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Chapter 175: Did Yamada Just Confess in Public?
🕑 Added 2025-03-04 10:20:05 +0000 UTC—Class 1-2, Maid & Butler Café—
The omelet rice had already been served, but Shouji Yuko and Shouji Naomi had no intention of eating.
Their expressions were… strange.
Their eyebrows twitched.
Their mouths subtly tightened.
They would scratch their chins from time to time…
—They looked incredibly uneasy.
And to be honest—they had every reason to be.
On one side of the table sat Minami and the rest of the Shouji faction.
On the other side, the Kessoku Band members.
Next, representing "Riko-Riko" Café, were Chisato and Takina.
And lastly, sitting calmly, with a soft smile, completely unfazed by the situation—was Shinjo Akane.
"Gulp—"
Both Shouji sisters took a sip of water to calm their nerves.
Especially Naomi.
She couldn't even joke about Minami's love life anymore.
Because holy crap—
That one-two-three-four girlfriends thing she had been mocking earlier?
—It was real.
She thought she was exaggerating.
She thought it was impossible for Minami to have that many admirers.
But now…
—If she counted all the girls here…
"Gulp—"
Naomi took another sip and did a quick calculation.
Excluding Minami and the two of them—
There were seven girls.
SEVEN.
What the hell?!
Naomi elbowed Yuko and whispered—
"Yuko, what do we do?"
"How should I know?!"
Naomi snapped back.
"SEVEN, Yuko! SEVEN! Even drama series wouldn't dare to pull this off!"
A love triangle was already dramatic enough.
At least with a triangle, audiences could still visually process the relationships.
But this?!
—This was starting to look like an electrical circuit diagram.
Naomi felt a headache coming on.
After some quick deliberation, the Shouji sisters stood up to introduce themselves.
Then, Yuko spoke—
"Uh… Since sitting here in silence feels a bit awkward, why don't we all introduce ourselves?"
—There were too many people.
If they didn't go around introducing themselves, things were going to get confusing.
"In that case, I'll go first."
Placing down her water glass, Shinjo Akane made the first move.
"I'm Shinjo Akane, a second-year student at Shuka High. As you can see, Minami and I are working together on the 'Monster of the Human Heart' stage play."
—There was no hesitation.
She had already decided long ago—
Minami was going to be her boyfriend.
Since that was the case—
—She would charge forward, no matter what.
No matter how many obstacles stood in her way.
No matter how many detours she had to take.
—In the end, victory was hers.
She was brimming with confidence, unfazed, and completely at ease.
Her smile exuded the composure of a champion.
And naturally—
—Her declaration caught Chisato's attention.
"Pink-purple hair…"
Chisato stared at Shinjo Akane's face, her eyebrows twitching slightly.
She recognized her.
It was just the other day.
—That dream.
In that dream—
This pink-purple-haired girl had taken her place and was living a happy life with Minami.
At first, Chisato brushed it off as just a dream.
But after thinking about it carefully, she realized—it wasn't impossible.
After all—
The fragments of memories she had with Minami and Takina had already proven to be real.
And now—
—The moment she laid eyes on Shinjo Akane.
She was sure.
The memories in her head had been correct all along.
This girl—
—was the same one from her dream.
But Chisato had already prepared herself.
There was no panic.
No shock.
Instead—she was completely calm.
As soon as Akane sat down—
Chisato immediately stood up and, with a presence no weaker than Akane's, declared—
"I'm Chisato Nishikigi. And this is my best friend and partner, Inoue Takina."
Then, she flashed a brilliant smile at the Shouji sisters—
"Minami-kun works part-time at the same café as us."
"Yuko-san, Naomi-san, it's nice to meet you."
Standing beside her, Inoue Takina also stood up, her sleek black hair swaying slightly.
She politely nodded to the Shouji sisters.
—"Nice to meet you both."
"…These two…"
Akane lightly tapped her finger against the table, narrowing her eyes.
If she were competing against ordinary girls, she wouldn't feel any pressure at all.
But these two weren't ordinary.
—Chisato, with her radiant, infectious energy.
—Takina, with her graceful, refined composure.
"This is gonna be tough…"
For the first time, Akane wasn't the obvious favorite.
She muttered under her breath, strategizing how to break through.
Meanwhile, the Shouji sisters turned to Minami.
"Minami… 'Works at the same café'?"
"Yeah."
Minami, who had been silent all this time, simply nodded.
Strictly speaking, he was only a part-timer there occasionally—
—But technically, it still counted.
Takina and Chisato weren't lying.
Seeing Minami confirm it, the Shouji sisters had nothing more to say.
However—
—That phrase.
"Works at the same café."
Something about it didn't sit right with them…
The Shouji sisters weren't foolish enough to believe things so easily.
They weren't idiots—
As fellow women, it was painfully obvious that Chisato and Takina's feelings for Minami went far beyond a simple "work relationship."
After a brief silence, Yuko finally spoke—
"Then… what about the others over there…?"
Her gaze now shifted toward the four girls from Kessoku Band.
"I'm Nijika Ijichi, a second-year at Shimokitazawa High. As you can see, Minami-san is our band's support member."
As the de facto leader of Kessoku Band, Nijika naturally took the lead in introducing herself.
Then, her fiery red eyes shifted—
"This red-haired girl here is Kita Ikuyo, our lead vocalist."
Next—
Her gaze turned toward Ryo Yamada, who had just finished her omelet rice and was wiping her mouth.
Just as Nijika was about to introduce her—
"Ryo. Yamada Ryo."
Without waiting, Yamada Ryo stood up on her own.
Compared to Akane Shinjo, Chisato, and Takina, she was the only one who—
Instead of introducing herself normally—
She swept her gaze across the entire room—
Until her amber-colored eyes finally settled on Akane, Chisato, and Takina.
"I don't really care about Minami and his sisters."
"What I care about… is the three of you."
"What exactly is your relationship with Minami?"
Blunt.
No hesitation.
No sugarcoating.
Yamada Ryo's words cut straight to the point.
"Our relationship with Minami…?"
Clearly, neither Akane, Chisato, nor Takina had expected Yamada to be this direct.
However—
"Before we answer that question, I'm a little curious—"
"Since you're so straightforward, Ryo-san, may I ask—what is your relationship with Minami?"
Instead of being caught off guard, Akane Shinjo quickly adjusted her stance and reversed the question back at Yamada.
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Yamada tilted her head slightly in a cute yet thoughtful manner.
Then, she calmly turned toward Minami, blinking once.
"Minami."
"What do you think our relationship is?"
—And just like that.
With one single question, Yamada had completely shifted the focus onto Minami himself.
Now—
Not just Yamada—
But Akane, Chisato, and Takina as well—
All of them were now staring at Minami.
"..."
Unbelievable.
Minami had been silent the entire time, merely observing.
Yet somehow, Yamada Ryo had managed to drag him right into the fire.
This was a complete trap.
A death question.
Like something out of a telltale game—
[ ⚠️ This action will have consequences... ]
"..."
With a small sigh, Minami took a moment to think before answering.
"We're friends."
"—EH?!"
Yamada's voice immediately carried a tone of discontent.
However—
"Whether you like it or not, it's true."
"Besides, Ryo—have you ever confessed to me before?"
Minami's tone remained calm, his expression unbothered.
And he was right.
Their relationship was close—
But Yamada had never actually confessed to him.
So technically, calling her a friend wasn't wrong.
However, friendship came in many forms.
Was she a pure friend?
Or was it 'more than friends, but not yet lovers'?
That part—
Minami left open for them to interpret however they wanted.
His answer was simple.
And yet—
After hearing it, Yamada Ryo nodded thoughtfully.
"Hmm. You're right, Minami."
"I haven't confessed yet."
"Well then—"
She paused.
Then, in one smooth motion—
Yamada Ryo looked directly into Minami's eyes—
And without hesitation—
"I like you, Minami Shouji."
"AH?!!!"
The entire room fell into chaos.
Nobody—
Nobody saw this coming.
What was supposed to be a simple question—
Somehow ended with Yamada dropping a direct confession?!
This woman…
Was terrifyingly good at playing the game.
Comments
Kloud Paradizo
Damned!!! Yamada-san, you ROCK!!!!! LOL
