“I see. So moderate pressure point stimulation works.”
While I was reading “For Those Concerned About Stomach Pain” on the sofa at home, my cell phone rang.
I quickly checked it and found it was Natsukawa-san.
[I’m sorry to bother you so suddenly, but would you mind going out with me tomorrow?]
Tomorrow…?
I twirled my head. After all, tomorrow is a holiday, right?
Well, I don’t really have any plans. I wonder what she’s planning to do.
No way this is an invitation to go out, right…?
Because if so, Kengo Ohashi-kun would be there.
I’ll just reply for now.
[Is it to go shopping, by any chance?]
[Yes. I need you to pick out a gift for my boyfriend with me.]
Ah, I see. So that’s what this is about. I guessed everything.
Yes, it’s certainly dicey to go shopping together with your boyfriend for a gift for said boyfriend.
Then she would have to go alone or with the girls, but she wouldn’t know how a guy would feel, so choosing a gift would become confusing.
That’s where the former fake boyfriend and servant comes in.
Hmm. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this.
Ah, it’s not that I’m getting used in a good way or anything.
I mean that I’m thinking of Izumi-san.
I know that Natsukawa-san loves Kengo Ohashi-kun to death, but Izumi-san’s the same.
So, I will cooperate with both of them, but I won’t favor one over the other. I’ve decided to remain neutral.
I know a hundred times that that is a bad idea.
But the person who chooses between the two girls is Kengo Ohashi-kun. Not me.
In any case, Kengo Ohashi-kun is a guilty man, too.
I mean, he’s really cool and he seems to be good at whatever he does, but…
He shouldn’t make a girl cry. Moreover, he’s made both of them cry.
I can’t help but feel sorry for them because I witnessed their tears.
But it’s not my place to get involved either.
Of course, if I really loved Natsukawa-san and Izumi-san, I could say, “That Kengo Ohashi isn’t worthy of you. Come with me!” (which I know is a totally inappropriate line from me)… But I’m not ready to destroy all kinds of things.
I think it’s just hypocritical to intervene when you can’t even be responsible.
From Kengo Ohashi-kun’s point of view, I’m a stranger, and it doesn’t make sense why I would break into their relationship out of some kind of sense of obligation.
I don’t think he’s even aware that I know Izumi-san, and if I were to start accusing him, the conversation would get complicated.
I guess all I can do now is to give them a push.
Well, with that in mind, I’ll reply to Natsukawa-san…
It’s not going to be just the two of us, right?
It’d be a big problem if there were any strange rumors.
So, I guess there will be other girls?
Hmm. That’s a little…
Needless to say, I’m shy. I’d feel uncomfortable in the company of Natsukawa-san’s friends.
That’s why,
[Natsukawa-san’s girl friends are coming, too, right?]
……
Hmm!?
You replied immediately until just now, though!?
Suddenly there’s no response!
I waited for five minutes for a reply.
[What do you mean?]
I had no way of knowing that Kengo Ohashi-kun was being strangled at this moment.
[I mean it as it is. Will there be other girls besides Natsukawa-san?]
[Should there be other girls?]
Hmm? What’s this feeling? Could it be that she’s angry?
Since it’s an e-mail, I can only check the text, but for some reason I get the feeling that she’s somehow angry.
It’s a difficult question, though. But for me, I can answer either way.
From the perspective of a shy person, it’d be easier to spend time with just Natsukawa-san, but in order to avoid unwanted rumors, it’d be better to have other girls around…
But in case of emergency, it’s still better to have other girls, right?
Well then, how do I tell her?
Maybe Natsukawa-san just wants to buy Kengo Ohashi-kun a present. Maybe that’s why she doesn’t see the bad outcome of going out alone with me.
I was originally chosen as a fake boyfriend because I was certified harmless, so I wonder if she’s inviting me out of the habit back then.
It would be kind of me to make her realize.
[Yes, I think it would be better to have girls other than Natsukawa-san.]
This reply made me had to wait again.
I had no way of knowing that Natsukawa-san was frozen at home this moment.
This time, after waiting for about ten minutes,
[Die.]
!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
WHAT!? WHO’S GOING TO DIE!? AND WHY!?
What the h**l!? Her replies are too mysterious for me to comprehend!
[Komori-kun is the enemy of women.]
Whoa, I don’t think it’s too unreasonable?! What on earth is that kind of interpretation!? I’d feel a lot better if you returned the favor!
…Ah, so that’s how it is!
Basically, Natsukawa-san mistakenly thought that I was more interested in having girls other than her!
It’s a lie, right!? Don’t tell me she didn’t get my true intention from my e-mail jsut now!?
It can’t be helped. I’ll bite the bullet and make sure she gets the message this time…
[You see… If we were seen alone together… There would be rumors, right? That would be a big a problem for me, too.]
Okay, perfect! Now she must understand it properly.
But I had no way of knowing that at the time,
Natsukawa-san would take it as ‘Because Shota Komori already has his true love, Mayuka Takamine, he doesn’t want to be rumored to have been alone with me.’
I hope she understands my message this time–
[Dead.]
–SHE DIDN’T!?
WHO!? WHO DIED!?
Maybe there had been a murder in a place I can’t see!?
Does this mean there’s a dead body at the destination of this e-mail!? Oh my God, I’m so scared!
I didn’t know who it was at that time.
Kengo Ohashi-kun, strangled, was losing consciousness. He was foaming and twitching with white eyes!
It was Kengo Ohashi-kun who died!
I was too afraid to reply.
[Unfortunately, I don’t have any girl friends.]
Eh? Ehh…? How is this coming out? I’m a little sorry, though.
It’s true that Natsukawa-san is a loner.
She’s the exact opposite of Mayu-nee, who is at the top of the hierarchy in our class.
But the only people I can ask out are Mayu-nee and Izumi-san… And they’re both out of the question.
Then I would have to ask the class president–
[Um… I’ll see what I can do.]
[Then that means there are a lot of girls you can ask to go out with!? You’re such a playboy!]
EHH!? WHY IS THAT SO!?
[If you don’t want to…]
[I hope you won’t do anything selfish!]
Apparently, my consideration was not appreciated.
…It’s vexing.
Thus, I decided to go out alone with Natsukawa-san the next moment.
[Sho-chan, would you like to go out with me tomorrow? There’s a store that I want to go to with you.]