Hamanami did not seem to like Tachibana-san very much.
—You’re spoiling her just because she has a pretty face. A girl like her can’t live with such an unsociable attitude!
It was lunchtime, and we were in the mystery club room. We were both on the couch eating lunch. And the reason for this is nothing more than the blackmail that took place that night in the parking lot.
—Tachibana-san is a very popular girl even among the freshmen. I’ve heard that a lot of boys want to get close to her. And one of them is a boy in my class named Yoshimi, the typical fool who got to play basketball by reading about it in a manga.
—That sounds great.
—Oh, so senpai is worried about that?
—I don’t know.
After hearing my answer, Hamanami sighed heavily.
—What do you like about Tachibana-san? After class, I went to the classroom to see her, and for some reason she still had that weird makeup on, I couldn’t even see her face.
—It must be the halo effect.
—You mean that cognitive bias effect where people place value on something based on just one good thing and already believe the rest do it better?
—So, you know.
—I’m the kind of person who studies hard. I can’t believe men are so stupid as to fall for such a simple psychological effect. What does Kirishima-senpai like about Tachibana-senpai?
—Her face… I think.
—Be honest!
—I can understand that you don’t like Tachibana-san very much, but what would you gain if I answer your question?
I also don’t think Tachibana-san would be interested if she were to find out about my false declaration of love for Hamanami.
—Do you really believe that? Do you intend to deny the fact that you and she were kissing very lovingly? It’s unacceptable! I’m going to destroy Tachibana-senpai!
—Why do you want to do that?
Hamanami’s cry of hatred had come at a rather unfortunate time, as Tachibana-san was standing behind her unaware of her presence.
—T—Tachibana-senpai, what are you doing here?
—I only came to the music room to look for some sheet music…. And that’s when I heard some noise coming from this place.
Tachibana-san looks at Hamanami sullenly.
—Do you like this girl, Shiro-kun?
I guess the rumor that I’m in love with Hamanami is already spreading.
—I see that Shiro-kun can’t help falling in love with other women. What about you? Do you have anything else to say?
—Huh, I…
Hamanami stammered for a moment, but then regained her composure and faced her opponent.
—Is it okay for you if the guy you like confesses to another girl?
—Hmm, I think so.
—So you don’t like Kirishima-senpai enough? Even though he confessed to you?
Hamanami proceeded to pull out her phone with a picture of Tachibana-san and I kissing.
—Maybe you’re just playing with senpai’s feelings. And it would also be a complete pity if this picture were sent to every student in this school.
—Huh…
Tachibana-san observes the image carefully. And then she stares at Hamanami.
—Shiro-kun is a good kisser.
—Huh?
Hmanami’s eyes widened. She finds it hard to believe that her threat didn’t work at all. But what Tachibana-san said next left her even more perplexed.
—It’s a beautiful photo. Hey, send me a copy, I want to have it on my phone too.
Tachibana-san picked up Hamanami’s phone and started fiddling with it.
—What is your name?
—Megumi Hamanami…
—Hamanami-san, could you take more pictures?
—You want me to take more pictures?
—I want to have more images of Shiro-kun and me kissing.
—What are you talking about?
—Shiro-kun was the one who taught me how to kiss. And since then, I’ve always wanted to kiss him while others were watching us. So please, Hamanami-san. Take more pictures of us.
After Tachibana-san’s unusual request, Hamanami turns to me with a stiff expression.
—What is this all about?
Hamanami had her reality check when confronted with Tachibana-san, a girl who does not know what is ethical nor follows the rules made by society in order to get what she wants the most.
—That’s the way she is.
—No, that’s not what I want to hear from Kirishima-senpai, you must do something. This kind of thing is not right.
I know, my dear Kouhai. I agree with you wholeheartedly.
—I’m not going to do what Tachibana-san is asking. It’s too embarrassing.
—You don’t have to feel that way. It’s just a trivial thing. You can say that I forced you to do it, or that I just wanted a picture.
—Why are you saying that, Kirishima-senpai? Didn’t you ask me to delete the image? That’s why I threatened you, remember? Now it’s all just confusing!
—Well, you can always change your mind, can’t you?
As soon as I said this, Tachibana-san quickly spoke up.
—It’s because I have a fiancé.
Hamanami’s eyes widen.
—…And who is it?
—Shun Yanagi.
Hamanami looks at me again while shaking his head strongly.
—I see… And now what are you telling me about this, the reason I’m here was because Yanagi-senpai asked me to be here.
—You mustn’t tell anyone.
—I won’t…
Faced with Tachibana-san’s statement, Hamanami proceeded to tell what had happened at the time my false statement was spread. Yanagi-senpai decided to approach her with obvious intentions.
—I thought he was a very handsome man the moment he entered the classroom as if it was nothing, and that’s when he approached me. That person kept praising Kirishima-senpai. I’m only here because he convinced me that you were a good guy.
Hamanami looked at me and Tachibana in turn.
—Shiro-kun and Hamanami-san are very cheerful and funny people.
—Thank you.
—This is no time for jokes!
Hamanami exclaimed while breathing heavily. All this had caused her to enter a state of panic.
—This is why I can’t blame Shiro-kun for what he does with other girls. Since my love for him has an expiration date, it’s just another relationship between two high school students. After graduation, I’m going to marry my fiancé, and I don’t plan to leave any traces of the things we’ve done… This will be nothing but a beautiful memory in the future, so I want to enjoy things to the fullest with him as much as I can. And, I’m glad you were there that night to take this picture. I wouldn’t have thought of it. It’s a beautiful memory that I plan to look at over and over again, until the day comes that I have to erase it.
After that, Tachibana-san handed the phone back to Hamanami, and left the club room. There was a moment of silence that enveloped the whole place, making an awkward situation invade us. We did nothing but continue eating our lunches in silence.
Hamanami, who a moment ago had been so cheerful, now had a terribly blank expression, which she continued to maintain even after she had eaten her meal.
—Tachibana-san has such an ephemeral thought, it made me feel sad.
—I couldn’t help but feel pain when I imagined Tachibana-senpai’s feelings… But this doesn’t mean that I have forgiven her… No! I still plan to destroy….
—There is something I forgot to mention.
—Aaaaah!
Hamanami shouts in surprise, because Tachibana-san re-entered the room without a sound.
—I’ll give you a piece of advice, Hamanami-san. I don’t know if you really like Shiro-kun, but if this is some kind of game, I recommend that you quit. Not all girls are like me. Someone may come to take this as a declaration of war, but if you’re not afraid… Good luck.
After saying those words, she left the room again.
—What did she mean by that?
—I don’t know.
I shrugged my shoulders. A few minutes later, Hamanami figured out what was going on.
—The other girl she mentioned… Is it someone in love with Kirishima-kun?
And as if everything had been perfectly planned in a chess game, Hayasaka-san makes an appearance in the club room.
—Hey, Kirishima-kun… What am I to you?
—————————————-
Shortly after the false rumor, I received a phone call from Yanagi-senpa.
—I thought Kirishima really liked Hayasaka-chan. She’s someone very pretty.
—Senpai, do you think Hayasaka-san is cute?
—Well, yes…
Yanagi-senpai sounded very embarrassed for a moment.
—I’ve tried not to think of her that way.
—So you’re not just saying that because you’re worried about me, are you?
—It would be bad if thoughts like these got in the way.
—You’re being too cautious. Besides, I don’t have any romantic feelings for Hayasaka-san.
Clearly it is all a lie.
—Senpai, if you think she’s cute, you should tell her. I’m sure Hayasaka-san wouldn’t reject you.
Yanagi refrained from seeing Hayasaka-san as a woman, unconsciously labeling her as a Kouhai without romantic overtones, wanting to simply avoid realizing the fact that Hayasaka-san is in love with him.
However, when his clear interest became evident, that label towards Hayasaka-san disappeared from his mind, leaving the door open to any feelings he might have.
————————————————-
—All this was intended to change Yanagi-senpai’s thoughts toward you.
I said, while explaining everything that happened to Hayasaka-san.
—I see. So Kirishima-kun doesn’t like her, right?
—Not at all.
After Hayasaka-san heard my explanation of what happened, her expression was like that of a puppy being scolded.
—So, does Hamanami know that Kirishima-kun’s statement was a joke?
—Yes! I know!
Hamanami’s face frowns at this situation.
—Thank you so much for wanting to help us!
—Eh, yes, it’s nothing.
—I am very happy. The relationship between Kirishima-kun and I has been a secret to everyone until now. But I’ve always wanted to tell someone that I have the best boyfriend ever, and it’s Kirishima-kun. Even though we’re a secret couple, we’re the best… Uhmmm, is it okay to say that I’m his girlfriend…? No, I’m definitely his girlfriend.
She looked hesitant for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.
—Kirishima-kun, thank you for your continuous support! You always know what to do in an emergency!
Hayasaka-san left the club room red-faced, saying, “I’ve done it!”
As soon as Hamanami and I were alone again, she looked at me with a serious expression on her face.
—I want to get this straight… You’re secretly making out with Tachibana-senpai, who happens to have a fiancé, and at the same time you’re secretly having an affair with Hayasaka-san?!
—Exactly.
Given the circumstances, I had no choice but to tell Hamanami everything that had been going on so far between Hayasaka-san, Tachibana-san and Yanagi-senpai.
—————————–
—This is crazy!
After hearing the story, Hamanami shouted.
—I’m scared! What are you doing? I mean, why are you telling me all this?
—I just wanted someone to listen to me….
—I’m not some priest at a church to whom you can freely confess your sins! You can’t talk about such things with me!
—What do you think I should do?
—You can’t do anything about it, because Hayasaka-senpai is completely in love with you, Kirishima-senpai!
—Do you really think so?
—From the way Hayasaka-senpai behaves around you, it seems that her emotions towards you are stronger than towards Yanagi-senpai. Wanting to get close to him is just an excuse. And if she were to find out what’s going on with you and Tachibana-senpai, it would be like bringing hell to earth.
But her words did not stop there, as she took a breath and continued speaking.
—What were you planning to do? Keep this a secret until graduation? Take advantage of every moment alone you have with Tachibana-senpai while hiding it from Hayasaka-san? Where do you leave Yanagi-senpai in all this? Tell me, have you gone crazy?
—What do you think about all this?
—That there is a bomb implanted in this school and you four will be the ones to press the button!
Hamanami’s fears were more than justified, no doubt this is all out of control.
—I apologize for taking that picture, and also for threatening you in that way.
—I know you have no bad intentions.
—Even if you say those words, they give off an air of contempt. But you don’t have to deal with me anymore. I don’t intend to get involved in this. And if I had known about all this, I would’ve never tried anything.
—You don’t have to feel that way.
—It’s easy for you to say, I’m not good at this kind of relationship. Just a piece of advice, be careful not to hurt Hayasaka-senpai. Goodbye.
Hamanami leaves the club room, making it clear that she doesn’t want to get involved in everything that’s going on. Or so I thought…
A few days later, at lunchtime, we were back in the club room. Not only Hamanami and I, but also Tachibana-san, Hayasaka-san and Yanagi-senpai.
————————————————————–
—Why is everyone here?
—All I can say is that a lot has happened.
It all started with a comment from the chairman of the festival committee.
“I want you to come up with ten questions for a compatibility test. I want you and Hamanami to do it.”
This request was for one of the tests to be carried out in the Best Couple contest.
Hamanami and I came up with the questions together, but it was complicated to apply it between the two of us, so we had to do a rehearsal. And that day, during lunchtime, I gathered everyone in the club room to test whether these questions were the most accurate.
We divided ourselves into pairs. Hayasaka-san with Yanagi-senpai, Tachibana-san and myself, and Hamanami would be the one asking the questions.
—This looks like hell…
—You have no choice.
We had originally invited Maki and Sakai, Hayasaka-senpai’s friend, but they had personal matters to attend to, and we had no choice but to find substitutes.
—I understand. Well, if that’s so, that’s fine. But… Why is there a giant stuffed animal here? This makes no sense at all!
Hamanami points to a large teddy bear, which in fact was none other than Hayasaka-san. She tried to respond to Hamanami’s excited comment, but her voice was not audible at all.
—I can’t understand what you’re saying.
The teddy bear then wrote a message with a pen on the slate around her neck.
—[Sorry, I was at a costume fitting for the festival].
—And why do you write on a blackboard?
—[This suit prevents me from speaking, and this is how I will communicate on the day of the festival].
—Then take off the bear head!
Hayasaka-san proceeded to take off her big bear head, her bangs matted against her forehead because of sweat. She continued to keep the rest of the costume on her body, so she looked somewhat cute.
—And why is Tachibana-senpai disguised as a ghost!? I can’t see her face because of her hair!
—You want to see me that much? Well…
—Nooo! That’s even scarier! Please take off that makeup!
At Hamanami’s screams of fear, Tachibana-san had no choice but to remove her terrifying makeup with a handkerchief that Hayasaka-san handed her.
—So, a compatibility test, huh? Sounds interesting.
When Yanagi-senpai said this, Hamanami put her hand on her chest and looked down.
—Are you sure you want to do this?
—Why? Do you have a problem?
—Well, I say that because it’s a compatibility test.
Hamanami says, looking at the faces of each of us.
—It could be detrimental to everyone.
—But we don’t have much time before the festival starts. We have no choice.
I can partly understand Hamanami’s concern. Something very good can come out of this, or something very bad.
—Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.
—Are you sure? Ugh…
Hamanami grunted, but finally said in a desperate tone.
—All right, I don’t care! Let’s start with the compatibility test!
————————————————–
—What do you prefer? Dogs or cats?
In the actual competition, points will be awarded to pairs whose answers match, but for now, as we are only testing the questions, we have decided not to decide who will be paired with whom, but to let the four answer separately.
We wrote our answers on sheets of paper we had on hand and then displayed them all at once. Hayasaka-san and Yanagi-senpai wrote cats, and Tachibana-san and I wrote dogs.
—And now the second question: where do you prefer to go in summer? To the beach or to the mountains?
Hayasaka-san and Yanagi-senpai wrote go to the beach, while Tachibana-san and I answered go to the mountain.
Hamanami proceeds to read the following question.
—Which do you prefer? Kodansha or Shueisha?
Yanagi-senpai writes ‘Kodansha’, while Hayasaka-san writes ‘Shueisha’. For now the good streak is broken. And in my case I had chosen to take a precaution not to coincide with Tachibana-san.
—Kirishima-senpai?
I turned over my sheet of paper, which had ‘Shogakukan’ written on it.
—It’s not fair, senpai! That company is not among the two mentioned!
Hamanami makes an expression as if to tell me, “Good job, senpai!” I wanted to avoid having my answer match Tachibana-san’s again at all costs. It would be quite uncomfortable for everyone.
—Tachibana, what was your answer?
—Same.
Tachibana wrote ‘Shogakukan’.
At this revelation, Yanagi-senpai looked rather uncomfortable. It was not normal that he had so little compatibility with his fiancée, while his Kouhai and friend seemed to be in perfect sync with her.
Still, Yanagi-senpai has great resilience and continues to smile.
—Hikari-chan and Kirishima seem to have many similar interests.
—Maybe it’s because we both spend a lot of time at the club. And we tend to talk about these things a lot.
I tried to excuse myself in a very cowardly way, but luckily, Tachibana-san decided to play along.
—Yes. Though we have only one thing in common, and that is our hobbies.
Yanagi-senpai looks regretful as he realizes that he has made his fiancée uncomfortable.
—No, it’s okay. I’m glad Kirishima and Hikari-chan are getting along. But aren’t these questions supposed to be for the couples competition? Wouldn’t it be better to make them more about love? I think it would be a lot of fun for the audience.
This is a very interesting proposal from Yanagi-senpai.
—Indeed, and some questions that are related to romance.
—Well, let’s do it.
Said Hayasaka-san, who had her usual tense smile on her face.
—Are you sure?
Hamanami asked, with a worried expression at Hayasaka-san’s sudden change.
—There is no point in checking the compatibility of hobbies when the important thing is romantic compatibility. It is an important issue to address.
—R—Right…
Under pressure from Hayasaka-san, Hamanami proceeded to read the question.
—A romantic walk in the park, or lazing around at home, what’s the best way to spend Christmas with your partner?
Hayasaka-san and Yanagi-senpai chose the romantic walk in the park. Tachibana-san and I chose to stay at home.
I guess Tachibana-san and I are a perfect match after all. We share many interests in common, such as late-night radio and mysteries. But this tops things by far.
The atmosphere changes completely. Hayasaka-san’s eyebrow is twitching, and Yanagi-senpai is not in tune with his fiancée.
On the other hand, Hamanami stares at me with a lot of concern in her eyes.
—What’s the next question, Hamanami-san?
Hayasaka-san asked with vacant eyes.
—O—okay.
The questions continued, but instead of getting better, things got worse.
Hayasaka-san and Yanagi-senpai opted to go see a romantic movie on a date, while Tachibana-san and I chose to go to a Hollywood blockbuster.
Hayasaka-san and Yanagi-senpai opted to go on an overseas trip, while Tachibana-san and I opted to go to a spa.
In times of loneliness, Hayasaka-san and Yanagi-senpai chose to be with their partners to fill the void. While Tachibana-san and I chose to be alone and deal with our problems.
Darkness had taken hold of Hayasaka-san. Meanwhile, Yanagi-senpai was looking less optimistic.
—Hey, Kirishima-senpai…
Hamanami says, dazed.
—Are you doing this on purpose?
—No I’m not!
—Okay, last question. You decide to go to a museum as a date. Which picture would you like to see with your girlfriend? No choice: feel free to answer any way you want.
The answer to Hamanami’s desperate question was the same for Tachibana-san and me: The smooth monkey.
—Kirishima-senpai, you’re definitely doing it on purpose.
—I’m not pulling any tricks, I swear.
Hayasaka-san is trembling and on the verge of tears. I don’t understand, she should be happy because she shares a lot of things with Yanagi-senpai, who is supposed to be the person she loves the most. But she doesn’t have that kind of mentality right now.
—Our answers are not rigged, but to some extent, I like it.
—What?
—I think it’s better for two people who don’t match to become a couple, that way they can fit together like a piece of a puzzle. I think we can complement each other in the areas we lack. But if two people are perfectly matched, there will be nothing from which they can both learn new things or help each other overcome….
—Kirishima-kun….
This is one of those questions that will probably never be solved. Is it better to be with those who share the same hobbies as you or to be with those we have nothing in common with? Although my words were able to improve everyone’s mood. Hayasaka-san’s expression becomes a little brighter, and Yanagi-senpai seems to have regained his energy. Though Tachibana-san just looks at me coldly.
—Okay, this is the last one. Again, answer freely.
Hamanami takes up the game again.
—What sweets would you like to eat with your girlfriend?
Hayasaka-san and Yanagi-senpai wrote Kitkat, Tachibana-san Pocky, and I… Shiroi Koibito. After seeing this, the tension in the whole room had disappeared. It turned out to be a good ending, like that of a teen romance movie, where each person has to go a different way after relationships break up.
After that, the school bell rang, indicating that classes were over.
—You rewrote the last question after I wrote it, didn’t you?
Tachibana-san asked as she looked at the sheet in my hand.
—Show me what you wrote first.
—I didn’t rewrite anything.
—Show me the other side of the sheet.
—No.
—Then I’ll take it from you.
As Tachibana tried to take the paper from me, I resisted as much as I could.
In fact, at first I wrote “Pocky”. But when I saw that Tachibana-san’s answer was Pocky, I changed it just in time. I thought of Hayasaka-san and Yanagi-senpai’s feelings, so I avoided an exact match.
But it seems that Tachibana-san is not satisfied with that, and tries to find out the truth.
—Just show me, Shiro-kun!
—No means no.
—So what about what you said before? That if two people agree a lot in their tastes, there’s no point in them being together.
—What’s that got to do with it?
—It’s better to know if we have the same hobbies and tastes.
At that moment, Tachibana-san grabbed my wrist and squeezed it very tightly.
And after a few seconds, she notices that the air in the room changed completely.
Hayasaka-san, Yanagi-senpai and Hamanami were watching us in amazement.
—Hikari-chan?
Yanagi-senpai looks at us with a surprised face. His line of sight was on Tachibana-san’s hand.
—I thought you couldn’t touch any man….
Hayasaka-san, who was standing next to him completely expressionless, said;
—Shiro-kun… What are you doing?
—————————————–
It is well known that Tachibana-san cannot be touched by men.
Yanagi-senpai and Hayasaka-san saw me and Tachibana clinging together. No wonder the air in the club room froze.
Hamanami holds her head in her hands in fear of what might happen next.
—I don’t see the president as a man, that’s why I can touch him.
A moment of silence permeated the place.
—I see, so that’s what it’s all about.
It was Yanagi-senpai who opened his mouth. He has a satisfied expression on his face.
—I’m glad that Kirishima and Hikari-chan are friends. Earlier, Hikari-chan said she didn’t have anyone close to her at school. Kirishima, keep up the good work!
—Y—yes…
—Well, P.E is almost starting, I’d better get going.
He then quickly left the club room. Yanagi-senpai was clearly confused. But he still forced himself to smile and say those things that were surely painful for him.
I thought it was all over, and peace could reign again… But I was completely wrong.
—Kirishima-kun and Hamanami-san, could you please leave?
Hayasaka-san expressed.
—I want to talk to Tachibana-san alone.
—But…
—Please. We’ll have a little girl talk.
I began to wonder if the two of them were going to be okay being alone. But Hayasaka-san’s insistence made Hamanami and I leave the club without complaint.
Closing the door, Hamanami quickly bent down and put her ear to the door.
—What are you doing?
—Shh! Something inside me is telling me to listen.
And so, Hamanami and I tried to hear the conversation from the other side of the door.
—I apologize for asking you to stay, Tachibana-san.
—It’s okay, I didn’t want to attend class anyway.
Their tones are soft but somehow conveys a heated atmosphere.
—I know this is strange and sudden, but… There is something I want to ask you.
—Does it have to do with the fact that I touched Shiro-kun?
There was a brief pause and then Hayasaka-san responded.
—Yes. Wasn’t it supposed to be impossible for Tachibana-san to touch a man…?
—That’s right.
—You have a fiancé you don’t dare to touch, yet you can touch Kirishima-kun? Yanagi-senpai must’ve felt really bad about that. I don’t think you’re doing things right, Tachibana-san.
Silence once again pervaded the room.
—As I said before, I can touch him because I don’t consider him a man. I don’t feel anything like that towards Shiro-kun.
—Why do you call him ‘Shiro-kun’…?
—Are you offended? I don’t understand why you care so much, you and Shiro-kun are supposed to be a practice couple.
The atmosphere felt like walking through broken glass. Each had their reasons for talking to the other, Hayasaka-san especially, who seemed to be very angry, but the words we heard coming out of her mouth were extreme.
—I—I did it with Kirishima-kun.
—What?
—Surely there are things Tachibana-san doesn’t know about yet. But Kirishima-kun has done things to me that he has never done with any other girl. And I have allowed him to do things to me that I would never do with another boy.
Hamanami looked at me with a puzzled face. We then made eye contact and talked in a whisper.
—*Did you do it with her?!*
—*No! She’s just bluffing! It’s nowhere near what you might think!*
It was just groping and nothing more. Nothing that wasn’t extreme.
—Hmph, funny. Isn’t Hayasaka-san supposed to have a special person in her life?
—But I did it with Kirishima-kun. I’m going to do it again, okay?
—I don’t think it’s necessary to ask for my permission.
—Exactly. Tachibana-san has a fiancé and doesn’t consider Kirishima-kun as a man. It doesn’t matter what Kirishima-kun and I do, does it?
—No.
—I’m glad. I thought you might be in love with Kirishima-kun.
—It’s just a misunderstanding.
—I see. Then we’ll still be friends, right?
—Yes.
—A lot of things happened during the summer that made me feel weird, but I’m very happy to be friends with Tachibana-san. If we had liked the same person, it would have been hard for both of us, so I’m glad that’s not the case.
—I agree.
—In that case, is it okay if we get together some night? You know, for a sleepover, so we can talk about girl stuff, or love.
—Sounds like fun.
—Good.
After that, Hayasaka-san proceeds to leave the club room, saying that the two would see each other again soon. Hamanami and I hurriedly entered the music room and hid behind the door. Then I could hear Hayasaka-san walking down the hallway while sipping her lemonade.
—I’m an idiot…
These were his words spoken in a low voice as she walked away.
Thereupon, Hamanami took out her phone and looked for a photo of a kissing scene between Tachibana-san and me.
—I’m going to delete this. If anyone sees it, we’ll be in trouble.
—So you’re okay with this?
—No problem. When I look at this, I think about how Tachibana-senpai feels, and I feel sad. She said this love has an expiration date, I guess everyone deserves to be happy at some point in their lives.
—And what happened to your reasons for wanting to blackmail me?
Hamanami sighs.
—It’s all a matter of perspective.
—You like that boy, Yoshimi-kun, don’t you?
She mentioned it a few days ago, the boy who had started playing basketball and is chasing Tachibana-san. Hamanami nods at my question.
—I thought that if everyone finds out that Tachibana-senpai has a boyfriend, he would stop looking at her.
—And you saw your chance when you found us both at the amusement park.
—Yes. I noticed that Tachibana-senpai was more beautiful than usual, so I thought she was on a date and decided to follow her. I kept going until you both arrived at the train station and kissed.
Despite this, she knows it’s not a good idea to spread it around… She’s a good girl after all.
—So, you were trying to make your own ‘halo effect’?
—I thought that if I tried to create an image of a popular girl having an affair with my senpai, I might attract Yoshimi’s attention. I know I’m not very attractive, and I’ve never had a boyfriend before, so I thought it would be a good idea.
—Well, it turns out that wasn’t the right way to go.
—Yes, it turned out to be a failure. I failed.
You don’t need to be so direct.
—It seems that this way of doing things wasn’t right for me after all. My feelings for Yoshimi got out of control and I thought nothing would matter, as long as I got his love.
Hamanami and Yoshimi have known each other since childhood, and she has always taken care of him. But it turns out that Yoshimi-kun is madly in love with Tachibana-san. From his point of view, being a younger boy than her, it usually has an air of mystery and unattainable feeling to deal with a singular beauty like Tachibana-san.
—I think I can help you with that.
Hearing this, Hamanami sits on the floor and looks down trying to hide his face.
—Just one more thing: convince Tachibana-senpai to give up the idea of being an object to be won in his game. Yoshimi-kun is very motivated to participate, and if he gets to win the game for Tachibana-san… Well, it’s obvious what will happen… And there’s also that legend of whoever wins the Best Couple award might get married in the future.
—All right, I’ll talk to her.
Hamanami ducked her head again, still looking embarrassed. But, after a few minutes, she regained her energy.
—Hey, Kirishima-senpai, don’t you think you’re using Tachibana-senpai in a very convenient way?
—Do you really think so?
—You’ve had several encounters with Hayasaka-san before. But I think she’s stressed because she can’t respond to anything to make that relationship work.
—You may be right….
It was then that the door to the club room opened and I felt Tachibana-san leaving the place. Hamanami and I waited for her to leave the hallway while holding our breath.
But her footsteps stopped short in front of the door to the music room. Just when I thought she wouldn’t leave so easily… She kicked the door on which I was leaning with great force.
