birth to my child -...but this is only part of it." The frenzy of a madman's ravings and the chanting of shoe cultists suddenly disappeared from Ping Xin's body, replaced by a calmness as deep and peaceful as the sea.

After a brief pause, he continued, "If it was just, um... let's call it love at first sight, but that alone isn't enough reason for me to tolerate you. Although I'm much more open-minded now, I'm not a punching bag that can be beaten at will."

A different persona emerged, unlike his previous frivolous words, calculated strategies, and near-madness. He resembled a sage atop a tower, a lifelong student, a scientist pursuing truth. Aloof but not cold, possessing the brilliance of wisdom yet standing equal to the foolish, like a teacher calmly speaking the "truth" from a textbook.

"When we met that day, you looked a bit disheveled... You were holding a frozen cat in your arms, your hands were pale from the cold, even your light makeup was smudged, and your alluring black pantyhose were torn from falling."

"..."

abnormal.

"If we're just talking about looks, whether they're Eastern or Western, sexy or aloof, from international superstars to ordinary streetwalkers, what kind of people haven't I seen? Haha... If we're talking about temperament, from the Yamato Nadeshiko of a century-old family, the thorny rose of a gangster tycoon, to the jewel in the crown of a wealthy businessman, who could possibly surprise me?

So after I went back that day, I was thinking...what on earth could make you, who has good looks, a bad personality, and a barely-there figure, fall in love with me at first sight——"

"...I'm going back."

This time, she was really angry!

But as soon as she stood up, she was pulled back, and then her body sat down without permission. Was it coming again, that strange, warm power...

Tsk, there’s nothing we can do about it.

"Maybe I've been in love with you for a long time...even if we only communicated through letters before, so it wasn't love at first sight, but it was the release of the love hidden in my brain and heart, returning to the real you!"

Ping Xin drank his drink with a bit of embarrassment after he finished speaking, and she did the same. They just held up their empty cups and secretly observed each other, their eyes exchanging like a two-person opera: you chase me, I hide from you, I look back and you're gone.

The silence is so short, but it is so long for everyone——

What's the rest of the story? I can't wait, serve it up now!

Whether it's Eve Wakamiya who was slacking off while working in the store, Tsugumi Hanazawa who was wiping cups for more than half an hour behind the counter, or the high school girls who came to check in together, or the office workers who turned off their phones and drank full glasses of black coffee, everyone is waiting!

In the end, it was Pingxin who spoke first: "You need to be more 'polite' in your letters, but also more indifferent. However, even the most indifferent people have their own passions, and there are things that make their hearts beat with passion. For you... it's probably your friends—"

You've always been talking about Asakura and the others, but rarely about your own affairs. This isn't because you're protective of yourself or don't value them... Quite the opposite. You value them more than anyone else, more than anything else, even more than yourself.

I think I've fallen in love with this kind of girl...who loves others more than herself. Her so-called negativity and indifference are merely a facade she puts on to protect herself after witnessing the vicissitudes of life. But deep down, she harbors a kind heart that can grieve the death of a stray cat.

"...That's just wishful thinking on your part."

"Maybe... But how could I not love such a beautiful, gentle and kind girl? How could I not love her!?"

Well said, well said!