My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering with My School Romantic Comedy - Volume 1 Chapter 3.3:

Volume 1 Chapter 3.3:

“Haa…”

Forced to endure an intense homo talk first thing in the morning, my mood was already at rock bottom as I trudged my way to school. And on top of that, my mission was that.

“No matter how you look at it, this is impossible. ‘See her panties’… yeah, right—oh?”

Muttering to myself, I reached the school entrance and spotted a familiar figure from behind. Yukihira.

After what happened on the rooftop yesterday, I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction I’d get, so I hesitated a little before calling out.

“…Yo, morning, Yukihira.”

Yukihira turned around, and our eyes met. After a brief silence—

“Good morning, Combat Power Five trash.”

Yup. Same old Yukihira.

“Starting strong this morning, huh?”

“Good morning, Dodoria-san.”

“Why are you acting like Frieza…?”

“By the way, my bounty is 530,000 Berries.”

“You’re mixing in the wrong manga now.”

And at that amount, you’re lower than some random mountain bandit.

“Judging by that reaction, it seems you don’t understand just how much money 530,000 Berries is.”

Yeah, I don’t get it at all, because the world-building here is completely messed up.

“With that much, I could buy a mountain of empty Hoi-Poi Capsules.”

“And what the hell are you gonna do with those?”

“If I fill them with water, I can save Nam’s village.”

“That’s way too niche of a reference!”

Yep. Completely normal Yukihira.

“By the way, Amakusa-kun, I must apologize for showing you such an unsightly display yesterday.”

Yesterday… She must be talking about how she burst out laughing at the banana peel incident. I intentionally avoided bringing it up, but I didn’t expect her to bring it up herself.

“I’ve always had a tendency to be weak to laughter. Normally, I can keep it under control, but once I hit my weak spot—especially with cliché jokes—I just explode.”

She spoke matter-of-factly, without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

“I suppose you could call it… gap moe.”

Rather than being ashamed, she even threw out such a ridiculous statement herself. Well, whether it’s ‘moe’ or not is another matter entirely, but considering how she usually acts, the contrast really was something—

…Huh? Gap?

Something about that word caught on my mind. What was it? Something about it made my brain feel all fuzzy.

Yukihira had used some extreme shock therapy to erase my memory after I accidentally witnessed some forbidden moment between two guys… but this was different. I felt like I had seen something with an even greater gap…

“Ah, wait. I think I remember something. Yukihira, weren’t you on all fours at first on the rooftop?”

“!?”

Yukihira’s eyes widened in an instant.

“Yeah, that’s right! And if I remember correctly, you were muttering something—huh?”

***

“…Hey, Yukihira?”

When I came to, Yukihira’s face was slightly above me—tilted at an odd angle. What the hell? Was she… using the wall as a backrest? Sitting down? Why?

My memory was hazy. Instinctively, I raised my hand to my head—

“Oww!”

I had a lump on the back of my head. What the hell happened?

I rubbed it while standing up, trying to piece together my memories.

Right… I had dragged myself to school with my mood ruined by Chocolat’s homo talk, then ran into Yukihira at the entrance… and then what?

Before I could figure it out, Yukihira interrupted my thoughts.

“Good morning, Combat Power Five trash.”

—

“That’s way too niche!”

After my retort about her Nam reference, our conversation seemed to reach a pause. I was about to ask what the hell had happened to me, but—

“This is dangerous enough as it is… Amakusa-kun, see you.”

Muttering something cryptic, she turned on her heel and calmly walked up the stairs.

“H-Hey!”

She suddenly stopped, turned back, and—

“Oh, right. For the time being, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t come near me.”

“…Hah? Why?”

“I feel like something unknown might fly out of you and get me pregnant.”

“That’s not even humanly possible!”

Yukihira, having said her piece, disappeared up the stairs.

…What the hell was that?

Sure, Yukihira’s always been weird, but that was especially bizarre.

Judging by the situation, she must have erased my memory again. But… did I say something inconvenient for her?

“Hm?”

Just then, I felt a presence behind me and turned around.

A girl was there.

She was walking straight toward me but seemed lost in thought, completely immersed in her own world. She hadn’t noticed me at all.

I could’ve just stepped aside to avoid her.

But the moment I saw her face and recognized who she was, my mind momentarily froze.

And with that, my entire body locked up.

She, on the other hand, remained oblivious—inevitably, we collided.

Thump.

She ended up burying her face into my chest.

“Ow… Huh? Huh?”

It was only then that she finally realized my presence.

“A-Ahh, s-s-s-sorry!”

Her face flushed bright red in an instant as she frantically stumbled backward.

“Eh? W-Whoa!”

And despite standing on a perfectly flat hallway floor, she somehow lost her balance.

“A-Ah, w-w-wait—whoa!”

Teetering like a one-legged tightrope walker, flailing helplessly—

“Kyahhh!”

—And ultimately, thud, she fell over.

“Ugh… ow…”

And, of course, she landed with her rear sticking up like an inchworm.

I mean… I’ve never seen anyone actually trip like this outside of a manga.

“…You’re Yawakaze Konagi, right?”

Even without confirming, it was obvious—this was none other than Yawakaze Konagi, ranked third in the Seikou Academy girls’ popularity rankings.

In other words, the very girl whose panties I had to see.

“U-Uh, yeah, that’s me… Is there something on my face?”

Crap, I had been staring way too hard.

“A-Ah, no, nothing. Are you hurt?”

“Oh, um, no, I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”

As Yawakaze dusted off her skirt and stood up, she spoke with a voice that was sweet yet devoid of any excessive coquettishness—just naturally pleasant to the ears.

“Sorry for bumping into you. I was spacing out, thinking about how hungry I was… Haha.”

She gave a bashful smile.

There was a gentle, breezy atmosphere about her—like a soft wind, calming and peaceful. Her tranquil smile had a way of putting people at ease.

Yawakaze Konagi, huh? Her name really did suit her.

“Nah, I don’t mind. Are you sure you’re okay, though? That was a pretty dramatic fall.”

“Ah, yeah, I’m fine! I’m used to tripping—ah.”

Mid-sentence, a sudden sound came from Yawakaze’s stomach.

It was a small, cute kyuu, but unmistakably the sound of hunger.

“A-Ah, um, t-this is, uh, you got it wrong! I just overslept and couldn’t eat breakfast, so that’s why—ah, wait, no! That wasn’t my stomach just now!”

I was going to ignore it, but she went ahead and exposed herself anyway. Her face turned bright red, and her hands flailed about in a panic.

…What is this moe creature?

I see now. So this is the power of the Public Rankings.

This was my first proper conversation with Yawakaze, and it made me realize one undeniable truth—

Cute girls are even cuter when they have a normal personality.

When it comes to sheer looks, Ouka Yuuouji, Yukihira, and Yawakaze are all on an absurdly high level. At this point, it really just comes down to personal preference.

But when it comes to their aura as a girl, Yawakaze is in an entirely different league.

Yukihira spews nothing but insults and dirty jokes. Yuuouji is completely unpredictable and has the mentality of a child.

Compared to those two, Yawakaze Konagi standing before me is overwhelmingly… feminine.

“What the hell am I even thinking?”

This isn’t the time to be making comparisons.

Including today, I have three days to complete this near-impossible mission: to see Yawakaze’s panties while she still has them on.

Then—

“Um, you’re Amakusa Kanade-kun, right?”

Recovering from her embarrassment, Yawakaze suddenly said something unexpected.

“Eh? Ah, yeah, that’s me.”

Being infamous as I am, it’s not surprising when people know who I am while I don’t know them. But something about the way Yawakaze said it felt… different.

“Ah, I thought so! Ouka-chan talks about you a lot.”

“Ouka-chan? Oh, you mean Yuuouji. You know her?”

“Yeah! Not just know her—we’re super close! We were in the same class last year.”

Yawakaze’s face brightened as she spoke.

“Hm?”

A strange sensation washed over me.

This should be my first time talking to Yawakaze up close, yet for some reason, her smile felt oddly familiar.

Does someone around me resemble her? I doubt I’d forget a girl with such a charming smile… but the answer just won’t come to me.

Well, pondering minor doubts won’t help. What matters right now is the mission.

The fact that Yuuouji and Yawakaze know each other—this is a huge advantage.

Having a mutual acquaintance makes conversations easier. This might actually be the first time Yuuouji has ever been useful to me.

Meeting Yawakaze like this was a stroke of luck. A promising start. I know it’s not like I’ll get to see her panties just from a little chat, but I feel a tailwind pushing me forward.

However—

“…What… the hell?”

The Absolute Choice—the grim reaper in the form of a multiple-choice question—mercilessly crushed my faintly budding hope.

As I confirmed the options displayed in my mind, only one thought filled my chest:

Fucking goddammit.

“Amakusa-kun, is something wrong?”

Yawakaze peered at my face, tilting her head with innocent concern.

That subtle, wet-eyed upward gaze—completely unintentional, no doubt—was just too cute.

And so, I turned to that unbearably adorable face—

And declared, with unwavering clarity:

“Never mind that. Can you show me your panties?”