As their backs disappeared into the school building, I turned my gaze to her. I’m sure Yuzu felt my gaze as well, but she turned her palm towards me as if to stop me from asking questions.

“Hold on. I know what you’re going to say, so let’s go to the bench and then we’ll talk.”

“Okay.”

Both of us were wrapped in a strange, uncomfortable nervousness as we walked a little faster to the bench in the courtyard.

According to the school rules, anyone could sit on this bench, but since the courtyard was located in the middle of the U-shaped school building, sitting on this bench would make you stand out. Maybe that was why, before anyone knew it, a tradition was born where couples would sit here and show off their relationship.

So I sat down with the most beautiful girl in my class in a place I thought I would never have the chance to go until graduation.

“Wow, this is my first time sitting here, this somehow makes me nervous.” Yuzu’s tone was cheerful, but her smile was a little stiff.

I was also slightly uncomfortable, or perhaps I was worried about the gazes from the windows of the school building.

“Well…….I’m hoping you can make this quick.”

“Oh, yeah. Here’s your bento.” Yuzu puts a lunch box on my lap.

“No, that’s not it, is it?” I sent a censuring gaze to Yuzu, who deliberately changed the topic.

Perhaps realizing that she couldn’t put it off any longer, Yuzu let out an awkward sigh and then, as if she had given up, then got down to business.

“……Well, I think it was tactless of me to step in right after I confessed to you. But it was the perfect opportunity.”

“What opportunity?”

“An opportunity to show Sota that Yamato-kun and I are getting along.”

I frowned at the answer that I couldn’t understand.

As expected, she thought that the explanation was too fragmented, so Yuzu shook her head once as if to switch her thoughts, and then began to speak again.

“It might be easier to understand if I start with the reason why I confessed to Yamato-kun. Yamato-kun, do you know who my friends are that I usually hang out with?”

“Yeah. Kotani, Namase and Sakuraba, right?”

“Yes. There are a few other people who come and go, but basically the four of us move together. So, who do you think is the most popular among them?”

“Sakuraba.”

It was not that I knew anything about the situation, but simply because I just saw the scene where he was confessed to by a girl, so I just blurted out his name. But it just so happened that I had hit the nail on the head,  Yuzu nodded her head.

“Yeah, you’re right. He’s very popular. He’s cool and he’s got a good personality. That’s why the girls who are around him……seem to be attracted to him.”

“Oh….. I see.”

It was vaguely worded, but I kind of understood the situation. In other words, it must mean that Kotani was in love with Sakuraba. I was not particularly surprised by this fact, as I already knew it somehow.

The problem was that Yuzu wanted to show Sakuraba that she was dating me.

That means——

“Is it a love triangle?”

“To put it bluntly.” Yuzu affirmed my prediction with a subtle expression.

‘Kotani likes Sakuraba. Sakuraba likes Yuzu. Yuzu is Kotani’s friend.’

……Yes, a model love triangle.

“Just for the record, are you sure you got it right with Sakuraba’s feeling towards you?”

“Yes. I accidentally overheard Sota talking about the girl he likes with his club mates…….” Yuzu looked back at the past with a bitter expression. It sure was tough to be a popular girl.

“So, Yuzu went out with someone like me in order to support Kotani’s love.” I tried to explain my conclusion ahead of time, but to my surprise, Yuzu shook her head.

“No. I’m not that good that I would go as far as self-sacrificing. This is just a plan for my own sake.” The strangely dry words made me stare at her eyes.

While staring back at me, Yuzu continued her words without moving one expression, “If all I wanted to do was support Aki’s love, I could simply decline Sota’s confession. But…. then I’d lose my position. Sota has a lot of fans, and I’m usually the kind of vain girl who’s perfect in everything. See, I’m cute, I get good grades, I’m athletic, and I have lots of friends.”

“You don’t have to come in with your strong praise every time. But I get it now. You’re afraid that people will say, ‘Who is that girl who rejected my prince?’ right?”

“Something like that. Moreover, there’s a good chance that my relationship with Aki, who has the most influence over the girls, will develop a crack, so if things go wrong, my position will be weakened at once.”

So she put up a precautionary line to prevent him from confessing. Or she must’ve wanted a good reason to convince the people around her when she rejected Sakuraba. Well, if she were to reject Sakuraba’s confession because of a low-level guy like me, she would be labeled as a stupid girl who made a wrong choice….rather than provoking ill feelings from others.

Certainly, that would not feel good, but it was probably more peaceful than having another hot guy as a boyfriend and becoming a ‘snobby girl who’s popular with two hot guys’. I guessed that was why this girl said at the beginning that she was going to lower her Riaju level; that was precisely to hedge against such risks.

“Why don’t you just go out with Sakuraba?” I couldn’t help but throw out a few words at Yuzu, who was trying hard to maintain her interpersonal relationships while doing so many troublesome calculations.

“Don’t be ridiculous. That would completely break my relationship with Aki and we’d be at war. Above all, I can’t possibly go out with someone I don’t like.”

“What, in this situation, you’re saying that to me of all people?”

‘There are so many contradictions between her words and actions.’

However, Yuzu seemed to regard that contradiction as something acceptable to her or something as she calmly opened the lunch box with a somewhat mischievous smile on her face.

“No-no, I told you, I do love Yamato-kun… Here, open your mouth, I’ll give you a bite of this like lovers do.”

When I held the chopsticks, she already brought the rolled omelet1 that her mother made to my mouth…

I wanted to decline… But when I first sat on this bench, I felt some eyes from the window of the school building. It was hard to refuse as  I had promised her to properly keep up appearances in front of others.

I grunted and then obediently opened my mouth. Although I understood that I was being teased, I reluctantly accepted this situation.

Yuzu’s family seemed to be the type that seasons their rolled omelet sweetly, and the subtle sweetness of sugar spreads slightly on the fluffy egg.

“How’s it? Delicious?”

“……Oh. It’s just right. I think the taster-tester’s contribution was significant.” I slipped in sarcasm, but probably it didn’t work against people with overflowing self-confidence; Yuzu nodded with a wide smile.

“Of course, That’s right. I’ve got an excellent sense of taste as well, just how flawless a human can I be.”

I’ve grown accustomed to her narcissism, so I just let it slide.

“Yes, yes. So, I’m sorry to say that Yuzu-chan, who is a perfect superhuman and loves me, but I’d like to know exactly when we’re going to break up. In what condition the human relationships around you should be when you’ll finally set me free?” I opened my own lunch box and inquired about the future.

“Hmm. The ideal is that Sota gives up on me and be together with Aki. Even if it doesn’t end that way, I think if we can get Aki to at least confess to Sota, you’ll be dismissed then. I’ll take care of the rest.” Yuzu didn’t tease me anymore and answered her immediate plans while eating her own lunch.

“Confession, huh… Well, Riajuus are like creatures who confess and date as easily as breathing, it shouldn’t take long, I suppose” When I leaked my frank impression, for some reason Yuzu looked at me with white eyes.

“What do you think we are… I tell you, Aki is quite a late-bloomer. That’s why I’m having a hard time like this.”

“Eh, with that look?”

What surprising information. I would have thought that being the queen of the Riaju would have made dating and breaking up more casual for her.

“People are not always what they seem. Well, as for me, I’m as perfect as I look.”

“Hmm……. So, we’ll give her a push then?” When I suggested ignoring the second half of the dialogue, Yuzu nodded with a smile.

“It’s probably better that way. All right, let’s have a strategy meeting now.”

“Roger.”

Yuzu might be just the type who can be enthusiastic in everything she did, she was very eager while I wanted to finish this job quickly and get my reward; at this moment, our motivations overlapped.

Seiryuu: I hope you like my translation! More parts will be posted soon! Liven up the comments and don’t forget to read The SS (Side Stories) Translated by chocolala, they are super cute and fun! If you like my translation, consider sending Kofis to foxaholic including my name~