My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering with My School Romantic Comedy - Volume 1 Chapter 3.8:

Volume 1 Chapter 3.8:

“Yawakaze… that is…”

Saturday morning. The moment I spotted Yawakaze waiting at the meeting spot in front of the station, I was utterly stunned.

“Um… Amakusa-kun, does this outfit look strange or something?”

I quickly shook my head. Not at all. In fact, quite the opposite—seeing Yawakaze, who normally exudes a very girlish aura, in this kind of outfit was an unexpectedly welcome change.

However, on this particular day, it was completely out. Why… why was she wearing hot pants?

Compared to her usual attire, it was undeniably more revealing. But… this just wouldn’t do.

No matter how dazzlingly fair her pure white skin was, no matter how irresistibly adorable her shy, inward-turned knees were, if there was absolutely no chance of catching a glimpse of her panties, then it was all meaningless.

“Yahhooo~!”

Just as I was sinking into the depths of despair, a carefree voice called out from behind me. Turning around, I found Yuuouji approaching—wearing an ultra-mini skirt that left me struggling to find a place to rest my gaze.

“Huh? Konagi-tan, why are you dressed like that?”

“I-I mean…”

Blushing, Yawakaze stammered in response to Yuuouji, who had now rushed up to us.

“You were supposed to wear the sheer skirt I lent you yesterday!”

“Who the hell would wear that?!”

“Uuu… Ouka-chan, that one was just too much for me. And after seeing it, I started feeling embarrassed about wearing a normal skirt too… but, um, I promised I’d at least show some bare legs, so I tried my best and borrowed this from my sister… Is it no good?”

Whoa. What was this overwhelmingly pure-hearted reaction? Combined with her apologetic upward glance, the destructive power was off the charts.

And as for Yuuouji, upon hearing this—

“W-what an innocent yet lethal natural-born man-killer… Konagi-tan… terrifying!”

She dramatically rolled her eyes to full white in mock shock.

“Oi, what the hell do we do now? We’re already backed into a corner from the start.”

I sidled up to Yuuouji and whispered. Not only had the possibility of a panty flash disappeared, but even the last resort—skirt flipping—was now completely sealed off.

“Relax, relax. I picked this spot just in case something like this happened, so we’re totally fine.”

For some reason, Yuuouji exuded absolute confidence.

“Alright, let’s goooo~!”

Before I could say anything, she grabbed Yawakaze and excitedly skipped ahead… This might already be a lost cause.

“Ta-daa! Here we are!”

Yuuouji suddenly came to a stop in front of a store. Even someone like me, who had zero interest in fashion, had heard of this famous brand.

If I remembered correctly, the store’s claim to fame was that it offered everything from top-tier formal wear to affordable casual pieces—all under one roof.

And true to that reputation, the massive store interior was packed with an overwhelming variety of clothing. Yet, despite the vast selection, it somehow maintained a sleek and organized atmosphere that exuded impeccable taste.

“Konagi-tan, c’mere, c’mere!”

“Huh? What is it, Ouka-chan?”

“Sorry, but Amacchi, you just look around here for a bit, okay?”

“Huh? Oh, uh… sure.”

Before I could even properly respond, Yuuouji whisked Yawakaze away.

Following her instruction, I wandered aimlessly around the store for about ten minutes.

“Yah-yah, Amacchi! Thanks for waiting!”

“Oh…”

The moment I saw Yawakaze peeking out from behind Yuuouji, a voice of admiration unconsciously escaped my lips.

She was now wearing an ultra-mini skirt that rivaled Yuuouji’s in daringness.

“Uu… Ouka-chan, this is way too embarrassing…”

Looking down, her face flushed a deep shade of red. Considering her usual personality and the length of her school uniform’s skirt, this must have felt practically equivalent to being half-naked for her.

“Amacchi, well? Well? This is great, right?”

“Listen, any guy who could look at this and think otherwise isn’t a man.”

I gave my honest opinion without hesitation.

“A-ah… th-thanks…”

Though still embarrassed, Yawakaze didn’t seem entirely displeased.

“Alright! Purchase decision, confirmed!”

“Wait, hold on. Ouka-chan, you said we were just trying things on, right? I do think this outfit is really nice, but I don’t have that much money with me…”

I wasn’t exactly knowledgeable about clothing prices, but just from the way the material shimmered and how intricate the design was, it was obvious that this wasn’t something a high school student could afford on a whim.

“Don’t worry about it~ Leave it to me!”

Yuuouji declared casually.

Wait, but didn’t her family have strict rules about money? If I recalled correctly, her allowance was something like 5,000 yen a month.

And more importantly, considering Yuuouji’s personality, there was no way she’d flaunt her wealth and just start buying clothes for her friends.

“Actually, this brand, though not widely known, is one of the subsidiaries under UOG.”

Wait, seriously…? Damn, the UOG Group really is everywhere.

“And so, the store manager here was looking for user models to wear and walk around the shopping mall in their new designs for PR, but… no one was signing up. They’re in a bit of a bind. So, Konagi-tan, could you do this for today? Think of it as helping me and the store manager out.”

Ah, that was a clever approach. It was probably a fabricated story, but phrased like this, there was no way Yawakaze could refuse.

“U-uhm… if that’s the case… I guess I can try…”

Just as expected, she timidly nodded.

“Alright, we got a yes!”

Declaring triumphantly, Yuuouji then leaned in closer to me.

“Heh heh, now we just need to take her all over the place—perfect plan, right?”

“Yuuouji… Nice work.”

An unexpected stroke of genius. She would trip. She would definitely trip.

Yesterday, I thought relying on chance was a bad strategy. But today, we had a decisive factor. I glanced down at Yawakaze’s feet.

Yes. Those high heels. Yawakaze, who was already prone to stumbling, was now wearing these unstable shoes. At this point, her falling was no longer a matter of if—it was when.

“This is just a matter of time now.”

“Indeed.”

Like an evil magistrate and his accomplice, Yuuouji and I exchanged wicked grins… but.

“Ahh, that was fun!”

To cut to the chase—she didn’t fall.

Yawakaze didn’t fall. No matter how deep into a crowd I led her, no matter how uneven the ground, it was as if she were protected by some unseen force. She didn’t even show the slightest sign of stumbling.

She seemed aware of it too. Usually, she couldn’t go a single day without tripping at least once, yet today, she was delighted by the rare occasion… How is this miracle so damn inconvenient for me?

And before I could come up with a solution, time flew by. In the blink of an eye, it was already 6 PM. Given the season, the sun wouldn’t last much longer—it wouldn’t be strange to call it a day and head home.

But then, by a stroke of bad luck mixed with fortune, Yawakaze’s stomach growled—though she turned bright red and denied it. So, we decided to grab something to eat at the food court.

We secured seats in the open space and sat down.

“Alright, I’ll just grab something random!”

“Ah, sorry about that.”

Yuuouji, showing no signs of fatigue, dashed off with the enthusiasm of an elementary schooler. Given that it was a Saturday evening, every vendor had long lines of families and customers waiting. It’d take her a while to get back.

Now then… what to do? Even with all this preparation, she still hadn’t tripped. I’d have to try a different approach.

But if I could come up with something that easily, I would have done it already.

I was starting to feel the pressure creeping up on me. What should I do… what should I do?

“Suu…”

A soft, adorable sound pulled me back to reality.

Even though Yuuouji had only left a minute or so ago, Yawakaze was already fast asleep, slumped over the table. She hadn’t even taken her bag off her shoulder.

Well, considering how clumsy and frail she is, it’s no surprise she’d be exhausted after all that running around.

“Mmm…”

Just then, Yawakaze shifted in her sleep, causing her body to slump further.

“Oh?”

With that movement, her skirt hiked up in an odd way, exposing a part of her thigh—close to the root.

Th-this is… just a little more, and I’ll be able to see—

And at that exact moment—

[Choose: ① Lift it. ② Don’t lift it.]

…It came now, huh?

But depending on how I looked at it, this choice might actually be a good opportunity.

I hadn’t been able to bring myself to go through with it before, but if I was going to end up lifting her skirt one way or another, wasn’t this the perfect chance?

Should I just do it?

Even as I thought about it, my hand unconsciously reached toward Yawakaze’s skirt.

But just before my fingers touched the fabric—I stopped.

Is this really okay?

No, no, no—what am I even hesitating for? If I don’t complete this mission, I’ll be stuck with these forced choices for the rest of my life! Do you understand that, me?

But still, lifting it on my own… No, that’s not the issue here.

After all, forcing Yawakaze into miniskirts and high heels just to make her more likely to trip—wasn’t that basically the same thing? Whether indirect or direct, wasn’t I already doing the same thing as lifting her skirt myself?

In the end, I was just trying to create a situation where I could “accidentally” see her underwear, so I wouldn’t feel guilty.

And as if to mock my hesitation, the usual headache that forced me to choose didn’t come. Instead, countless thoughts swirled through my mind, appearing and disappearing in an endless cycle.

I had lost track of time, but I had likely been lost in thought for several minutes. By the time a dull ache started forming in the back of my head, I had reached a conclusion.

“…Forget it.”

In the end, I had chosen option ②.

The reason wasn’t based on any clear logic. It was just… something I didn’t like. That’s all there was to it.

Lifting Yawakaze’s skirt while she was asleep felt cowardly. If I were to do it, I’d rather do it while she was awake, face the consequences, and accept her judgment.

Another reason—though just as irrational—was my resistance to these so-called “choices.” The way this one appeared felt as if someone was saying, “Here, I’ve prepared the perfect excuse for you. Go on, do it.”

And that pissed me off.

I could picture whoever was sending these choices watching smugly, satisfied that I was moving according to their expectations. Just imagining that was enough to make me hesitate to pick ①.

Slowly, I withdrew my hand, which had been frozen near her skirt.

“Mm… huh? Amakusa-kun? Eh? Wait… did I fall asleep?”

As if she had been waiting for the perfect moment, Yawakaze stirred awake.

“Yeah, just for a few minutes.”

“S-Sorry… Ah, then that means… d-did you see my sleeping face?”

Well, considering how close we were, there was no way I didn’t see it. The moment I nodded—

“Higu—!”

A strange sound escaped from Yawakaze’s mouth.

“A-a boy saw me in such an unladylike state…!”

Her face instantly turned bright red.

Seeing her reaction, two words burned themselves into my mind: regret and failure.

Lifting this girl’s skirt? Yeah, no way.

She was panicking this much just from me seeing her sleeping face. If I had actually flipped her skirt, she’d probably be traumatized for life.

If I had just gotten a tiny peek at her panties while she was asleep, everything would have worked out perfectly. Instead, I let myself be swayed by pointless self-righteousness… and ended up wasting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Thief!”

Suddenly, a sharp voice cut through the air of the food court, yanking my attention back to reality.

Reflexively, I turned my head—

A man, clad in a filthy T-shirt and jeans, his body unusually bulky, was dashing at full speed, eyes bloodshot.

And worst of all, he was headed straight for our table.

“Hand it over!”

His gaze was locked onto Yawakaze’s shoulder bag.

Maybe he assumed she had money because she was dressed in expensive brands.

Despite already clutching a wallet—no doubt stolen from someone else—his greed was insatiable.

“Eh? Ehh!?”

Yawakaze was frozen in shock, unable to react.

“Watch out!”

Before I could even think, my body moved on its own.

I leapt between Yawakaze and the thief—

“Guh—!”

And took the full brunt of his charge.

The impact sent me flying, slamming me onto my back.

“Amakusa-kun!”

“Tch…! Just give it here already!”

The thief had flinched momentarily from my interference but quickly refocused on Yawakaze.

“Yawakaze… take off your bag and— Gah!”

The shock from the fall must have hit my throat, making it impossible to speak properly.

I couldn’t even stand up right away.

Damn it, this is bad—!

“Amacchi! Nice stalling!”

At that moment, a voice rang out, loud and clear, like the dramatic entrance of a tokusatsu hero.

“UORYAAAHH!!”

A figure shot forward like a bullet.

Ouka Yuuouji, sprinting at full speed, leapt into the air with everything she had—

And with her entire weight behind it, a dropkick slammed into the thief’s gut.

“Guhah!”

The thief slid across the ground at an incredible speed.

And right behind Yuuouji, the security guard swiftly moved in and pinned him down.

As always, her physical abilities were ridiculous. Even though Yuuouji was on the smaller side among girls, where in the world did she get that kind of destructive power from?

“Phew, glad I made it in time. Konagi-tan, you okay? You’re not hurt or anything?”

Even in this situation, Yuuouji showed no signs of being out of breath or worked up.

“Ah… yeah. Thanks to being covered for. A-Are you okay, Amakusa-kun?”

Yawakaze rushed over, crouching beside me with a mixture of gratitude and concern in her expression.

“Mufufu, major props to you, Amacchi!”

“Nah, I just got blown away. It’s not that big a dea—”

Just as I lifted my head slightly, my body froze.

Yuuouji’s skirt… was completely in full view.

With Yawakaze rushing over from the front and crouching, and Yuuouji standing right above my head completely unaware—of course, from this angle, I could see everything.

Her panties. In plain sight.

Burned into my retinas, the color was… pure white. Ninety percent refined elegance, with just a hint of sultriness blended in—giving off a calm and composed design that somehow didn’t quite match Yuuouji’s image. I mean, I always figured she’d wear striped ones or animal prints or something.

But more importantly…

Why the hell is she wearing a garter belt?

There, beneath Yuuouji’s skirt, as if guarding her pure white panties, was a jet-black garter belt.

I mean, I’d noticed the black line running down her thigh earlier, and it had been bothering me. But since the bottom half wasn’t stockings, but more like knee-high socks, I hadn’t realized it.

Most likely, she’d put them on on a whim after what I said yesterday. But still, a kid-like girl like her… wearing such a mature, sultry garter belt… A kid and a garter belt…

That’s… actually not bad.

(Wait—!)

What the hell am I thinking?! That’s full-on perverted! And why am I still staring?!

Snapping back to reality, I quickly averted my gaze.

Luckily, Yuuouji was completely focused on Yawakaze, oblivious to the fact that I had just gotten a perfect view under her skirt.

For me, it felt like several seconds had passed, but in real time, it must have been just a fleeting moment.

I had spent all that time earlier agonizing over whether it was right or wrong to peek under a skirt… Yet, for something I just happened to see by chance, I felt absolutely no guilt at all. As a fan of garter belts, all I could say was—thank you for the meal.

Well, if this had been Yawakaze’s, it would have been even bett—

My phone, sitting in my pocket, suddenly vibrated.

“Hm?”

The sender was “God.” The subject line read: “Mission Complete.”

…Huh?

Putting my swirling thoughts on hold, I stood up and opened the message.

“Congratulations. Please look forward to your next mission.”

It was exactly the same wording as last time, with Yukihira. What the hell? What does this mean?

I should have seen Yuuouji’s panties, not Yawakaze’s…

Standing up, I double-checked the mission email I received the other day. The target was definitely Yawakaze—no mistake about it.

Then, my phone vibrated again. Another message from “God.” The subject line: “Supplementary Explanation.”

I quickly opened it.

《Good evening, this is God. Right now, you are probably confused, unable to understand why your mission has been marked as completed.》

He hit the nail right on the head. As expected of “God,” I suppose. But seriously, who is this guy? I mean, sure, he’s God, but he’s not that joke of a god, and the previous god is on maternity leave & in full hikikomori mode. So, is this the one actually sending these missions?

《For someone like you, I have good news. I shall now explain your current situation in an easy-to-understand manner… because I am ‘God’ after all.》

…Ugh, annoying.

Still, how is this even working? It’s like the text is being sent in perfect timing to match when I finish reading.

“In truth, the panties that Ouka Yuuouji wore today were actually those of Konagi Yawakaze.》

…What?

《Fujidou Sakura, the leader of the Konagi Yawakaze Fan Club, has committed a grave taboo.》

What…!? The conversation just took a wild turn—can it really be connected properly? Also, Fujidou-senpai… With that face, he’s got such a fancy name…?

《That was an act of betrayal. Sakura, of all things, had gone behind the backs of the other members of the personal guard and given a gift to Yawakaze Konagi.》

If that’s true, then as the captain, such a treacherous act is certainly unforgivable. But wait—why is he called “Sakura”…?

《Well, setting aside the moral implications regarding the other members, the act itself isn’t particularly strange for a fan.》

Oh, wait a minute… Could it be? The person with the hairpin that was mentioned yesterday—was that Fujidou-senpai?

《However, Sakura didn’t stop at merely giving gifts. Every time, without fail, he included an original poem.》

A poem, huh…? I don’t know how to feel about that.

《A poem… In this day and age? Seriously?》

Hey, your tone just changed!

《A poem (lol).》

Quit it already! Yeah, sure, it’s embarrassing, but give the guy a break!

《Upon having this fact revealed to her, Yuuouji Ouka ended up blackmailing Sakura.》

Ahh, so that’s what that whispered conversation during lunch was about yesterday.

Writing original poetry is already embarrassing enough, but to have it exposed to Yawakaze herself or the rest of the squad? Yeah… at that point, running stark naked across the schoolyard might actually be the better option.

 《And on that very day, Sakura had prepared a special gift. That gift was… underwear. Overwhelmed by his adoration for Yawakaze Konagi, he could no longer suppress his desire to have her wear panties of his choosing. Yes, this is, quite frankly, creepy.》

Wait, giving underwear as a gift…? Hang on a sec. Wasn’t that supposed to be a story about Yuuouji’s obsessive fan?

《The only thing Sakura was forced to promise under blackmail was to stay out of your way. As planned, he attempted to deliver the underwear. However, while tailing Yawakaze, he made a critical mistake. He mistakenly placed the underwear into Yuuouji Ouka’s bag, which happened to be nearby.》

…No way.

So, at some point during their after-school activities yesterday, he messed up and swapped them by accident.

《Upon returning home, Yuuouji Ouka discovered the package. Normally, if you found a wrapped pair of panties in your bag out of nowhere, you’d probably either ignore them or throw them away. However, she—without hesitation—wore them the very next day. In other words, today.》

D-don’t wear them!!

《There were two main reasons why Yuuouji misinterpreted the gift as something intended for her. First, a precedent already existed—one of her obsessive fans had previously sent her underwear as a gift.》

Ah… I see. Yuuouji’s stalker and Fujidou-senpai were thinking along the same lines.

《The second reason was that this time, the underwear given to Yawakaze Konagi was not accompanied by a poem. Even Sakura, despite his usual dedication, found it too embarrassing to attach poetry to panties. So, the poem he had actually written ended up in his trash bin at home.》

Fujidou-senpai… So he did write one, after all.

《We have successfully obtained the full text of that poem.》

—HOW!?

《Wind—That is you. A gentle breeze, cradling all things like an angelic whisper.

Silk—That is underwear. Enveloping the sacred wind in a tender embrace of bewitching silk.

Knight—That is me. Wrapping the wind and silk in overflowing love, a gallant knight of passion.》

OUT! OUT! OUT! I furiously mashed the down button, skipping through the rest of the message as fast as possible. Any further, and this would be a violation of Fujidou-senpai’s dignity.

《Now that we have basked in the glorious poetic genius of Sakura (lol), let us move on to the core matter at hand.》

This guy’s ruthless… But now, the next time I see Fujidou-senpai, I’m definitely going to burst out laughing.

《The underwear in question was originally meant as a gift for Yawakaze Konagi. No matter how it changed hands or who ended up wearing it, its ownership remains the same—it belongs to Yawakaze Konagi》

So, the original intent of the giver is what matters, huh? I mean, sure, but how does that tie into my mission?

《Your assigned mission was to ‘witness Yawakaze Konagi’s underwear in a worn state.’ Not ‘witness Yawakaze Konagi wearing her underwear.》

…No.

《Yes. I’m sure you understand now. And with that, this divine explanation concludes. Bye-bye, sexual being.》

The email ended abruptly.

So, basically, the “no” in “Yawakaze Konagi no pantsu” was referring to ownership, not who was actually wearing them.

As long as the underwear belonged to Yawakaze Konagi, it didn’t matter whether Yuuouji Ouka or anyone else was the one actually wearing them.

I mean… I guess I technically completed the mission, so I can’t complain, but isn’t this just a ridiculous loophole or some kind of wordplay trick?

This time, the misunderstanding worked in my favor, but I need to be careful in the future. There could easily be a case where I think I’ve completed a mission, only to be told, “Actually, because of such-and-such reason, it didn’t count.”

“Amakusa-kun, you’ve been staring at your phone for a while now. What’s wrong?”

Yawakaze’s voice snapped me back to reality.

“Ah, sorry…—Whoa!”

Without any warning, a sudden gust of wind blew past me from the side.

The force was strong enough to be called a squall, and in the next moment, my vision was filled with—

“H-hawawaaah!”

Hello there, underwear.

It was exactly as described.

The skirt flipped up spectacularly, revealing panties that were the exact same design as the ones Yuuouji had drawn yesterday.

The only difference—was the color.

Yesterday, I was told they were pure white.

But what burned into my eyes now was a deep, rich purple—completely overturning my perception of Yawakaze’s image.

“K-k-k-k…!!”

Realizing that she had been seen, Yawakaze was overcome with sheer panic.

“K-Ki… Ki──”

Oh no, she’s going to scream. In the middle of this crowded place, that’s—

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

The scream, however, came from an unexpected source.

“Yuuou…ji?”

“Ouka…-chan?”

The piercing voice, almost like an ultrasonic wave, belonged to Yuuouji Ouka.

Her face was flushed an unnatural shade of red, and her entire body trembled slightly. What… is this reaction?

Well, yeah, I did just see Yuuouji’s panties too, but earlier… Ah, back then, she probably didn’t realize she had been seen.

“──…Embara..”

Yuuouji mumbled something while looking down, but I couldn’t quite make it out.

“What’s wrong, Yuuouji? You’re acting weird… You okay?”

I stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“…!?”

With a sharp zaza sound, Yuuouji staggered backward. Her already crimson face darkened to an almost impossible degree—like she was reaching the limits of human blush capacity.

…Wait, is she… embarrassed?

“──…didn’t think.”

She muttered again, still barely audible, then suddenly turned on her heel.

“Hey, Yuuouji?”

She completely ignored my call. After standing there frozen for a brief moment—

She bolted.

“I… I didn’t think… getting my panties seen would be THIS EMBARRASSIIIIIIIIIIING!!”

Letting out a scream worthy of being called an absolute shriek, she tore through the crowd at full speed.

“……”

“……”

Left behind, Yawakaze and I could only exchange silent glances.

There was no sign of embarrassment on Yawakaze’s face anymore—not after what she had just witnessed. Yeah, after that, it would be hard to feel normally embarrassed about anything.

After a while, Yawakaze finally broke the silence.

“…What do we do now?”

“…Go home?”

“…Sounds good.”

Mission: ‘Witness Yawakaze Konagi’s panties while worn’—Complete.