Volume 1 - CH 67

Someone who acted more on a whim than anyone else and yet someone who is more amazing than anyone else.

He is more silent than anyone yet he is also more popular than anyone else.

Even though his existence is something like a shadow, he has light within.

He was quiet and basically never showed any expression.

However, he was quick-witted and interesting to talk to, and even though he wasn’t the type to talk to people aggressively, his voice was always reverberating around.

A shadowy presence, and absolutely secretly popular

The Pope of the Shadows

Or so he was called

He was never a serious student.

He is often late and never does his homework. Sometimes falling asleep in class. His quiz scores are also terrible.

In spite of this, he managed to rank in the single digits on every regular test.

He was once challenged to a confrontation by the smartest girl in my grade, and I accepted.

The result was an overwhelming victory.

He scored an astonishing 488 out of 500 points in five subjects.

In gym class, he was always dawdling at the edge of the room.

He would do the exercises that he was told to do, and when it came time for a free ball game, he would always end up not moving.

However, he is fast and was chosen as the representative of the relay team at the field day, and is one of the best endurance runners.

Naturally he got an A in the physical fitness test.

The guys in the athletic department were crying tears of frustration when they saw the results.

Kiyama Kouyou.

He was popular with everyone.

What about me, on the other hand?

I am not athletic at all. I’m not smart, and I can’t say anything clever. If anything, I’m just another unsociable person who can’t talk.

That’s why I longed for and respected him, the man who could do anything with a natural look on his face, the man who was closest to us and yet also further away from us than anyone else.

He was definitely the closest of a being to a hero for me.

He didn’t care about other people’s characters.

He talked to everyone without distinction and called me Tenya-kun.

I was simply happy about that.

Even as popular as he is, he’s watching me.

I was just happy.

One day, the boys in my class were talking to each other about who they liked.

They mentioned it one by one and then it was his turn.

Everyone was listening. They were all wondering if he had dumped a lot of girls and if there was someone he liked, and who it was.

He only said one thing.

『 I’m not really interested in that kind of thing.』

That’s what he said.

I heard a few disappointed voices here and there from the boys.

Next was my turn.

Since I was next to him, I got a moderate amount of attention, and he saw it.

I mentioned the name of a certain girl

The girl was pretty to look at, but she was a nagging, friend type, and not popular with the opposite sex. I was happy.

I couldn’t help asking him.

『Do you know that girl?』

He’s irresistible. It’s a little troubling if he interacted with her. That’s what I thought.

He then said.

‘No, I’ve never heard of them, and I don’t remember the faces of the girls in the other class. Well, good luck with that.”

I was happy. I was happy that he didn’t know her, but most of all, I was happy that the man of my dreams was supporting me. Anyway, I was happy.

I worked hard. I did strength training and running. I studied day in and day out, cutting down on my playtime. To improve my communication skills, I bought books, actively talked to my classmates, and used apps that allowed me to call people I didn’t know.

Sometimes it was hard to remember, and sometimes it was hard to improve, but I kept trying.

I also made an active appeal to her.

To go out with her.

And I wanted to say to him, “Thanks to your support, I was able to do my best. I wanted to say, ‘Thank you.’

For a month, I just tried to appeal.

And then I confessed.

The reply that came back was.

『I ……! I have someone I’m dating. Sorry!』

I was hit by an impact. I was shocked. I had worked so hard, and he had supported me.

Maybe that’s why I asked, even though I shouldn’t have.

『And who’s that?』

It was his name that came back to me.

I heard the sound of something in my chest hurting.

I guess he was upset. I couldn’t help but tell him in the classroom.

Are you dating her?

You said you liked me back then.

You were so supportive.

You said you weren’t interested.

I wondered if he was angry. I said a lot of things out of character.

『…… Is that right? Sorry, I didn’t know………』

Apparently, it was love at first sight.

Your support for me was just a fake. I didn’t hear it.

My voice was apparently heard by the whole class.

It seemed that I, being inconspicuous, looked like I was picking a fight with him over her.

I was made to look like a fool.

『Ahahaha, you! Are you trying to compete with Kouyou!』

『That’s impossible〜！Just stop okay〜？』

『In front of Kouyou、you can’t be compared to him！』

『The specs are different.』

『Kouyou-kun is more cool〜』

Aah, I see. So that’s it.

After all, a no-good like me is no match for him.

In the end, it’s all about who’s better.

It’s time to stop dwelling on it.

I forgot about her.

Then I had no motivation to do anything.

A person like me can’t beat him.

I guess that’s why I still admired him.

Strangely enough, I didn’t hate him.

In my mind, it was always me who was bad.

But it was a little over a month later.

I overheard him and his friend talking.

『Oh, you broke up? Why?』

『Aah, Un. There wasn’t any particular reason. Probably, I think I wasn’t in love with her from the beginning. Ahaha, I wonder what love is.。I guess in the end we broke up because we didn’t understand each other.』

Until now.

The chest, which had been cracked over and over again, finally cracked.

No, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Back then, when she rejected me, when she said his name.

She was smiling happily.

Didn’t understand each other?

Wrong.

She dumped you?

Wrong

She had no choice but to dump him.

He didn’t have the kindness to discriminate.

He didn’t have the kindness to look at people enough to discriminate against them.

I hated him.

She who was deceived.

The classmates who are being deceived.

And him.

This is the guy I’ve always wanted to be.

And the me who lost to this scum.

Aah, I see……..All I have to do is to surpass him.

I just have to be better than him.

This me.

I hated him so much that I kept trying.

I kept trying to surpass him.

My parents divorced and I had to move out of here.

Fortunately, no one goes to this school

I swore.

I promised myself that I would never make the same mistake again.

I’m going to be a good man that no one will laugh at.

Because if you do, you’ll be more attractive and popular than anyone else.

Author’s Note:

The Pope in the Shadows………

I didn’t expect to be collected in this place.

We’ll continue with the past until the beginning of the next episode.

By the way, the answer is the graduation album of the junior high school.

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