The Villain Who Got Pinned Down Until He Ran Out Of Stamina ~ This Time I Raised The Protagonist's Affection Too Much And Everyone Fell For Me~ - Chapter 53: The Protagonist's Rival?

When Mahiro-san said she wanted us to accompany her, where we ended up was…

“We came to a family restaurant, so are we going to eat together, Mahiro-chan?” 

“That’s not exactly it.”

It was a family restaurant near the school. Mahiro was sitting next to Yuito. And for some reason, Riina and I were sitting with a glass partition between us and them. Of course, we were facing each other.

“Kasajima-kun and Riina, please listen from there too.” 

“Sure.” 

“Sis, why am I with Kasajima?” 

“I’ll explain that now.”

Mahiro cleared her throat.

“Actually, I have an appointment to meet someone soon.”

What Mahiro explained was this:

For some time, there had been someone persistently pursuing her for a relationship. Therefore, she wanted Yuito to play the role of her boyfriend and hopefully make this person give up once and for all today.

“It’s what they call a fake boyfriend. I’ll do my best!” 

“Thank you, Yuito.”

When it came to romance, Mahiro genuinely liked Yuito, not just pretending.

“What’s our role, mine and Kasajima’s?” 

“I want Riina and Kasajima-kun to be witnesses and listen to the conversation. There’s a gap in the partition, so you should be able to hear from there. Just in case, you know?” 

“Hmm, aren’t you just saying that because you wanted to make Yui-kun your fake boyfriend~?” 

“Hehe. Who knows?” 

“But if Mahiro-san is struggling, this person must be quite formidable.”

Mahiro was known as “the Prince” and was popular at school. I often saw her receiving confessions, and she   was frequently late after school because of confession-related matters. I got the impression she’d been turning them down successfully, but…

“Even I struggle sometimes, you know? In the first place, I… Oh, that person is here.”

Looking toward the entrance… Someone was looking around nervously, then smiled upon seeing Mahiro and headed our way.

Since most confessions come from girls, I had fully expected it to be a girl, but…

“Sorry I’m late!”

Smooth blonde hair and blue eyes. Well-defined features. A calm, refreshing voice. Tall height. Needless to say, a handsome guy. A man.

In terms of appearance alone, he was no less impressive than Yuito… but.

“…I think I’m Team Yuito.” 

“Yui-kun is better…”

My voice overlapped with someone else’s. Of course, it was Riina sitting across from me.

“We just got here ourselves.” 

“Mahiro-san is so kind. I’m sure that’s not true, but thank you for your consideration… Could this boy next to you be—” 

“Ah, yes, he’s my ‘most precious person’.” “Nice to meet you! I’m Saeki Yuito…!”

Yuito seemed nervous… Well, he was suddenly dragged into this, after all.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Saionji Rento. I’m a student council member at the neighboring school. Can I call you Yuito?” 

“Y-yes! Then, can I call you Rento-kun…?” 

“Of course. Nice to meet you.”

Saionji and Yuito shook hands.

“Oh my, too bad. Did Yui-kun make a new friend?”

“Shut up. There’s nothing wrong with Yuito making friends.”

After saying a word to the grinning Riina, I returned my gaze to the scene.

“But, Yuito. You’re my rival.” 

“Rival?” 

“With that attitude, it seems like you won’t give up, will you?” 

“On the contrary, I’m fired up now. I can’t be rejected before you even get to know me.”

His handsome features intensified as he put on a serious expression.

“This is going to be a tough battle.” 

“He seems like a nice person. Appearance-wise.” 

“That statement suggests the content might be problematic.” 

“People who can’t take no for an answer usually have some issues, right?” 

“Yeah, that’s true.”

When Riina said it, it became more convincing.

I took a sip of iced coffee through my straw. So cold and delicious… Wait a minute…

“…Could this guy be…”

That’s when my memory came back.

In the game, besides Kasajima Yuji, there were other mob villains who tried to come between the protagonist and the heroines.

And this guy was one of them. Saionji Rento. I vaguely remembered because his name was unusually cool.

If I recalled correctly, during the summer vacation arc, various things happened…

“I need to use the restroom.” 

“You’re not going to listen to the end?” 

“The restroom is where he’ll show his true nature.” 

“Ah, I see.”

Riina was quick to understand, which was helpful. I headed to the restroom first.