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Chapter 189: How to Become More Popular
🕑 Added 2025-03-10 11:39:26 +0000 UTCSince Futaba Rio had been temporarily removed from the simulation list,
Minami Shouji could no longer see her affection level or current status.
Which meant he had no clue why she was looking for him.
As far as he was concerned, she was the stereotypical science girl—
And in daily life, they had zero overlap.
Plus, given Futaba Rio's personality in the anime,
She didn't seem like the type to care about others too much.
So what exactly did she want?
Minami ran through a bunch of possible reasons in his head, dismissing them one by one.
Surely, it couldn't be because he was just too amazing and had completely won over this anime character—
"...Actually, that's totally possible."
Minami raised an eyebrow.
After all, in his eyes, no high school girl could possibly resist his charm—
He was that confident.
Thinking about that, Minami reached out and pushed open the door to the science prep room.
"Ah… you're here."
First came a flat, emotionless "Ah."
Then, a completely indifferent greeting from Futaba Rio.
Her golden eyes—hidden behind the frames of her glasses—lifted toward him.
And then she asked, completely matter-of-factly:
"Do you want some coffee?"
Coffee?
Minami's gaze drifted toward her hands.
He saw her scooping a powder-like substance from a glass container labeled "coffee powder" and pouring it into a beaker.
Then, she added water.
Below the beaker was a wire gauze resting over a lit alcohol burner, the kind used for chemistry experiments.
She stirred the dark brown liquid with a glass rod in slow, circular motions.
To any outsider, it probably looked like she was conducting a science experiment rather than brewing coffee.
But clearly, Futaba Rio had zero awareness of how strange this seemed.
She simply looked up again, her voice calm and steady.
"What's wrong? Do you want some coffee?"
"...…"
Minami's eyes drifted toward the labeled container—
The one that clearly said "Potassium Permanganate."
Then, just as calmly, he politely refused.
"No thanks, I'm good."
"Is that so?"
Hearing his response, Futaba Rio nodded expressionlessly.
She didn't insist.
She simply finished stirring, used wooden tongs to lift the heated beaker, and set it aside to cool.
Once it had cooled down enough, she reached for another container—
And that's when Minami finally spoke up.
"…You good?"
Because what she just grabbed was a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.
Without hesitation, Futaba Rio scooped out some white powder from inside—
And casually dumped it into her coffee.
"Ah… it should be fine," she replied.
As she watched the white particles dissolve, she took a small sip.
"This should be sugar."
"...…"
Minami stared at her.
Are all science girls like this?!
"No need to be polite, Minami-kun," she said, still calm and expressionless after taking a sip.
"Make yourself at home."
"Alright."
Hearing that, Minami immediately dragged over a long bench and sat down.
Then, with zero hesitation, he reached out, grabbed some of the snacks she had prepared, and started ripping open the packaging.
He casually tossed some into his mouth as he scanned the room, checking out the surroundings.
"..."
Futaba Rio glanced at him.
She didn't say a word.
She had told him not to be too polite—
But wasn't this just a little too much?!
Futaba Rio, with her ever-serious personality, let out a small sigh, feeling somewhat helpless.
Just as she was still deep in thought, Minami Shouji, on the other hand, spoke up nonchalantly:
"By the way, Futaba-san, is it just you in this science prep room?"
"Because I'm the only member of the school's Science Club."
Futaba Rio answered flatly, without the slightest hint of concern.
This was a small privilege granted to her by Shuka High, considering she had won awards in national physics competitions.
"Is that so?"
Hearing her explanation, Minami Shouji didn't press further.
Instead, after scanning the room once more, he casually placed his hand on the desk.
"Well, now that I understand the situation with the Science Club, let's get back to the main topic... Futaba-san, what exactly did you call me here for?"
With the conversation redirected, Futaba Rio also stopped stirring her coffee.
Her golden eyes lifted, fixing on Minami Shouji.
A brief silence followed.
Then—
"..."
She muttered something softly.
"Hm? What did you say?"
Minami Shouji looked at her in confusion.
Her lips had clearly moved.
He could hear something faint,
But the volume was so low,
That he couldn't make out what she was saying.
"Ugh—"
Hearing his question, Futaba Rio's originally calm demeanor visibly wavered.
A soft blush rapidly spread across her fair face.
But in the end, she took a deep breath,
Forcing herself to maintain her usual indifferent tone,
And raised her voice just a bit:
"I... wanted to ask you, Minami-san, how I could become as popular with the opposite sex as you are."
There was an undeniable quiver in her voice.
After all, for someone as serious, introverted, and socially awkward as Futaba Rio,
Just saying those words felt incredibly embarrassing.
However, compared to her own embarrassment,
Minami Shouji was more... surprised.
This time, he had heard her loud and clear.
But…
The nationally awarded physics prodigy of Shuka High was asking him a question straight out of a teenage romance guide?
That alone felt completely surreal.
And more importantly…
"Futaba-san, how exactly do you know that I'm popular?"
Minami Shouji raised an eyebrow.
After all, his popularity wasn't exactly public knowledge.
At most, people might have seen him being confessed to by Gotoh Hitori on stage at the Shuka Festival.
But for the majority of the school,
He was still that reserved, academically gifted student who barely interacted with others.
So then…
How exactly did Futaba Rio know?
Hearing his curiosity, Futaba Rio responded decisively this time.
"Yesterday morning, when I was leaving my house, I saw you walking with a very beautiful, pink-haired girl."
"Cough—!"
Minami Shouji nearly choked on his own saliva.
Since he hadn't officially confirmed his relationship with Gotoh Hitori,
To avoid misunderstandings, he hurriedly explained:
"I was only helping her carry her performance equipment."
"Is that so?"
Futaba Rio showed no particular reaction to his explanation,
Simply nodding blankly before continuing:
"Then, at school, I saw you walking around the festival with Shinjo Akane, the second-ranked student in our year."
"That was also because I was helping her move some equipment. When we were done, we just grabbed breakfast together."
"Is that so?"
Again, Futaba Rio didn't question his words,
And instead continued:
"In the Maid & Butler Café, I was sitting right at the next table. You were having lunch with several cute girls, and then they all confessed to you."
"..."
At this point, Minami Shouji fell completely silent.
There was no need to argue anymore.
Because this time,
She was absolutely right.
But—
He couldn't help but glance at Futaba Rio.
So, basically, this girl had done nothing all day but watch him?
"Futaba-san, do you... happen to have a thing for stalking people?"
Minami Shouji asked bluntly.
Because honestly,
The first time could have been coincidence,
The second time might have been bad luck,
But a third time?
There was no way that was just random chance.
And sure enough—
As if to confirm his suspicions,
The previously calm Futaba Rio suddenly shifted her gaze away, looking visibly guilty.
She had, indeed, intentionally followed him.
Because she was curious.
Really, really curious.
Until yesterday, she had always assumed that Minami Shouji was just like her—
Someone who was "bad at socializing,"
Someone who "kept to themselves,"
Someone who "focused only on academics".
At Shuka High, she and Minami Shouji were practically seen as the same type of person.
And because of that, she had held onto a false belief:
That Minami Shouji was, in essence, her "kindred spirit".
Which was why, when she saw him effortlessly interacting with multiple girls,
She couldn't comprehend it.
Someone she thought was just like her...
Had so many friends?
She couldn't help but watch him more closely.
And the more she observed,
The more shocked she became.
Minami Shouji knew so many girls.
Some from their school,
Some from other schools.
And every single one of them was incredibly attractive.
"Minami-san is known as a quiet loner in school… I always thought we were the same..."
At this point, Futaba Rio fell into silence.
And as the listener, Minami Shouji had finally pieced it all together.
"So, because you thought I was just like you, but then saw that I was so well-liked, you figured that you could do it too... And that's why you approached me."
Minami Shouji paused, then asked:
"Am I right?"
"...Yeah."
Futaba Rio didn't deny it.
Meanwhile, Minami Shouji rubbed his temples.
Futaba Rio's personality really was exactly like in [Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai].
A lonely, socially withdrawn girl who wanted to connect with others.
But because of her "science geek" tendencies and her habit of isolating herself in the science room,
She had almost no friends.
Even in class, she barely spoke to anyone.
But that didn't mean she didn't want to.
She wanted to be "needed."
And that was the real reason she had asked how to be more popular.
Now that he understood everything,
Minami Shouji exhaled lightly.
But—
"You seriously think you can be like me?"
He asked.
"Of course."
This time, Futaba Rio nodded confidently.
Since Minami Shouji could be so popular,
Then she should be able to—
"Wrong."
"Huh?"
Her eyes widened in shock.
"You can't be like me. At least, not right now."
Minami Shouji leaned forward, meeting her gaze.
"Social skills aren't something you master overnight. Just because I can do it, doesn't mean you can."
Futaba Rio frowned.
"Minami… you're acting like you could make anyone like you if you wanted to."
"Exactly."
Minami Shouji nodded without hesitation, his confidence unshaken.
Which left Futaba Rio utterly baffled.
She just couldn't comprehend—
Where the hell did this man's absurd level of confidence even come from?
It felt like the word "insecurity" had absolutely nothing to do with the man standing before her.
But—
"That's exactly how it is."
Minami Shouji, showing no intention of sparing Futaba Rio's feelings, got straight to the point:
"I have so many people who like me, while you hide away alone in this science prep room with no friends. That's the fundamental difference between us."
Ugh—
Futaba Rio felt completely shut down by that statement.
Her face flushed bright red, but she had no way to refute it.
Because it was true.
Minami Shouji was popular.
And she was alone.
But… did he really have to be this blunt about it?!
In the end, under his unwavering gaze, she could only mumble weakly:
"...I do have friends."
"Oh?"
Minami Shouji perked up immediately.
Here it was!
This was exactly what he had been aiming for.
The reason he had pushed so hard with his words was to find out whether the Futaba Rio of this world was actually connected to Sakuta Azusagawa and Kunimi Yuuma.
If things followed the original story…
Minami Shouji thought for a moment, then casually asked:
"Then, Futaba-san, who exactly are your friends?"
"...My classmates, Sakuta Azusagawa and… Kunimi Yuuma."
Knew it…
Hearing those two names come out of Futaba Rio's mouth,
Minami Shouji let out a long breath.
His suspicions had been confirmed.
Just like how Utsumi Sho and Hibiki Yuuta existed in this world,
It was only natural that Sakuta Azusagawa and Kunimi Yuuma would too.
