I Just Wanted a Girlfriend, But Now I Have Three Fiancées! …Even Though I Don’t Remember Proposing to Any of Them - Chapter 16: I Drank Coffee and Got Confessed To

Chapter 16: I Drank Coffee and Got Confessed To

“That confession… I was the one who said it.”

Mitsuki looked me straight in the eyes as she said it.

“…What do you mean?”

“Remember how, after drinking coffee that day, you suddenly got kind of bold?”

“…Yeah.”

I thought I was just riding the high of birthday hype—getting a gift from a cute junior and all.

But nope.

Turns out, I was literally buzzed on caffeine.

“Do you remember when I asked what you wanted for your birthday?”

“Yeah… I remember. I joked and said I wanted a girlfriend.”

“That’s right. And when I heard that… I thought—this is my chance.”

“Chance?”

“Because… I’ve liked you, Haru-senpai. For a long time now.”

“…No way.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

Mitsuki… confessing to me?

“It’s not ‘no way.’ It’s true.”

Her eyes were completely serious.

And I’d spent enough time caught between her teasing and her sincerity to know…

She wasn’t joking.

“The first time I felt that way… was back in middle school. You know how my hair’s super bright, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Mitsuki had naturally blue hair.

Not dyed—just born that way.

“Because of that, people kept accusing me of dyeing it. I never really fit in with the class. Even the teachers gave me those suspicious looks, like, ‘Are you sure it’s natural?’ I didn’t really have a place to belong.”

I could picture exactly what Mitsuki was talking about.

Middle school kids can be pretty wild—always pushing back against teachers.

And wanting to dye your hair at that age isn’t anything unusual.

But teachers? They don’t take that lightly.

So when someone shows up with naturally bright-colored hair that looks dyed…

Yeah, they become an easy target.

“Our middle school made club activities mandatory, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Well, the girls in the sports clubs… they were really mean. They teased me nonstop—mocked me, laughed behind my back. I didn’t want to deal with that, so I figured a cultural club would be better. That’s why I joined the same one you were in, Senpai.”

“…I thought it was just because you liked books.”

“That too,” she smiled.

But then she added—

“I actually picked the cultural club that looked like it had the least number of members. And when I walked in… there you were.”

“…”

“I figured—if I joined a cultural club, at least the bullying would stop. But instead… everyone just ignored me.”

Yeah…

Now that she mentioned it, I remembered how awkward it was back then when she first joined.

None of us knew what to say to her.

We could barely hold a normal conversation with girls our age—

So how were we supposed to talk to a cute junior?

“When I felt like an outcast in the club too… I thought, ‘Maybe this is just how it’ll always be. Maybe no one will ever really accept me.’”

“…That’s not true.”

“It’s not. Because you were there, Haru-senpai.”

When she said that, I couldn’t respond right away.

I didn’t know what to say.

“You were the only one. Haru-senpai, you were the only person who ever saw me as just me.”

“…It’s not like I did anything special.”

I tried to play it down, but Mitsuki cut me off before I could finish.

“It was special.”

She said it clearly—loud enough for people nearby to hear, but she didn’t care.

“It meant the world to me. Because of you, I could keep coming to school.”

“…”

I had no idea.

I didn’t know she’d been carrying all of that.

I really… didn’t know.

“You were the reason I didn’t feel alone at school. You made me feel like I belonged. That’s why I wanted to go to the same high school as you, Senpai. That’s why I made it my first choice.”

“…I see.”

That was all I could manage—barely more than a whisper.

“I’ve liked you ever since then. Ever since middle school… I’ve always liked you.”

Her beautiful, unwavering eyes locked onto mine.

And I couldn’t look away.

“…But I never had the courage. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to confess. Back in middle school, I planned to tell you when you graduated. But then I thought… what if you started dating someone in high school? And what if she was super cute? If that happened… I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Mitsuki… you are cute.”

She had moments like this—where her self-esteem dropped so low it hurt to watch.

Smart, beautiful, kind—she had all of that.

And still, she doubted herself.

I never really understood why…

But that’s why I always tried to tell her, again and again: That’s not true.

And now, I finally understood where all those feelings came from.

“See, Senpai? That right there. That’s exactly what I mean.”

“…What, was that bad?”

“Not bad. Just… unfair. Why can you say stuff like that without even flinching?”

“…”

“How am I not supposed to fall for someone like that…?”

Mitsuki’s voice trembled slightly, her eyes starting to glisten with tears.

“…That’s why I thought it was my chance. When you said you wanted a girlfriend for your birthday, I knew… It had to be now. If I missed that moment, I might never get another shot.”

“That’s… kind of a lot to hang on one moment.”

“Maybe. But I couldn’t take it. Spending time with you in club, knowing you might start dating someone else someday… Knowing someone else might confess to you… Or that you might fall for someone else… I didn’t want that. Because those days in the club—that was my favorite time of all.”

“…Mitsuki.”

“Third year of middle school was terrifying. Just thinking about you dating someone in high school kept me up at night.”

“…I didn’t date anyone, though.”

“That’s why I was so relieved.”

…Okay, that wording kind of stung a little.

“I don’t want to go through that fear again—not in high school too. So I had to do it. I had to say something right then. Because all this time… I’ve only ever had eyes for you. And I don’t want to start looking at anyone else.”

“…I-I see.”

“That’s why I said it—‘Please go out with me.’”

“…And then?”

“You said, ‘Sure.’”

…Wait, I actually said that?

Me?! While I was caffeinated out of my mind?!

“So after that, I got all excited and pushed it a bit further. I asked, ‘Then… would you go out with me, with marriage in mind?’”

“……And then?”

“You said, ‘Sure.’”

“I really said that?”

“You totally did.”

“…What the heck was I doing…”

I buried my face in my hands.

Seriously, what was I doing?

“But Senpai… you really didn’t remember, huh.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I like that you’re the kind of person who’d properly apologize like that.”

“…Thanks, I guess.”

“And… um, Senpai.”

“Yeah?”

She’d shared so much—her past, her feelings, everything about that day.

And honestly? I was grateful.

It made me really happy.

“So… could I get a proper answer to my confession?”

“…Huh?”

“Well, Haru-senpai doesn’t remember me confessing to him. And he doesn’t remember saying yes, either.”

She was definitely repeating the word confession on purpose.

And now that I glanced around…

Yep. People at the nearby tables were totally staring at us.

“…Y-Yeah. You’re right.”

When did she start planning this?

Was it the moment I told her I didn’t remember what happened that day?

Or maybe even earlier… like the second we stepped into this café?

She opened up about her past.

About how she felt about me.

She laid everything out—right in the middle of a crowded café, not even flinching under all the stares.

“So, Senpai… I’ll say it again. Properly.”

I was… honestly, the worst.

I thought I got drunk off coffee and randomly confessed to Mitsuki.

And since she was my junior, I figured she just didn’t have the heart to say no.

Worse—I thought I’d accidentally cornered her into something as heavy as marriage while half out of my mind.

But I was wrong.

This wasn’t something I forced her into.

“Will you go out with me… with marriage in mind?”

This time…

I was the one being pulled in.