The Most Beautiful Girl in School Has Become a Mother - Chapter 6: Negotiation Success and Explanation Conditions

“The negotiation is successful.”

The next day’s lunch break, Shinya whispered those words as we passed each other in the hallway.

Probably, it was an imitation of some movie. I think he just wanted to do something like that. It’s that kind of age.

By the way, it seems that Shinya has successfully negotiated with Imiya-san’s side. There shouldn’t have been any connection between Imiya-san and Shinya, so how he managed to negotiate and coordinate remains a mystery.

However, it seemed that I was given a chance to explain myself. The time was today after school, and the place was the rooftop. Apparently, the judgment would be made there.

For now, Shinya told me to gather my words carefully so there are no misunderstandings. No doubt about it. This time, to avoid saying something strange out of nervousness, it seems better to think about what I should say to some extent in my head.

And, in a way, this could be seen as an opportunity for me.

Shuri doesn’t seem to have any intention of giving up on “Mom” for a while, so let’s try asking if she can meet her just once. I don’t know what exactly Shuri is misunderstanding to call Imiya-san “Mom,” but I’m sure she’d be satisfied if she could meet her just once.

Perhaps, she just wanted an older sister to play with. In that case, one might wonder why Kijima-san, the nursery teacher, isn’t good enough, but we shouldn’t worry about that right now. Sometimes, it’s necessary to turn a blind eye to inconvenient truths in order to live.

I put aside my classes and thought about an explanation for Imiya-san. During class, I felt like Imiya-san was glancing at me occasionally, but now I just made sure not to make eye contact. If I were to be suspiciously cautious now and miss the opportunity to explain myself, it would be all for nothing. I absolutely cannot afford to lose this chance.

And then──finally, it was after school. Since Imiya-san had hurriedly left the classroom first, she was probably heading to the rooftop.

“Alright, let’s go. Is that explanation going to be enough?”

“It’s okay, no problem.”

While answering Shinya’s question with bated breath, we headed to the rooftop.

“Wait, hold on. Are you coming too?”

He came up the stairs together as if it were the most natural thing, so I hurriedly asked.

Hearing my friends explain my “become my mom” comment is just too embarrassing.

“Sorry, but that’s the condition.”

“Conditions?”

“Yeah. To her, she even has stalker suspicions. It’s dangerous to be alone with a guy like you, so we agreed to bring intermediaries from both sides. Is that a problem?”

“Well, um… it’s not good, but…”

Am I really being that much of a threat? That’s a bit harsh. I’m already feeling like I’m about to break.

“Oh, the one who is suspicious isn’t Imiya herself, but that intermediary over there. She’s the one I asked for a chance to explain myself. I hardly have any connection with Imiya herself either.”

“I see, so that’s how it is. You asked Imiya-san’s friend for help, huh?”

“That’s how it is. Even so, I really pushed and negotiated for your sake. It was impossible to go any further. After all, that person’s defenses were tough.”

Perhaps, he really put in a lot of effort. I have good friends.

It was worth treating him to a 500 yen savory bread as a reward. Thanks to that, I ended up having only cream bread for lunch today, but this time, it was an unavoidable expense.

Moreover, the fact that Imiya-san herself doesn’t suspect me of being a stalker also relieved me. If she had thought that, it would have been hopeless.

──Speaking of which, she tried to talk to me yesterday too, didn’t she?

Perhaps she also wanted to make some kind of contact with me. If we meet, everything will be clear.

“By the way, who is the agent over there?”

“Well, it’s someone you know too.”

“You’ll find out soon enough”, Shinya shrugged and said.

According to Shinya, he doesn’t know how much Imiya-san herself is wary of me. However, her female friends around her are wary of me.

The reason is that the people around me, judging by the fact that I’m still trying to talk to Imiya-san even after being rejected, think I’m on the verge of becoming a stalker. It’s only natural for them to be wary of me.

──I really hope my past life wasn’t a boss troll child. I feel like I might get tackled off the roof.

While I was thinking such ominous things, I climbed the stairs and finally reached the rooftop. The rusty iron door leading to the rooftop felt heavier than usual, and the sound of the iron scraping echoed down to the lower floors.

When I opened the door, an orange light enveloped my vision, and I instinctively closed my eyes. The evening sky spread out in an extraordinarily beautiful display, momentarily making me forget that I was about to make an explanation. The spring breeze blew against my face, and the sunset felt brighter than usual.

As I squinted and slowly opened my eyes, there were two high school girls waiting for us.

One of them is Imiya Miori, who is said to be the most beautiful girl at Hijiri High School. She is, after all, one of the parties involved.

She held her long black hair flowing in the wind with her hand and bowed her head apologetically with a troubled expression.

I hurriedly bowed my head in return. I didn’t expect her to look at me so intently, so just that made my heart race.

And the other one, fortunately, wasn’t the boss troll girl. It was a girl with a short bob.

I knew her. She was Suzuta Momone from the same class. She was a fun girl known by the nickname Sumomo.

Sumomo has a short bob and strikingly bright eyes, making her a cute and lively girl. It’s probably rare to find a girl with such a great first impression. Sumomo is also the class’s bundle of energy; if Shinya is the boys’ mood maker, she is the girls’ mood maker.

She is basically high-energy and talks to anyone in a friendly manner, so she is popular with both men and women. She is in the same group as Imiya-san, and I’ve seen them talking often, so they must be close. This time, it seems that Shinya asked her through Sumomo.

However, Sumomo, who is usually high-spirited and friendly to anyone, is now giving me a look full of suspicion.

“You’re here, stalker man!”

Sumomo pointed sharply at me with eyes full of hostility.

Without even being allowed to explain myself, suddenly being called a stalker… that seems a bit harsh. I feel like crying.

“Hey, hey, Sumomo. That’s why I’m telling you it’s a misunderstanding.”

Shinya steps in to mediate with a look of exasperation.

Perhaps, the same exchange has been repeated many times since yesterday.

“Who knows! All the guys who go after Mi-chan are beasts!”

Like a cat ready to pounce, she glares at me with a “hiss!” Scary.

“Hey, Momo-chan! That way of speaking is rude, you know!”

Regarding Sumomo’s attitude, Imiya-san also expressed her criticism.

It seems that Sumomo calls Imiya-san “Mi-chan.” Since her name is Miori, Mi-chan, huh? In contrast, Imiya-san seems to call her “Momo-chan.” The way they call each other with different nicknames shows how close they are.

Sumomo pouted her lips in discontent and said, “Ehh, but…”

“I’m sorry, Sanada-kun. I’ve told Momo-chan many times that it’s not true…”

Imiya-san furrowed her brows apologetically and spoke to me.

“No, it’s okay. I came to clear up any misunderstandings, including that.”

I show a smile to Imiya-san and nod.

Thanks to the fact that she was still properly talking to me, I felt a bit better. At this rate, it doesn’t seem like she’ll run away like she did the day before yesterday.

Or rather, it feels like I’m the one fighting with Sumomo. What kind of situation is this?

──Ah… could it be that she hasn’t told Sumomo the details of what happened?

I thought they might talk about it since they’re good friends, but it seems like she’s holding back for my sake, perhaps out of consideration for my pride.

“Hmph! I still don’t trust you! If you come up with a lame excuse, I’ll kick you out without a second thought!”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t threaten the suspect.”

“Who is the suspect, who?!”

Shinya’s follow isn’t completely even a follow, and I can’t help but interject.

When I’m told like this, it makes me feel like I’ve really done something wrong. Well, I do think I’ve done something slightly wrong, but I don’t think it’s to the extent of being told off like this.

“Well, um… for now, um, there are various misunderstandings.”

I sighed, set the stage, and then continued.

“I made some mistakes in my words too, and I might have confused you, and maybe even scared you a bit. So, I want to explain things properly first. After you hear my side of the story, it’s up to you to decide what to do… For now, could you at least listen to what I have to say?”

I gaze firmly at Imiya-san and convey it like that.

At that moment, she made a slightly startled face and, for some reason, straightened her back while saying, “Y-yes!” in a polite manner.

I didn’t understand why she was acting that way, but for now, I read aloud the explanation I had written in my head.