My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering with My School Romantic Comedy - Volume 3 Chapter 1: Prologue or a Certain Possibility

Volume 3 Chapter 1: Prologue or a Certain Possibility

“Kanade-san!”

“Ama… Amakusa-kun!”

“Amacchi!”

Voices from three different directions call out simultaneously.

We are at the Water Amusement Park, “Aqua Galaxy.”

To put it simply, it’s an enormous swimming pool.

Given the location, it’s no surprise that everyone around is wearing swimsuits.

I turn my gaze to the three girls who have called out to me.

Chocolat, wearing a chocolate-colored bikini, her white skin standing out in contrast, is dazzling.

Yukihira, eyes occasionally glancing at the other two’s chests, her expression emotionless yet carrying a hint of envy.

Yuuouji, whose body, though it may seem too mature for her youthful behavior, boldly shows off her well-proportioned figure.

Once again, I think to myself. These girls really are perfect, at least in terms of appearance.

Normally, this would lead to a line like, “I hope nothing strange happens now,” but today, it’s different.

Because I made a choice.

“Kanade-san, I want to eat some shaved ice over there!”

“Amakusa-kun, I’d like to talk for a bit on the bench over here.”

“Amacchi, let’s swim together over there!”

Chocolat isn’t likely to say anything ridiculous, Yukihira won’t speak venom, and Yuuouji won’t be playing childish pranks.

“Wait a second, when all three of you talk at once like that…”

I’m stuck trying to decide which invitation to accept, and each girl is closing the distance from her direction.

And then, they press their bodies close to mine.

“Hey, you’re too close… We’re touching! Something is touching me!”

Chocolat and Yuuouji’s generous figures, and Yukihira’s modest form, are all pressing against me from three different sides.

“I’m purposely pressing it!”

“…I’m pressing it…”

“I’m definitely pressing!”

W-What is this…? This is the best thing ever.

As much as I want to savor this sensation forever, I realize that we’re not getting anywhere. So, after a moment, they each move just slightly away from my body and begin to invite me again.

“Let’s have some shaved ice.”

“You’ll talk with me, right?”

“Let’s swim already!”

Even after the six points of contact were separated, the sensation remained clearly on my skin… Is this heaven?

Now, all I can do is hope that the rest of this is just some metaphor…

“Mm?”

Suddenly, I feel something above me—a presence I hadn’t noticed before. I look up.

Whatever it was, it seemed to have been suspended in midair until the exact moment my gaze locked on it, almost as though my seeing it triggered its descent.

“Whoa!”

I instinctively catch it.

“What is this…? A clock?”

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary clock.

The odd thing about it was the strange beeping sound—beep, beep, beep—coming from it…

“…No way.”

The worst possibility flashes through my mind, and I quickly flip the clock over.

What is displayed on the screen isn’t the time—it’s a countdown. Seven, six, five… a mysterious count.

In that moment, all color drains from my face.

What do I do, what do I do!?

The countdown continues—four, three, two…

“Everyone, run—!”

In the instant I shout, the world is suddenly bathed in a flash of light, and my consciousness fades to black.

Volume 3 Chapter 2.1: There’s No Way My Live-in Roommate Can Be This Smart

“Amakusa-kun, I’m sorry, but could you explain the current situation to us?”

The voice of the class president (the beautiful glasses-wearing girl) pulled me out of my thoughts.

“I really don’t want to get involved in this private stuff… but since it’s you, and everyone’s a little on edge, I think we need to clear this up.”

Just as the president said, all eyes in the class were on me.

Right now, I was the target of every guy in school… no, I could even say that the boys throughout the entire school were filled with feelings that could be described as murderous.

“Are you really dating the student council president, Kokubyakuin-kaichou?”

The situation I found myself in now was a direct result of the actions taken by the student council president, Seira Kokubyakuin, who ranked first on the girls’ popularity list. She had done something unimaginable in front of the whole school: confessed to me and hugged me in front of everyone.

“No, it’s not like that…”

Would such an excuse actually work? After all, that president had confessed to me in front of the entire school and done something even more unbelievable—hugged me right there.

“So, then, your true love must be Chocolat-chan, right?”

To make matters worse, due to the “curse-breaking mission,” I was forced to have Chocolat say, “I love you!” while still being hugged by the president, further complicating things.

On top of that…

Just a while ago, the president had come all the way to this classroom, creating a misunderstanding by making it seem like she and I were calling each other by our first names—”Kanade-san” and “Seira”—in front of everyone.

“Hey, hey, what’s going on, Amakusa-kun?”

The class president leaned in, her sparkling eyes not showing the duty of trying to mediate the situation but rather pure curiosity.

“Ugh…”

At that moment, a sharp headache suddenly hit me, making me grimace.

“What’s wrong?”

I couldn’t believe it… I wasn’t in a position to explain this situation!

I mentally refocused and confirmed the options that appeared in my mind.

[Choose: ① Hug Chocolat ② Hug Yukihira Furano ③ Hug Yuuouji Ouka]

Three options.

I had expected some sort of change in the choices after clearing the mission of having every girl in the competition tell me “I like you,” but I never imagined it would be a simple three-way choice…

But the fact that the options just increased doesn’t change the difficulty—this is just as intense as before.

“Grr…”

As I continued to contemplate, the headache only intensified. This… it was no use. I had no choice but to choose someone.

Ignoring the burning stares from everyone around me, I looked towards Yukihira, who was standing by the window.

Normally, she had a neutral expression, but today, her gaze seemed filled with a hint of scorn, or perhaps a sense of reproach.

It’s hard to say she’s ever been particularly friendly, but today, she seemed to exude a prickling, almost hostile aura.

Even if it wasn’t normally an option, there was no way I could hug Yukihira like this… I couldn’t choose her.

On the other hand, Yuuouji… she seemed to be blushing slightly and was fidgeting, looking down.

She had been embarrassed during the competition when I accidentally saw her underwear, but even though she was a little childish with her exposed belly button, her standards of shame were hard to figure out.

Normally, I would consider her, but with the current situation, it seemed like it might be more than just a joke… so, I couldn’t choose her either.

Then that leaves…

I glanced over at Chocolat, who was standing next to me.

“…”

Her usual carefree smile was nowhere to be seen.

…Something was off about Chocolat today.

When she showed up late to class, she said something strange—”I’m not hungry.” This was coming from Chocolat, the self-proclaimed food monster. There was no way she’d ever say something like that.

But now wasn’t the time to figure out why. I leaned in slightly, whispering in her ear, careful not to let the class president overhear.

(Sorry, Chocolat, I’ve got to hug you for now because the choice has come up.)

There was no reaction from Chocolat.

Her eyes seemed distant, and she looked a little unwell… but I couldn’t waste time worrying about that now. I had to make a decision and just do it.

First, I needed to divert the attention of the class, and that was the tricky part…

[Choose: ① Declare that you suddenly want to be completely naked for no reason ② Reincarnate]

…Hey, where did option ③ go? Where’s ③?

No matter how many times I checked, there were only two options in my mind.

This… is it like last time? Did the change from clearing the mission result in random options being mixed up? If that’s the case, does it mean I won’t know whether I get two choices or three from now on?

I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but right now, I only have two choices to make.

“Th-this is bad, everyone! I… I really want to be completely naked for no reason! Please, for just a moment, look away!!”

Immediately, my classmates, in perfect synchronization, turned their gazes towards the windows… Not a single one of them seemed to think it was a joke or lie, which was a little too sad, but at least I succeeded in making everyone look away.

Alright, now is my chance to quickly finish the hug!

(Here goes!)

I whispered to Chocolat and gently hugged her. The moment I did, the options disappeared from my mind.

“Phew…”

I let out a relieved sigh, and just as I was about to pull away, something happened.

“Kanade-san… um… that… I’m embarrassed…”

…Huh?

The words that came out of Chocolat’s mouth made my body freeze instantly.

In the meantime, my classmates’ gazes returned to us.

And what they saw was Chocolat, blushing and looking down, being hugged by me.

“…Chocolat?”

“Kanade-san… everyone’s watching, so… could you… please let go?”

…What is she saying? It doesn’t make any sense at all.

“U-um… I just want to make it clear that it’s not that I don’t like being held by you, Kanade-san… It’s just… well, the location, I guess…”

…This is strange. Something’s definitely wrong here.

No, it was already strange before, but this… this was far beyond any normal illness. Something’s seriously off.

While I was confused, Chocolat, seemingly unaware of my state, blushed even more and continued speaking.

“…I’d prefer if you did something like this when we’re alone… I’d even be happy about it.”

“!!!”

The entire classroom atmosphere froze.

I had no idea what was going on, but when I looked at the situation from an objective standpoint, the reactions I could expect were…

“Amakusa…”

“Lowest…”

I knew it… the boys’ murderous glares and the girls’ expressions of disgust were all aimed at me simultaneously.

“N-no, this is different…”

And yet, I still had no idea how it was different. I couldn’t make sense of it.

As the classroom descended into chaos, that’s when…

“Everyone, please wait.”

A clear, dignified voice rang out.

“Huh?”

Everyone, including myself, turned to look at the source of the voice.

“Kanade-san is not at fault.”

“Ch… Chocolat?”

“The location was what it was, so I got a little flustered, but everyone seems to be misunderstanding.”

The person who appeared to be Chocolat was saying something, but I couldn’t process any of it… Who is this?

“I admire Kanade-san, and Kanade-san cares for me as well, but what exists between us is more akin to friendship. There is nothing inappropriate or unhealthy as you may be imagining.”

…Is this when the expression “eyes wide open” is used?

“Chocolat…-chan?”

“What… What’s going on?”

“I… I don’t know either!”

The confusion spread rapidly. Everyone in the room was in a state of utter bewilderment due to Chocolat’s sudden and dramatic change in demeanor.

“Kanade-san, is something wrong?”

Chocolat tilted her head lightly beside me and smiled gently.

“Something wrong you say…?”

That smile was nothing like her usual carefree one—it was calm, and even carried a hint of grace and intelligence.

“Is there something on my face?”

“…No, nothing’s on your face. But who exactly are you?”

“I’m Chocolat.”

“No, no… You’re more… well, how should I put this? You used to speak in a more casual, soft, almost hiragana-like way, right…?”

Chocolat looked into my eyes and smiled once more.

“Yes, you’re right. I suppose it’s confusing if I suddenly speak like this. Let me explain in order.”

She had golden hair that sparkled brightly, a small, animal-like face, and a compact frame.

The person standing before me was, without a doubt, Chocolat. But the atmosphere around her felt completely different—like she was a completely different person.

“This morning, I woke up on the floor. Judging by the circumstances, it seems I must have fallen off the bed while I was asleep.”

When I tried to wake her up, she was still sleeping on the bed, so this must have happened afterward. Well, given Chocolat’s usual chaotic sleeping habits, falling off the bed wasn’t unusual.

“I seem to have hit my head hard during the fall, and the shock caused a terrible headache. However, it wasn’t severe enough to stop me from going to school, but my condition didn’t improve at all. In fact, I started to feel faint, and it started to affect other parts of my body.”

Her face turned red, and I remembered her saying something about not feeling hungry back then. But even then, she still seemed like her usual self…

“Looking back, I think this was the first sign of me returning to my original self. However, at that point, my memory hadn’t come back yet. There must have been a final trigger that I was missing.”

“Trigger?”

At that point, Chocolat blushed again and nodded lightly.

“Yes… it was when Kanade-san… um… hugged me. For a moment, my body felt hot, and I was overwhelmed by a sensation like an electric current running through my head… If I had to put it into words, it felt like a shock therapy… By the time I came to, my memory had returned.”

“Your memory… returned?”

“Yes.”

…Now that I think about it, Chocolat had lost her memory. Because of that, she hadn’t been able to get any information about the options, and it was frustrating.

“Kanade-san, I am truly sorry for the disgraceful way I acted up until now. I will do my best to redeem myself, so please forgive my rude behavior until now.”

She bowed deeply and respectfully.

…Wait, wait, wait. Is the Chocolat I knew until now not the real Chocolat, and the person standing before me now is the true Chocolat?

Even if she suddenly says that, there’s no way I can accept it so easily.

Chocolat then turned to face our classmates.

“Everyone must be surprised by this sudden change, but this is the real me. Please forgive me for my overly familiar behavior up until now. And, if you don’t mind, please continue to get along with me as you did before.”

She smiled at everyone, and they froze, looking completely bewildered. Well, that makes sense. It’s not something you can just accept all of a sudden.

As the class atmosphere turned awkwardly still, Yukihira walked over to me.

“…Amakusa-kun, should I take this as a new form of roleplay?”

“No, no, no… Honestly, I don’t understand what’s going on either.”

“So, this is part of the setting, huh?”

“No, that’s not it! Why are you talking like it’s some kind of shady establishment?”

“Dear customer, any further extensions will incur additional charges.”

“Who the hell are you!?”

“Our store’s motto is ‘Love can be bought with money.'”

“Seriously, who are you!?”

“Apologies, but could the scum of humanity please keep quiet for a moment?”

“How rude⁉”

What’s going on… Yukihira is radiating even more of a nasty aura than before.

“Yukihira… Are you mad or something?”

“Mad? I, ‘the radiant smile of the great goddess of light,’ have no such emotions.”

“I’ve never heard of that once…”

“Ara, didn’t you remember? When you were naked and said, ‘Shall we dance?’ I smiled and forgave you, didn’t I?”

“Don’t make up such an absurd lie!”

“Sorry. Was it when you were naked and asked, ‘Shall we eat whitefish while dancing?'”

“Your invitations are way too aggressive!”

“Well, I may have exaggerated a little when I said I have no negative emotions. Let me correct myself—there are only three negative emotions that exist in me.”

“Three?”

“Yes, I’ve only ever felt ‘greed, viciousness, and insecurity’ in my heart since I was born.”

“What a terrible life!”

“Amakusa-kun, it’s your bad habit to immediately get worked up and raise your voice.”

“Who do you think is making me do that!?”

“See? You’re getting angry again. Maybe you should go suck on a cow’s udder to calm down.”

“Why can’t you just say ‘drink milk’ normally!?”

“Ara, milk has no effect on calming down anger.”

“Why even bring that up!?”

“The act of sucking on a cow’s udder itself is an unmatched form of healing for you, Amakusa-kun.”

“That’s going too far, you freak!”

This is hopeless… As usual, I can’t take this anymore. I turn back toward Chocolat, feeling utterly fed up.

Chocolat, who had been silently watching our exchange until now, showed a slight expression as if deep in thought, then nodded as though she had come to an understanding.

“My relationship with both of you was still lingering in my memory, but witnessing it firsthand… I was a bit confused. I see now. This is how you both express your affection for each other, isn’t it?”

“No, affection—what are you—”

“A-Affection!?”

…Huh? Did I just hear an unusually cute voice from behind?

“…Yukihira, was that just now your voice?”

“…What are you talking about?”

When I turned around, it was the usual expressionless Yukihira standing there.

“No, I definitely heard a cute voice just now…”

There weren’t any other girls around Yukihira in that direction…

“…That doesn’t matter, but could you please not look at me like I’m some ‘rotten girl’ who fantasizes about a ‘rotting sea bream × decaying mackerel’ pairing while choking on tofu and dying, only to have her corpse thrown into the sea to rot and zombify, with eyes full of despair and decay?”

“How much are you rotting!?”

The content was as absurd as usual, but somehow, Yukihira’s voice seemed to be trembling… Was it just me?

“Huh? Your face is a little red, isn’t it?”

“⁉”

For a brief moment, Yukihira’s expression shifted to one of shock, and right after that, a murderous aura filled her eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Yukihira’s fists formed into a “choki” shape, both of them thrusting straight toward my eyeballs.

She—she wants to crush my eyes.

I have to dodge! But my body can’t keep up with my thoughts. It’s like those moments in manga when the thought speeds up, and everything else moves in slow motion.

N-no, I can’t! I have to at least close my eyes—

“Ugh… huh?”

Since there was no impact, I slowly opened my eyes. Yukihira’s fingers had stopped just short of my eyeballs.

“…Yukihira?”

Yukihira remained frozen for a moment, then, a few seconds later, sighed softly and lowered her hand.

“…Excuse me.”

“Hey, Yukihira…”

She abruptly said that and turned her back, walking off… What the hell was that?

Well, Yukihira acting strange is pretty normal at this point, but this was just too weird. I tilted my head in confusion, and for some reason, Chocolat muttered softly, sounding a little lonely.

“Furano-san and Kanade-san’s relationship… I envy it.”

“Huh? Envy? That just now?”

It was full of strong insults, the lowest form of humor, and, to top it off, absurd violence. There’s not a single thing in that exchange that could be considered enviable.

“Yes, when Kanade-san talks with Furano-san, you seem so natural and lively.”

Well, I just get tired trying to keep up with her…

“As someone with only the ability to serve wholeheartedly, I can never communicate with Kanade-san in such an open way.”

That’s true. The only high school girl in Japan who could manage to volley such crude humor would probably be her.

“So when I see exchanges like that right in front of me…”

Chocolat fidgeted with her feet, looking down, her cheeks turning red.

“What’s wrong?”

She whispered in a barely audible voice.

“Well… just a little… I feel a bit… jealous.”

…Seriously, who are you, at this point of time?