I Ended up Getting Close With the Class Madonna Who Keeps Rejecting Confessions, Saying She Doesn’t Plan to Date Anyone - Chapter 22

“That’s right.”

I had just put a piece of fried chicken in my mouth, full of flavor and still juicy even when cold, when I suddenly remembered something I wanted to ask.

“Hm?”

Shinoba was about to eat a piece of rolled egg, but she stopped right before taking a bite and looked at me.

“Ah, I’m sorry. You can eat while we talk.”

“Yeah. What is it?”

She took a bite and signaled me to continue.

“It’s about Fuyutsuki Tsubaki.”

“Tsubaki-chan?”

Fuyutsuki Tsubaki.

Shinoba’s childhood friend. And someone who is a little suspicious of me, her boyfriend.

She isn’t like Anju; she doesn’t doubt our whole relationship, but she definitely keeps her guard up around me.

Since we’re keeping up this fake-dating act, I thought it would be good to learn more about Fuyutsuki.

“You two are childhood friends, right?”

“Yeah. We’ve been together since elementary school.”

If they’ve stayed together since they were little, then Fuyutsuki Tsubaki is probably a good person.

Most people wouldn’t stay that close for so long if there were serious problems between them.

There were plenty of chances to drift apart, entering middle school, entering high school, but they never did. They stayed together. That alone says a lot.

“You didn’t tell Fuyutsuki about me, right?”

When I asked, Shinoba’s expression darkened a little, like the breeze had blown her smile away.

“Yeah, I didn’t know how to explain it. And while I was thinking about it, the new school term had already started. But why were you two talking in the first place? You had no reason to talk?”

Only then did she seem to notice that it was strange for me and Fuyutsuki to have been talking alone. Her face turned serious.

“She asked me about my relationship with you.”

“Even though I didn’t tell her anything?”

I nodded while taking a bite of the sweet, rolled egg.

“In the morning, when I answered Sawatari-senpai and told him about our relationship, that news spread to the classroom right away. She probably heard it there.”

“…I see.”

Since Shinoba didn’t tell her, that had to be the only explanation.

Hearing my words, Shinoba made a troubled face. Maybe she felt bad that Fuyutsuki found out before she could explain it herself.

“You should’ve been able to guess something like this would happen.”

“…My mind was full of how to turn him down. I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“I can’t tell if you’re smart or not.”

“Ugh, I don’t have anything to say to that.”

From my point of view, that part didn’t matter much. Shinoba just needed to explain things to Fuyutsuki and smooth it over.

What really mattered was what would happen from here on.

“Are you close with Fuyutsuki?”

“Eh, yeah. We’ve known each other a long time, so compared to other people, we’re definitely closer.”

“Then, is telling her the truth not an option?”

In other words, Fuyutsuki Tsubaki is basically her best friend.

Shinoba doesn’t want to tell anyone because she’s afraid the fake-dating secret might leak.

But if it’s someone she trusts completely, like a best friend, maybe telling the truth would be fine.

“She’s suspicious of me.”

I added the explanation as Shinoba’s face darkened.

“Suspicious?”

“Yeah. She believes the relationship itself, but she’s trying to judge if I’m really good enough to be your boyfriend. If she’s your best friend, it makes sense she’d be careful.”

“…I see.”

“And if Fuyutsuki finds out it’s fake, there’s a real risk she might spread it. It may be by accident or not. Instead of taking that risk, telling her the truth might be the safer choice.”

After I said that, Shinoba put her lunch box and chopsticks down and let out a small breath.

I followed her gaze and saw two girls around middle school age playing badminton.

They laughed happily as flower petals blew around them.

If someone took a photo right then, it would look like a painting.

“Tsubaki-chan is a very honest and straightforward girl.”

Shinoba murmured softly, her voice warm, like she was remembering something dear.

“…That’s right. I can kind of tell that.”

If she weren’t that kind of girl, she wouldn’t have talked to me the way she did.

She acted like that because she cares about Shinoba, her best friend.

“If I tell Tsubaki-chan about our relationship, that worry would definitely go away but… um…”

Shinoba stopped there. Her face looked even darker than before, like a sunny sky suddenly covered by heavy clouds.

Then she looked at me with uneasy, shaking eyes.

“What is it? I’m not going to be shocked no matter what you say.”

“I’m not trying to shock you. It’s just… this is my selfish wish. I’m scared you’ll get angry…”

“I’ll decide after I hear it.”

“…Isn’t this the part where you’re supposed to say you won’t get angry, so I should go ahead and tell you?”

She gave a weak smile as she spoke.

“If I say that, and what you tell me turns out to be something I really can’t accept, then I’ll end up angry anyway. And that would mean I tricked you into saying something you didn’t want to say. That goes against my principles. But I also won’t be satisfied unless I hear it. So either way, you have to tell me.”

I don’t believe that telling everything is always the right choice. Just like some truths hurt people, some lies protect them. There are things better left unknown.

But in this case.

I want to know.

If her reason makes sense, I’ll follow her plan.

If not, I’ll tell the truth myself.

“…Sousuke-kun, you’re a straightforward person too.”

“I don’t really think so.”

Shinoba took a small breath, then let it out, and as she did, her expression changed. She looked determined.

“I don’t want Tsubaki-chan to have to lie.”

“Lie?”

“Yeah. If she knows the truth about us, then the doubt will be gone. I think that would make things safer for us. But if she knows, then she’ll have to hide it from everyone else, right? I don’t want to make her do that.”

“Why?”

“Because Tsubaki-chan is a very honest girl.”

Her trembling eyes were pleading.

She usually acts like she’s keeping herself in check, but this time was different. I could feel a strong will from her, something she really wanted to protect.

“…It’s selfish of me, and it might cause trouble for you too but still…”

Even so, she couldn’t push too hard; it was just like her.

Where had that boldness gone from when she first told me about the fake-dating thing?

I ate a small rice ball and swallowed it.

“I agreed to this contract knowing it might cause some trouble. I’m not going to back out now. Come to think of it, adding more people would just increase the risk of information leaking. Two people as partners are enough.”

“…Is that really okay?”

Shinoba looked like she couldn’t swallow her words, maybe out of guilt.

I shrugged a little and popped the last piece of rolled egg into my mouth.

“If you can’t fully accept it, then feed me another one of your amazing lunches sometime.”

“…If that’s all it takes, I can make one anytime.”

Shinoba smiled lightly and added quietly, “Thank you, Sousuke-kun.”