Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e - Volume 19 - Chapter 1.5

1.5

It was past 7:00 p.m. and the sun was setting when Sudō visited me in my room.

“Sorry for suddenly showing up without calling.” Sudō muttered to himself as he caught the smell of supper that drifted to the doorway.

Sudō suddenly glanced at the two pairs of shoes lined up in the entryway.

“Is someone here?”

“Yeah, I was just getting ready to have curry with Kei.”

  As soon as she heard this, Kei, in plain clothes, opened the door leading to the living room and came out.

“Is it bad that I'm here?”

“No, no, it's not that bad. I'm just wondering if you guys are always together?”

I could tell from his reaction that he thought no one was home when he came to visit me.

“Of course we're always together. We're a couple.”

“I can't help but think of couples being together 24/7.”

Sudō tried to refute this, but he admitted with a look of dismay that he had imagined several couples in his immediate surroundings. Ike and Shinohara have been doing some pretty remarkable things lately, holding hands and sitting on her boyfriend's lap without being afraid to be seen.

Today, too, I think she said she was going to karaoke with him as soon as they left from school.

“Looks like you were on your way home from club activities.”

I get the impression that he usually comes home around this time.

“Because I don't even have a girlfriend and all I have is basketball.”

That's… An answer I'm not sure how to respond to.

“Sorry to interrupt your dinner, but can I talk to you for a minute? I won't take up much of your time.”

The fact that he had checked for shoes early on made me wonder if this was some kind of confidential conversation.

“Go ahead and eat first.” 

I told Kei to eat until I came back.

“Eh~? I'll wait. You'll be done soon, right? You said you won't take up too much of our time.”

Sudō thought for a moment, but when he told her it wouldn't take any more than five minutes, she was satisfied and closed the door. I put on my shoes and went out into the hallway with Sudō.

I couldn't imagine Kei leaking anything to a third party, but this would make Sudō feel assured.

“So have you and Karuizawa done any of the intimate things the couples do?”

  He would ask such things with vague expressions.

“I'll leave that to your imagination.”

“Uh, it's like you're already giving the answer indirectly.”

It's up to the recipient to decide how to take it.

“So? What do you want?”

“Oh yeah, you do seem to be having a lot of fun these days. Anyway, I don't have time to worry about it.”

Shaking his head to dispel any evil thoughts, Sudō checked his surroundings.

“Actually, lately, Onodera has been asking to play and I don’t know what to do?”

  He spoke not with a happy look, but… with a puzzled one. When a friend comes to you to talk about such things, it is best to advise them sincerely. That's why, as the person responsible for that, I had to listen to this kind of talk seriously. Nevertheless, we should correct what needs to be corrected.

“You say Onodera's showing interest in you? But she doesn’t seem to have changed much since the sports festival as far as I can tell. Perhaps she feels that way because her view of you has changed.”

For Onodera, she doesn't think for a second that Sudō realizes that she has feelings for him. On the surface, it should be nothing more than a normal invitation for dinner between friends.

“That may be the case.” He scratched his head and looked restless.

The first thing that came to mind was the fact that the two of us have been talking about Onodera for a while now, but I keep wondering what he really thinks of her.

For Sudō, he must’ve simply seen her as a good friend with whom he was on the same wavelength and also an athlete like him. It would be understandable for him to change if he knew that Onodera might have taken a liking to him. At this point, Sudō stopped speaking. Then there was a ten-second silence.

“So? What is it that you want to tell me? I think there's more to it.”

When I prompted him to do so, Sudō, as if he had made up his mind, began to speak again. 

“When I'm with Onodera like that… I start to have weird feelings inside me. I don't know if I'm being objective right now, but Onodera is cute enough.”

On top of that, she and Sudō have a lot to talk about. Both are athletes. If one considers compatibility alone, it seems like the best pairing in their immediate surroundings.

“There's nothing wrong with thinking that. In the first place, our fondness for the opposite sex typically manifests through appearance first. It should often be a two-way street.”

That said, some of us can't take it in stride, though. Sudō here is also struggling with it.

“Hmm… Maybe. But your assessment itself may be wrong to begin with, and she may only think of me as a friend, right? If that's the case, there's nothing more embarrassing than this pride, and it's messing with my head.”

It’s almost certain that Onodera has feelings for Sudō. But there’s certainly no guarantee that it is what he thinks it is. The arrow that was pointed at him yesterday could be pointed at someone else tomorrow.

“You've had a lot of trouble too, haven't you? You're dating Kei, but she was dating Hirata at one point, right?”

“Well, yes.”

The reality was completely different, but for the time being, I'll just leave it at that.

“If Onodera confesses to me—that's what I'm afraid of.”

“What are you going to do if she confesses to you now?”

“No, no, no... Maybe I'll never get that confession.”

“Maybe this will be an opportunity to be happy with her.”

  “I guess I really like her… But I also like Suzune.” That is one of the uncertainties Sudō has at the moment.

“But if I imagine hurting Onodera’s feelings with my rejection, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.”

“So you're saying you came here because you didn't know what path to take.”

“No... I'm not here to be given advice. This is about how I feel, and if I look to anyone for answers, I'm doing the wrong thing.”

I don't think he came here to ask for help.

“I've come up with one answer in my own way. I just wanted you to hear it.”

“Let me ask you. What kind of answer did you come up with?”

“I-I'm going to officially confess to Suzune on the school trip. I'm serious, I want to say, ‘please go out with me.’”

I see. I guess he's not talking about whether or not he has a chance now. He decided that the only way out of this situation was to make his move.

“I like Suzune, and I can't think of going out with anyone else right now. Whatever the outcome, I want to make it clear.”

Up to this point, Sudō had been showing rapid growth. No doubt Horikita herself appreciated this.

“The probability may be low. It might even be embarrassing. Still...”

Sudō thought that if he didn’t convey his feelings, he wouldn’t be able to move forward. That's probably why he expressed his determination.

“I don't think that simply due to being rejected, I'm just going to go to Onodera. In fact, it might even make me feel more strongly towards her that I won't give up...”

Saying this, Sudō clenched his fists.

“The reason I came to you today is because I want you to witness my determination.”

“Witness? Don't tell me you want me to watch it?”

“I know a confession isn’t something you normally show to others, but maybe I need it.”

Maybe it's the push he needed to give himself courage, to muster up the strength to do it. By sealing his path of retreat, he would be able to speak his mind about his feelings for Horikita.

“I'm going to offer you my hand, and ask you to watch over me...”

Saying this, he offered his own right hand as a preliminary gesture. Even though he wasn’t actually confessing yet, it was clear that his heart was already full of heat.

In front of Horikita, he’ll put all of those feelings into words and smash them. At this stage, the odds of her accepting weren't very high. Perhaps the strength, enthusiasm, and determination that shape him are driving him to these lengths. Horikita may not immediately approve of becoming lovers. Even so, it’s conceivable that she would respond in agreement of starting off as friends.

“I understand. It depends on the time and place, but I'll watch over you as long as I can. Is that okay?”

When I said this, Sudō seemed relieved and patted his chest in relief.

“Oh, I'm sorry for asking you to do this. Well, that's why I contacted you... I'm sorry for interrupting your time with Karuizawa.”

Not wanting to let himself waste any more of my time, Sudō went to his room.

After seeing him off, I returned to my room and found Kei sitting on a cushion in front of the table.

She was waiting for me without any curry on the table.

“Welcome back. What did you talk about?”

“Various things.”

“Various things? I'm curious. But… I won’t pry.” 

“I'll tell you, but first, stand up for a second.”

“What?”

I made Kei stand, while she tilted her head curiously, and touched the surface of the cushion with my hand.

Then I felt a cool sensation.

“I knew you were listening.”

“How did you know?”

If she had been sitting and waiting, the cushion would have been warm.

“Was it because I was a poor actor?”

“Your acting was perfect. I just knew you would be listening.”

“I see.”

“Also, if you're going to fool around, you should at least avoid drawing attention to the cushions. I'm sure you could've claimed you've been to the fridge to get a drink right up until now. There's milk and tea in there besides water.”

“Yeah? But wouldn't it be strange to drink them when we haven't even had curry yet? There's a glass of water in there, too. I'm sure you would go check the fridge to see how much there is left to drink or something, though.”

“If you're going to eavesdrop without getting caught, you need to do at least that much. Drinking water is the solution, and if you don't want to drink it yourself, you can pour it down the kitchen drain. The sink is already wet because of the cooking process.”

Even if you pour it down the drain, it's impossible to tell the difference. If the kitchen sink wasn't soaking wet, she could have used the toilet.

“Well, that's not important. Look, let's talk about the school trip.” Kei said as she leaned forward, seeking to escape the topic.

There was no point in continuing with the current topic, so I decided to go along with her.

“What did you think of the school trip itinerary? I know there was a lot of talk in class about how there's a lot of free time.”

“It seems so. But for me, I think it's a disadvantage. I'm only allowed to spend time with people from my group, right? The chance of being with you seems low, right?”

The probability is about 5%. However, this is only if it’s determined purely by probability alone.

“Oh God, please let us be together!” Kei crossed her fingers with both hands and prayed to the heavens.

“Even if we can't be together for free activities, there aren’t restrictions during our stay at the inn. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, I consider it a great opportunity to get to know the students of other classes better.”

If I was in a group with Kei, I’d probably be with her throughout the entire day. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but it seems a bit wasteful.

As for spending time together, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to do so, as we were doing here.

“You don't seem to want to be in the same group as me?”

“That's not true. It's just that you should make yourself comfortable so that you can enjoy yourself even if we can't be in the same group.”

Kei might comprehend this in her head, but she can't seem to accept it honestly.

“Ah mou...” Her cheeks puffed out as if she was sulking, and she hugged my shoulder.

“If I’m not with you, I’ll die of loneliness.”

  “That's an exaggeration.”

“But, but...”

I may have to be a little creative here to get Kei motivated.

“There's a reason I think it's okay for us to be in separate groups. We're getting to the point where we need information on each class in order to move up to Class A. There will be a lot of students who will be unprotected on the school trip, too.” To Kei’s frustration, I continued. “When I heard about the school trip schedule and groups, I did some research on the Internet about other schools. I found out that it is quite rare for a school to have almost two full days of free time. From this, I thought that the school's goal was to cause a change in the relationship with the other classes while we’re there.”

“For what reason?”

“That remains to be seen, but it could be for something at the end of the second semester or the end of the third. Anyway, in the near future, the information from the school trip could come into play.”

“So you want me to gather information that could be used as a weapon?”

“You've got a remarkable ability, you know. I'd like to make the most of it.”

I said this while patting her head. Her dissatisfaction wasn’t completely gone, but it changed to a not-so-satisfied look.

“Well… I can understand why you would want to rely on me...”

“Of course, I'm going to have fun if we're in a group together. But even if that doesn't happen, don't lose motivation to have fun while also being useful to the class at the same time.”

“Yes… but I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to accomplish.”

Repeatedly patting her head, I decided to change the subject.

“About what Sudō said earlier....”

“Oh, you're talking about Sudō-kun wanting to confess to Horikita-san, right? Yeah, that might be of some interest.”

I wasn't sure she’d bite, but she seemed to care more than I thought.

“Girls seem to like hearing about other people's confessions, don't they?”

“That's right. Well, I'm pretty sure he'll get turned down.”

“Really?”

“Eh? You think he has a chance?”

“I feel like it's possible. If we treat it as them becoming a little more than friends, I'm betting on success.”

“Oh really? Then make a bet with me. You can bet on success and I’ll bet on failure.”

“What will the stakes be?”

“Hmmm... If I win, I want an expensive Christmas present.”

Saying that, she already started to fantasize about all kinds of things.

“That's easy to understand. What if I win?”

“Then I'll do whatever you say.”

“Are you sure you want to make such a big bet?

“Because it's absolutely impossible. It's not about whether Sudō-kun is good or bad, it's about Horikita-san. I don't think she's interested in love.”

“I don't know.”

Indeed, at first glance, there’s no indication that Horikita is interested in love.

And if you were to ask her if she likes someone in particular at this point in her life, there would most likely be no one. However, it would be hard to say that a confession wouldn’t be successful just because she isn’t interested in the other person. Horikita is also at the stage where she’s learning a lot right now.

We cannot deny the possibility that she’ll take a step up to that stage, just as I did. If the other party is Sudō, Horikita will already have an impression of him.

“Oh~ I'm looking forward to Christmas~. What should I have you buy me?”

“Then I'll take my time and think about what I'm going to have you do for me.”

“Wow, that sounds a little creepy!”

That was just Kei's imagination.