Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 222: A Resolve That Had Always Been Clear.

A Resolve That Had Always Been Clear.

Having finished discussing matters concerning my class, and with no other significant topics left, today’s student council meeting was adjourned earlier than usual.

Since everyone was heading straight home, we decided to walk part of the way together.

“Alright then, I’ll lock up, so please wait outside.”

While I waited in the hallway, the president checked the room one last time before locking the door.

“Alright, let’s go home!”

“It’s rare for Satsukawa-san to come along with us.”

“Rare? This is actually the first time.”

“We can totally brag about this later.”

“All thanks to you, Takanashi-kun.”

Well… she’s only coming along because I said I’d walk with them.

It was still early, so plenty of students were still around. Seeing the entire student council walking together inevitably drew attention. As we walked, I noticed everyone’s eyes turning towards us. But really, the ones standing out were the president and Sara-san. The rest of us, myself included, were just extras trailing behind them.

We left the school gates and headed towards the station. We planned to go together up to the shopping street near the station to buy groceries for dinner.

“Kazunari-san, what would you like for dinner today?”

Though Sara-san usually decides the menu, she sometimes asks like this to confirm before shopping.

What did I feel like eating today…?

“Hmm… I think I’m in the mood for curry today.”

“Understood. In that case, let’s have curry tonight. Let me see… what ingredients do we need…”

She paused thoughtfully, probably recalling what we had left at home to mentally note what we needed to buy. At this point, she was… no, never mind.

“…Hey, Satsukawa-san. Since you’re asking for his preference, does that mean you’re cooking dinner?”

“Yes, I’ll be making it.”

“Thought so. Wait, does that mean you’re going to his house to cook? Are you eating together?”

“Of course. Is there something wrong with that?”

She looked puzzled, as if wondering why such a question was even necessary. But the questions kept coming.

“You cook for him every day, right? Isn’t that a lot of work?”

“Not at all. Preparing meals for Kazunari-san is very important to me.”

“…………”

I’d grown used to the envious stares from the guys by now. I was sure there would only be more of them in the future.

“By the way… do you do anything else for him?”

As she asked Sara-san, her sly gaze locked onto me, clearly expecting something juicy. Not that there was anything strange to tell.

“Besides meals, I take care of his general household needs.”

“Whoa… you’re doing all that? Takanashi-kun, you’re so lucky.”

“Seriously. No wonder every guy at school glares at you.”

“But still, isn’t it kinda risky? I mean, if teachers found out that you’re spending all this time at a boy’s place… President, what do you think?”

“…Yeah, that could potentially become an issue.”

That… I’d never even thought about it before. But they were right. It might actually become a problem. Especially since we weren’t just ‘visiting’ anymore – we were living together. I’d have to be more careful.

“There’s no problem. Our relationship is fully approved by our parents, so the school has no say in it.”

“P-Parents’ approval!!?”

“Wait, what!? That means…”

“Well, thinking about it, there’s no way she could go to his place every day otherwise.”

“True! But honestly, listening to all this, it doesn’t feel like just a normal dating relationship anymore… Satsukawa-san, isn’t this a bit much?”

Their curiosity exploded as they rallied around us, ignoring how conspicuous we already were thanks to Sara-san’s presence alone.

“Too much? Not at all. We’re engaged, so we’re more than just a couple.”

Everything froze.

Not just their steps – their entire bodies and even their expressions seemed suspended in time.

Wait… was this that famous time-stop ability from manga!?

…No, of course not. But it felt just like that.

Eventually, the president was the first to recover from the stunned silence.

“E-Engaged…? Did you just say engaged?”

His voice trembled as he squeezed out that question. Then, like rusty robots, everyone slowly turned to Sara-san with stiff movements.

“Yes. We’re dating with marriage in mind.”

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!???”

!?

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Everyone, president included, screamed in shock, their wide-eyed faces drawing the attention of passing students and pedestrians.

“N-No way!!!???”

“S-Satsukawa-san, does that mean…”

“T-T-Takanashi-kun, explanation, explanation, explanation!!!”

“What the heck is this story!?”

“Noooooooooo!!!???”

All their eyes turned to me, demanding answers. It seemed I couldn’t just leave it to Sara-san to explain.

“Well, there were various circumstances, and recently we officially…”

“Did you propose, Takanashi-kun!?”

“Uh, yeah… I proposed.”

“And Satsukawa-san!?”

“…Yes, I gladly accepted.”

Seeing her smiling so happily made me stare, completely entranced.

She really is beautiful…

“Ugaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Everyone except the president screamed again, the women squealing in delight and the men collapsing in shock.

It was so loud that passersby began glaring at us in annoyance. Meanwhile, the president remained frozen with his eyes wide open.

“C-Congratulations!!!!!!”

“Amazing, amazing, amazing!! This is unbelievable!!!”

“That’s not something to take lightly!!! This is Satsukawa-san we’re talking about!! This is insane!!!!”

“Even though I’d already given up, it still hurts so much!!”

“Noooo!!! I can’t handle this!!!”

The girls were squealing with excitement, while the guys crouched down holding their heads in despair. Seeing the situation spiral out of control, I felt a sense of urgency – it wasn’t appropriate for student council members to cause such a scene on the way home. Before I could intervene, the president, who had somehow rebooted, spoke up.

“E-Everyone! That’s enough for now. We’re causing a disturbance, and as student council members, we need to set an example.”

His uncharacteristically flustered tone revealed how shaken he was. But thankfully, his words made everyone quiet down.

“S-Sorry!”

“We apologize!”

“I’m sorry as well, President, for getting caught up in the excitement.”

Even Sara-san apologized softly, though she had nothing to apologize for.

“N-No, anyway, let’s save this conversation for another time. I definitely want to hear the full story later.”

The president flashed me a mischievous grin, but right now, I was more worried about the guys who still couldn’t stand up.

Afterwards, the girls, unable to hold back their curiosity, continued to ask questions.

“So, so, if you’re engaged… that means you’ll get married in the future, right!!!???”

“Yes, that’s our promise.”

“!!!”

They clamped their hands over their mouths, trembling violently as they tried to suppress their squeals. I nearly laughed at their reactions. Meanwhile, the guys started inching closer to me.

“T-Takanashi-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“We… we knew you two were dating, so we’re… k-kind of able to handle this, but…”

They didn’t look like they were handling it at all, but I decided to just nod for their sake.

“Congratulations… I’m so, so jealous… seriously!!! I’m so jealous!!!”

Their voices trembled as they clutched me, shaking my body violently. My ears hurt from their desperate shouts so close to my head.

“Haa… no joke, this is too much to take in… an engagement with the school’s goddess… once the whole school knows, this is going to be chaos.”

“Yeah, I think so too. Considering Satsukawa-san’s immense popularity, this news will definitely shake the entire school… that’s not an exaggeration. Before word spreads, you’d better steel yourself.”

I understood exactly what the president meant.

I had no intention of hiding our relationship, and neither did Sara-san. We weren’t concealing it – no one had asked directly before, that’s all. But now, as we’d be spending more time together publicly, the news would inevitably spread.

And if that meant I’d attract jealousy, I was perfectly fine with it. That was something I’d prepared myself for the moment I became her boyfriend.

Rather, what I needed to consider now was whether there was any way to silence those who dared speak ill of us.