I Like That You Like Me

Translated by rsa16
Edited by air koi
Proofread by shiland

Read the PDF version —> HERE

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

“I really don’t feel like asking you this, but would you please go out with me?” The bright, cheerful voice of a girl echoed from behind the gymnasium after school.

Yuzu Nanamine.

She was the type of girl who stood out considerably from the rest of the girls in class—a so-called “top tier” member among normies within our school’s hierarchy. Ever since her enrollment in this school six months ago, she’d never once spoken to me before. And now, out of the blue, this strange girl suddenly approached me with a letter, unexpectedly confessing her feelings to me. 

Can you even imagine how confused I was?

“…Nanamine, right? Is this some kind of prank?” 

The first thought to cross my mind was that it might be some kind of penalty for a game. These kinds of penalties were pretty popular with normies—especially the 'fake confession,' which was particularly cruel to the recipient. I suspected someone from her friend group was in fact recording everything I said to Nanamine with a smartphone camera, hidden in some corner of the gym. They probably got some kind of kick out of watching people eagerly falling for their made-up “confession.”

As I glanced around restlessly in fear of this, a smile rose up onto Nanamine's face, seeming to conceal her true feelings.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not the kind of person who'd do something that immature.” 

—Or so she said, though I found it rather hard to believe.

Not to brag, but I didn’t exactly have the kind of face that'd be able to make someone fall in love at first sight. Besides, it’s already been six months since we became classmates; it seemed a little weird to think she’d suddenly fall for me now, of all times.

“Then, maybe you've got the wrong guy?” I questioned.

“Pretty sure I don't. Yamato Izumi-kun, right? We’re in the same class, and every so often when our eyes meet, we reflexively smile politely at each other—though I guess that’s about as far as our relationship goes. Weirdly enough, I don’t think we’ve ever talked one-on-one before…”

“….That’s right.” But in that case, it made even less sense to me what the real intention behind this confession is.

Noticing my bewilderment, she gave me a wry smile and repeated her excuse.

“Looks like you don’t believe me, but it’s the truth. I know this confession might seem unfathomable for you, but I’m doing it completely of my own free will.”

“I can’t feel any love from those words whatsoever.” I could understand if she felt it was embarrassing or nerve-wracking, but “unfathomable”? Either way—it didn’t really matter. It was pretty clear by this point that it wasn’t one of those so-called “bittersweet” moments of youth. “There’s something else going on, isn’t there? I've got a bad feeling about this, but I at least wanna know what I’m getting into. So, spill it.”

If it’s out of my hands, I’ll just wrap up the conversation and head home. With that resolve in mind, I pressed her for answers. 

Surprisingly enough, she answered quite easily. 

“Yamato-kun, do you have any friends from class?”

“None.”

Nanamine looked slightly taken aback. “That was fast.”

I was the complete opposite of a normie like her—I’m what you’d call an otaku or an introvert. That’s why I couldn’t understand receiving a confession like this.

“I see. Then, this might be a bit tricky for you to understand, but… what kind of person do you think tends to be disliked by those around them?”

“Well, probably someone annoying, right? Like, someone who can’t read the room, or someone who can’t keep up with the conversation.”

“I guess that might be the case if we're talking about a guy. But for girls, there’s another type of person that they naturally dislike,” Nanamine said, holding up her index finger in a pretentious manner.

“Huh? What kind?” I prompted her to continue, feeling a bit intrigued.

For some reason, she grinned with a sense of pride.

“That is—a cute girl.”

“…A cute girl?”

“Exactly. To be more precise, it's not just a girl who's cute. It's a girl with no flaws: cute, good personality, good at sports, and a ton of friends to add. Or basically—a girl like me!”

I was so taken aback by how confidently she praised herself that I couldn’t help but be astonished.

“Wow, you’re really putting yourself out there, huh?”

“I’m just being honest about the facts,” she said without a hint of shame, her cheerful smile unwavering. But, immediately after, she furrowed her eyebrows in a troubled manner. “But you know, when you’re that good, you make people really jealous. Like, the sun is awesome and shines really bright and all, but, isn’t getting too close painful? It’s kinda like that.”

She finally started referring to herself as the sun. Amazing.

“…I see. It’s all finally coming together. You’re a narcissist,” I told her sarcastically. Though, I knew that the quip probably wouldn’t register with her anyways.

And as expected, my comment didn’t seem to faze her; she merely nodded before continuing. “Anyhow, up until now, I managed to keep the original state of things in check—but I ran into a little trouble recently. ‘Cuz of that, I had to figure out a way to dial down my normie levels.”

“Huh?”

“And so, I figured the easiest way I can lower my normie level as a girl is by having a ‘lame boyfriend.’”

“So, you’re saying you wanna use me for that? Am I like some kind of cursed item that lowers your level when equipped?” It was a somewhat irritating reason to be chosen for.

That must have caused me to involuntarily look a bit displeased, as a somewhat flustered expression appeared on Nanamine's face, perhaps noticing my indignation. She extended both of her hands outwards in a placating gesture. “Hey, hey, calm down. I’m not tryin’ to make fun of you or anything. It’s just, don’t you think this could be beneficial for both of us?”

“Me included? What, you gonna do something dirty for me?”

“Uh, yeah, no thanks. Actually, I’d rather keep things totally hands-off. No touch. Despite what you might think, I consider myself a woman of high integrity, y'know?” she said, decisively rejecting me.

Well, I had anticipated something along those lines, but still…

"Well, what's in it for me?”

“See, if you’re a girl and your boyfriend is lame—it brings down your normie levels. But on the other hand, if you’re a guy and your girlfriend’s cute—they boost instead.”

“Well, I guess you can say that.” Having a cute girl to brag about could indeed serve as a sort of status symbol.

“Right? Just imagine—if you were going out with a girl as cute and flawless as me, people would totally start respecting you too, wouldn't they? You’d make tons of friends, your days would be fulfilled, and everything would just be all rosy and wonderful! It’s now or never; time’s running out!”

“You sound like a suspicious online shopping ad…”

A combination of a cursed item and a suspicious online shopping product, huh… In its own way, that’s a pretty big couple.

“Right? It’s a win-win for both of us, isn’t it? So I’ll ask again—please go out with me!”

This time, however, I refused firmly and without hesitation. 

“Don’t want to.”

“Why not~?" Nanamine cheeks puffed up, likely surprised by my rejection.

Though only in terms of appearance, she really was cute. I mean, I guess if she wasn’t aware of how cute she was, she wouldn’t have been able to make gestures like that to begin with.

“Well, you don’t even actually like me in the first place, do you?”

“Of course I do. Well, if I had to say, it’s not so much that I like you, but more like—I like that you like me. It’s kinda like, I think it’s cool how you're able to put up with me.”

“You really love yourself, huh…?” I turned on my heel, beginning to walk home. “But sorry, I’m not exactly looking to raise my normie levels or anything like that. Just leave me alone.”

“Wow, I honestly didn’t expect you to say no. I figured a typical teenage boy would at least go along with it for now and just aim for a chance later on—isn’t that something they’d usually do? Come on, come on! This is your chance to get closer to me, isn’t it~?”

“I respectfully decline,” I refused without looking back, quickening my pace.

“Hmm… Well, can I ask why, then?”

Her words stopped me in my tracks. 

For a moment, I wondered what to do. But, I realized that she did confess her feelings, even if it was just a formality. As the person rejecting her, I decided that I should—at the very least—show her some basic courtesy.

I turned around and explained my reason with complete honesty:

“I’m on the final level of the RPG I’m playing right now. Can’t wait to get home and finish it.”

“R…PG?” Nanamine repeated the word with a puzzled look, perhaps not understanding what it was. 

Well, I didn’t exactly feel like explaining in detail. I’ve done my duty, so let’s just go home.

“See you later, Nanamine. It might sound strange coming from me, but I’m sure that you’ll find a replacement soon.” Waving my hand slightly, I started walking again.

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

A powerful demon lord stood before me, obstructing my path. With his large figure draped in a black cloak, his red eyes—visible through his skull mask—gleamed with a fiery intensity. His magical power was capable of destroying all creation. He was a monster that despised the human world, wielding his power to destroy humanity.

Sometimes he was defeated, and sometimes he would defeat—that man was my sworn enemy with whom I would engage in fierce battles as he roamed across the human realm.

And so, today, the time has come for me to finally settle things with this man.

“Oh, shit. That spell’s on cooldown right now. Is it gonna recover in time…?”

The opening piece’s orchestral arrangement played in the background as I continuously fended off enemy attacks, muttering to myself while maneuvering the controller.

“Alright, I put up a defense buff!”

Somehow, I managed to successfully reorganize the party, and I commenced a full-scale offensive assault on the demon king. The enemy’s health gauge began to decrease at a tremendous rate. 

Just a little more…! Almost there…!

Despite the tense battle showing signs of a back-and-forth struggle, it gradually began to tilt in my favor.

And finally, the demon king's health reached zero.

“Hell yeah!” I unintentionally pumped my fist in excitement.

The demon king vanished, leaving behind its final cries before its death as the ending cutscene began to play. I felt a pleasant sense of accomplishment and fatigue, my heart filled with the deep emotion that came in witnessing a happy ending.

“Damn, that was a great game…”

I stretched out my back, which had been hunched forward, causing a satisfying cracking noise to come from within my spine. As I relished in the afterglow of the final battle, I watched through the rest of the ending cutscenes and credits. Finally, seeing the three letters of “END” appear, I reclined back down to my bed with a sense of a pleasant refreshment.

I glanced at the time.

3 AM.

Oops, looks like I ended up getting too carried away. I still have school the next day too. Well, you can't exactly blame me. After all, RPGs are just that great.

The emotional immersion you feel with each protagonist as well as the sense of accomplishment you obtain from saving the world he lives in—it was truly an exceptional kind of happiness.

“I wish I could savor this feeling for a little longer, but I should probably go to bed soon.” However, I wondered if I could actually fall asleep with all this excitement of saving the world still lingering in my mind.

Deciding I should wait until I've calmed down a little, I pulled out my smartphone to help pass the time.

After about five minutes of surfing through the web, without even realizing it, I found myself looking at the game section of an online shopping site. My RPG addiction really is amazing.

“Huh, this one has a sequel out…? Well, I guess it is a pretty rare find, so…” 

I decided to place an order.

But then, on the “Customers Also Bought This” recommendation section that appeared next to the order confirmation screen, I happened to notice a separate game that caught my attention.

“RoboBus II R, huh…?”

RoboBus—or Robo Busters—was a game that had been popular back around the time when I was in elementary school. Although the series had been developed into various forms, such as anime and manga, it gradually lost its popularity after a change in the protagonist, and the series more or less faded into obscurity.

However, RoboBus II R, which released only a few years ago, was still highly acclaimed as a masterpiece and was currently circulating around in the market at a premium price due to the small numbers of copies that had been produced.

“Holy crap, 35,000 yen? It’s even higher than the last time I saw it.”

While it was a game I really wanted to play—for both the nostalgia and my desire to prove its reputation as a masterpiece for myself—unfortunately, 35,000 yen was just way too much for an ordinary high school student like me to afford. I wonder how many other games I could buy with 35,000… Hmm.

Oof, it's happening again—even today, I was experiencing the same internal conflict I'd been struggling with for the majority of that whole year. 

“…Maybe I’ll buy it if it gets a little cheaper." In the end, I decided to solve my conflict by procrastinating as usual.

And so, I closed my eyes, surrendering myself to the increasing sense of drowsiness that came over me.

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

The next day.

As expected, I overslept a little, and I ended up having to arrive at school later than usual.

Well, it is what it is. It was just the price I had to pay to save the world. I can accept it willingly.

Feeling somewhat luxurious as I walked along the deserted route to school, I just barely made it in time to the school entrance to avoid being late.

And so, I opened my shoe locker.

“….Huh?”

Placed atop my indoor shoes, I found something resembling a letter inside. It had a distinctly feminine touch to it, being made out of pale blue letter paper. I had a bad feeling about it, but I couldn’t just leave it there—so I read its contents.

“I declare a formal challenge! After school today, wait for me at the same spot as yesterday! Regards, Your Future Girlfriend.”

“I don’t wanna go…” The face of that irritating normie girl flashed through my mind, filling me with an extreme sense of unease. 

But, if I didn’t go, I had a feeling that things would only get even more bothersome. That blatant narcissist didn’t seem like the type to back down just because I chose to ignore her. It'd be better overall for my mental health to settle it once and for all, rather than just letting it drag on.

I let out a deep sigh, tucked the letter away in my shoe, and walked away.

When I finally reached my classroom with heavy steps, I was greeted by a rather lively atmosphere. Since I arrived at school later than usual, it seemed like all my classmates were already there. I entered the classroom, but not a single student called out to me.

Only a few people would occasionally glance over at me, and upon seeing my face, they’d look away. It was a typical refreshing morning, at least for a recluse like me.

…However, amidst all that, I inadvertently noticed that there, in fact, was one meaningful gaze directed towards me.

Yuzu Nanamine—she was at the center of the group of normies, happily chatting away with her friends. For a moment, she looked at me, her smile seeming to bear some sort of significance before she quickly averted her eyes.

“So it was her after all…”

I felt like clicking my tongue in annoyance as I took my seat. Stuck with that sensation, I pulled out my smartphone and began to read an e-book, but, well—perhaps because her glance from earlier was still fresh in my mind—my focus kept drifting off towards their conversations.

“Hey, isn’t Souta running late? Is he still doing morning practice?” I heard the voice of another girl from Nanamine’s group say. 

The girl's face flawlessly applied with makeup, she twisted the ends of her long, flaxen-dyed hair around her finger. Her eyes were darting around restlessly, as if searching for someone.

I think her name was Aki Kotani, or something along those lines. I’ve never actually spoken to her even once, but she stood out so vividly that I naturally ended up remembering her name.

“Yeah. He seemed pretty enthusiastic since he was likely to snag a regular spot on the team. After all, all the third years retired from the club,” one of the boys in the same group answered her question.

“Hmm…. So that’s why he’s seemed so distant lately.” Kotani pouted her lips in a slightly dissatisfied manner.

Seeing this, Nanamine patted Kotani on the back encouragingly. “If Souta does get a regular spot, let’s go and cheer him on at his match! He’d be happy to get cheered on by Aki, right?” 

“Y-you think so?” Kotani mumbled in a bashful manner.

“Oof…” The interaction was so painfully bright that I couldn’t help but groan.

This is bad; I ended up directly witnessing one of those refreshing teenage romance stories that only normies live out. It’s too bright, I think I’m gonna go blind!

Defeated by the brilliance of normies who seemed like the main characters of their youth, I once again turned my gaze back down to my smartphone.

“Oh, by the way, Yuzucchi. I brought the thing you asked for yesterday.”

“Really? Thanks a lot, Keigo. Wasn’t it pretty hard to find?”

“Nah, it just so happened that my senior had it… though, it’s pretty surprising that you want something like this. Are you gonna play it yourself?”

“Nope, not really. Well, kinda, I guess.”

Although my eyes were focused on my smartphone, I still naturally picked up on the voices of their conversations around me.

…But still.

That Nanamine girl wasn’t showing any of the narcissistic behavior she showed me yesterday at all. Instead, she just seemed like a perfectly normal, considerate girl.

Well, I suppose if she were to regularly show off that intense personality of hers to the people around her, I’d definitely hear rumors about it. The fact that there hasn’t been any means she’s probably been keeping up a more neutral facade.

I let out a sigh as I put on my earbuds, playing some background music.

“She really knows how to play the part.”

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

And so, the fateful time of after-school arrived.

I stuck around in the classroom until all my classmates left, to which I then hesitated for a while about whether I should really go or not. In the end, I gave up, deciding to head to the place she chose.

The sounds of balls bouncing on the floor and the voices of students diligently practicing their club activities reverberated through the gymnasium, creating a bustling atmosphere in stark contrast to my desire for a peaceful and turbulent-free adolescence.

In the back of this vibrant and energetic facility, she was there.

“…Yo.” When I called out to her, Nanamine seemed to notice me and glared up at me angrily.

“So sloooow! How long are you gonna make me wait!”

“My bad. Homeroom took longer than expected.”

“We’re in the same class!”

I figured that I had at least a one percent chance of duping her, but sure enough, I got found out.

“…I needed some time to prepare myself emotionally since I received a love letter from the most beautiful girl in class.”

“Ah, I see. In that case, I’ll forgive you.”

“You’re actually gonna forgive me?” 

To my surprise, the second excuse I gave—delivered in a completely monotonous and sarcastic tone—had in fact been accepted with ease. I couldn’t help but be taken aback by how Nanamine’s mood had shifted so dramatically from annoyed to cheerful in such a short time.

She puffed out her chest proudly.

“Well, of course! Being confessed to by me would definitely be a major moment of your youth. You should be proud, okay?”

“Wow, I feel so moved… So anyways, what do you want?” The pointless chatter was starting to become a pain, so I quickly got down to business.

Nanamine seemed to also think that it was about time for her to do the same. Nodding her head, she pulled out a paper bag.

“Try opening this.”

“…What is it?”

Though remaining cautious, I accepted the item handed to me. It was an object wrapped in a dull, brown paper bag. Just from the style of the packaging, I could tell it wasn’t something that Nanamine had prepared herself. It was likely the thing she received from that male student in the classroom this morning.

“Come on, open it, open it!” Nanamine urged with an excited expression, like a child playing a prank. 

Doing as she told me to do, I nervously took out what was inside. And in that very moment, I felt my eyes widening in shock.

“Th-this is…!”

A package with a retro case. 

The familiar anime-style artwork on the box cover. 

The title logo I’ve seen oh-so-many times.

“RoboBus II R…!?”

Inside that brown paper bag was, in fact, the masterpiece of a retro game that I had always desperately wanted.

Trembling, I opened the case to confirm its contents. 

Inside was genuine, authentic RoboBus software.

“W-why do you have this?”

It can’t be… are you… an RPG enthusiast too?!

I thought I had stumbled upon a like-minded person through some unexpected turn of events; however, the reply Nanamine returned completely shattered that expectation.

“Hehehe, I got it sorted through a friend’s connections. How about that? Surprised? Didn’t think my network was that big, didja’?" Nanamine said, looking quite proud of herself.

Thanks to that somewhat annoying expression, I snapped out of my astonishment.

I took a deep breath.

“…Hey. What’s going on? Tell me in detail.”

“Sure thing.”

She smiled in satisfaction and nodded, having realized that I had finally taken a seat at the negotiation table. “First of all, after you rejected me yesterday, I started looking into you more thoroughly. That said, I only really just asked my friends for a little info. Still, it was sooo hard~! Yamato-kun, you’ve been neglecting your human relationships too much. Thanks to that, finding someone who knew you was incredibly difficult.“

“That’s none of your business,” I spat out from the bottom of my heart.

However, Nanamine continued on without seeming to care.

“So, I somehow managed to find a guy who went to the same middle school as you and, after talking to him for a bit, he told me that you were obsessed with this game.”

“…I see.” A couple of suspects came to mind. During the exams, I spoke with a few people quite a bit.

“From there, it was pretty simple—I traced a bunch of connections, found someone who had the game, and got ‘em to give it to me. Easy-peasy,” Nanamine concluded with a sense of pride in her achievement.

Honestly, I didn’t know what else to say. To solve a problem that I was unable to handle in any way—all in one night—she was truly a master normie. Even in RPGs, rather than going solo against a boss, your chances of winning would always improve by assembling a proper team. Just having so many people under your influence like that is an incredible power in of itself. I guess that’s why high-level social skills are considered a form of justice for people.

 I let out a sigh and stared intently at the girl who was the embodiment of justice itself. 

“…So, what’s the point of dangling this carrot in front of me?” I asked again, pushing the RoboBus box back towards her with a sour look on my face.

Then, despite having failed once already, Nanamine opened her mouth again with a confident smile. “Obviously, I’m asking you the same thing I asked yesterday.”

So, in other words, you want me to go out with you so you can lower your “normie level”?

Though I understood the reasoning behind it, I couldn’t help but have doubts.

“…Why pick me? There's gotta be at least a mountain of other guys who would’ve said yes right away. If you’re going to all this trouble, why are you so set on me?”

That alone was the only thing I couldn’t understand.

There were loads of guys who would have wanted to date Nanamine. Even if it were just for show. Yet, I just couldn’t understand why she went through all that trouble only to choose me.

I observed her face, trying to discern her true intentions. She answered with an unusually serious expression, as if to show sincerity.

“There’s a few reasons… but above all, I guess—it’s because you, Yamato-kun, aren’t the type to get too deeply involved with other people. That’s why you’d probably be the least troublesome. I mean, you don’t seem like the type to drag me around just to show off to a friend.

“And besides,” Nanamine continued. “If I asked someone who actually liked me to do something like this, it'd be pretty cruel, wouldn’t it? So I thought it’d be best to choose someone who seemed the least interested in me. So honestly, when you rejected me yesterday, I thought I found myself the ideal person for the job.”

Well, I suppose that made sense. For someone like Nanamine, it’d probably be pretty difficult to find a guy who didn’t like her or wouldn’t fall for her. Her options were naturally limited.

Thinking that her explanation had satisfied me, Nanamine cleared her throat with a cough and once again broke into a smile.

“So, let’s try this one more time; I really don’t feel like asking you this, but—would you please go out with me?” Nanamine asked, repeating her confession with the same unnecessary phrase at the beginning she had originally included.

…Honestly, I wanted to say no.

It wasn’t that I had any complaints against her or anything, but someone like me being the boyfriend of one of the top normie girls in class would a hundred percent be met with some strange looks.

But—But! If I missed this opportunity, that game may never fall into my hands ever again.

….Okay, I’ll just think of it as a part-time job.

After taking ample time to sort out my feelings, I responded to her with a sigh. 

“I don’t really feel like doing this either, but please take care of me.”

—And thus, a couple with zero percent in affection stats was born.

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

Rumors spread like wildfire.

It was only natural. Yuzu Nanamine—a girl said to have 20% of the boys in class actively crushing on her, 70% who’d definitely say yes if confessed to, with only 10% who were conflicted and unsure of what they’d do in said scenario. That Yuzu Nanamine had gotten a boyfriend.

Around 20% of the class tilted their head and went, “Who’s that again?” 

70% just shrugged indifferently and were like, “Oh, right, that guy.”

“Isn’t he the guy who’s always staring at his phone alone?” the remaining 10% ruthlessly pointed out. 

Truly, a loner among loners.

There was no way that the rift between the two of our social levels wasn’t going to become a topic of conversation among our classmates. And thanks to that, my previously peaceful school life suddenly turned into a bed of nails^[1].

“Ugh… I don’t wanna go to school…” I involuntarily muttered on the way to school in the morning. The last time I felt like this was when I got hit by the May Blues^[2].

Two days had passed since I was confessed to. By the end of yesterday, Nanamine had easily revealed our relationship to everyone around us. Consequently, she was subjected to relentless questioning as punishment for causing a panic throughout the entire class.

I managed to escape being a target for their interrogation last time due to my overall faint presence and my skillful evasions, but there was no way I’d be able to get away with that today.

“…She got grilled ‘till she was wiped out, huh...” And naturally, seeking new stimuli, the masses turned their attention towards me.

“Good morning, Yamato-kun!”

Just as I was feeling instinctively depressed, I suddenly heard a cheerful greeting from up ahead. There, as expected, was Nanamine.

“…Good morning,” I returned the greeting unenthusiastically.

No surprise there. After all, the two of us had arranged to meet here beforehand.

“What’s up with that~? You just met your girlfriend—you should be more excited!” Nanamine pouted, making a fist and gently hitting my stomach repeatedly. 

I wonder if, from an outsider’s perspective—would this also look like a couple playfully teasing each other?

“Yeah, yeah. I’m such a lucky person to be able to see my cute girlfriend’s face again this morning.” 

I verbally expressed my “joy” at seeing her—just enough to satisfy our agreement. But Nanamine, looking discontented, moved closer to me.

“…Hey. I’m giving you a proper reward, so take this seriously. It’s performance-based only, so I'm not giving you the game if you fail,” Nanamine whispered to me at a distance so close that I could feel her breath hanging over my ear. 

The sudden closeness along with the subtle aroma of shampoo that wafted through the air caused my heart to involuntarily skip a beat.

“I-I get it, so just move away from me!” I said in a strained voice, trying to create some distance. Nanamine seemed puzzled for a moment, but an extremely evil smile lit up on her face as she then stepped towards me.

“Ho… Hohoho… You didn’t seem to have all that much interest in me before, but are you sure your heart isn’t racing right now? Hey, hey, am I cute? Did I make your heart skip a beat? Are you gonna get serious about me?”

“You’re even more annoying than I thought you’d be!”

I forced myself to take a step back from Nanamine, who was deliberately gazing at me with upturned eyes from an extremely close distance. 

“Oh, don’t be shy! Come on, come on, you can come closer~” Nanamine teased with a triumphant look on her face, beckoning me over. She was incredibly irritating.

“Just so you know, I have no interest in your personality whatsoever. It’s just that you’re somewhat good-looking, so when you suddenly get close to me, my heart races—purely as a physiological reaction. Make sure you keep in mind that the only things about you that can get me excited are your face and body.”

“Oh my God, that’s like the number one thing you should never say to your own girlfriend! You’re the worst!” Even Nanamine was completely horrified at my morally outrageous comment.

“Anyhow, I’ll make sure to act properly when there are other people around, so don’t flirt with me any more than necessary.”

As I said this, I moved back to my original distance from Nanamine. It was close enough to touch shoulder to shoulder, though not so close that our breaths would reach each other’s ears. With this distance, we’d probably look like a couple.

“Whatever you say. Geez… if we’re gonna do this anyways, don’t you think we should at least try to enjoy ourselves in the process?”

“I do think that. That’s why I’m making an effort to not get any closer than I need to.”

“…That sounds like you’re saying being with me isn’t fun?” Nanamine glared at me with a side-eye.

I shrugged my shoulders in silence.

“You’re so rude. Ugh.” Nanamine, forming her fist again, gently hit my shoulder with a one-two^[3] punch. 

“I give, I give. I was at fault. Being with Nanamine-san is the most fun in the world^[4].”

“Well, as long as you understand.” With my surrender, Nanamine displayed a satisfied smile.

Although being all clingy and acting like a couple was embarrassing, I found that talking at this sense of distance between us felt strangely comfortable. It wasn’t quite that we had good chemistry; rather, Nanamine was just good at adjusting herself to other people’s personalities. I feel like I can kind of understand why she was always at the center of her social circle.

“Oh, I almost forgot. From now on, Yamato-kun, call me Yuzu. We’re already pretty much a bundle of awkwardness as a couple, so if any other cracks show up, we’d be exposed pretty quickly. Gotta put in an effort to make ‘em feel even a bit more of our love.”

“Ah, yeah. I’ll be careful.” I nodded and turned forward again.

…But for some reason, the heated gaze from beside me didn’t stop.

“Stareeee….” She even excessively voiced the onomatopoeia.

“W-what?” I asked, unable to endure the peculiar atmosphere. Nanamine peered into my face with a suggestive, upward gaze.

“At times like this, shouldn’t you actually start giving it a try?”

“Is that necessary?”

“It is, in fact, an important rite of passage.” She said it with such a straight face that even I ended up feeling the same.

Well, if it’s a rite of passage, nothing I can do about it.

Nanamine stared intently at me. I took a deep breath and stared back. 

“….Yuzu.” 

I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but actually calling her that turned out to be a lot more embarrassing than I expected. But when Nanamine—no, Yuzu—heard my words, her face instantly lit up.

“Yep! Feels great, Yamato-kun!”

“Well, thanks.” Feeling embarrassed, I averted my gaze in a brusque manner.

…Not gonna lie, dating a girl is a lot more difficult than I imagined. 

When we walked together into the classroom, as expected, the stares throughout the class pierced right through us.

“Good morning everyone~! Well, Yamato-kun, see you later.”

“Yeah.”

Waving at each other, Yuzu and I headed towards our respective seats. Normally, the gazes would have ceased by that point, but today, even after I sat down and started to look at my phone, the feeling of piercing gazes didn’t go away.

Someone even came up in front of me and started talking.

“Yo, Izumi. Whatchu’ lookin at?”

When I looked up, standing there was one of the male students who appeared to have rather high social skills.

He was one of the boys in the same friend group as Yuzu, and his name was… uh, I think it was Namase? Or something like that. It goes without saying, but he was someone I hadn’t spoken to even once up until now.

“…It’s an e-book.”

“Woah… what kinda’ books you read? Fiction?”

“Right now, I’m reading Frankenstein.”

“Oh, that famous one! Come to think of it, what’s the story even about?” Despite my intending to not have a conversation at all, responding only with disjointed remarks, Namase skillfully kept the conversation going. This guy was tough.

“It’s a story about a monster that went around killing its creator and their relatives.”

“Wow, it’s that gory? Seriously, sounds interesting. Maybe I’ll give it a read too.” I know that people who say things like this never actually end up reading it. So, I waited for him to get to the main point, without unnecessarily engaging him.

Sensing the conversation dying down, sure enough, Namase cut in before the room fell into silence. 

“By the way, Izumi, is it true that you’re dating Yuzucchi?”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding nonchalantly. Namase’s eyes widened in surprise. “Did you hear from Yuzu?”

“Wow, you’re serious. I thought Yuzucchi was joking, but…”

“Yeah, I get how you feel. We pretty much look like we have no connection at all.” I deliberately addressed the doubts that Namase likely had in mind. It was easier in the long run to get everything out rather than leaving any lingering suspicion.

“Yeah, that! How did you two get so close?”

“We used to run into each other at the library from time to time. We had similar tastes in books, so it kinda’ just happened.” That was the backstory we prepared in advance during our rendezvous.

“Oh, the library, huh..? That’s why the people in our class didn’t know about it.”

“Seems like it. Well, it’s not surprising that you didn’t know about us up till now, since my name rarely comes up as a conversation topic.”

Just as I replied to him, the bell rang, signaling the start of our morning homeroom.

“Oh, crap, gotta go. See you later, Izumi.”

“Sure.”

Namase returned to his seat. The other students were also very interested in his findings after managing to successfully interview me, and those who sat with him seemed to be asking questions in hushed voices. 

I wonder if I did a good enough job of convincing him...

Feeling relieved after finishing my task, I lowered my gaze back down at my e-book once again.

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

Then came lunch break.

“Yamato-kun, let’s have lunch together.” 

As I was stretching in my seat, Yuzu came up to me and invited me to lunch with her. In her arms, she was holding two cute lunch boxes. 

“Okay, got it.” Feeling the gazes of the entire classroom on me once again, I stood up from my seat and left the classroom with Yuzu. 

The moment I stepped out into the hallway, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“Haaa… I’m exhausted.”

“Hey. Don’t let your guard down in a place where people can still see us,” Yuzu scolded me while poking my side. 

“Yeah, yeah. It sure is tough being popular.”

“I’m the only one of us who’s popular though.”

“The fact that I can’t deny that makes it tough being an outsider too, doesn’t it?” Although I shrugged my shoulders, I couldn’t help but feel impressed by normies constantly surrounded by this sort of attention. 

“So, where should we eat?”

“Let’s eat on the bench in the courtyard for now. Half the benches there are for couples, y’know?”

“Alright. I’m gonna go buy some bread at the school shop, so wait for me.” 

“Oi, you. Boyfriend. Don’t you see these bento boxes practically screaming ‘homemade’?” Yuzu flaunted the bento boxes in her arms, deliberately showing them off.

“No, I saw them. But even if you’re growing, two bento boxes is definitely too much.”

“Obviously I’m not eating them alone! Look, your girlfriend just brought two bento boxes with her to school. Get the hint already.”

Seeing Yuzu puff out her cheeks, I couldn’t help but cast a slightly anxious glance at her. “…Yuzu, are you sure you can cook? I can’t picture you as the domestic type whatsoever.”

Immediately, her displeasure seemed to deepen.

“How rude! Just so you know, I’m quite confident about its taste.”

“Did your mom make it for you?”

“H-how do you know that?!” Her expression twitching, she looked up at me, likely flustered. 

 “I actually got that right…?” 

While I was still taken by surprise, Yuzu angrily countered back, “Yeah, okay, my mom made it for me! But I helped out too, y’know!” 

“Really? What exactly did you do? In detail.”

“Tasting!”

“That’s it?!”

“Also, I chose the bento box!”

“That doesn’t contribute to the taste at all!”

“I’m also the one who transported the boxes to school!”

“Obviously! You're the one going to school, not your mom! You were already a lost cause by the time you even had to bring that up!”

After getting a series of logical arguments thrown at her, Yuzu was left unable to retort and could only groan.

 “…Hmph. It doesn’t really need to be homemade. To anyone else, it’s still a fancy bento box made by me~”

Ah, she’s sulking.

“No, sorry about that. It was rude of me to complain even though you went through the trouble of getting this meal prepared for me. Please cheer up.”

I really didn’t want to go straight into lunch with this kind of atmosphere, so I decided to just give in.

“Mmm. Make sure to properly worship me before eating.” Yuzu’s mood seemed to rapidly improve, and she immediately forgave me.

And so, we passed through the entrance area and headed towards the courtyard together.

It was at that time.

From the direction of the corridor near the courtyard, the high-pitched voice of a girl could be heard. 

“….Um, I’ve liked you for a long time now! Please go out with me!” 

I stopped in my tracks without thinking, and my gaze met Yuzu’s. Holding my breath, I looked around, and in a blind spot from the school building, I saw a pair of figures—a boy and a girl.

Apparently, we had stumbled upon the scene of a confession.

This is bad. We’re peeping. Peepings’s rude. We should move away a little.

However, before I could turn around—

“….Sorry. I already have someone I like.”

—The boy had already reached his conclusion.

“I-I see. Yeah…. Sorry, that was too sudden,” the girl replied.

“No…”

They were stuck in an awkward position. However, it seemed the girl had already been prepared for that outcome from the beginning. After taking a few deep breaths, she put on a brave front, speaking in a cheerful voice.

“Yeah, I figured. Ahaha, I also kind of thought it might not work. Um, but, will you… stay friends with me… maybe?” 

“Yeah, of course.”

“…Mmm. Thanks. Then, I’ll be going.” 

“Okay.”

With that, the girl walked back down the corridor to the school building. 

I guess you could call it a “soft-landing” for her? Since her confession failed, it was impossible for her to not be hurt, but she still managed to stay composed enough to save face.

Putting that aside, it would be best to leave this place as soon as possible. I gave Yuzu a look, signaling us to move. However, before I could say anything, she had already started walking toward the corridor.

“Hey, so I heard that the benches in this courtyard were for couples only!” she said, raising her voice in a deliberately exaggerated manner. “You know, I always wanted to try sitting on one of them at least once if I ever got a boyfriend.”

What the hell’s she thinking?

Though, it was already too late. The boy had already seemed to have noticed our presence and looked over at us in surprise.

“Oh, it’s Souta! What're you doing in a place like this?” Yuzu greeted him cheerfully, as if nothing had happened. 

It was the blandest and most obvious thing I’d ever heard, but apparently, people with high social skills were also good with fake smiles. Her perfect smile—causing her to seem as if she had truly “just got here”—was executed flawlessly.

“…Yuzu. And Izumi too.” He looked a little shaken upon seeing us.

He had neatly styled black hair and long, slender legs that enhanced his tall stature. On top of that, he was well-built, along with notably attractive facial features.

This was Souta Sakuraba, the number one most handsome guy in class, as well as the leader of the normie group that Yuzu belonged to.

“Just dealing with some personal business,” he said. “What about you two? What are you doing here?” 

It seemed that Sakuraba was also adept at putting on a facade typical of a normie, treating us with a friendly demeanor that made it feel almost as if the earlier confession never happened.

“You know—since I finally have a boyfriend, I thought I’d finally give the benches in the courtyard a try. Then, we just happened to spot you,” Yuzu cheerfully bragged about her “love life,” subtly closing the distance between me and her.

Sakuraba looked at my face and then at the two lunchboxes Yuzu was holding. Seeming to understand the situation, he nodded with a bitter smile. “I see. I’m jealous. But I wouldn’t want to intrude on you two, so I’ll be off now. See you both later.”

“Yeah, see ya~”

“…Yup.” After exchanging a final word of farewell, Sakuraba left with a confident stride.

Once I saw his back disappear into the school building, I cast Yuzu a disapproving look. It seemed that she noticed my gaze as well. But, to stop me from asking questions, she responded by holding up her palm.

“Hold on. I get what you want to say, but let’s talk about it after we sit down on the bench.” 

“Got it.” 

Wrapped in an awkward, uncomfortable tension, we headed toward the benches in the courtyard at a slightly quickened pace. 

Although the benches were open to anyone according to school rules, it was located in a position completely surrounded by the U-shaped school building, so sitting on one of them made you stand out a lot. Perhaps because of this, before anyone knew it, a tradition seemed to have developed where couples would sit there to show off their relationship.

In a place I thought I’d have no connection with until my graduation, I sat down, alongside the most beautiful girl in class.

“Wow, it’s my first time sitting here—I’m starting to get nervous.” Although her tone was cheerful, Yuzu’s smile was a little stiff. 

I was also feeling slightly restless, or maybe it was just the gazes from the school window. 

“…Well, yeah. So I’d appreciate it if we could get this done with quickly.”

“Oh, right. Here’s your bento.” Yuzu gently placed a bento box on my lap.

“No, that’s not… I know you know what I meant.” I shot a reproachful look at Yuzu, who had deliberately changed the subject. 

Likely realizing that she couldn’t put it off any longer, Yuzu sighed uncomfortably. She got to the point, feeling resigned. “Well, I guess it was a little rude to barge in right after her confession. But it was also the perfect opportunity.”

“Opportunity for what?”

“For showing off my relationship with you to Souta.”

I furrowed my brow, not understanding the intent behind that answer.

Realizing that her explanation was too fragmented, Yuzu, as if switching her train of thought, shook her head once and began speaking again.

“First, it’ll probably be easier for you to understand if we start with the reason I confessed to you to begin with,” she said. “Yamato-kun, do you know who the friends I usually hang out with are?”

“Yeah. Kotani, Namase, and Sakuraba, right?”

“Mm-hmm. There’s also a few other people who come and go, but it’s basically us four at the group’s core. Moving on, who do you think is the most popular?”

“Sakuraba.” 

I was only able to answer immediately because I had just seen a confession to him unfold—I didn’t exactly know much about anything else.

However, my answer seemed to be right on target, as Yuzu nodded in agreement. “Yep, that’s correct. That guy’s insanely popular. He’s good-looking and he has a nice personality too. So… the, um, people around him end up… attracted to him.”

“Ah… I see.” It was a rather ambiguous explanation, but I managed to gain a general understanding of her situation. 

In short, Kotani was in love with Sakuraba. I wasn’t particularly surprised about that part, honestly. I suppose I was already vaguely aware of it. 

However, the issue at hand was that Yuzu wanted to show off the fact she’s dating me to Sakuraba. So that must have meant—

“A love triangle?”

“More or less,” Yuzu affirmed my guess with a subtle expression.

Kotani likes Sakuraba. Sakuraba likes Yuzu. Yuzu is Kotani’s friend.

…Yup, textbook love triangle.

“I’m asking just to make sure, but you’re sure about Sakuraba’s feelings, right?”

“Yeah. I accidentally overheard Souta talking about his crush to the guys in his club…” Yuzu reflected back with a bitter expression on her face. Being popular must be tough, huh?

“So basically, the reason you’re dating someone like me is to help Kotani,” I concluded. 

Surprisingly, however, Yuzu shook her head.

“Nah, I’m not good enough of a person to sacrifice myself like that. In the end, it’s all just a plan for my own benefit.” 

Her words seemed so strangely detached; I couldn’t help but find myself staring intently into her eyes.

Staring back at me, she continued without a single change in expression. 

“If it was just about supporting Aki, all I’d really have to do is turn down Souta’s confession. But if I did that—I’d lose my own standing. Souta’s got a ton of fans, and a girl as perfect as me—smart, athletic, popular, and cute—can really get on people’s nerves.”

 “You don’t have to praise yourself every single time. But yeah, I get it now. You’re afraid of other girls saying stuff like ‘She rejected my prince? Who does she think she is?’”

“Yeah, basically. And also, there’s a high chance my relationship with Aki, who has the most influence with the girls, would crack. Worst case scenario, I’d completely lose all my rep in one go.”

And so, in order to prevent a confession from Sakuraba, she set me up as a protective barrier. Either that, or she wanted a valid reason to persuade others when she rejected him. 

Well, if some low status guy like me were the reason she rejected him, she wouldn’t just have been disliked; she’d probably end up seen as the stupid idiot girl who made a terrible choice. 

And while that in of itself was already rather negative, it was probably more peaceful than getting some other hottie for a boyfriend and leveling up to “obnoxious girl popular with two hot guys.” So, it appeared that the reason she wanted to lower her normie levels was likely in order to avoid all these risks—having initially mentioned decreasing her level at the start of our “relationship.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just go out with Sakuraba?” I ended up remarking carelessly. Yuzu seemed to be trying excessively hard, doing all these complex calculations in order to maintain her human relationships.

“Don’t be an idiot. That’d completely wreck my relationship with Aki. I’d basically be declaring war on her. Besides, I can’t be with someone I don’t even like, y’know?”

“Seriously, of all people, you’re telling me that?” 

What she says and what she actually does are completely contradictory…

As far as Yuzu was concerned, however, that discrepancy was within an acceptable range for her. She flashed a mischievous smile as she opened her bento, no sign of fluster visible.

“Hmm? But I really do love you, Yamato-kun. Here, say ‘aah~’ and I’ll feed you like we're really a couple.” With a quick motion, she raised her chopsticks and brought the tamagoyaki her mother made closer to my mouth^[5].

I wanted to refuse, but… from the moment I sat on this bench, I could feel several gazes directed at me from the windows in the school building. Given that I promised to properly behave as Yuzu’s boyfriend in public, it was hard to turn her down.

“Ugh… Aah,” I grunted, opening my mouth. I knew she was making fun of me, but I grudgingly decided to simply accept the situation. 

Apparently, Yuzu’s family was a member of the faction that prefers their tamagoyaki sweet, as the subtle sweetness of sugar spread throughout the fluffy texture of the omelet.

“How is it? Delicious?” 

“…Yeah. The seasoning’s perfect. The taste-tester must have contributed a lot, huh?” I tried saying sarcastically. 

But, it seemed that such quips wouldn’t work against a person brimming with as much confidence as her. A beaming smile on her face, Yuzu simply nodded in response. “Yup, that’s right, that’s right! To have such a refined palette too—there’s just no end to how perfect I am, is there?”

Having already gotten used to her narcissistic tendencies, I ignored her.

“Yeah, yeah. So, as much as it hurts to say this to the perfect Yuzu-chan who loves me so, it’d be nice if you could tell me exactly when we’ll break up. What do you need to happen before I can finally have my freedom back?” I asked about her plans for the future, opening my bento box.

No longer teasing me, Yuzu answered while she ate her lunch.

“Well… Ideally, Souta gives up on me and gets together with Aki. But even if that doesn’t work out, as long as I can get Aki to at least confess her feelings, I suppose I can relieve you from duty then. I can handle the rest on my end after that.”

“Confession, huh… Well, normies are a kind of species that can confess and date as easily as they breathe, so it doesn’t seem like it’d take that long,” I said, expressing my honest opinion. 

“What do you even think we are…?” For some reason, Yuzu looked at me with scornful eyes. “And just so you know, Aki is pretty shy. There’s a reason why I’m still struggling with this.”

“Huh? Even with her looks?” 

That was certainly surprising. I figured that a queen of normies like her would’ve gone around dating and breaking up more casually, but… 

“People aren’t always as they appear. Well, I’m just as perfect as I look, though.”

“Hmm… So are we gonna give her a push?” I suggested, completely ignoring the second half of her words. 

“That way’s probably better,” she said, nodding with a smile. “Alright~! Let’s have a strategy meeting.”

“Roger that.”

Yuzu’s motivation came from her overly enthusiastic attitude, driven by her policy of enjoying everything she did. Mine came from my desire to finish quickly and obtain my reward.

And, it was at this exact moment—the moment our motivations aligned perfectly.

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

—Like I thought, the easiest way to make Souta give up on me is to make a show of us flirting in front of him.

After using up the rest of our lunch break for a strategy meeting, that one comment from Yuzu decided our plan of action going forward. 

Thus began after-school hours.

In order to target Sakuraba, who was at his basketball practice, we waited in the classroom after school and passed time idly.

“…I wanna go home and play games.”

An hour had already passed since school ended.

Having been forced to spend a whole hour wasting time entirely unproductively, an involuntary sigh escaped from my mouth.  

“Hey, now. Here we are, finally alone together, and you’re still complaining like that? Just you and your cute girlfriend, together in a classroom after school—all alone, y’know? It’s straight out of a teenage romance. Enjoy the moment while you still can.” Despite choosing me precisely because I wasn’t into that kind of stuff, she still threw me these unreasonable demands.

To avoid being seen in case any teacher passed through the hallway, we were sitting close together in a narrow space by the window, our shoulders slightly brushing against each other. 

Well, it would be a lie to say that I wasn’t conscious of her whatsoever, but beyond that, I felt a deep sense of something akin to frustration over the fact that my heart raced around Yuzu. It didn’t help that there was an oddly unnerving tension in the air, leaving me exhausted mentally.

That was also the reason why I was complaining, though, my beloved fair lady seemed quite upset^[6]. 

“Yes, yes. I’m so happy to be with the cute Yuzu-chan. I’m about as happy as I am during classical literature class.”

“You mean you’re so bored you’re getting sleepy, don’t you?!”

“I mean, is Sakuraba even actually gonna come back to the classroom?” I asked to confirm. 

Yuzu nodded with apparent confidence.

“Yup. Look, check inside Souta’s desk. He left his phone there, didn’t he? He’s definitely gonna come back to get it.”

Turning my eyes in the direction Yuzu pointed, I saw that lying within Souta’s desk was, in fact, a phone. It appeared as if he had been using it prior to the last homeroom of the day, but hurriedly put it away in his desk when the teacher came in, leaving it there. 

“So, if we time our performance exactly to when Souta comes back and he sees us acting all lovey-dovey, it’ll be perfect.” 

“Well, I guess it’s fine then.” Ending our exchange with that, I took out my own smartphone and opened up an e-book reader.

“Oh, using your smartphone and stuff while talking with someone is pretty rude, you know? You won’t be popular with girls like that, Yamato-kun~!”

“Unfortunately, I already have the most adorable girlfriend in the world, so it doesn’t matter if I’m not popular with other girls.” 

I brushed off Yuzu’s complaints as I started reading a manga on my e-book app. It was a shounen manga that had just released yesterday. 

“Hey, what’re you looking at?”

“The manga that released yesterday.”

When I briefly showed her the screen, Yuzu seemed interested, intently peering into my phone.

“Oh, there’s already a new volume out?”

“You know this manga?” 

It came off as a surprise—she didn’t seem like the type to take interest in shounen manga. Regardless, Yuzu nodded, keeping her eyes on the screen. 

“Yeah, I borrowed it from Keigo before.”

Keigo… A mysterious character has appeared. Who’s that?

Perhaps having noticed my confusion, Yuzu stared at me with skeptical eyes. “For the record, I mean Namase.”

“I don’t need you to tell me. There’s no way I’d forget the name of an important classmate, alright?” 

“So in other words… it’s not that you forgot it, but you didn’t even know his name in the first place—am I right?”

“You… are.” I had been seen through so thoroughly that I couldn’t even muster the strength to object.

“Yamato-kun, you really are… geez. Whatever. Just hurry up and show me the manga.” Yuzu clung to me even more, despite us already being in extremely close contact.

Her shoulders and upper arms—the parts touching me—they were all so incredibly soft that I could barely even guess they belonged to the same person. And despite the frustration I felt, I couldn’t help but feel flustered at the same time.

To distract myself, I focused on the manga. While trying to adjust to Yuzu’s pace, I turned the pages, gradually finding myself drawn into the story. At first, sitting beside me, Yuzu occasionally started a conversation here and there. But when the plot had started to build up, even that stopped. 

Upon seeing the words “to be continued in the next volume,” we both sighed simultaneously.

“Geez, it ended at such a cliffhanger.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I wonder when the next volume comes out.” 

While I resolved to look it up later, Yuzu, beside me, was still staring intently at my phone. 

“By the way, what other books do you have in there?”

“Not much. Just some manga and novels,” I said, about to put my phone away. However, Yuzu firmly grabbed my wrist.

“I’m curious. Show me.”

“No thank you.”

Showing someone my bookshelf is a bit embarrassing. It feels like I’m laying bare all of my personal interests, which is uncomfortable. It makes me feel pretty shy, especially since it’s a girl.

However, for some reason, Yuzu’s eyes lit up. “Hmm? Are there actually, like, hentai manga in there or something?”

“Hell no!”

I wasn’t the kind of guy who’d bring something that dangerous with me to school. However, Yuzu didn’t seem convinced by my response, attempting to snatch my phone from my hands.

“Then, just show me! Gimme!”

“Nope, not letting you!” Somehow, I managed to escape from Yuzu’s grasp. 

“Jeez, just hand it over quietly!”

“Nobody’s handing it over!”

Sitting on the floor as I held my phone raised in the air, Yuzu tried to take my phone by leaning over me from above.

“Hmm… You’re stubborn, huh!”

“You’re heavy! Get off!”

“Don’t tell a girl she’s heavy!”

With my torso arched backward, I used my left arm to prop myself up in a position reinforcing my posture. From beside me, Yuzu pressed her full body weight onto my shoulder with her hand.

Essentially, I was left supporting the weight of two people with just my left arm.

“Crap, I seriously can’t. Nope, nope, nope, nope—aah, it’s over.”

“What the… Kya!?”

Abruptly, I lost my balance and ended up lying on my back. Having lost her support, Yuzu fell face down right on top of me. Naturally, our closeness to each other intensified more than should have been humanly possible.

It was almost as if we were hugging—no, the only way you could describe the position we were currently in was actually hugging. Frozen in place, Yuzu was completely nestled against my chest, unable to react to the sudden situation.

I, on the other hand, being completely aware, stiffened for a different reason. 

Yuzu’s delicate shoulders, snugly fitting within my arms. 

A sweet scent wafting through the air. 

Her body temperature; only slightly lower than mine.

And above all, because of how close we were, I experienced the sensation of two soft bulges pressing against me, their distinct presence causing them to feel—

“Kya…!? Hey, you’re clinging way too close! Don’t just fall over so suddenly!” Yuzu, having finally snapped back to reality, blushed fiercely while still on top of me.

 “Y-you’re the one putting all your weight on me! And get off, you’re heavy!” I was probably turning bright red too.

Damn, she’s so unbelievably cute up close. Wait, I knew she was cute from the start, though, didn’t I? And, well, her body is even more alluring than I thought…

My thoughts reaching the utmost point of chaos within my mind, I expected her to get off of me soon. However, despite my telling her to get off, for some reason, Yuzu continued to cling to me.

“Oi, Yuzu?” I asked, feeling suspicious. 

Yuzu continued to blush deeply, her face betraying a strained expression.

“I-I think my legs might have… gone weak.”

“Huh?!” I shouted in response to the situation.

Remaining in a state of disarray, Yuzu, not to be outdone, also shouted equally loud. “B-because! I was surprised when you suddenly fell! And before I knew it, I ended up finding myself in some kinda’ super embarrassing position. Anyone’s legs would give out! Idiot!”

“How come you have no resistance to guys even though you’re a normie?! Didn’t you always show off to me how popular you were?!”

“I can’t help it! There hasn’t been a single guy worthy of me so far! When you’re a perfect superhuman like me, finding a guy suitable enough is a huge struggle!”

“I acknowledge you for having the mental strength to brag about yourself even right now! So, hurry up and utilize all that natural mental strength of yours to get off quickly!”

“If I could, I would! But since you’re the guy here, use your own natural strength to move me!”

“If I could, I would! But I’m just a weak, stay-at-home type of guy!”

Still at an incredibly close range, we continued to argue pointlessly. However, what brought an end to that situation wasn’t Yuzu’s mental fortitude or my physical strength—but an unexpected third-party who suddenly entered the classroom.

“Hmm, it’s probably in the classroom then, huh?”

The person who appeared was our current target—Souta Sakuraba.

“Damn, I’m so exhausted but I have… to do all… this…”

Sakuraba, who had been walking towards his seat, abruptly came to a halt in the middle of the classroom upon spotting us entangled on the floor. He fell silent.

“…”

“…”

“…”

All three parties went silent.

As expected, the first to recover was Sakuraba.

“S-sorry!” He blurted out, quickly retrieving his phone and dashing out.

“Wait, Souta!” Yuzu called out his name, attempting to explain. However, it was already too late. Sakuraba’s back had already disappeared down the hallway, leaving any excuse she could have given no longer be able to reach him.

I’d never have thought something like this would happen…

It seemed as if the second shock of the day had miraculously revived her previously weakened legs, for Yuzu moved off of me unsteadily, each movement staggered. Following her, I lifted my upper body from the floor and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder while she continued to gaze, dazed, at the classroom entrance.

“Well… in the end, the operation was still a success. That’s great, isn’t it?”

A couple alone in an empty classroom after school, not just hugging secretly… but even pushing each other down.

It didn’t matter who saw them—anyone would think they were on the verge of doing the deed. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Sakuraba, imagining how he must feel stumbling upon the scene of the girl he likes about to do things like that with her boyfriend.

However, it appeared that my words of encouragement were ineffective for Yuzu, who glared at me with teary eyes.

“N-No way that’s great! It’s totally not good at all! Ugh, this is just the worst! Hey, just now, how do you think we looked, thinking objectively?” 

“A super horny girlfriend pushing her boyfriend down ready to do it.”

“Right?! It looks like I was the more aggressive one, doesn’t it?!”

Yep, without a doubt. 

“Yeah, but, we did achieve the original goal.” 

“We overdid it! You know how they say, ‘too much of a good thing is as bad as too little’? How am I supposed to face Souta tomorrow!? He’s definitely gonna look at me like ‘Oh, that’s the lewd girl who tried doing it in school’!” 

Unable to endure the embarrassment, Yuzu covered her face with both of her hands while flailing around her legs.

“Don’t worry about it too much. The moment you told people we were dating, the guys in class already started looking at you thinking you’re probably doing that kinda’ stuff by now.”

“Could you please not tell me something that gross? Ugh, this is the worst, just the absolute worst…!” Yuzu openly displayed her intense distress. 

She seemed like the type who really took her public image seriously. Seeing her so downcast made me feel guilty too.

“Cheer up, okay? Just make sure you give him a proper explanation tomorrow. If I get a chance to speak to him too, I’ll try slipping a few words in too,” I consoled her. 

Yuzu finally seemed to be able to sort out her thoughts, taking several deep breaths to calm herself down.

“Yeah, that’s right. Anyways, we can think of an excuse for Souta later. For now, we need to make sure we learn from our mistakes for the future." 

“O-Oh?” Seeing Yuzu’s unusually serious demeanor, I reflexively straightened my back.

“The problem is our communication. Honestly, we don’t exactly get along all that well.” 

“Well, we are a fake couple. We haven’t really interacted much up ‘till now.” To begin with, we come from completely different worlds. It’s not like we could click right away.

“Up until now, I thought just getting the bare minimum amount of work done would be enough, but… if stuff like this keeps happening, it’s a whole different story. Yamato-kun, we need to actually get to know each other and build a closer relationship.” 

“Hmm… I guess you’re right.”

Honestly, her idea of ‘getting closer’ felt like it had a bit of a bad ring to it, but I felt sorry for making Yuzu feel down like this. So, if there’s a way to fix things, showing her that I’m willing to help solve things is the least I could do to be sincere.

“That being said—although it’s a bit late, let’s figure out a plan to get along better and actually act like a couple!”

Feeling somewhat intimidated by Yuzu’s intense gaze, I slightly tilted my head to the side. “How, exactly, are we gonna do that?” 

In response, while pointing at me with a determined look in her eyes, she presented her idea:

“The best way to get closer is to spend time together. In other words—let’s go on a date!”  

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

We decided to have our date on Sunday.

I’m not sure about Yuzu, but for me, this was my first date ever. Though the whole thing was against my will in the first place, I was still a little nervous.

“Ugh…” 

I arrived at our meeting spot—right in front of the station—fifteen minutes early, scanning the area anxiously. The girl I’m about to meet was neither someone I’m actually dating nor someone I’m about to start dating. So, there’s wasn't any need for me to be nervous.

…Or at least, that’s what I kept trying to tell myself. Unfortunately, my words did nothing to calm me down.

“I can’t believe I let that girl get in my head… I’m such an idiot.” I sighed. 

“Who’s getting in where?”

“Woah?!” 

Before I knew it, Yuzu was standing right beside me. 

“W-when did you get here?” I asked, my voice trembling. 

Although seeming puzzled by my reaction, she answered my question. “Just now.”

“I-I see… Well, don’t worry about it. Just something in a game.” 

Thankfully, I somehow managed to deflect and calm myself down. However, Yuzu seemed dissatisfied about something. Pouting, she stared at me intently. 

“…What?”

“Don’t just say, ‘What?’. Compliment me!” Yuzu suddenly spread her arms wide and spun around in a dramatic flourish. “I plan to spend the whole day with you, Yamato-kun. I did all this dressing up just to make you happy. So, you should compliment me. It’s proper etiquette for a gentleman. Got it?”

“…I see. Got it.” 

Being genuinely convinced by Yuzu’s reasoning, for the first time during our date, I looked over Yuzu’s appearance. 

She wore a fluffy pink cardigan over an inner layer with a deep neckline, exposing all the way from her collarbone to her chest. On her legs, she donned a dazzling white miniskirt that highlighted her thighs, completing the look.

It was a style of dress so deliberately conscious of what most appealed to men, her words about dressing specifically to please me may not have been an exaggeration.

“…Yeah. Well, it’s cute, I guess,” I ended up saying bluntly. 

Yuzu laughed cheerfully. “Yamato-kun, you’re so bad at giving compliments~! You embarrassed? Hey, are you so embarrassed by my cuteness that you can’t even speak?”

“Shut up! Your inner self is as un-cute as usual!” I fled from Yuzu, who was trying to peek at my face, and quickly started walking ahead. 

“Ah, wait up~!” Yuzu quickly scurried over, lining up next to me.

Upon closer examination, I noticed she was wearing shoes with slightly high heels. I adjusted my pace, slowing down just a little.

“By the way, Yamato-kun, have you decided where we’re going?”

“Nope, not at all.”

“Yup, as expected, you get zero points as a guy. Wonderful.”

“Leave me alone.” 

It was an infuriating assessment, but there wasn’t any room for argument, so I accepted it graciously.

However, Yuzu then smiled even more mischievously. “But, you did slow down for me after looking at my shoes, so extra points. Congrats! Ten points for you.”

“Ugh…” It felt embarrassing to be found out like that. A zero would have been better.

“You really are such a shy person, Yamato-kun. No one wants a guy for a tsundere, you know?”

“So noisy.”

Damn it. Maybe it’s ‘cause of the date that I’m so nervous, but I keep getting backed into a corner.

After walking for a few minutes while getting teased by Yuzu, she stopped in front of a building and pulled on my arm. 

“Ah, let’s go here!” Standing there was a building with a giant bowling pin sticking out of it.

Inside of the building was a famous recreational facility known for its wide array of entertainment options, including bowling, darts, billiards, karaoke, and various other activities.

Following Yuzu’s lead, I went into the facility as she pulled on my arm. 

It’s been a while since I’ve last been to a place like this. I used to come here a lot in middle school.

“Yamato-kun, places like this aren’t really your type?” Yuzu asked, concerned, seeing me look around nervously with nostalgia.

“No, I was just thinking how nostalgic it is. I used to come here often back when I was little.”

“I see. Well, what do you used to do here for fun?”

“Mostly basketball. Like free-throws and stuff.”

Yuzu’s eyes sparkled with interest. “Oh, so you’re actually experienced?”

“I was in middle school. We were all required to participate in club activities.” 

Although I’m completely an indoor guy nowadays, back in middle school, I was thrown into the world of sports whether I liked it or not. I was like a fawn being thrown into a pride of lions. Poor you, me of back then. 

“I see. Well, since we’re here, I wanna see Yamato’s cool side! Can I?” 

While it may have sounded like she was just teasing me, she was trying to let me show off the things I’m good at. After all, since this is supposed to be a date, she’s probably trying to make me look good. 

“Sure, I guess.” Not wanting to disregard her consideration for me, I went along with Yuzu’s suggestion. “But don’t expect too much from me. I’ve gotten rusty.”

With that, we took an elevator and got off on the floor where the basketball court was located. 

Recreating a full basketball court within such a confined indoor space wasn’t exactly feasible, so instead of naming it ‘Basketball,’ the area was labeled ‘3-on-3,’ with the court only  being half its standard size^[7]. However, it was more than enough for just shooting free throws.

As I put on the basketball shoes that the store rented out to players, I was struck by a strange sense of nostalgia from the weight of the ball I hadn’t held in a long time. 

“Yamato-kuuun! Do your best! I wanna see a three-pointer!” Yuzu cheered from outside the court.

“There she goes again, making everything harder as usual…” Her troublesome request nearly caused a scowl to show on my face, though I managed to hold it back.  

Well, it is in front of her, so… I guess I can try a little harder.

Standing at the three-point line, I dribbled the ball around a few times, each bounce gradually bringing back the sensations from my middle school days. Once I felt somewhat prepared, I held the ball between both of my hands and locked my gaze directly on the hoop. I bent my knees as far as they could go, letting my upper body sink down.

Gathering strength in my arms, I released it all through my body. As I extended my knees and tightened my core, I could  feel the power transferring from the bottom of my feet up to my fingertips. When that force focused into the ball, I flicked my wrists outward, using my fingertips to add a spin. 

The ball took flight in the path of a parabolic arc.

In the past, I’m sure it would have gone straight in. However, I’d taken a long absence from practicing the sport. Perhaps because of this, the ball hit the rim once, circled around inside the hoop for a moment, before finally…

…swishing through the net.

“Wow! Amazing! It went in perfectly, Yamato-kun!” Yuzu clapped exaggeratedly. 

Being praised for something you could do wasn’t a bad feeling at all.

“You wanna try too?”

“Yeah!” Yuzu cheerfully jogged up to me. 

When I placed the ball in her hands, her eyes widened in surprise. “Woah, it’s heavy. I wonder if it’ll even reach the hoop properly?”

“You should be fine as long as you use both hands. I’ll teach you, so just get ready and give it a try.”

“Yes, sir! Nice to meet you, Sensei!” 

Seeing Yuzu look so happy, a smile naturally escaped my face as well. The initial nervousness I had completely melted away, and before I knew it, I found myself genuinely enjoying our date. 

Bright, fun, and pretty too. She did have a slightly annoying side, but she has all the makings of someone popular, so much so that it almost feels strange that she’s here on a date with me right now.

“Here, try hitting it like this, transferring the power all the way from your feet to your fingertips.”

“Okay… here I go! Shoot!”

Yuzu built up the power from her whole body and then, using both hands, launched the ball from in front of her chest. However, it proved too difficult after all; the ball fell short of the backboard and bounced on the court instead.

“Ugh, what a disappointment…”

“Close, close. Here, try one more time.” I picked up the ball and passed it to Yuzu with a single bounce. “It looks like you don’t have enough physical strength. You should jump more firmly.”

Since a three-pointer has to be taken from quite a distance, you can’t reach it unless you use all the strength available in your body. So, I gave her that advice with completely pure intentions, but… for some reason, Yuzu looked at me with a disapproving gaze.

“Yamato-kun, you’re saying that even after seeing how I’m dressed today?”

“Oh.” 

It was only then that I realized Yuzu was wearing a skirt, and a rather short one at that. 

“You’re such a perv, Yamato-kun. You acted like you’re teaching me how to shoot, but you were actually trying to sneak a peek at my panties, weren’t you?” Yuzu continued to tease me, taking advantage of the opportunity. 

However, now that I’ve actually recovered from my nervousness, there were no longer any openings for her to exploit. 

“Oi, oi, I was just focusing on basketball with pure intentions. Isn’t it actually you who’s the perv, Yuzu? I mean, you came up with all that stuff, and you even pushed me down back then in the classroom, so…”

“Y-you… Just forget about all that!” 

After landing a perfect counter striking right at her trauma, my words seemed to have an immediate effect; Yuzu hid her face behind the basketball. However, her flushed ears were still visible.

Alright, I won!

“Sure, sure, I’ll forget about it. So, how about we try a free throw this time? That way, you won’t have to jump, right?”

“Ugh… yes, sir.”

Yuzu, peeking out cutely from behind the ball, was unintentionally adorable.

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

As expected of someone who prided herself on her athletic abilities, Yuzu easily made the free throw after just two or three practice shots.

After playing until the very end of the allotted time and getting ready to move to a different area with a satisfied Yuzu, it was precisely at that time when it happened. 

We ran into them in front of the elevator.

“Oh? If it isn’t Yuzu. What are you doing here, in a place like this?” 

Those words directed at us—well, no, just at Yuzu, really—were spoken by Kotani, currently in her casual clothes. 

Yuzu glanced at me for just a moment before turning to address her friend.

“Oh, Aki. What a coincidence, huh?” 

Then, a guy suddenly appeared from behind Kotani—Namase. 

“Huh, what’s going on? Yuzu’s here… and Izumi too. Did we interrupt anything?” Seeing me next to Yuzu and understanding the situation, Namase looked a bit awkward. Next to him were several of our female classmates—as well as Sakuraba.

“What’s up, you two?” Sakuraba greeted us. His friendly demeanor—at least on the surface—made it seem as if he had completely forgotten about the events that transpired that one afternoon.

“…Yo,” I greeted back casually.

Although Yuzu was supposed to have followed up on it, I hadn’t had a chance to talk with Sakuraba after that incident, so this is our first conversation since then. Due to the awkwardness of the situation, the conversation become sparse from there. However, before the silence could settle, Namase interrupted.

“Were you two playing basketball?”

“Yup. Yamato-kun was experienced, so he taught me a little,” Yuzu responded faster than me. 

Upon hearing her, Kotani glanced at me for a moment before turning her gaze to Sakuraba. 

“That’s perfect. Souta, why don’t you have Izumi play with you? You came all this way to play basketball, so it would be frustrating not being able to go all out because there are no other experienced players, right?”

To that suggestion, Sakuraba shook his head with a wry smile. “Nah, there’s no way I can interfere with their date.”

Being able to say that while the girl you like is with her boyfriend sure shows impressive character. I know it might just be him putting up a front like Yuzu, but even so, it was admirable.

“Sorry, Aki. We already have plans,” Yuzu apologized to Kotani, pressing both of her palms together.

But—we should accept this. To get those two together, it wasn’t enough just to make Sakuraba give up on Yuzu. It’s also important to close the distance between Kotani and Sakuraba. To achieve that, the quickest way would be for Sakuraba to show off his cool side and for Kotani to praise him, or something like that.  

There’s no doubt about that. After all, I experienced the same thing with Yuzu, having been happy when she praised me.

“Hey, it’s not that big of a deal, is it? It’s been a while, so I wanna try playing basketball with someone experienced too.” 

I put on a smile, as if flipping a switch inside of myself.

 “Yamato-kun…” Yuzu’s eyes widened in surprise.

She should definitely understand what I’m thinking, but… she looked somewhat reluctant, her face clouded with hesitation.

Putting Yuzu aside, Kotani called out to Sakuraba as well. “That’s great, Souta. Izumi says its fine too. I also wanna see you playing basketball, so let’s go for it.”

At the invitation, Sakuraba looked troubled as his gaze went back and forth between me and Kotani. 

“…Are you sure it’s okay, Izumi?”

In response to his hesitant request for confirmation, I gave him a perfectly crafted smile. “No problem. Actually, I was getting pretty excited about playing basketball again after a long time, so this has gotta be luck. I wanna show Yuzu my cool side.”

When I mentioned Yuzu’s name, Sakuraba’s expression changed for a moment. 

It’s a perfect opportunity for him to crush me—his rival in love—in front of Yuzu.

That’s probably what he just realized.

“Got it. Let’s do it.”

Together with Sakuraba, who was finally eager to play, I entered the court. After doing a light warmup, we took our positions for a 1-on-1 match.

“For now, how about we go with something like first to three points?”

“Yeah. Let’s do this.”

I got the ball first. I passed the ball to Sakuraba once, and he quickly passed it back. That was the signal that started the 1-on-1 match.

“Soutaaaa! Do your best!”

“Show us your cool side!”

Namase along with the other girls laughed and cheered. On the other hand, Kotani, the one who started the match, just watched quietly and didn’t make a sound. 

I see… Looks like the stuff about her being shy wasn’t a lie after all…

Turning my gaze away from the spectators, I began dribbling while keeping an eye on Sakuraba. Being someone who was near grabbing a regular spot on the high school team, there weren’t any openings, as expected. Not only was he taller than me, but his movements were sharp too. 

At this rate, even without intentionally holding back, I’m gonna get beaten up badly. 

“Haa!” 

I feinted with my gaze, charging forward with a powerful dribble. However, Sakuraba was sticking to me closely, making it impossible for me to get anywhere near the hoop. 

“Damn it!” With no other choice, I abruptly stopped dribbling, deciding to take a mid-range shot. Despite the distance, with his tall and long arms, Sakuraba easily managed to block my shot.

“Huh? I thought I’d make it.” 

“No, that was close. You’re pretty good, Izumi,” Sakuraba praised me, ending my attack in a state of half surprise and half acceptance.

Change of possession.

After exchanging passes, Sakuraba immediately cut in with a dribble.

He’s fast—but I can catch up!

I positioned myself in anticipation of Sakuraba’s path to intercept and block the attack. However, moments before, Sakuraba gracefully pivoted and changed direction.

—A spin and a roll!

Without panicking, I tried to get between Sakuraba and the board, but perhaps due to our difference in power, I couldn’t stop him at all. 

“Ugh… so heavy…!”

Even though I was using all my strength, it felt as if I was pushing a rock. My attempt at defense was right on the edge of being a foul.

And, as expected, it was Sakuraba who prevailed due to his superior physique. He easily shook me off his tail, making a layup just as effortlessly.

“Wow! Souta’s so awesome!”

“Yo! He’s the next captain of the basketball team!” 

Thanks to scoring that shot, the audience got even more excited.

…I can’t win this.

After letting out a sigh, I returned to the starting point for the 1-on-1.

⛧─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───⛧

In RPGs, there’s a concept often referred to as a ‘losing battle.’

It refers to battles that you cannot win no matter what you do, in order to let the story progress. For example, the enemy’s HP might be infinite, or any damage to it might have no effect at all. Having these battles you cannot win no matter what is a technique RPGs use to express the enemy’s strength and coolness.

The 1-on-1 between me and Sakuraba was precisely that—a battle that I could never win, designed to showcase the charm of the character Sakuraba.

After being quickly defeated three games to none and parting ways with Sakuraba and the others, Yuzu and I left the entertainment facility and wandered aimlessly with no destination in mind.

“Haaah… I’m tired after playing basketball for the first time in a while. I guess doing things that I’m not used to isn’t a good idea.”

“…Yeah.” Yuzu, who was walking next to me, seemed unusually low-spirited for some reason. 

It wasn’t anything sudden either. It’s been like this since the match with Sakuraba.

“Hey, what’s wrong? After the match, things were going well between Sakuraba and Kotani, right? Kotani had nothing but good things to say.”

Perhaps feeling pleased by her crush’s overwhelming victory, Kotani was exuberantly praising Sakuraba, and Sakuraba didn’t seem displeased by it at all. Given that she’s known to be reserved, her taking such an approach and closing the gap even by a little should have been considered a step forward for our goal.

But then—why was Yuzu in such a bad mood?

“It wasn’t all good things. After all, they publicly embarrassed you, didn’t they?” 

Yuzu was mad at me… or rather, she was simply denying my opinion with a tone that felt more like she was sulking.

“Are you sulking over something like that? Well, if your boyfriend got beaten up that badly, it might be embarrassing for you as my girlfriend, but—"

“That’s not why!” Yuzu shouted, interrupting my words.

“You know, Yamato-kun—today, I wanted you to have fun. I wanted you to enjoy our date… No, I wanted you to start thinking that being with me was fun. But instead, you lost at something you’re good at and ended up embarrassed… With that kind of experience, how would you ever be able to think being with me is fun?”

“…”

Her feelings left me finding myself without words.

Originally, there was never any connection between Yuzu and me. Even now, our relationship was still completely superficial. Just a part-time job with a game as bait to work. 

But even knowing all that, Yuzu still tried to make me enjoy myself. 

“…How should I put this?” I let out a sigh before managing to force out the words I said next. “You said you chose me because I wasn’t interested in you, right? But now, you want me to enjoy being with you? That’s contradictory.” 

“Hmph… I know that.” Yuzu pouted like a child and turned her eyes away. 

Seeing such a gesture, I couldn’t help but smile. 

Narcissistic, but not self-centered. Always scheming, but still considerate. In the end, despite all her various schemes and plans, all she really wanted was for the people around her to smile—a humble kindness of hers. Her such imbalanced manner of existence somehow seemed oddly charming to me.

“Also, Yuzu, you’re wrong about one thing—I did have plenty of fun today.”

“…That’s a lie.” Perhaps believing that I was forcing myself to say so, Yuzu stared at me, as if probing my facial expression for clues. 

“I’m not lying. Think about it: I’m playing the basketball I love, gaining a step closer to my goal of Robobus, and on top of that—I have the most adorable girlfriend in the world right next to me. What about that makes it impossible to enjoy?”

“Even though you had to fake that smile when you were competing with Souta?”

“Isn’t it cool how I hide my true feelings behind a smile to achieve my goals?”

“…Narcissist.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you of all people,” I retorted without thinking.

With that, it seemed like the tension in the air had finally dispersed. Yuzu gave me a relaxed, wry smile. 

“Geez. Don’t say weird things like that, you idiot,” Yuzu uttered a slightly pouty remark, having recovered from her mood.

“I said it because you were sulking so weirdly.” Accordingly, I naturally broke into a smile as well. “Well, I mean—I don’t really care that much anyways. But if you suddenly get all down for no reason, of course I’ll be bothered.”

“…Yeah. Thanks.” Yuzu smiled with a shy, bashful expression. She seemed to have completely recovered, as she immediately puffed out her chest with confidence. “Well, when I think about it, there’s no way you wouldn’t enjoy being with me! I guess I was still underestimating my own attractiveness. How foolish of me!”

“Ah… I messed up. She was definitely cuter when she was down. Why did I have to cheer her up? I’m such an idiot.” 

While I was holding my head in despair over my blunder, Yuzu shook my shoulder with a look of dissatisfaction. 

“The heck’s with that? Don’t say something that tactless~ Come on, come on, how about saying something like ‘I’m glad to see my cute girlfriend’s bright smile’?”

“Who’d say that?!”

Feeling worn out by Yuzu’s completely restored high spirits, I continued walking in step with her. Occasionally feeling exasperated, I shrugged my shoulders, but our conversation never faltered.

It took a truly twisted series of events to get to this point. 

But regardless, at the very least, we could finally say—our initial objective appeared to be complete.In RPGs, there’s a concept often referred to as a ‘losing battle.’

It refers to battles that you cannot win no matter what you do, in order to let the story progress. For example, the enemy’s HP might be infinite, or any damage to it might have no effect at all. Having these battles you cannot win no matter what is a technique RPGs use to express the enemy’s strength and coolness.

The 1-on-1 between me and Sakuraba was precisely that—a battle that I could never win, designed to showcase the charm of the character Sakuraba.

After being quickly defeated three games to none and parting ways with Sakuraba and the others, Yuzu and I left the entertainment facility and wandered aimlessly with no destination in mind.

“Haaah… I’m tired after playing basketball for the first time in a while. I guess doing things that I’m not used to isn’t a good idea.”

“…Yeah.” Yuzu, who was walking next to me, seemed unusually low-spirited for some reason.

It wasn’t anything sudden either. It had been like this since the match with Sakuraba.

“Hey, what’s wrong? After the match, things were going well between Sakuraba and Kotani, right? Kotani had nothing but good things to say.”

Perhaps feeling pleased by her crush’s overwhelming victory, Kotani was exuberantly praising Sakuraba, and Sakuraba didn’t seem displeased by it at all. Given that she’s known to be reserved, her taking such an approach and closing the gap even by a little should have been considered a step forward for our goal.

But then—why was Yuzu in such a bad mood?

“It wasn’t all good things. After all, they publicly embarrassed you, didn’t they?”

Yuzu was mad at me… or rather, with the tone she used upon denying my opinion—it was more like sulking.

“Are you sulking over something like that? Well, if your boyfriend got beaten up that badly, it might be embarrassing for you as my girlfriend, but—"

“That’s not why!” Yuzu shouted, interrupting my words.

“You know, Yamato-kun—today, I wanted you to have fun.” She continued. “I wanted you to enjoy our date… No, I wanted you to start thinking that being with me was fun. But instead, you lost at something you’re good at and ended up embarrassed… With that kind of experience, how would you ever be able to think being with me is fun?”

“…”

Her feelings left me finding myself without words.

Originally, there was never any connection between Yuzu and me. Even now, our relationship was still completely superficial. Just a part-time job with a game as bait to work.

But even knowing all that, Yuzu still tried to make me enjoy myself.

“…How should I put this?” I let out a sigh before managing to force out the words I said next. “You said you chose me because I wasn’t interested in you, right? But now, you want me to enjoy being with you? That’s contradictory.”

“Hmph… I know that.” Yuzu pouted like a child and turned her eyes away.

Seeing such a gesture, I couldn’t help but smile.

Narcissistic, but not self-centered.

Always calculating, but still considerate.

In the end, despite all her various schemes and plans, all she really wanted was for the people around her to smile—a humble kindness of hers. That heavily imbalanced manner of existence of hers somehow seemed oddly charming to me.

“Also, Yuzu, you’re wrong about one thing—I did have plenty of fun today.”

“…That’s a lie.” Perhaps believing that I was forcing myself to say so, Yuzu stared at me, as if probing my facial expression for clues.

“I’m not lying. Think about it: I’m playing the basketball I love, gaining a step closer to my goal of Robobus, and on top of that—I have the most adorable girlfriend in the world right next to me. What about that makes it impossible to enjoy?”

“Even though you had to fake that smile when you were competing with Souta?”

“Isn’t it cool how I hide my true feelings behind a smile to achieve my goals?”

“…Narcissist.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you of all people,” I retorted without thinking.

With that, it seemed like the tension in the air had finally dispersed. Yuzu gave me a relaxed, wry smile.

“Geez. Don’t say weird things like that, you idiot,” Yuzu uttered a slightly pouty remark, having recovered from her mood.

“I said it because you were sulking so weirdly.” Accordingly, I naturally broke into a smile as well. “Well, I mean—I don’t really care that much anyways. But if you suddenly get all down for no reason, of course I’ll be bothered.”

“…Yeah. Thanks.” Yuzu smiled with a shy, bashful expression. She seemed to have completely recovered, as she immediately puffed out her chest with confidence. “Well, when I think about it, there’s no way you wouldn’t enjoy being with me! I guess I was still underestimating my own attractiveness. How foolish of me!”

“Ah… I messed up. She was definitely cuter when she was down. Why did I have to cheer her up? I’m such an idiot.” I held my head in despair over my blunder.

Yuzu shook my shoulder with a look of dissatisfaction.

“The heck’s with that? Don’t say something that tactless~ Come on, come on, how about saying something like ‘I’m glad to see my cute girlfriend’s bright smile’?”

“Who’d say that?!”

Feeling worn out by Yuzu’s completely restored high spirits, I continued walking in step with her. Occasionally feeling exasperated, I shrugged my shoulders, but our conversation never faltered.

It took a truly twisted series of events to get to this point.

But regardless, at the very least, we could finally say—our initial objective appeared to be complete.

Translator's Notes:

[1]: A bed of nails (針の筵 – harinomushiro) is a Japanese phrase that generally refers to an extremely uncomfortable or stressful situation, or as when sitting on a bed of nails. The closest English equivalent would be walking on pins and needles, however that is more often equivalent to a feeling of anticipation rather than uncomfort. Hence, the footnote.

[2]: The May Blues is a term used in Japan to describe the melancholic mood and feelings that occur for many people in May. It generally occurs after Golden Week (which happens in early May), likely due to the post-holiday fatigue people may feel after a holiday ends.

[3]: A one-two punch is a boxing term for a jab and a cross.

[4]: Yamato deliberately uses a polite tone in this dialogue, hence the “Nanamine-san.” His apology is formal as well.

[5]: Tamagoyaki (卵焼き) is a special Japanese rolled omelet, containing a unique umami flavor often with a hint of sweetness. It can be served with soy sauce and grated radish. Western omelets tend to be fluffier and more substantial in texture. Tamagoyaki have a softer and more tender feel to it. (See Wikipedia for more details).

[6]: The pronoun used here for Yamato (我が  – waga) is extremely formal and is often seen in historical contexts or to add a poetic sense of grandeur to a sentence. The word used to refer to Nanamine was 彼女さん (kanojo-san), which literally translates to “girlfriend-san.” Since there’s no way to convey this sense of formality in English while still using the word “girlfriend,” it was substituted instead with “fair lady” to match the nuance Yamato was aiming for.

[7]: 3-on-3 basketball—popularized from the “rules” established in urban areas within America (basically when you go balling in the hood)—became an officially recognized variant of the sport by FIBA, the sport’s international governing body. Courts specifically for 3on3 was popularized within Japan due to the Summer Olympics hosted within Tokyo, as a method to save space for the size of gyms within entertainment centers.