SCPK 50

Chapter 50

Love Consultation (Part 4)

We—Tsukiyo and I—watched over the scene.
Yusa Amatsu spread his legs apart, clasped his hands behind his back like a cheerleader, and began to fire off words in rapid succession.

“Urihara Kinori-san, I like you. Half of that ‘like’… was love at first sight!”
“I fell for you when I saw you laughing with your friends like a little bird!”
“I wanted to find a way to get closer to you, so I approached Kannagi-san and asked all about you!”

“Eh, Amatsu, you were asking about me?”
“…I have absolutely no memory of that,” said Hoshiya.

Both he and his sister had this odd tendency to erase conversations with people they weren’t emotionally close to.
Even if you told them about your family, they’d never remember.
And all the times they made people cry? They didn’t remember those either.

Amatsu went on:

“I like how, after chatting with your friends, you always put your desk and chair back properly!”
“I like how, after class changes, you clean the blackboard and turn off the lights!”
“I like how you kindly pick up the slack when someone forgets their cleaning duty!”
“I like how you organize and deliver handouts for absent classmates!”

“W-wait, what’s with all of a sudden…!”

Urihara-san was at a loss, overwhelmed by the barrage of confessions.
But as Amatsu kept repeating I like you, her cheeks began to flush pink.

“I like how you cheer up friends who lose in tournaments!”
“I like how you talk to the class turtle while feeding it after school—so cute!”
“I like how you keep trying hard even when you can’t do something in P.E.!”
“I like how you wait for tired friends after they’ve been confessed to, and walk home with them!”

Urihara-san listened quietly.
Was Amatsu’s sincerity finally reaching her heart?

That “friend who got confessed to and was exhausted”… that must’ve been Tsukiyo.
Hearing it, Tsukiyo—who’d been in a bad mood—seemed to soften a bit.

Ah, so this must be Hoshiya’s final advice:

‘List a hundred things you like about Kinori, and tell her all of them with all your heart…’

“On April 25th, I loved how the hair ornament you wore suited you so perfectly!”
“On May 20th, your pink tunic was so cute I couldn’t look away!”
“On June 5th, when your braid ribbon broke and your hair went semi-long, I couldn’t stop staring!”
“On July 8th, when you borrowed glasses from a classmate, I loved how that look stuck in my mind!”

“Does he keep a diary or something? Or is that just his memory?”
“I remember that much too! I even remember what clothes Taiyo-san was wearing—ah…”
“Eh?”
“W-w-well, it’s not like I remember, okay!?”

“On April 27th, your short socks had flower-striped patterns—so cute, I loved them!”
“On May 9th, your long socks had star-checked patterns—I loved them because they’re my type!”
“On May 27th, your short socks were inside out—it was so clumsy and adorable, I loved it!”

“Uh… isn’t this going in a weird direction?”
“Yeah, maybe we should stop him.”

Just as I moved forward, a loud voice rang out.

“I am—!!”

It was Urihara-san.
I didn’t know she could shout that strongly.

“I’m not… a good enough person to be liked that much!”
“No, I love you!”
“I’m not kind at all!”
“You’re the kindest in the world!”
“I’m short and stumpy!”
“I like short girls!”
“I’m annoying!”
“I like annoying girls!”
“I’m stupid!”
“Then I’ll teach you everything!”
“I don’t have any special qualities!”
“So what! I love you anyway!”
“I’m not as bright or charismatic as Umi-chan!”
“You’re a thousand times more wonderful than her!”
“I’m not as cute as Tsukiyo!”
“I like you more than Kannagi-san!”

“Ah…”

Amatsu suddenly dashed forward and grabbed Urihara-san’s shoulders tightly.

“I… I love you soooo much!!!”

That powerful, unwavering shout broke Urihara-san’s dam of emotions.
Tears poured from her eyes as she bowed her head, shoulders trembling.
But Amatsu wasn’t done.

“I love your socks! I think about you three times a da—”

“STOP! Stop right there! You’ll regret saying that forever!!”

I clamped my hand over his mouth and pulled him away from her.
Tsukiyo immediately went to Urihara-san’s side.
…Guess that’s the end of this confession show.

◇◇◇

About fifteen minutes later, everyone finally started calming down.
Amatsu was crouched in the corner, holding his head in his hands.
No one would ever believe the school’s “first-year prince” was such a runaway train.
I should’ve recorded it—would’ve made a great wedding slideshow someday.

As for Urihara-san, she still hadn’t completely stopped crying.
Tsukiyo was holding her, comforting her.

“You okay?”
“Please… just a little longer.”

“That was something else… didn’t expect that kind of confession.”
“Yeah. I didn’t think his feelings ran that deep.”

“I actually kind of like that style,” I said.
“When someone shouts their feelings so honestly, it really feels like they’re seeing you.
It moves your heart.”

“Is that so…” Tsukiyo tilted her head curiously.
I guess that depends on the person.
I’m not used to being praised myself, so if someone said I like you that many times, I’d probably feel something too.
No idea how Urihara-san feels, though.

“The sock part was kinda dangerous though.”
“Yeah, bringing up kinks is definitely not ideal.”
“It’s okay, Kinori. There are guys who go further—like asking to touch hair or to take constant photos.”
“Hey, stop exposing my weird habits!”

Urihara-san finally stood up on her own.
Her eyes were still red, and she didn’t look fully recovered, but she walked toward Amatsu.

“Um, Yusa-kun.”
“Y-yes!”

Tsukiyo and I watched from the back.
No more danger of another outburst, hopefully.

“I was really happy,” she said. “No one’s ever praised me like that before.”
“Urihara-san…”
“I don’t really understand things like ‘dating’ yet…
but I want to think seriously about it.
So… would you be my friend?”

“Y-yes!!”

I couldn’t see her face from here,
but judging from Amatsu’s expression…
he probably got the smile he’d been wishing for all along.
Good. It seems like this might end nicely.

—Or so I thought.

Suddenly, Tsukiyo burst into tears and hugged Urihara-san.

“Uwaaaaah! I’m so happy for you, Kinori!”
“Eh!? Tsukiyo!?”

Now Tsukiyo was the one crying.
At this rate, it looked like Urihara-san would end up consoling her instead.

After a while, Tsukiyo calmed down.

“I’m just so glad, Kinori. You looked so happy… I’m really happy too.
But wow, that confession… kinda makes me jealous.”

“Tsukiyo’s jealous… of me?”

Urihara-san’s face brightened with joy.
As expected…

Urihara-san’s admiration for Hoshiya, if I put it bluntly, was really a kind of rivalry toward Tsukiyo and Sera.
He’s her beloved childhood friend, and she wants something that’ll make her feel equal to him.
And—she wants to win the “ultimate man,” Hoshiya himself.
He’d already seen how that innocent childhood admiration had gradually turned into something more possessive, especially after they entered high school.

Now, being told “I’m jealous of you” by Tsukiyo…
Urihara’s face softened.
No need to tell Tsukiyo about that. I’ll keep it to myself.

Unlike Urihara-san, I don’t feel any rivalry toward Hoshiya or Tsukiyo.
I don’t have the drive to stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
That’s the biggest difference between her and me.

I turned to Amatsu.
“Good job, man.”
“Yamada-senpai…”

Since this was guy talk, we moved a little away from the girls so they couldn’t hear.

“Thank you so much. Whether I can get closer to Urihara-san or not depends on me from here,
but I’m going to keep telling her I like her more and more.”
“Yeah. Just… skip the sock stuff next time.”
“Ugh!”

He seemed relieved, and I was glad for him.
I’ll have to report this to Hoshiya later too.

Amatsu glanced over at Tsukiyo and Urihara.

“Yamada-senpai, you really helped out. As expected from someone dating Kannagi-san—you’ve got experience.”
“Huh? I’m not dating Tsukiyo.”

What was this guy talking about? There’s nothing like that going on.

“But you call her by her first name…
and I’ve never seen Kannagi-san show so much emotion before.”
“She’s not usually like that?”
“With girls, yes—but when she talks to boys in our class, she wears a fake smile.
I’ve never seen her truly relax like she does with you.”
“…Well, I guess that means she trusts me. I am her brother’s friend, after all.”
“When Kannagi-san talks to you, her face looks just like a girl in love.”
“…Huh?”
“You two really suit each other.”
“WE DO NOT!!”

Ah crap—everyone turned to look at me.
Smooth, real smooth.

And so, once again, I found myself worrying about Tsukiyo’s feelings for me.
With that confusion still lingering…
the next day, the second date I’d invited Tsukiyo to began.