Do You Like Romantic-Comedy Protagonists? - Chapter 20: Do You Like House Visits? 6

Chapter 20: Do You Like House Visits? 6

Afterward, Hachiya made another bento without Akaishi’s help, and though the quality dipped slightly, it was still decent.

Despite arriving in the morning, the sun had set, and it was evening, so Akaishi decided to leave Hachiya’s house.

On the way to the station, Hachiya matched Akaishi’s pace, walking beside him.

“Thanks for today, Akaishi!”

“Yeah… It was a lot.”

Akaishi felt mentally drained from the ordeal of going to Hachiya’s house.

“But Hachiya, wouldn’t it have been better if you didn’t walk me to the station?”

“…Why?”

Akaishi offered advice, considering her situation.

“What if someone else saw us here? Especially Sakurai—that’d be the worst, right? It’s natural for people to assume something’s up when they see a guy and girl walking together on a weekend.”

“I don’t think it’s a problem.”

“…?”

Puzzled by her baseless confidence, Akaishi tilted his head.

“What if Sakurai saw this and thought we were dating?”

“Then Sousuke would ask me, ‘Are you and Akaishi a thing?’”

“What if he didn’t ask and just assumed we were?”

“Sousuke’s not that kind of guy. Plus, I wouldn’t treat someone who helped me cook so carelessly.”

“…Is that so?”

Hachiya’s confidence seemed to stem from knowing Sakurai well, which Akaishi somewhat understood.

He inwardly added that Sakurai would likely interrogate him if he saw them together.

“Oh, maybe…”

Hachiya suddenly spoke, as if remembering something.

“You’re the type who thinks guys and girls can’t just be friends!”

“…Huh.”

Hachiya glared at Akaishi with narrowed eyes.

Is this a dark joke or something? Akaishi gave her a suspicious look.

“Sigh… That’s why your ideas are like that, always tying everything to romance. You think if I told Sousuke ‘Akaishi’s just a friend,’ he wouldn’t believe me.”

“Well… Maybe.”

Catching her real point, Akaishi agreed.

“Whether guys and girls can be friends… It’s a common topic, huh.”

“Yeah! I think it’s possible, but what about you?”

“Hmm… I’d say… Girls might think it’s possible, but most guys don’t.”

Akaishi gazed into the distance, murmuring his response.

“Why’s that!”

“It’s…”

He faltered.

“Maybe it’s the difference between guys and girls. Guys tend to see girls as more than friends, but girls don’t always do that. Something like that.”

“Why?”

There was no clear answer.

Because his friend’s girlfriend said so, because he felt guys saw girls as more than friends—vague reasons like that.

In the end, Akaishi’s view was just based on hearsay.

“No solid proof. Just how I feel as a guy.”

That’s all he could say.

Unanswerable questions were common in the world.

If your friend and girlfriend were drowning, and you could only save one, who would you choose?

There’s no clear answer, just personal feelings.

The question of whether guys and girls can be friends was the same—Akaishi had no definitive answer.

“So, guys can’t see girls as just friends? Then, by that logic, Sousuke…”

Is Sousuke looking at all the girls around him with romantic interest?

Hachiya didn’t say it aloud, but her anxious expression dimmed.

Akaishi grimaced, feeling he’d said something bad.

But in rom-coms, protagonists, even if they like someone, blush and look away when other girls flirt or dress provocatively.

Plus, even with a favorite, they’re kind to every girl.

Despite liking one girl, they charm and mislead many, never thinking their actions are wrong, oblivious to others’ feelings.

Isn’t that a warped dynamic?

Seeing Hachiya muttering dejectedly, Akaishi spoke.

“But that’s just my opinion, not universal. Some girls can’t see guys as friends, and some guys can’t see girls that way. It’s individual. I think that, but Sakurai might not. Just my take, don’t take it too seriously.”

He hastily retracted his stance.

“Yeah… Right.”

Seeming convinced, Hachiya nodded.

But because Akaishi emphasized it as his personal view too much, a doubt arose in her.

“Then, does that mean you see me as more than a friend?”

“…”

Did I dig my own grave? Akaishi cursed inwardly.

He could brush it off with “You’re an exception,” but there was no need to lie.

“Yeah. Since you were born with such a striking appearance, it wouldn’t be strange if I saw you that way someday.”

“…I see.”

Akaishi didn’t lie.

He hated retracting his statements.

Or was that just another excuse to defend his words? He pondered.

But Akaishi rarely lied.

Saying “I don’t think anything of you” while secretly admiring her looks—such inconsistency stirred indescribable feelings.

Like a bone stuck in his throat, like wandering in fog, he hated that feeling.

Inconsistency made him feel like he was always lying to himself, so he avoided lying.

He’d lie to protect himself or gain efficiency, but he avoided mismatches between his heart and words.

To live efficiently and honestly, Akaishi had few friends.

He pondered whether his excuses were to protect his mental health or part of his identity, trying to pin it down.

“Akaishi, Akaishi…!”

Hachiya’s voice snapped him back.

She was hugging her shoulders, keeping distance.

“Did you even hear me? You were totally zoned out.”

“Sorry, I was thinking.”

“You’re always thinking about something. Probably nothing good.”

Hachiya put her hands on her hips, pointing at him.

His thoughts were indeed trivial.

“I’ll say it again. Thinking of me that way is creepy…”

Hachiya hugged her shoulders again, stepping back.

Akaishi momentarily lost track of the conversation but quickly realized it tied to his comment about not seeing her as just a friend.

He looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“You did that pose earlier too. You repeated yourself just to say that? That’s mean.”

“What! It’s because you weren’t listening!”

She dropped her hands, retorting in a shrill voice.

“Saying to a girl, ‘I don’t see you as just a friend,’ is kinda like a confession. Cut it out.”

“Alright, then I’ll never see you again.”

“What!?”

Trading barbs, Akaishi’s voice carried slight irritation.

I might see you as a girl, but if you want, I’ll leave right now.

That was the intent behind his reply.

It was his pride.

He wouldn’t lie, but he’d part ways with someone who mocked that fact.

It was a clear assertion of his stance.

Truthfully, Akaishi didn’t think that badly of Hachiya.

But his pride far outweighed his feelings for her.

Akaishi was inept at romance.

Romance required one side’s pride to yield first.

You had to shed pride to apologize first after a fight.

You had to shed pride to accept being the one confessing.

Without pride, it’s different, but Akaishi’s excessive pride made him worse than a novice at romantic games.

“Then I’m going.”

“Hey, wait!”

The station wasn’t far from Hachiya’s house, and they’d already arrived.

Saying he’d never see her again, Akaishi passed through the gate.

Without looking back at Hachiya’s desperate shouts, he moved forward.

Her anguished voice melted into the crowd’s noise.

Because of his efficient, rational thinking, Akaishi never doubted himself.

※

Akaishi had pride beyond ordinary measure.

That pride had caused him suffering throughout his life.