Episode 261: Romantic Feelings and Fan Psychology

～ Rewinding time a bit, to the morning ～

I hadn’t really been thinking about it until now, but as the classroom got closer, the memories of Saturday came flooding back.

I’d imagined to some extent that there would be a commotion when my relationship with Sara-san came to light. But now that the fuss had actually started, the scale of it felt like it far exceeded what I’d expected.

That day was the parent-teacher observation, so there were many other things on my mind, and I didn’t have the luxury to think about it calmly.

Maybe that’s why I’m only now starting to realize just how big of an uproar it really was.

Or rather, if it was that much of a scene, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the rumors spread instantly.

Regardless, after that incident, at least the people in my class should understand the relationship between Sara-san and me.

If I think about how this has reduced the number of guys getting weird ideas even by a little bit, then I don’t care if I’m envied or isolated in class.

If I could crush even the slightest chance of Sara-san feeling uncomfortable, that alone would be my greatest wish.

Besides, I’m not the old me anymore. I have Sara-san, I have Hanako-san, I have everyone.

So…

Tug, tug…

A small tug on my sleeve suddenly pulled my thoughts back to reality.

Startled, I looked to my side to find Hanako-san, who was walking next to me, gripping my sleeve.

「………」

「Hanako-san?」

Hanako-san just stared into my eyes without saying a word.

It’s the same with Sara-san, but whenever I’m being looked at with such a meaningful gaze, they almost always end up reading my thoughts.

By the way, what I was thinking just now… Sara-san’s business is fine. I was just acting a bit cool in my head.

Other than that… right, I was thinking about how I have everyone, or other stuff that’s embarrassing to look back on!

「……」

Even while I was thinking that, Hanako-san refused to take her eyes off me. Feeling like she was seeing through the parts I didn’t want read, I tried to look away in a hurry…

But she pulled my sleeve as if to forbid it, and in the end, we just ended up staring at each other.

Ugh… please give me a break already.

「It’s okay, Kazunari…」

「Eh?」

「You have your Wife, Kazunari. You have everyone. You have me. In the classroom, Big sister will always be by your side.」

So don’t worry… Hanako-san offered me a gentle smile.

「A-Ah, I know. I have Sara-san, I have everyone… and I have my Big sister too.」

I know I’m saying something embarrassing myself. So, trying to hide that, I ended up speaking more bluntly than I intended.

But even that seemed to be seen through by Hanako-san. When everything is read so clearly, it really is a bit awkward…

「Fufu…」

Whether she knew my feelings or not… no, it’s Hanako-san. I’m sure she’s aware of everything.

Keeping her gentle smile, she gave my hand a tiny, cute squeeze with her small hand.

「Wife says you’re cute, Kazunari, and I think so too.」

「No, for a guy, that’s…」

「You don’t have to be shy. From a Big sister’s perspective, a little brother is always cute.」

It wasn’t that I was being shy, but apparently I wasn’t allowed to deny it either way.

With this, following Sara-san and Mayumi-san, I’ve now been called cute by Hanako-san too. Whether that’s a happy thing or not, as a guy, I don’t think it’s exactly a compliment. So, to be honest, I can’t just nod and agree.

Well, I know the people saying it don’t have any ulterior motives or bad intentions, so I understand there’s no need to get worked up and deny it.

「A-Anyway, I’m fine. It’s not like I’m shrinking back, and besides, the real show starts from here.」

If I consider the beauty contest as the main event, then what happened on Saturday was just a preliminary skirmish.

Although I was a bit surprised by the difference between imagination and reality, my resolve hasn’t wavered in the slightest.

As long as I get the result I’m looking for, everything else will work itself out. No, I’ll make it work.

I’m different from the old me…

Rattle rattle rattle.

「Morning!」

Thinking about the disaster on Saturday, I wasn’t without nerves, but I steeled myself and charged into the classroom as usual.

Taking a quick look around, it didn’t seem like there was anything out of the ordinary at first glance.

It felt a bit like an anti-climax, but then again, it’s not like I can go out of my way to act concerned.

「Morning, Takanashi!」

「Yo!」

The ones who gave me their usual energetic morning greetings were Yamakawa and the others.

I’d been concerned because we talked about a lot on Sunday, but as far as I can see, I don’t sense any gloom or depression. Between Yamakawa and the rest of the class, since everything is so normal, maybe I’m just overthinking thi…

Crowd, crowd, crowd…

…Or maybe not.

As if they’d timed it, the boys gathered around the moment I sat in my seat. From their expressions, I couldn’t see any negative emotions like anger or jealousy, but there was no doubt they had business with me.

「Do you have business with Kazunari?」

Before I could say anything, Hanako-san was the one who questioned the gathering boys. With her wariness laid bare, she stood close to me and glanced at the surroundings.

「Hanako-san, I’ll talk to them.」

I have no intention of becoming a pathetic guy who’s protected by a girl. This was a seed I sowed myself, so naturally, I should be the one to deal with it.

「…If you do anything unnecessary to Kazunari, I won’t forgive you.」

She seemed to respect my feelings for now. After leaving that ominous warning, Hanako-san took one step back. Still, she didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving me, as she stayed stuck right behind my shoulder.

I wonder if this is because I’m not trusted, or if it’s just overprotectiveness as a Big sister…

For the record, I wasn’t as wary as Hanako-san was.

Looking at them, I could tell somehow that they hadn’t gathered with any malicious intent.

And maybe Hanako-san knew that too, but she gave the warning anyway just because she was thinking of me.

The people gathered around nodded at Hanako-san’s warning, showing signs of fluster or complicated feelings.

It probably really wasn’t anything that serious.

「Takanashi… that talk about Satsukawa-senpai, it wasn’t a lie, right?」

One of the people gathered opened his mouth as if he’d made up his mind. Well, there’s no other topic but that, I guess.

「You saw that and still think it’s a lie?」

「「「 ……………… 」」」

「It’s exactly as I said on Saturday. I’m dating Sara-san, and we’re engaged. It’s all the truth.」

I told them calmly, as if to convince them that there were no other facts and that this was reality.

Since these guys saw the scene on Saturday, I don’t think it’s that they don’t believe it.

So instead of doubting, it felt more like they were just confirming the facts.

Though, if they still couldn’t admit it was the truth after seeing that, I’d have to question their sanity.

「…I thought so.」

「…To be honest, a part of me still doesn’t want to believe it. But…」

「…I’d never seen Satsukawa-senpai like that before…」

As I thought, the shock from Saturday was quite something. Even though they should know it’s reality, it seems they still haven’t fully processed it.

However, because they saw a side of her that was too different from the Sara-san they knew, they must have reached the conclusion that there was no room for doubt.

「Come on, are you guys seriously still thinking about not accepting it from Takanashi after seeing that?」

Breaking through the air that was starting to get heavy, Yamakawa cut in with an almost out-of-place brightness.

Or rather, I should say he cut in for me.

But thanks to that cheerfulness, the solemn atmosphere seemed to relax, so to be honest, it was a help.

「Takanashi and Satsukawa-senpai are basically like a married couple already.」

「If you guys saw that, you’d probably die~」

Following Yamakawa, Kawamura and Tanaka cut into the conversation as well.

With the appearance of these three, some smiles started to appear on the faces of the gathered boys. It seemed they could no longer keep up that heavy atmosphere.

「Die if we saw it… then what did you see?」

「No, no, it’s better if you don’t ask.」

「What’s that supposed to mean…」

「Well, we ran into the Takanashi couple yesterday. Satsukawa-senpai was completely like Takanashi’s wife…」

「Uwaaaaaah! That’s seriously a shockkkk」

「Ughhhh, must be nice… a super beauty like Satsukawa-senpai!!!」

「If only I’d confessed first…」

「Listen to you. You wouldn’t have had the guts to confess anyway.」

「Neither would you!?」

…What on earth is this?

Even if there’s no doubt they’re shocked, this sudden change felt less like a surprise and more like an anti-climax.

Considering Saturday, I was obviously prepared to be grilled with the same kind of seriousness as before. But looking at them now, even though they’re complaining, they seem to have accepted the relationship itself quite easily.

Not to speak for myself, but after all that fuss, can they really just move on that easily?

「Takanashi, what’s wrong?」

While I was staring blankly at the scene in front of me, Kawamura noticed and came over, tilting his head.

I debated whether or not to tell him the reason, but the ever-knowing Kawamura might actually have a grasp on that sort of thing too. So, I decided to take the plunge and ask.

「No, I was just thinking they accepted it pretty easily…」

「Of course they did. If they saw Satsukawa-senpai like that and still said they couldn’t admit it, they’d be insane.」

「I thought the same thing. But after all that noise they made…」

「Ah, you mean that. Well… this is just my guess, but I think Satsukawa-senpai was like an idol to these guys. I’m sure there were romantic feelings too, but since the admiration was bigger, they were probably just making a bigger fuss than necessary. That’s how I see it.」

Sara-san is an idol?

Does that mean these guys had a fan club kind of vibe?

…But when he puts it that way, there are parts that make sense.

Even if they only fell for Sara-san’s looks, it’s probably true that they had some「romantic feelings.」

But if they had real romantic feelings, they shouldn’t be flocking together with their rivals like this. Yet these guys were all worked up together.

It really is no exaggeration to say it’s like an idol’s fan club.

「Ultimately, their feelings were only at the level of ‘maybe if I have a chance.’ After seeing that, they don’t have the spirit to refuse to give up. That’s why they accepted the heartbreak itself so easily. But since their admiration won’t fade that quickly, they’re making a fuss about being jealous and frustrated that their idol was taken.」

Because he understands our classmates better than I do, Kawamura’s words are persuasive.

It was a very convincing opinion… as a conclusion.

So the takeaway is:

Because their romantic feelings and fan-like admiration were mixed together and worked up synergistically, the shock of finding out about Sara-san and me was intense. That was the uproar on Saturday.

But from the perspective of romantic feelings alone, they were only at the level where they could flock together. Plus, they were shallow feelings based only on falling for her looks. That’s why after seeing us together, they could accept it easily.

And in the end, only the fan-like admiration remains.

Does that explain the reason for their half-baked behavior… maybe?

「That’s just my analysis, though. Well, I guess that falls into the category of love at first sight, so in that sense, it’s the same…」

Having said that much, Kawamura’s words trailed off as he flicked a glance at Yamakawa.

It’s true that even if they’re both love at first sight, Yamakawa is far better in terms of seriousness.

「…An idol fan game. Ultimately, just a bunch of idiots.」

Hanako-san, who had been listening intently to our talk, spat that out as if she were utterly exasperated. After giving the boys a look as cold as ice, she turned back toward me, as if she had no more interest in their existence.

「Hanako-san?」

「You don’t need to care about people like that, Kazunari. Falling for someone for their looks or whatever… they’re too shallow to even be worth dealing with.」

Hanako-san’s reaction was, if anything, only natural.

Everything we’d talked about so far was, to Hanako-san (and obviously to Sara-san), something worthy of contempt, so it wasn’t a surprise that the scene in front of her looked like a farce. In fact, it felt like even more loathing had been born within Hanako-san because of this incident.

That’s why Kawamura was the one wearing a bitter expression at those words. I understood the reason too, of course. Yamakawa had declared he was going to talk to Hanako-san today, so the timing couldn’t be worse.

「Hanasaki-san, do you have a second?」

And the one who spoke to Hanako-san at that absolute worst timing…

Was Yamakawa, with a somewhat tense look on his face.