After Becoming a Counselor for Girls, I Ended Up Producing a Lot of Potential Girlfriends Who Became Mentally Ill - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Kujo Questions the New Relationship

Shiraishi had, thus, become a new candidate for my girlfriend.

I never imagined that I would enter this new phase like this. After I had driven Sasamoto away and was thanked by Shiraishi, I thought it would end there.

Now that Shiraishi had confessed to me, it was clear that there would be new developments.

The change came the day after Shiraishi’s confession.

I checked my messages. The sender was not Shiraishi.

For some reason, it was Kujo.

“What is this…?”

I nervously read the message.

Kujo: Just yesterday, my ex-boyfriend contacted me. He wanted to apologize for everything that happened. I was really surprised. Apparently, he got really hurt by Shiraishi, and for some reason, he seems to have hit it off with Shiraishi’s boyfriend.

I had talked with Sasamoto without revealing my identity.

Sasamoto was both Kujo’s ex-boyfriend and a stalker of Shiraishi. He was in a rather complicated position.

Kujo: As I was listening to the conversation, I suddenly realized something. The tone and way he spoke were very similar to Seiichiro-kun.

It was a lie.

That was absurd.

I had only been having conversations with Sasamoto. I tried to keep myself from showing too much, doing my best to listen.

Kujo: First, the fact that he was wearing sunglasses and not revealing his real name. From that alone, I thought he was someone who wanted to hide things. Maybe he wasn’t really Shiraishi’s boyfriend. Normally, there would be no need for such a disguise.

As I read on, I realized that cold sweat was running down my back. It was clear by now that I was the one they were referring to. Moving forward was like confirming something I already knew.

Kujo: I suspect that Seiichiro-kun is involved in this, though at first it seemed like a stretch. But I think I’m probably right. After all, I know the details of everyone in the class.

Kujo had already picked up on all the details. I could see how formidable she was in that line.

No matter how much I disguised myself, I couldn’t hide my true nature. That was probably the key. Once again, I had to admit how impressive Kujo was.

Kujo: I’m sure of it, but I haven’t heard it directly from Seiichiro-kun. So, I want to check it out next. I want to know what kind of relationship you have with Shiraishi, what Seiichiro-kun thinks about it, and what he feels toward me. I really want to know.

She had sent this in multiple messages, but it was still quite a long message. It felt as though Kujo was forcefully prying into things I wanted to keep hidden.

There was no way to deceive Kujo. If I tried to deflect with vague answers, the pressure would only increase.

If I revealed the truth here, it was inevitable that Kujo would take some kind of action. How far things would escalate was uncertain.

I had to accept that a bit of fear and anxiety would follow.

With that in mind, I agreed to meet Kujo.

“We’ve decided to meet… today, huh?”

It seemed like she wouldn’t be satisfied unless we met today. I had no intention of defying her, and I had some free time. So, we decided to meet.

The place would be my house. Since I lived alone, there would be no one else around.

I waited nervously for the doorbell to ring, feeling tense about how Kujo would question me.

“She’s here.”

When I opened the door, Kujo was there, looking quite cheerful. She was smiling for now, but I had a feeling she would switch into full jealousy mode soon. I couldn’t let my guard down.

“You move quickly.”

“I want to resolve anything that’s bothering me right away. I’m very serious when it comes to gathering information.”

“I was surprised by how much you know about everyone’s mannerisms and speech.”

“To persuade someone, you have to start by understanding them.”

Her obsessive focus and ability had definitely made me slip up.

Before we even started the conversation, I was most nervous when Kujo went to the bathroom. It was as if I was being forced to watch a long performance, even though I knew how it would end—something Mr. Jiro would probably say.

We sat together on my bed, and the interrogation began.

“So, what is your relationship with Shiraishi?”

“She’s one of the many people I go to for advice.”

“And Sasamoto said that you declared, ‘I’m Shiraishi’s boyfriend,’ didn’t he?”

“It’s not certain that I was the one who made that declaration.”

“Well, the person was the same height and looked just like you.”

“I don’t wear sunglasses.”

“How do you know that person was wearing sunglasses?”

There was no point in resisting. It would only make things worse.

“…Yes, as you guessed, I was the one who claimed to be Shiraishi’s boyfriend.”

“I know you did it to get rid of a stalker, but it’s kind of sad that you were acting like her boyfriend. You have me, a perfect candidate for a girlfriend, and yet you let her call you her boyfriend. It might be because your relationship was short and shallow, but still.”

She was going off, and I could tell she was trying desperately to keep her calm. But there was no hiding the jealousy that was overflowing.

“I did what I thought was best for my friend. However, ignoring your feelings and deceiving her into thinking I was her boyfriend was wrong. I’m sorry.”

“Honestly, I was just jealous. I was curious about Shiraishi. If there’s any progress, I’d like to know. It’ll help me understand you better.”

At this point, Kujo’s intensity was becoming too much to handle. Compared to the lighthearted Shiraishi, it seemed that Kujo—who had already become a candidate for my girlfriend—was now showing her true colors.

As for Sasamoto, it was something between Kujo, Shiraishi, and me. It seemed that no one else, like Shizuku, would get dragged into it. At least, I hoped so.

I just wanted to get through the day by calming Kujo down. As long as the story about Shiraishi confessing to me didn’t get out, that would be a relief.

…Ding.

The silence was broken by the ringtone of my phone. It was a message from Shiraishi, the very person we had been discussing.

Shiraishi: Thank you for the other day. I think I’m really falling for you, Yasuda-kun. My head is all fuzzy today. If possible, would you like to go on a date sometime? I want to get closer to you. I hope to hear back from you about your response to my confession soon.

It came straight to the point. It seemed that the fluttering feelings weren’t just a one-day thing.

“Who’s the message from?”

“Oh, it’s from a friend I go to for advice.”

“You look kind of pale.”

“It’s nothing.”

When I tried to turn off my phone with one hand, I accidentally pressed the wrong button. The phone slipped from my hand and slid toward Kujo.

The message from Shiraishi was fully displayed on the screen, and Kujo saw it.

“Ah.”