I Got Dumped by My Childhood Friend Fiancée Who I Didn’t Even Like, I Thought I Could Finally Have a Peaceful School Life… But Then I Got Targeted by SS-Class Beautiful Young Ladies - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: [A Brilliant Landmine Defusal] Does the “I Love You” Game Count as a Handicap?

Ever since Minase-senpai and Tachibana walked in on me and Shiramine doing that couples yoga pose, the clubroom had been pretty chaotic for a while.

But things gradually calmed down. The ear-splitting noise finally started fading back into something peaceful and quiet.

The four of us were gathered around a long table that felt way too big for just us, each sitting in whatever chair we’d grabbed.

A heavy silence hung in the air—who was gonna speak first?—until Tachibana took one big breath and jumped right in with full energy.

“…Ahem! So yeah, a lot happened before we even started… but anyway! Welcome to Yoichi-kun’s very first Polishing Research Society meeting… let’s get activities going!!”

She declared the official start of club activities with total confidence, like she was lighting the fuse.

I just listened quietly. The other two young ladies chimed in right away.

“Fiii~!”

“Wooo~!”

Their replies sounded super laid-back, almost like they were half-asleep, but Tachibana looked at them with the softest, gentlest eyes.

Then her gaze swung over to me. A hint of nervousness crept into her expression as she spoke again.

“…Just to say it properly one more time. Yoichi-kun, thank you so much for joining us.”

Her voice wavered a little, but she still managed to sound firm and clear.

I didn’t exactly join in the smoothest or most welcoming way possible, but seeing how tense she looked made me hold back any smart comments.

I straightened my back without thinking and gave a small bow.

“No… thank you for having me. Looking forward to working with you guys.”

I kept it short.

Tachibana gave a tiny nod, like a weight had just lifted off her shoulders.

Minase-senpai, who had been watching the whole thing with her cheek propped on her hand, let a mischievous little smirk tug at the corner of her mouth.

“Mm-hmm… so fresh and innocent~…”

“P-Please don’t tease me…!”

Tachibana’s cheeks flushed a bit as she protested, but Senpai just kept grinning like she was having the time of her life.

Shiramine clapped her hands together with a light smack to pull the relaxed mood back on track.

“Okay then… let’s just get today’s activity started~ Charlotte-chan, what are we doing today~?”

From what Senpai had told me before, I’d figured Tachibana was the one leading everything in the club… but apparently I’d gotten that wrong.

When Shiramine asked, Tachibana gave a small nod, then lowered the projector from the ceiling—the same one we’d used yesterday.

She read out loud the huge text now displayed on the screen.

“Today’s polishing focus is communication!! We’re calling it… ‘Let’s Close the Emotional Distance! Heart-Pounding I Love You Game’…!!”

…………Huh?

For a second I couldn’t process what the blonde young lady had just said.

But the projector showed the exact same ridiculous title in some super questionable font, so yeah—no mishearing. That was really it.

Shiramine tilted her head in confusion too—but across from her, Minase-senpai was happily giving a few little claps.

Wait… did Senpai already know what today’s activity was gonna be…?

If so, then why hadn’t Shiramine been told? The answer became clear pretty fast.

“…Wait, hold on, Charlotte-chan.”

Shiramine looked genuinely thrown off. She frowned and let out a breath.

“The ‘I Love You’ game… you mean that thing that was trending a little while back… right?”

“Yup, exactly that I Love You game.”

“Where you keep saying ‘I love you’ back and forth… and whoever gets embarrassed first loses… that one, right?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

Tachibana answered every question without even a hint of hesitation, just nodding calmly.

The more we confirmed, the more questions piled up. Finally I spoke.

“Um… so… how exactly does the I Love You game connect to today’s polishing…?”

Shiramine nodded repeatedly like she was thinking the exact same thing.

Tachibana must’ve expected us to just go along with it easily, because when we didn’t, she started to panic a little and flicked her eyes sideways for help.

Minase-senpai—who was clearly waiting for her cue—broke into a bright, sunny smile.

“Does it connect? Of course it does!… Well, okay, the I Love You game itself doesn’t really, but still?”

“…Meaning?”

“Obviously there’s still a huge distance between us and Yoichi, right? So to shrink that gap, we want Yoichi to drop the polite speech and start calling us by name without honorifics!”

“…Uh, no, that’s way too much—I can’t just—”

The suggestion was so out of left field that I instinctively leaned back to refuse.

But Senpai cut me off like she’d seen it coming from a mile away.

“—Yeah, I figured you’d say that, Yoichi! That’s exactly why I suggested it to Charlotte-chan. We turn it into a contest. If Yoichi loses, he has to accept the proposal… simple, right?”

She finished with a smug, victorious look.

From the way she was talking, it was pretty clear my right to refuse wasn’t even on the table.

But there was one obvious flaw in the game rules she’d described. If we were gonna bet on this, that part needed to be crystal clear—

“…Okay, I get what you’re saying. But wouldn’t that make the winner kinda unclear?”

When I asked, Senpai wagged her finger side to side and made a little “tch-tch-tch” sound.

“Nope. Like I said earlier—the I Love You game itself isn’t really the main thing.”

“…? Then what are we actually competing over…?”

“This right here~!”

She pulled something out from under the table and set it down.

It was the puzzle game software I’d once shown her.

“Best of three matches in this! The I Love You game is… well, kinda like a handicap? And also just my personal taste!”

Ohhh, I see. She knew she couldn’t beat me straight-up, so she was throwing in interference. But still… that side game…

“…Is that really gonna work as a handicap?”

The words slipped out purely from honest doubt.

And yeah—that one sentence was a huge mistake.

All three young ladies’ shoulders twitched just slightly. A dangerous vibe settled over the room. The one who’d felt like my ally until now—Shiramine—was the first to speak.

“Hmm? So even when super cute girls like us are coming onto you this hard… you can just stay totally chill, Yoichi-kun?”

“No, wait—that’s not what I meant at all—”

I tried frantically to backpedal, but it was already way too late.

The three of them had completely changed expressions. Without a word, they stood up in perfect sync.

“Then let’s get ready.”

“Yes. Right away.”

“Right~ Looks like we’re being seriously underestimated~”

Their tones sounded normal, but their eyes weren’t smiling at all. I’d dug my own grave perfectly.

Regret flooded every inch of my body. I forced a smile anyway and made one last desperate check with Senpai…

“Um… is there… any chance I can just… not do this?”

“Nope. Not happening.”

“…Yeah, figured…”