Takashi Ichinose's POV
"Ichinose-san, do you have time for a private talk?"
The gorgeous blonde with violet eyes asked me shyly, her gyaru-style makeup and fashion giving her a flashy look that didn't quite hide the nervousness in her face.
She looked like she was about to confess, the way her hands fidgeted and her eyes darted away every time I glanced at her.
And honestly, it made sense. When you're handsome, rich, and have a likable personality, girls naturally flock to you. Though, if I'm being honest, the last description was questionable at best.
"Karuizawa-san, is this something very important?" I asked, my gaze lingering on her with a bit more interest than I intended.
After all, in canon she was the classic victim type — bullied, used as a pawn by Ayanokouji, hiding a fragile core under a tough exterior.
And truth be told, I liked this type of girl. The kind that put on a strong, glamorous façade for the world, but deep inside still carried traces of fragility and submission. The gap between the exterior and the interior was something I found intoxicating.
Before she could even answer, her friend Maya Sato butted in, smirking wide.
"Ichinose-san, what are you waiting for? This friend of mine wants to confess her love to you. Yes, love!" Her tone was joking, exaggerated, playful, but beneath it, she was clearly encouraging Kei, trying to give her the push she needed.
They were both gyarus, dressed the same way, but the difference in Kei's expression made it clear who the real focus was.
I leaned back in my chair slightly, letting my eyes sweep over them.
"Well, since you already spoiled it," I said with a teasing smile, "is there really a need to find a private place?"
I feigned ignorance, pretending not to understand the obvious reason she wanted me alone.
Her face went red instantly. She looked down, then up again, her eyes shy and timid like a maiden in love. If I didn't already know better, I might've fallen for it.
Her acting was good, so fucking damn good. No wonder she could hold influence over groups of girls, even when her core was fragile and keep up that fake confidence day after day.
But just when things were building nicely, some clown ruined the atmosphere.
"What the hell is this?!"
Yamauchi.
Of course it had to be Yamauchi.
He shot up from his seat with a theatrical groan. "This is so unfair! Just because Ichinose's rich, all the beauties flock to him. If I were in his shoes, I'd do better, I'd date every girl in this class, no, in the entire school! But Ichinose wastes his potential. He doesn't even have a girlfriend!"
The atmosphere dropped instantly. The girls' faces twisted, their eyes narrowing in disgust. The way they looked at him was the same way you'd look at something unpleasant stuck to the bottom of your shoe.
Ike, not to be outdone by his friend's stupidity, chimed in. "Yeah, it's unfair! I want a girlfriend too!"
The two of them whined in unison, desperate and pathetic.
The atmosphere of the class collapsed into cold contempt. The boys had branded themselves fools, and the girls didn't bother hiding their disdain.
Scornful glances pierced them, whispers floated about how pathetic they were, and their positions in the social hierarchy crumbled further with each second.
Leaning slightly closer, I whispered to Kei. "Let's go, Karuizawa-san. Since you said it's important, I'll let you choose the place where you feel most comfortable to talk."
Her eyes softened, and her voice lowered into something almost trembling.
"Thank you, Ichinose-san. Even though we're basically strangers, you're still willing to listen to me..."
Gratitude and hesitation blended in her tone, making her sound fragile, almost breakable.
With that, we slipped out of the classroom, leaving behind the jeers aimed at Yamauchi and Ike.
They had become enemies of the girls in the room, easy targets for collective disdain.
Meanwhile, Karuizawa and I walked side by side, her pace uncertain but deliberate, the weight of her confession pressing silently between us.
...
Maya Sato's POV
After Kei and Takashi left the classroom, the atmosphere instantly turned sour. Yamauchi and Ike Kanji immediately became the enemies of nearly every girl in Class D.
Their crude jokes and stupid remarks left the room heavy with disgust.
Luckily, Hirata stepped in before things spiraled out of control, trying to soothe the tension by suggesting that maybe Yamauchi and Ike were only joking.
After all, they were infamous for their idiocy, and everyone already knew they had embarrassingly low IQs.
It was understandable that such nonsense would come out of their mouths.
Even so, I couldn't stop the wave of contempt rising inside me.
How could the boys in this class be so inferior compared to the girls? It wasn't just embarrassing; it was pathetic. From what I had heard, the male students in other classes weren't nearly as much of a disgrace as Yamauchi and Ike.
Class D seemed cursed to have its boys dragged down by these two.
The only relief was that Sudou Ken had enough sense not to join in their stupidity. He just snorted coldly at the whole scene, showing his disapproval, and left the classroom early.
If I had to be brutally honest, there were only three boys in this class who were even remotely bearable — Takashi, Hirata, and Koenji.
Takashi was undeniably handsome and carried himself well. Hirata was kind, considerate, and always quick to step in for the sake of harmony. Koenji, on the other hand, looked good physically but ruined himself with his narcissism and unbearable personality.
He was so wrapped up in himself, so delusional and self-absorbed, that it became suffocating to even be near him.
As for Hirata, despite his popularity and his good looks, he simply wasn't boyfriend material. His problem was that he cared too much about maintaining the class atmosphere, about putting others before himself.
That sort of selflessness, while admirable in theory, would drain any real relationship. It wasn't attractive, it was exhausting.
That left only Takashi. He was the only one with real potential, the only boy who wasn't pathetic or flawed beyond repair.
But the bitter truth was that Takashi had already been taken by my best friend, no less.
As much as I felt a sting of loss, there was nothing I could do about it.
She was my friend, and loyalty mattered more.
All I could do was bless her relationship and support her as best I could, even if deep inside I couldn't help but feel the regret of losing the only good option in this rotten class.
As if she could read the faint regret in my mood, Kushida suddenly chimed in, her timing sharp as always. "Do you also like Takashi-kun, Sato-san?"
I smirked and teased back without hesitation.
"Most of the girls in our class like him. Not only is he handsome, but he also has a great future ahead of him. Honestly, who in our class doesn't like him, Kushida-san? Don't you also have a crush on him too? After all, when Kei asked you who you'd choose between Hirata and Takashi, you recommended Takashi, didn't you?"
Her face flushed almost instantly, her cheeks turning red as though she had been caught in the middle of something indecent.
She looked away, shy but trying to maintain composure as she answered softly. "Of course I like him, but I don't want to form any relationship with anyone, Sato-san. I just want to study harder, make friends with everyone, and keep things balanced. Besides, it's doubtful that I could ever date Takashi-kun… he's simply above our league."
"You're right about that," I admitted bitterly, though I quickly tried to shake off the heaviness in my voice.
My expression brightened, forcing encouragement into my words. "At least Kei has him, and she's happy with it. That counts for something, right?"
"You don't seem happy, though." Kushida tilted her head, her voice lowering into a conspiratorial whisper. "Honestly, I think you and Takashi are more suitable, Sato-san. Just kidding… what am I even saying?"
She giggled, a soft laugh meant to play it off as harmless banter.
I laughed too, matching her energy, letting her attempt at lightening the atmosphere do its job.
The tension eased, the mood between us became brighter, and the classroom felt alive again, full of that ordinary chatter and laughter that covered up anything deeper.
But deep inside, I wasn't laughing. I was asking myself a question I couldn't shake off: Was that really just a joke? Or was she telling me something more?
Kushida was sharp, sharper than most people gave her credit for. She wasn't just saying things randomly — her ability to read the room, to read people, was uncanny. She was the one who suggested Takashi over Hirata when it came to relationships.
She had judged that correctly. If Kushida could predict that, then her remark that I might suit Takashi better than Kei couldn't be dismissed as mere nonsense.
Still, on the surface, I gave nothing away. My expression stayed casual, my laughter kept flowing, my jokes played along with hers.
To anyone watching, we were just two girls chatting away, brightening up the classroom atmosphere with harmless fun.
But I knew better. A seed had been planted deep inside me, rooted in a place I couldn't easily pull it out from.
The whisper from Kushida, that half-serious, half-playful suggestion kept echoing through me again and again, no matter how much I tried to ignore it.
What if I took the initiative? Would I ever have a chance with Takashi-kun?
Well… just kidding. He belonged to Kei, after all.
I laughed, this time unironically, though the laughter hid more than it revealed.
...
Yeah, it's been a while, I guess?
Earlier, I tried to update, but Webnovel was buggy and my chapter didn't show up even though it was already posted. I noticed other fics are updating normally now and it seems WN has fixed the issue, so I'm going to try again and upload this chapter.
I'm going to put up a vote here: do you want the MC's relationship with Kei to start with a bang (sex first, relationship later), or to develop slowly instead (vanilla romance)?
1. Segg
2. Vanilla
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