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

The place was lit up in soft pink, making it feel almost like we were standing under cherry blossoms at night.

Rows of long rectangular tables were neatly lined up, each with chairs that had backrests.

On the left side was a drink corner, and on the right, a food area designed like a festival stall.

As soon as we were shown in, the moms said, “You kids eat whatever you want!” and then quickly left to get drinks.

Seriously, don’t just leave your kids like that.

We know each other, but that’s about it.

“Did you know, Kokonoe? That I’d be here.”

She looked around and was unsure of what to say, so I asked to start a conversation.

When her eyes met mine, she smiled naturally. The way she could switch expressions so smoothly really showed why she was the class Madonna.

“No, I really didn’t know. I heard my mother’s friend Gojou-san invited her to dinner, but I didn’t think that meant your mom.”

“Right.”

“Then let me ask you, did you know I’d be here?”

She looked up at me with big eyes. She’s totally trying to look cute.

“My mom just told me her friend’s name was Kokonoe a little while ago. I thought it might be you since it’s not a common last name. And yeah, it turns out I was right.”

The night air was a bit chilly.

It was warm enough during the day, but once the sun set, the cold came back, like the world remembered winter.

Maybe that’s why Kokonoe was wearing a light blue dress with a cardigan over it. I’d thrown on a hoodie myself; that’s a good call.

The place was about half full. Not crowded, but noisy enough thanks to everyone drinking.

“Since it’s all-you-can-eat and drink, we might as well get something.”

I stood up. Kokonoe looked up at me with her eyes wide.

“What?”

“No, I thought you were going to invite me.”

She looked surprised but kept talking. I gave her a bit of a look.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Gojou-kun is always alone in class. I thought maybe you didn’t like being with other people. I figured you’d say to let’s just do our own thing or something.”

Ah. So that’s why she was surprised I asked her to come with me.

“I can see you’re a little off, but you’ve mostly got it right. The reason I talked to you just now is because my mom told me to make sure you’re not left alone.”

If I left Kokonoe by herself here, who knows what would happen later? If she ended up in a bad mood after coming all this way, it would be a huge pain, and this whole dinner would lose its point.

When I said that, Kokonoe let out a small laugh.

“I see. So that’s how it is. Then I understand.”

She stood up with a smile.

As we headed toward the drink corner, our moms came back while each holding up a big beer mug.

“Oh, look at you two, standing together like that!”

“You make such a cute pair!”

They burst out laughing with cheerfulness as ever before heading off again to get food.

…Did they already have three drinks before coming back?

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Thirty minutes had passed since it all started.

Our moms had moved to another table and were laughing loudly with some people they’d just met.

They were supposed to be catching up after so long, right?

But instead, they were already acting like old friends. Even Kokonoe’s mom was laughing and chatting away, so I guess they really got along well.

The buffet had all sorts of food, so I filled my plate with the things I liked best from the first round and went back to my seat.

Kokonoe had three cups of special pudding lined up in front of her, eating them one by one with a happy smile.

The area around us was noisy, but somehow our little corner felt strangely quiet like listening to a distant festival from the house window.

When she noticed me coming back, she looked at my plate and let out a small laugh.

“You’ve got quite the appetite, Gojou-kun.”

My plate was piled high with thick-cut steak, probably the main attraction of the beer garden.

“It was good, so I figured I’d better eat as much as I can. Otherwise, it’s a waste. You’re doing the same thing, you know.”

“Well, it is delicious. Eat as much as you can or it’s a waste, right?”

With a satisfied grin, Kokonoe took another bite of her pudding and let out a happy little sound.

I bit into my stack of steak while glancing toward the other table, where our moms were still being loud.

“I heard your mom used to be really popular at school, the Madonna of her class.”

It felt awkward to just eat in silence, so I threw that out as small talk.

“Really?”

“You didn’t know?”

Kokonoe shook her head.

Well, it’s not like a mom would tell her daughter, ‘Back in my day, everyone called me Madonna,’ or something.

“They say she and my mom were famous together, your mom as the Madonna and mine as the boss.”

When I shared the info I’d just heard, Kokonoe looked over at the noisy moms like I did.

“So Gojou-kun mom was the boss type…”

“You were thinking that actually makes sense?”

“Yeah, well, maybe just a little.”

Kokonoe spoke in a small and apologetic voice. It wasn’t something to feel sorry about. It was true, after all.

“Gojou-kun doesn’t really look like your mom?”

“I probably take after my dad. Either that, or maybe I was a kid they picked up under a bridge.”

Hahaha, I laughed lightly, but Kokonoe just blinked at me.

Guess the joke didn’t land.

I only wanted to ease the mood, but joking is harder than it looks.

“On the other hand, Kokonoe really looks like your mom.”

“Do I?”

She turned toward me again and went back to eating her pudding. I took another bite of steak, and it was still good even after cooling down. No complaints there.

After a sip of water, I spoke again.

“Even the whole Madonna thing suits you perfectly.”

The moment I said that, her hand froze, and her spoon was still in the air.

It felt like the air shifted a little.

I’m not great at talking to people, so I never know if I’m picking the right topic or not.

When she didn’t answer, I glanced at her.

Her face had clouded over completely.

And then,

“…I don’t really like being called Madonna.”

She said it quietly, almost to herself.

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