I'm a Kept Man for the Three Most Beautiful Girls in School - Chapter 35: The Feeling of Moving Forward

Chapter 35: The Feeling of Moving Forward

The day of the reunion for former Class 3-3.

I walked towards the meeting spot, a yakiniku restaurant, feeling a bit nervous.

The gathering time was 6:30 PM, and I was about thirty minutes early.

I didn’t want to look too dressed up, so I left home in a simple outfit: a Uniqlo T-shirt and jeans.

The sun was still up, but it would be setting soon. I watched the twilight, that special light between day and night in summer, to calm my nerves.

My heart was pounding, but mustering my courage was worth it. 

By reminding myself that today was just one day, I could find some peace of mind.

It was almost time.

The restaurant was busy, with salarymen finishing work and families dining. The bustling atmosphere didn’t feel like a weekday evening, and I couldn’t help but feel impressed.

The former Class 3-3 group occupied a corner of the restaurant.

“Hey, Kyosaka! It’s been a while!”

“It’s been a while, Nishioji-san.”

“Drop the formalities! Just call me Seina.”

“Uh, using first names is a bit…”

“Then no honorifics, okay?”

“Ah, okay.”

Guided by Nishioji-san, I took a seat. It had been a while since the entire class gathered, and everyone seemed in high spirits.

“Wow, Kyosaka-kun, you’ve changed.”.

“Yeah, you look better than before.”

W-What’s going on?

A group of girls gathered around, observing me and chatting, which made me a bit uneasy.

“Kyosaka-kun, want something to drink?”

“Oh, um… tea, please.”

According to Nishioji-san, not everyone had arrived yet.

I could only recognize a few people, so it was hard to tell who was who. As we waited, the rest of the members gradually showed up, and soon the corner we occupied was completely filled.

“Kyosaka, are you nervous?”

Nishioji-san, who sat next to me, asked.

“Yeah… a little. This kind of gathering feels new to me.”

“Well, relax and enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks, I’ll try.”

It felt odd for just me to be nervous, so I decided to take her advice and loosen up.

Soon, the drinks arrived, and Nishioji-san stood up energetically.

“Attention, everyone! Today’s organizer is me, Seina Nishioji!”

“Yeah, way to go, our Class 3-3’s morale booster!”

“Go, Seina!”

As expected of Nishioji-san.

Her charisma could capture the room instantly. Just like in middle school, her radiance was still blinding. I could hear the boys whispering things like, “She’s become so beautiful,” and “Does she have a boyfriend?”

Indeed, Nishioji-san seemed even prettier now. But that was true for all the girls; high school had a way of making everyone look more polished.

“Let’s have a great time tonight. Thanks for coming, everyone! Love you all!”

“”Whoo-hoo!””

With Nishioji-san’s speech finished, we all raised our glasses for a toast.

“Kyosaka, make sure you have fun today.”

“Oh, yeah, I will.”

As thin slices of salted beef covered the grill, I noticed the uneven gender ratio at each table. 

There were about thirty participants, filling five six-person tables. At my table, it was just me and five girls, making it feel like a scene straight out of a harem manga.

“Hey, Kyosaka. Tell us about that girl you were with the other day.”

“Oh… do you mean at the cosplay event?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“That sounds interesting!”

The girls around me perked up at Nishioji-san’s mention of the topic.

“We’re just friends.”

I said while placing meat on the grill. It was best not to give too much information.

“Really? Even that blonde girl? You seemed pretty close.”

“Yeah, we’re good friends.”

“She goes to the same high school, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Have you known her for long?”

“Recently, we’ve been spending a lot of time together.”

“Hmm… what about the other girl?”

She must mean Kokoa.

“The other day was the first time we went out together.”

“Interesting.”

Nishioji-san said with a knowing smile.

“What…?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Just as I was thinking it would be troublesome if they pried any further, Nishioji-san ended the conversation herself. “Alright, enough about that.”

“Kyosaka-kun, this is ready. Eat up.”

“Oh, thanks.”

A girl, whose name I couldn’t recall, filled my small plate with meat. 

As I thanked her, I noticed the boys at the other table getting rowdy. I couldn’t help but feel a bit envious of their camaraderie, which made me realize how much I wanted guy friends.

“Kyosaka-kun, do you have a girlfriend?” 

A girl asked, sitting diagonally across from me while flipping meat with tongs.

“No, I don’t.”

“Really? But I saw you holding hands with a girl with pink hair the other day.”

“What’s that? So there’s another girl you’re close with?”

Nishioji-san eagerly interrupted the conversation.

Wasn’t this topic supposed to be over?

“Well, yeah.”

I nodded, feeling a bit confused.

“You’ve changed, Kyosaka. Back in middle school, you didn’t talk to anyone at school.”

“Seina, that’s a bit harsh for Kyosaka-kun, isn’t it?”

One of the girls gave Nishioji-san a look.

From that brief exchange, I could guess what they were thinking.

“It’s all in the past, right, Kyosaka?”

That’s true. It was all in the past.

As I hesitated to respond, someone at the opposite table suggested, “Should we switch seats?”

The one who proposed it was Kunigida-kun.

If I had to describe him from our middle school days, he was the ‘top of the school hierarchy.’ He was a guy whose popularity and social status were unaffected by class changes, and even now, his overwhelming presence couldn’t be hidden.

“Can’t we stay like this a bit longer?”

“You said the same thing earlier, Seina. Why are you all suddenly worried about Kyosaka now?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Nishioji-san tilted her head in confusion at Kunigida-kun’s comment.

“It’s too late to try and be friends with Kyosaka now.”

“What?”

“Kunigida… you should really learn to read the room.”

“You’re the one who organized this reunion, and everyone came because of that. So, who’s not reading the room here?”

The debate between Nishioji-san and Kunigida-kun quickly escalated, with others joining in, mostly from their respective groups. The friendly atmosphere vanished in an instant—just then, someone familiar approached me.

It was Nakaoka-kun, wearing his part-time job uniform.

“Hey, Kyosaka. What are you doing here, charming the ladies as always?”

Ugh. That was blunt…

Nakaoka-kun’s comment, which could be taken as malicious, drew everyone’s attention towards me.

“Even at school, you hung out with Chikage and Tsukasa, and now you’re doing the same thing here? You really haven’t changed.”

“…”

I couldn’t say anything in response and just stayed silent.

“Excuse me, could we get a refill on our water? You are working, right?”

Nishioji-san came to my rescue.

Nakaoka-kun looked taken aback and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Tch, always protected by girls. So lame.”

“You haven’t changed either. If you keep clinging to Chikage and the others, they might really end up hating you.”

“You…!”

“It’s fine if you have a problem with me. But don’t insult Chikage, Tsu-chan, or Sakura. I’m not doing any weird jobs, and even if I was, it’s none of your business.”

When I said this firmly, Nakaoka-kun was at a loss for words. 

We glared at each other for a moment before he clicked his tongue again and walked away to the back room.

Nishioji-san scratched her cheek awkwardly, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

“Nishioji-san.”

“Yes, Kyosaka?”

“If trying to help me ruins the mood, I’d rather you not bother.”

“Oh, well… it was just a misunderstanding, you know? Haha.”

Taking on the role of the bad guy might be the best way to smooth things over here.

I’m not afraid of getting a bad reputation. I don’t want to be subjected to more prying questions, and I certainly don’t want any trouble for the three girls.

“I had a feeling, but it’s okay. I’m sorry I couldn’t say it earlier. If everyone thinks it’s better without me, I’ll leave. Thanks for inviting me.”

No one, not even Nishioji-san, could find the words to respond. They all avoided my gaze.

It seemed I hit the mark. There was no place for me at this reunion.

“Kyosaka, you’ve changed.”

I took out my wallet and placed some money on the table when Kunigida-kun walked over.

“You don’t need to leave. What bothered me was Seina’s way of pretending the past didn’t matter. It was too obvious.”

“Kunigida, you could have said that more gently…”

“But it’s the truth, right?”

“No, I wasn’t trying to ignore the past. It’s just… I kind of started to respect Kyosaka.”

Respect?

“Kyosaka has changed a lot. If I were in his shoes, I don’t think I could have bounced back. So, seeing him change made me want to change too.”

“You’re not denying that you tried to use Kyosaka to liven things up.”

“Well, when you see something impressive, you want to share it with everyone.”

“You hear that, Kyosaka? I want to hear more from you too, so come join us. Is that okay, Seina?”

“…Oh, so that’s what this seat change was about.”

Kunigida-kun responded to Nishioji-san’s disapproving look with a wide grin.

“I was planning on leaving…”

“Don’t say that. I overheard something earlier. Sounds like you’re quite the ladies’ man.”

Kunigida-kun asked with interest.

“Not really. I’m not popular.”

“But someone said you were charming the girls, didn’t they?”

“It’s complicated.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have feelings for three girls.”

Since Nakaoka-kun had already mentioned most of it, it felt pointless to hide it now. 

Besides, rumors about the “three school beauties” were already spreading at my school, so Kunigida-kun and the others would find out eventually. After I honestly explained the situation, the guys laughed, calling it a “real harem.”

As Nishioji-san and Kunigida-kun had said, I had indeed managed to change. Thanks to my family, Chikage, Tsu-chan, and Sakura, I was slowly moving forward.

However, when Nishioji-san remarked, “I get it, but isn’t that a bit unhealthy?” I couldn’t find a response.

So, rather than being content with the current situation, I vowed to keep moving forward. Someday, I’ll prove that it’s not unhealthy.