When I Helped Out At My Classy Classmate's Family Home, They Started Going All Out To Close In On Me From Every Angle.

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Maybe ―7

Shuuji and I, now allowed into the room, sat in a circle with Ayame, Chika, and the other girls.

Perhaps because the room was full of girls, there was a faint, sweet-and-sour scent lingering in the air. Normally, I’d be restless and fidgety in a situation like this. However, at this moment, I was so tense I couldn’t relax at all.

If my hypothesis was correct, it meant Ayame had gone so far as to ask for the teachers’ cooperation just to invite me here. If she’d done that, surely she was planning some pivotal move to make me notice her feelings, wasn’t she?

Judging from the situation, it was likely that the girls in this room were all Ayame’s allies. In this atmosphere, what kind of approach would she make?

Nervousness, anticipation, and confusion swirled inside me, making my heart pound non-stop.

As I gulped audibly, Chika spoke up.

“Well then, let’s get started! Let’s talk about love!”

“Huh?”

That… was not what I expected.

Too caught off guard, I let out a baffled, unintentionally high-pitched voice.

“Wait, love talk?”

“Yup, yup. Girls love talking about romance, Kanda-kun,” one of the girls explained with a grin, noticing my bewilderment.

Her statement was met with enthusiastic nods and murmurs of agreement from the other girls.

“When you’re having a sleepover, love stories are an absolute must!”

“That’s why we asked Kanazu-kun to come too.”

“We’ve heard all about Kanazu-kun and Chika-chan’s lovey-dovey relationship! Please share some sweet, heart-melting episodes with us. You could save lives with your love stories!”

Their eyes weren’t just sparkling—they were practically glowing as they eagerly pressed Shuuji and Chika for details.

And in that moment, I realized something.

The target wasn’t me—it was Shuuji.

Most likely, Ayame and Chika had been asked by the other girls, “We want to hear about Shuuji and Chika’s romance,” and that’s why they’d invited us here. As for me, I was probably invited along with Shuuji so I wouldn’t feel left out.

In other words, our smooth arrival here had been purely coincidental, and my theory about Ayame pulling strings with the teachers was just a product of my imagination.

How embarrassing!

Not only did I jump to conclusions, but I also let myself get all worked up thinking Ayame was going to make a move on me. Self-centered much?

Quivering with the sheer humiliation of my overconfidence, I listened as Shuuji and Chika began to share their love story in response to the girls’ enthusiastic requests.

“A sweet story, huh… Well, last week I went on a date with Shu-kun. It was supposed to be sunny and hot that day,” Chika began.

“Ah, the time you came dressed lightly?” Shuuji chimed in.

“Yep, that’s the one. But the weather forecast was wrong, and it ended up being cloudy. Since I was dressed lightly, I felt really chilly,” she explained.

The girls leaned forward, nodding in unison, echoing, “Mhm, mhm.”

“That’s when Shu-kun took off the jacket he was wearing and draped it over my shoulders,” Chika said with a gentle smile.

“I just couldn’t stand seeing you shivering like that,” Shuuji added nonchalantly.

“But wouldn’t you be cold without your jacket, Shu-kun? So I decided to keep you warm instead,” Chika said, leaning into him and wrapping her arms around his.

“Like this,” she demonstrated, clinging to Shuuji’s arm.

“We spent the rest of the date like that, didn’t we?”

“At first, I thought it was unlucky that the weather forecast was wrong, but it turned out to be lucky since I got to be so close to Shu-kun,” Chika said, her voice light and teasing.

“Kyaaaa――――!“

The room erupted with excited squeals.

And it was no surprise. Even for me, someone who knew how close these two were, their saccharine story was enough to make me crave a bitter black coffee.

The girls sighed dreamily in unison, visibly satisfied yet clearly envious.

“Ah, love is just the best! I want a boyfriend too!”

“But, you need someone you like first, don’t you?”

“Yeah, it’s not like just anyone will do.”

“I don’t have anyone I like. How about you, Ayame-chan?”

“Actually… I do,” Ayame admitted shyly.

“Ehhhhh!?“

Her confession made the girls’ eyes light up with curiosity.

“What’s he like? What’s he like?”

“Tell us! Tell us!”

“He’s not someone who stands out a lot, but he’s very down-to-earth. He’s incredibly kind and always helps me when I’m in trouble. Recently, I started liking the same things he does, and talking to him about those things has become one of my greatest joys,” Ayame explained, her cheeks tinged pink.

“Ayame-san, you have the face of a girl in love,” one of the girls teased.

“You must really, really like him!” another chimed in.

Ayame’s cheeks softened into a smile, and the girls around her watched her with warm, amused expressions.

And then it hit me.

…This is about me, isn’t it?

I couldn’t think of any other possibility.

The traits and stories she mentioned matched me to a tee, and above all, Ayame kept sneaking glances in my direction. I couldn’t say it with absolute certainty, but I was almost positive.

It wasn’t just my imagination. It wasn’t a hasty assumption. Ayame had invited me to this room to make me aware of her feelings. She probably asked Shuuji along to naturally steer the conversation toward romantic topics.

So, Ayame likes me, huh? I couldn’t stop my heart from racing.

I felt so embarrassed that I couldn’t keep my mouth from twisting into a sheepish smile.

Then, one of the girls turned to me, as if noticing my awkward state.

“Kanda-kun, don’t you have any love stories to share?”

My heart, which had been pounding uncontrollably moments ago, now froze solid.

I couldn’t form a reply and clamped my mouth shut.

Seeing me suddenly fall silent, the girls tilted their heads in confusion.

Forcing a smile, I managed to respond after a strained pause.

“…My love stories aren’t really that interesting.”

“Ah, well, it’s not like you have to share if you don’t want to,” one of the girls said, trying to reassure me.

“Yeah, having fun is what matters most,” another added.

“Oh, speaking of which,” another chimed in, “I met up with my childhood friend for the first time in ages the other day…”