I became the boyfriend of the school's madonna, who had turned down numerous confessions, but somehow, without realizing it, I wasn't just playing a role anymore - Chapter 134

Episode 134: The Too-Honest Childhood Friend

“W-What…?”

Facing the piercing stares from the women around him, Misaki’s father turned toward his daughters, clearly flustered.

“Dad, we’ll have a proper talk later.”

The first to break the silence was Sasagawa-sensei.

Despite the gentle smile on her face, there was a mysterious and overwhelming pressure emanating from her.

“I’m just going to move in with Raito-kun’s family now.”

Misaki chimed in next, seizing the moment to slip her own wishful thinking into the conversation without hesitation.

“Look forward to our talk after Raito-kun and the others leave, okay?”

The last to speak was Misaki’s mother.

Her smile was lovely, but no less intimidating than Sasagawa-sensei’s.

It seemed Sasagawa-sensei had inherited her knack for pressure-inducing smiles from her mother.

“H-Hyouka-chan…!?”

Misaki’s father, desperate for an ally against the oppressive aura of the women around him, turned to Suzumine-san for help.

But her response was.

“This is your own fault.”

Unsurprisingly, since Suzumine-san was firmly on Misaki’s side, there would be no rescue.

“Yay, yay!”

Meanwhile, Kokoaclapped her hands gleefully, thoroughly entertained by her father’s predicament.

She’s growing up to be a tough little girl, but as her older brother, it’s a bit of a mixed feeling.

Naturally, given the heavy atmosphere, I opted to stay silent and watch things unfold from the sidelines.

“Well, I guess I’ll answer.”

Breaking the silence, Suzumine-san finally spoke up, as though she had no choice.

None of us had expected her to actually respond, so we all turned to her in surprise.

Cool as ever, Suzumine-san ignored the attention and glanced briefly in my direction before continuing.

“It’s true—if he had confessed to me, I think I would’ve seriously considered dating him.”

“Hyouka-chan!?”

Misaki’s reaction was immediate and intense, latching onto her childhood friend’s words.

Well, I couldn’t blame her.

I had heard Suzumine-san disliked lying, but to be this brutally honest…

“Of course. Why would I recommend someone to you if I didn’t think they were good enough for me to date myself?”

Facing Misaki’s accusatory glare, Suzumine-san replied matter-of-factly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

She did have a point.

When recommending something—or someone—to someone close, it’s only natural to suggest something you think is good yourself.

But when it comes to romance, aren’t people less willing to share someone they like?

Recommending someone means there’s a chance they might end up with someone else instead.

…And that seems to be the crux of the subtle nuance in Suzumine-san’s words.

“But as I said earlier, just because I would’ve considered dating him doesn’t mean I’m in love with him. If you ask me if I have feelings for him, I can’t say yes.”

As I thought, Suzumine-san didn’t have romantic feelings for me.

She simply considered me someone she might date if I confessed to her—nothing more, nothing less.

Honestly, coming from someone as straightforward as Suzumine-san, that in itself was impressive.

“And the fact is, he never confessed to me—that’s my answer to your question, Uncle,”

Suzumine-san’s cool and direct response left everyone speechless.

Even Kokoa, normally oblivious, mimicked Sasagawa-sensei and let out a little gulp.

“And one more thing—since Misaki had been rejecting various confessions, I only suggested Shirai-kun as someone she might consider. I knew they’d get along well.”

Suzumine-san added this final clarification with her usual calm demeanor, leaving an even more profound silence in her wake.