Hayasaka Ai: Miss Kaguya wants me to confess27 JunShare[Jealousy]
An emotion that boys feel toward girls, and girls feel toward boys.
From a girl's perspective:She doesn't want him to meet other girls. She doesn't want him to be intimate with other girls.To be extreme—if her boyfriend's gaze lingers on another girl's body for even a few seconds—that's unacceptable!
Girls are very prone to jealousy, and when they get angry... they might even stab someone with a knife!(Well, that kind of thing only happens in anime.)
Such extremely obsessive girls are generally called [Yandere].They probably don't exist in reality, right? Hmm… it's better if such terrifying things don't exist!
Since everyone has a different definition of what counts as being a playboy or cheating, the triggers for jealousy also vary greatly.
Take Fujiwara Chika, for example—she's feeling a bit jealous right now.
"Why didn't you tell me, Shirogane President? And Sakurai-kun! What were you two talking about just now? Hurry up and tell me—I'm super curious!"
Fujiwara Chika had just pushed open the door and found the two of them engaged in a lively conversation.But when she secretly approached, she noticed that they had suddenly gone quiet.
It was as if they were deliberately avoiding her!
Fujiwara Chika felt jealous because of this.
The two boys exchanged glances.
"Hm... Fujiwara Secretary, how should I put this... the topic is rather private, so I can't tell you directly," said Shirogane Miyuki, speaking cryptically.
Sakurai Saki glanced at Fujiwara, who had naturally plopped herself down beside him, and added:
"We're afraid you'll spread it."
"Grumble!"Fujiwara Chika pouted angrily. "I won't tell anyone!"
(Except for romance topics!)
Fujiwara Secretary has no resistance to romantic gossip. She lives for it. If someone shares even a whisper of juicy news—without explicitly warning her not to—she can spread it across Shuchiin Academy in less than an hour. She's practically a human loudspeaker.
"Tell meee~"Fujiwara Chika began shaking Sakurai Saki's arm, putting on her best spoiled act."Please! Saki-kun~"
(She even secretly changed how she addressed him.)
Sakurai Saki finally gave in, leaning toward her ear and whispering a few words.
"…Don't spread it carelessly."
"EH!? What the heck?! Is that true?! Hayasaka-san received a love letter!?"
Fujiwara Chika was so shocked she forgot to keep her voice down.Only after speaking did she realize, quickly covering her mouth.
Shirogane Miyuki glanced at the tightly closed Student Council Room door and let out a small sigh of relief.
Sakurai Saki had only mentioned that he thought he saw the outline of a love letter—he wasn't even sure it was real.
"Is she going to accept the confession?" Fujiwara asked, eyes sparkling with gossip-hunger.
Is Hayasaka-san finally going to give up on Sakurai-kun? Then she's definitely going to win! Yay!!
Because Fujiwara Chika had a good relationship with Hayasaka Ai, she never intended to make a move behind her back.She planned to let Sakurai Saki confess first!
After the last confession incident, Fujiwara had been panicking—afraid that Sakurai Saki would give up on love and become another "Ishigami Yu," retreating into games and solitude after school.
But thankfully, Sakurai Saki wasn't that fragile.One failed experience didn't defeat him!
"It's also possible I misread it," Sakurai Saki said. "So let's just pretend we don't know anything for now."
Fujiwara Chika nodded.
But unbeknownst to the three of them…Behind the Student Council Room door, Kaguya Shinomiya had been quietly eavesdropping. She slowly pulled out her phone.
Better to arrive at the right time than too early…
She had just overheard something incredible.
Hayasaka is really something—she's not even willing to share something like this with me? What a distant child~
Ahem. False news? It'll become true soon!
In love, Kaguya Shinomiya believed that exchanging sincerity for sincerity would lead nowhere.Winning someone's heart through clever tactics was the only viable method.
Love is war. Love is conquest.The strong must brutally humiliate the weak!
In her opinion, Sakurai Saki's current carefree attitude stemmed from his complete lack of crisis awareness.
But to be that dense… she had to admit, Sakurai Saki was also a kind of genius.
Kaguya sighed inwardly.
Last Saturday, after hearing Hayasaka Ai's frustrated complaints, she had truly felt her friend's helplessness.Even after such a direct confession, Sakurai Saki remained unresponsive. No wonder Hayasaka had been so angry.
Sakurai Saki! I hate that you're like a block of wood!
Alas, not everyone has my talent.
On the path of love, Hayasaka still had a long way to go.
(What Kaguya didn't know was that Sakurai Saki's awkwardness had nothing to do with Hayasaka—he had been flustered because of Fujiwara Chika.)
Therefore, the current Kaguya was brimming with overconfidence.
She even considered herself a master of love.Though she had no practical experience, her theoretical knowledge was vast!She had recently taken to studying psychology books on love—all to help her dear attendant win over Sakurai Saki!
It's a pity Hayasaka won't let me help probe his heart.
Otherwise, she could have helped even more.
Kaguya understood her worries, of course.Hayasaka was afraid she might try to steal her crush. But she was really overthinking things.
That's Sakurai Saki!A boy who had been her nemesis last year, and whose relationship with her still hadn't improved!
Sure, people can fall in love with anyone… but Sakurai Saki?Out of the question!
Would someone really fall in love with their enemy?
No way, right? …No way?
Then that girl's head must be broken.
Kaguya dialed Hayasaka Ai's number.
"Hello~ Hayasaka~—"
The courtyard of the school building.
Hayasaka Ai, who was eating lunch with her friends, suddenly took out her phone.After saying a few words to them, she stood up and walked a short distance away.
Once she confirmed there was enough space between her and the others—and that no suspicious individuals were nearby—Hayasaka answered the call.
"Kaguya Young Lady, what's wrong?"
A few minutes later…
Hayasaka Ai ended the call with a completely baffled expression.
Just now, Kaguya had called her with a bizarre message:She wanted Hayasaka to go meet the person who had confessed to her... and proceeded to launch into a barrage of theories.
Hayasaka tried to interrupt several times but couldn't get a word in.
'The person who confessed? Who? Sakurai-chan?'
Don't joke.She hadn't even heard of anyone confessing—let alone received one!
Fortunately, Kaguya Shinomiya wasn't completely hopeless.She had followed up with an email.
(Kaguya's phone was still a feature phone—not a smartphone—so she couldn't use Line. Although Hayasaka had tried several times to persuade her to upgrade, Kaguya stubbornly stuck with the outdated device. She was nostalgic by nature; if something still worked, she wouldn't give it up easily.)
[Hayasaka! When a boy has no competitors, he won't feel a sense of crisis...]
That part? Skipped.She'd heard Kaguya repeat it at least a dozen times already.
Hayasaka scrolled straight to the bottom of the message.
[Didn't you receive a love letter today?Go meet that as-yet-unseen boy!And then... reject him!]
Hayasaka Ai: ...?
You want me to reject someone who doesn't even exist?Is that what you're saying, Kaguya Young Lady?
Of course, Hayasaka knew Kaguya's real intention:She wanted to use this imaginary love letter and fake rejection as a way to make Sakurai Saki jealous.Maybe, just maybe, that would turn him from a blockhead into a real boy.
But...
"I didn't receive a love letter at all!?"
Hayasaka Ai's face darkened, practically covered in black lines.
That letter—That letter was her own!It didn't even have anything written on the front!So how the hell did Kaguya know about it?!
Also...
What exactly is going on in your head, my dear Young Lady?!
"…"
At that moment, Hayasaka Ai felt like the entire world had turned gray.
She was seriously considering resignation.
Maybe she should quit tomorrow.She couldn't keep doing this job.
Not when she had someone like Kaguya Shinomiya dragging her down.
With a boss like this...She'd be damned if she ever managed to win!
... patronRene_chan