Do You Like Romantic-Comedy Protagonists?

Chapter 10: Do You Like Alliances?

“Akaishi, you better help me.”

“…Huh?”

As soon as Akaishi arrived at school, Hachiya called him out to an empty open corridor.

“I’m in love with Sousuke.”

“…”

Hachiya abruptly confessed to Akaishi.

Akaishi had known this for a long time, but what was her true intention in revealing it now? He looked at her suspiciously.

“You said something like ‘go back to Sakurai’ before, right? You knew I liked Sousuke, didn’t you?”

Hachiya imitated Akaishi, speaking in a low, deliberate tone.

Akaishi made a bitter face, realizing that his earlier jab at her relationship with Sakurai, born out of irritation, had come back to haunt him.

Come to think of it, when Sakurai was fixing the bicycle chain, Hachiya had openly expressed her affection for him without hiding it, Akaishi belatedly recalled.

He felt a bit pathetic for not even wondering why she’d say such a thing.

“So, I want you to help me make my love with Sousuke work out.”

“Ugh…”

Akaishi was utterly exasperated, realizing he was about to be dragged into the mess of a rom-com protagonist.

Was Hachiya acting knowing that Sakurai’s other entourage members also liked him, or was she clueless?

Was it to push the other girls away, or just to fulfill her own love?

Akaishi was slightly curious about Hachiya’s true motives.

But if he went along with this, he’d become a mere pawn for a girl chasing the rom-com protagonist, so he refused.

“No way. Ask someone else.”

“Why not!? Wait, Akaishi!”

Ignoring Hachiya’s response, Akaishi turned and headed back to the classroom.

※

“Akaishi, what were you and Kyouko talking about?”

As soon as he returned to the classroom, Sakurai, who’d seen him leave with Hachiya, approached to investigate, as usual.

Akaishi inwardly cursed that Sakurai only talked to him when girls were involved.

But he kept it off his face and out of his words.

He could’ve said, “She asked me to help her get with you,” and ruined everything, but that was too risky.

The possibility of being resented by the other four entourage members for getting ahead.

The possibility of being hated by Sakurai, who had the school’s top five beauties in his orbit.

The possibility of being bullied for opposing the influential Sakurai.

Weighing all this, Akaishi chose to dodge.

“Nah, I dropped my pen yesterday, and she was returning it.”

“Then why didn’t she return it in the classroom?”

Sakurai pressed Akaishi with rapid-fire questions.

What is this, an interrogation? Akaishi nearly grimaced but composed himself to answer.

“She didn’t want to talk to me in the classroom and have people suspect we’re close.”

“I see, makes sense.”

Sakurai seemed satisfied with the explanation and returned to his seat, forming his usual utopia as always.

The explanation was vague, but by implying Hachiya didn’t like Akaishi and was into Sakurai, it fully satisfied him.

Akaishi desperately wanted to avoid being dragged into this mess and was trying to cut ties.

※

“Akaishi, lend me your face!”

“Ugh…?”

During cleaning duty, Hachiya called out to him again.

“That thing again?”

“Exactly! Help me out!”

Akaishi and Hachiya continued their conversation while cleaning the stairs.

By a stroke of luck, their assigned cleaning area was secluded.

“No way. Ask someone else. You’re a girl, so get another girl to help you.”

“Can you seriously consult a guy about love when you like a girl?”

“…”

Hachiya’s point was spot-on.

When consulting a girl about love, the first condition was that she not be interested in the same guy.

If she was, it could easily tear their relationship apart.

In Hachiya’s case, her friends were the four other entourage members, all of whom couldn’t hide their feelings for Sakurai.

So, in this situation, consulting a guy made sense.

But not every girl lacked a boyfriend, and Hachiya’s reason for asking Akaishi was proof she had no female friends outside the broadcasting club.

“You… don’t have any friends?”

“Uwaaa… Shut up! That’s none of your business!”

Hachiya’s face turned red, and she snapped angrily.

Akaishi was utterly disgusted with himself for mocking Hachiya’s insecurities.

He hated his tendency to rub salt in others’ wounds. Digging into someone’s insecurities to cut ties was the lowest human behavior, and he knew it.

But Hachiya wasn’t the type to back down from this.

“Help me, I said help me!”

“Look, if you’re seen with me, Sakurai might think you like me.”

“Tch… That’s true…”

Calming down, Hachiya brought a slender finger to her chin.

“Then we’ll contact each other by phone from now on! You don’t have to come near me at all! Just work to get me and Sousuke together! Come on, hand over your phone. Let’s exchange contacts.”

“What!?”

Akaishi let out a dumbfounded sound, his face openly grimacing at her selfish demand.

“What’s in it for me…?”

“There is something.”

To Akaishi’s obvious question, Hachiya answered instantly.

“If you ever need help later, you’ll have connections to me, my friends, and Sousuke.”

“What…”

Hachiya puffed out her chest and continued.

“If push comes to shove, you can use this relationship as leverage to make me do what you want.”

“You…”

Akaishi froze at the completely unexpected offer.

You…

You’d go that far to be with Sakurai?

In this short time, Hachiya had seen through Akaishi’s core.

Rational, efficiency-driven, critical, keeping emotions at arm’s length, living purely by logic.

She’d calculated that offering logical benefits would guarantee his cooperation.

Akaishi’s eyes widened as he thought.

If he agreed, he’d hold leverage over Hachiya. Plus, connections to the school’s top beauties could be useful for college or future social endeavors, he quickly calculated.

On top of that, if Hachiya quickly got with Sakurai, her pestering would stop.

There was no need to hesitate.

“I’ll do it.”

“Knew you’d say that.”

That day, Hachiya and Akaishi formed a cooperative alliance.