Chapter 5: Why He Wants to Be Confessed
Another week passed, and student council work got easier.
“…Yo.”
The reason? A lucky charm named Ishigami Yu, the newest member.
Miyuki thought highly of the first-year and recommended him for treasurer.
Right after joining, Ishigami’s terrifying efficiency lightened my all-over-the-place general affairs workload.
With more free time, I could observe Miyuki and Shinomiya.
It’s clear now—Shinomiya definitely has feelings for him.
The problem? She doesn’t seem keen on confessing either.
Are they both just gonna wait for the other to make a move until they’re old and gray?
With Ishigami’s arrival, the council room had all members present for once.
Today’s drama started with a book the principal confiscated.
“What’s this?”
Shinomiya spotted a magazine on the table and asked Miyuki.
“The principal took it from a student. Said it’s ‘educationally inappropriate’ and to dispose of it. Like, handle it yourself…”
“…Educationally inappropriate?”
Fujiwara, curious, picked it up and flipped through it.
She yelped and dropped it.
“Eek!”
“…?”
“Chaos… no, it’s obscene! This country’s gone wild!”
“—!”
Her words drew every guy’s eyes to the magazine.
I’m a guy in my prime, so I couldn’t help but glance. Ahem.
Meanwhile, Shinomiya calmly picked it up and started reading.
“‘When was your first experience?’ survey. ‘Before finishing high school,’ 34%… huh.”
“No way! Not everyone’s done that!”
Fujiwara’s fierce denial was unexpectedly backed by Ishigami.
“It’s a statistical trap. Gossip mags need to sound spicy, but the sample’s just the losers who buy this stuff. One-off survey, sloppy conclusion—”
“There’s more here. Groups like student councils or sports teams, full of capable people, can hit up to 80% in some cases…”
“Eighty percent!?”
Everyone was shocked, but Ishigami took it hardest.
“…Five council members. Minus me…”
He counted on his fingers, his face darkening.
Is he misunderstanding something big?
Drip.
Tears streamed down Ishigami’s face.
“Ishigami?”
Miyuki called out, but he’d already spiraled.
“I wanna die, I’m going home…”
“You fell for your own trap!?”
The guy who mocked the stats got suckered by them. Ishigami’s out.
The rest of us kept the conversation going.
“Oh, President, you looked pretty flustered earlier…”
“Me?”
“I hear you’re quite popular. No girlfriend?”
“…!”
Shinomiya’s question was a direct hit.
Let’s see how you handle this, Miyuki.
“…Well, yeah. No one specific, not like that.”
He paused, then finished.
“Not now—”
“Pfft!”
I couldn’t hold back a laugh.
‘What are you doing, idiot—!’ his glare screamed.
Come on, acting experienced when you’re not? How’s that not funny?
Gotta cover this up…
“Cough! Hack, ugh—!”
I coughed like I had a cold, pretending that was the sound.
“Suzuki-kun!? Got a cold?”
“…Slept with the window open last night, maybe caught something.”
“You need to be careful this time of year.”
Fujiwara and Shinomiya sounded worried.
Did I shift the topic? But Shinomiya’s lip curled slightly.
She’s onto me. Smiling, she turned to me.
“Suzuki-san, you’re the president’s old friend. Ever seen him with a girlfriend?”
“…!”
Asking me? Smart—friends know more than the person sometimes.
Miyuki’s desperate look screamed, ‘Please answer well…!’
Tricky, tricky. Gotta be clever.
“Well, he was pretty popular.”
The magic of implication!
Popular = obviously dated someone.
It’s a dodge, assuming that’s a given.
Miyuki’s face lit up. ‘Nice one!’
See? I’ve got your back.
“…Like how?”
“Like, his shoe locker overflowing with chocolates.”
“Oh, yeah, that happened.”
He forgot chocolates he bought for exam snacks in his locker, and they melted everywhere.
I laughed so hard back then.
“Made a few girls cry, too, probably.”
“Thinking back, I feel kinda bad… Heh.”
His awful soccer skills in gym class sent balls into girls’ heads a few times.
That’s why some girls had a ‘Shirogane phobia’ during gym.
Not lies, but not exactly the truth either. We were smug as the conversation rolled on.
But Shinomiya’s face grew colder. Not my imagination—
“Must’ve been nice. So popular.”
A chill swept through, and Miyuki and I realized we’d messed up.
That icy vibe, like she’d revert to her old ice princess mode any second.
‘Ugh, was that wrong…?’
I racked my brain for a fix, but nothing came.
Then—
“Hey, enough boring past talk! Let’s talk about the future!”
Fujiwara hugged Shinomiya from behind, killing the topic.
“…Oh.”
Shinomiya’s icy face softened.
We both sighed in relief.
Nice save, Fujiwara.
She’s impossible to control, but sometimes she’s a lifesaver.
“Come on! Let’s share our ideal types! I’ll go first!”
Ideal types? Not a bad topic for this mess.
“For me, it’s someone who never stops trying, even if they’re bad at something or covered in mud!”
Hmm, that’s a million light-years from me.
Guess Fujiwara’s never falling for me rationally.
‘…Huh?’
Did Shinomiya just glare at Fujiwara like she’s not human?
Must be my imagination. They’re old friends like me and Miyuki, so no way.
“My turn…”
Miyuki hesitated, then spoke.
“Looks, skills, family—none of that matters. My ideal type is a girl who acts without hesitation, even when everyone else holds back.”
Says the guy crushing on someone with all those qualities. Whatever, he’s my friend.
“Hmm, the president’s type sounds tough. Next, Kaguya-san!”
“I…”
She paused, thinking, then continued.
“Someone who always tries, naturally cares for others, with kindness that comes from the heart, not calculation…”
Shinomiya looked down shyly, then…
“…That’s the kind of guy I like.”
She finished, looking up at Miyuki.
“…!”
His face turned beet red, flustered.
No names, but her words and gaze screamed, ‘Is it me?’
What a formidable opponent. If that was calculated, it’s almost admirable.
Miyuki, still red, shot me a pleading look.
He’s reeling from Shinomiya’s hit. If this keeps up, he’s done for.
What can I do? Embarrassing Shinomiya’s out of my league.
But I can warn her about the risks of not confessing.
I sketched a quick plan in my head and spoke.
“My ideal type is someone who says what they like honestly.”
“Aha! Suzuki-kun likes clear-cut over vague, huh?”
“Yeah, vagueness in a relationship’s bad, but it’s even worse before you’re together.”
“…!”
Shinomiya flinched. Got her.
“Liking someone’s awesome. If they seem to like you back, even better.”
Shinomiya perked up, but don’t relax yet.
“But liking someone and waiting for them to make the first move? That’s the worst.”
“…Ugh!”
“If I keep hesitating, leaving them unsure, they’ll think, ‘You don’t really like me…’ and walk away.”
“That’s… weirdly convincing…”
“No way…”
With Fujiwara’s reaction, Shinomiya looked more rattled.
Time to drive it home.
“Plus, the person I like is probably attractive to others too. If they’re hurt, someone else who’s been quietly watching might step in and comfort them…”
“Couple formed!”
“Exactly. Watching my crush end up with my best friend, I’d think…”
“…?”
Fujiwara leaned in, eager to hear.
Shinomiya was already half-dead.
Here’s the final blow.
“‘I liked them first…’”
“…Cough!!
Shinomiya took massive damage, collapsing on the table.
“Kaguya-san—!?”
See that, Miyuki?
This masterstroke’ll make her want to confess…
“No, no way… It can’t be…”
You too!?
I aimed for Shinomiya, so why’re you foaming at the mouth?
Cleanup fell to me and Fujiwara. Man, this isn’t easy.
*Today’s Score: Kaguya and Shirogane lose (too invested).