After Becoming a Counselor for Girls, I Ended Up Producing a Lot of Potential Girlfriends Who Became Mentally Ill - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The Kiss Returns

The game of eating both ends of a chocolate snack was decided to be played by our mutual agreement.

Before that, we enjoyed the main seafood dishes.

“After all, the food at places like this is irresistible.”

“It feels like it’s good quality.”

“In front of such wonderful food, vocabulary seems unnecessary.”

That was true. When you’re in front of something really delicious, it’s hard to come up with deep thoughts or insights.

During the meal, we often talked about our middle school days.

“After all, Seii-kun always liked listening to people’s stories.”

“The Counselor’s role, too, started back then.”

“If we weren’t careful, you might have started charging people. I was surprised by how many people you helped.”

“I never worried about the number of cases. Each consultation felt like its own thing.”

That was it.

I became the Counselor as a means to get people to take an interest in me.

It wasn’t always about the initial motivation. Helping people became the goal itself, and I didn’t feel any discomfort even if the number of consultations grew.

“Things seem to have changed a lot now, though! Hahaha.”

“Maybe. I never thought it would turn out like this.”

“When you think about it calmly, it wasn’t that surprising, was it?”

“Apparently, when you’re in the midst of things, you lose objectivity.”

While talking, I continued eating the seafood bowl in front of me.

The taste was so good that there were moments when we became silent, but I finished it all.

Finally, the main event, the parfait, arrived.

“It’s here.”

In front of Shizuku was a massive parfait. The container was long and fairly thick. It looked tough to finish by oneself.

“Honestly, can we really finish this?”

“Didn’t Seii-kun learn that sweets go into a separate stomach? Whether it’s possible or not is a foolish question, we just have to eat it all.”

“I guess I was immature.”

There were five chocolate snacks sticking out of it. Each was stuck in a different direction.

“Let’s do it. The game.”

“I’ll finish it quickly. I’m conscious of the people around us.”

“The sense of guilt from doing this with others around is going to be fun!”

She said this in a clear voice. It was kind of terrifying.

“Well then, let’s start.”

This was the rule.

I would give the start signal. That way, I could hold back Shizuku’s wild behavior.

The winner would be the one who ate more than half. It was recommended to stop eating once you passed the halfway point. It was difficult to determine exactly what half was.

Through the chocolate snack, I could see Shizuku’s face.

Her slightly pursed lips looked like they were waiting for a kiss. Once I became conscious of that, I started to worry whether my body could stay normal.

Trying to calm myself, I gave the start signal.

First round.

Shizuku was, as usual, moving at a fast pace, quickly advancing. I kept up, but against her, who took big bites at once, it didn’t seem like I could win.

I gave up halfway and chewed through it. I left the rest for Shizuku.

“Heh, I win. Next time, I’ll aim for the final goal.”

“Isn’t it a little too much to announce it like that?”

“I’m just being true to my goal. There’s nothing strange about it.”

“Maybe it’s better to stay on guard.”

The second round started the same way.

This time, I deliberately started slowly. I also proceeded carefully.

I ended up winning this round.

“Did you hold back?”

“If you thought I hadn’t grown since a few years ago, you’re wrong. People grow by learning new ways.”

Just as I said something that sounded like a famous quote, something unusual happened next to me.

The staff started cleaning up. Soon, new customers would come in.

Until now, we had been able to do this boldly since the place was miraculously empty, but it would feel awkward if other customers came in.

“It looks like time is running out. For the last round, let’s do all three at once. If I can do this, I’ll be satisfied, no matter the outcome.”

“If that’s the case, let’s start quickly.”

As Shizuku declared, she started to put all three in her mouth at once.

It wasn’t possible to place them all straight. Some went in at an angle, making her cheeks bulge.

Once again, I would give the start signal.

As soon as the signal was given, she began eating all three at once. It was harder than with just one, and only certain ones were progressing.

The difficulty level shot up. It became uncertain whether I could even bite through it.

Shizuku’s pace was slow. Maybe she was trying to make me let my guard down, but I wanted to finish it quickly.

I kept going. Had Shizuku given up on winning?

In an instant, Shizuku suddenly picked up speed. All three at once, at top speed.

The change threw me off balance. My mouth slowed down, and I froze for a second.

Taking advantage of the opening, Shizuku started eating eagerly.

The chocolate between my lips quickly disappeared.

Before I realized it, Shizuku’s lips were touching mine.

“…!”

I felt a slight tremble and, after a few seconds, it ended.

“After all, Seii-kun’s lips are top-tier.”

“Isn’t that a bit unfair?”

She had stolen my kiss in an unexpected way. I hadn’t fully prepared for it.

“If you can achieve the result, you don’t care about the method. Hahaha. After all, Seii-kun is the best.”

“Are you happy with just forcibly taking it, Shizuku?”

“Yeah. The feeling from back then came back. And Seii-kun, you won’t forget that, right?”

“Well…”

It had been three or four years since that kiss. It wasn’t as deep as back then, but since it came from someone I was conscious of, the impact was much greater.

“One thing that’s bothering me is whether you know that the trip is still going to continue after this.”

“I really like the phrase ‘whatever happens, happens.’”

“So you were just being careless.”

What should I do in this situation?

Shizuku muttered.

After finishing the parfait, we went to the hot spring and enjoyed a relaxing time.

The conversation became a bit awkward, but somehow, our trip for the two of us came to an end.

The impact of the kiss with Shizuku was huge. It was different from when Kujo kissed me. There was weight to the years that had passed. The meaning of that past kiss had grown larger, and Shizuku’s presence had become even more significant.

In the end, Shizuku’s plan had succeeded.