Self-deprecation

Standing before a girl who seemed to want to become the wind itself, I found myself at a loss for words.

How should I put it… this girl…

Hayashi, stubbornly honest to a fault.

Kasahara, whose thoughts are impossible to read but equally strong-willed.

Both of them, I thought, were unique in their own way.

Naturally, their strong wills were undeniable. Despite facing tough times, they were still determined to throw themselves into their studies at university. That kind of tenacity was exactly the kind I admired.

That sort of strong will is important.

To survive in this stressful society, I believe establishing a strong sense of self is essential.

The strength to say no to a senior pressuring you to drink.

The strength to quit a company that forces power harassment on you.

The strength to tell a clueless colleague that they smell.

Indeed, a strong will.

A strong will solves everything.

“For now, if I can’t join the club, what should I do?”

Feeling tired of dealing with her sulking, I decided to steer the conversation back on track.

I crossed my arms, looked down, and pretended to think.

“…Fine, whatever.”

“Hm?”

“It’s fine. It can’t be helped, right? Yamamoto-kun, you’re busy, aren’t you?”

That’s true… but after hearing her pitiful story earlier, nodding felt a bit awkward.

“It can’t be helped. It’s only natural. I mean, even if you taught me, Yamamoto-kun, I don’t have anything to offer in return.”

…Well.

When you take someone’s time, it’s natural to think you should offer something in return for it…

“I can’t do anything. I’m useless at studying, I have no friends, I’m a complete failure. Haha.”

I almost told her not to be so self-deprecating, but realizing it might lead to more trouble, I stayed silent.

“Say something!”

Either way, this turned into a mess…!

Incredible. It’s like there’s no escape…

Honestly, after hearing a few of her pitiful stories, I started to feel like maybe teaching her a bit wouldn’t be so bad.

It’s just… well…

I wanted to show her, even just a little, that the world could be kind.

That’s the kind of mood I was in.

But… what popped into my head was Kasahara’s face if she found out I was teaching Takeshita.

Thinking back, even when we were dating in high school, I rarely saw her genuinely angry.

Still, if she found out, it probably wouldn’t end well—my internal danger alarm was blaring.

Damn it.

Why am I thinking like a husband worried about getting caught cheating?

My relationship with Kasahara is over.

And she’s teased me endlessly about that fact.

So why do I still have to worry about her feelings?

…Right. That’s right.

Our relationship is done.

We’re just… friends now? Or maybe even less than that!

If that’s the case, there’s no need to tiptoe around Kasahara.

Exactly.

That’s right.

“Alright.”

I said it.

“I’ll teach you.”

Those words were meant to put an end to this tedious conversation with Takeshita.

They were probably the words she’d been waiting for.

For Takeshita, who couldn’t keep up with university studies and had resorted to clinging to the “lone genius” (lol).

Takeshita…

“Weren’t you busy?”

What a troublesome girl.

“I am busy. But I’ll find time to teach you.”

Takeshita…

“No… no way. You don’t have to go that far for someone as troublesome as me.”

Such a self-deprecating girl.

“You’re the one who asked me, right?”

Takeshita…

“But I don’t have anything to offer…”

“I’m not teaching you because I want something in return.”

“Even though you’re busy? For free?”

“Yeah.”

“If I hear that, I’ll get full of myself, you know?”

“Don’t get full of yourself just because of something like that.”

“…Once you taste sweet honey, it’s human nature to get used to the easy life.”

“…Then this whole deal is off.”

“Waaah! Why would you say that?!”

“What even are you?”

She asks me to teach her, but when I agree, she makes a difficult face.

When I say I won’t teach her, she cries and clings to me.

What was this whole conversation?

Ugh, I just want to go home…

In a way, she’s toying with the protagonist.

No, wait—all the heroines are doing that.

Or maybe the protagonist is the one charming and toying with all the heroines?

For some reason, I’m getting insanely irritated.

If I show my irritation here, it’ll look like I’m jealous of the protagonist for never having charmed any girls.

Oh, that’s it.

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