Vol 1 Chapter 27 – The Night Before the Tournament

The private card game session among us came to a close.

As always, Kajiwara-kun has a curfew, so with a polite “excuse me,” he left the club room first.

The moment I said, “Guess I’ll pack up my cards and head home, too,” a problem arose.

Hatsune started talking to me, a smirk plastered on her face.

“Chihiro, you said you were entering the card game tournament with Kajiwara-kun, right?”

“Yeah, but when I say tournament, it’s just a small one held at a card shop on the weekend.”

I answered as if to say, What about it?

It was something everyone had known about for a while.

I gave a simple nod—but Hatsune, her smile never faltering, dropped this bombshell.

“In other words, it’s a chance.”

“A chance for what?”

No, seriously, what kind of chance is this?

We’re just two people going to a card shop tournament together. That’s it.

“A chance to advance your relationship!”

“I’ve never heard of a relationship advancing just by playing a card game!”

I shot back at her.

Sure, in the world of card games, a ‘proposal card’ made by the Creator supposedly exists, but it’s not in public circulation.

There was no way our romance was going to develop.

In the first place—

“Hatsune. I told you, didn’t I? I want to welcome Kajiwara-kun warmly as an otaku friend. I don’t want to bring any weird romantic vibes into it.”

“But you like him, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah, I do. I like him, but…”

Honestly, I do like him.

Kajiwara-kun is a good guy.

My heart is overflowing with love for him.

But, still.

At the very least, all I can say is, “it’s still too soon.”

“It’s like this, Hatsune. It’s more my style to confess to Kajiwara-kun right as we’re graduating high school, and then get gently turned down.”

That’s not what I really think.

Now that I have his mother’s approval, I’m thinking like crazy that I might actually have a shot.

But there’s no reason to show that off in front of the club members who don’t know, so that’s what I say out loud.

“Don’t be an idiot.”

Tsk, tsk, tsk…

Hatsune clicked her tongue and let out an annoyed sigh.

“Don’t you want to live out that whole high school romance experience, Chihiro? If it were me, I’d have confessed already. Well, actually, I’d at least ask him out. Too bad he skillfully dodged me, though.”

“Oh, so you were actually serious when you were hitting on him.”

I pursed my lips, exasperated.

Though I guess I knew she was probably serious.

“Nah, I’m good. It’s better for all of us to just have fun with Kajiwara-kun during high school. Confessing at the very end and getting shot down in flames fits our lead-colored youth perfectly.”

Another lie.

I’m planning on succeeding, no matter what.

But if I told Hatsune that his mom gave me her blessing, she’d definitely start saying, “Confess to him today!” so I can’t tell her.

I just can’t share that intel.

“Chihiro. We’re second-years, so we just don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

It’s true that Kajiwara-kun is a first-year, and we’re all second-years.

So what?

What is it that we supposedly don’t get?

“The number of moves being made on Kajiwara-kun, the first-year, is insane. I hear he’s constantly getting pulled aside and talked to during breaks. What are you going to do if someone beats you to it?”

“Seriously? But how would you know something like that, Hatsune?”

We’re otaku.

The only underclassman we have is Kajiwara-kun.

There’s no way she’d be privy to that kind of information.

“Well, I heard it from Kajiwara-kun directly. He said it’s a pain being approached so much.”

“Knowing Kajiwara-kun, he’s probably turning them all down, right?”

“Oh, absolutely. The kind of woman Kajiwara-kun likes is an otaku girl who accepts his hobbies.”

Ping.

Hatsune gave me a thumbs-up and said, as if to spur me on:

“In other words, us. Especially you, Chihiro.”

“Hmm…”

I’m thinking.

I’m thinking it over.

Okay, I can see where Hatsune’s coming from, just a little.

Kajiwara-kun’s preferences are probably just as she says.

“So, what do you get out of hyping me up so much, Hatsune?”

“Honestly? Your happiness is my happiness.”

She said it, looking me dead in the eye.

Hatsune is the type of person to say things like that without batting an eye.

“I mean, yeah, I’d be happy if you’d have me too, as a bonus to you dating Chihiro, you know? But you come first, Chihiro. If you want to date him, you should just say so.”

“No, even so. It’s still too soon.”

I have to repeat myself, but it’s still too soon.

We haven’t deepened our friendship that much yet.

This is the kind of thing you should take your time with.

I want to let it simmer on low heat, developing it from a friendship into something romantic.

“Hatsune. What if he turns me down? He might never come to the club again.”

“Ugh. Can’t you confess half-jokingly, like I do?”

“I can’t.”

I’m not that skillful.

If Hatsune got rejected, she could probably brush it off with a quick “Just kidding, just kidding,” but that’s impossible for me.

It would inevitably become a serious confession.

“Anyway, confessing is impossible right now! His affection level for me isn’t high enough yet!!”

“I think Kajiwara-kun’s affection level for you is already close to maxed out, though? What does everyone else think?”

Hatsune glanced over at the others.

Segawa-chan and Ema thought for a moment with serious expressions on their faces.

“I imagine Kajiwara-kun’s affection level is close to maxed out, but I agree with the President that it’s still too soon. We’re missing far too many event scenes.”

Segawa-chan is talking like she’s in an otome game.

Basically, she’s against it.

“It is unthinkable that President Takahashi would ever be disliked. Therefore, I believe you should press the attack.”

Ema’s talking like a Sengoku-era warlord.

Basically, she’s for it.

One against, one for.

With a result like that, I honestly think now is just a bad time.

“I know I’m repeating myself over and over, but my conclusion is that it’s still too soon, Hatsune. I don’t think I’m ready to risk our current relationship to try and turn it into a romantic one.”

“I really think you could go for it now, though. Well, then, how about we just try to improve his impression of you, even just a little?”

“My impression?”

What does she want me to do?

Sure, I have plans to go out with Kajiwara-kun on the weekend, but this isn’t a date.

It’s pointless to get weirdly self-conscious about it.

“How about picking out the perfect casual outfit?”

“I only have frumpy clothes.”

I’m an otaku.

If I had money for that, I’d buy otaku merch.

That’s just the kind of creature I am.

“Besides, Kajiwara-kun probably doesn’t care about that stuff anyway. The only thing he asks of his fellow otaku is a basic level of cleanliness. I bet he’s the type of person who’d shake hands with a smile even if it was a greasy, slightly overweight older woman. That’s Kajiwara-kun.”

The man I fell for is just that kind of person.

He’s probably indifferent to the fact that I have good looks.

So, no matter how hard Hatsune might try to push things in a romantic direction…

It’s all futile.

Worthless.

Pointless.

“Hmm. So that’s no good, and that’s no good, either, huh? From a girl’s perspective, Kajiwara-kun is a pretty tough nut to crack.”

“It’s more that romantic love is an extremely low priority for him. In Kajiwara-kun’s case, he’s looking for an otaku friend more than a girlfriend.”

I know Hatsune is trying to support my love life out of pure goodwill.

I get that.

But I’m also acting based on my own understanding of Kajiwara-kun.

There’s no point in dragging this conversation on any longer.

“I’m thinking about this and acting in my own way. It’s a fact that I like Kajiwara-kun, and I’d like for us to be in that kind of relationship. But my conclusion is that it’s still way too soon.”

I stated my conclusion plainly.

Hatsune pursed her lips, then sighed.

“Al-right, I get it. Well, whatever happens, good luck at the card game tournament. Go and collect some of those event scenes for your Kajiwara-kun conquest.”

“I’m not so sure about that game-like mindset of yours, you know.”

Whatever the case, I managed to get Hatsune to back down.

Nodding as if to say, That’s settled, I packed up my cards.

Still, just the two of us with Kajiwara-kun on the weekend, huh.

I don’t think of it as a date in the slightest, but after Hatsune said all that, I can’t help but be conscious of it.

I wonder what Kajiwara-kun thinks.

Does he really just see me as another one of his otaku friends?

Or does he, maybe just a little, see me as a girl?

Mulling these thoughts over, I took out the key to lock up the club room.