Chapter 51: I Might Have Gone a Little Wild, But I’m Doing Great Today

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“For now, please let me know if anything happens.”

“Yeah… If you’re that worried, why don’t you join us, Nakanishi-kun…? There are so many people in the club, honestly, I don’t think anyone would even notice an outsider slipping in.”

“…Worried? Me?”

“Are you not?”

Being told that straight to my face caused a sudden bewilderment to sprout in my mind.

Am I actually worried about Temari? Or rather, why the hell should I be worried?

Thinking about it calmly, even if Temari charged headlong down the maiden’s path of yuri and went all-in on some perverted mission, it had absolutely nothing to do with me, right?

That was entirely up to her, and I figured she could easily push through it with her usual “It’s like a dream!” logic.

“…”

“U-Um, I’ll contact you the second I notice anything suspicious, yeah.”

She probably didn't know what to do with me just standing there like a statue, completely silent. Naegi-san basically scurried off out of sight right after saying that.

Hmm. Maybe I should go back to basics and try asking the other main character, Mahiro.

—・—・—・—・—・—・—

“T-Thank you, I’m so happy you came over to my house after so long…”

Since I had no way to contact her, I reluctantly decided to visit Mahiro’s house. But for some unknown reason, Chihiro-san wasn’t home, and Mahiro was beaming from ear to ear.

What the hell was going on?

I was supposed to be hated, right?

Besides, I was only there to ask her some questions, so I felt absolutely no need to step inside her house, yet there I was, taking off my shoes.

This was a hundred times more embarrassing than stripping off my underwear. So, the best move was to just blitz through this like Sassa Narimasa and get it over with as quickly as possible.

“By the way, I heard they’re celebrating your birthday at this upcoming mixer-like drinking party?”

“Ah, yeah… I told them it was fine, but they kind of forced it on me…”

“Huh. Well, there might be some guys gunning for you, so isn’t it a good chance to score a new boyfriend?”

“Eh, I don’t need one.”

“Why not? Ah, could it be you already…”

“I don’t!! And I have zero plans to get one!!”

“…Ah, I see.”

Mahiro’s desperation as she practically spit seawater in her fierce, forceful denial felt completely unnatural.

True, no information about Mahiro having a boyfriend had reached my ears recently, but that was just because we didn’t interact daily anymore, keeping me out of the rumor loop.

Given Mahiro’s tier of looks, it wouldn’t be weird if she had seven or eight guys at her beck and call—whether boyfriends, fuckbuddies, or just convenient men to keep around.

“Well, if a good-looking guy hits on you, it wouldn’t hurt to consider him a candidate, right? A girl like you could attract as many as you want.”

“It’d just be a hassle if things went down like that riding on the momentum of alcohol…”

Miraculously, Mahiro had grown up.

She was showing a level of caution that made it hard to believe she was the same girl who once tried to work in the sex industry to pay for her university tuition.

“Sometimes you need that momentum. Regardless of how it starts, what matters is the person, right?”

“My feelings matter too, so I think getting hit on thoughtlessly and being swept away by sheer momentum is just hopeless…”

Hmm.

I had pressed the issue just to be absolutely certain, but it seemed Mahiro genuinely had zero desire to be hit on at this drinking party.

“Got it. Anyway, setting that aside, apparently there’s some guy in the club targeting you. I heard it from Naegi-san.”

“!!”

“Well, judging by your reaction, you’ll probably be fine. Just don’t get carried away by the alcohol and fall for some sleazy b*****d who’s only looking to get laid. It’d be a disaster if he secretly recorded you or something.”

“…Are you… worry about me, Yuuya?”

“Hah?”

“…”

“No, well… it’s not like we’re strangers. And after everything we’ve been through… I guess I am, a little.”

“…I see…”

Oh boy, the atmosphere just took a weird turn. I had no idea what Mahiro was thinking as she stared at the ground.

To be brutally honest, it wasn’t so much that I was worried about Mahiro, but rather because her mother’s situation was, well, that.

Wait, before that, Mahiro wouldn't even have wanted me worrying about her in the first place, right?

Talk about uncalled-for meddling.

That didn't matter right then. More importantly, shouldn't I have been asking her about Temari and Yoshizaki-senpai?

“That was uncalled for. Anyway…”

“…If you’re worried, do you want to come to the party too, Yuuya?”

“Hah? No, no, I’m an outsider, so my participation wouldn’t be allowed anyway, right?”

“B-But, if you joined under a special quota as my boyfriend… it would serve as bug repellent, so I thought it’d be a good idea.”

“………Huh? What did you just say?”

“I-I mean, you could pretend to be my boyfriend and join…”

“No, no, no, that’s impossible. With Temari and Naegi-san around, a lie like that would get blown up instantly. And more importantly, you'd hate having me as your boyfriend on a catastrophic level. I'm just your scrawny, former gross otaku childhood friend, remember?”

“You're not a gross otaku anymore, Yuuya! Honestly, I think you’re well enough to be popular.”

“…”

What the hell is up with this sudden plot twist?

I was one step away from a full-blown panic. You could say I was already giving it just the tip.

From Mahiro’s perspective, wasn’t I supposed to be a permanently cheese-bowl-slurping, disgusting otaku?

None of this made any f*****g sense.

Was she trying to challenge me to some Ikkyu-style battle of wits?

…

S**t…

I couldn’t think of a good comeback.

The chances of Mahiro and I ever dating were on the exact same nonexistent level as her hymen.