After Becoming a Counselor for Girls, I Ended Up Producing a Lot of Potential Girlfriends Who Became Mentally Ill - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: New Year’s Visit and Meeting a Girlfriend Candidate

Three days had passed since Kujo’s arrival.

A new year had begun. My feelings were bright, filled with a sense of omnipotence.

I had been staying at my maternal grandparents’ house since New Year’s Eve. We had ordered soba noodles from a proper restaurant for the occasion, and needless to say, it was superb.

Today, I was going to make my first shrine visit of the year with my uncle—just the two of us. It had been a long-standing tradition.

The shrine we were visiting was one of the largest in the area. If we didn’t leave early in the morning, we’d suffer through an endless line.

Currently, we were on our way to the shrine. Sleep deprivation made my head feel hazy.

“Seiichiro, have you gotten yourself a girlfriend?”

My uncle suddenly spoke.

“I haven’t. I only listen to people. I can’t focus enough to make someone enjoy themselves.”

“Listening is a great talent in itself. There are probably plenty of girls interested in you. That number will only grow.”

“I’m already tired of having more.”

“Ah, so you’re not entirely hopeless. Haha!”

I had carelessly let that slip, despite knowing how persistent my uncle could be when pursuing a topic.

“Let’s pray that you find a wonderful girlfriend this year.”

“That’s meddling.”

“You’ve become so cold.”

As we walked on, we arrived at the shrine gate. It was massive, as always. Looking ahead, I could see people already lining up.

“Alright, Seiichiro. Let’s run.”

“Starting the new year by overexerting ourselves isn’t a good idea. You strained a muscle last year doing the same thing.”

“As long as I stretch, I’ll be fine.”

My uncle stretched briefly and immediately dashed off.

“Wait up!”

“You’re young. Catching up should be easy. Run!”

He was far more youthful than me.

I pushed my untrained, out-of-shape body and chased after him, gasping for breath.

Although I was nearly out of air, I managed to catch up. My uncle, jogging in place at the finish line, still seemed full of energy.

“Next year, I want to see you beat me.”

“That’s impossible. As a student preparing for exams, I’ll be even less active.”

“Now that you mention it, perhaps the year after.”

I couldn’t help but shrug at his enthusiasm. My uncle constantly amazed me.

“Ah…”

I exhaled white breath as we waited for our turn. Since we had rushed, it seemed we would remain near the back of the line for a while.

“Do you think we’ll see anyone we know?”

“I doubt it. Meeting someone like that by chance isn’t realistic.”

At least, that’s what I thought—until I turned around to glance at the people behind us.

“Seiichiro-kun!?”

Standing there in casual clothing was Kujo.

“Why are you here?”

“Even I go to New Year’s visits.”

“Still, what are the odds of running into you like this?”

“Seeing you run full speed was adorable, Seiichiro-kun.”

“It seems I’ve embarrassed myself.”

My uncle observed us curiously, his gaze shifting back and forth between Kujo and me.

“Nice to meet you, young lady. Happy New Year. I’m Yasuda-kun’s uncle.”

He then greeted Kujo’s father, who had arrived moments later. I followed suit.

“Seiichiro claimed he didn’t have any progress with girls, but seeing how close you two are, I feel reassured.”

“Oh no, Uncle, it’s not like that between us,” Kujo said.

“Then how would you describe it?”

“I suppose you could call me a proper girlfriend candidate.”

“Hey, Kujo.”

“No need to be embarrassed. You even told your uncle you had no prospects, yet here you are. I’ll leave you two to talk while we adults step aside.”

My uncle moved to the back with Kujo’s father.

Kujo had been quite bold.

Declaring herself as a girlfriend candidate in front of both my uncle and her own father was a bold move to solidify her position.

This would undoubtedly lead to relentless questioning from my uncle later.

“Kujo, saying all that…”

“I didn’t lie about anything. I’ve always been aiming for you, Seiichiro-kun. Doesn’t that make me a proper candidate?”

“Fair enough.”

“I won’t lose to Shizuku-san.”

“Got it.”

When I responded, Kujo extended her hand.

“What’s this supposed to mean?”

“I want to hold hands.”

“With the adults watching?”

“Precisely because they’re watching. I’ll do whatever it takes to utterly crush that woman.”

I could only laugh awkwardly.

She had naturally and skillfully backed me into a corner, sealing any chance of refusal.

“So, what if I say no?”

“Do you think you can? I love you so much that even your scent drives me crazy.”

Her dark, intense eyes locked onto me, making it clear I had no choice.

“This is special. After what my uncle said, there’s no way I can refuse.”

“Thank you, Seiichiro.”

She casually addressed me by my first name. If I let this slide, the distance between us would shrink rapidly.

I took her offered hand. The warmth reminded me of that day at Christmas.

“You’re thinking about Christmas, aren’t you?”

“What makes you say that?”

“We held hands that day too.”

“Right.”

“Every time we hold hands, you become more conscious of me, Seiichiro-kun. It’s already too late for you.”

Her actions were deliberate, calculated.

Even the incident after leaving Shizuku’s house likely had a deeper meaning, setting up her next move.