Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 250: The Same Old Ending As Always.

The Same Old Ending As Always.

For some reason, I found out that Hanako-san and I had been saddled with the absurd rumor that we were lovers role-playing as siblings.

The fact alone was shocking enough—but what really got to me was that people had apparently accepted that we were the sort of twisted pair who enjoyed something like that.

Just what kind of eyes had our classmates been looking at us with all this time…?

“Don’t get the wrong idea. Actually, scratch that—don’t go spouting nonsense when you don’t even know the facts.”

“Ugh…”

“Sorry… maybe I read too much into things.”

Hanako-san made no attempt to hide her anger, grilling the two culprits in a sharp tone.

If they read too much into it, that meant they had deliberately chosen the interpretation that was more entertaining. I’d seen this kind of girl plenty back in the day—and honestly, I’d rather not deal with them.

“Wait… don’t tell me you told the whole class about this?”

“Of course I didn’t. Just… you know, the group I’m close with in class…”

There was at least a hint of guilt in their demeanor. They didn’t seem to be lying—but then again, who knew how big that so-called group really was?

And of course, as is always the case, rumors spread from there until… well, we all know how that story ends.

“Uh, so… Hanasaki-san, Takanashi-kun—you’re really not dating?”

“No.”

“But you said he’s important to you, didn’t you?!”

“Even if someone’s important to me, does that automatically make them my lover?”

“Eh!? N-no, that’s not what I meant…”

Hanako-san, usually bad at explaining herself, was today speaking with precision and clarity. Her curt tone and mechanical delivery cut away all the fluff, letting the conversation move forward in sharp bursts.

And as one misunderstanding after another was cleared up, even classmates who weren’t directly involved began wearing looks of surprise.

Which meant there was no longer any doubt: the entire class had been under the same misconception about our relationship.

…Well, I guess I can’t really blame them entirely if they didn’t know the circumstances.

“So—so you’re saying Hanasaki and Takanashi aren’t together!?”

The one who butted into the conversation—clearly on a different wavelength from the rest—was Yamakawa.

…Come to think of it, I guess he was under the same misunderstanding.

Yamakawa had fallen for Hanako-san at first sight, and in the beginning, he’d approached her quite aggressively. She’d brushed him off like he was a nuisance, and before long, that behavior had stopped entirely.

I had assumed he’d simply given up—but looking at him now, it seemed far more likely that he had backed off after convincing himself she and I were a couple.

“It’s annoying. I told you we’re not.”

“Yesss! All right!”

Hanako-san’s flat, irritated denial was met with an outright cheer from Yamakawa. Anyone else might have congratulated him here—but knowing exactly how Hanako-san felt about this, I…

“For the record, if Kazunari has a lover, she’s right there.”

At last, Hanako-san brought the conversation back on track—about to prove, once and for all, that she wasn’t my girlfriend.

Her gaze swept slowly across the room, guiding everyone else’s eyes toward a single point.

And of course, there was only one person standing there: the goddess herself, watching with a slightly displeased expression—Sara-san.

The boys followed Hanako-san’s gaze and stared blankly at Sara-san… then, one by one, began shaking their heads as if trying to reject the thought. Their eyes looked almost pleading, as though they were praying to a goddess for deliverance.

“…H-hey… that’s not true… right?”

“Y-yeah… no way… impossible…”

“B-but still, what we saw earlier—”

“No… you can’t mean… it’s real…?”

Hope and denial mixed in their voices. Just like Yamakawa earlier, they were clearly expecting—no, begging—for Sara-san to deny it.

But… that was exactly why this was my chance.

If I had said it alone, they might have laughed it off. But now… Sara-san was right here.

With her confirming it, they’d have no choice but to accept it—and maybe I could thin out the guys pestering her before the Miss Contest.

Yes… this was it. The perfect moment to declare—

“Everyone, listen—”

“Yes. If Kazunari has a lover, that would be me.”

“… … … Eh???????”

“To be precise, not just a lover—his fiancée.”

Wait… what? Did she just… steal my line? This feels oddly familiar…

Sara-san said it as if it were the most obvious fact in the world, leaving no room for doubt.

And then—

All the eyes that had been fixed on her turned toward me, silently asking, Is this true?

Even though Sara-san had just made it crystal clear.

“…T-Takanashi… what… does this mean…?”

“F-fiancée? As in… engaged?!”

“T-that means…”

“W-wait… Takanashi-kun… and Satsukawa-senpai…?”

“Yeah. Sara-san and I are engaged.”

“Yes. Kazunari-san is the man I will marry.”

Finally, I said it. Together, we declared it.

And for a moment… absolute silence.

I’d thought I’d seen shock before—but the looks on their faces now put everything else to shame. Wide eyes, slack jaws… not even a whisper escaping their lips.

But of course, it was only temporary—

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?!?!?”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

The room exploded into two perfectly divided screams—girls squealing in excitement, boys howling in despair.

Some shook their heads violently, others staggered like sleepwalkers, some slumped in their seats as if the weight of the world had crushed them.

“Stop kidding yourselves! I proposed to Sara-san because I love her, and she accepted. This isn’t a joke—it’s the truth!”

If they still didn’t get it after that, I wasn’t going to waste any more time.

My words finally seemed to sink in. The guys fell silent, staring at me in stunned defeat—while Sara-san, cheeks flushed, gazed at me like she was drunk on joy.

Then she stepped forward, smiling radiantly, and gently wrapped her arms around me.

“I’m so happy… this is the first time you’ve told me you love me, Kazunari-san…”

“…Wait, really? Is it?”

“Yes. You’re shy, so you’ve never said it directly before.”

…She was right. And that meant I’d been receiving her I love you all this time without properly returning it. I owed her better than that.

“S-sorry… but… I… I love you, Sara…”

She giggled softly. “That’s enough. I’ve received your feelings loud and clear.”

“Of course, I love you too… my dear.”

“Y-yeah… me too, Sara.”

“Good boy. I’ll give you a reward later.”

I was feeling pretty good about that one—until—

“Lovebirds. Time and place.”

“…!” “!”

Hanako-san’s sharp, exasperated voice cut through the air.
Hearing it, we finally realized that we’d completely slipped into our own little world without noticing.

Dragged back to reality, I hastily glanced around—

—and found a scene before me that was a complete 180 from just moments ago.

“………………………………………………”

“…Ha… ha… This is a dream. Yeah… that’s right… just a dream… a dream… a dream…”

“M-my goddess… my goddess is…”

“You… you… liar…!”

“…I see… so that’s how it is…”

“…I can’t… I can’t do this anymore…”

One by one, the guys who had been crowding around us began stepping back, their faces blank with shock. Some slumped their shoulders in utter defeat and trudged back to their seats… while others silently grabbed their bags and walked straight out of the classroom.

Their backs radiated such deep sorrow that I could almost see the word Despair written there.

And not a single classmate watching from the sidelines called out to stop them.

Before I knew it…

Almost every male student who’d been nearby had disappeared. Of the boys in the classroom, only about a third remained.

“T-Takanashi-kun… you’re… really something…”

“…W-what was that just now?”

“The mood just flipped completely…”

“As expected of her fiancé… Satsukawa-senpai acting like that… it’s like something out of a dream…”

“Oh, by the way—while you two were all lovey-dovey just now, the guys? Yeah, their eyes were completely dead. Totally gone.”

And then came the girls’ warm, almost pitying gazes… which, honestly, stung a little.

Still—

It seemed I’d somehow managed to claim victory in what could be called the Miss Contest’s preliminary skirmish.

The only problem was… that victory hadn’t come from any bold, gallant effort on my part. No, it was simply the result of me… as usual… making a spectacular mess of things.