Chapter 70: The Rejection

This date started with a fashion disaster that could easily rank as one of the worst punishment games ever, followed by her bawling her eyes out after mistaking my words for a marriage proposal. She’s been going full throttle since before the date even began, but so far, it’s been… peaceful. For now.

“H-hey, Sakamoto-kun…”
“Yes?”

Is this really the same person who was screaming and crying just moments ago? Clutching my sleeve and glancing around nervously, she looks like a timid little animal now.

“Do you think people are staring at us? I feel like someone’s watching me…”

Oh, now she’s self-conscious? Did she seriously think she could blend in with that outfit? And let’s not forget the meltdown earlier—pretty sure every passerby noticed that. Someone might’ve even filmed it. If this ends up on social media, I’m doomed.

“Maybe they’re just charmed by how cute you look, holding onto my sleeve like that?”
“Ah, so this is what they mean by ‘warm gazes,’ huh?”
“Exactly.”

It’s more like arctic glares, but no need to point that out. My goal is to get through this date without triggering another breakdown. No sudden moves. None.

“Hey… wanna go to the park?”

The gap between her appearance and her personality is wild. She looks like someone who’s been around the block, but she suggests a park date?

“Sure, that sounds nice.”
“Sorry. I just… need to get away from all these eyes. My heart can’t take it.”

A gambling-obsessed gyaru with crippling social anxiety? Who’d have thought? Honestly, if it weren’t for the curse—and her fashion sense—this might’ve been a great date.

“Sorry, I’m just… not good with crowds or people staring at me.”

Pretty sure that’s unrelated to the curse, but it’s surprising. She looks like the type who’d thrive in nightclubs or pool parties. Not that I’d know—I’ve never been to either, and I doubt I ever will.

“Did something happen in the past?”
“Nah, not really. It’s just… I’ve always been the type people don’t really gather around, y’know?”

With that face? Okay, maybe this outfit explains it, but at school, Ryu-san’s clearly a social butterfly. I don’t know how she acts in class, but based on looks alone, she’s gotta be near the top of the social ladder.

“Huh. That’s… unexpected.”
“Unexpected, huh? Hey, what kind of games did you play with your friends as a kid?”

Wait, where did that come from? That’s a hard left turn in the conversation.

“Uh, when I was in elementary school, we played tag and stuff… In kindergarten, it was mostly building sandcastles or playing with blocks…”

Ah, nostalgia. Not exactly a high schooler’s usual topic, but those were simpler times. Even without the curse, life was just… better back then. I’d never have the guts to invite a stranger to play now.

“…What about card games?”
“Huh? Oh, like Old Maid or Concentration?”
“Poker, blackjack, baccarat, seven bridge… any of those?”

What’s with the serious choices? We’re talking about kids’ games here. Seven bridge? Most Japanese people haven’t even heard of that. Isn’t it some kind of mahjong-like game?

“I played poker and blackjack maybe once or twice in middle school, but we usually just ended up playing Dai Fugō.”
“What about the stakes?”

…Stakes? Wait, is she talking about gambling?

“We didn’t bet money or anything…”
“Figures. What about mahjong? No stakes either?”

Do high schoolers even play gambling mahjong these days? Maybe back in the early Heisei era, but now?

“I’ve only played online mahjong… and even then, I don’t really know anyone who plays. I’ve lost touch with most of my friends since starting high school.”
“So you didn’t play mahjong in kindergarten or elementary school?”

Not many kids that age play mahjong. Online mahjong’s popular now, so maybe some elementary school kids play, but even that’s rare.

“I doubt many kids even know the rules. And even if they did, they wouldn’t gamble.”

Wait, aren’t we on a date right now? This doesn’t feel like the kind of conversation you’d have while walking to the park, but I guess it’s better than some overly lovey-dovey nonsense.

“Y’know, I knew how to play mahjong and hanafuda by the time I started kindergarten.”
“That’s… pretty advanced for a kid.”

She must’ve been really sharp. At that age, most kids are barely playing Ponjan or Donjara. Heck, I still don’t fully understand hanafuda, and I’m in high school.

“So, of course, I’d invite my friends to play, right? But…”
“They didn’t know the rules?”
“Yeah… And even if I tried to teach them, they wouldn’t listen.”

Well, duh. They’re kindergarteners. They’d probably get bored halfway through the explanation and run off.

“I was just a kid too, so when they wouldn’t listen, I’d start crying.”
“That’s just how kids are.”

Especially girls, right? They’re emotional at that age, though I guess they mellow out by the time they hit upper elementary.

“No one wanted to play hanafuda, mahjong, or poker. Even when I asked the teachers, they’d just hand me a deck of cards for Old Maid.”

Well, those games do have a gambling vibe. And let’s be real, most people don’t even know the rules.

“It’s been like that my whole life. No one wants to gamble with me. Even when they do, it’s like, ten yen. That’s not even real gambling!”

Isn’t that normal for students? Honestly, ten yen’s already generous.

“I got yelled at by the teachers just for bringing mahjong tiles to school. So lame.”
“Well, they’re public servants. Avoiding trouble is their whole thing.”

Also, let’s be real—you were probably trying to gamble, weren’t you? If you got scolded even without money involved, I can kinda see why.

“I get that money’s a personal thing, but penalty games are fair, right? They wouldn’t even do that.”

Isn’t that normal these days? Even betting a juice box feels like a stretch. Unless it’s something quick like rock-paper-scissors, most people won’t bother.

“What about playing without betting? Games like Dai Fugō are fun even without stakes.”
“…That’s boring. No stakes, no adrenaline, no brain juice.”

The shy, innocent act from earlier is gone. She plops down on a bench, legs crossed and elbows resting on the backrest. If it weren’t for the ridiculous outfit, it’d almost look cool.

She stares blankly at the sky, haunted by her past of being ignored. Honestly, with that outfit, she looks like a total weirdo.

“Being treated like a freak all the time… It made me scared to talk to people.”

Does it really get that bad? I mean, yeah, that outfit screams “weirdo,” but wouldn’t you change your behavior after being treated like that? And why keep pushing gambling on people after being rejected so many times?

“Our school’s lenient with girls, so I tried everything… but it just made people avoid me more.”
“…”

She’s had it rough too, huh? Not as bad as me, but still. She’s not a bad person—she just really loves gambling.

“I tried talking to the easy targets… no offense, but the introverted otaku types. I gathered all my courage and everything.”
“…Yeah?”
“And then… they got scared of me. Ahaha, isn’t that hilarious? C’mon, Sakamoto-kun, laugh! I even sat on their desks to make them happy, but… they just looked uncomfortable.”

Yeah, no kidding. A gyaru who looks like she’s at the top of the social ladder suddenly starts hanging around the otaku crowd? Of course they’d freak out. They probably thought she was trying to scam them or something.

“The board game club’s like that too. The other girls are all charming, but even they get avoided.”

Oh, so that’s the kind of group it is… I thought clubs like that were guys-only.

What do I even do here? If I sympathize too much, her affection might skyrocket, and I’ll be in even deeper. But brushing her off feels wrong too. This date’s taking a turn I didn’t expect.

Will I even survive this date? More importantly, will I be able to break off this “relationship”? At this rate, a bloodbath feels inevitable.