I'm in a Messed Up Situation that I Couldn't Care More. - Chapter 19 Aoi and Yamaguchi's Fiancé-to-Be

Chapter 19: Aoi and Yamaguchi’s Fiancé-to-Be

I sat in meditation and practiced mindfulness meditation at the dojo in my home.

“Excuse me, Miss Aoi, is now a good time?”

I heard Matsui’s voice from behind me.

“Yes.”

“Miss, I’ve been keeping an eye on Kashitani Koichi for about two weeks.

But he hasn’t shown any suspicious behavior that would suggest he’s a worm.”

“Thank you, Matsui. You can go now.”

Matsui left a file on the side, containing information about the weakling, Kashitani Koichi.

“Did you ask Matsui to investigate Kashitani-kun?

You really suspected him of being a worm?”

Yamaguchi-senpai asked as she approached me from the corner of the dojo where she had been napping.

She often came over to my house to hang out.

“That’s because he tried to seduce you, Yamaguchi-senpai.

The way he did it felt typical of a worm.”

Yamaguchi-senpai let out a small laugh and tilted her head.

“You’re just being paranoid, Aoi. There have been a few others in the past, haven’t there?

Boys who ran away after you accused them of being worms…

Hey, can I take a look at the file too?”

Yamaguchi-senpai reached for the tea-colored envelope.

“Sure, let’s go through it together. Maybe Matsui missed something.”

Inside the envelope were several photos of the weakling.

In one of them, the weakling was smiling at Mamejiro Ishii.

He had a kind look in his eyes, and his smile reached up to them.

For some reason, when I saw that smile, I felt like I wanted to keep looking at this photo forever.

Yamaguchi-senpai and I pored over the file on Kashitani Koichi.

“His father disappeared in May.

He lost his source of income and was evicted from his apartment due to unpaid rent.

He somehow managed to pay his tuition fee.”

“He’s going through a lot.

He did tell me he didn’t have much money.”

The information in the file seemed to match what the weakling had told me.

He didn’t seem to be lying.

“Where does he live? Is it this training gym…?”

“It seems to be run by a 34-year-old woman named Hiruma Touko.

What’s the relationship between Kashitani-kun and this Hiruma woman?”

“A distant relative… I think.

The family tree is a bit unclear.

That’s what it says in the file.”

I handed the documents to Yamaguchi-senpai.

“Indeed. This woman, Hiruma Touko, took in her poor, homeless relative and let him live in the gym she operates.

There doesn’t seem to be anything suspicious about that.”

“Hmm… Maybe he really isn’t a worm after all?”

I held my head in my hands.

If he wasn’t a Worm, then I had been quite rude to him.

But for some reason, whenever I saw his face, I felt the urge to hit him.

I would choke him and punch him lightly in the stomach.

He would always smile happily then.

‘Aoi-chan, I’m not a worm, okay?

I don’t even know what a worm is supposed to be.‘

‘You’re lying. You’re suspicious.‘

Today, we had a similar exchange in the warehouse, and I lightly kicked his kneecap.

…… Come to think of it, that guy.

I wonder how his arm wound was doing.

Despite his financial struggles, he continued to attend club activities diligently and paid his club fees.

He never complained or made excuses during the rigorous practices.

Even though his arm must have been hurting, he never showed it.

“Kashitani Koichi-kun is quite handsome, isn’t he?”

Yamaguchi-senpai said, her eyes lingering on one of the weakling’s photos.

“If he’s not a worm, I might just date him.

He did confess to me, after all.”

“…… Eh?”

I was so surprised that I turned to face Yamaguchi-senpai.

“Senpai, what about your fiancé?”

“Well, my fiancé…

I haven’t even met him yet.

He’s just a future husband I know nothing about. 

The prophecy says I’ll meet my destined partner in the winter of two years from now.

Until then, I don’t see any harm in having a little fun.”

“But what if you fall for Kashitani and can’t let him go?”

“I’ve been carrying this destiny since I was born.

I’m supposed to marry the man I meet fatefully in the winter of my 21st year.

That man will shoulder the burden of this country in the future.

I, as his wife, must support him.

If I don’t, this world will enter a dark divergence.”

“That’s right… We can’t let this world enter a dark divergence.

If it does, this world will…”

I stared at Yamaguchi-senpai’s face.

“I know. Infinite portals will open.

Barbarians from other world lines will rush in here.”

Yamaguchi-senpai sighed.

“I’ve been taught this since I was little, so I understand the consequences. 

But before I meet my destined partner, I just want to experience a little romance with Kashitani-kun.”

Yamaguchi-senpai wanted to date the weakling.

For some reason, my heart stirred uneasily at the thought.

“Yamaguchi-senpai… Kashitani is a player.

He told me he likes me.

He says he fell in love at first sight with me.

He just confessed to you recently, didn’t he?”

Yamaguchi-senpai’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really? Hmm… But you don’t like him, do you, Aoi?”

“I don’t like him!”

“I just really like Kashitani-kun’s face.

If I’m just playing around with someone, I won’t get serious about them either.

Anyway, I want to experience romance.

He seems experienced, so…”

Was Yamaguchi-senpai serious?

I had never seen her so infatuated with a man before.

“Aoi, thank you for always watching over me since we were little.

Thank you for keeping an eye on me and making sure no strange guys got close to me.

But now, I want to experience love too.

I promise I won’t stray from my destined path, so please don’t worry.”

Yamaguchi-senpai placed her hands on my shoulders and smiled gently.