The Story of How I, a Guy Who Couldn’t Care Less About School Castes, Somehow Ended Up Making All the Five-Star Gals Fall for Me - Chapter 24; Interlude 05

Interlude 05: Venus’s Contradiction

“What on earth was I doing…”

After forcing him to leave first, I stayed behind in the empty classroom, muttering bitterly to myself.

A flood of unfamiliar emotions welled up inside me, so close to self-loathing it was unsettling.

It felt like I wasn’t even myself anymore—everything just sat wrong.

“…And I even went as far as showing bare legs.”

I glanced down at the legs sticking out from my skirt.

Why did most girls have no problem baring theirs? To me it felt horribly unstable.

With just this flimsy strip of cloth around my waist, anyone could’ve seen my underwear at the slightest slip. No wonder I couldn’t relax.

“I even bothered putting on makeup… what a waste.”

Things hadn’t gone according to plan, but the result wasn’t all bad.

I’d assumed he liked Hari—but from what he said, that wasn’t the case.

More than that, it seemed Ikoi Kizuki wasn’t directing his feelings toward anyone right now, which meant there was no real risk of him wrecking our friendship circle.

That thought left me relieved… and yet, for some reason, also oddly dissatisfied.

“…Wait, why am I even feeling dissatisfied?”

The reaction rising inside me was something I couldn’t control.

“When I actually cleaned myself up… he really did compliment me.”

Hearing those words straight from him had made me genuinely happy as a woman.

“But still—Hari’s opened her heart to him, Hinawa’s practically glued to him, and even Miyu’s gotten clingy… and yet Kizuki-shi hasn’t budged. That’s some steel willpower.”

A boy who shrugs off the whole caste thing… that’s scary.

To spend every day surrounded by girls that beautiful and still not fall for any of them—just how detached from romance could he be?

At the same time, the fact that he treated us not for our looks or our social standing, but simply as individuals… that made me genuinely like him.

“I’d meant to push him out before it was too late, but honestly…”

Part of the haze in my chest came from how he’d turned me down.

If he had accepted my offer back then, how would I have changed?

“…Maybe I should’ve just admitted I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Keeping up a spur-of-the-moment lie forever was such a hassle.

If I’d told him I was actually single, would his reaction have been different?

Even if it meant betraying my best friends and sneaking ahead of them—

Just imagining it made heat stir deep inside me.

“No! I only gave him that warning for Hari’s sake—for everyone’s sake! Nothing more, nothing less!”

Even as I tried to defend myself, the heat I’d become aware of refused to cool down.

“…Honestly, everyone’s starting to notice him.”

Each of us had shown signs of falling for him, and that was why I’d acted on my own this time.

With Ikoi Kizuki around, our four-girl friendship circle would inevitably change.

Before that happened, I’d wanted to return things to the way they used to be.

“Trying to keep an eye on both friendship and romance… it’s exhausting.”

I couldn’t help but grumble.

The truth was, I really did treasure my bond with the other three.

And yet, at the same time, I’d come to genuinely enjoy my easy, no-pressure conversations with him.

That was the tricky part.

Before, I would’ve chosen friendship without hesitation. But now… part of me wanted to claim him for myself, even if it meant being disliked a little.

Still, throwing everything away and acting only on selfish desire—losing my friends for that—felt far too costly.

“I’m the one who said it, didn’t I? That the status quo was enough.”

And yet here I was, facing the contradiction in my own heart.

It was enough—or at least it should have been. But somehow, it wasn’t satisfying anymore.

Even when I made that outrageous offer, he didn’t lash out. He stayed calm, steady, and genuine. 

That straightforward sincerity of his… it was something I couldn’t help but trust.

“Seriously, he doesn’t leave a single opening.”

Most of the time he came off like a dim lantern in broad daylight, but when it mattered, he never missed a beat. If he always showed that kind of insight, he’d strip our hearts bare in no time.

“Damn it… am I really sinking into the swamp too?”

I’d planned to push him away—

But instead, I was the one digging my own grave, slipping deeper and deeper into it.