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 - V2 Chapter 40 & 41

Chapter 40: The 1:4 Travel Plan

“Are you sure about this? Wouldn’t having one guy in the group just get in the way?”

I asked carefully, trying not to sound negative.

Honestly, it just seemed like they’d have more fun if it were a girls-only trip.

“What? Kizuki-kun, do you not want to go with us?”

Miyu looked up at me, her eyes full of worry.

She clearly hadn’t even considered that I might turn them down.

The other three had the same expression—like the idea hadn’t even crossed their minds.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go…”

“Good! It’ll be our first trip as a group of five, so I’m really looking forward to it!”

Her bright smile made it impossible to argue back.

Still, this wasn’t the same as just hanging out on a weekend.

We were talking about leaving Tokyo—

And staying overnight.

One guy and four girls.

Yeah, that ratio was definitely dangerous.

“Wait, no, seriously—before we even think about going, there are a lot of things we need to sort out first!”

All four girls groaned in perfect unison, giving me looks that said, Ugh, don’t kill the mood.

“There’s no way I can just casually agree to stay overnight with you girls that easily.”

“Unless you’re too nervous to handle it, Ikoi. What if your heart starts pounding too much to survive the trip?”

Hinawa flashed me a teasing grin.

“Yeah. That’s… actually possible.”

I answered completely straight-faced. 

“Oh—r-really? Hm…”

For some reason, Hinawa’s cheeks suddenly went bright red, and she turned away, looking oddly flustered.

“You said it’s at Kongouji’s villa, but… are there going to be any adults there? I mean, if a guy like me joins, wouldn’t your parents be worried?”

It wasn’t like I thought anything weird would happen.

But still—having teenage boys and girls sleeping under the same roof was something most parents would naturally be cautious about.

“Well, well. Nice to see that Kizuki-shi still has a functioning moral compass.”

“He’s the most sensible one here, after all.”

“We actually just forgot to mention it—but of course, we already trust him.”

“Yeah, maybe don’t forget the important details next time?”

As the newest member of this already tight-knit group, there were still plenty of things I wasn’t completely in sync with yet.

“My parents aren’t the type to nitpick. As long as I’m having fun, they don’t mind. They’re the kind who spoil me rotten under the name of ‘respecting their daughter’s freedom.’”

“Hey! Don’t make them sound like indulgent pushovers! They’re amazing, open-minded parents!”

“See, Kizuki-shi? You’re good at smoothing things over like that. That’s exactly why it’s easy to invite you along—even as a guy. Besides, I’ve already gotten their permission.”

Platina said it with that usual half-serious, half-teasing tone of hers—the kind that made it impossible to tell when she was joking.

Still, hearing that she trusted me enough to bring me along… it didn’t feel bad at all.

Knowing Platina, she’d definitely given her parents a proper explanation before getting their approval.

And honestly, I trusted her enough to believe that.

“Ever since we met back in middle school, it’s been our yearly summer tradition. It’s a really nice, cool place—easy to relax in. There are plenty of rooms, so we all sleep separately. There’s even a beautiful river nearby where we can swim. I really want you to come too, Koi-chan.”

Hari added casually.

Separate rooms, huh? That definitely lowered the danger level a bit.

There were still plenty of things to think about, but honestly, I hadn’t gone on a trip in forever. Pretending I wasn’t interested would’ve been a lie.

“I didn’t think you were the type to enjoy traveling, Hari. Kind of unexpected.”

“That’s because you’re still thinking of the me from when we were five. Back then, I spent every day buried in ballet practice. Now, I just love going out and seeing new places.”

Right.

I was still clinging to the image of Hari Suitengu from the past.

Sure, she still called me Koi-chan, just like before—but she wasn’t that little girl anymore. She was a high school second-year, same as me.

“It’s summer vacation, our second year of high school! Let’s make some fun memories together, okay?”

Hinawa leaned forward, practically glowing with excitement as she pushed me to agree.

“Alright, alright. I’ll go.”

The moment I said it, the four of them exchanged happy looks, their smiles lighting up the café.

Outside of school trips, I’d never actually traveled with friends before.

And now that I’d agreed, I could feel a strange mix of nerves and excitement bubbling up inside me.

“Hey, hey, Ikoi! Since you’re coming, why don’t you help us pick out our swimsuits too?”

Of course.

Hinawa wasted no time throwing in another ridiculous request.

“Hinawa, that’s… a pretty high-level request.”

“Oh, come on! It’s not like I’m asking you to pick out my underwear or anything.”

“For a high school guy, that’s basically the same thing!”

“You just have to tell me which one looks best on me, that’s all.”

“I don’t have that kind of fashion sense.”

She made it sound way too simple.

I barely knew anything about women’s fashion—let alone swimsuits.

And picking one out meant I’d have to actually look at them… head-on.

Yeah, no way that was happening without dying of embarrassment.

“Aw, you’re blushing. That’s kinda cute.”

“If I end up picking something ridiculously tiny because of ‘guy instincts’, don’t complain later!”

The words slipped out before I could stop myself.

“I–If that’s what you want me to wear, then… I’ll try my best.”

Hinawa’s face turned bright red as she fidgeted, suddenly acting shy like some kind of bashful heroine.

Wait—what? That wasn’t the reaction I expected at all.

She was supposed to throw back a joke, not… that.

“Koi-chan, you perv.”

“Kizuki-kun, you’re such a lech.”

“Kizuki-shi, your lust is practically dripping out.”

And just like that, the other three instantly switched sides and ganged up on me.

“Hey! You’re the ones who started this conversation!”

Moments like these made the 1:4 ratio feel brutally unfair.

People might joke about me being in a “harem,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

When all four girls teamed up, there was no winning—especially when those girls were gals like them.

“Honestly, I get that everyone’s excited about summer vacation—but aren’t you all forgetting something pretty important before that?”

“What was it again?”

“Something more important than summer break?”

“Getting our report cards maybe?”

“I just wanna escape this flaming hellhole called Tokyo already.”

Not a single one of them even came close.

“Final exams.”

The moment I dropped that cold, hard truth, all four of them gave me the same look—like I’d just dumped a bucket of ice water straight over their summer dreams.

☆☆☆☆☆

Announcement!

Tonight, October 21st at 7:00 p.m., the official MF Bunko J X account will be revealing the character designs for “Five-Star Gals: They’re All Falling for Me” for the very first time!

Who do you think will be the first to appear?

Make sure to check it out!

Chapter 41: Then Let’s Have a Study Session

The moment our conversation drifted from summer vacation to final exams, the mood in the café plummeted like a funeral bell had just rung.

“With all this humidity and heat, my motivation’s literally dead. Nope. Can’t do it. Total depression mode.”

“Agreed. It’s annoying. It’s exhausting. We should just skip straight to summer break already.”

Hinawa and Platina were practically melting in their chairs, radiating pure “I give up” energy from head to toe.

“If you actually remember what we learned in class, you’ll be fine. No red marks.”

“Yeah! And if you get stuck, I’ll lend you my notes, so let’s do our best!”

Meanwhile, Hari and Miyu looked totally calm—no panic whatsoever.

Apparently, when it came to studying, the Five-Star Gals were split right down the middle: two diligent types, two hopeless ones.

“Uwaaaah, no way! I don’t want to spend my summer stuck in remedial classes!”

“Summer’s meant for staying home and doing nothing. School should be illegal.”

Hinawa and Platina were already crying out in despair before the tests had even started.

Talk about giving up early.

“You still have time, so just study a little and you’ll be fine.”

“Ikoi! Don’t go around hurting people with your cruel logic!”

“Kizuki-shi, between ‘can’ and ‘can’t,’ there exists a massive wall called ‘don’t wanna.’”

Both of them glared at me with wounded eyes.

I couldn’t really blame them.

Honestly, if I could get away with not studying, I would too.

But maybe learning to face the things you don’t want to do… is part of what school’s supposed to teach you in the first place.

“You can just tune them out, Koi-chan.”

“Kizuki-kun, don’t take them too seriously. It’s always like this.”

Hari and Miyu looked completely unfazed—clearly used to Hinawa and Platina’s endless whining.

They’d probably been dealing with this since middle school.

At this point, it was practically a seasonal tradition.

“How do you usually get them to study, anyway?”

I asked the two honor students, genuinely curious.

“I make them memorize the parts that are definitely going to be on the test. That way, they can at least avoid failing.”

“I give them snacks as rewards—just little treats to keep them motivated.”

“Wow. That’s some seriously devoted friendship right there. Everyone needs friends like you two.”

I couldn’t help but admire how much effort Hari and Miyu put into helping the others.

“Hey, Ikoi! Don’t just stand there admiring us—help us too!”

“Yeah, Kizuki-shi! We’re all in this together! If we fail, we fail as one!”

“Why are the ones asking for help acting like they’re leading the charge?”

Honestly, they were way too comfortable relying on everyone else to save them.

“Hinawa and Platina could actually do well if they tried, though…”

“Exactly. If they just reviewed a little bit each day, they wouldn’t be panicking before every test.”

So they weren’t hopeless—just lazy.

Maybe if I gave them a small push in the right direction, they’d actually start studying for real.

“Alright then, I’ve got a proposal.”

The four of them immediately straightened up and turned their attention toward me.

“If even one of you gets a failing grade, I’m not going on the villa trip.”

““““WHAT!?!?””””

All four voices overlapped in perfect harmony, bursting with pure disbelief.

“I just mean… I don’t think I could really enjoy the trip if someone’s stuck worrying about bad grades. I want all of us to go feeling good about it.”

I glanced toward Hari and Miyu, subtly hinting for them to play along.

Of course, it was all just a bit of harmless theater on my part.

Hari, being my childhood friend, caught on first.

“I agree with Koi-chan. If we’re serious about preparing for exams next year, we can’t just mess around all summer.”

She let out a calm sigh, selling the act so perfectly she could’ve won an award for it.

“Yeah, you’re right. Thinking about our future, maybe we really should start studying properly.”

Miyu jumped right in to back me up.

Now three out of the five of us were suddenly on the same side, and Hinawa and Platina started to panic.

“Wait, wait, wait! This is our second-year summer! We only get one of these!”

“Stay calm! Don’t make rash decisions! A little relaxation actually helps with studying!”

“Pretty sure we’re the calm ones here.”

Hari and Miyu both nodded in sync, completely composed.

Hinawa and Platina, realizing they were losing fast, scrambled to talk us out of it—

Though honestly, they were pouring all that effort into the wrong place.

“Alright, you two. Be good and study for your exams.”

“Ugh, Ikoi, you’re so mean.”

“Kizuki-shi, you’re a demon.”

“It’s called friendship. I’m not about to abandon you two to your fate.”

The pair glared at me like I’d just personally ruined their entire summer.

Seriously, was I really the bad guy here?

“Then you better take responsibility and teach us, Ikoi.”

“Kizuki-shi, a real man doesn’t go back on his word, right?”

I sighed. Fine. If it was something I could help with, I’d do it.

I wanted all of us to start summer break in a good mood anyway.

And since I had some breathing room this time, tutoring them a little shouldn’t be too bad.

“Then let’s have a study session on Saturday! C’mon, it’ll be fun!”

Of course, the one to instantly turn it into an event was Hinawa—no surprise there.

☆☆☆☆☆

Announcement!

Tonight, October 28th at 7:00 p.m., the MF Bunko J official X account will be revealing the third round of character designs for Five-Star Gals: They’re All Falling for Me!

Make sure to check it out!

Also, starting this November, Five-Star Gals will be updating twice a week—every Tuesday and Thursday!

Please look forward to it!