The Charm of the Popular Beautiful Succubus in Class Doesn't Work on Me ~ For Some Reason, This Beauty Keeps Trying to Hold My Hand ~ - 50

Chapter 50: Man up and Make Your Decision

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Clink.

Splash.

Swish!

Kokubun and I had come to a public bath near our school. This place was a famous deluxe public bath in Hiroshima, known for its open-air baths with natural hot spring water and its sauna with löyly service.

But wow… Deluxe public baths are amazing, huh…

It felt like I could refresh both my body and mind, as if I had stepped into another world away from the noise of everyday life. Whenever we wanted to have a men-only conversation, Kokubun and I had made it a habit to come here. I had been meaning to talk to him anyway, and as luck would have it, Kokubun was covering the cost today as an apology for what had happened at the family restaurant.

No complaints from me though.

Honestly, if he didn’t do at least this much, the pain from that day wouldn’t be worth it at all. Ever since that day, I felt like Akanashi had been glaring at me every single day, and on top of that, I was the one who had fronted the bill for the drink bar.

“You got 33rd place? That means we’re almost the same, huh?”

Kokubun let out an impressed voice when he heard my final exam ranking.

“Keep your voice down! Don’t go announcing my ranking to the entire public bath. What about you, Kokubun?”

“28th. I thought it was a decent result, but realizing that I’m almost at the same level as you is kinda shocking.”

Kokubun splashed the water around in frustration, looking genuinely upset.

“I really went all out studying this time.”

“Sarashina’s power is terrifying.”

“I agree. It’s all thanks to Kisaara. She stuck with me every day to teach me.”

“By the way, what rank did Sarashina get?”

“She’s first in the grade again.”

“Sarashina’s a genius, huh. Not only did she raise your ranking by over 150 places, but she still kept her own spot at the top.”

“Just calling her a ‘genius’ feels kind of disrespectful. Kisaara really puts in the effort. She even sacrificed her sleep every night to study.”

As I spaced out, staring at the painting of Mount Fuji on the public bath’s wall, I pictured the image of Kisara completely absorbed in her textbooks.

“…You’ve changed, haven’t you?”

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, even if Sarashina was helping you study, you were never the type to work this hard.”

“I can do it when I have to.”

“And this was one of those times?”

Kokubun, annoyingly perceptive, wiped the sweat from his forehead while giving me a knowing smirk.

“Well, in the end, I guess this time really was ‘one of those times.'”

“In the end?”

“I made a promise to Kisara.”

“What kind of promise?”

“She said that if I ranked within the top 50 on this test, she’d grant me one wish.”

I then told Kokubun about everything that had happened with Kisara recently.

Of course, that included the whole ‘pretending to be a couple’ thing, the agreement about ‘until summer break starts,’ and Kisaara and Akanashi’s past too. I left nothing out.

Kisaara might get mad if she found out I told Kokubun about her past, but even so, I wanted him to hear it…. Because I wanted his advice. That was how much I trusted and respected Kokubun.

Kokubun, despite this being completely unrelated to the matter between me and Kisara, listened more seriously than ever. Still, seeing that he wasn’t too surprised, I got the feeling he had already input Kisara and Akanashi’s info into his personal ‘Kokubun Database’ before our meeting today.

“‘Shibuya-senpai,’ huh… Life sure has a funny way of connecting things…”

Kokubun muttered, staring at the ceiling.

“When Kisara first told me, it didn’t click, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. That ‘Shibuya-senpai’ who transferred from the city…”

Kokubun was probably remembering that incident—the one where I ended up with a serious injury. For once, his usual carefree attitude was gone, replaced by a solemn expression, as if he was suppressing his emotions. I watched him, deep in thought.

“What? Quit staring at me like that. It’s creepy.”

“…Nah, I was just wondering if I said something that made you think too hard again.”

Kokubun let out a small sigh.

“…So, what do you want to do?”

“…Huh?”

“You extended the whole ‘couple act’ until the fireworks festival. There’s no way you haven’t thought about it.”

So, he really does see right through everything…

“I…”

“Well, since you got yourself a grace period, take your time figuring it out. You don’t have to tell me your answer right now.”

Even though Kokubun said that, I couldn’t keep my feelings bottled up. I had come to see him today for exactly that reason.

Without looking at me, Kokubun just gave the occasional nod, listening quietly as I spoke.

“At first, when Kisara started messing with me, I was like, ‘What the hell is with this girl?’ Sure, she’s cute, but her personality is awful. She’s completely selfish. If I could, I would’ve rather avoided her altogether. That was my first impression of Kisara.”

“I see.”

“But, you know, as I spent more time with Kisara, I started to see her serious side, her delicate side, and her girlish side bit by bit. And as we talked about all sorts of things, I realized that even Kisara, the class idol, had her own worries and a lot of things she endured. I think it was around then… that I started to understand her little by little, and began to see her as a ‘girl’…”

“I see.”

“At that time, I hadn’t sorted out my feelings. Even when Kisara was surrounded by the guys in class, it wasn’t because I liked her that I stepped in to protect her or anything like that. I just… I simply couldn’t leave her alone. That was all.”

“I see.”

“But as we kept ‘pretending to be a couple,’ I started to feel that being with Kisara was fun. I started hoping this time could last forever and I wanted to be her real boyfriend. At some point, without realizing it, I had fallen for Kisara.”

“I see.”

“Kisara is really cute, fashionable, sharp-tongued but kind, and she takes everything seriously. She’s like the perfect girl straight out of a picture. But… At some point… I started thinking that someone like me could never be a good match for her…”

“…………”

“And then, after hearing about Kisara’s and Akanashi’s past… I found out that Kisara had a painful past, that she had been hurt so much, that she even called herself a demon who ruins people’s lives… And I started wondering if I could really be the one to support her…”

“Hey, Michihito.”

“…………”

“Why are you getting cold feet now? You earned your spot in the top 50 of our grade through your own hard work, right? That means you’re more than qualified to stand beside Sarashina. And like I’ve told you countless times, anyone with working eyes could see that you and Sarashina are obviously into each other. Have a little more confidence in yourself.”

“Do you really think so…?”

“Man, you’re more timid than I expected. Did you come to me just because you wanted someone to push you forward?”

“That’s not really it, but…”

“You saw Sarashina and Akanashi talking the other day, right? Did that look like an act to you? I swear, Sarashina’s intensity almost made me piss myself. The way she radiated that ‘Don’t you dare lay a hand on my Michihito-kun’ energy was insane. I seriously thought, man, women are terrifying.”

“But that might have just been part of the ‘pretend couple’ act…”

Kokubun let out a deep sigh.

“I’ll say this clearly, Michihito.”

“…………”

“How long are you going to keep using this ‘pretend couple’ thing as an excuse? Sure, as long as you have that excuse, you can stay by each other’s side without worrying about your actual feelings. You don’t have to think about your own emotions or Sarashina’s feelings, and that makes things easier, right?”

Saying that, Kokubun paused for a moment.

“But that’s not right… Michihito. I get it, you’re scared of getting rejected. You’re afraid that even your current relationship with her might fall apart.”

“…Yeah.”

“Even so, you love Sarashina, don’t you?”

“…Yeah.”

“She’s always on your mind, isn’t she?”

“…Yeah.”

“You’ve thought long and hard about your feelings and hers, and this is the conclusion you’ve reached, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“There’s no lie in your feelings for her, is there?”

“…Yeah.”

“Then man up and make your decision. And go grab those massive tits of hers while you’re at it.”

With that, Kokubun lightly knocked his fist against my chest.

I knew it. I had known for a long time. I love Kisara. I want her to be my real girlfriend.  Kokubun… seriously, thank you. You always give me the courage I need.

“…Kokubun.”

“Yeah…?”

“I’m going to confess to Kisara at the fireworks festival.”

“I already told you, I don’t need to hear your answer. Just keep that to yourself.”

Saying that, Kokubun met my gaze and smirked. After that, the two of us kept talking passionately about everything until we both got lightheaded from the heat.

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