Chapter 41

“If you’re willing to be a little more proactive, then maybe I’ll try stirring things up a little myself.”

“…I already have a bad feeling about this. What exactly are you planning?”

The two continued their after-talk in the now customary dim room.

“My, that’s a rather harsh way to put it, isn’t it? Can you really say that after remembering how you were just a moment ago?”

“…Shut up.”

He muttered as he buried his face into Reika’s body.

“So, what are you planning to do?”

“Hmm… How about I stop talking to you for a bit, or stop replying to your messages?”

“Why would you do that!?”

“Well, if you’re going to push a little, I thought maybe I should try pulling back for once.”

“You were just going on about how ‘we shouldn’t lose our true selves,’ weren’t you?”

“That’s true. And in your case, if you push yourself too much, you’d probably lose your natural charm. But do you really think I’d lose mine just by doing something a little different?”

“…No, definitely not.”

No matter what she did, that hard-to-describe “Reika-ness” would never vanish. It just wasn’t possible.

“See? So there’s no need to worry about me.”

“…Still, there’s no need to do that, right?”

“Oh? I’ve heard that in love, sometimes pulling back can actually work.”

“Nah, that’s not like you. It’s already out of character for you to rely on those kinds of generic dating tips. You’re losing your ‘Reika-ness’ already. And didn’t we just say earlier that we’re not exactly normal, so ‘normal’ advice doesn’t work for us?”

At that, Reika couldn’t help but laugh.

“Fufu, why don’t you just say it plainly? Like, ‘That would hurt, so please don’t do it.’”

“It really would mess me up, so seriously, please don’t. I think I’d go crazy if you did that.”

Normally, he would resist a little, but this time he answered immediately, as if prompted by her.

“And why would that be? I won’t understand unless you tell me properly.”

“…Even if you ask me why, I can only say it would hurt. That’s the only reason.”

Satoru pouted a little and tightened his hug around Reika.

“Fufu, at this rate, I can’t tell who’s the guy and who’s the girl. You’ve become such a clingy little attention-seeker.”

“…I blame this on you. Because I got ‘dyed’ by you, as you say.”

“My, how convenient. You know how to spin things when it suits you. What a wicked boy.”

“I’m just stating the facts.”

“If that’s the case, then stop pretending to dislike it on the surface, won’t you? I tell you every time.”

“But… what if someone sees? Isn’t it kind of embarrassing?”

Sure, he could be affectionate here, in private, but doing it somewhere others might see was still a bit much.

“You don’t have to react so obviously, you know. Just respond positively like a normal person.”

“So, basically you’re saying I should be a little more honest, even on the surface?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. You can whisper words of love to me all you want in a place like this, can’t you?”

“Well… that’s easy enough.”

“Then I don’t think it’s a difficult request.”

“Alright, I’ll try my best from now on.”

“My, you’re being unusually obedient. Normally you’d whine a bit more.”

“…If I whine and you start that ‘pulling back’ tactic, I don’t think I’d survive it. So I’m just going to comply quietly.”

“Fufu, seems like I’ve found quite the effective method. At this point, I could probably get you to do anything, couldn’t I?”

“…”

What happened afterward was that, once again, she had her way with him—it went without saying.

※※※※

“Hmmm…”

“Eh? Why the serious face? That expression doesn’t suit you at all.”

“That’s basically just calling me dumb, isn’t it!? I don’t want to hear that from you, Seiya!”

“Then who would you accept it from? Satoru? Or Satoru?”

“Ta-Takashima-kun has nothing to do with this…!”

As usual after club activities, Ruri was deep in thought, and Seiya couldn’t resist teasing her.

When Satoru’s name came up, she flinched visibly and wore an uncharacteristically girlish expression.

Every time she reacted like that, Seiya couldn’t help but think, She really is seriously into Satoru.

“…You kind of liked it, didn’t you? Getting teased by Satoru.”

“Shut up!!”

“So what’s got you thinking so hard?”

“…Who do you think Hatsune-san’s boyfriend is?”

“Oh, that. But you don’t even like her, right? Why do you care?”

“I don’t like her, true. But I still can’t help being curious about who she’s dating.”

“Well, it was a bombshell to find out he’s actually someone in our school.”

“I’ve been asking around, but every solid candidate turns out to be wrong…”

“For someone that famous, the fact that no one knows who it is is pretty crazy.”

“Seriously. At this point, it feels like the guy’s lying.”

“Lying? What do you mean?”

“Like, he really is dating Hatsune-san, but tells everyone ‘I’m not dating anyone.’”

“I mean, I get your point, but… do you really think someone would do that?”

“Your skepticism is valid, Seiya. Usually, in high school, having a girlfriend is like a status symbol—especially if it’s someone like Hatsune-san. No guy would pass up the chance to brag.”

“Right?”

“But if the guy doesn’t care about popularity or has something more important to protect… then maybe he’s hiding it on purpose.”

“??? Wait, if that’s the case, then why would she drop hints about it? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Exactly. That’s the part I don’t get. It’s such a mystery…”

“Maybe it’s just a fake boyfriend to keep people away?”

“Then why bother changing the assumption that he was from outside the school? Letting people think that helped keep suitors away. And as a girl, I feel like there is a guy.”

Seiya could only chuckle at Ruri’s talk about a “woman’s intuition,” but he knew from experience—hers and others’—that girls often had frighteningly sharp intuitions.

“…Okay, who’s a guy who’s single and well-regarded by the girls?”

“Hmmm, is there anyone like that…? Oh, wait. There is.”

“Who?”

“You know him too—Satoru.”

“…True. But didn’t you tell me before that ‘Takashima-kun doesn’t have a girlfriend’!?”

“Well, yeah, I did… But hearing your reasoning now, I’m starting to doubt it…”

“Hey! Aren’t you his best friend!?”

“Yeah, but he’s always quiet like that. He doesn’t say much unless I push him. And even then, sometimes he doesn’t act at all…”

True, Seiya was the one closest to Satoru.

But there were still things about him that remained a mystery—even to Seiya.

“Like I said before, we’ve gotta investigate Satoru a bit more.”

“We came to that conclusion last time, too. But I’m in a different class, so it’s hard to get close…”