After Becoming a Counselor for Girls, I Ended Up Producing a Lot of Potential Girlfriends Who Became Mentally Ill - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Shiraishi’s True Feelings

It can be said that I succeeded in driving off Sasamoto.

When the fight broke out, I, a current member of the home-going club, wonder why I was able to act.

It was due to my uncle, Jiro-san’s guidance. He possesses a mix of diverse knowledge and skills. One time, Jiro-san taught me how to move my body.

After the fight, I ended up accompanying Sasamoto for a while. He said his back hurt. Clearly, I had gone too far.

On the train ride, Shiraishi and I were heading in the same direction, with Sasamoto getting off first. We were all going to switch carriages, and the three of us were going to ride together. It was a somewhat surreal situation.

I sat next to Sasamoto and we talked a little.

“I’m an idiot. I’ve lived thinking everything would work out. Even when I did things that were a little off, people forgave me. I took the world lightly,” he said, roughly speaking.

He then declared that he would never associate with Shiraishi again and wanted to keep in touch with me instead. I couldn’t understand it.

He seemed surprisingly understanding. I decided to seal away the doubt that with that understanding, he could have stopped harassing Shiraishi much sooner.

“See you, Sunglasses,” he said.

“See you again,” I replied.

When Sasamoto got off, I met up with Shiraishi.

I sat next to her and we started talking.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Thank you so much. Watching you knock him out was really cool.”

“No. It was a foolish move to resort to rough methods. Stimulating him like that was also a mistake.”

“It’s fine. Though it was surreal, I was helping Sasamoto after you knocked him out.”

“Let’s forget about him. I won’t see him again.”

“Heh heh, now that it’s over, I actually feel a bit relieved.”

“That’s good.”

It looked like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders, and she seemed to regain some of her energy.

“Yasuda-san, you’re amazing. You’ve taken away my worries so gracefully.”

“It wasn’t graceful at all. I’m just a counselor.”

“Though you seem to have failed as a negotiator.”

“You talk too much.”

I lost my composure and resorted to the obvious method of using my fists. As a counselor, I was still immature.

“Anyway, I admire strong people like you, Yasuda-san.”

“I’m just a coward. That guy is probably much stronger.”

“The strength I’m talking about is inner strength. The dedication to do things for others, that’s true strength.”

“Does that mean you admit I’m quite strong?”

“Yes!”

That was a good reply.

“There’s one thing I’m really happy about.”

“I’m not going to say anything more to flatter you.”

“It’s fine. I just want to say it.”

And then Shiraishi continued.

“I’ll never forget when you said, ‘Shiraishi-san is my girlfriend.’ We’re not dating, and I know it was just a convenient phrase.”

“Yeah.”

“Still, Yasuda-san, no, Yasuda-kun, I—”

Just as she was about to continue, an announcement came saying we would be arriving at the station soon.

“…Never mind, it’s nothing. I have to get off soon.”

“You’re hiding your true feelings again. I told you before I wanted to hear your inner voice.”

“But—”

“I’ll get off now. After I do, I’ll be ready to hear what you’ve been trying to keep inside.”

The doors opened. I stood up and got off the train.

The platform wasn’t crowded, and the passengers had gone off toward the stairs and escalators, creating a somewhat empty situation.

“Well, I’ll say it.”

“I’m listening.”

“When you declared, ‘You’re my girlfriend,’ my chest fluttered. A warm, joyful feeling spread through me, something I’ve never felt before.”

“So, what does that mean exactly?”

“I ended up getting butterflies for you, Yasuda-kun.”

So that’s what it was.

I had noticed a change in Shiraishi’s behavior after I dealt with Sasamoto.

But to have her express her feelings so directly caught me off guard.

“You got butterflies?”

“I’m not sure if that means I want to date you yet.”

“I haven’t figured out my feelings completely.”

I responded cheerfully.

“It’s my first time feeling like this, and I’m not sure what to do. It might just be a case of the ‘suspension bridge effect.’ I might just be influenced by the atmosphere.”

“That’s a difficult judgment.”

“That’s why I want to take my time to figure it out. Right now, all I wanted was to tell you that I got butterflies, even though I acted too soon.”

I had more or less predicted what Shiraishi would say next.

Recently, there had been a lot of irregular situations. Because of that, I had developed a tolerance for them.

“Yasuda-kun!”

She suddenly raised her voice and stepped forward.

When I was stared at through her glasses, I couldn’t remain calm. Being beautiful made her presence even more striking.

“Please, make me your girlfriend candidate.”

“So, not ‘make me your girlfriend,’ huh?”

“You’re a counselor, Yasuda-kun. I’m sure you meet a lot of girls, so you might be close with others. This is just a guess.”

That was right. You were the third person to confess to me.

“I don’t know if you’ll choose someone like me. I’m not confident I’ll be your first choice. But I’m not giving up on being second. There’s still a chance for promotion.”

It started with her asking me to consider her as a candidate, but in the end, it was a straightforward confession.

It was clear that her feelings for me had become more serious.

“Won’t it be hard to see each other often, Shiraishi-san?”

“It’s fine. Even if we don’t meet in person, I can still stay connected with you, Yasuda-kun.”

With that, she took out her smartphone.

“If anything comes up, I’ll contact you by message.”

“It feels like an extension of our past relationship.”

“We don’t know where it’ll go, though. Heh heh.”

Unlike Kujo and Shizuku, there wasn’t a hint of aggression from her.

That said, it was still hard to fully trust Shiraishi. Her hidden traits might end up causing me trouble and change the dynamics of my current relationships.

“I won’t deny you. But I can’t say I’ll make you my girlfriend. We might continue with an uncertain relationship. Is that okay?”

“I’m ready for that. You can’t stop having feelings just because there are complications. This is the first time for me, but I feel that way.”

“Well then, thank you for today.” With that, Shiraishi left.