“...”
“W-What?”
“I mean... you know, Kato.”
“U-huh.”
“You’re actually pretty cute.”
We were at a coffee shop on our way home from school, the evening sun dipping further into the west than it had been earlier. Right there in full view of the public, I spoke a line that was, for me, incredibly cheesy. I said it to the girl of destiny I’d just had a dramatic reunion with... who, as it turned out, was actually a classmate I’d already spent half a month with in the same room: Megumi Kato.
“O-Oh, thanks. But that was so sudden it kind of felt like your heart wasn’t in it.”
“Yeah, I feel the same way. So let’s just forget I said it.”
“Oh, can I order something else? I’m starting to get a little hungry.”
“Yeah, order whatever you want. It’s all on me today.”
“Oh, thanks. Let’s see...”
I sipped my coffee while watching Kato’s expression as she immediately shifted her gaze to the menu. And I reaffirmed to myself that there was no lie in the words I’d just spoken.
It was true, Megumi Kato was cute.
Her features were well-proportioned; she wasn't too short or too tall, her skin was fairly smooth, and she had curves where she should and was slim where she should be.
“Um... what’s this ‘Ogura Toast’?”
“It’s good, you know.”
“Oh, excuse me—the rare cheesecake, please.”
“Oh, okay.”
And yet, why was it? Even though I’d just looked a girl in the face and told her she was “cute”—an act that could easily be mistaken for a confession—I felt absolutely no heart-thumping excitement whatsoever.
What is this? Why do I feel so relaxed around you, Kato? And it’s an incredibly unpleasant kind of relaxation!
“Oh, but I’m a little surprised. Are you more of a normie than I thought, Aki-kun?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, you suddenly asked if I wanted to go for tea because you had something to talk about...”
“Oh, that...”
After inviting her, I’d called Yoshino-chan to apologize, saying, “Sorry, I can’t make it today!” To an outsider, I probably looked like the world’s worst boyfriend, making up a fake excuse for his real girlfriend right in front of the girl he was cheating with.
“I kind of misunderstood. I totally thought you were...”
“Oh, come to think of it, this is actually the first time in my life I’ve invited someone out myself.”
I was curious to hear what came after her “I totally thought...”, but I figured it was bound to derail in a bad direction, so I cut her off before she could say it.
“Really? I’m the first?”
“Yeah, I swear it on the Three Gods of a God-Tier Episode: God-tier animation, God-tier script, and a God-tier insert song!”
“I don’t really get what kind of gods those are, but you were surprisingly natural for a first-timer, weren't you?”
“Well, that’s...”
No, the truth is, I was supposed to be incredibly nervous, okay? I mean, I thought that the moment I reunited with that “girl on the hill,” my mind would go blank, my heart would pound, my mouth would go dry, and I wouldn’t even be able to speak properly. And then, as we got closer, various misunderstandings and disagreements would pile up and make things awkward, and then every time we saw each other we’d get into a fight like some inseparable bickering pair. And finally, some incident would trigger us to resolve our misunderstandings and confirm the feelings we’d had since our first meeting, leading into a lovey-dovey happy ending!
“Anyway, sorry about that. For not noticing at all until now.”
Of course, I wasn’t stupid enough to let that delusional plot leak out of my mouth.
“Well, it couldn't be helped, but I was a liiiiittle bit shocked.”
“No, but look... I mean, you look like a different person in plain clothes compared to your school uniform. The image is totally different.”
“Is it?”
“Yeah, totally!”
I have zero memory of what you looked like in plain clothes, so of course the images don’t overlap... I could absolutely never say that. How rude would I have to be to remember all kinds of white clothing but not remember the face or the words of the person wearing them?
“I-I mean, why didn’t you say who you were back then? That you were a classmate.”
“Eh? But we were already acquaintances, so wouldn’t it have been weird to introduce myself after all this time?”
“Wait, weren’t we in different classes in our first year?”
“But I was in Class E, so we were on the same floor, right?”
I was in Class A... I walked past Class E every single day to get to my room. Crap, we probably walked past each other all the time—like, on a daily basis.
“O-Oh, by the way, what happened to that hat? Good thing it didn't get run over by a car!”
“Oh, that? I gave it to a younger relative.”
“Eh...”
“My cousin came over to visit during spring break. She seemed to really like it, so I gave it to her as a souvenir when she left. She was so happy.”
“O-Oh, I see... That’s good then. Really.”
Apparently, the vital item for the encounter event that forms the very core of our story’s plot has been happily passed on to someone else...
Who would have thought a desperate question aimed at covering up my own lack of social grace would kindly and cleanly wipe away my guilt? What is this? I really do feel relaxed around you, Kato. And it’s an incredibly disappointing kind of relaxation!
“Well, I guess it just means Kato’s memory is better than mine.”
As my guilt and my excitement were both cleanly washed away, my attitude toward Kato became increasingly familiar.
“Hmm, you think so?”
“I mean, we never spoke once until our second year, right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“And I’m not in any clubs, my grades aren’t anything special, and above all, I’m an otaku... I’m impressed you remembered someone so unremarkable from another class.”
Saying it like that made it sound nice, but essentially I was becoming overly casual—my awareness of her as a member of the opposite sex was vanishing, and she was returning to the status of “Female Classmate B.”
“I’ll give you the otaku part, but if you said you were unremarkable, I think everyone would strongly disagree.”
“That’s not true...”
“I mean, you’re one of the five most famous people in our school, Aki-kun.”
“Gah... Am I really that noticeable?”
“That anime screening during the first-year cultural festival was a big deal. If you’d just done it as a guerrilla event, people would have just written you off as a troublemaker. But you went to the staff room every day to get official permission, ended up arguing with the vice-principal, and eventually the principal himself had to step in... Even the athletes don’t do things like that.”
“...Well, athletes wouldn’t think about holding an anime screening in the first place.”
That was... a blunder. Was I really that prominent?
“So, if you mention the name Tomoya Aki, most people will either start laughing or make a sour face. I don’t think there’s anyone who would ask, ‘Who’s that?’”
“W-What’s the ratio of enemies to allies?”
“I’m not sure... maybe sixty to forty?”
“Whoa... so more enemies than friends.”
“It can’t be helped, considering how much attention you draw.”
An elite among otakus, or an excessive attention-seeker.
Friend or foe, the mysterious Tomoya Aki.
...Actually, I feel like both of those are prime examples of the kind of person who is universally disliked.
“It’s okay to stand out. Be a stake that’s tough to hammer down.”
I guess I was unconsciously keeping that vow from when I was a kid. Grandpa, it looks like I was much more of a grandpa’s boy than I thought.
“I see... Man, I had no idea I was seen that way.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly it.”
“Eh, exactly what?”
“Neither of us has that awareness. Not you, Aki-kun, and not me.”
“You too, Kato?”
“Aki-kun isn’t trying to stand out, and I’m not trying to stay hidden.”
“Ah...”
I’d been so caught up in my own thoughts that I’d failed to notice the subtle shift in the expression of the girl before me.
“Even so, Aki-kun, you didn’t know me, even though I knew you.”
Her expression turned into something complicated—a tiny bit lonely, a tiny bit sad, and a tiny bit resigned.
“My friends tell me I have a pretty weak presence. Like I’m easy to just... overlook.”
“Oh, I get it! I totally get that!”
“...Totally?”
“I mean, it’s surprising! You’re actually really cute, Kato, so I figured you’d be way more popular!”
“...Even though you didn’t remember my name or my face until today?”
“I only just realized it today!”
It might have looked like a massive blunder followed by a desperate attempt to save face, but for what it’s worth, it wasn’t a lie or an empty pleasantry.
Objectively speaking, the girl before me, Megumi Kato, is undoubtedly cute. It’s just that her personality makes even someone like me—who rarely ever talks to girls—say it to her face without even blushing...
“It’s fine, you don’t have to be polite.”
“No, that’s not it—”
“I really am just plain, I guess.”
“Plain...?”
The moment Kato spoke those self-deprecating words, something hot and sharp singed my chest.
“I’m not like you, Aki-kun. My grades are just average, I’m not in any clubs, and I’ve never been a class rep or anything.”
It felt like a sense of wrongness, or perhaps helplessness, or maybe even anger.
“I don’t have many friends, and I don’t have the courage to try and make more than I already have.”
Each word Kato spun out did nothing to calm my emotions; if anything, they only worked to heighten them...
“So, it’s only natural that not just you, but everyone else doesn’t remember me—”
“You’re wrong!”
“Eh...?”
In that instant, I slammed my fist onto the table and shouted.
“Kato... you are not plain!”
I stood up and swung the fist I’d just slammed down high into the air. My sudden change in demeanor startled the other customers, and everyone in the shop turned to look at our table.
“I can guarantee that! So... so, Kato...”
“H-hey, Aki-kun, calm down.”
It wasn’t just the other customers; Kato seemed just as surprised. But the torrent of my passionate feelings wouldn’t stop now.
“Sorry. I got a little carried away.”
That said, there was no point in continuing a speech while standing there with my fist in the air. I let out a long sigh and slowly sat back down on the sofa...
“It happened last year...”
And then, I began to speak quietly.
“Last year? You mean back when we were first-years?”
“No, it was second year.”
“? Oh, I see.”
“There was this incredibly plain girl in my class.”
“I wonder who... would I know her too?”
“Who knows? Even the other girls in the class pretty much ignored her.”
“Oh... I see.”
“She had her hair in braids, she wore glasses, she had a face full of freckles... she was the exact template of a plain-girl character.”
“Hmm, was there anyone like that in Class A?”
“No, she was in Class 3.”
“? O-oh.”
“What’s more, she had such a massive complex about her looks and personality that she was always radiating this heavy negative aura, like she was thinking *someone like me shouldn’t exist.*”
“Ah, yeah. I guess there might be one person like that in every grade.”
As I spoke in a quiet, measured tone, Kato listened intently, nodding along softly.
“But you see...”
“Yeah?”
Her expression seemed to hold a mix of slight bewilderment and a tiny bit of genuine interest.
“And that’s exactly what makes it so moe...”
“U-huh?”
“I mean, those tightly wound braids! Those thick, dowdy glasses! That face that’s always looking down to hide her freckles!”
“U-u-huh?”
“That attitude that pushes people away! That stubbornness where she’ll never look someone in the eye when she talks!”
“A-Aki-kun...?”
“And then a girl like that, only for me... ah, this is the important part! She only opens her heart to me! And once she does, she has eyes only for me... ah, this is the *super* important part! Don’t you think a girl who only looks at me is the *absolute best*, Kato?! Don’t you?!”
“E-err... even if you ask me that, well...”
“Ah... sorry.”
Seeing that Kato’s expression had become nothing but pure bewilderment, I realized I was once again attracting the attention of the other customers and sank back into the sofa.
“At the very least, she was the best girl to me. That’s why I couldn’t take my eyes off her...”
“You really liked her, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. If things had kept going according to that development, she was supposed to be my waifu...”
“Y-you’re a fast decider. We’re still in high school, you know.”
“But then... for things to turn out like that afterward...”
However, calming down might have been a mistake. The story that followed that happy memory was simply too painful for me to recall.
“Oh, maybe... it didn’t work out?”
“The problem started after we began dating...”
But since I’d come this far, it would be insincere to Kato not to tell her everything. I braced myself and forced my heavy mouth to move.
“She always loved me. But she wouldn’t stay the girl I loved.”
“That sounds like...”
“After a certain day, she changed... she untied her hair and got waves. She ditched the glasses for contacts. She even covered her freckles with light makeup.”
“Oh, she had a makeover.”
“Then, all of a sudden, she was the most popular girl in class. All the guys were falling over themselves to talk to her and get her attention... the same guys who’d completely ignored her until a few days before!”
“I see. As her boyfriend, I guess you’d be worried.”
“Well, in the end, it turned out it was just her own misguided assumption that *if I become popular, my boyfriend can show me off to everyone,* and we ended up confirming our feelings for each other again.”
“Oh, come on. I thought this was going to be a serious story, but it’s just you boasting about your relationship.”
“You’re wrong!”
“Whoa.”
I vehemently denied her teasing words. I appreciated Kato’s kindness, but right now, I couldn’t let that glib remark stand.
Because the real rift between us was actually yet to come...
“Ever since I was getting all worked up because she was popular, I started feeling this strange sense of wrongness.”
“So, isn’t that just jealousy?”
“That’s what I thought at first... but that feeling didn’t go away even after we made up.”
“Eh, why? Even though she...”
“What I wanted wasn’t anything like that.”
“But she just misunderstood what you wanted, right? I think that kind of thing happens all the time.”
“No, even for that, there were too many unnatural points.”
“Unnatural... like, she was lying to you?”
If only it had been a lie. If she had been lying to me, I would have been hurt, but the sense of wrongness would have been resolved. However...
“The narrative development was just way too abrupt.”
“Narrative development?”
“It was so good until they actually started dating. Her shifting emotions were portrayed perfectly through all the events, and I got so emotionally invested.”
“Events? Portrayal? Emotional investment?”
“But then Part Two, after the confession and they start going out... the dates just skip forward in time, her psychological profile is totally stripped away, and her way of thinking flips back and forth like a traffic light. I suddenly couldn't keep up anymore.”
“...Part Two?”
“I mean, is it normal for a girl to have a monologue like ‘Maybe if I acted more like her, he wouldn't run away’ just because he talked to another heroine for a second?”
“............”
“Gah, they just don't get it! That trash-tier development made me want to smash my monitor. The writer clearly lacks the ability to wrap up a story. You can tell they started cutting corners halfway through. I don’t know if they got bored, ran out of time, or just lacked the talent, but as a user, that’s none of my damn business. Honestly, that shitty writer should just go die.”
Because it’s the truth—because it’s real—there are some things you just can’t forgive.
A shallow truth is more sinful than a heavy lie.
“U-Um, Aki-kun... I have a sneaking suspicion, but...”
“What?”
“Is it possible this girl... this ‘waifu’ you’re talking about... is an anime girl?”
“Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Oh, s-sorry. I just had this impossible delusion...”
“She’s not from an anime; she’s from a galge. That one called Karamawari Kiss that came out last year.”
“...Huh?”
“Oh, but don’t worry, Kato. Your misunderstanding won’t be a misunderstanding for much longer. Regardless of the quality, it was one of the top three best-selling eroge-ported galge last year. The developer’s previous work got an anime too, so it’s only a matter of time before she becomes an ‘anime girl’... What’s wrong?”
Before I knew it, Kato’s expression had become incredibly flat.
“...So that’s why she’s in Class 2-C. How confusing. Of course I wouldn’t know about that.”
“I wouldn’t say ‘of course’... it’s a title that sold thirty thousand copies officially.”
“Sigh...”
“You tired?”
“A little.”
Even though I was the one doing all the talking, Kato was the one who was exhausted for some reason. Was she putting that much effort into listening to me? Kato really is a pretty good person, after all. Even if she is invisible.
“So, Aki-kun, what’s the point? What about that game heroine?”
It was probably just my imagination that I felt a bit of a thorn starting to poke through her words.
“Basically, what I wanted to say... is that you aren’t ‘plain,’ Kato.”
“Um, how does the story you just told lead to that?”
It was also probably just my imagination that I could sense irritation leaking through her expression.
“Being ‘plain’ is a strong personality trait in its own right! It makes for a powerful character!”
“Suuure.”
“Braids, glasses, freckles... if you keep stacking those ‘plain’ elements on top of each other, they become an attraction that draws people in. A girl like that could even become my number one!”
Well, in the popularity poll on the official website, she came in fourth because the scenario dragged her down, though.
“Kato, you said you ‘don’t have many’ friends, but that girl didn't have a single one. She didn't have the courage to make one friend.”
She couldn't whine to a friend in a cafe about how she didn't have many friends, nor could she resolve to join a club to try and make some. She couldn't do anything.
“Compared to you, who already has friends, she’s standing in a completely different place.”
Not to mention things like not talking to anyone, barely coming to school, being quietly bullied by the girls’ clique... Oh, the setting about her being sexually bullied by the boys’ clique was cut in consideration of public sentiment.
“I’ll say it again, Kato... You aren’t plain.”
You aren't plain, and you aren't flashy.
You have no personality, no attributes.
To put it in a single word...
“Your character is dead!”
“............”
And to add a couple more words...
“You just don't have any presence! You're half-baked!”
“............”
To deliver the finishing blow:
“That’s why you don’t stand out at all!”
“............”
Receiving my heartfelt words and gaze, Kato stared at me with her mouth slightly agape.
That look was, how should I put it... even flatter than before. It was like her personality had been killed even further, resulting in an expression that left zero impression.
“Um, can I ask something?”
“What?”
“So that incredibly long preamble... it wasn’t meant to encourage me?”
“Encourage you? Why?”
“...And instead of defending me, you were just denying my existence. I’m lower than a game character.”
“What are you talking about? As far as last year goes, there isn’t a better moe character than her. Not just in reality, but even in 2D!”
“Shouldn't the order of ‘reality’ and ‘2D’ be the other way around?”
“Eh? Why?”
“............”
“...Kato?”
“............”
Inside the log-cabin-style cafe bathed in the light of the setting sun, Kato remained motionless and silent until the soft-serve ice cream on top of the Danish on our table had completely melted.
* * *
“Whew...”
I got home from my part-time job, ate dinner, took a bath, and by the time I was finished, it was almost midnight.
I threw myself onto my bed.
Today was truly exhausting...
That said, it wasn't the pleasant, physical exhaustion that seeps into your body, but rather a mental exhaustion that left my head feeling foggy.
“Look, back during spring break, you picked up my hat. The white beret.”
“Haaaaah...”
What kept crossing my mind were the events of the way home.
...My reunion with the girl who was supposed to be the fated main heroine, Megumi Kato.
“Oh, that? I gave it to a relative’s kid.”
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...”
Even though our meeting had been the result of so many coincidences piling up, rather than falling in love, the day had been nothing but “forced events” that were shockingly devoid of drama.
A destiny fit for a story’s prologue, the impact of a first meeting, the image of pure white... none of it meant anything to a girl like Megumi Kato, who reacted with such total bluntness.
...In a way, she was easy to talk to and casual, which made things easy, but I couldn't help but think she didn't have to break every single flag so flawlessly.
“My friends tell me I don't really leave an impression, you know?”
I closed my eyes and pictured the various expressions Megumi Kato had shown me today.
...For now, since it hadn't been a month yet, I could still picture it clearly. But if you asked me whether I'd be able to envision it just as vividly in a few days, my answer would be a solid “eh...”
“I mean, she is cute...”
Just as I'd told her to her face, she was undeniably cute.
That wasn't flattery, and it wasn't a pickup line.
Her facial expressions weren't exactly in constant flux, but they weren't nonexistent either. I’d definitely caught a good look at the real Megumi Kato's face.
So why...
Why didn't I feel that way about her at all? Or, to use a slightly old-fashioned phrasing, why didn't she make my heart flutter?
I guess I really am below a game character, then.
“Well, yeah, I guess...”
Kato had worn a rather memorable face at that moment—distinctly something.
But well, given how I behaved, I'd say we're even.
Who could've thought that my goddess of fate—who had sparked my creative drive so intensely for the first time in forever—would turn out to be such a zero-attribute, weak-presence character?
Seriously, I've never encountered such a half-baked character in my life...
Character Settings:
Heroine A (Name Pending)
Main Heroine. The girl encountered on a hill road of dancing cherry blossoms.
“—Hmm...?”
With my thoughts completely disorganized, I pulled out the game proposal I had tucked away in my desk drawer.
Almost immediately, my eyes locked onto the main heroine's character settings written in large letters on the very first page. In the profile section of this nameless main heroine...
At the top of the slope stands a single, ancient cherry blossom tree.
Bound by a curse placed on that giant tree, she lives an eternal life as a cherry blossom spirit.
A promise made with the protagonist when they were young...
When that promise is kept and her wish is granted, the curse will be lifted.
But at that very moment, her existence will fade from everyone's memories.
“‘A curse’... huh.”
Could Kato's weak presence be due to the cherry tree's curse...? No way.
Clutching my head at the sheer cringe of the text I was reading for the first time in a month, I crumpled the paper up and tossed it toward the trash can.
Of course, I missed. The paper ball rolled straight under my desk.
“It's no good... Rejected.”
I could only clutch my head once more. I had never dealt with a character this difficult. I didn't mean she was hard to describe, exactly.
Or rather, I could write her without a single thought—but that was all. She'd just be a template. And she would never, ever become a heroine.
Escaping the tier of “female friend A” would be a Herculean task. Actually, even “friend A” was setting the bar too high. She'd be “friend B” at best.
Yeah, totally impossible.
There was no way a proposal like this would pass. How could I possibly overcome such massive adversity...?
“...Wait a second.”
But in the next instant, I leaped up from my bed and dove under the desk.
Being unbelievably half-baked... isn't that an attribute in its own right?
And overwhelming adversity... isn't that a classic trope to get fired up over...?
* * *
And the following morning...
“Yo, morning, Kato!”
“—Ah, morning, Aki-kun.”
“...”
“What is it?”
“Nothing, just thinking how you haven't changed a bit.”
Running into her on the way to school, Megumi Kato treated me normally—normally to her absolute core.
“Well, normally people don't get super familiar just because they hung out for a single day.”
“No, no, the other way around!”
“The other way around?”
“I mean, I'm shocked you didn't ignore me or glare at me.”
“—Ah, I see.”
“To be blunt, I said some pretty horrible things to you yesterday, didn't I? Calling you a half-baked character, saying you had no presence...”
“Well, yeah. I did think you were being incredibly rude.”
“...Were you mad?”
“—I mean, it's not like I wasn't mad, and I guess I had plenty of reasons to ignore you.”
“But?”
“But when you call out to me first thing in the morning so cheerfully, acting like nothing happened, it just makes me think, ‘Ah, I guess yesterday wasn't that big of a deal after all.’”
“—Kato, you...”
How is she this easy...?!
“—Hmm? Did you say something?”
“Just that I'm glad you forgave me...”
“It's fine. Thanks again for treating me yesterday.”
Honestly, Kato was a really good person.
She was calm, rational, gentle, easygoing, and comfortable to be around.
So I was grateful. I was, but... I also felt a deep sense of crisis.
“Feel free to invite me out again if something comes up. I'm never bored when I'm talking to you, Aki-kun.”
Why wasn't she overreacting to that?! There was absolutely zero tension between a guy and a girl here!
Was it actually impossible to make this girl angry or sad? Doesn't that completely disqualify her from being a heroine...?!
“—Ah, don't you worry about that.”
This isn't going to work, Kato. If we don't take a step forward, we'll never make progress!
“After all, from now on, you're going to be spending every single day after school with me.”
“Is this a confession?”
“If you think it is, why don't you show a little more panic?!”
Kato's face began to flatten out, matching the expression she had worn yesterday.
“—Let me say this clearly, Kato!”
“—Y-Yes?”
Sensing bad vibes on the horizon, I decided to force the conversation forward...
“—I'm going to turn you into a heart-throbbing main heroine!”
“...”
“...Say something.”
“...What am I supposed to say?”
As I tried to force my way through, just like yesterday, the personality drained right out of her face.
“—A-Anyway, this! Look at this!”
“—A love letter?”
“Like I said, if you actually think that, give me a more dramatic reaction!”
“...A proposal?”
“—Wow, you really just barrel through a conversation without caring about the other person's response, don't you?”
“...Wait, what is this?”
Title:
Pending (Megutan's Lovey-Dovey Summer Vacation?)
Genre:
Pending (Romance adventure game, dating simulation, desktop accessory, etc.)
Concept:
Focus heavily on the main heroine of this work, Megumi Kato (placeholder name), with the sole, ultimate goal of drawing out her charm to the absolute maximum.
“Exactly, a proposal. For a galge.”
“...”
“Though I don't have the money or the connections to make it a commercial release, so I'm thinking a doujin game.”
“...”
“And this is your passport to becoming an attractive heroine, Megumi Kato.”
“...Is my sense of normal just outdated, or is what you're saying super cringey, Aki-kun?”
“It's fine. I have a slight sense of regret too.”
“—Only a slight one...?”
“By the way, on the next page, there are some more detailed settings...”
Character Settings:
Megumi Kato (placeholder name)
Main Heroine. The girl encountered on a hill road of dancing cherry blossoms.
Toyogasaki Academy, Second Year.
Height: To be filled out by subject
Weight: To be filled out by subject
Bust: To be filled out by subject
Waist: To be filled out by subject
Hips: To be filled out by subject
Hobbies: To be filled out by subject
Special Skills: To be filled out by subject
Enthusiasm: I'm a little embarrassed, but I'll do my best! Please support me! ♩
“...Hey.”
“...Something wrong?”
“This weight and three sizes... I'm supposed to write them in? Myself?”
“Well, yeah, even I don't have that kind of data yet.”
“Isn't this what people call sexual harassment?”
“What are you saying? You're going to be a galge heroine, Kato! This is no time to be worrying about personal privacy.”
“...I have too many complaints to count, but for starters, why is there already a comment pre-written there? And with a musical note, no less.”
“All I can do is speak for your feelings.”
“...Aki-kun, you were absolutely sure I’d forgive you today, weren’t you?”
“I seriously love sweet girls like you, Kato.”
“I might have slightly underestimated your audacity, Aki-kun.”
“See? You don’t get mad, and you don’t get embarrassed—you’re just the best!”
She seems like the type who’d laugh it off as a joke even if I said something like, ‘Hey, let me have a quick go?’
Well, that’s kind of the problem, though.
In situations like this, blowing up in anger or bursting into tears to trigger the other person’s guilt or protective instinct is overwhelmingly more effective... galge-wise, at least.
“Hey, Kato... so, how about we strive for it together?”
“Strive for what, exactly?”
“To be a galge heroine.”
“...”
“Cute, distinct, charming, and so irresistible that anyone who plays the game wants to make her their waifu—don’t you want to try becoming that kind of ultra-popular heroine?”
“Sorry, but I still have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Well, sure, I get why you’d hesitate. I’m kind of running purely on momentum here myself.”
“If you get it, I’d really appreciate it if you hit the brakes.”
“But even so... even so, I...!”
“A-Aki-kun...?”
“I want to make you the heroine, Kato! I want to make a game where a girl named Megumi Kato takes center stage!”
Kato received my passionate, heartfelt cry with a look that was just a tiny bit less flat than usual.
“...Why?”
By the way, we were currently on our way to school.
“You said it yesterday, right? That I don’t have a distinct personality. That I’m half-baked.”
But it’s fine. The warning bell is about to ring, so there isn’t a single classmate around us.
...Yeah, actually, that’s not fine at all.
“So why are you so fixated on me, Aki-kun?”
“That’s because...”
“I have been drawn to you since the moment we met.”
“When we met again, my dream was shattered once.”
“But I couldn’t give up.”
“No matter how many times I close my eyes, that moment...”
“Your figure in that white summer dress floats behind my eyelids.”
“And then, it overlaps with you right here in front of me, in your school uniform.”
“...Overlaps with your figure as you smile next to him.”
“I can no longer lie to my own feelings.”
“Even if your eyes do not reflect me.”
“That’s why I want to prove it.”
“That our meeting under those cherry blossoms was real, that it was fate for both you and me.”
“To prove the possibility that I could make a girl like you my girlfriend.”
“That the day will come when you look at a guy like me as a man.”
“And that’s the protagonist’s monologue for the next page. How does something like that sound?”
“Aki-kun, are you seriously trying to recruit me?”
“Hmm, yeah, bringing up an ex is probably a bad move... from a waifu purity purist’s perspective, at least...”
“Like I said, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
And with that, today’s negotiations ended in failure.
Because just a few seconds later, we heard the warning bell chiming in the distance. Cutting our negotiations short, we both turned pale and bolted for the school gates.
Well, even so, I wasn’t feeling pessimistic.
I never expected to fully convince her in just two or three days.
I’ll keep negotiating tenaciously every single day. No matter if it takes weeks or months, I will absolutely win Kato over.
I’m never going to give up on you, Kato...
* * *
And then, the very next morning.
“Ah, Aki-kun, I thought about it yesterday, and, well... I don’t have club or part-time work after school right now, and I’m not really planning on studying super hard either, so I’ll go along with you.”
“Kato, you... you sell yourself way too cheap.”
Such was how our galge production circle was born.
Post a Comment