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 33 & 34: I Like Ikoi | Let It All Out!

Chapter 33: I Like Ikoi

The rain came down like it was the middle of the rainy season.

It was already a gloomy Monday, and the heavy, sticky downpour only made it worse.

With each raindrop drumming hard against my umbrella, it felt like I was being scolded as I trudged toward school.

At the very least, I figured the Fives wouldn’t talk to me in class anymore.

No regrets about my decision—this way I could finally get back to my normal life.

Stars were meant to be admired from afar, not lined up beside you.

…Or so I thought. Turns out, I was way too naive.

“I’m not okay with this. And I’ve got zero clue. What exactly is this misunderstanding you’re talking about?”

When I arrived, Hari was already waiting in the classroom—stormy mood written all over her face as she marched straight up to me.

“Honestly, this is a shock.”

I’d assumed she’d hate me now, that I’d be ignored completely.

So being confronted head-on left me wide open.

“You’re the one who started spouting nonsense! Now hurry up and explain.”

“There’s nothing for me to say.”

“Kizuki, you told me before, remember? That it’s easier to understand when things are put into words. So practice what you preach.”

“This is something that only means anything if you remember it yourself.”

I shut her down without hesitation.

“It only means something if I remember…?”

Hari echoed the words, slowly chewing on their meaning.

“Anyway, I’ve got nothing else to say.”

“Then at least give me a hint!”

“I’ve already given you way too many.”

“When!?”

“The answer’s always been right in front of you.”

Hari still didn’t have the faintest clue what I meant.

From then on, every break between classes turned into an interrogation session, and I had no choice but to run for my life.

Eventually, I even started hiding in the washroom after class just to shake her off—but she figured that out too.

The moment I stepped out, she was already waiting in the hallway.

“Lurking outside the washroom? That’s against the rules. And at the washroom of all places.”

“I never heard of any such rule.”

“Don’t you feel embarrassed?”

“Of course I do!”

Hari stood squarely in front of the door, fuming like a guard.

Because of that, no other guys could even get into the washroom.

“I’d forgotten just how persistent you can be.”

“Persistent? Have I ever even acted like that in front of you before?”

Crap. If I kept talking to her like this, I was bound to slip up.

It would sound way too much like I wanted her to remember.

She chased me around nonstop, and I was at my wit’s end.

For a moment, I almost turned to the other three, who were just watching from the sidelines, ready to beg them to do something.

But I stopped myself.

I was the one who chose to leave their group. Asking for help now, just because it was inconvenient for me, would’ve been way too selfish.

When the last class of the day ended, I bolted out of 2-D’s classroom.

Naturally, Hari chased after me again—but this time, I pretended to head for the front entrance, only to slip upstairs instead.

I hid there, listening as her light footsteps grew fainter down below.

After waiting a good ten minutes to be sure, I finally moved.

I’d already stashed my outdoor shoes somewhere else, so I could leave school through another exit.

“Yoo-hoo~ Looks like you had a rough day, being chased around nonstop by a beauty. Popular guy, huh?”

Hinawa suddenly popped her face out of nowhere, flashing a big boyish grin full of teeth.

“I already told you girls I’m done. And now you’re coming to talk to me too?”

“That was about the four of us together, right? If it’s just me, that doesn’t count.”

She declared it with a dazzling smile only a Five-Star Gal could pull off.

“That’s just playing with words.”

“If it means hanging out with Ikoi, then whatever works—no problem at all.”

She slid right up next to me, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Same as always—too close for comfort. That unchanged part of her only made it harder for me.

“Are you planning on telling Suitengu-san I’m here?”

“Opposite. Today, I’m on your side.”

“Really?”

“For real! Look—Hari already chased you all the way out the school gates.”

Hinawa held up her phone like evidence, showing me Hari’s message.

“You’re okay betraying your best friend like that?”

“Best friends can’t grant each other’s wishes one hundred percent of the time, y’know. Even if you make a promise, sometimes you break it. That’s just being human!”

Her half-borrowed, half-philosophical tone somehow loosened the knot in my chest.

“Yeah… you’re right.”

“If anything, real best friends are the ones who forgive each other when they mess up, don’t you think?”

“You four… that’s how it is for you?”

“I believe it is!”

Yeah… I think I finally understood why the Fives looked so dazzling to me.

It wasn’t just the obvious stuff—their looks, their popularity, how close they seemed on the surface.

It was that you could feel the unshakable trust tying the four of them together.

Hari treasured their bond more than anything.

Hinawa had the confidence that even after clashing, they’d always make up.

Miyu could say, without a shred of doubt, that her friends would celebrate her happiness.

And Platina was willing to throw herself in the line of fire if it meant protecting her friends from getting hurt.

Each of them had their own way of caring deeply for the others.

That’s what made the Five-Star Gals shine—friendship at its strongest.

It wasn’t just Hari. Right now, all four of them seemed to glow in my eyes.

“That’s why—if we ever fell for the same person, no way would I just swallow it and give up. Absolutely not.”

“That’d be the ultimate showdown.”

In the tight circle of youth, it wasn’t rare for friends to end up liking the same person.

Apparently, even the almighty Five-Star Gals weren’t immune to that.

“My friends matter. My crush matters. I matter too. That’s why I want it settled fair and square.”

“You’re not scared?”

“Of course I’m scared. But people change. They’re supposed to change.”

Hinawa Hiwatari’s straightforwardness always shone like the sun.

It wasn’t that she treated love like some half-joking gal game.

She just had this unshakable stance—never ignoring her friends, never ignoring herself either.

That’s why she could throw herself into the fight as many times as it took, until she was truly satisfied.

“I really respect you, Hinawa.”

“Thanks. And I like Ikoi, because you always listen seriously to what I say.”

She said it so smoothly.

Honestly, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me happy.

“So that’s why you’re helping me out?”

“Well, the other day… you just didn’t seem like yourself, and it worried me. If you really hate being with us, I won’t force you. But at least face Hari properly. After the way you talked to her, of course she’s gonna care.”

I see.

So in the end, she found me for Hari’s sake.

“Alright then! Let’s make this a strategy meeting and a date. Just the two of us this time! And don’t tell the other three!”

Hinawa suddenly clung to my arm, pressing herself close.

“Hiwatari-san!?”

“If you don’t say yes, I’ll keep holding on like this forever. So? What’ll it be, hmm?”

Her bright, pushy energy was actually comforting in a moment like this.

It made me want to just let myself get swept along.

“What kind of threat is that? Feels more like a reward.”

“Ehehe… if you see it that way, I’m glad.”

Right next to my face, she gave a shy little smile.

“…Y’know what, maybe I don’t mind staying like this after all.”

“Wha—seriously!?”

Hinawa suddenly panicked, flustered out of nowhere.

“Relax, I was joking. Fine, let’s go together.”

“Jeez, don’t scare me like that!”

“You don’t have to force yourself, y’know. You’re not exactly used to guys.”

“Eeh, maybe, but… I do kinda admire that real couple vibe.”

Hinawa put on a brave face, acting all casual—but through her arm linked with mine, I could feel the nervous tension pulsing straight into me.

And sure enough, the students who knew the Fives did a double take the moment they saw us walking arm-in-arm.

Chapter 34: Let It All Out!

Hinawa and I headed off to Ikebukuro.

Even though she had her own umbrella, she insisted on sharing mine.

“This kinda thing just feels more date-like, y’know? …Whoa, this wind’s crazy!”

The gusts were so strong that we ended up pressed shoulder to shoulder, laughing and stumbling our way along.

“Walking like this is impossible. Let’s duck under some cover!”

“Then let’s hit karaoke! We can actually talk there too!”

After she took care of the check-in, we slipped into a private room.

“When you’re stressed, the best cure is belting songs at the top of your lungs!”

Like a pro, she started queuing up track after track, launching right into them.

Every now and then I joined in, and each time Hinawa lit up with over-the-top reactions, shaking the tambourine in rhythm.

“Whoa, you’re actually pretty good! Nice!”

By the time our first drinks were empty, we’d blasted through several songs nonstop.

“Hey Ikoi, can you grab us refills? I’ll hit the washroom in the meantime.”

“Got it. Same drink as before?”

“Ooh, you remembered? As expected! You really pay attention, huh!”

I came back from the drink bar carrying two glasses.

Hinawa had just returned too, her playlist paused, idly scrolling on her phone.

“Here, got yours.”

“Sweet, thanks!”

She set her phone face down on the table.

With no music playing, the silence hit me—we were alone together in this little sealed room.

“Hey, Ikoi—there’s something I wanna ask you.”

Hinawa leaned in slowly, her face dead serious.

“What’s up? …You don’t need to get this close.”

“It’s so you can’t run away.”

She dropped down on all fours and crept across the seat with the grace of a leopard, cornering me against the wall.

“H-Hiwatari-san…?”

“Still not calling me Hinawa, huh. You’re so stubborn, Ikoi.”

She bowed her head in exasperation, and I caught a glimpse of her crown—pure blonde, shining all the way down to the roots.

“In a situation like this, calling you by name would sound way too loaded.”

“That’s only because you keep dragging things out.”

“Wait—so this is my fault!?”

“If you keep a girl waiting too long, she might just change her mind, y’know.”

At a distance so close I could feel her breath, she gave me a mischievous, almost sadistic smile.

Crap. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of my chest.

Was this about to be a confession? Or… something even more than that?

At a time like this? So bold—!

Then again, she was a gal… it wasn’t impossible.

Still, I wasn’t ready at all. This was way too sudden.

“Remember this, okay?”

Her face was closer than it had ever been.

Seeing the color of her eyes up close for the first time, I felt a sudden jolt of deja vu.

Those weren’t colored contacts.

And there was a strange, familiar warmth in her gaze that tugged at something deep inside me.

“────”

The answer to the question swirling in my head was about to surface—

But Hinawa’s sweet whisper cut it off.

“Ikoi. If you really wanna feel lighter, just be honest.”

“…”
“Hey, Ikoi.”
“…What?”

“What do you really want with Hari?”

“…Huh?”

“I’m asking—do you hate her, or do you like her?”

“You’re seriously asking that now?”

“When else would I ask! This is the only thing that matters!”

“I thought you were about to eat me alive!”

“Ohh, so that’s what Ikoi’s into, huh? Looks like seduction works pretty damn well on you.”

Hinawa grinned smugly, clearly enjoying herself.

Ugh, don’t make it sound like I didn’t mind any of this!

“Well, I mean… if I’m trapped in a tiny room with a pretty girl like you, Hinawa, getting all close, of course I’d notice.”

I forced myself to act tough—and for the first time, I called her by her first name.

“～～!! Calling me by my name at a time like this is cheating! Made me think you were cute!”

Hinawa snapped back to herself and scooted to a more reasonable distance.

She could handle teasing about being sexy just fine, but the moment I used her name, she reacted like it was a critical hit.

I seriously couldn’t figure out what her weak points were.

“Alright, reset! Just tell me how you really feel about Hari. Spill everything—lies, secrets, whatever. Get it all out and clear your chest already!”

Hinawa’s cheeks were flushed red as she forcefully dragged the conversation back on track.

“Lies?”

“Ikoi… you’ve known Hari since way back, haven’t you?”

I never thought Hinawa would figure it out.

“…What makes you think that?”

“Because you’ve gotten way too good at reading her. You two only just started talking, right? But it feels way too natural—like you’ve known her forever.”

So she really had noticed I’d been dodging around the truth.

“Can you keep this secret?”

“I won’t ever spill it from my mouth.”

“Even if that means deceiving your best friend Hari?”

“I already told you. I’m on your side.”

With the stage set like this, I couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

And if I didn’t say something, tomorrow would just mean more chasing from Hari.

I dropped my eyes to the table, finally facing my feelings head-on.

“The first time Hari and I met was at the ballet school she used to go to.”

“Then why pretend you didn’t know her? Why not just tell her the truth about yourself?”

“…Because I didn’t want to ruin her memories, not after all this time.”

“That’s for Hari to decide, not you.”

“Hari still thinks the me from back then—‘Koi-chan’—was a girl. My mom liked keeping my hair long, and the clothes she picked for me weren’t boyish at all. I was small, scrawny… kind of androgynous.”

“Well, the Ikoi sitting here now is definitely a full-on guy. No way she’d connect the dots.”

Suddenly—thud! A loud bang rattled the wall.

Sounded like the room next door was getting a little too fired up.

“Before the movie, I tried hinting at it. Thought maybe she’d notice something familiar about me. But she just laughed it off as a joke. That’s when I decided to back off.”

“…Come on, like she’d just magically notice. You look totally different now. We’re talking five-year-old kid versus high schooler. To anyone else, you’d seem like two completely different people.”

Hinawa let out a sigh.

“Did I ever mention to you that Hari and I first met when we were five?”

“Huh? Oh, I already knew! Hari told me stories about ‘Koi-chan.’ But seriously, Ikoi—are you really fine never telling her the truth?”

“I don’t want to drag up the ballet she gave up on. I’d rather she forget all the painful stuff and just enjoy her life now.”

“You finally reunited with her, though. So why are you treating Hari like she’s that much more special than the rest of us?”

Hinawa looked genuinely puzzled.