I Ended up Getting Close With the Class Madonna Who Keeps Rejecting Confessions, Saying She Doesn’t Plan to Date Anyone - Chapter 16

When I opened the box of cakes Shinoba bought, four cakes appeared inside. The last one must be for Mom.

“Anju-chan, you can pick whichever you like.”

Anju looked at the cakes, her eyes sparkling and her mouth slightly open. She really does love sweets.

Then she snapped out of it and said, “Do not think you can win Anju over with something as trivial as cake.” Even so, she couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips.

“What about you, big brother? Which one will you have?”

“Shinoba said you could pick whatever you like, so you go first, Anju.”

She glanced at me for a moment, then turned back to the cakes.

There were four kinds lined up. Shortcake, chocolate, mille crepe, and Mont Blanc. All the classic ones.

“Mom likes Mont Blanc.”

“I see. Then we’ll leave that one for her.”

Watching that small exchange, I couldn’t help but be impressed.

It wasn’t that long ago that I started talking with Shinoba like this.

Before, she was just a classmate, someone I’d see at school but rarely spoke to.

She was popular with the boys, had lots of friends among the girls, but I never thought much about it.

But now, seeing how she acts up close, I get it.

Whether she does it on purpose or not, she just has this natural way of making people like her.

“What about you, Anju-chan? Which one do you want?”

“…Strawberry.”

“Then the shortcake?”

“…Yes.”

Even Anju, who used to glare at her like an enemy, was starting to soften up, just a little.

Guess she really was swayed by cake after all.

“What about you, Sousuke?”

“I don’t mind. You can pick first.”

“Yeah? Then I’ll take the mille crepe.”

She glanced at me as she reached for it. I didn’t react much and simply pulled the chocolate cake toward me.

“Thank you for the cake.”

“Thank you very much.”

Anju added quickly after me. Shinoba smiled shyly.

“No problem. I wanted to eat some too.”

Sweet cake goes perfectly with black coffee.

The bitterness balances out the sweetness left in my mouth.

While we were enjoying the cake, Anju suddenly spoke up.

“D-Don’t get the wrong idea. Anju still doesn’t believe Shinoba-san’s words yet.”

“Still no good.”

Shinoba’s reaction sounded like she never expected to win Anju over that easily in the first place.

She put down her fork and let out a small sigh.

“My big brother would never get a girlfriend. No matter how cute or kind the person is, like Shinoba-san, he’s not the type to change his mind so easily.”

…Her impression of Shinoba had actually improved a little. The power of the cake is scary.

“But I’m sure you’re up to something and that you’ve dragged my big brother into it.”

Anju is like a detective cornering a suspect.

“Um, I’m really not doing anything like that.”

That kind of reaction just makes it look like she’s admitting Anju’s right. She needs to be more careful.

We really need to come up with a proper plan before school starts, or this could get bad.

Well, to be fair, the one who’d be in real trouble if the truth came out is Shinoba. I’d be affected too, but only a little.

Still, Anju’s sharper than I thought.

She’s hit the truth dead-on, even without any real proof. Maybe she’s just sensing it by instinct.

“Then tell me. What exactly do you like about my big brother?”

“Fueh!?”

“I know everything about my big brother. If you lie, I’ll know right away.”

Shinoba let out a strange little squeak I’d never heard before. I guess that’s what it sounds like when someone’s truly surprised. I should remember that.

“Um, the things I like about Sousuke-kun?”

Anju nodded seriously. Shinoba’s lips quivered as she turned to look at me.

Why was she panicking so much? It’s not like this relationship is real.

Then again, maybe because it’s fake, she doesn’t know what to say. Probably doesn’t want to make something up about me.

She could just say anything random.

…But no, she’s not good at lying or pretending. So she’s flustered.

“Uh, let’s see.”

Her eyes darted around as she searched for words, stalling for time, trying desperately to come up with something.

Guess it really does take effort for her to find anything good to say about me.

Well, I guess it makes sense. I’ve never really shown that side of myself.

I crossed my arms, thinking that it couldn’t be helped.

It didn’t really matter whether she understood me or not. Our relationship was fake anyway; there didn’t need to be any real feelings behind it.

“For example, he always stays true to himself.”

Her eyes dropped to the cake in front of her, then she added softly.

“And even though he acts like he doesn’t care about other people, he’s actually really kind.”

Her words caught me off guard.

Shinoba probably can’t tell a complete lie.

There was some truth in what she said, that much I could tell. Maybe she didn’t like me that way, but at least she saw those as my good points.

Well, that’s assuming she’s not a real witch.

“And also…”

She glanced up at me. That upward look could probably make any guy fall for her; it was that unfairly cute.

“When it really matters, he can be dependable… I think?”

Anju nodded thoughtfully. “I see.” The way this conversation was going made me want to melt into the floor, so I decided to step in before it got any more embarrassing.

“Are you satisfied now?”

Anju frowned and hummed in thought, then narrowed her eyes even more.

“I’ll ask my big brother too.”

“What now?”

“What do you like about Shinoba-san? If you’re really dating, you should be able to answer that.”

I didn’t panic… not this time.

Considering how things had gone so far, it wasn’t hard to predict she’d throw that question at me next.

Of course, I already had an answer ready.

“Shinoba notices the people around her. She understands their feelings and accepts them with kindness.”

That wasn’t a lie.

I’d simply told the truth and presented it as the reason I liked her.

Anju frowned again, clearly frustrated by how smoothly I answered.

“…Very well. I’ll let it go for today. But I’m not giving up. I’ll find proof of your lies, just you wait!”

She looked genuinely determined. Then, after taking a bite of her cake, her mood completely shifted. She was smiling again, happy and content. It looked like the worst had passed.

When I turned to Shinoba, she was looking down with a soft smile on her face.

Was she that happy just because we managed to get through this?

＊

“I’m sorry about today. I called you out so suddenly.”

I walked Shinoba to the bike parking lot, thanking her on the way since she said she’d head home before it got too late.

She shook her head lightly and gave me a gentle smile.

“It’s really fine. For a moment, I thought we were done for, but it looks like she forgave us somehow, so that’s a relief.”

“Be careful, though. She’s persistent. I doubt Anju’s given up yet.”

When it comes to me, Anju can be seriously stubborn.

But Shinoba just smiled, calm and carefree.

If she thought getting through today meant she understood Anju… well, she was in for a surprise.

At least, that’s what I thought, until she spoke again.

“Ahaha, yeah, she’s intense. But even if she does find out eventually, it wouldn’t be that bad, right?”

Her words made me stop and think.

Right, I never actually told her… because Anju had shown up halfway through.

“The only problem is if people at school find out. Honestly, I’m more surprised you didn’t tell Anju the truth yourself.”

“I didn’t tell her because if she knew, there’d be a bigger risk of it spreading at school. So I stuck to the lie.”

Ahaha, Shinoba laughed awkwardly, but then she suddenly stopped walking.

Her cheerful face tightened, like she’d just been handed a really confusing riddle.

“Wait, what do you mean by that?”

She sounded uneasy, like she could sense something bad coming but didn’t want to believe it.

So I decided to tell her straight. No sugarcoating.

“Anju’s enrolling in our school this spring.”

The moment I said it, all the color drained from her face.

“…Huh?”