Chapter 111: Valentine's Day Afternoon
Even at lunchtime, the classroom is all fidgety.
The girls are going wild over the tiniest things! Who gave what to whom? Kyaa! and stuff,
Like, "Is she really not giving him anything? Was the rumor wrong? Eeh?"—today, the gossip is intense!
The top clique girls in our class—Nagase-san, Takahashi-san, and Ninomiya-san—are, as always, at the center of the whirlwind with their beauty and all the attention.
The boys too,
"Nagase-san...do you think she'll give something to someone?"
"Ninomiya-san...she's a gyaru, but surprisingly guarded—nice!"
"Takahashi-san, she's plain but cute..."
*For details, see Chapter 89: Tactical Study Session.
They're really paying attention.
Well, it's the beauty group, so it's only natural.
Tanaka: "...Kousuke-kun's so popular...yeah, yeah, I get it. I really do."
I can feel pressure from Tanaka-kun. Apparently, he's bothered by the fact that I somehow got two chocolates on the way to school without even noticing...
But chocolate-flavored protein isn't Valentine's chocolate, and only one person gave me any, you know?
Tanaka: "No, no, I'm not jealous at all, both Kousuke-kun and Sho-kun are good guys—if anyone knows that best, it's me... So, so, I've just got to...keep weird girls away from you..."
Kousuke: "...What's with your sentence endings?"
Tanaka-kun is broken.
Ever since the Tomonaga-san incident, Tanaka-kun's been really worried, thinking I might get hurt again.
...I've already been hit twice myself. ...A third time would be...yeah.
Today, at Tanaka-kun's suggestion, we ate together in the school cafeteria, and when we got back, we talked about how the prominent girls in class were being watched from a distance and looked uncomfortable, then split up and returned to our seats.
When I get back to my seat, Hiroshi and Koji lower their voices and say,
Koji: "Kousuke! N-N-Nagase-san and the others...are calling for you...!"
Hiroshi: "They said 'the study session members' at the end of lunch break, just for a bit?"
Koji: "It's three-on-three! This is it!"
Hiroshi: "Koji's getting all hyped up...?"
Koji: "Finally! My burning feelings! I want to shout 'I love you'!"
Hiroshi: "Koji's getting way too into this, huh?"
Anyway, right before the end of lunch break, the three of us were called to the home economics room.
Me, Koji, and Hiroshi. The members from that study session.
We nervously enter the home economics room.
Just as expected, the study session members—Nagase-san, Takahashi-san, and Ninomiya-san—are there.
I thought Nagase-san would take the lead, but surprisingly, Takahashi-san speaks up first,
Takahashi: "Thanks for coming! Lately, there's been a lot more talking between our Nagase group and Kousuke-kun's group, right? We just did a study session, too?"
Koji: "My group and Nagase-san's group...! We do talk a lot! Koji's group and all!"
Nagase: "Kousuke-kun group!"
Ninomiya: "It's Kousuke-kun group, okay?"
Koji: "...Yes."
Koji's a good guy, but he's just a little too obvious about wanting a girlfriend... The girls can totally see through him.
Koji's over 180 cm tall, super athletic, cheerful, a bit of a clown, a total extrovert. He can be kind of dumb, but he's passionate about basketball and honestly pretty cool, which makes it a pity. If he could just chill out and think before acting, he'd be amazing, but...
Koji is completely hooked by the top clique girls' Valentine's event right in front of us, and now he's totally out of our control.
Hiroshi whispers, "What do we do, Kousuke-kun?" so I answer, "We'll just have to see what happens."
Takahashi-san continues,
Takahashi: "It's a secret, okay? People are watching us? I'll keep it short...Here, chocolate!"
Koji: "Yes! Yes!"
Ninomiya: "Shut up."
Nagase: "...If you make a fuss one more time? That's a yellow card."
Koji: "...Zipping my lips."
I think, "Are you a kid?!" but honestly, as long as Koji's quiet, it's fine.
Takahashi: "...So, um, Hiroshi-kun. Thanks for the other day at the study session! You really came through, didn't you?"
Hiroshi: "No, no, I should be thanking you! I thought you were amazing, Takahashi-san."
Takahashi: "...Hehe! Well, yeah! I was really confident about that part!"
Takahashi-san and Hiroshi have a really nice vibe going.
But Koji just has to say something unnecessary,
Koji: "...That part? Confident?!"
"...Koji...that's a straight red card."
Koji: "...Straight? Fight!?"
Huh?! Koji?!
Ninomiya: "Dedeeen! Koji, out!"
With the kind of "Do Not Laugh" buzzer sound you don't hear anymore at New Year's, Koji gets dragged out of the classroom by Ninomiya-san—yeet!
I'm pretty sure Nagase-san has business with me. She's been staring at me the whole time...
Is she going to give me Valentine's chocolate?
Maybe because she couldn't stand Nagase-san fidgeting and not moving, Ninomiya-san says to me,
Ninomiya: "Kousuke-kun, right? Aya wants you to accept her chocolate."
Nagase: "Hey! Nii-chan!"
Ninomiya Niina is her name.
To be precise, it's Ninomiya Niina.
She's a gyaru and part of the Nagase group, but she's actually smart. She was 30th in the recent finals, right on the edge for the special advanced class.
Ninomiya: "I'm not Aya's brother! But I'd be fine being her older sister!"
The two of them start squabbling.
Girls play-fighting like this feels kinda sweet...but lunch break's almost over.
Nagase-san had been fidgeting, but she finally makes up her mind and takes a deep breath!
She slowly closes her eyes, then opens them wide!
Her perfectly arranged face shines, she straightens her back, and with both hands, offers me chocolate!
Nagase: "...I'm giving you Valentine's chocolate...! ...I've been watching you work so hard at both club activities and studying! You're really working hard, and you're getting more and more amazing! ...Please keep it up, okay? No, let's keep working hard together?"
I accept it with both hands.
"Yeah, you've been watching me all along—thank you for the chocolate. I'll work even harder, let's have another showdown at finals, okay?"
Nagase: "Yeah! I won't lose next time!"
She's super competitive too!
The rivalry makes things interesting!
Hiroshi also gets chocolate from Takahashi-san and is hugging it like it's precious.
After saying our thanks, Hiroshi and I quietly leave the home economics room.
The girls leave a little later to avoid the timing.
Koji: "...I got chocolate from Ninomiya-san!"
...Yeah, that's black thunder⚡️ chocolate... It's good, right?
Koji: "When do you think Ninomiya-san will warm up to me?"
"...."
Hiroshi: "...."
Everyone! All three of us got chocolate—how great is that?!
That's how Hiroshi wrapped it up.
☆ ☆ ☆
Nagase: "Phew. I managed to give him the chocolate!"
Takahashi: "...Me too...! I was so nervous!"
Ninomiya: "Takahashi aside, even though Aya's always making moves on Kousuke-kun, you were pretty nervous, huh? What's up?"
Nagase: "...Well, I always thought I was pretty popular...but Kousuke-kun's tough... Since Kousuke-kun's not great with girls, I try to be careful with my words and actions."
Ninomiya: "So what? Aya, your words kinda sounded like a rival declaration? Isn't that off?"
Takahashi: "...I only heard the last part, but 'I won't lose next time' is definitely a rival thing, right?"
Nagase: "No, no, I'm the heroine...! I'm the heroine here!"
Ninomiya: "Yeah, yeah, let's go."
Nagase: "I don't get it."
Nagase Aya was a cheerful, outgoing, and healthy young lady, rumored to have the greatest beauty in her year.
There are plenty of guys who want chocolate from her, right?
Normally, if you have any sense, even if you want chocolate, you wouldn't go so far as to ask for it.
...But for some reason, there are a lot of hopeless guys around her...
Nagase Aya began to speak of such sorrow.