Hello everyone. Right now, I'm sitting in the middle of a beautiful garden, surrounded by blooming flowers and fluttering butterflies, on a fancy bench. I should have returned to the study room by now… but I couldn't say no when her father asked me to accompany him for a little talk.
"What do you think of this place?"
"It's beautiful, sir. I'm speechless." — Though I'd probably enjoy it more if he weren't here with me...
"I'm glad you like it. So, you're her friend, right? May I ask you why?"
Holy—he's asking that right off the bat? What should I even say? I need to come up with something reasonable...
"We sit next to each other in class. And before I knew it, we just became friends." — Okay, maybe I could've phrased that better, but at least it sounds casual and not too suspicious.
"So it was just a coincidence, I see…"
He went silent for a few seconds, lost in thought. Honestly, this is even more nerve-racking than talking to Ayame-san's mom.
"Sorry if I'm being rude, but do you have a girlfriend? Or someone you like?"
"No, sir." — Great. Now it's obvious he thinks I'm some kind of playboy—or worse, some insect hanging around his daughter. I swear, I just want to study in peace!
"Are you sure? I heard someone confessed to you. Was she not to your liking?"
Wait—how does he know that!?
"She's a good person. I'm the one who doesn't have the right to date her. I think entering a relationship half-heartedly would be disrespectful to her." — I'm not about to talk badly about Tachibana-san just to save face.
"Tell me, boy... it's not because of Ayame, is it?"
He's really backing me into a corner here. There's no right answer to this. Say "no," and it sounds like I don't take Ayame seriously. Say "yes," and it implies I have feelings for her.
Okay… time to B.S. my way out of this.
"Sir, you don't need to worry. I understand."
"Wait… so you knew!?" — Why is he surprised now?
"Yes. I became her friend because I truly admire her. One day, I hope to repay all the kindness and support she's shown me. That's my only intention."
"…What?"
"I know it probably sounds like an empty promise. But I respect her deeply—even if I don't have anything to prove it."
"Boy, I think we're not in the same page here."
Well… at least I tried. Maybe I'll be sent home earlier than I thought.
"Do you know why there's a male scholarship at Sakurazai Academy?" — he suddenly asked.
"To encourage more boys to enroll? Especially those who can interact well with girls?"
"You're not wrong. But you're not completely right, either. Do you know who the main sponsor is?"
"It's the Edomae Company. I saw it mentioned in the news."
"Good. Now can you guess why the company—or rather, my wife—would support such a thing?"
"If I had to guess... for publicity? I mean, if a major company supports gender balance in schools, it reflects well on them. Oh—sorry if that sounded disrespectful to Madam Edomae. I know she really wants to address the issue too."
"No need to apologize. But now I see what kind of person you are. Tell me honestly. Are you afraid of Ayame?" — He looked at me with a more serious gaze.
What kind of question is that!? I totally wasn't expecting this. I thought he was just testing if I knew anything about the business world.
"No, sir, I'm not. But... why do you ask?"
"Let me tell you a little story from this old man's life. You see, I once thought she was helping me out of kindness. I was naive. One of my friends even warned me, but I thought he was overreacting."
"…?" — Who is he even talking about? Still, I decided it was best to just listen.
"I had a childhood friend. She was kind, reliable. One day, I got accepted into Sakurazai Academy through the male scholarship. She encouraged me to take it. Unfortunately, she couldn't enroll with me, but she still supported me, even walking me to school every day. I really miss her…"
"…"
"Because of her, I was able to socialize at school. I knew not all girls were bad. But then she appeared. At first, she helped me a lot. I didn't suspect anything. Until one day… she confessed."
"…Gulp."
"I still remember it vividly—her long black hair, red cheeks, wide eyes. I was happy, but… I rejected her. I already had someone I liked. I told her the truth, and she cried."
"…"
"But that was just the beginning. The next day, she greeted me like always. As if nothing had happened. At first, I thought she was just emotionally strong. But I was wrong. Her attention became more intense… obsessive, even. She messaged me every single night."
"…"
"Eventually, I confessed my feelings to my childhood friend. She accepted me. In fact… she told me it was okay if I dated the other girl too. That's how desperate she was. So I told her about it, and guess what?"
"…"
"She snapped. She started asking what she was lacking. Told me she'd give everything she had. It felt like the sweet girl I knew had turned into someone else entirely. And so... I gave in. I left my childhood friend and accepted her."
"…"
"I was afraid, Morikawa-kun. Afraid of what she might do to the girl I loved. And that's when I realized the real reason Edomae Company supports the male scholarship. And not just my wife—but my daughter, Ayame, knows this too."
"…"
I couldn't say anything. It was too much to process. I thought he was concerned about Ayame-san… but now it feels like I'm the one he's worried about.
What a complicated situation.
Ayame-san… what do you think about all of this?