Osananajimi ga Zettai ni Makenai Love Comedy Volume 1 Chapter 3 part2

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The Treasure Chest and The Toolbox Part 2

From far I could hear sounds coming from the baseball club. Then the soccer club. Then the track team.

This was probably the school. Yet my eyes were shut. With the feeling that something was amiss, I awoke.

The first thing that I saw after getting up was pristine white sheets. The next was-

"Good morning… would be odd to say I suppose. Well at any rate I'm glad you're awake."

The face of a "beautiful Akutami award-winning high school girl author" whom everyone in school knew, Kachi Shirokusa.

The infirmary, bathed in twilight.

Her dignified bearing still stood beautiful and prominent amid the magical scene.

"Wait, I-"

"Collapsed in the gym and were brought to the infirmary by Kai-kun and Mitsuru-senpai."

Mitsuru-senpai? I was just about to ask who that was before realising that was Abe's name.

"Where are Tetsuhiko and Abe-senpai then? And why are you here, Kachi?"

"Mitsuru-senpai went home right after bringing you here, Maru-kun. He said he had business to attend to."

"… I see."

Hearing Abe's name come out from Shirokusa's mouth made me feel depressed. But for the moment I decided to just hear her out.

"Kai-kun is also currently collecting your belongings. As for me - I stayed back to hand you this."

Shirokusa took out and handed over a clear plastic sleeve.

Within it were about five pages of printed documents. These were-

"The plot you were hoping for, Maru-kun. You said you wanted to stand out at the cultural festival, so I think things will work out even if you don't use your scheduled segment in the gym. No, I think it'll definitely be more interesting if you don't follow it at all."

Usage of the gym followed a strict schedule during the cultural festival. Prior permission had to be sought from the student council, and timings had to be reserved.

Tetsuhiko had previously booked a fifteen-minute segment. He had then proposed to me that we should use that time to do a play.

But Shirokusa was saying we were better off doing something different.

"C- Could I take a look at this for a minute?"

I scanned quickly over the first piece of paper. Written there was an overview, and it had precisely the information I wanted.

"… I see! Tetsuhiko and I aren't going to draw anyone in with our names alone, so we should use the 'Confession Festival' instead?"

Even if both of us put up a spectacular performance from a spectacular script, it would all be meaningless if no one was there to see it.

"Yes. If you want to stand out, we have to first change the stage." Shirokusa explained. "Every year at the cultural festival the 'Confession Festival' generates the most excitement. And being part of the closing ceremony… every student will have to be there to watch. Therefore we have no reason not to use it. Becoming the star of the 'Confession Festival' - if you wish to stand out, that is the best you could do."

It was frustrating, yet wholly expected. It was an idea Tetsuhiko and I didn't come up with.

"And we're supposed to take over the 'Confession Festival' itself?"

"Yes, that is the crux of the plot I have written. You and Kai-kun will disrupt the 'Confession Festival', making the programme your own. How about it?"

The Confession Festival was a stage that drew the attention of the entire school. If we hyped things up there we would definitely become heroes.

Suddenly I heard cheers.

I looked down from on top of the stage and saw the audience in a whirl of excitement. To my sides I saw my fellow actors, their grinning faces flushed from the lingering thrill.

A feeling of satisfaction from the past breezed through my mind.

I was now firm in my belief that following Shirokusa's plan was the only way to go.

"Thanks, Kachi!"

In my unbridled joy I took Shirokusa's hand.

"Eh?!"

"This is an incredible idea! I can already see ourselves succeeding, and it's all because of you, Kachi!"

Shirokusa did the normally unthinkable - and for an instant opened her mouth to grin, but her face immediately reverted to her usual dignified expression while she brought the black, lustrous hair running beside her cheek before her chest and began to stroke it.

"W- Well of course. I did write the plot, after all."

"Man, you really are a true professional, Kachi! No way Tetsuhiko and I would've been able to think of this!"

"H- Hmph, no need for flattery! I do this for a living, so it's only natural!"

Pride is proportional to professionalism, huh? Shirokusa held her shapely nose up high and stuck out her ample bosom.

I turned over the first sheet of paper to read the scenario's second page.

From just a quick look I understood that it wrote about the Confession Festival as the setting. A simplified flow was printed on the third page.

"Stop there."

"Ah-"

Shirokusa took away the sheets of paper. I reflexively reached for them, but remained fixed to the bed. Shirokusa, who had taken a step back, was far beyond my grasp.

"H- Hey, what gives? Things were just getting good!"

"Maru-kun, aren't you forgetting something?"

"Forgetting something…?"

"My reward."

Oh∼∼, that's right. She did ask for one.

Yeah, I mean, Shirokusa was a professional after all. I had been extremely impressed by her ideas thus far and still very much wanted to see what more she had in store.

But a reward, huh…?

"You know, Kachi, you might think that I have a lot of money lying around that I'm free to spend because my dad is never home, but-"

"Huh?"

"Kuroha's parents are my parents whenever he isn't. So I don't really have anything more than small change to offer."

"That's not what I'm-"

"I'll pay you back after I've made it!"

I leapt up in a flash and assumed a kneeling position on the bed.

Determining the outcome by getting on my knees before the other person could say yes or no! This was the surefire method for me to always get my own way!

"That should've softened her up…" I thought with confidence as I glanced up briefly, only to catch Shirokusa staring down upon me with an icy gaze.

"Eek…"

It was really quite strange. Shirokusa always reacted differently from how I expected her to… Her response was always good whenever I thought she was in a bad mood, and whenever I thought things would go well if I acted self-deprecatingly, like now, her temper would somehow turn foul… Well, I had never understood how to read a maiden's heart to begin with, so I was absolutely hopeless when it came to Shirokusa.

"Please, stop that."

"… Heh?"

"If you are capable of doing these things, Maru-kun, I think it all the more means you must be fairly confident about yourself. Even if it means being made fun of or looked down upon, you still feel like you can do it. That's how you can laugh at yourself and do all these self-deprecating things, right?"

"Oh no∼, it's really nothing as lofty as that. I'm an idiot, so the best I can do is to make things up along as I go…"

"I don't want to see you like this, Maru-kun."

Was my pathetic state the reason for her bad mood?

If so, then Shirokusa had to be-

"So, Kachi, you already knew I used to be a child actor, right? I heard from Abe-senpai."

"… I did."

With a twitch Shirokusa's shoulders began to tremble.

What caused her to react that way? Was she angry, or perhaps, sad?

I couldn't tell for sure - just that she had an incredibly serious expression on her face.

I guess her response really meant that…

"Kachi, could it be that… you used to be a fan of mine?"

That was the only conclusion I could think of.

-I don't want to see you like this, Maru-kun.

She said those words because she had to be a fan in the past.

She showed me her smile when we were alone together because she had been a fan to begin with.

She also made sure to ask for a reward first while writing the script almost immediately, again because she had been a fan.

… It had to be. I found Shirokusa "being my fan" an easy explanation to accept for everything that had happened between us so far.

Shirokusa twirled the dazzling hair that ran from her shoulders multiple times around her fingers.

"… Yes. I will not deny that I was."

To me it seemed like something was keeping Shirokusa's back teeth clenched.

She wasn't lying, but she wasn't telling the whole story either. That was my impression.

"I see. At any rate it's true you were a fan then."

"… Yes."

"Thanks. For being one. … But now my past self is long gone," I said plainly. "That kid on TV who could snatch the public's attention and make lots of people laugh and cry has disappeared, leaving behind just an ordinary high schooler. I'm sorry, but you can hope all you like and still nothing will happen."

If anything I had fallen to the level of collapsing after only doing a little acting. She was an old fan of mine, but I wouldn't even be able to do such a tiny favour for her if she asked.

"And you're really okay with that…?"

I scratched my cheek at Shirokusa's question.

"It's not so much a matter of if I'm okay with it or not, but, well, it is true that I can no longer do anything substantial. That's why to be completely honest, it's kind of a big problem for me if people want to pry into my past. Because I'm not going to be able to do anything to fulfill their expectations."

"But you're still planning on performing together with Kai-kun?"

"Well, it might be better to quit now that I've actually blacked out, but I thought your suggestions were really interesting, Kachi. I wanna give it a shot."

"I… see…"

"I've now gone back to square one. No, considering I passed out, I might be even further behind. Still, it seems real dumb to keep moping over something I know I was able to do in the past, and I still remember how much fun I used to have when I acted. So right now no matter how embarrassing it might be I'm just going to try again with all that I've got."

I smiled broadly. Shirokusa's eyes widened but otherwise she didn't move a muscle.

I thought I saw her cheeks redden. It could just have been an effect of the setting sun, though.

"There is a reason… for all of this, right?"

"Hm? A reason?"

"A reason for why you've become like this. A reason for why you stopped."

"Oh… You're asking about that, huh…?"

"If it's alright with you, I would like to know. That is - the reward I want."

I see. Of course. For someone who had been my fan, my sudden disappearance from the television screen must have been hard to accept even now.

It was a truth not revealed to the public in order to preserve Mom's drama appearance. It wasn't something I really felt like I had to hide if Shirokusa kept quiet about it, so I suppose it was alright to tell her if it would serve as compensation.

"Is it something you can't talk about?" Shirokusa asked nervously yet determinedly.

"No, I can. It would be bad if word got around though, so-"

"That's alright. I won't tell anyone. I swear it on the God of Stories."

"Who the hell is that…?"

Was the God of Stories someone all authors could see?

"Just someone a friend told me about. A very fickle and cruel god. But he answers people who work hard and can be very kind."

"Ooh."

I was interested to know who that friend was, but I didn't ask.

"I won't tell anyone, so tell me. The reason why you retired, Maru-kun."

"… Alright."

I told it to her succinctly. I would have hated adding more window dressing to elicit sympathy or weirdly painting myself as some sort of tragic hero, so I plainly told her the story as it was.

……

"…… So that's how it was," Shirokusa whispered briefly after listening to everything. "I finally understand why nobody involved would say a thing."

"You went around asking them…?"

As expected of a beautiful Akutami award-winning high school girl author who also appeared on television. Her connections and drive were absurd.

"I guess… maybe it can't be helped then…"

"Huh? What was that you just…"

I shut my mouth before I could finish asking. From Shirokusa's eyes came and fell large tears.

"Sob-"

A guy was screwed if a girl cried.

Obviously I had to apologise here if I had said something bad, but I hadn't, had I? What was I supposed to do then?!

"At times like these… you're supposed to hug her!" was what Tetsuhiko would say.

Ooh, yes, perhaps it really was my opportunity to do just that. I too felt like hugging her.

"Isn't this amazing? What can be more important to a human, than being true to your own feelings? You're still in love with Shirokusa! Make love, not war! Love will save the world! Stop all this nasty revenge business, and hurry up and hug her!" my shoulder angel whispered into my ear.

Then my shoulder devil hissed.

"You saw them from the stage, didn't you? Abe and Shirokusa, next to each other. You knew once you saw them. The two of them are dating. What do you think is going to happen if you try to hug her now? You'll be sent flying, and starting tomorrow Shirokusa will be on a mission to exterminate you. That also means that everyone's going to find out about you trying to hug her. Who knows, maybe Abe'll spread the word too. Will you still have the nerve to show up in school then?"

Yikes! Devil-san's powers of persuasion were nothing to be sniffed at! Angel-san was completely defeated.

"Still…"

I thought about it over again. Argh, I was so bad with girls like these.

Beautiful girls who were talented, hardworking, and worthy of my respect… those were my type. It didn't matter if they were older than me or younger. Compared to the cute, attention-seeking ilk, I was far more vulnerable to strong women who had confidence in themselves. I mean, looking at them just made me want to help them and make their dreams come true, you know?

"Sigh… If only I had known she had been a fan a little earlier…"

Perhaps I would then have been able to shorten the distance between us sooner.

I certainly wouldn't have wanted to cling onto my past glory, since I had quit being a child actor. But if I had known then as I did now that there was a clear basis for her affection for me, I would probably have been able to talk to her a lot more assertively. Because she always took a stern attitude towards guys, I hadn't been able to trust the occasional kindness she showed me.

"What was going on…? Was this what it felt like to meet again with a girl you liked at a future class reunion, and hear her tell you that 'I liked you back then'…?"

We had crossed paths without meeting. Our timings had been off. If my fate had just been a little different, perhaps happiness would have already found its way onto my doorstep.

Life was truly full of regrets.

"Here…"

Shirokusa held out to me the plot she had temporarily confiscated, all while hiding her tear-soaked face.

"I got my reward, so…"

"Oh, sure…"

As soon as I took it from her, Shirokusa, with her face still turned away, stood up from her seat and made for the exit. But perhaps because she had been drying her eyes with her handkerchief, she staggered a little after crashing head first into the door of the infirmary.

… It appeared that Shirokusa could indeed be a little clumsy at times.

I couldn't find the right words to say to Shirokusa, and could only watch her back disappear.

"O-i, Sueharu∼. I brought your stuff-!"

Tetsuhiko entered in relief of Shirokusa.

Some called me thickheaded, but even I knew.

"You were standing all this time outside the door listening, weren't you?"

"Wow, how did you figure that out? Will it snow tomorrow too?"

"You really think I'm a total idiot, don't you?"

"Yes-I-do!"

"I'm just saying, but if anything you better not spread the reason why I retired around, alright? It'll be a real bother otherwise, and not just for me, okay?"

Tetsuhiko scratched the back of his head and sighed dramatically.

"I know, man. Even I can tell the difference between what I can do or can't."

"… Okay then."

"But, you know…"

Tetsuhiko turned his gaze toward the other side of the door which Shirokusa had so recently disappeared into.

"I thought it was just another one of your delusions…"

"What was?"

"Kachi was totally into you, huh? I couldn't believe it. Honestly."

"… You think so too?"

Tetsuhiko nodded with a grave expression.

But that was as far as his seriousness got.

Tetsuhiko's shoulders trembled for a while as he appeared to be struggling to contain his laughter, until he suddenly cackled while facing the ceiling and then let out a roar.

"Serves you righttttt! To think you let such a big fish slip through your grasp, what are you, an iiiiiidiottt? This is exactly why you're still a vir-gin-, got ittt?"

"Grrr, Tetsuhiko… you bastard…"

"Oh well, what a pity. If either you or Kachi had just been a little more assertive in your actions, the two of you could very well have been a couple. But that didn't happen obviously, that's why she's been taken away."

Hit where it hurt, I ground my molars against each other.

"………… Goddamnit!"

It was infuriating, but what Tetsuhiko said wasn't wrong. It was my fault for not making a move, though Shirokusa hadn't helped in that quarter either. That was how we had arrived at the current situation.

"So, whatcha gonna do then? You're still gonna perform with me and beat Abe-paisen, right? Then you're gonna take Kachi back after that?"

"No, I'm not taking her back, I'm going to make her fall for me instead! Now isn't that the way I should be getting my revenge against the guy who crushed my first love?! -Guh!"

Tetsuhiko grinned like a cat.

… Ugh, Kuroha had been the only person I had talked to that about. I had just blurted it out in the heat of the moment.

Tetsuhiko placed his hand on my shoulder as I hugged my head with both of mine.

"Ah, you know, I honestly kind of knew already, so you don't really need to hide it."

"It really pisses me off how good your intuition is."

"So about how you're 'not taking her back, and going to make her fall for you instead', I'm guessing that Shidchan was the one who suggested it?"

My throat constricted.

"… How did you know?"

It honestly helped a lot that Tetsuhiko had a good intuition, but sort of having my thoughts peeked at one-sidedly didn't feel good at all.

"Also, I think this revenge thing you're planning to do is kind of stupid, and it's so crass that I feel embarrassed just watching, but-"

I was enraged by Tetsuhiko's untempered criticism.

It was true that what I was doing was dumb. But I had no intention of stopping.

Thus I opened my mouth to retort, but-

"Tetsuhiko, if you've got a problem-"

"-I guess maybe you could say that it can't be helped because it's first love, you know?"

I shut up immediately.

"It's a curse, so it can't be helped if you want to get revenge. I always say women are creatures who exist to deceive men, but even I don't think they would go so far as to crush first love."

That was unexpected. I never thought Tetsuhiko and I shared the same feelings.

I didn't think I'd be on the same page about women with a disparate guy who played around with, yet despised them. But even Tetsuhiko thought first love was a special thing, huh?

Having been rejected, I now knew. That first love was indeed special.

I mean, wasn't it amazing?! It was incredibly exciting, and gave you a hundred times more motivation! Just thinking about that girl made you lose all of your fatigue and want to do push-ups for absolutely no reason!

But that was because it was first love. The next time you loved somebody, you wouldn't have the confidence to fall forward so wholeheartedly as you did before.

Because back then you didn't know how much falling out of love could hurt. Your next love would probably be one of excitement tempered with the fear of heartbreak. You could no longer be innocent nor reckless. Perhaps that was how adults loved each other instead.

"There's something I wanna ask you, though."

"What's that?"

"Let's say you had a toolbox with the power to do anything, right?"

"… Huh? A toolbox?"

I couldn't understand the words coming out of Tetsuhiko's mouth. What was he talking about?

"Just listen, man. So anyway, it looks like you might also be able to get your hands on a treasure chest you've been yearning for. However, if you take the treasure chest, you have to throw the toolbox you're holding away. -So, between the all-purpose toolbox and the treasure chest you desire, which will you choose?"

"Tsk-"

Was I supposed to take that to mean that the toolbox I could do anything with was Kuroha, and the treasure chest I coveted was Shirokusa…?

"Well, I-"

No words would come out beyond those. Just as soon as the debate that raged inside my head seemed to come towards a conclusion favouring a side, opposing voices would surge from within to negate it.

"I-"

"Well, let's just leave it there for now."

Tetsuhiko shrugged his shoulders in exasperation.

"Either way, Sueharu, this really wasn't the best time for you to pass out. That much is true, right?"

"… Right."

Tetsuhiko threw my bag onto the bed.

"Aight, time to head home. Things got a little hairy there, so I'm gonna have Shidchan follow you back. I'm gonna head over to the nearby convenience store to get Shirokusa's plot copied, so wait for me until I get back."

"Gotcha."

"Also, we're gonna have a meeting about the plot tomorrow, and start practising for real the day after. There's only ten days left till the cultural festival. There's no time to rest, alright?"

"'Course."

After making sure Tetsuhiko had left the infirmary, I began contacting Kuroha on my phone.

Chapter end