Do You Like Romantic-Comedy Protagonists? - Chapter 7: Do You Like Sousuke Sakurai? 2

Chapter 7: Do You Like Sousuke Sakurai? 2

“Well, let’s just go here.”

“Akaishi, hurry up already.”

“…”

Akaishi was dragged by Sakurai and Hachiya into a budget-friendly family restaurant near the high school.

“How many in your party?”

“Two!”

“No, we’ve got Akaishi today, right!? Three.”

Hachiya told the server it was just her and Sakurai, but Sakurai corrected her.

Sakurai’s words, “We’ve got Akaishi today, right?” stuck in Akaishi’s mind.

Saying “today” implied that Sakurai and Hachiya had come to this family restaurant together before.

It felt like Sakurai was suggesting that he and Hachiya were close enough to come here together, but Akaishi wasn’t part of that bond, which left a bad taste.

Of course, it could just be a statement of fact, and the conversation would’ve flowed fine without it.

It felt like Sakurai was flaunting his closeness with Hachiya, making Akaishi uncomfortable.

“Please, follow me.”

The server prepared a table for about four people, with Sakurai and Hachiya sitting side by side and Akaishi alone across from them.

“So, what’re you getting, Kyouko?”

“Hmm… I’ll have… a chocolate parfait! Sousuke, you should get a strawberry parfait so we can… share a bit!”

“Oh, great idea! I’ll get a strawberry parfait then!”

“Hey… you better share some with me too! If you eat it all yourself, I won’t let you off!”

“Got it, got it.”

Across from Akaishi, Sakurai and Hachiya were discussing what to eat together. Hachiya’s face was bright red, her blush reaching her ears.

It was clear she’d mustered the courage to suggest sharing a parfait with Sakurai.

Akaishi propped his elbow on the table, observing the cheerful pair.

It was obvious that Hachiya and the rest of Sakurai’s entourage liked him, but who did Sakurai actually like?

Such vague thoughts filled Akaishi’s mind.

Sakurai currently had five girls in his entourage. But which one did he like?

Akaishi felt that the way men and women approached love was distinctly different.

Was it some genetic trait passed down from the Paleolithic era? He sensed that while men could love one woman, they often found themselves drawn to others as well.

It wasn’t that men couldn’t love just one woman, but that they could love others besides her, as if it were encoded in their genes.

He thought this might be inevitable, given the differences in male and female forms.

※

Akaishi had a childhood friend, close enough to be called a confidant.

His name was Suda Toki, a long-time friend attending the same high school.

Suda once had a girlfriend, but their relationship fizzled out after starting high school. Watching Sakurai and Hachiya, Akaishi recalled something Suda’s girlfriend had said.

“Girls, when they get a boyfriend they love, see every other guy as just a scarecrow. So, if I ever cheated, it’d mean I no longer loved Toki. But right now, I love Toki so much, I’d never cheat.”

When Akaishi heard this, he couldn’t quite believe it.

The same went for Suda.

Even with a girlfriend, Suda didn’t see other girls as mere scarecrows and, as a teenage boy, felt attraction to other girls besides his girlfriend, or so he’d said.

Of course, Suda’s girlfriend might have been bluffing, but doubting everything would make all interactions impossible, so Akaishi granted her some trust.

From this, Akaishi came to a realization.

Men’s and women’s approaches to love were fundamentally different.

Thus, he intuitively felt it wouldn’t be strange if Sakurai liked all five of his beautiful entourage members.

Notably, all five were stunning, rumored to be among the top beauties in the school.

Of course, Akaishi didn’t think this applied to everyone, but he sensed it was common among many.

※

“We’re done, so here, Akaishi.”

Sakurai and Hachiya decided on their desserts and meals, passing the menu to Akaishi.

Akaishi took the menu, glanced at it for a few seconds, and set it down.

“Done.”

“That was fast…”

“I’ll ring the bell then.”

Hachiya pressed the call button, and a server arrived.

“Yes, what would you like to order?”

“Um… one strawberry parfait, one chocolate parfait, one carbonara, one napolitan, and…”

Sakurai glanced at Akaishi.

“Coffee, a regular hamburger, and medium rice.”

“Understood.”

The server repeated Sakurai’s and Akaishi’s orders.

“Is that all?”

“That’s it.”

“Please wait a moment.”

Sakurai finalized the order, and the server left.

Hachiya leaned forward on the table, smirking at Akaishi with narrowed eyes.

“You’re eating a hamburger? What a kid~”

“Hey, cut it out, Kyouko.”

Sakurai held back Hachiya, who was giggling and mocking Akaishi, with one hand.

Watching this, Akaishi felt an indescribable unease.

Why was he even here?

Thinking back, Sakurai had invited them to eat together to mend things between Akaishi and Hachiya, yet now Sakurai was stopping Hachiya from engaging with Akaishi, chatting with her while excluding Akaishi from their space.

Akaishi began to suspect that Sakurai never intended to mend things between him and Hachiya.

Sakurai was surrounded by five girls, all rumored to be school beauties, drawing much envy from other boys.

However, this situation could collapse if it became clear that Sakurai favored just one of them.

For example, if Sakurai loved Hachiya and had no interest in the others, the entourage would notice, and the current dynamic wouldn’t exist.

If Sakurai hadn’t invited Akaishi and was seen eating alone with Hachiya, rumors might spread that he liked her, which could affect the entourage’s perception.

To maintain the situation where five beautiful girls fawned over him, Sakurai couldn’t be seen alone with any one of them.

Or, at least, there needed to be a valid reason for it.

Of course, some girls might still cling to Sakurai even knowing he liked someone else. Akaishi guessed Arai might fall into that category.

But not all girls would be okay with the man they liked loving someone else. Some might lose interest if they knew he cared for another.

In short, the core reason Akaishi was at this family restaurant with Sakurai and Hachiya was to serve as proof that Sakurai wasn’t alone with Hachiya. If the other entourage members heard about this, Sakurai could use the excuse that he was mediating between Hachiya and Akaishi.

Sakurai was using Akaishi as an excuse to talk alone with Hachiya.

Realizing this, Akaishi’s irritation grew as he waited for the food.

“Sousuke, h-hey… it’s kinda cramped here, so scoot over a bit!”

“What…? You’ve got plenty of space!”

“Shut up! I don’t like being so squished!”

Hachiya hit Sakurai in the cramped space.

Sakurai showed no sign of mediating between Akaishi and Hachiya, continuing to chat with her.

The word third wheel crossed Akaishi’s mind, but in reality, he wasn’t even that—just a pitiful guy used as an excuse for Sakurai’s motives.