When I Helped Out At My Classy Classmate's Family Home, They Started Going All Out To Close In On Me From Every Angle. - Chapter 54: Uncool Me And Cool Ayame —2

Uncool Me And Cool Ayame —2

Even though I had come to school, I couldn’t stop worrying about Ayame. My mind was elsewhere the entire time.

I never realized how empty it would feel without her sitting beside me, without her usual warm smile. It was as if a piece of my heart was missing.

In that state, I couldn’t absorb anything from the lessons. My mind drifted aimlessly, and before I knew it, lunchtime had arrived.

Yuri-san handed me my bento, but I had no appetite. I just sat there, staring blankly into space.

“You okay, Tetsu?”

“You’ve been zoning out all day, you know?”

Shuuji and Chika called out to me, concern evident in their voices.

“Did you and Takamine-san get into a fight or something?”

“I mean, both Ayame-chan and Mikage-chan are absent today.”

They glanced at the empty seat beside me and made their guesses.

It was true that something had happened between Ayame and me. But unless they knew the details of our relationship, they wouldn’t have connected my absentmindedness with our fallout.

Which meant one thing—

“So, you two were helping Ayame all along, huh?”

“Oh man, guess we’ve been found out.”

“Well, you see… Ayame-chan begged us, saying she absolutely had to do this.”

Neither of them looked the least bit guilty as they scratched their heads and laughed awkwardly.

But I knew they hadn’t helped Ayame just for fun. More than likely, they had done it for my sake, too.

They must have thought that this was my chance—an opportunity for someone like me, who had never been in a relationship, to finally have a girlfriend. Knowing how kindhearted Shuuji and Chika were, they probably believed that if I ended up with Ayame, I’d be happy.

Understanding that, I couldn’t bring myself to be mad at them, even if they seemed completely unfazed.

With a wry smile, I thought to myself—

Since they were involved, I should at least tell them how things turned out.

Making that decision, I spoke.

“Ayame confessed to me two days ago… and I turned her down.”

“I see… So, Takamine-san’s love went unfulfilled.”

“It really seemed like you were into her, though. But you know, Tetsu-kun, you don’t have to feel responsible or anything.”

“Yeah, whether you date her or not is entirely your choice. If you don’t have feelings for her, then there’s nothing you can do about it. You don’t have to beat yourself up over it—”

“No… It’s not that I don’t like her.”

“ “…Huh?” “

Both of them blinked in confusion.

“If anything, I find her incredibly attractive as a woman.”

“ “…What?” “

Their brows furrowed, looking utterly baffled.

“Then why did you reject her?”

“Yeah! If you find her attractive, why not just go out with her?”

“I can’t. Because… I don’t deserve to.”

“ “…Deserve to?” “

Upon hearing my response, the two of them tilted their heads in confusion.

In order to explain why I rejected Ayame’s confession, I would have to reveal my insecurities. But doing so meant exposing a dark part of myself that I had carried with me for a long time. It took courage, and I hesitated.

However, they were my closest friends from middle school. I thought maybe I could tell Shuuji and Chika, that they might understand.

I struggled with it, hesitated, and wrestled with myself before finally opening my heavy mouth.

“You know, I… I don’t really understand what ‘love’ is. I’ve had feelings for people before, but nothing that ever really shook me to my core enough to call it love…”

The two of them listened in silence.

“And also… there are others I find attractive besides Ayame. Isn’t that cheating? It’s not something that should be allowed.”

The more I spoke, the more I was forced to face the ugliness inside me. It was vile and pathetic, and I clenched my fists tightly.

“Someone as shallow as me… should never be loved by someone like Ayame. How could I ever respond to her pure and straightforward feelings?”

I asked, but both Shuuji and Chika gave me solemn looks.

“ “Why… why would you think that?” “

“Huh?”

They looked at me with half-open eyes, clearly exasperated.