Epilogue: “When the Introverted Me Got Surrounded by S-Tier Beauties After a Seat Change, a Secret Relationship Began.”

The weekend after the election.

At Yuria and Airi’s urging, we decided to have an afterparty for the student council president election, but for some reason, the “afterparty” content got decided as doing a ‘dark hot-pot party’ at my place.

Tanaka, Airi, and Yuria—those three—started emptying out the ingredients, snacks, and weird delicacies everyone brought onto plates, while Rui and Himesaki got the tableware ready.

While setting up the portable gas stove and the pot, I watched the scene of everyone bustling around in cheerful harmony as they prepped.

Tanaka and Airi—who’d spilled snacks everywhere—got scolded by Yuria, and Rui and Himesaki were chatting about something while glancing my way.

Yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend… feels like that, huh.

“Hm? Oh—this gas canister… it’s already empty. I’m gonna go buy one real quick.”

“Then maybe I’ll come with you? Looks like everybody brought food, so we don’t really have drinks.”

“Ah, y-yeah… then, let’s go.”

With just Rui and me, we started walking to the supermarket near my house.

“It’s been a pretty intense week, huh. Good work, Ryouta-kun.”

“Good work to you too, Rui. And congrats—student council president at last.”

“Ryouta-kun, you’re vice president too, though?”

“Huh… ah, right. That’s… true.”

It still doesn’t feel real at all, but starting next week, I’ll officially become the vice president.

Me—an introvert loner up until just recently—becoming student council vice president. Like, no way.

Life’s really something you can’t predict, huh.

But hey, if I’m vice president, my name recognition goes up even more, right? I might actually get popular, and this year’s Valentine’s chocolate expectations are sky high, aren’t they.

Underclassman girls, obviously, and even cute senpai, too… heh. Vice president rules.

“Ryouta-kun? You were thinking about other girls just now, weren’t you?”

“Ghk! I wasn’t!”

“It was written all over your face, though.”

“N-No it wasn’t—! You’re accusing me for no reason!”

It’s not like I was thinking anything pervy or anything. I just thought—just a little—that I wouldn’t mind reaching out to some beautiful girls, senpai and kouhai alike. Probably. Surely.

“Jeez, you really are hopeless… hey—come a little closer, okay?”

“Closer?”

Rui tugged my shoulder, and when I leaned my body toward Rui walking beside me, Rui suddenly moved in toward my face… huh?

“Eh—just now, on my cheek… Rui’s… lips…”

“This is the ‘amazing thing’ I told you about before the election, okay?”

Getting a kiss on the cheek from that Kuroki Rui… the act every guy had longed for… but.

I-I thought for sure this time it was gonna be SM pl●y!?

“I-I’m really happy, but you’re surprisingly pure, Rui, considering you send me those super-lewd selfies. When you say ‘amazing thing,’ normally it’s, like, SM p—”

“Aww, what a shame, Ryouta-kun. Getting dismissed on Day 0 of becoming vice president and all.”

“S-Sorry! The cheek-kiss was the best! It’s such a reward I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life!”

“Hehe… that’ll do nicely.”

Rui looked like she was about to snap for a second, but once she soothed her mood, she put on that usual fearless smile.

“But if you’re gonna stay by my side from here on out forever… I might be able to do something even more amazing, y’know?”

“Huh—something even more amazing!?”

“Yeah. So you’re never leaving me for the rest of your life. And you’re going to the University of Tokyo too.”

“Haaah!? No way, that’s impossible!”

“Hehe… you can do it, Ryouta-kun, right? And I’ll study with you for as many years as it takes until you pass.”

“D-Don’t shove some infinite-ronin life onto me whenever you feel like it! I’m going to a university that fits my level!”

“Then maybe I’ll go there toooo.”

“Why does it turn into that!?”

Today, Rui was in an unusually good mood, and on top of that, what she was saying was different from usual—nothing but unrealistic nonsense.

And telling me to stay close to her for life… that’s basically the kind of thing you’d say like you’re telling me to marry you… wait. Hold on.

Could it be what Rui’s saying is… in other words—

“What’s wrong, Ryouta-kun? Your face is bright red.”

“Ah—uh—no, it’s nothing! Hurry up and buy the gas canister and juice and get back home!”

Like I was trying to hide my face, I dashed straight into the supermarket.

☆☆

After we finished shopping, Rui and I came straight back home without stopping anywhere, but…

“Oh, your onee-san’s home.”

“Ugh. This is the worst.”

My sister had gotten back from university, and her shoes were sitting in the entryway.

And sure enough, when we stepped into the living room, it wasn’t even a “dark hot-pot party” anymore…

“Everyooone! Wanna see this? It’s an illustrated diary Ryouta drew when he was in elementary school!”

“Ryouta’s illustrated diary, huh. I kinda wanna see it.”

“Eh, I wanna see Izumiya-senpai’s illustrated diary too! I wanna see, I wanna see!”

“Airi wants to see toooo!”

Thanks to my sister, the room had become this absolute worst atmosphere where all sorts of my embarrassing secrets were getting exposed left and right.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing without permission!? And where did you even find my old diary!?”

“I found it yesterday while I was cleaning with Mom, okay? Who cares about old stuff like that?”

This girl—she lives an introvert loner campus life at university, but the second there are younger kids around, she starts acting all cocky.

“Like, that Ryouta’s imagination was insane, y’know? ‘I gave a girl a wafer in front of the dagashi shop,’ ‘I saved a cat that was about to get hit by a car in the parking lot and the owner girl thanked me,’ ‘A girl talked to me so I played in the park and, while I was at it, I pushed manga on her’—like Ryouta would ever have that many memories with girls! I mean, you watched too much anime from elementary school, so maybe it was like a delusional-diary or something.”

“““““Huh?”””””

Me and the beauty trio all let out the same stunned sound at once.

W-Wait a second. If what she just said is true, then the things written in this diary overlap with parts of the “memories” I’ve heard before from the three beauties…

“It’s true! This is totally about Airi!”

“Ugh—judging from the playground equipment drawn here, that’s definitely me too…”

“Hehe, Ryouta-kun… so this makes it 100 percent that you’re Ryouta-kun, doesn’t it?”

The three of them, each reading the illustrated diary, marveled in awe.

“N-No way…”

Along with this shocking truth, it might be that I’m going to get surrounded by them again, too.