I Ended up Getting Close With the Class Madonna Who Keeps Rejecting Confessions, Saying She Doesn’t Plan to Date Anyone - Chapter 11

We left that place to escape from two of our friends and ended up at a game center a little way away.

Being this far, we probably wouldn’t run into them again. And at a game center, we could at least kill some time.

“First date and we’re at a game center.”

“That’s what happens when you reject my plan.”

Yeah, a first date at a game center wasn’t really something I see in light novels. It was noisy, crowded, and probably not the kind of place I’d expect for a first date.

“Well, whatever. Hey, should we take some purikura? Wouldn’t that make us look more like a real couple?”

“Purikura.”

Those things make my eyes look huge, like an alien. I’ve never understood the fun, but girls seemed to love them. Even with apps on my phone that can do the same thing, they haven’t gone out of style. I’d never do it alone, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try.

“Yeah, fine. But first, let me walk around a bit.”

The first floor was lined with claw machines. Looking at the floor map, the second floor had more of the same. Above that were purikura booths and arcade games.

“Hey, Sousuke-kun, look at this. Isn’t it cute?”

As I slowly walked and checked out the claw machines, Shinoba, who was a little behind me, said that.

I went back to her, and there was a row of rabbit plushies.

“What’s this called again?”

I’d seen it before, but I didn’t remember the name. When I asked, Shinoba opened her eyes and mouth wide, looking shocked as if mocking me.

“Eh, you don’t know it?”

“Don’t act like everyone is supposed to know this character.”

“No, it’s scary, you don’t know. How did you even decide to draw girls if you didn’t know this?”

Shut up.

“So?”

“It’s Barney. From Dreamins.”

“Oh, from Dreamy Land.”

No wonder I’d seen it before. That character was famous, probably one of the top mascots in the world.

“Maybe I’ll give it a try.”

“Don’t. These machines are made so you can’t actually win, right?”

“That’s way too cynical. You’re so twisted!”

She dropped her money into the machine anyway. I had no idea what would happen next.

As expected, she couldn’t grab the plush. She couldn’t even get the claw into the right spot. How clumsy can you be?

She tried a few times, but made no progress. Watching her was like seeing an ad for a bad mobile game. Honestly, it was starting to irritate me.

“Let me try. I can’t just watch.”

“Eh, w-wait.”

I shoved in my money and took over. I was surprised that Shinoba let me have it.

It was the classic claw machine, moving left-right and forward-back. I moved the claw to the right, then slid it forward.

And then.

“Not even close!?”

“W-what…?”

It was harder than I thought. But I kind of got the hang of it. Just knowing how fast the claw moved made the last few tries meaningful.

I dropped another coin.

“I can do it this time.”

“D-don’t overdo it, okay?”

This time, I moved it more accurately, but still couldn’t grab the prize. The claw’s weak grip didn’t help, but I wasn’t about to give up.

Being rational here didn’t mean walking away. It meant getting the prize I was aiming for.

“Next time…”

I had this strange, new feeling while my hand reached for another coin.

I lost count of how many tries I’d done, but I could finally see a way to win.

“…I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded without looking away from the claw machine, feeling her leave. My hand hovered over the buttons and was ready.

＊

Kokonoe Shinoba thought about Sousuke from earlier and felt a little surprised.

She washed her hands, splashing water around, and let out a small and quiet laugh.

At first, she had imagined Sousuke as a cold person. His behavior in class had made him seem that way.

So when they first met outside of school, it had been a little awkward. But after talking to him, she realized he wasn’t really cold; he just hated wasting time. He was honest in his beliefs, no matter what.

Talking to him was actually kind of fun. And because she didn’t have to worry about trying to be liked or worrying about being disliked, she felt calm and enjoyed spending time with him.

“…Phew.”

She looked at herself in the mirror, took a deep breath, fixed her bangs, and smiled.

She could say this about herself; she was fairly attractive. She would be called cute, and because of that, she had been confessed to many times.

However, Sousuke didn’t seem shaken by her looks at all. Normally, that would make her nervous, but it felt strangely comforting now.

Their agreement was for three months. She needed to think about the future, but she didn’t have to act on anything right now.

For now, enjoying her time with him wasn’t a bad idea.

Thinking this, Shinoba left the bathroom. It was on the second floor, so she needed to go back down to the first floor, where Sousuke was.

As she headed toward the escalator, she noticed two guys walking toward her, staring at her. She quickly looked away.

Maybe because she was attractive, people had always looked at her since she was young. That might make her more sensitive to others’ gazes than most.

She silently wished she could pass without any trouble, but that hope was quickly crushed.

“Hey, are you here alone?”

“Do you want to hang out with us? We’re kind of bored~”

It was one of those classic pick-up attempts. The moment they spoke to her, Shinoba couldn’t help but let out a small sigh, quiet enough that her friends wouldn’t notice.

“I’m sorry. I’m not alone.”

She bowed slightly and tried to walk away quickly, but these kinds of guys weren’t going to let her go. They stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

Both had dyed their hair bright, giving off a flashy and careless vibe. The only difference was the hair length; one had short hair, the other long. Their overconfident and selfish behavior made her stomach turn.

“Then how about we hang out with your friend, too?”

“How many friends? Just so you know, we can handle multiple people at once. Ahaha.”

They laughed crudely, and Shinoba couldn’t help but frown. These guys had no intention of listening.

“That friend is my boyfriend!”

This time, she spoke more firmly and tried to push past them, but one grabbed her shoulder, stopping her.

“Don’t be so cold. How about leaving your boyfriend aside and coming to play with us? It’ll be fun and feel good.”

“You probably don’t know the first thing about women, right? We’ll show you what adult fun is.”

A chill ran down her spine. Her throat tightened, and her heart felt like it was being grabbed by bare hands.

What should she do?

She couldn’t run. She couldn’t call for help.

Negative thoughts spun in her head. Her mind felt like it was shutting down, leaving her almost unable to think.

Then, it happened.

The hand on her shoulder was pulled away.

Shinoba was startled, so she looked up.

The guys shouted in surprise, “What!?” It was obvious someone else had stepped in.

But, who?

“Let go of her.”

It was obvious just by looking at him that Sousuke was the one speaking, his voice full of anger.

Even though the guys were bigger than him, and there were two of them, he didn’t flinch. He faced them head-on with full hostility.

“Who the hell are you?”

Sousuke stepped between Shinoba and the men, still glaring at them as he spoke.

Seeing him like that made Shinoba’s heart skip a beat.

A strange warmth spread through her body, as if the coldness she’d felt before was replaced with blood flowing warmly again.

“See for yourselves. I’m her boyfriend… a plain and immature guy who probably doesn’t know the first thing about women.”

＊＊＊

Afterword

Thanks to everyone’s support, this work reached 10th place in the Romantic Comedy Weekly Ranking on October 22!

I’m really grateful.

To show my thanks, I’ll be updating continuously this weekend!

October 25 (Saturday): The date chapter reaches its climax.

October 26 (Sunday): A new chapter begins.

I’ll keep making stories you can enjoy. It would make me really happy if you could support me again with a ★ and follow, so we can get back into the top 10!