“Wh, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
Shiranui, my best friend, was the first to regain his composure.
“I was just giving my impressions.”
“No—”
“You might not know, Tsubasa-chan, but Yuma-kun is an amazing person.”
“I know that. After all, he was the bridge that connected our friendship.”
It was a request I took on impulsively, but still.
“Tsubasa-chan understands too, huh? So Yuma-kun and Yukina-chan just seem like such a perfect match to me. You both have good personalities, and you just seem well-suited.”
“…”
Shiranui was at a loss for words.
“Yukina-chan is like the epitome of a charming girl. She’s fashionable, cute, and I know firsthand that her personality is amazing since I was her classmate.”
“W, well…”
“I think she’d be the perfect girlfriend for Yuma-kun, my benefactor.”
The expression of confusion never left Shiranui’s face, even though he’s my best friend.
I can understand that reaction. It’s hard to say in front of me. If someone didn’t know Kazama true face, she’d look like an incredibly kind-hearted and sociable beautiful girl to everyone. Everyone would think she was wasted on a guy like me. A mob character and her don’t match at all. It’s obvious they’re not suited for each other.
Shiranui probably wants to say that.
“Well, um… I’m not saying it’s wrong, or anything. I was just surprised.”
Not denying it is probably because he has a debt of gratitude toward me.
She’s a good guy, Shiranui. Truly a person of quality. Even her inner self is genuinely handsome. A guy like me is no match for her.
“Thanks, Tsuchiya-san. I was actually thinking the same thing! That Kanbara-kun and I have good chemistry!”
Surprisingly, Kazama herself agreed.
This shocked both me and Shiranui.
“Right? Yuma-kun and Yukina-chan seem to have great compatibility.”
“I’m happy. So Tsuchiya-san saw us that way too.”
“Yeah, you seemed like really close friends.”
“I’m glad. We’re definitely close friends. Right?”
Kazama winked at me.
She’s definitely teasing me now.
The strategy is to go along with the conversation and enjoy watching me get flustered. That’s the face she has. I know everything because I know her true nature.
“Hey, can I talk to you for a second?”
I called out to Tsuchiya and moved away a bit.
“What’s wrong, Yuma-kun?”
“What’s your goal here?”
I spoke in a low voice.
“I’m helping you out.”
“Helping me out?”
“You promised to help me whenever I’m in trouble, right?”
That’s true, we did make that promise. As a reward for helping with the reconciliation.
I remember the promise, but I have no idea how it’s connected to what she just said. If anything, it felt like I was being attacked.
“You can tell just by watching Yuma-kun. You like her, don’t you? Yukina-chan.”
“Huh?”
“So that’s your type. She’s charming, so it’s no wonder you fell for her. She’s outgoing too, and since Yuma-kun is more on the passive side, you probably wanted a girl who’d talk to you first.”
My actual preference is you, though—not that I can say that.
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“You’re aiming pretty high, you know. She’s popular, so it’ll be tough, but I genuinely think Yuma-kun has a chance. That’s why I thought I’d give you my full support. From her reaction earlier, it seems like Yukina-chan isn’t entirely against the idea either.”
No, that woman just has a dangerous hobby of teasing and messing with me.
…Wait, I don’t even like Kazama in the first place. I’ll admit she’s cute, though.
But I see, so that’s how Tsuchiya sees it.
Kazama always messes with me. I want to maintain our relationship, so I can’t just brush her off—I face her head-on. Tsuchiya must have interpreted that as us flirting.
She misunderstood and thinks I have romantic feelings for Kazama.
How should I handle this?
In a way, I am targeting Kazama. That’s not wrong. I’ve been told to go after an underclassman princess, but the quickest and most efficient approach is to pursue the princesses I already have connections with.
The problem is I don’t have a good opening, and I’m not confident I can make progress. If I mess up and charge ahead recklessly, our current relationship will end—completely game over.
If Tsuchiya supports me, there might be a chance for progress.
“Oh, there’s no ulterior motive or anything. It’s not like I’m trying to keep Yuma-kun from getting closer to Tsubasa-chan or anything like that.”
“O-oh.”
There’s no point in worrying about that. No matter how hard I try, there’s no way I could ever seduce a princess-prince.
“So anyway, I thought I’d help you out.”
I’m grateful for the offer to cooperate, but if I accept this, it’ll be the same as publicly declaring I like Kazama. That seems pretty bad.
I turn my eyes toward Kazama.
“Ehehe, she says Kanbara-kun and I look good together. I wonder if Shiranui-san thinks so too?”
“Not really, from my perspective.”
“Ehhh, what’s wrong with it?”
“You two don’t look like lovers. You seem more like friends.”
“But relationships can start from friendship, can’t they?”
“Guh.”
They were chatting away cheerfully.
Probably to tease me, Kazama was making a triumphant face. Shiranui’s expression was like “grrr” in response.
That’s when it happened. Suddenly, a cheer of “Oooh” rose up.
Looking toward the hallway, I noticed it had somehow become packed with many guys and girls.
I had completely forgotten. The fact that the people gathered here were princesses, and that princesses were among the most popular students in the academy.
“The fairy smiled!”
“Kyaa, the princess-prince looks so frustrated!”
“When the princesses gather, it’s so glamorous!”
The sight of princesses gathering together is actually pretty rare. With three of them here, rubberneckers had gathered. Their numbers swelled as time passed.
Isn’t this situation bad?
Princesses gathering around the desk of me, someone completely inconspicuous at the academy. Is it really okay for a mob character like me, who’s so obviously out of place, to be in this circle?
Just as I was being consumed by anxiety—
“—It’s quite noisy, isn’t it?”
It wasn’t a particularly loud voice, but it carried well.
The people who had gathered fell silent as if water had been poured over them. As if machines had run out of battery, their voices and movements stopped completely.
There’s only one person at Himegasaki Academy who can pull off such a feat.
The person who had spoken slowly approached. The surrounding students parted to the left and right as if on cue. The scene looked like citizens making way for royalty. Since the person in question is female, I suppose she’d be a queen.
“You all seem to be the cause of this commotion.”
Everyone lost their words before her overwhelming presence. Even Kazama and Shiranui, who had been enjoying themselves just moments ago, were breaking into cold sweats.
The queen turned her eyes toward Shiranui and Tsuchiya.
“You two aren’t from this class, are you?”
“Um, well, you see…”
“Afternoon classes will start soon. Return to your own classrooms immediately.”
Unable to defy the queen’s words, the two obediently complied.
“The rubberneckers should also return to their own classrooms. This commotion is over.”
She clapped her hands together.
No one disobeys the queen’s orders. As if on cue, everyone dispersed. In no time, the original scenery returned.
What tremendous leadership.
As I was both terrified and impressed, the queen turned her gaze toward Kazama and me.
“It’s lunch break, so I don’t mind if things are a bit noisy. However, please refrain from involving large numbers of students. Last year, someone got injured in a similar situation.”
“Y-yes!”
“If you understand, that’s fine. Well then.”
After stating this matter-of-factly, the queen departed.
Having escaped our predicament, I let out a breath of relief.
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