I’m a Shy Loner and I Was Confessed to by a Beautiful Girl Who Has All the Boys in School Smitten, but It Turned Out to Be a ‘Fake Confession,’ So I Politely Declined. As a Result, I Ended Up Learning About Her Hidden Side and She Started to Cling to Me

“Listen, Juubei. All those with talent are lonely. You have an extraordinary talent. You may not understand it now, but you’ll eventually come to know it.”

These were words my father often told me when I was in elementary school.

To be honest, I didn’t understand what he meant at the time. I had friends in elementary school, and I was average in both academics and sports.

However, in the spring of my first year in middle school, my talent blossomed.

Because of that, things became awkward with the friends I had from elementary school, and they started distancing themselves from me.

That’s when I understood what my father had been talking about.

“How can you avoid becoming lonely? It’s simple. Make use of your talent. Academics, arts, martial arts—reach the pinnacle in everything. Others will follow you.”

So, I did exactly as my father advised.

I challenged myself in every field—academics, arts, martial arts—and reached the top. I wanted someone by my side because I hated being alone.

Indeed, at first, my teachers, classmates—everyone looked at me. They praised me genuinely.

“You’re incredible.”

But then, I started to sense something off about their words of praise.

Those words weren’t coming from the heart; they were tinged with jealousy. It felt like they were praising me just for the sake of it.

Perhaps it started around then. I became able to detect people’s lies.

“You’re looking down on us, aren’t you?”

“You’re arrogant just because you’re talented.”

“Why even come to school?”

“Really, it’s so annoying. All my efforts until now have been wasted because of you.”

“There’s no point in competing if you’re around.”

Many people started to envy me.

It was annoying.

I wasn’t cheating or breaking the rules; I was competing fairly. So why did I have to hear such insults? Isn’t it your own fault for lacking skill?

People like that—I crushed them in their own game, breaking their spirits until they shut up.

Before I knew it, there was no one around me.

It was a natural outcome for me, who had lost sight of why I was utilizing my talents in the first place.

Once I realized that, I started seeing the people around me.

People who were crying because they had failed to meet expectations, people sobbing out of sheer frustration.

That’s how it is.

Trophies, gold medals, certificates, and being the top of the class—all of these are unique.

Only one person at the top can have them.

You can’t get them without pushing others down.

Seeing that made me wonder.

Did I, who have no passion or resolve, have the right to push these people down?

Honestly, everything I’ve done so far was just a means to avoid loneliness.

All the trophies, medals, and certificates I’ve won so far are nothing but junk.

So that room is a dark history that represents me flaunting my talents.

I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore, but I want to be with someone, I hate being lonely… I want to interact with someone. I feel that strongly.

I may not even be qualified for that.

“Ultimately, what’s important is communication skills, not talent. I have to become someone who can make others want to be with me… like Shirasagi-san.”

“Sato-kun…”

“This is pretty much the story up to high school.”

Now that I’ve finished talking, I feel kind of heavy. This isn’t the kind of story to tell even a friend, is it?

…Ah, I messed up.

“Hey!”

Shirasagi-san hugged me tightly, burying my face in her chest.

“Ah, um, Shirasagi-san?”

“…I understand, too. Your feelings, Sato-kun.”

“…Huh?”

“Compared to you, it may not be much, but I’ve been ostracized and talked about behind my back even after changing myself in middle school… I understand the fear of people distancing themselves from me.”

Her hug tightened.

“It’s scary, right? You wonder why it’s happening, right? What did I do wrong? All we wanted… was for someone to be by our side.”

I felt like Shirasagi-san’s true feelings slipped out.

“…Hey, Sato-kun. Can we become best friends?”

“…What?”

“I think we can become friends who truly empathize with each other. So… um, I’d be happy if you could become my best friend.”

Her voice was trembling. She was nervous. The Shirasagi-san I knew was nervous.

“…If you’re okay with someone like me… please take care of me.”

“Really? That’s great… Let’s take care of each other from now on?”

“Yes, let’s take care of each other.”

At that moment, I could never have imagined… that this exchange would cause Shirasagi-san’s sense of distance towards me to glitch.