Classroom of the elite 34 Classroom of the Elite Vol. 4.5 Chapter 4

"Today I'll be making you cooperate with me, Ayanokouji!!!".

"...what is it first thing in the morning...you're quite lively, Yamauchi...".

Having been woken from the chime to my room being rung, I sighed upon seeing the visitor, Yamauchi.

"I'll be disturbing you!".

He's being quite lively. It's a blessing that Ike and Sudou aren't together with him too but what exactly does he want from me?

"What, were you sleeping? You're being pretty laidback even though summer vacation will be over in a few days" Yamauchi said.

I'm being laidback precisely because there's not many days left though.

"I've decided that today is going to be a special day for me, and with that please let me come in".

Although not quite following the story and still sleepy, I welcomed Yamauchi in from the entrance. Then I prepared a cup of barley tea for him.

"So...do I have something to do with what you're doing on this special day?".

"I won't let you say you've forgotten, Ayanokouji. That I have the right to know Sakura's contact number!".

He cries that out strongly towards me. His eyes were slightly bloodshot and reflected his seriousness.

"I see.....".

In regards to that matter, since I was at fault for all of it, I cannot simply refuse to listen just because it happens to be inconvenient for me. A while back, on the condition that I would tell him Sakura's contact number, I had Yamauchi act out a role not dissimilar to that of a clown. As a result of that influence, Yamauchi's evaluation from Horikita in particular had gone down. Of course it would only be right for me to tell him Sakura's contact number, however, since it was something I had done without her consent, I prioritized protecting her and even until now, I have yet to tell Yamauchi of Sakura's contact number.

I certainly need to repay that favor.

"I think it'll be pretty difficult if you've come to hear her contact number...?".

"That's not it. I've given up on that".

Saying that, Yamauchi brought out a white letter he must have been holding in his hands.

"I've put down all my feelings for Sakura in this one sheet!" he said.

"Put down.....you mean this is a love letter?".

"That's right! Inside here I've written about how much I love Sakura! Try reading it!".

Then saying that, he took that letter from before, closed with a seal, and showed it to me.

"Dear Sakura Airi-sama. I have been interested in you since a long time ago, please go out with me".

"It's a rather simple love letter that's too formal from the beginning...".

Towards me who pointed that out, Yamauchi had a prideful expression on his face.

"Just writing long sentences by itself isn't good, I'm telling you".

That might be the case, but with just this much there would be little to no context to the writing, would there? I can also see the person receiving it being troubled. Even more so if the person receiving it is Sakura.

"Why is it in print instead of being handwritten?".

"Yeah, I'm not really proud of this but my handwriting sucks. I used print to make it easier to read. I was sort of worried she might misread the sentence?".

He then scratches the bottom of his nose with his index finger with a proud expression, but I don't think it's that important.

"And also, these days don't they even use print for your resume?".

"If you really want to convey your feelings to the other person I think a handwritten letter is better. And why did you use such a horror-like font for your text?".

A strange demon exists! It feels like that font that looks like it could be used for a headline is going to be used to curse someone.

"How do I put it, doesn't it have impact? Like an 'I'll be thinking of you forever' kind of feeling".

"I suppose I'll give in unwillingly for now...the problem is the last part here".

A part written for him to show his appeal.

"If you would go out with me, I'm prepared to hand over all my points to you every month. As a tribute!".

"This is too much, no matter what".

"What do you mean? They say cute girls like to be paid tribute to, you know? And besides, I want to date Sakura even if I have to give her all my points, that I like her this much, I think that passion will be conveyed to her" Yamauchi said.

I can't deny that this too is an expression of love, but the way this is it can be taken to mean he's asking her to date him for money.

"This is just fine. I don't care even if she's only after my money I just want to date her.....is it that bad?" Yamauchi asked.

As I nodded in response, Yamauchi, while showing an expression as though he could not comprehend it, did seem to show a slight bit of understanding.

"...I just want to confirm one thing but are you seriously intending on confessing?".

"Yeah. Starting from the second semester I'm going to start my dreamlike school life, I'll be betting it all on this. I've already negotiated with Kikyo-chan to call Sakura out".

In his eyes there was nothing that could be made fun of, and only the figure of Yamauchi who had firmed his resolve remained. After having witnessed something like that, I could not even slight him.

If I have any feelings of respect towards Sakura I should be stopping him, but his method is honest. I should honestly be lending him a hand.

"So.....what should I do? Should I just be checking the contents of the letter?".

"There's that but there's one more important role for you. That is basically, I'd like you to deliver the letter to Sakura".

"What? What did you just say?".

For a moment I thought I had misheard and so asked again.

"Like I said, I want you to deliver the letter in my place. I've been feeling nervous since the morning, the last time I felt this nervous was when I was competing in the final game at the National Sumo Stadium and won. That's why I don't have the confidence to hand it over properly and talk with her".

I wanted to ask exactly what final game at the National Sumo Stadium he had been competing in, the details of his usual lie but that was a weak statement uncharacteristic of the Yamauchi who's always straightforward in regards to love as he seems to be in high tension.

"If you say the contents of the letter are a problem, I'll properly rewrite them. That's why---please!".

Bringing together both his hands, Yamauchi lowered his head and requested that of me.

"And also, I'll let bygones be bygones. No, even if Ayanokouji gets into trouble I'll cooperate with you!".

"...if you're insisting then I don't mind accepting it".

"Really?".

"But no one knows whether it'll be a success or a failure. It all depends on Sakura's feelings. Do you understand that?".

"Yeah. I'm not an idiot too. I know my chances aren't high".

Perhaps he's carrying a large anxiety in him, but he seems to understand that his chances of success aren't even 50%.

In fact, there's a part of Sakura that actively withdraws from men. Considering that, his chances can almost said to be despair-inducing. But even so this man came with a fighting determination right now to this place.

"...I understand. I'll convey your feelings. Is that fine?".

If that's the case, there's no fair or unfair.

"Ayanokouji.....! You've saved me!".

Grasping my outstretched hand, Yamauchi lowered his head almost as if he were worshipping a god.

If that's decided, then first I'll need to review the contents of the letter. If the person receiving it is to be Sakura, first it needs to be gentler, and written in a way that properly conveys feelings, if not it won't have an effect on her.

Yamauchi prepares his resolve. But really, if it's true this is still too premature. For those two who have not even exchanged their contact numbers, a confession is just a risk. If he wishes to raise his chances of success, he first needs to firmly attack her. But, Yamauchi's methods too, should not be wrong. Romance is always something that starts spontaneously, and there have been many cases in the world of a romance starting from zero.

"First the start---".

Like Yamauchi, my romance experience is also zero but at least let me consider a statement befitting it.

"Oh, that's right. Please just let me add on one order. The answer to my confession, I want it to be answered behind the school building".

"Behind the school building? Towards the second gym?".

"Yeah, yeah. There's a rumor you know. If you confess there, things will go well".

It's probably similar to the legendary under-the-tree confession. Rumors seem to waft in from everywhere.

"I see. So it's part of the stage, huh?".

"Naturally it's not just rumors. If it's a student confession, it has to be behind a school building. They call this a rule".

I could not find a connection between a confession and behind a school building but, I can imagine what kind of situation he's thinking of.

1

It took around 30 minutes for me to make contact with my target, Sakura. What feelings would she react with towards Kushida's invitation. That's something only the person in question would know, but she's unlikely to be in a calm state of mind. On the other hand, I was in standby mode at the location promised beforehand awaiting Sakura's arrival.

As Yamauchi said, I cannot afford to keep her waiting, but having me wait in advance for 30 minutes is just too early. The phone I had kept on silent mode in my pocket vibrates.

"Hello?".

"H-how is it? Can you see Sakura yet?".

"Not at all. She probably won't be here until at least around 10 minutes prior, won't she?".

"I-I see, Kuu---I'm getting nervous!".

From a slight distance while glancing towards me, Yamauchi waves his hands. Although he doesn't wish to be seen, he must have been curious from the look of things and came to see for himself.

"Hey Yamauchi, is it really fine to give me the role of handing it over? I really think it would be better if you gave it to her yourself".

"I-it's impossible, I'm telling you. I've had a trauma ever since I was little and whenever I'm under extreme stress my hands tremble".

I think that a majority of people would likely tremble if placed under extreme stress though...

"I understand your desire to not mess up but why don't you think it over a little more? Does a love letter delivered indirectly really have value?".

"No but doesn't this happen quite often? A cute girl gets asked out after school but contrary to her expectations, she ends up getting confessed to by an ugly man. That sort of pattern. In that sense, this is the reverse pattern of that. I asked Kushida to keep it a secret that I called her out here. In other words, if she realizes it's Ayanokouji who's waiting for her she'll be disappointed. But if she realizes that it's in fact me who's doing the confession, through comparing the two of us my evaluation of her will inevitably improve, that sort of thing. That's why Ayanokouji, when you're handing that letter over to her, don't mention my existence. It's better to let her think she's being confessed to by someone like you instead" Yamauchi told me.

He speaks of his strategy with loquaciousness but doesn't seem to mind that he's been badmouthing me the whole time. I'm not planning on criticising that goal of his, but it's an unmistakable fact that it's better to consider Sakura's feelings too.

"No matter how much your feelings are conveyed through the letter, a confession from someone she can't even see might be scary for her".

"T-that's...".

There's still time. I might be able to get him to reconsider. A confession, basically, is a one-time event. Even Yamauchi would not want to do it in a way that would leave behind regrets.

"There's still time. I think you should reconsider. That's why you wrote this letter right?".

"That's true but...uuuu---I wonder if I should confess in person.....".

At last, even inside Yamauchi, a single conclusion seems to be forming.

"...Ayanokouji-kun?".

Just as I thought I could hear faint footsteps from behind me, a voice like that called out to me.

"Sakura's here! I'll leave the rest to you!".

It seems Yamauchi was trying to drum up the courage, but since Sakura had arrived earlier than expected, he panicked and cut the call. As for me too, since I had already made contact with Sakura, there was nothing else I could do either. All that's left is to hand over the letter Yamauchi entrusted me with.

"It's a coincidence, right".

"Ahh, no. You were called out here by Kushida right?".

"Y-Yeah. She said she needed to talk to me about something...she said it was something important".

I looked around, but obviously, there was no one else but me.

"The truth is, I asked Kushida for a favor and had her call you out here".

Strictly speaking, it wasn't me but it can't be helped even if it confuses her here.

"Ayanokouji-kun did? I-I see. That's a relief. Normally I don't have much contact with Kushidsan so I was afraid I had done something to make her angry".

She patted her chest in relief. It seems that the Sakura that was called out by Kushida no longer feels uneasy. Towards that Sakura, I decided to confront her with a simple question.

"Even so you're quite early. There's still about 30 minutes until the promised time".

"That's...I was anxious that I needed to get here early".

Still flustered, she explains as such to me.

"But I see, it was Ayanokouji-kun. The one who called me. I'm really relieved".

As she pats her chest after having felt relief from the bottom of her heart, the nervousness she had felt earlier unravelled and her expression returned to its usual calmness.

"But why? If you wanted me for something you could've just directly called me out".

"Ahh, no, it's a bit. There's a bit of a complicated situation going on".

"A complicated situation?".

How do I explain this? In regards to this, I was also slightly troubled. Biologically speaking, I've already extensively studied the difference between men and women academically but when it comes to applying that knowledge in reality like this, I had not learnt any strategies. And here the problem isn't only the difference between our sexes but I will also need to factor in Sakura's individual personality and feelings as well. This is a complex and strange aspect of society that human beings with intellect had constructed.

Time had been passing while I had been considering that. The longer the silence, the more her caution would rise.

"The thing is...I had Kushida call you out because I wanted to hand this over to you".

The letter Yamauchi entrusted me with, I offered it to Sakura.

"This is...?".

"I'd like you to accept it without asking too much. If you read the contents I'm sure you'll understand" I told Sakura.

If the deliverer himself explains it, the meaning behind the letter will be diminished. I handed it over like that.

"O-ok".

I felt something similar to guilt and so I averted my gaze.

On the other hand Sakura kept looking back and forth between me and the letter to try and make sense of the situation.

"L...etter....behind school building....a boy...".

The Sakura who received the letter, while staring at someplace far away, weakly whispered something to herself. Woah, but the way I just said it it could be taken to mean I'm the one who wrote that letter.

That is bad.

"I was entrusted with this from a guy who's in hiding. The sender says you'll understand if you read it. He seems to have bad handwriting, but it seems he's given it his all in writing this letter".

I properly followed up to make sure there would be no accidents.

"A, Awawa.....this is...awawawa!?".

Perhaps this is a letter of confession from a boy, such a prediction had already grown inside of Sakura it seems. She had lost her calmness and her gaze seems to be staring out towards the day after tomorrow. Even if she opens the letter and reads it here, her reaction would be a problem for me so it's better for me to quickly leave this location.

"And with that I've handed it over. All that's left is for you to properly make your decision. Then if you find it difficult to give me an answer directly, you can send it by chat or through a phone call, that's fine" I told her.

In Sakura's case, there is a possibility that she would be unable to say either 'Yes' or 'No' after all. I should help her with at least that.

"Ko, kokoko, kokoko".

"Are you a chicken?".

"N-no. That's not it. T-this is a l-lov.....".

"Yeah. It's a love letter" I said.

"Kyuuuu!?".

"Woah".

I quickly moved to support the girl who came dangerously close to falling over backwards.

"Are you ok?".

Just by touching her back with my hand, I could tell her body was burning up. This must have been unexpected. And besides, she may be trying to figure out who the letter came from in her head.

"Umm, umm umm!".

Suddenly opening her eyes, she moved her body with an incredible vigor. After I had confirmed she's now standing on her own feet, I released my hand from her back.

"Horikita.....-san! Do you think she'll be angry!?" Sakura asked.

"Hmm? Horikita?".

There's no reason why she should get angry. If she happened to see me delivering the letter in place of Yamauchi she would probably exasperatedly sigh while saying something like "You're getting yourself involved in something pointless again. Haa".

At the very least it's not something that would make her angry.

I thought for a moment she mistook me for the one confessing, but when I handed over the letter, I did properly say "I was entrusted with this from a guy who's in hiding". She shouldn't have misunderstood me.

"U, uwa.....uwa.....".

But Sakura's face only got redder and redder and from the nervousness, it seemed as though she was about to lose consciousness. It's just, I don't think this is a reaction from just receiving the letter.

This feels like a situation where the man handing over the confession letter is right in front of her.....

If so, regardless of the confession, it wouldn't be strange if Sakura panics. Even I could cause a panic if it becomes a situation like that. If so, I can also now understand the reason why Horikita's name came out.

"Sakura. Just in case I'll repeat myself.....I was entrusted with that letter by another man, do you get that?".

As I said that again, Sakura's shoulders trembled.

"Ehh---ahh, it's not Ayanokouji-kun....?".

"I said so earlier, right? I was just asked to deliver it".

".....I see. Of course it's like that. There's no way something like that, is possible.....b-b-but, what should I do with this!?".

"There's nothing to do but read it and give your answer".

I tried to leave since I'd only be in the way but I was pulled by the cuffs on my clothes.

"Ehh---! Impossible, impossible! I can't do...".

"Have you never been confessed to before?".

"Never!".

Sakura answers me quickly like that. It seemed like she'd be confessed to a number of times given that she's this cute. But that's just because I'm looking at the Sakura now, the story might have been different with the Sakura from before.

"This letter.....won't you read it, together with me.....?".

Together...in the first place the contents are written as per my instructions. If Sakura doesn't have the necessary courage to read it alone, it's not like I can't cooperate with her but.....

That sort of scene, Yamauchi probably doesn't want something like that.

"For now won't you at least read the letter alone? That's also the responsibility of me who was entrusted with the letter. It might be a burden for you, but please understand".

"Ok.....".

Since Sakura did not seem at all happy about this, I decided to follow up a bit.

"There's also the possibility that it's from someone you like" I told her.

"That possibility no longer exists...".

"Hmm?".

"Ahh, umm! That's, because I don't have anyone I like. I-I'll try reading it!".

Nodding, Sakura slightly adjusts her gaze and lowers her head, and returns towards the dormitory. She'll probably return to her room to read the letter Yamauchi had written.

"H-how did it go!? What's the feeling!? Did she seem happy!?".

Having confirmed from afar that Sakura had returned to the dormitory with the letter in hand, Yamauchi rushed over and asked me that nervously. I do understand his desire to ask various things, but if that's the case, he should've been the one to hand it over from the start.

"She hasn't read the letter yet. Her judgement will come from now I think".

"J-judgement, don't use such a scary word. I believe it will be absolutely fine!".

"I'll ask just in case but what's your basis for that?".

"That's, judging from her mannerisms when she's talking with me, I guess".

"Mannerisms?".

"How should I put it, she shyly averts her gaze. Isn't it because she's conscious of me that she can't look directly at me?".

No.....I think that's simply because Sakura is bad at dealing with people face-to-face.

"That's not all. Whenever she talks with me, after that she always sort of heavily sighs. Isn't that what you'd call a sigh of love? Doesn't that happen, thinking of someone you love and going "Haa~" and sighing. I can feel an omen like that" Yamauchi said.

I think that's probably, because she's tired after dealing with someone like Yamauchi who talks to her with high tension.....

But even something that obvious, when it comes to a person you like, one would be blinded to such things.

2

At midnight, while slightly worried about Sakura's response tomorrow, I made preparations to go to bed. My phone vibrated once.

"Are you awake?".

A modest, short sentence. It was from Sakura. I stared at the screen of my phone for a while without touching it, but a continuation of that sentence doesn't seem to be coming. She probably assumed I was asleep and is being considerate. I opened up the chat screen and marked it as read. And when I did, another brief message was sent.

"Did I wake you.....?".

"Sorry, I had some laundry to wash. It's fine".

I answered with a small lie like that. As I did, perhaps she felt relieved, as next came a slightly longer sentence.

"Tomorrow at 5 o'clock I'll have to meet Yamauchi-kun...can I meet you before that.....?".

That sort of message came in. I could have refused but for Sakura, there's no one else she could rely on.

"Where are you meeting him?".

"The same place behind the school building as yesterday".

I did know that, but on top of confirming that again I made a promise to meet with Sakura. Since I did not want to trouble Sakura, I decided to meet with her in the same place behind that school building.

Now, time to sleep. Promptly finishing off the remaining chores, I turned off the power and laid down.

And, my phone vibrated again.

"Umm...sorry for bothering you so many times. Is it ok if I call you?".

Anxiety that was transmitted to me through the mail. It's better if I don't just go to sleep and leave Sakura hanging. And when I called her, Sakura answered with a low voice.

"You can't sleep?".

"Yeah.....thinking about tomorrow, I just got nervous.....haaaaa".

It was a depressing sigh. Her anxiety is also being transmitted through the call. She's probably thinking about an answer to the confession.

"I---I don't know anything about Yamauchi-kun.....and that's a bit scary.....".

"I see.....".

"Liking someone, or hating someone. I just realized it comes with a huge responsibility".

For Sakura, who has not paid much attention to the distance between her and her surroundings up until now, this event must have been too much of a stimulus. But the extent to which an outsider can interfere and help out is limited.

The one who decides everything will be Sakura, and the one receiving it will be Yamauchi. This pattern alone cannot be broken. That's something even a beginner in romance like myself understands. I don't have the right to advise Sakura to either reject him or accept him. I can do nothing but quietly listen to what she has to say.

"Yamauchi-kun's done nothing wrong, but I'm just...thinking I don't want it. But I also feel bad for him, who noticed even someone like me.....".

I keenly realized that love is definitely something complicated.

".....when I kept on thinking, I just don't know what I should do.....".

That's understandable, even through the phone I could understand how she must have been constantly feeling confused.

"Why me.....I thought. Why do I have to suffer like this, I end up thinking".

Rather than being happy, on the contrary, it seems as though she dislikes or at least is troubled by it.

"Ayanokouji-kun, you, umm.....ahh, you might hear something unnecessary but....".

"Please ask me anything. If it's something I can answer I will answer".

"Umm.....right now, are you dating someone.....like that?".

For some reason she asked me that in a formal tone.

"No, absolutely not. Right now and of course, up until now too".

"R-really!?".

"If you sound so happy it makes me feel like you're being sarcastic".

It does unusually hurt when she's so happy about a man who's never dated before.

"Waahh....no, I don't mean to make fun of you! I was just happy, because you're just like me".

"I'm just kidding" I told her.

"Mou.....!".

It was just a light joke, but it seems to have unravelled Sakura's hardened heart.

"Then umm, have you ever been confessed to by someone, or confessed to someone, something like that?".

She seems to be stepping it up quite a bit. But I have nothing to hide so it's fine though.

"Same as you. Confession experience 0".

But in Sakura's case, this would be her commemorative first time though.

"So that's how it is!".

She sounded happy again. And just like that, Sakura and I talked aimlessly about random topics excitedly for a while. After a while, I felt Sakura getting drowsy and ended the call. I hope she slowly falls asleep just like that. Thinking that, I too decided to sleep.

3

The promised time was 4 o'clock in the evening, however 10 minutes prior to that Sakura was already waiting with a complicated expression on her face. She's probably thinking a lot of things over in her head, her expression changes with each second. A crestfallen face, a nervous face, a worried face. I wonder what she's thinking of deep in her heart.

"Did I keep you waiting?".

"Ahh".

As I called out to her, Sakura slowly raised her head and hesitantly approached me.

It would be best if, by calling out to her, I could reduce Sakura's burden even a little.

"Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun...for coming here".

"It's nothing for you to thank me over. So, what's the matter?".

"Yeah.....that's, about the letter you handed over to me yesterday.....".

"Did something happen?".

To have called me, who's met with Yamauchi, out means there's something she's thought about. But perhaps there's still some resistance left in her towards talking about it since the words don't seem to be coming out of her smoothly.

"Don't be reserved---".

I tried to cut in by saying that but just as I did, I could see the figures of several students coming towards the hallway. Judging from their jersey-wearing appearances, it must be related to club activities.

"Sorry but shall we walk around a bit?".

"Ehh? Ahh, ok".

It wouldn't be any good right now to be seen by someone. We walked towards the back of the school building where trees grew to avoid the eyes of people. A place like that where normally people don't visit would carry very little risk of being seen by the eyes of people but this place seems to be carefully maintained.

It would be troublesome if we ran into Yamauchi if he mistakenly happened to arrive at the meeting spot early, I'd better finish it up quickly. As I thought that, Sakura mysteriously enough bent her neck, spreading out her right hand as she looked towards the sky.

"What's wrong---?".

Almost as soon as I asked that question, I realized the reason behind Sakura's mysterious actions.

"Rain, it's raining".

I had thought the skies were clear, but all of a sudden, rain began to pour down heavily.

It was, of course, a temporary thing but the downpour was far more intense than I had expected and soaked our clothes.

"Damn, let's go back to the hallway for now!".

Grabbing a nodding Sakura, I headed back down the path we came from. The time we were exposed to the rain was less than a minute but since it had rained heavily it seems Sakura's clothes were completely soaked. I could see even her hair was drenched.

"Unlucky...are you ok, Sakura?".

"I-I'm fine, what about Ayanokouji-kun?".

"I'm fine too".

I sighed slightly while watching the rain which only intensified. What terrible timing the rain had.

"Please use this if you'd like".

Hesitantly, Sakura hands over a handkerchief to me. I remembered that handkerchief. It's the same one lent back during the uninhabited island.

"I'm fine, please use it yourself. You'll catch a cold" I told her.

I can't wipe myself off first, not when a girl's drenched in front of me. But even so, Sakura stood on her tiptoes and used that handkerchief to wipe raindrops off my soaked hair. Carried by the smell of the rain, I could smell Sakura's scent tickling my nose.

"I'm surprisingly sturdy" she said as she wiped the raindrops off my hair, and then from my neck.

".......".

I snuck a glance at Sakura, who was standing by my side silently. I could somehow understand what Yamauchi is aiming for now, I felt like. Right now it's in the middle of summer vacation and we were both in our casual clothes, but if this were her school uniform it might have been an excellent situation. The rain falling accident did happen, but that too could be considered an event.

A suddenly falling rain. The two of us panicking and running towards a roof to hide under. And without stopping...we'd talk until slowly but surely we run out of topics. And our line of sight would intertwine, and we could hear each other exhaling. It's a sort of scene men fantasize about.

But for some reason, inside my head, for a moment I could see that. What Yamauchi desired. This may be a feeling analogous to that.

"I wonder if it'll stop soon...?".

"I looked it up on my phone just now but, it seems to be just a passing shower. If we wait a bit it should stop".

"I see..."

"Ahh, sorry. Even though you had something important to do after this I ended up letting you get wet".

"No, it's fine. It's not important at all" Sakura replied.

Sakura said it was not important. In other words that means---

"I...wonder what I should do.....".

"There's nothing to do but answer according to what you feel. Accept, reject. Or start as friends first".

The exact steps depend on the individual. I'm not going to say anything unnecessary.

"Of course you can always hold off on your answer, and if it's too embarrassing, I can give it to Yamauchi instead".

Yamauchi surely won't desire something like that but if Sakura wishes for something like that, I would have no choice but to fulfill her wish.

".....no, I'll tell him myself....I probably have to tell it".

"I suppose you're right. It's also for Yamauchi's sake".

"Yeah. I understand.....I'll reject him".

Before giving Yamauchi his answer, she let me hear her answer first.

"I see".

I did understand that there was nearly a 100% chance it would be like that from the flow of the conversation until now. But it's important that Sakura says that from her own mouth.

"Ahh---, uuu---, umm. I don't think I have the right to deny someone else's feelings. I think that might be too presumptuous of me...but....".

For some reason, towards giving a rejection, Sakura seems to be assaulted by strong feelings of guilt.

"There's nothing for you to be apologetic about. Basically, it's just a one-sided feeling from the side of the confessor. Accepting it is only in the case that you also happen to like them, if not it's not a strange thing to reject them. There's no such thing as not having a right like that" I told her.

Feeling like I didn't want her to misunderstand that alone, I strongly told her that. I think the rain should be stopping soon, but there's no telling when Yamauchi would show up.

"It's better if I went back, right? I'll head back for now".

The rain's still slightly intense, but I made a step to head back.

"N-No! If Ayanokouji-kun's no longer here, I won't be able to speak anymore, that's why...please...".

She grabs me by my sleeve. And gripped it tightly.

"Please...don't leave me alone".

"If that's your wish".

Answering shortly like that, I decided to stay under the roof once more. Sakura's been a help to me in various ways, after all. Then, about 15 minutes later, Yamauchi arrived. But even so, that was rather fast of him. His expression was more rigid that I had ever seen him before.

"W-why are you here, Ayanokouji?".

"Sorry. Sakura said she didn't have the courage to meet with only the two of you so I was asked to be here. Please don't mind me".

Saying that surely won't make him feel comfortable, but Yamauchi has no other choice but to switch over to this.

For a moment I thought something was suspicious, but Yamauchi was desperately attempting to focus on the Sakura in front of his eyes.

"S-sorry for keeping you waiting, you read my letter".

"Yes.....umm...please let me ask just one thing".

"You can ask me anything.....".

Sakura tightens her grip on her skirt and squeezes out a voice from inside her throat.

"W-why do you like...me? There are plenty of people, cuter than me...".

"I prefer Sakura!".

Just like that, he screamed it out. Sakura's shoulders jumped as she flinched.

"S-sorry. I didn't mean to use a loud voice.....s-so what's your answer?".

A clumsy answer to a clumsy confession.

Since I happened to be listening in on someone else's affairs, I ended up thinking they should say this or that to make it better. But for the man himself, he's nervous enough that his heart is about to leap out of his mouth so he's not in much of a position to think properly. No matter what, he is unable to choose the best option.

"I.....I'm sorry!".

Standing in front of Yamauchi with slightly reddish eyes, Sakura bowed deeply while saying that.

At that moment, the light of the last hope smoldering within Yamauchi crumbled and scattered away.

"I-I, towards your feelings, umm, can't answer them".

How much courage must Sakura have summoned up to be able to twist that word. For the first time, I saw in front of my, witnessed strangely close up, a form of 'romance'. Surely Yamauchi, too, did not wish to be dumped in a place with a third-party present. Even though it could not be helped, there's no mistaking that I made him feel complicated emotions.

"I see.....".

Having understood, Yamauchi seems to be desperately attempting to swallow the situation. Just like Sakura, his voice seemed to be trembling slightly, but I could not bring myself to laugh at that figure.

"Thank you, Sakura. For deliberately, coming all the way out here".

"G-Goodbye...!".

No longer able to withstand the heavy atmosphere of this place, Sakura deeply bowed her head before Yamauchi and scurried away.

"Ahh....".

The arm Yamauchi powerlessly extended did not reach Sakura. I could not do anything but stand by silently as the first romance I had seen concluded. Yamauchi tried to resist his disappointment for a while but eventually he raised his head and looked at me.

I wonder if he will direct jeers towards me who had been intruding on the place of his confession like a disturbing insect.

Or perhaps he'll let out a burst of anger? In any case, he seems to be preparing to let out his discontent and unhappiness. But---

"Hah, this is embarrassing. To be dumped in front of a friend. My face's just about to burst into flames".

And without blaming me at all, he said that. On his face, the shock from having been dumped was oozing out, but that wasn't all.

"Yeah, how do I put it, umm.....I feel relieved, I suppose".

Yamauchi, whose disposition now seemed sunny somehow, said that while looking straight at me.

"How do I put it, I was an idiot. I was just troubling Sakura, I just finally realized that. To not hurt me, who she didn't even like, she tried to choose her words. I'm full of guilt. I'm free to like her but I've learned that conveying your feelings also carries a responsibility to it" Yamauchi said.

As I glanced at Yamauchi's shoulder, I saw that his clothes were also wet. In other words, he's been standing outside way before the promised time even came. Perhaps he had been nearby worrying the whole time while thinking about the confession.

"You're not as depressed as I expected" I said.

"I, a shock is a shock, but it's not that bad. Sakura is cute and I do want her as my girlfriend. I did think that but I also thought differently. Just looking at her face or her body, those were just shallow actions I took. How do I put it, I didn't really like her from the bottom of my heart. Probably, if I had really liked her, if I were rejected at that moment I would feel more shock, more suffering, more sadness and more frustration I think" he said.

I dared say nothing in response. I silently listened to all the words that Yamauchi had to spit out.

"That's why---today I'm graduating from this random love of mine. I'll find a girl I can really come to like, I'll start with that" Yamauchi said.

It seems from this rejection, Yamauchi has become a better man.

"I'm grateful to you, Ayanokouji. I apologize for getting you involved in something strange like this".

"Don't worry about it. Because we're.....friends".

"Here, I'll lend this to you. You did say you wanted to borrow a phone, right?".

"Are you sure? Didn't you say it was conditional on the success of the confession?" I asked.

"This is special. But you better give it back right away".

Saying that, Yamauchi strided forward in the same direction Sakura ran off in. And when I realized it, a ray of sunlight had begun to pierce through the openings in the rainclouds.

Chapter end