A Very Popular Idol Classmate Has Taken a Liking to Me, A Person Who Doesn't Want to Work for My Whole Life
.
.Daininki Idol na Classmate ni Natsukareta, Isshou Hatarakitakunai Ore
Src: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2496gr/120/
Act 4 - The Past of The Shidou Family
32-3
"G-girlfriend......!?" (Yuzuka)
"Y-yes! Me… I mean, I am Rintaro's girlfriend!" (Yukio)
Tenguuji looks visibly shocked.
Honestly, I’m the one who should be surprised here.
Yukio, my girlfriend? I have no memory of us being in that kind of relationship.
"Hey…! What do you mean by that!" (Rintaro)
"That…! You need someone to be your girlfriend right now, don’t you!?" (Yukio)
I ask in a low voice, and he responds with that makes me speechless.
It’s true that right now, I do need a girlfriend.
Not a real one, of course, but someone who can convincingly act like we’re close enough to be one.
As far as candidates go, Yukio is ideal.
Except for the fact that he’s a male――――.
(But... think this through, me.)
I glance at Yukio again.
Over his shirt, he's wearing a light beige cardigan with sleeves long enough to create the so-called "moe sleeves".
He pairs that with a short skirt and thigh-high socks that expose just the right amount of skin between—a look often called the "absolute territory".
That is... too feminine.
He might be more girly than most actual girls.
Wait—has he really always been a male?
Hasn't there been some points of doubt before?
Should I just consider him a girl now?
Yeah… let’s just go with that.
"...Sorry, Tenguuji-san. I have a date to get to." (Rintaro)
"What?" (Yuzuka)
On instinct, I put my arm around Yukio’s shoulder and turn to face Tenguuji.
Yukio lets out a startled, awkward noise, but I don’t have time to worry about that.
"A d-date…!?" (Yuzuka)
"Yeah! So sorry I can’t accompany you to the café. Maybe another time!" (Rintaro)
Tenguuji frowns, clearly thrown off.
I won――――.
The impact is enough to secure that outcome.
If I stick to the plan and leave with Yukio now, it should serve as a clear warning to Tenguuji.
"A girlfriend…? Rin-kun has… a girlfriend…?" (Yuzuka)
However, things are starting to take a strange turn.
Tenguuji takes a few steps back, her eyes inexplicably welling with tears.
As Yukio and I stand frozen, she quickly wipes her tears and turns her back on us.
"I-I’ll excuse myself for today! I wouldn’t want to interrupt your date! I’ll invite you to the café another time!" (Yuzuka)
"H-hey…!" (Rintaro)
This is turning into something bizarre.
I reflexively call out to stop her, but she doesn’t slow down.
She walks back to her car, leaving me no choice but to watch her go.
"――――You’re a liar, Rin-kun."
With those words, the car door slammed shut.
Moments later, the car carrying her quickly drives away.
"Wh-what the hell just happened......" (Rintaro)
"......Maybe we went a little too far." (Yukio)
"Huh? Since when do you feel guilt over anything?" (Rintaro)
If anything, we're the victims here, okay.
"Well, maybe it’s not enough to call it guilt, but... Rintaro, you’re usually sharp, yet sometimes you’re ridiculously oblivious, you know?" (Yukio)
"......Am I?" (Rintaro)
"Ah… or maybe you’ve got some kind of filter clouding your view." (Yukio)
Even hearing the word "filter," nothing clicks in my mind.
For now, I set aside the things I can’t figure out and focus on the immediate question.
"...So, what’s with that outfit?" (Rintaro)
"Ehehe, does it suit me?" (Yukio)
As Yukio says that, he spins around in front of me.
To put it mildly, he looks undeniably cute.
"It’s not just that it suits you—it suits you way too well. You look just like nothing but a girl from every angle." (Rintaro)
If I mention that he’s always had a feminine vibe, it might sour his mood, so I carefully avoid saying it outright.
"Right? Even I thought it suited me really well." (Yukio)
"Don’t tell me… was that 'errand' you mentioned related to this uniform?" (Rintaro)
"Well, it was...... I figured, worst-case scenario, I might need something like this. So I had a friend of mine—a girl—remodel one of her old middle school uniforms for me. Of course, I didn’t tell her it was for me to wear." (Yukio)
Ah, now that I look closer, the skirt’s pattern isn’t from anything sold at this school.
The shirt and cardigan seem to be proprietary, but there are definitely signs that the skirt was altered later.
"You’re really a sharp thinker… I respect you." (Rintaro)
"Hehe, even if you praise me, I don’t have anything to give back, you know?" (Yukio)
"You just saved me from that whole crisis earlier, you know? That’s more than enough." (Rintaro)
"I see, I'm glad I could help you, Rintaro." (Yukio)
I'm genuinely relieved this guy was a male.
If he were a girl, I probably would’ve fallen for him by now.
Then again, if he were a girl, we likely wouldn’t have gotten this close to begin with.
...But, he really is a male, right?
"I hope this makes her back off a bit. Umm… Tenguuji-san, Was it?" (Yukio)
"Ah, yeah." (Rintaro)
The next move Tenguuji might make could involve investigating Yukio.
It wouldn’t be surprising if she tried to drive a wedge between us to achieve her goals.
The real issue would be if Yukio’s gender was discovered during that process.
――――In that case, could I just claim I’m the kind of guy who dates other guys?
Nowadays, with society becoming more accepting of same-sex relationships, nobody could really fault me for it.
People might look at me differently, but it’s not like they’d openly condemn me.
Honestly, it might even make things easier if they thought that way.
It’d be the perfect excuse to turn down Tenguuji’s proposal.
"Hey, Yukio. Sorry to ask, but can you keep wearing that and walk home with me until this blows over?" (Rintaro)
"Eh… w-well, if that’s what you want, Rintaro, I'm fine with it." (Yukio)
"But you’ll have to walk around in that outfit for a while. Are you really okay with that?" (Rintaro)
"It’s fine. If it helps you out, it’s no big deal." (Yukio)
"...I’ll make you all your favorite dishes next time, as much as you want." (Rintaro)
"Ahaha, that’s more than enough reward for me." (Yukio)
With Yukio smiling happily, I start walking home beside him.
I can only hope this will significantly improve the situation――――.
Well, let's avoid getting my hopes up too much.
◇◆◇
"…Are you all right, Miss Yuzuka?"
"Yes... I'm fine." (Yuzuka)
Inside the luxury car, Tenguuji Yuzuka responded weakly to the driver's concern.
Though she said she was fine, her demeanor suggested otherwise.
However, as a mere driver, the man didn’t have the authority to press further.
(A girlfriend... huh.)
Yuzuka leaned her head against the window, gazing outside.
As she watched the scenery pass by, she couldn't hold back the sigh that escaped her lips.
"…May I ask you a question?" (Yuzuka)
"Huh? Ah, y-yes! What is it?"
The driver, startled by the sudden question from the young lady of the Tenguuji Group, stammered his reply, his shoulders twitching in surprise.
"How long do you think promises made in childhood remain valid?" (Yuzuka)
"P-promises made in childhood... you mean?"
"For example, a promise of marriage with a childhood friend." (Yuzuka)
The driver hesitated, momentarily struck speechless by the mention of a marriage promise.
He recalled the earlier exchange between Yuzuka and the boy in the school uniform outside the car.
Though he wasn’t privy to the details, as just a driver, he had an inkling of the situation.
"I’ve never made such promises myself, so I can’t say for sure... but I’d think a promise remains valid as long as neither party breaks it..."
"......I see." (Yuzuka)
It was then that the driver realized his mistake.
If that boy in the school uniform was the childhood friend Yuzuka had made such a promise with, he might have just invalidated something she had believed in.
Upsetting his employer could jeopardize his position.
"M-my apologies! What I meant was—"
"No, it’s fine." (Yuzuka)
The driver hurriedly tried to retract his previous statement, but Yuzuka stopped him.
"...If Rin-kun broke the promise, then that’s just how it is." (Yuzuka)
Yuzuka clenched her fist tightly.
"But—this has made things a little clearer for me." (Yuzuka)
"Eh?"
"From now on, I won’t hold back. Even without relying on Rin-kun, I’ll find a way to merge the Shidou Group with our company." (Yuzuka)
A fire of determination blazed in Yuzuka’s eyes.
Her resolute demeanor seemed far beyond her years, unbecoming of a mere teenage girl.
"Father... I will do this flawlessly, just watch me..." (Yuzuka)
As she spoke, Yuzuka wiped away the tears that had welled up in the corners of her eyes.
~"(This is a Translation Content of pemudatunawisata[dot]my[dot]id. so, read only on there, kay~)"~
[End of Chapter]
Cya~!
TOC
NEXT CHAPTER
NEXT CHAPTER
Post a Comment
Please don't spam, toxic, and disrespect to others.