Chapter 6 - Kiss and Make Up

A/N: It's time to introduce another losing heroine😔The three heroines—Yanami, Yakishio, and Komari—are all certain to take on the roles of "losing heroines" for Ayanokouji to win over (or them trying to win over him).I'm still working out Ayanokouji's relationship with Shikiya, and I think I have a good idea of how I want to portray her. As for Basori, I honestly haven't settled on a solid concept yet. And Hokobaru hasn't even made an appearance so far.For now, these six are my focus. As for Shiratama, that's way down the line, so I'm holding off on developing that for later... assuming I even get that far in writing, lol.***The morning air felt unusually crisp as I walked down the empty sidewalk, hands in my pockets, listening to the rhythmic crunch of my footsteps against the gravel. Around me, the town was gradually waking up—people heading to work, kids reluctantly dragging themselves toward school. Just another ordinary day."Ayanokouji!""Hm?"I was nearly at the school gates when someone called my name. For the record, this was a first. Definitely something to log.I glanced over my shoulder. "Ah, Hakamada, huh? It's rare for you to call me."He laughed. "Yeah, I know. Just thought I'd say hi."(Hakamada Sosuke and Himemiya Karen)I realized that our routes to and from school ran parallel until a certain point, and it's not like I hadn't noticed him on this road before. Still, I wasn't going to mention how he had apparently managed to greet every other classmate but me all this time."Oh. Morning, I guess."He chuckled. "Hey, liven up a little. It's still early, y'know?""Unfortunately, this is my default setting.""Default setting? What's that even mean?" he laughed again.I thought about continuing the conversation to avoid awkward silence, but I couldn't come up with a good enough reason. Besides, if I was right, he'd start talking on his own."So—"I was right.He looked at me with that curious expression."What's your deal with Anna? Not gonna lie—I was curious when I saw you two hanging out yesterday. You usually come across as... well, not to be rude, but kind of scary. Or like someone who prefers to keep to himself."Scary, huh?I sighed. "She owes me. Last week, when you were discussing things with Yanami at the family restaurant, she roped me into covering her order. I was fine letting it go, but she insisted on paying me back. Only, she refused to do it all at once. So after some back and forth, she proposed something—which was to be my 'personal food guide.' Said she knows every place worth eating around here.""Oh, so you two are bonding over food, huh?""She knows food; I enjoy eating it. That's the extent of it."Hakamada laughed. "Sure, sure. But who knows? She could be into you."What a pushy guy...By the time we reached the school gates, my mind was on my first class. I don't want to walk there with Hakamada.Lucky for me, the sight of Himemiya waiting around for her boyfriend effectively snagged Hakamada's attention. By her side, there's some background character talking with her until a moment ago, now completely disregarded when Hakamada appeared.Ah, I can feel a fresh complaint coming my way after this."Karen!""Sosuke!"I was just about to ignore their little romantic scene and head into the school building when that happened. "Huh...?"I looked at them in visible surprise.That's bold.Hakamada and Himemiya were embracing each other (which is still normal), and then they kissed from mouth to mouth (which is still normal as well), but they went all in, locked together in a rather suggestive, almost brazen display for the few bystanders to witness.I couldn't help but glance at Yanami. The poor girl looked like her soul had just departed. Rest in peace, Yanami Anna. You're a good girl."You two!"A familiar voice cut in, and Basori stepped between them, forcibly separating the pair.Hakamada and Himemiya broke apart instinctively, now looking embarrassed. Basori, unfazed, began scolding them."That was a thoroughly inappropriate display! This is a school, a place for learning, not for—"I took the chance to step closer to Yanami and flicked her forehead."Ouch?!"She snapped back to reality, blinking up at me in confusion."A-Ayanokouji-kun? Since when were you here?""Just now. Didn't you see me come up here with Hakamada?""Uh..."From her expression, it was clear she hadn't. I sighed."We can leave if this is too much for you."Her eyes widened. "Wait, are you worried about me?""I am," I replied flatly, watching as she fidgeted a bit."O-oh, I didn't expect that from you.""So what's your decision?" I asked, nodding toward the school building. She hesitated, glancing back at the couple and then at me, her expression shifting through several emotions before she sighed. "...Let's just go, I guess." Without another word, I turned and started walking.She let out a small laugh. "Ayanokouji-kun, you're surprisingly considerate, aren't you?""I'd say any normal person would at least try to save you from watching that, right?" I replied, vaguely gesturing back at Hakamada and Himemiya."Hmph. Boring response," she muttered, pouting just slightly. "Still, those two—""Please stop if you're just going to complain—""—are so annoyingly lovey-dovey now that they're dating...!" she finished, completely ignoring my plea. I half expected it. In fact, I wondered if I could slip away quietly right now. Would she even notice? Or just keep ranting to herself like some kind of monologue-spewing character from a tragic play? Would anyone seeing this think she's just talking to herself and crazy?"Ayanokouji-kun!" She suddenly turned, face inches from mine. "Weren't you listening yesterday?""Listening to what?""Our classmates think I got dumped! And we're not even dating, you know?!""Thought that too, at first."Yanami groaned, slumping."Ugh, it's so annoying. They act all sympathetic, like it's some tragic story— well, it is, actually. But why can't they just... leave me alone?! Or pretend not to notice? No, that's pathetic too. Well, I wish they'd all just disappear!"Fortunately, the hallway was empty, sparing us from any onlookers who might have overheard her mini-breakdown. I nodded, pretending to look deeply sympathetic, though she probably wouldn't care either way.We reached the classroom by then, so I made a beeline for my seat, hoping to escape—"—wait, Ayanokouji-kun.""What is it again?""Why do you sound reluctant?""Must be your imagination—although, honestly, it's a pretty reasonable reaction for most people—except you, apparently.""What's that supposed to mean?!"I felt like this is already happened before.I considered pointing out her constant wanting to complaints, but since she was still my go-to for food recommendations, I let that slide. Praise my generosity.Our conversation had stirred up some attention in the class. Naturally, our classmates were giving us curious looks.Yanami noticed this and stopped mid-sentence, her face going slightly red. "...Ayanokouji-kun, you're not as quiet as you look, are you?""What's with this template of 'you're not as you seem' every time?""Blame the impression you give off.""At least switch up the method; it's getting stale already."She clenched her teeth.Oddly enough, it was starting to feel like a standoff."I'm going to my seat."I ignored her as she tried to respond and turned my back, heading to my usual spot.As I sat down, though, one of our classmates, Yakishio, came over and settled into Basori's empty seat beside me. Now what?"Ayanokouji-kun—mind if I call you Kouji-kun?""Sure... what's up?"Yakishio Remon. She was someone else popular not just in our class but likely in our entire grade. She was an athletic girl, well-known for her track skills and her upbeat, almost carefree personality. She had a knack for bringing energy to anyone she talked to, even if her thought process wasn't exactly the most complicated."Haha, no biggie. Just curious about, well, y'know— you and Anna-chan suddenly getting close.""Why not ask her?""She keeps avoiding it."So I'm the fallback?"Nothing's going on," I replied plainly. "We just happened to end up close— if you could even say it like that— by pure coincidence.""And how exactly did that coincidence play out...?"Yakishio leaned in, getting far too close and brushing aside any semblance of personal space, giving me a curious look.Why are all these popular people suddenly approaching me?First Yanami, then those two from the student council, and now Yakishio? Is this some kind of 'popularity phase' they always said to me in romcom manga? It's drawing in way too much attention—not that I'd ever gone out of my way to avoid it.Without shifting an inch— as you'd expect of me— I kept my expression blank and gave her a straightforward answer. "I can't say anything about that. Privacy matters."I noticed Yanami subtly sigh in relief out the corner of my eye."Ah, I see."Yakishio looked a little disappointed but mostly understanding."I thought maybe you two—""Remon.""Huh?"Both of us turned toward the doorway. There stood a boy around our age with glasses, handsome in that calm, studious way.Asagumo Chihiya & Ayano Mitsuki"M-Mitsuki?" Yakishio's demeanor shifted instantly.Ah..."Sorry to interrupt," he said with a polite, slightly awkward smile as he stepped into the classroom.Yakishio looked like a girl seeing her crush for the first time—and I'm pretty sure that's exactly what this was. They're childhood friends, from what I'd heard, and Yakishio was known to have a thing for him. Ayano Mitsuki, her one-and-only."I just wanted to tell you about our weekend plans," he said, stopping near my desk.I watched their exchange in silence."Oh! You mean our outing on Saturday?" Yakishio replied, grinning sheepishly. She seemed to be caught between shyness and excitement. "What's up with that?"Ayano shifted a bit. "Actually, I have something important that came up, so I can't make it that day. I'm really sorry."Yakishio's face fell slightly. "Oh... w-why, though?""Mitsuki-san!" a voice cut through the room. A petite girl with a bright forehead stood in the doorway, waving frantically."Ah, Chihiya," Ayano turned, his expression noticeably warmer than when speaking to Yakishio. "...sorry, Remon, I need to head out with Chihiya right now—something important we need to deal with immediately. But we can reschedule.""Hurry, Mitsuki-san, or someone's going to die...!"What kind of trouble are they dealing with? I couldn't tell if her mention of "death" was metaphorical or literal. Judging by the uncertain reactions of everyone else who overheard, I wasn't the only one wondering."Take care, Yakishio." Ayano gave her a quick smile and a small wave before heading toward Chihiya.Yakishio watched him leave while clearly trying to mask her disappointment."...another losing heroine?" I muttered under my breath."Hehe," Yanami stepped in between us with that weird look on her face. "Remon-chan, you might want to make a move. That Chihiya girl looks way too close to Ayano-kun, don't ya think?""E-Eh, but I don't know how!""Don't worry, I'm here to help!"Honestly, just hearing that made me a bit anxious, but I figured maybe Yanami had learned from her past mistakes and was trying to offer Yakishio some genuine advice."So, first of all, you should kiss him—"It was a mistake, after all. Nothing that came out of her mouth is good."As a side note, don't listen to her," I interjected, Yanami glared at me."No one asked you, Ayanokouji-kun. Besides, you're hardly experienced in this yourself, right? So be quiet.""But I have better common sense than you. That's more than enough reason, I'd say.""I-I!" Yakishio suddenly shouted, catching both of our attention. She cleared her throat, speaking much quieter this time. "I-I wouldn't really mind that, though...?""Just what I'd expect from Remon-chan!" Yanami cheered.I snorted. "Talking is easy. Even if you were brave enough to do that, can you confidently say your relationship would improve afterward? What if things only get awkward? You might scare him off, or it could ruin the friendship. He could think you're just a friend, not a romantic interest. Maybe he doesn't even like you back.""U-Uh, I hadn't thought that far..."I wasn't surprised."Well, that's what happens when you're blinded by your emotions."Yanami shot me an exasperated look. "Why are you suddenly acting like a love expert?""Believe it or not, I'm actually a philosopher."Yanami looked at me skeptically, but for some reason, Yakishio seemed genuinely impressed. "Do you have any tips for— um, getting Mitsuki to like me back, Kouji-kun? You seem like you might secretly be an expert on that thing..."I could think of a few ideas, but personally, I thought Ayano and that Chihiya were already a thing. Offering advice might just lead to more heartache for her. But then again, seeing where this train wreck might go sounded interesting."Well then, hear me out—"