Episode 256: Love at First Sight Is…

I decided to pull out the low table that I hadn’t used once since moving into this house. It was originally a piece of junk from my parents’ place, left to sleep in the closet here, but it seemed its time to see the light of day had finally come.

Watching my work, the three guys who were still maintaining their mysterious seiza seemed to have finally reached their limit.

As they shifted out of the posture, each of them began to let out groans of pain.

「Why were you even sitting in seiza?」

「Well… just because…」

「Felt like we’d get yelled at for having bad manners…」

「Something like that…」

Apparently, they were sitting in seiza because they were afraid of being scolded by Sara-san. They must have a preconceived notion of her being a strict person.

Then again, since that’s her default stance toward anyone but me, I can’t exactly say they’re wrong.

「Sorry to keep you waiting.」

Speak of the devil, though not quite. Sara-san returned at the perfect moment. On the tray she held were tea cups, snacks, and various other things.

The three of them were as tense as ever around Sara-san, frozen in place and unable to move even as the tea and snacks were placed in front of them.

「Kazunari-san, I’ll be tidying up the kitchen, so please call me if you need anything.」

「Sorry, I’ll help out later too.」

「Fufu… housework is my job. Please don’t worry about it and enjoy your talk with your friends.」

「「「 ………… 」」」

Sara-san gave a light bow, left a quick「Enjoy yourself…」and headed back to the kitchen. The three of them watched her departing figure in a daze.

「…What was that… just now…」

「…Satsukawa-senpai has a side like that…」

「………」

It seemed they had moved past「unbelievable,」but now they looked like they couldn’t hide their shock at how much Sara-san had changed.

Still, I suppose it’s only natural. If I’m allowed to be a bit conceited, Sara-san only shows her true self when she’s with me. Most people only ever see her in「Reject Idiot Guys Mode」or as the「Strict and Lonely Goddess.」

「More importantly, you had something to talk about, right?」

Setting that aside, listening to Yamakawa should come first.

I’m almost certain it’s about Hanako-san, and if it is, I have things to say as well. Sorry to Yamakawa, but since he brought the topic here, I intend to tell him exactly what I think.

「A-Ah, yeah. About Hanasaki-san.」

「Yeah. What about Hanako-san?」

「……What do you think… she thinks of me?」

「…………Huh?」

I knew it would be about Hanako-san, but honestly, this question came out of left field. I couldn’t think of a response immediately and found myself at a loss for words. I’m sure he has his own reasons for asking something like this.

「Listen, Yamakawa. Since you asked that, can I assume you’re prepared to hear something harsh from me?」

「Y-Yeah. But saying it like that means…」

「Then first, I want to ask: what part of Hanako-san did you fall for?」

I ended up ignoring his question for a bit to confirm the basics first.

There’s no doubt the spark for his interest in Hanako-san was that time he saw the selfie sent to my phone.

In other words, I already know the catalyst was love at first sight.

I have no intention of rejecting romance that starts with love at first sight, but if we limit it to「us,」it becomes a prohibited topic. I, Hanako-san, and Tachibana-san, who were the ones involved in that incident, have a deep-seated loathing for discussing romance based solely on looks and appearance. Sara-san was like that from the start, too.

That’s why I want to check if there are any other reasons first.

「It was love at first sight.」

「…Well, I knew that. And then?」

「I mean, I haven’t really talked to Hanasaki-san much, and I don’t know much about her personally. But whenever I try to talk to her…」

「She doesn’t give you the time of day, right. Even though she’s made it clear you’re a nuisance, I think the fact that you still can’t give up is pretty impressive in its own way. Takanashi, just tell him straight.」

「I think today’s a good opportunity. Since you’re the one closest to Hanasaki-san, Takanashi, we thought he’d actually listen to you more than us.」

…Let’s organize the situation.

It’s confirmed Yamakawa is in love with Hanako-san at first sight, but he knows nothing about her and has barely spoken to her. In other words, it’s the worst kind of focus on appearances, which is already a failure at that point. And Kawamura and Tanaka seem to have judged it’s impossible based on Hanako-san’s attitude and are trying to get Yamakawa to give up.

「Shut up! I’m talking to Takanashi…」

「She told you clearly the other day that you’re a nuisance, didn’t she.」

「It’s not like I confessed…」

「I mean, the whole class knows Hanasaki-san doesn’t deal with any guy besides Takanashi, right? That’s why everyone thought that the two were dating!」

「Don’t go thinking that just because Takanashi wasn’t the one, she’ll just drift over to you. Life isn’t that convenient, you know?」

Yamakawa wasn’t allowed to argue back by the two of them, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish coming to the surface for air. No sound was coming out, but I’m sure he was trying to argue back in his head.

But Yamakawa must have sensed it too, which is why he asked「what she thinks of him.」

If that’s the case…

「Yamakawa, you’re the one who asked, so I’m going to be blunt. First of all, the pattern Hanako-san hates most is someone falling in love at first sight because of her looks. Well, I’m the same way.」

「……Wha!?」

I really don’t want to stick my nose into other people’s romances…

But since this is what Yamakawa wanted, and it’s for Hanako-san’s sake, it can’t be helped.

Shocked by my words, Yamakawa suddenly started flusteredly saying,「No, that’s…」as he panicked. It looked like he was desperately trying to remember if there was any other catalyst besides her looks, but in the end, nothing came to him.

I watched him for a while, but he really couldn’t think of anything else to say. Finally, he looked me in the eye and slumped his shoulders.

「…But, it really was the first time for me.」

And then, as if pouring out his honest feelings, Yamakawa began to speak his thoughts bit by bit.

「When I saw that selfie Takanashi had, I felt a shock like an electric current. And then when I actually met her, I was even more surprised. It was like my ideal had taken physical form. And since someone like that miraculously transferred in, I thought it was definitely fate…」

It was a bit of a clumsy explanation, but I could understand what he was trying to say.

Finding someone who is exactly your ideal and meeting them through the rare case of a transfer. That’s why he convinced himself it was fate. From the outside, you could call it a delusion, a stretch, or a convenient interpretation, but to the person who fell in love, he’s probably dead serious.

「But… everyone said she was dating Takanashi… and that she transferred here because you were here. So I thought I had no choice but to give up, but when I found out that wasn’t true…」

In the end, while he hadn’t quite given up, finding out that things with me were a misunderstanding reignited his feelings. And the rebound caused his feelings to swell even more, making him move purely on momentum.

「Actually, I ran into Hanasaki-san on the way home Saturday, so I took the plunge and spoke to her. But she looked so bothered… so I couldn’t say anything more…」

This was news to me, but as he said that, he looked down again as if to escape my gaze. Or perhaps, after hearing my talk, he’d realized the surface reason why Hanako-san had been so bothered by him.

Hanako-san is showing it through her attitude, but this will likely just be a vicious cycle at this rate.

In that case, if I offer some follow-up…

「Yamakawa, normally this is something people should talk about between themselves, but the situation is bad, so I’ll say it. To give the conclusion first, I don’t think Hanako-san is going to change her attitude from here on. I’m not just saying this randomly, I’m almost certain.」

Even after hearing my definitive answer, Yamakawa didn’t panic that much. He looked shocked, but he’d probably prepared himself for it deep down.

「I can’t say the details, but both Hanako-san and I had a lot of trouble from the same cause. I’ll say it now, but the reason I started living alone and wouldn’t get involved with anyone in class was originally because of that. And Hanako-san went through a lot and ended up with a trauma regarding men. She especially hates shallow guys. Guys who look shallow are the same.」

To be precise, she hates guys who remind her of Yamazaki the most…

「…I’ve been told I look like an idiot, but I’ve never been called shallow…」

「I see, so that’s it. That’s why it links back to her hating love at first sight?」

Yamakawa didn’t seem to get it yet, but Kawamura had. Since he’s the most quick-witted and sensible of the three, it’s no surprise he’d be the first to realize.

「What, you figured it out?」

「Yeah. Takanashi said even guys who look shallow are a no-go, right? You fell in love with Hanasaki-san at first sight, but in the end, you just fell for her looks. You didn’t look at her inner self at all, and even if that’s the case, you should have at least waited until you knew each other properly, but you were too light in showing your feelings from the very start.」

「…………」

「Oh, I get it! When you put it like that, it’s no wonder she thinks you’re a shallow guy. You look like the kind of guy who thinks looks are everything and personality comes second, and you lightheartedly hit on a girl you don’t even know.」

「!?」

「It’s just as they said. That’s why Hanako-san felt a sense of loathing toward you. And once she thinks your core is like that, nothing you say after will be a good follow-up. It’ll just look like you’re trying to talk your way out of it.」

A shallow guy who knows nothing about her, has no connection, and approaches her with nothing but hidden motives. There’s no doubt that’s how Yamakawa is perceived. He’d met all the conditions that Hanako-san (and of course Sara-san) hates.

And there’s a reason for the fact that a follow-up won’t work. Even Hayato, who is a close friend, still has a line drawn with her because of a misunderstanding that left a lingering image of him being shallow. It’s probably hopeless for Yamakawa.

「So… I was just getting carried away and kept doing the exact thing Hanasaki-san hates most?」

This was quite a shock to him, his eyes losing focus as if he were in a daze. He’d completely realized how many wrong moves he’d repeatedly made.

Then again, if it weren’t Hanako-san, he might not have been rejected this much…

「…Look, Yamakawa, I don’t think you’re a shallow guy, I think you’re a good guy. I think you got too carried away, but I can understand why you felt that way. But this time…」

「…Thanks for telling me. I finally get it now. At least I won’t have to do anything more to make Hanasaki-san hate me.」

It was the truth, but maybe that was a bit too much of a blatant follow-up…

Even without finishing, it seemed he understood what I wanted to say. It ended up being like delivering a final blow, but since he’d noticed to some extent himself, he was able to accept it honestly.

「Looks like you’re finally convinced.」

「Yeah. I’ll apologize to her next time.」

「Guess talking to Takanashi was the right move after all.」

Even if he hasn’t technically been rejected yet, it seems he’s made up his mind. Everything seemed to click for him, and while he looked sad, there was also a sense of relief. Regardless, if he’s satisfied, that’s for the best.

「Have you finished your talk?」

Sara-san returned at a time that seemed perfectly gauged for the end of the conversation. If you’re talking in such a small room, you’re bound to hear everything whether you want to or not, so I suppose I should say she was waiting for us to finish.

「Satsukawa-senpai, sorry for taking your time when you’re busy.」

Maybe because he’d calmed down emotionally, Yamakawa didn’t show any signs of being afraid of Sara-san, unlike before.

「No… as it turned out, I ended up listening in, but there were parts that gave me something to think about too…」

「?」

Did something in the talk catch her interest? Sara-san looked as if she were deep in thought.

I’m sure she doesn’t intend to say it here, so I’ll try asking her casually later.

「I am sorry, I got off track. Kazunari-san, it’s almost lunch time. What would you like to do? Shall we go out?」

Hearing Sara-san, I checked the clock and realized it was already near 12 o’clock. I must have been more focused on the talk than I thought.

「What do you guys want to do?」

「I didn’t mean to take so much of your time, we stayed longer than I thought. Sorry.」

「Sorry, Takanashi. We interrupted even though Satsukawa-senpai was here. Sorry to you too, Satsukawa-senpai.」

「No, it’s quite alright. Come to think of it, I’ve realized there’s a possibility of Kazunari-san’s friends visiting in the future. I should probably prepare some things for guests properly.」

I don’t know how my social life will go from here, but it wouldn’t be strange if friends came over. And that’s true for Sara-san as well, not just me.

「Somehow… I thought I came to Takanashi’s house, but it feels like Satsukawa-senpai’s managing it…」

「I wouldn’t say managing, but I am in charge of the housework for this home.」

「!?」

Tanaka must have intended that as a monologue. He couldn’t hide his shock at the unexpected reply from Sara-san.

「…I never thought I’d have the chance to talk to Satsukawa-senpai.」

「I suppose so. If you weren’t Kazunari-san’s friend, I likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to speak with you.」

「I-I see…」

「Yes.」

Kawamura took the plunge and spoke to Sara-san too, but he seemed to have lost his words at her too-direct reply. Since Sara-san often thinks with me as the standard, it was a perfectly normal answer for her, especially when dealing with men. At least, from my perspective.

「Um!! D-Do you come to this house often, S-Satsukawa-senpai!? You seem quite used to it, doing the cleaning and all.」

Maybe because he’d settled his feelings about Hanako-san, Yamakawa had regained his natural brightness. Although he seemed a bit nervous, he spoke to Sara-san without hesitation.

「I’m not exactly visiting. I live here too.」

「「「 …Eh? 」」」

Ever since I started being with Sara-san, I feel like I’ve been seeing this「look of utter shock」more often. In other words, people are often surprised by us, and these three were no exception.

「……T-T-T-Takanashi…」

「…H-Hey, no way… no way…」

「…You’ve gotta be… kidding me… right…?」

「……It’s true.」

「「「 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 」」」

Beyond mere surprise, they looked so shocked they couldn’t even make a sound. But since it would be a nuisance to the neighbors, I suppose I should be thankful they didn’t shout…

「…A-A-A-Are you living together!!??」

「…T-That’s crazy no matter how you look at it!!!! If the school finds out…」

「It’s not a problem. We’re engaged, after all.」

「Oh, then it’s fine… Engaged!!??」

「No way, no way, no way!!!! L-Living with the Goddess and being engaged… that’s way too crazy, man!?」

「Engaged and living together, does that mean it’s parent-approved!!??」

「Yeah.」

「「「 …………. 」」」

Envy, terror,「who is this guy」,「unbelievable」… I’ve seen this look mixed with so many emotions lately that I’m starting to get used to it…