I_LOVE_RICE+
patreon
Chapter 176: A Love Triangle… or a Battlefield?!
🕑 Added 2025-03-05 13:03:04 +0000 UTCThis woman…
Her scheming is terrifying!
Had she really planned everything this far ahead?!
As Minami glanced at the calm and indifferent blue-haired girl, he noticed—
Shinjo Akane's eyes widened in shock.
Nishikagi Chisato's elegant eyebrows arched in surprise.
Inoue Takina, usually composed, looked visibly shaken.
It wasn't until now that Akane realized—
Yamada Ryo had planned this whole situation.
First, she blindsided them with an unexpected question:
"What is your relationship with Minami?"
This caught everyone off guard.
Then, when Akane countered with her own question—
"Then what about you, Ryo-san? What's your relationship with him?"
Ryo seamlessly redirected the spotlight onto Minami.
This was brilliant.
Akane understood Minami's personality well.
Minami never exaggerated or lied when answering questions—especially in public.
If he were officially dating someone, he would have admitted it outright.
And that's exactly what Yamada had anticipated.
She knew that Minami would give an honest answer.
She waited for him to say it—
And the moment he did—
She struck without hesitation.
What a trap!
Akane clenched her fists, feeling frustrated for underestimating this girl.
She had assumed Yamada Ryo was a laid-back, careless airhead.
But in reality—
She was a cunning strategist.
Beside her, Chisato and Takina were having similar thoughts.
At first glance, Yamada-san seemed like the type to be lazy and unbothered.
But this level of tactical foresight was unexpected.
This was a dangerous opponent.
Even the Shouji sisters, Yuko and Naomi, were completely out of their depth.
Coming from a humble background in Akita Prefecture, they had only ever seen high school confessions happen behind the school building—or maybe under some legendary love tree.
But confessing in front of this many people?
That required an unimaginable level of courage.
They sat there, stunned.
And then, there was…
Kita Ikuyo.
She had just watched her beloved senpai confess to someone else.
The impact had completely shattered this normally cheerful, sunny girl.
Now, she sat there, muttering incoherently—a broken mess.
However—
Among all the chaos, two people saw the truth.
Minami Shouji.
And Nijika Ijichi.
They immediately realized—
Yamada Ryo hadn't actually planned anything.
This wasn't a trap.
She hadn't calculated or schemed.
She just… said it.
She was completely serious.
As expected of someone who lived freely, acting purely on her own emotions.
Yamada Ryo wasn't the type to overthink consequences.
If she felt like saying something—
She just said it.
That was the entirety of her thought process.
Minami and Nijika made eye contact.
Both of them exchanged a look of helpless understanding.
This woman…
She had a talent for causing absolute chaos.
Of course—
In this case, the "chaos" was a heart-stopping surprise.
Or rather—
A complete and utter shock.
And now that she had spoken her feelings out loud…
Of course, Minami Shouji couldn't just pretend he hadn't heard that.
Even if this was just another one of Yamada Ryo's impulsive, free-spirited remarks—
It still carried weight.
He thought about how to phrase his response and was just about to speak when—
"Yamada-san."
A clear, confident voice cut through the air, interrupting him.
Shinjo Akane.
"You may have beaten me to it, but I had already decided—I will not back down."
She lifted her head and, without hesitation, declared:
"I like Minami-kun too."
Originally, this wasn't part of her plan.
She had wanted to solidify their bond first, waiting until she had at least a 90% chance of success before making her move.
But falling behind even once meant she could never catch up.
Shinjo Akane refused to stand still while Yamada Ryo took the lead.
So even if she was forced into this situation—
She had no choice but to confess now.
Her voice was steady, her gaze firm.
At this point, Yuko and Naomi Shouji were past the point of shock.
They had long suspected that Shinjo Akane liked Minami.
But suspicions were just that—suspicions.
Now, she had outright admitted it.
The two sisters exchanged glances.
"So this is what Tokyo girls are like…?"
Elegant, refined, polite—yet absolutely ruthless in love.
Their hearts filled with admiration—and just a little fear.
Tokyo… what a terrifying place…
And just as they were trying to process everything—
"What are you all talking about?"
Nishikagi Chisato's lively voice broke through the tension.
Her spirited expression lifted into a confident smile.
"You've all been talking amongst yourselves… but have you even considered me and Takina?"
Her hands slid into her pockets.
Inside, her fingers brushed against the black cat hairpin.
She thought back to when Minami had given her and Takina the courage to face their happiness.
She had already made up her mind.
She would never give up on Minami.
So—
"Takina and I have never once abandoned our plans with Minami-kun.
We love Minami-kun too.
In fact, we've already made plans for marriage."
Her scarlet eyes burned brightly as they locked onto Yamada Ryo and Shinjo Akane.
You two want to move forward?
Then we'll take two steps, three steps, four steps ahead.
No matter what it takes, we will cross the finish line first.
Minami belongs to us.
She and Takina would seize their own happy ending.
Everyone who had already declared their feelings refused to back down.
The air grew heavy with tension.
Even the maids who had planned to check in on the guests…
Didn't dare open their mouths.
The very atmosphere of the café had shifted.
Meanwhile, How Was Hitori Gotoh Doing?
One word:
Confused.
Absolutely, completely, utterly confused.
Still dressed in her maid outfit, she hadn't even had time to introduce herself before Yamada-san stole the entire spotlight.
She watched in stunned silence as the mood transformed before her eyes.
Huh?
W-what's happening?
Why is… everyone suddenly confessing?!
This… this isn't right, is it?!
As the first simulation target, Hitori had memories of everyone at the table.
She knew Nishikagi Chisato and Inoue Takina.
She even remembered Shinjo Akane.
But—
Ryo…?
Ryo-san?!
S-since when did Ryo-san fall for Minami?!
Her mind couldn't keep up.
Why was someone who hadn't even appeared in her memories suddenly confessing to Minami?
And worse—
Why was everyone else suddenly joining in?!
This wasn't part of the script.
Just this morning, after she had walked her little sister, Futari, back to their parents…
She had been so excited that Minami was coming over to her house.
She thought she had a real chance.
But now—
What the hell happened?!
How did things spiral this quickly?!
Why is everyone confessing all at once?!
The breakneck speed of everything left her paralyzed.
A Metaphor for Hitori's Struggle
It was like warming up for a run.
At first, everyone was just walking forward, stretching and preparing.
Then, out of nowhere, the entire group sprinted ahead at full speed.
And she alone was still stuck at the starting line.
She had barely taken three hesitant steps forward—
Only to stumble back two, afraid she was moving too fast.
The tension in the air was suffocating.
W-what do I do?!
Should I confess too?!
Should I just go along with everyone else?!
Never in her life had she experienced something like this.
She felt lost, helpless, and completely alone.
She Looked to Kita Ikuyo for Help
"K-Kita-san…?"
But when she turned to her best friend for support—
Kita was already gone.
Not physically, but mentally—
Ever since Yamada Ryo's unexpected confession, Kita had entered a state of complete shutdown.
If this were an anime, she would be drawn in grayscale.
A single breeze could blow her away like dust.
Hitori's last hope for salvation… was already lost.
This was it.
This was the end.
She opened her mouth to say something—
But no words came out.
She had never felt this alone, this powerless, this completely abandoned.
And Then…
Just as Hitori's world crumbled around her…
A new voice cut through the madness.
"I swear… you guys—"
Minami finally spoke.
He turned to Shinjo Akane, Yamada Ryo, Nishikagi Chisato, and Inoue Takina.
Then—
Without a second of hesitation—
He reached out and bonked each of them on the head.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
"Ow!"
All four girls yelped in surprise, reacting in their own unique ways.
And just like that—
The suffocating tension evaporated in an instant.
The entire room exhaled.
"What the hell, Minami-kun?!"
The first to complain was Chisato, rubbing her head.
"We were just about to settle this—!"
"Settle what?"
Minami shot her a look.
"Do you even realize where we are, Chisato?"
"Uh…"
Chisato blinked, then finally looked around.
Because she had been so caught up in the moment, she had completely forgotten—
They were in the middle of a school festival.
Inside a maid café.
And now—
A whole crowd of students was staring at them.
"...Oh."
For once, even the bold and fearless Nishikagi Chisato felt embarrassed.
She quickly shut her mouth and sat back down.
Minami sighed and turned to Akane.
"And you, stop getting caught up in the moment. Don't overthink this."
Then, his gaze shifted to Ryo.
"And Ryo… stop pretending you're some kind of mastermind. You're just an idiot who speaks her mind without thinking."
"Huh?"
Akane turned to Yamada, studying her face.
Ryo's expression was unreadable.
But from Akane's perspective—
She still couldn't tell if Minami was right or not.
But the next second, Yamada Ryo's words left Shinjo Akane speechless.
"Scheming...? Mind? What scheming?"
She blinked her amber eyes in confusion and looked at Minami Shouji.
"..." Shinjo Akane.
Wait.
Was this girl really just a complete idiot?!
She screamed internally.
Her original plan had been to take things slow, build her relationship with Minami, and only confess when the time was right.
After all, confessing now wasn't exactly the best move strategically.
But she never expected—
All of her careful planning...
Would be completely ruined by one simple, stupid, and unplanned confession from Yamada Ryo.
She instinctively clutched her chest.
No...
Just thinking about how Yamada Ryo had wrecked her entire strategy...
Made her feel like she was having a heart attack.
Her earlier confidence deflated completely as she slumped back down into her seat.
And Yamada-san?
She was still standing.
Until—
"Ryo, sit down."
Minami spoke calmly.
"Okay."
Yamada Ryo nodded slightly and sat back down without a word.
Watching this entire sequence of events unfold...
Yuko and Naomi Shouji were absolutely floored.
Neither of them had expected that—
Just moments ago, the air had been thick with tension—a full-on battlefield of confessions.
And yet—
With just a few simple words from Minami, the entire storm had vanished without a trace.
Was he seriously this skilled at handling situations like this?
Was Tokyo really this brutal of a battleground?!
No wonder Minami had so many girls interested in him...
It actually made sense now.
The two sisters fell silent, their minds swirling with disbelief.
And as for Hitori Gotou?
She let out a small breath.
Crisis averted.
As expected of Minami!
Even a situation like this, he handled with ease.
But as she relaxed, another thought crept into her mind.
This time, things worked out.
But what about next time?
What if—
Someone else made a move on Minami again?
Would she still be lucky enough...
To keep up?
The moment that thought settled in—
The relief she had just felt vanished completely.
Her chest tightened as anxiety took over once more.
