"No, no, no—hold up! In this situation… doesn't it feel like we're being set up?" Hikigaya Hachiman objected, his expression somewhere between skepticism and exasperation.
"Like one of those dumb dares? Y'know, when a group of girls gets bored and one of them suddenly goes, 'Hey, let's fake-confess to that guy and see how he reacts.'"
As the thought settled in, Hikigaya suddenly realized that, for once, he wasn't the one being targeted. Instead, the poor soul in question was the young man sitting across from him—Tanuma Tsubasa.
"Well, even if it's some kind of bizarre social experiment or cosmic joke at your expense, we can't rule it out completely! Which is why we should observe more before jumping to conclusions, right? Right!"
"Uh…"
"But, didn't you say you've had regular contact with those girls before?" Natsukawa Kanade interjected, turning to Tanuma Tsubasa. The latter nodded in confirmation.
"Besides," Kanade continued, "if it really was just a prank or a tease, wouldn't their reaction be different? If they genuinely disliked or rejected you, they wouldn't bother interacting with you so normally afterward. In fact, it'd probably be awkward as hell just saying hello."
"That's not necessarily true!" Hikigaya countered quickly. "Humans are complicated. Some people are just naturally kind. No matter how much of a background NPC you think you are, they'll still smile at you, greet you, and maybe even say your name. But that doesn't mean they actually like you. Some people are just polite by default—even if they secretly think you're a weirdo, they won't show it on the surface…"
His voice trailed off near the end, but his resolve remained firm. "Anyway! I still say we should observe first—at least that way, we can avoid a major cringe moment."
Kanade fell silent for a moment, his mind wandering to his own experiences. He thought of Shiina, of his upperclassmen, of the people he had once thought he was close to.
Back then, he had believed he had made a place for himself in their hearts. But in reality, it had never been about him specifically. It was just their nature—how they treated everyone who occupied that same position in their lives. He wasn't special. It could've been anyone.
"Maybe you have a point…" Kanade sighed, then turned to Tanuma Tsubasa. "Sorry, Tanuma-san. I might've jumped the gun a little."
"No, it's fine. Actually, I think the president's analysis makes a lot of sense." Tanuma shook his head, showing no signs of disappointment.
Ironically, while the person involved seemed unfazed, the two self-appointed advisors were left feeling somewhat melancholic.
"So, I should just… let things play out?"
Hikigaya nodded silently, and Kanade followed suit. "Yeah, no need to rush. Or, if you really want to, you could try dropping some subtle hints here and there—test their reaction."
Somewhere deep inside, Kanade found himself hoping, even praying, that things would turn out well for Tanuma. Maybe it was selfish, but in a way, he wanted proof that genuine feelings could still exist in these kinds of interactions.
"Got it." Tanuma Tsubasa nodded, then suddenly stood up and bowed deeply. "Thank you all for your advice. I've really learned a lot."
The group waved off his gratitude, as if their little discussion had been nothing out of the ordinary.
"Well then, I guess it's my turn…"
"Then, let me go next. Actually… I've been dealing with some troubles myself lately."
Steeling himself, Shirogane Miyuki spoke up, his voice carrying a mix of hesitation and determination. It wasn't easy to talk about personal matters like this, but after seeing Tanuma Tsubasa open up, it felt cowardly not to at least try.
"That person and I… we're in different classes, so it's not exactly easy to get close naturally. But we've met privately quite a few times… The thing is, she doesn't seem to see me as a guy, you know? More like a 'friend who's easy to talk to.'"
Silence.
"…Haa."
"Oi, who's the girl?" Hikigaya Hachiman asked, his expression shifting into one of mild curiosity mixed with skepticism.
Miyuki scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Are you asking for her name? Well, I guess there's no harm in telling you—Tachibana Rika. She's the daughter of the leader of the 'Kurogane Group'…"
"…Haa."
"…Oi, what's with that reaction?" Miyuki frowned.
Natsukawa Kanade shook his head slightly, recovering from his initial surprise. "Nothing. Just a little unexpected. Go on."
Miyuki sighed and continued, "Lately, we've been spending more time together. Like, the other day, we had lunch together, and I shared part of my bento with her. After that, she started asking me to make her one every day, even offering to pay me for it…"
"…That's a bit…"
"Unusual," Kanade finished, raising an eyebrow.
"Right?" Miyuki let out a small chuckle, though there was no humor in it. "Sharing a bento is a personal thing, but judging from her attitude, she doesn't seem to be thinking about it romantically…"
Hikigaya Hachiman suddenly raised his hand. "Mind if I say something?"
At this point, it seemed the atmosphere had naturally sucked him in. Normally, this wasn't the type of conversation he'd willingly participate in, but somehow, he was fully engaged.
Miyuki nodded seriously. "Of course. I'd appreciate your input."
"…I don't know much about this girl, but based on what you're saying…" Hachiman crossed his arms, a thoughtful expression forming on his face. "I think you should just tell her directly. After all, you do like her, right?"
Miyuki stiffened slightly before nodding. "Yeah, I do."
"Then just confess."
"…Huh?" Miyuki blinked, as if he hadn't heard correctly.
Shirogane Miyuki, who had been listening intently, furrowed his brows. "But your advice to Tanuma-san was to observe first. Isn't this contradictory?"
"Nope." Hachiman waved his hand dismissively. "Different situation, different strategy. Let me put it this way. Your girl? She's the daughter of a yakuza boss. You can pretend that doesn't matter all you want, but the fact that you brought it up when introducing her proves that it does."
Miyuki pursed his lips but didn't deny it. "What I'm concerned about is whether her family would accept an outsider like me."
"Same thing. The point is, someone who grows up in that kind of environment is bound to be treated differently by people around them." Hachiman leaned forward slightly, his sharp eyes locking onto Miyuki's. "I'm sure you've heard stuff like 'Oh, she's from the Kurogane Group. She's probably dangerous,' or 'Better not get involved with her.'"
Miyuki thought back to his interactions with Rika. Now that Hachiman mentioned it, he couldn't recall seeing her interact closely with anyone else. "…I guess that's true."
"Then there's your answer. It's not that she doesn't like you. She just doesn't know how to differentiate between friendship and love." Hachiman shrugged. "That's why you should just make it clear."
"…But what if she rejects me?" Miyuki muttered.
"Then at least you'll stop wasting your time wondering. Besides," Hachiman smirked, "with her circumstances, even if she doesn't immediately accept your feelings, she probably won't cut you off either."
"Maybe you'll end up in a classic rom-com scenario—'I confessed my love, got rejected, and now my friend is acting all weird around me and slowly realizing her own feelings.'" Hachiman's lips curled slightly. "Honestly, with how light novel titles are these days, you could probably turn it into a bestseller."
He wasn't wrong. The recent trends in light novels had been getting… oddly descriptive. Titles like 'My Childhood Friend Rejected Me, So I Decided to Date Her Older Sister Instead' or 'I Owe My Senpai 500 Yen, So Now I Have to Be Her Personal Butler' were somehow getting traction. Not that he'd ever admit to reading those.
Miyuki exhaled, his expression shifting from conflicted to resolute. "So, what you're saying is… I should just go for it?"
"Exactly."
"Try to trust Hachiman on this one." Kanade chimed in, arms crossed. "I think he's making a solid point. Sometimes, you have to take action to break the deadlock. In the end, though, it's your call."
Miyuki mulled over their words before finally nodding. "I get it. I'll give it a shot."
For someone who prided himself on being proactive, Hachiman's words had struck a chord. Besides, it was rare to see Hachiman give such an extended speech in front of someone he didn't know well. That alone made it worth considering.
"…Though, I still can't tell if you're giving genuine advice or just trolling me." Miyuki narrowed his eyes.
Hachiman scoffed. "Oi, what's with that look? I'll put a curse on you, I swear."
'(￣▽￣)' Kanade smirked.
*************
About Tachibana Rika and the Kurogane Group, I'm guessing this is an original character introduced to compensate Miyuki because her orignal name pre-translation was Longzhu Tao, Yakuza princess of the Dragon Ball Group. I tried finding a similar character in anime and manga in such a setting but failed. If you have any suggestions, drop them in the comments.