Chapter 37: Which One Will You Choose?

Which One Will You Choose?

"I'm thinking of creating another heroine."

"...Huh."

Lunch break the next day.

Nagumo and I were holding our usual strategy meeting on the rooftop, behind the water tower.

I ruined Ayanokoji's arranged marriage meeting, Ayanokoji confessed her feelings to me, and I made Ijuin and Onizuka make up.

I explained all of this to Nagumo in detail.

Today, instead of a packed lunch, Nagumo munched on bread from the store, repeatedly making responses that were unclear as to whether he was interested or not.

"...tsk, I should have kissed her instead of letting someone else take her..."

"Did you say something?!"

"Nothing."

Sometimes he tweets scary things...

"So? Otome-chan, are you thinking about adding more new characters?"

"I don't like to call people characters, but... well, that's how it is! I can't reciprocate Ayanokoji's feelings, but I don't want to trample on her affection! So, there's no other way than to force the two of them onto girls other than Ayanokoji, right?"

"...Hmm."

Huh?

I thought it was a great idea.

Far from praising me as a genius, Nagumo tilted his head with a sour look on his face.

"W-was something strange...?"

I asked, feeling anxious.

Nagumo washed down the chocolate cornet with iced cocoa.

What does it taste like?

"...I understand that you don't want to trample on Ayanokoji's feelings, but is it okay to trample on the feelings of the student council president and a delinquent?"

"Eh?"

Ijuin and Onizuka's feelings?

"They said they both have someone they like, right?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm going to support their love..."

"What if it was Otome-chan?"

……I?

I've been desperately trying to change the route so that they wouldn't fall in love with me.

"No way! It wasn't me!"

"...I'm not a psychic either, so this is just a guess, but... I'm asking you, what would you do if it was Otome-chan? If they liked you, but you suggested them to date another girl, they'd be really shocked, right?"

"I would be shocked too," Nagumo added, but I pretended not to hear.

"Wouldn't that be trampling on their feelings? Or would it be okay to just pretend not to know? Isn't that unfair?"

Nagumo approached steadily.

With a passionate speech.

"Wait a second...! The story is proceeding under the assumption that the two of them like me! It's not confirmed, so don't blame me so much..."

"...It's kind of confirmed already."

"Well, whatever," Nagumo said, ending the conversation.

I feel relieved for the time being.

"But let me ask you one thing. If you had to choose between the student council president and the delinquent, which would you choose?"

Which one should I choose?

What kind of two-choice question is that? It sounds like something you'd find in a shoujo manga.

What kind of question are you asking me, when I've spent my life here trying not to choose one or the other, let alone choose either.

"…………"

However, Nagumo's eyes were completely serious.

There is no option to choose neither.

It seemed like I was being asked to choose under conditions where if I don't choose one, I will die.

It seemed unlikely that he could be fooled and covered up.

So, for the first time, I compared the two of them as potential romantic partners.

Onizuka is a delinquent but kind-hearted.

Ijuin is serious and cool, but he's they type where you can't just leave him alone.

Which one did the shoujo manga heroine Saotome Otome choose?

"I'm telling you, please choose one not as the heroine, but as 'you'."

Nagumo put a firm grip on the matter.

It seemed a bit strange for me, a man whose love interests are women, to choose a man, but still, persuaded by Nagumo's earnestness, I too gave it serious thought.

The warm late spring breeze caresses my hair and Nagumo's.

"I am..."