Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 260: The Bombshell.

The Bombshell.

“S-Satsukawa-san… e-engaged…?”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah……”

“No way, no way, no way no way no way no waaaaaaaaay……!”

Whatever the reason…

The boys who, just moments ago, had been sitting in funeral-like silence suddenly descended into a hellish chorus of despair at this bolt from the blue.

The revelation that Sara had a boyfriend—no, a fiancé—wasn’t merely shocking; it was apocalyptic. And then, to be forced to witness that very Sara, the untouchable ice goddess, beaming with the brightest, most lovestruck smile imaginable while she gushed about him…

Well. Some of them probably won’t recover for a while.

“Ehehehehe… total ca-ta-stro-phe~♪”

“You really are the worst…”

Yuuri and the others had known from the very beginning this would happen the moment Sara and Takanashi-kun were exposed. To Yuuri, who’d been looking forward to exactly this scene, the current carnage was nothing less than the fulfillment of a beautiful dream.

“But Satsukawa-san always hated when guys hit on her, right? So isn’t this actually perfect? Right, Natsumi-chan?”

“I suppose. We all knew it would come out eventually anyway…”

Rattle-rattle-rattle…

“Everyone take your seats—class is… What on earth is going on?”

The teacher who’d just stepped in tilted his head in honest bewilderment at the state of the classroom.

The girls were one thing, but the boys looked utterly defeated, as if their souls had been ripped out. From the teacher’s perspective, it must have been a surreal sight.

Peaceful breaks are probably off the table for the foreseeable future…

…

……

………

“And with that… next is… Takeyama.”

“…………”

“Takeyama!”

“!? Y-yes!?”

“Were you even listening?”

“…I-I’m sorry…”

“Good grief… Then Nishida!”

“…………”

“Nishida!!”

“Y-yes!?”

…Yeah, this isn’t a class anymore.

As expected, the boys were far too devastated to concentrate. Even the girls seemed restless, their eyes sparkling with barely-contained curiosity as they stared at Sara.

The girl who had shot down an unholy number of confessions with flawless, merciless rejection—who was practically famous for hating men—was engaged. For teenage girls who lived for romance gossip, this was treasure beyond measure.

Little folded white notes fluttered around me like migrating birds.

I wonder how many people are actually listening to the lesson right now?

Plip.

One of those notes landed—practically flew—right in front of me. If serious Sara saw this, she’d scold us for playing around in class… but I’ll just take a quick peek.

“Is Takanashi-kun the Takanashi-kun?”

Scribbled at the very bottom in huge letters was that single question.

Following the chain of messages, someone had remembered Yuuri accidentally letting his name slip earlier and connected it to the legendary “Goddess Goes Nuclear” incident from before. There were also notes saying “Vice president?”—so they’d already pinned down almost everything except his face.

If they’ve figured out this much, why not just ask Sara directly…? Well, I suppose she’s still terrifying to approach.

I glanced around. Dozens of sparkling, excited eyes were fixed on me. Someone poked my back twice—guess I’m supposed to pass it to the person behind me.

“No comment. Ask Sara.”

She’d finally worked up the courage to tell everyone herself, so there was no way I’d steal her thunder. Bracing for the inevitable boos, I scribbled my reply and stealthily passed the note backward.

It was snatched away at the speed of light.

The paper made several more laps around the classroom before returning to me once again.

On it were written:

“Mean”

“Bullying”

“Demon”

Heh, that doesn’t even—

“Flatty”

“Airport runway”

“Hold on!! Who’s an airpo—”

“Hm? Yuzuki, is something wrong?”

“Hyah!? N-no, nothing, sir!”

I’d reacted out loud to that unforgivable word without thinking.

…Whoever you are, I’ll remember this.

For the record—and purely for the sake of my honor—I am absolutely not flat.

People often tell me I have a slender figure, but no one has ever dared call me an airport before today.

I’ll admit that, like the rest of me, that area is… modest. But it’s at least half—no, maybe a third—of Sara’s… probably… under favorable wind conditions or something… I’m sure of it.

…Ugh, even I feel hollow saying that. It’s just because the comparison is unfair. Plenty of girls are built like me. Anyway, moving on.

I heard muffled giggling from several directions. When I glared around the room, a few people hurriedly looked away.

I’ll find the culprit someday, mark my words…

…

……

………

Rattle-rattle-rattle…

The instant the teacher left after class ended…

Thud-thud-thud-thud—a stampede-like roar of footsteps. The girls swarmed Sara’s desk like the climax of a horror film.

“Satsukawa-san!! It’s Takanashi-kun, isn’t it!?”

“The one who just became vice president, right!?”

“Was there already something going on back then!?”

“How far have you two gone!?”

“I thought you hated guys!?”

The romance-brained maidens who had been forced to wait all lesson no longer possessed anything resembling order or turn-taking. Questions assaulted Sara from every side like a tidal wave, and this time it was her turn to stand wide-eyed in shock.

“E-eh!? P-please, everyone, calm down!!”

It was rare—extremely rare—to see Sara this flustered over anything that wasn’t Takanashi-kun.

…Though when you consider that every question was about Takanashi-kun, maybe it isn’t rare at all.

While I was having such thoughts, the barrage continued mercilessly.

“Hey, quit crowding her already. Can’t you see Sara’s troubled?”

I couldn’t just sit and watch her drown. Dealing with this many people at once is still hard for the current Sara.

I don’t mean to sound self-important, but I at least wanted to support her a little.

Also—and this is important—if someone accidentally let slip that they’re already living together, the fallout would be catastrophic.

“Pretty much everyone wants to know the same things anyway, right? But this isn’t only Sara’s story, so we’ll keep it to the safe stuff.”

It’s a bit forceful, I know, but I said it anyway.

Partly for the classmates gathered here, and partly to indirectly warn Sara herself.

When Takanashi-kun is involved, she has a tendency to let way too much slip.

Whether that warning actually reached her is another question.

“Very well. I cannot inconvenience Kazunari-san, after all. I will speak in broad terms only… is that acceptable?”

“““Kazunari-san!!!!????”””

“Ooohhh!! Satsukawa-san just called a boy by his first name!!!!”

“No way!? This is seriously insane!!!”

The classroom exploded into an order of magnitude louder just because Sara used his given name.

Considering the image she’d cultivated until today, it was probably the most shocking thing they’d heard yet.

“Sara, you usually call him by his first name!?”

“Eh? Y-yes… I do.”

“Kyaah!! You said ‘danna-sama’ earlier, didn’t you!? Are you going to call him that after you’re married!?”

“No, after we’re married… I’ll call you…”

“““Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!”””

“““‘You’ (anata)!!!!?????????”””

“…Ooooooooh!!”

“…A-anata… anata…”

“…S-stop, please… I can’t take any more…”

The boys wailed and shook their heads like broken toys while the girls reached heights of excitement previously thought physically impossible. The more the girls squealed, the deeper the boys sank into the abyss. The classroom had achieved perfect chaos.

“You’ve already decided that far!?”

“It’s not so much ‘decided’… I already call him that sometimes now, so after marriage it will feel natural…”

“Eeeeh!? You already call him that!?”

“Uwah, I can’t even imagine the scene!!”

“Sara, it’s the vice president, right!?”

“Yes. That is correct.”

“I knew iiit!!”

“I thought it was suspicious how close you two looked at the general meeting~”

“Me too~ You were praising him way too much, and I’d never seen you smile like that before.”

Back then, Sara had been genuinely happy to stand on stage beside Takanashi-kun.

That was why her smile had been so radiant, and of course no one had ever seen it before.

Because the only person who can draw out that smile is Takanashi-kun.

But perhaps it was precisely that never-before-seen smile that made some people suspect their relationship.

“Sara, you hated men, didn’t you? So how come Takanashi-kun was okay?”

“Ah, I wanna know that too!!!”

“Me three!!!”

…Yeah, they were always going to end up here.

Everyone in class knows full well that Sara never let any man near her. They’ve watched it happen since first year. Which makes our class the one that wants to know the reason more than anyone else in the school.

“…I’m sorry. I believe the only person here who could truly understand is probably Natsumi.”

“…True.”

Of course I know—Sara told me herself.

But I only understood because I also know both Takanashi-kun’s past and Sara’s past.

With Sara’s looks, there is literally no man alive who could become her friend without ulterior motives. None.

Yet because of the wounds in his own heart, Takanashi-kun never once looked at Sara that way from the very beginning. That alone already made him extraordinarily rare.

And then, for the sake of the girl who had finally understood him, he continued to be exactly the kind of person Sara needed.

Even though any normal person in that situation—one hundred out of a hundred—would have misunderstood, he chose to remain “just a friend” because that’s what Sara wanted. He never asked for more.

So although it looked like Sara was supporting Takanashi-kun, in truth it was the opposite.

They were two impossibly rare souls searching for each other, and by some miracle they found one another.

To borrow Sara’s own words: a fated meeting.

It might sound cliché, but even I—who heard the whole story—felt it was destiny. So of course the two of them feel that way. In fact, it would be strange if they didn’t.

“However… there is one thing. Kazunari-san is the one and only precious person I finally found.”

“And just so we’re clear, Takanashi-kun feels exactly the same way,” I added. “That’s why they’re madly in love, and no one will ever come between them.”

I hadn’t meant to butt in, but hearing their story always warms my chest, and the words just slipped out.

“Wow, even Natsumi’s saying it like that…”

“Natsumi-chan’s such a romantic~”

As expected, I got teased a little. But…

“Since I know the full circumstances, that’s the only way I have to put it. I’m not joking or exaggerating—Sara could never be with anyone except Takanashi-kun.”

“Natsumi is correct. That is precisely why I love Kazunari-san. Marrying him in the future is my own wish, and I have promised to become his wife.”

“…Ah…”

“…Um…”

“…W-wife…!?”

When Sara took over from me, there wasn’t a shred of hesitation—she declared it proudly, magnificently.

She stated clearly that marrying Takanashi-kun was what she herself desired.

Faced with Sara’s deadly serious sincerity, everyone who had been teasing her—actually, every single classmate present—fell completely silent.

But that was only natural.

The depth of Sara’s feelings and resolve is simply beyond what any of us can measure right now.

“…Satsukawa-san, you really, really love Takanashi-kun, don’t you?”

“…That’s amazing… After hearing something like that, all I can say is… congratulations.”

“Sara, you’re so happy… I’m jealous. Meeting someone you feel that way about…”

Even the girls who had come purely to grill her for juicy gossip were overwhelmed by the purity of Sara’s love, and couldn’t bring themselves to tease anymore.

But seeing her like this, anyone would sincerely want to celebrate them. I feel the same.

“W-w-w-wife…”

“…Aaaaah, guess we really have no choice but to give up…”

“…I kinda knew it was impossible, but…”

“…I don’t wanna admit it… but I guess we have to…”

The boys who had overheard everything finally, truly understood they had lost.

Or rather, after hearing Sara’s feelings laid bare so plainly, refusing to accept it would be downright delusional.

Our class’s boys knew better than anyone how severe Sara’s man-hating was, so they’d secretly felt safe assuming no one would ever appear. That’s why the moment someone did, their resignation came quickly.

I don’t know what made Sara suddenly change her stance, but seeing the result, I think she was right to do it.

“Sara-chan and Takanashi-kun are super lovey-dovey, after all~”

Yuuri, who had been gleefully watching the carnage, suddenly chimed in with a huge grin.

The girls turned sharp, half-glaring looks at her knowing tone.

“That’s right, Yuuri!! You knew Satsukawa-san had a fiancé!?”

“I knew she had a boyfriend. The engagement part was news to me too~”

“That’s so unfair!?”

“Hey!! You could’ve told us something this huge!”

“Well, keeping quiet was more fu—cough! It’s a friend’s private life, so I couldn’t just blab.”

Her real thoughts had probably slipped out for a second, but strictly speaking I’d also pressured her not to spread it. But now no one could tell which reason was true.

More importantly—because of Yuuri’s unnecessary comment, the conversation that had been winding down flared back to life.

…You didn’t plan this, did you?

“Sara! So, about after you’re married—have you already decided anything concrete!?”

“No, we haven’t gone into that much detail yet…”

“Th-then… um… have you talked about… k-kids or anything?”

“Kids!?”

“Kyaaaaaaa!!”

“W-wait, that topic’s way too dangerous!”

…It’s turned into full-blown girls’-trip-at-night romance talk, and heading straight into the danger zone.

At least they haven’t touched on the cohabitation issue, but this still isn’t exactly wholesome.

Because even if it’s premature, Sara has definitely thought about it to some extent.

And that “some extent” could very easily veers into the territory that excites high-school girls the most.

I trust them both, but as someone who knows they’re already living together, this isn’t something I can laugh off.

Frankly, I don’t really want to hear about my best friend’s baby-making plans…

“Hey, that’s going too—”

“N-no, we truly haven’t discussed that yet. It’s far too soon… and it is, after all, a matter for the future.”

Even Sara seemed properly embarrassed by the topic.

Yet she still answered seriously while blushing slightly—that’s just how earnest she is.

“W-wow, Sara’s blushing!?”

“I’ve never seen this before!!”

“Eeeeh, you really haven’t thought about it at all~?”

Seeing the untouchable Sara get teased by classmates was so surreal I couldn’t help being shocked myself.

It should be a perfectly ordinary scene, but because it’s Sara, the impact is completely overrides logic.

And the classmates who’d never had the chance to talk to her casually before were now piling on enthusiastically.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?”

Suddenly Yuuri let out an earth-shattering scream.

It was the kind of scream that comes from realizing something catastrophic. The atmosphere she sliced apart froze instantly, and every gaze turning to her.

“What the hell, Yuuri, don’t scare us—”

“Sara, you bought that childbirth charm on the school trip…”

…Ah.

Oh no. That thing.

Silence.

Yuuri, you absolute idiot—you just dropped a nuke. That charm was my prank in the first place! And you know it! Saying it like that makes it sound as if Sara chose it herself!

Also, technically you “receive” a charm, you don’t “buy” it.

“““…………Ki”””

Ki?

“““Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”””

“““Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”””

“Sara, does that mean you already—!?”

“No way no way, Sara of all people—!”

“It’s different!! That was Natsumi’s prank!! I haven’t yet!!!”

““““Yet!!!!!!!!?????????”””

“So you are thinking about it!!!!”

“Th-that’s—! O-of course, once we’re married, someday I’d like to have Kazunari-san’s ba—”

“Sara, no more!! Calm dow—”

“““Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”””

“Uoooooooooooh I can’t do this anymore!!!!”

“It’s a dream it’s all a dream dream dream dream dream!!!!”

Everything and everyone had gone completely off the rails.

The only thing I know for certain is that the idiot who caused this—Yuuri—is going to get strangled later. I’ll squeeze until she cries and apologizes in tears. That much is set in stone!!

In the end, even after I properly explained it was my prank, Sara’s “baby” comment left too strong an impression…

The girls’ excitement showed no signs of dying down even after the next lesson began, and the boys—especially those who’d harbored strong feelings for Sara—were crushed to a degree that almost made me pity them.

Boyfriend → engagement → lovey-dovey gushing → and the finisher, baby talk.

Yeah… it’s cruel, but understandable.

But it can’t be helped.

Everything is the truth, and Sara only has eyes for Takanashi-kun, after all…