Waking Up Engaged to a Cool Yandere Beauty: My Wild Journey with a Love-Obsessed Senior - Episode 24: Mariri Anzai\'s Melancholy

Episode 24: Mariri Anzai’s Melancholy

“Tennis club! Anyone interested in the tennis club?” It was the day of the entrance ceremony.

New students dressed in crisp suits passed through the arch adorned with floral decorations, heading toward the auditorium. Along the path, rows of club recruiters lined up, eager to catch their attention.

Some clubs handed out flyers; others held membership forms. These recruiters continuously called out to the parade of new students, hoping to pique their interest.

Mariri Anzai, a second-year student, was among them. “Tennis club? You’ll get so popular—seriously popular!”

Yet, despite her persistent efforts, no one stopped to listen.

“Hey, Anzai. How’s it going?” A male voice interrupted her. A figure approached.

“Three, maybe four,” she replied, exhaling in frustration.

“Ha! Our crafting club’s already bagged six. Looks like you’ve got some catching up to do,” he teased.

“Shut it, Nikaido. Half of yours will quit by next week. Who joins a crafting club full of muscleheads, anyway?”

For two consecutive years, that’s exactly what had happened. Let’s face it, a crafting club dominated by bodybuilders wasn’t exactly the dream for most new students.

“Shoo, scram, you idiot. Off you go!” “Well then, good luck, Anzai,” Nikaido said with a smug grin as he walked back to his group.

“Annoying,” Mariri muttered under her breath. Why did it even have to feel competitive? Not that she enjoyed losing—far from it.

“Tennis club! Tennis club! How about it?” As she resumed her recruiting pitch, a boy stopped in front of her.

There was something distinctive about him. He had an air of maturity, an aura that seemed to repel others. His gaze was sharp and unwavering.

“Tennis club…, huh,” he murmured. “Hey there, interested?”

The moment their eyes met, it all began. Mariri’s world slowed down, her perception stretching each second into eternity.

Oh no. This… this is… She realized it almost immediately.

So this is what they call love at first sight. The acknowledgment came swiftly, unavoidably.

Mariri bolted upright in bed, her breath quick and uneven. “Damn it, Ugahana,” she muttered, clutching her pounding chest.

Her face was uncomfortably warm, her chest tight with an unshakable sensation.

“It’s all his fault.” She took a deep breath and swung her legs over the bed, determined to shake off the remnants of her dream. She headed to the bathroom to splash water on her face.

“You’re up early, my lady,” came the deep, calm voice of an elderly butler, who she encountered in the hallway.

“It’s a whim. Don’t mind me, Jeeves.” Mariri Anzai, by all accounts, was the epitome of a young lady from a wealthy family.

She entered a luxurious bathroom, its dimensions rivaling some apartments. After rinsing her face with cool water, she grabbed a soft towel from the rail and dried off.

Why am I dreaming about this? she thought. Sure, yesterday’s events might’ve stirred something, but she had long accepted the truth.

Ugahana would never date anyone. That’s why he couldn’t be with her, and she had told herself this was natural—inevitable, even.

But still… “Ugahana… So someone like Shion is your type, huh?”

She grimaced as the thought stirred an uncomfortable knot in her stomach. Shion was breathtaking—graceful, devoted, and undeniably charming. She was the kind of girl no man could resist.

And compared to her… “Is it… my chest? Is that it?”

She glanced down, lamenting the eternal stagnation of her figure. She hadn’t progressed past an A-cup, but if it were just physical attributes, she wouldn’t feel so tormented.

No, that’s not it. Ugahana isn’t the kind of guy who cares about superficial things.

And perhaps that was why it hurt so much. If it were just about appearances, I could’ve accepted it.

Mariri sighed deeply. “What a fool I am.” If only she had tried harder, been bolder, and confessed her feelings. Would things have turned out differently?

Her thoughts circled endlessly, offering no resolution. “Hey, you think the captain’s been avoiding me?”

During a break in practice, Ugahana asked his teammate Akira. They were resting under the shade, water bottles in hand.

“Avoiding you? What makes you think that?” Akira asked, eyebrows raised. “It’s not just in my head,” Ugahana replied.

Earlier that day, when he greeted her…”Hey, Captain! Good morning!”

“U-U-Ugahana!? H-Hey there! How’s it going?”

Her reaction had been bizarre. Her voice wavered, and her eyes darted around like a swimmer caught in a riptide. She’d practically bolted after a few stammered words.

Akira took a long swig of his drink and sighed. “You probably stepped on some kind of landmine. That’s typical of you.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Ugahana said thoughtfully. “She’s not angry. If anything… she seems embarrassed.”

“Embarrassed?” Akira repeated with a skeptical look. “Well, if that’s what you think, go ask her.”

“Easier said than done,” Ugahana grumbled. “If she’s avoiding me, I’d never catch her. Nobody in this school could if she’s serious.”

Akira chuckled. “Then you only have one option, don’t you?” “What’s that?”

“Use your head, man. We’re not animals. If you think it through, there’s always a way.”

Ugahana blinked, surprised. “Wow. That’s… surprisingly insightful.”

“Of course. Now, let’s set up a strategy. First off, we need reinforcements. Shinji!”

“Yo!” came the booming voice of a hulking teammate who appeared as if summoned from the ether.

“Next, bait. Captain’s used socks would do the trick.”

“What? Socks!? Where!?”

Another figure, Suna, darted into view, lured in by Akira’s decoy tactic. His enthusiasm was almost unsettling.

“Great. Four of us should be enough.” Ugahana sighed. “Akira, this… doesn’t feel very coordinated.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Akira said confidently. “Now, listen up, team. Operation ‘Don’t Let the Manager Escape’ begins now!”