Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 259: Marriage.

Marriage.

Natsumi’s POV.

Sara stared back at the boys’ questions with a frigid gaze, saying nothing. The entire class silently watched the exchange — though especially the boys looked at them as if mocking their desperation.

As I took in the atmosphere of the classroom, Yuuri and the others subtly scooted over toward me. They probably wanted to ask more about the conversation from earlier, but I wanted to keep my eyes on Sara for now — so I ignored them.

“…So you heard that I was getting married?”

Huh… that’s surprising.

Normally, Sara would shut down such a conversation right away with something like,
“And why should I answer such a question from you?” Then she would cut them off and walk away.

But instead, she actually responded. She even showed a willingness to talk.

That alone was enough to pique my interest.

“My friend heard you talking about it on Saturday!! You said you were getting married!! It was true, right!?”

“There’s suddenly all these rumors you have a boyfriend — that’s just nonsense, right!? There’s no way you’d have someone like that, right!?”

The two boys pressed in frantically, ignoring each other and completely missing Sara’s displeased expression.

And based on the way they phrased it… their intel was partly wrong. Clearly secondhand gossip.

But still — the fact that such rumors were spreading meant that what happened Saturday was already making waves.

They had stormed over here for confirmation. Even though they were already rejected by her, they still hadn’t given up… Which proves what I’ve always feared:

Sara sees men who approach her as nothing but pests — noisy, unpleasant, obstructive.

She despises men who hit on her without a real connection. She sees them only as disgusting nuisances. She always makes it very clear:

You’re a bother.

Most people would give up after being told they’re a bother.

But some idiots are stupidly optimistic. They hear “bother” and think:

There’s still hope.
There’s still a chance.

And that’s how someone like these two ends up here — holding onto a pathetic shred of delusion.

“Ooooohhh!! The youth!! The vibe!!”

“Where’s the ‘hold it right there!’ dramatic moment!?”

“Stop. Let’s just listen. Also, that meme is ancient.”

Sure, from a distance this could be considered a scene of youthful romance.

But for Sara — who only sees Takanashi-kun — this is nothing but harassment.

Yuuri and the others seemed to have temporarily forgotten the earlier topic, instead enjoying the situation. Probably because they held insider information — giving them a smug sense of superiority.

“…I see. My past behavior has led to this outcome. In other words, I am no different from Hanako-san… What a nuisance.”

“…Sara?”

She muttered something — mentioning Hanako-san — with a hint of self-derision. Was she reflecting on herself…?

Meanwhile those two boys were still talking…

“S-Satsukawa-san?”

“H-Hey…”

It seemed they finally noticed her demeanor was different today — enough to unsettle them.

And honestly… I was just as surprised. It wasn’t like her to entertain conversation this long.

“For the time being… anyone incapable of understanding boundaries — shouting about someone else’s private matters — may remove themselves from my sight.”

“Ah…”

“Uh…”

Ah. There it is. The usual poison-tipped Sara is back.

The boys’ faces instantly revealed their regret for their stupidity — far too late.

“…However, since I do have thoughts on the matter, I will answer. I do, of course, intend to marry someday.”

What!?

Sara — answering a relationship question from a guy? Even if her tone remained icy, no one expected that.

But her answer… is vague enough that anyone could twist it however they wanted.

“O-Oh! Someday! Ah—yeah!! Of course you’d think about marriage someday! So the rumor about you getting married now is just nonsense then! Hah… I panicked for a second…”

“Yeah! And that means the boyfriend rumor is fake too!!! Right!?”

There it is.

They latched onto the interpretation most convenient to them.

But that’s partially Sara’s fault — she left wriggle-room in her wording. She’s never practiced carefully clarifying things — normally she rejects outright. So her communication here is… rough.

“…Well yeah, that makes sense.”

“Yeah, that was close…”

“Hold up. Doesn’t that mean…”

“That Satsukawa-san might actually want a boyfriend in the future!?”

“““ !!!! ”””

“…Right. Even she can’t stay a man-hater forever.”

“So even Satsukawa-san thinks about that stuff.”

“Then that rumor was fake after all.”

Pfft… heh… nice bait there, Satsukawa-san.

Was that intentional?

“No, she’s just literally answering what was asked…”

Honestly, I agree.

She only responded directly to the question — very Sara-like.

Still… this is a big change.

Talking to boys this long — even with barbs — would normally be unthinkable for her. She’s grown… in a terrifying direction.

“Fake? Ah — if you mean the rumor that I am getting married immediately, then yes — that is false. Legally speaking, it is not possible yet.”

“…Huh?”

“…What?”

Ah, here we go…

The tension in the room spiked immediately.

The two boys who started this stared blankly — not understanding what switch they just flipped.

Of course I knew exactly what was coming.

“Legally…? But we can get married at our age, right?”

“Yeah? I heard it’ll change in the future but right now girls can marry at sixteen?”

Bingo. They think she meant her own age.

“Yes, I am aware. I was referring to the legal age for men. A man must be eighteen to marry. And since Kazunari-san is still only sixteen, it is legally impossible for him at the moment.”

“““………………………………………Hah????”””

“Also, our marriage is already planned — after Kazunari-san joins my father’s company and graduates university.”

“““…………………………………………………………………”””

Yep. She went all in. No brakes. No hesitation.

“So yes. I will marry — but not now. Spreading such careless rumors is nothing but a nuisance.”

…Aaaaand she dropped the nuke.

The class was completely left behind — stunned into silence.

Meanwhile, Sara looked satisfied — having clarified everything on her own terms.

Of course…

No one here even knows who “Kazunari-san” is. Yet.

“………Eh?”

“………Hah?”

The two rumor-starters looked like they just got hit by a bus — brains unable to catch up.

Sara hadn’t said any of this to boast — she simply corrected false information.

But… she had absolutely no awareness of how destructive the truth was.

“““………………………………………………………………”””

No movement.
No comprehension.
Just shock radiating through the room.

Yuuri and the others? Eyes wide, fingers twitching silently, mouths opening like fish — communicating only through chaotic hand gestures.

“What are they even doing.”

“S-Satsukawa-san!!!”

“I-Is that true!? You really promised to marry Takanashi-kun!!??”

And then Yuuri suddenly exploded forward — because of course she would.

Completely oblivious to the emotional corpses piling up around her.

“Yuuri-san, please calm down.”

“Oh — sorry! It’s just — this is huge!”

Sara didn’t scold her. In fact, she seemed… a little pleased. Being asked about Takanashi-kun by a friend made her happy — that was obvious.

“S-So!? You really made a marriage promise!? That’s basically an engagement!!? When did this happen!?”

“Yes. We became engaged very recently.”

“““THATWASQUICKASALLHELL!?!?!?!?!?”””

Sara confirmed it — so easily it was almost anticlimactic.

The class couldn’t react properly — the shock was too much.

“W-Who proposed!? It was you, right!?”

“No… Kazunari-san was the one who asked — with marriage in mind…”

Her cheeks flushed a gentle blush — eyes softened by joy.

For Sara — who has always loved only him — it must have been a dream-like event.

But…

That blissful smile?

For the boys watching… it was worse than a death sentence.

“N-No way… no way…”

“Hah…haha… good joke…”

“No… impossible… This must be a dream…”

“N-No… Sara getting engaged is just not… real…”

“It’ll be fine… this must be some misunderstanding… it has to be…”

Some of them muttered like broken NPCs — vacant eyes. Creepy, to be honest. Somewhat like when Eririn falls to the Dark Side… but in a gross boy version.

“Ohhhh!! Takanashi-kun is amazing!!”

“But still — how did it get that far so fast!? High-schoolers don’t usually get engaged!?”

“I-I mean, they are really close but STILL!???”

The trio were already hyped beyond reason, leaving the rest of the class far behind.

“Various things happened. I showed him a disgraceful side of myself… and he went alone to speak with my father. Thanks to his resolve…”

“I-I see!! So that led to the engagement!?”

“He went to speak with your father alone!? He’s crazy brave!”

“Fufu… Kazunari-san is very reliable and a wonderful man.”

Of course she would beam with pride — praising him meant praising herself as well.

But the rest of the class?

They were dying.

“A girlfriend’s dad is like… the final boss… Going solo to face him…”

“I’ve never even talked to Takanashi-kun… but now I’m scared of him…”

“Yes. Naturally. Because…”

“Naturally…?”

Sara paused — intentionally dramatic.

What was she going to—

“…Because he is the husband I love♪”

That smile was the final bullet.

A fatal blow, perfectly delivered.

And so—

“Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!”

Ding-dong, dang-dong.

The bell rang — and the screams of despair and shock poured through every second-year classroom.

A tragedy in stereo.