Chapter 14

Because of staying up late last night, I could hardly focus during class. After dozing my way through the lesson, I noticed a message on my phone.

“I need advice. After school, come to the Public Morals Committee’s classroom.”

The sender was Asuka Madame, the opposing candidate in the election who I’d recently exchanged contact info with.

Chuckling wryly, I slid the phone back into my pocket and hurried over to the committee’s room.

When I slid open the classroom door, Madame was standing alone inside.

“You came.”

“I’ve been waiting. This is an emergency.”

She sounded flustered, her usual composure nowhere to be seen.

“What happened?”

“Sousuke was confessed to by a girl.”

No wonder she was panicking. Her words tumbled out in a rush, her breathing ragged.

“After school, he was called out behind the gym. If it really is a confession, this is bad. If Sousuke accepts, I’ll die!”

“Okay, okay. Calm down first.”

I raised my hand as if soothing a horse. With me there, she seemed to regain some composure, taking a deep breath before bowing her head.

“I’m sorry. I lost control of myself.”

Well, if the person you liked was being confessed to, no one could stay calm.

“Still, this can’t be the first time Kuze has been confessed to, right?”

In my opinion, Kuze was popular. He had a neat appearance, an average but likable face, and a certain charisma. There was no way he wasn’t popular.

“Yes, but up until now Sousuke has rejected every single confession. But the thought of ‘what if’ terrifies me.”

The iron-faced Public Morals Committee president having this girlish side was unexpected—and honestly, a little cute. But I couldn’t prevent Kuze from being confessed to. 

All I could do was hope he rejects it.

“If you don’t want someone else to take him, why not confess first?”

“If he rejects me, I’ll never recover. Besides, every single girl who has confessed so far has been turned down.”

Would knowing his reason for rejecting confessions give her peace of mind?

“Then let’s go confirm it. I’ll go with you.”

“You mean spying on the confession?”

“That’s the only way. If it helps you feel better, I’ll tag along.”

After a brief hesitation, Madame bowed.

“Please.”

We left the classroom and headed behind the gym—a classic confession spot. 

Hiding in the shadows, we waited for Kuze. Before long, he appeared. Soon after, the girl showed up.

“Kuze-kun, thank you for coming.”

“No problem. So, what did you want to say?”

“Um… I’ve liked you for a long time. If you don’t have anyone, would you go out with me?”

As expected, it was a confession. Next to me, I heard Madame swallow hard. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her biting her lip.

“Sorry. I can’t go out with you.”

Kuze rejected her flatly, without hesitation.

“Can I ask why?”

“There’s someone I like.”

“…I see. Alright, I understand.”

The girl turned and walked away, what looked like tears glimmering in her eyes.

Kuze sighed as he watched her leave, then raised his voice sharply.

“You there hiding, come out.”

So he’d noticed us spying. I held Madame back and stepped out alone, smiling bitterly.

“Anjou-kun. That’s a bad habit, sneaking around.”

“I just happened to be here. When I saw you come by, I panicked and hid.”

“…Fine. But don’t tell anyone what you saw here.”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I can keep my mouth shut. Still, I didn’t expect you to have someone you like.”

“I’m also a high schooler. Of course I’d have someone.”

“What kind of person is it?”

“No reason I should tell you.”

As expected, he wasn’t going to spill easily. If I had even a clue, I could’ve told whether Madame had a chance. But pressing further wasn’t wise, after all I didn’t know him well enough to know what might anger him.

“Anyway, my bad. I’ll forget what I saw.”

“See that you do. I’ll be going.”

With that, Kuze left. I returned to Madame, who was standing frozen, dazed. I patted her shoulder.

“Well, at least he rejected her.”

“But… he said he has someone he likes.”

So she hadn’t known that. No wonder she looked shaken at this new piece of information.

I ruffled her hair lightly.

“There’s always the chance that person is you.”

“No way. I’ve known him too long. I can tell—Sousuke doesn’t see me as the opposite sex.”

I couldn’t bring myself to argue. When you’ve known someone for that long, you sometimes really can tell.

Taking her hand, I led her back to the classroom.

“…it’s impossible,” she muttered, her eyes dull and her shoulders slumping.

I struggled to think of what to say. But in the first place, she hadn’t planned on confessing right now. Her entire reason for making “no romance” an election pledge was to stop Kuze from getting a girlfriend. And since he’d accepted that rule, it meant he wasn’t intending to date anyway.

“Maybe that ‘someone he likes’ thing was just a bluff.”

“A bluff?”

“You guys made a pledge of no romance, right? Then maybe he means he won’t be dating while in school, simple as that.”

“…That does make sense.”

Light returned to her eyes.

“At the very least, it’s too soon to give up. Weren’t you planning to play the long game anyway? Stick with it a little longer.”

“…You’re right. Thank you.”

Seems like she’d recovered. I wasn’t experienced in comforting girls, but this was probably good enough.

Standing up, she bowed to me.

“Let me treat you to something as thanks.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“I’ll be relying on you again, so think of it as advance payment.”

I didn’t really need it, but refusing might wound her pride.

“Alright, fine. Family restaurant, then?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

After locking up the classroom, we left the school.

At the family restaurant, Madame held the door open for me.

“Isn’t that usually the guy’s job?”

“I don’t think kindness has a gender.”

We stepped inside together, were shown to our seats, and opened the menus. I settled on a reasonably priced hamburger steak and signaled to her. She nodded, so I rang the bell to call the waiter.

“A hamburger steak, please.”

“I’ll have the pasta. And some fries as well.”

Once we’d ordered, we both sipped our water. Then Madame fixed her gaze on me and sighed softly.

“You’re kind, Anjou-kun.”

“Am I? I think I’m normal.”

“You listened to my worries even though we barely know each other.”

“Most guys would be happy if a girl asked them for help.”

“…But I don’t sense any ulterior motive from you.”

She stared at me intently, her sharp eyes behind her glasses seeming to pierce through me. Flustered, I had to look away.

“…I’m bad with girls. I guess you could say I’m halfway to being distrustful of women.”

I couldn’t dodge her gaze and ended up confessing that much. Hearing it, she murmured, “I see,” and her expression softened.

“So you’re afraid of letting people get too close.”

Her words struck right at my core, making my face flush. I’d never told anyone this before—not even Yuina. There was something about Madame… she had this strange insight.

“…So, are you a virgin?”

She lowered her voice to ask, and I nearly spat out my water, coughing.

“Didn’t expect you to ask that kind of thing.”

“I just felt like teasing you.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but no. I’ve some experience.”

“E-eh… I-I see…”

Her face turned bright red. That clearly wasn’t the answer she’d been expecting. She glanced at me shyly and asked in a small voice:

“Um… have you ever actually dated someone?”

Since she was in love with Kuze, she probably wanted to hear about love from someone with experience. Unfortunately, I’d never had a girlfriend. And I knew lying would only complicate things. After some hesitation, I decided to be honest.

“No, I’ve never dated.”

“What? But you said you’re not a virgin… w-wait, what?”

She looked bewildered. It probably wasn’t the kind of thing a straight-laced girl like her could process easily, but I told her the truth anyway.

“I had a sex friend.”

“S-sex… pffft!”

She nearly choked in shock. I watched with a bitter smile.

“How shameless…”

She looked up at me through flushed cheeks.

“Yeah, probably. But I’m still a high school guy. Distrustful of women or not, I still have sexual desires.”

“B-but… doing that without even dating…”

It was clearly beyond her common sense. She kept sneaking glances at me, struggling to comprehend.

“…How often did you do it?”

“Two or three times a week.”

“That often!?”

“Well, we are at that stage, after all.”

Her ears were burning red, but she kept asking, maybe out of pure curiosity.

“Um… what do boys think about girls who are virgins?”

Looks like she mustered her courage for that one.

“They like it. I’ve heard guys want to be the first for the girl they love.”

“…But isn’t it embarrassing, being inexperienced?”

“Well, technique-wise maybe. But still—”

Sure, first-timers were awkward at everything. Even Yuina had been clumsy her first time.

While I was recalling that, Madame suddenly dropped a bomb.

“Then… would you let me practice with you?”