10 years had passed since I started playing the game of sekkusu with my childhood friend. - Chapter 36. Because it's too embarrassing to do it face to face.

Chapter 36. Because it’s too embarrassing to do it face to face.

『 Beauty and the Beast 』 had closed (before I knew it).

As I walked offstage, I called out their names as I returned downstage, in the opposite direction of Haruhime, who was leaving for the upper part of the stage.

“Fukuo, Inawashiro.”

The two who had turned away from me turned their heads, their shoulders twitched with shock.

“Wh–What is it? What is it, Tetsu-dono?”

“…., as I thought.”

“Mu?”

“Your makeup is off.”

Sweat running down the forehead of the lucky man was peeling off the white powder. The paleness of his face could be seen dropping through the gaps created by his sweat.

“You rigged me so that I would have to go onstage, didn’t you..”

“Giku ……”

“……, so, I was found out, degozaru.”

“Was the drop off in the middle of the show, was also some act … Fukuo?”

As if they had given up on my words, they shrugged their shoulders.

“The answer was right spot on, degozaru.”

“Haah, he found out about everything, well, as everything went smoothly, that’s all right.

“Why did you, do all of this.”

“Because Haru-cchi asked me to.”

“…… Welp, I understood it was something like that.”

“Yesu, bossu.”

Inawashiro nodded.

“I have something to say to Sagara, so help me out,”

“Tetsu-dono is not the kind of person to play the leading role, so that means we’ve to take on the initiative, so that you do, and so, we did, degozaru.”

“Just for that reason, you went into all this trouble  …….”

“Yes, yes. Although it was me who got them all involved into this.”

‘Ehm!’ with that sound, Inawashiro reacted with her hands folded together.

“Marie-dono’s communicative ability was just that great, degozaru, she is a strong Yankee, degozaru.”

“After all, it’s for Haruichi’s sake, isn’t it? Mou, ever since the sea-beach episode, I’ve been thinking that there was something wrong with her and you. Moreover, besides, I’m not a Yankee in the first place.”

Inawashiro stepped on Fukuo’s leg as hard as he could.

“So? What’s the result?”

“…It’s about to happen.”

“Eh, what the hell are you both doing? Please reply to each other already.”

With eyes filled with anticipation, Inawashiro jumped up and down. *pyon~ *pyon~

Haruhime awaits in the classroom. And I wanted to get there as soon as possible, too. However something in my heart nagged at me continuously.

“I just don’t get it.”

“What’s wrong?”

“…… Just why did she have to go through all this roundabout trouble ……”

This just doesn’t make sense.

Even though, There were plenty of opportunities to express her feelings without going through all this trouble.

I’m sure there were always a chances for her to spell it out to me.

“…… Eh? What is this, are you really worried about something like that?”

Hearing my words, inawashiro sighed exaggeratedly, as if she were dumbfounded.

“Of course it’s because she is embarrassed.”

‘…… embarrassed? No, rather it’s much …… more embarrassing to confess your feelings in front of everyone…..”

“Mou, you are a guy who doesn’t understand people’s feelings well don’t you. Well, I mean, even Sagara’s personality is more like that, isn’t it.”

“What do you even mean by that…”

“Now look at it here.”

Inawashiro moved closer to me and said it clearly,

“To tell the person you love that you love him or her. Doesn’t that take a lot of effort.”

…..ah.

The actuality that you can’t get a lot of these people to be able to be a part of your life.

By that alone, I was able to understand the mistake that I had made.

“I see, so by ‘I want to get my feelings together’, she meant that.”

For all this time, I’ve been thinking about the exact opposite.

For all this time, I thought that she wanted to end our 10-year-long relationship of playing the game of pretending sekkusu together once and for all. For the better.

However.

That wasn’t probably the case, was it.

“So, up till now, Haruhime, did she really …… thought of me as ……”

“Don’t people often say you are quite dull?”

“I don’t want to be called that by you at least.”

“Ehhhh.”

“But …… I guess you’re right. I am a helpless idiot.”

“…Fukuo, hit me as hard as you can.”

“Is that really okay?”

“I beg of you. I want to wake up already.”

Fukuo nodded saying, that he understood, and with that, he pulled back his well-trained right arm as hard as he could.

“…… Riajuu should all just go and explode!”

“Ngugu!”

The body blow hit directly to the right side of my gut. There was a grinding sound. That hurt like hell.

“You… This is no kidding. …… this…”

“…. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, somehow my honest feeling came out with it as well. ……”

“Ah, Aaahh.”

“So, ca–, can you still walk?”

“Ye, Yes, I guess I’m fine. Hiku, I’ll go give it my best.”

I thanked Fukuo and Inawashiro and left the gymnasium.

Haruhime is waiting for me in the classroom. I’ll tell her how I feel too. Now that the curtain has already fallen, it’s time for me to speak up my mind and tell Haruhime exactly what I feel about her.