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Chapter 301: Kita Ikuyo Caught Off Guard
🕑 Added 2025-04-21 11:53:18 +0000 UTC"Ahem! Since this is something about a very, very close friend of mine, Minami-senpai, you absolutely must give the most honest and valuable advice you can! Okay?"
Kita Ikuyo grasped his hand tightly, as if afraid he wouldn't take this seriously.
She wanted to make sure he gave a proper answer.
"…Alright."
Minami agreed without any expression.
At the same time, he couldn't help but think—
This was definitely about Kita Ikuyo's own troubles.
This whole 'I have a friend' setup…
He had seen it way too many times before.
But, well… whatever.
Since she had gone out of her way to emphasize 'this is about a friend' so many times…
It would be kind of rude to just expose her outright.
That would be a bit too blunt.
So, Minami simply nodded and gave her a look that said, Go on, I'm listening.
Seeing his reaction, Kita Ikuyo let out a small sigh of relief.
It seemed like her 'I have a friend' plan had not been seen through.
After thinking for a moment, she finally spoke up.
"Well, here's the situation."
Her fair, delicate fingers emerged from under the blanket.
She held up two fingers, making a '1-1' gesture, her expression serious. (👉👈)
"My friend has been feeling really troubled lately… because she's fallen for a guy."
As she spoke, she suddenly realized this scenario sounded way too similar to her own situation.
So, she quickly added a little extra detail:
"She's not having trouble sleeping or fainting or anything like that! But she has lost her appetite, and she's so stressed she can barely drink water."
At that, Kita Ikuyo paused for a moment.
"…The reason she's so troubled is actually pretty simple. It's because… she's not the only one. Her friends also like the same guy. And they're all actively pursuing him."
The red-haired girl's voice grew quiet.
But almost immediately after, as if realizing she was slipping up, she quickly forced her tone to be upbeat again:
"But! That's her problem! It's not like I care at all!
It's just that she's been coming to me for advice non-stop lately, so I figured I'd ask someone with a lot of experience in romance—like Minami-senpai!"
"In the end, it's just a friend's dilemma, okay? So don't think too much about it, Minami-senpai."
"…Is that so?"
Minami lifted his gaze to look at Kita Ikuyo.
To be honest, he really wanted to tell her—
Her whole story was full of contradictions.
She started off saying this was about a very close friend.
But then, in the next breath, she said she didn't care at all.
That didn't really add up, did it?
Still, he chose not to call her out on it.
Instead, he cleared his throat and asked seriously,
"…So, what kind of person is this guy your friend likes?"
"Ah... um..."
Kita Ikuyo opened her mouth.
Her light yellow eyes instinctively swept over Minami's handsome face, and before she could stop herself, she blurted out:
"He's... really handsome."
Hmm?
Hearing this as the first condition, Minami gave Kita Ikuyo a strange look.
Although it might have been a bit narcissistic of him...
He couldn't help but wonder—
Kita-san... is the guy you're talking about me?
After all, if all her friends had fallen for the same guy, that could easily be referring to someone from the our band.
And while Minami hadn't said anything, he had definitely noticed that Kita Ikuyo had been avoiding him lately.
As if she was too embarrassed to face him.
That alone was enough to make him suspicious.
But for now, he decided to hold back his thoughts.
After all, Kita Ikuyo had a lot of friends.
Not just the members of Kessoku Band, but a massive social circle outside of the band as well.
Even if he called her out on it, she could just deny it to the bitter end and use her endless list of "friends" as a shield.
Minami knew he wouldn't be able to break through her defenses so easily.
So...
For now, it was best to play along.
With that in mind, he spoke in a casual, indifferent tone:
"Aren't there plenty of handsome guys in the world? That's not exactly a rare trait."
"Eh...?"
Kita Ikuyo froze for a moment.
She stared at Minami's striking face, and before she knew it, she reflexively retorted:
"T-That's different! That guy is really handsome!"
"Is that so?"
Seeing how flustered she was, Minami simply blinked and chuckled.
"But even if that's the case, so what? It's just a nice face."
"I—"
Kita Ikuyo panicked.
She wanted to argue back.
But she couldn't reveal too much information.
So, she tried a different angle.
"It's not just that! He also has great grades!"
"Isn't studying just a student's responsibility? Good grades only mean he's doing what he's supposed to do. That's hardly impressive."
Minami shrugged.
"Even I only call myself a genius when it comes to studying, but in the end, I know that academics are just something students should be good at."
But that person is literally you!
Minami's string of counterarguments left Kita Ikuyo completely speechless.
She was stunned for a long moment before taking a deep breath and pressing on.
"A-Apart from those things, Minam—he has so many other great qualities!"
She nearly slipped and said his name, but quickly corrected herself.
"Oh? Like what?"
Minami deliberately ignored her near slip-up.
"For example... he's very kind!"
"Ah, here we go."
Minami scoffed.
"This isn't some light novel. Kindness isn't exactly a game-changer."
"He's amazing! He understands everything—not just guitar, but so many things! He even knows a bit of medicine!"
Kita Ikuyo wasn't giving up.
"Hah. So he has a bunch of pointless skills that impress girls?"
Minami shook his head.
"H-He... he's really tall!"
"I'm not short either. You can't judge someone just by their height."
"He's incredibly handsome! And no matter what happens, he always helps my friend! He's selfless! He even writes practice tests by hand to tutor her!"
"A smart student helping a struggling one just means he has a good heart. That doesn't necessarily mean he likes your friend."
Minami leaned his cheek against his palm, responding lazily.
"B-But... but he's tall! And super charming!"
"You already mentioned that, Ikuyo."
"Ugh—"
Kita Ikuyo opened her mouth in disbelief.
She could not believe it.
Minami had countered every single argument she made.
And worst of all, she had no idea how to refute him.
She was completely out of options.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, she blurted out:
"B-But my friend's crush is you, Minami-senpai!"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Dead silence.
As soon as those words left her mouth—
The room fell into a deathly silence.
Even Kita Ikuyo herself realized she had misspoken.
She was supposed to keep her imaginary "friend" as far away from Minami as possible.
Now, she could only wallow in regret and self-reproach.
The only bit of comfort she had was that, in the end, she had still managed to hold onto a sliver of sanity—she had at least kept up the lie about her "friend."
That way, Minami shouldn't be able to realize that she was the one who liked him.
At least, that's what she thought—
Until Minami, who had remained silent this whole time, suddenly spoke.
"Ikuyo."
"Ah...?! Y-Yes?"
His voice snapped Kita Ikuyo out of her downward spiral of self-reproach.
She instinctively looked up at him—
And what she saw made her heart sink.
Minami was smiling.
A knowing, satisfied smile.
His dark, clear eyes locked onto hers as he spoke in an extremely serious tone:
"The friend you're talking about... is it actually you?"
"Eh?!"
Checkmate!
An unexpected and direct checkmate!
Kita Ikuyo was completely caught off guard, panic flashing across her face for a split second.
But she quickly regained her composure.
Years of navigating social interactions with friends had trained her well.
She smoothly turned that brief moment of panic into nothing more than innocent confusion.
"Minami-senpai, what are you talking about?"
She flashed her usual sunny smile. "Didn't I already say? This is just about my friend's situation."
Feigning exasperation, she pouted slightly. "Geez, even you, Minami-senpai, shouldn't joke around like that! I'd actually get mad, you know?"
Cheerful, playful, and lighthearted.
The perfect image of a friendly girl scolding a friend for making a joke.
Even Kita Ikuyo herself was amazed by her own acting skills.
Wow... people really don't know their full potential until they're pushed to the limit.
"Is that so?"
Minami studied her for a moment before nodding slightly.
"Looks like I misunderstood, then. My bad, Ikuyo."
He even apologized.
Yes!
Under the covers, Kita Ikuyo clenched her small hands into fists in triumph.
She had barely managed to avoid disaster.
If she had hesitated even a second longer, Minami would've definitely figured it out.
But in the end—
She won!
Or so she thought.
Because before she even had a chance to celebrate for two full seconds—
Minami suddenly laughed.
And then, with that same smile, he said:
"If that's the case... then I'd like to meet your friend tomorrow. Is that okay?"
"Eh?!"
Kita Ikuyo was completely dumbfounded.
She stared at him in shock, her brain short-circuiting.
"N-No... um... Minami-senpai..."
Her voice was shaky and stuttering—like a defeated soldier trying to flee the battlefield.
"What's wrong?" Minami asked, pressing forward.
"Is there some reason she can't meet me? Is she not feeling well?
If that's the case, I can just go visit her myself."
Decisive words. A crushing follow-up attack.
"I..."
Kita Ikuyo's voice got stuck in her throat.
It was only at this moment that the cheerful, outgoing red-haired girl finally understood the meaning of the phrase:
"One lie always needs a bigger lie to cover it up."
What do I do now?!
She was completely trapped with no way out.
There was no "friend" who liked Minami!
That person was entirely made up!
Kita Ikuyo had briefly considered using her large circle of friends to find someone—anyone—who could pretend to be this so-called "friend" and meet Minami on her behalf.
But there was just one problem—
Everyone in her social circle knew who Minami was.
Male or female, it didn't matter.
The moment they heard the name Minami from Shuka High, they'd probably freeze up, completely unsure of how to handle the situation.
That was just the kind of weight Minami's name carried at Shuka High.
And now, she had backed herself into a corner.
What should I do?
What can I do?
Kita Ikuyo stood there in a daze.
Countless ideas ran through her head, only to be immediately rejected.
Her fair face was turning bright red from the stress.
Just then—
A voice suddenly reached her ears.
"Alright, Ikuyo. You don't have to be so flustered."
Minami's voice was calm as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Whether this friend of yours exists or not, whether it's actually you who likes me or not… there's no need for you to panic so much."
He smiled at her—
A soft, reassuring smile.
And somehow, that smile really did calm her down.
As expected of Minami-senpai...
As her panic subsided, she couldn't help but glance at Minami.
Even though he had all the advantage, he had chosen to back down instead of pressing forward.
She relaxed a little.
Maybe he's really letting this go…
But then—
She heard his next words.
"I'll be waiting at the Shimokitazawa station tomorrow morning around 9 AM… for Ikuyo's friend."
—?!
Her heart, which had just settled, started racing again.
She stared at Minami in shock.
The black-haired young man only smiled.
"Of course, if Ikuyo's friend doesn't want to come, that's fine too."
His smile remained unchanged, but he deliberately emphasized the word 'friend'.
"As long as Ikuyo calls me at that time and relays her friend's decision, that will be enough."
He paused for a moment, then continued thoughtfully—
"But you see… I'm not someone who gives up easily.
So if Ikuyo's friend doesn't show up…
I might just keep waiting at the entrance of Shimokitazawa station until she does."
"I—"
Kita Ikuyo's mouth fell open.
A blatant trap.
A perfectly crafted, inescapable trap.
This wasn't some hidden scheme—
This was an open strategy, set right before her eyes.
I was too naive…
She had completely underestimated Minami.
He wasn't some gentlemanly strategist calling a retreat.
She had given him too much credit!
Every word he spoke was like pushing her further and further into a corner—
"If you don't go, I'll wait anyway—because I already know it's you."
"And if you do go, well… then you're confirming everything yourself."
What do I do now?!
"Well then, I guess that's settled. Ikuyo, get some rest."
Leaving behind those words, spoken with a teasing smile—
The black-haired young man stood up and left the room.
And inside that room—
A completely stunned red-haired girl sat frozen, utterly caught off guard by his parting words.
