Chapter 195: Amusement Park Date
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195: Amusement Park Date
"I don't have any plans this weekend. Where are you thinking of going?"
"How about Tokyo Di●ney Land? When we went to Universal Studios in Osaka last time, I thought it would've been great if you had come with us, Ryu-chan."
'Tokyo Dis○ey Land, huh.'
Honestly, I was incredibly tempted.
Just the other day, I'd been thinking about how disappointed I was that I couldn't go to the amusement park with them.
"Is that... a no?"
Rika's sparkling eyes stared at me anxiously.
Faced with those innocent eyes, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
"Of course, it's a yes."
"Yay! What a relief!"
The moment I agreed, the anxious look on Rika's face instantly brightened.
Seeing her reaction, a wave of guilt washed over me.
Because Rika still didn't know.
She didn't know that I had a girlfriend.
I wondered if I should tell her right then and there, but I couldn't bear to say something that would ruin her happy mood.
So, I kept my mouth shut. Beside me, Chiaki, who had been watching, spoke.
「Dragging this out for too long won't be good. Not for her, and not for you.」
I know that.
Even if this is the world of a romantic comedy, some things are unforgivable.
I subtly averted my gaze from Rika, who was looking at me with a bright smile, and thought to myself.
*
It was during summer vacation that I became certain Rika had special feelings for me.
I'd vaguely suspected it might be the case before, but I had consciously denied it, turning away from reality.
It made sense, after all. I couldn't think of any reason why Rika, who was excellent in every way, would like me.
In the President's case, I'd known her for much longer than Rika, so it was natural for romantic feelings to develop, but I had only known Rika for half a year at most.
Of course, for some people, six months might be a very long time.
But as someone who doesn't believe in love at first sight, the fact that Rika had fallen for me so easily just felt strange.
It got to the point where I even started to hypothesize that maybe, since the world's original protagonist, Ryuji, was no longer fulfilling his role, I, a third party, had taken his place.
Of course, I still had no way of knowing the truth.
Moreover, now that I was in a relationship with the President, I felt the need to redefine the relationship with Rika that I had let remain ambiguous until now.
"So, what should I do?"
"...Yoo-Sung, you're so honest it's a problem."
In the student council room, after hearing about my date with Rika, the President said this with a deep sigh.
"I'm being serious here. Rika is one of my closest friends in class, and I don't want to hurt her."
Hearing my explanation, the President shook her head firmly.
"The moment you chose the option of rejecting her confession, that became impossible."
"I guess so, huh?"
"Women aren't such simple creatures. In fact, if you act ambiguously, you might hurt her even more."
"Then what should I do?"
The President fell silent for a moment at my question.
Then, after taking a sip of the tea Minami had prepared, she answered.
"You need to draw a clear line. You have to make it absolutely clear that there's no possibility of anything more. That's the only way she'll be able to give up."
"...Isn't that too cruel?"
"I think giving her false hope is crueler, especially when you have no intention of reciprocating. Or are you planning on cheating?"
"What? No, of course not."
As I hastily denied it, the President let out a small chuckle and nodded.
"That's all I need to hear. I trusted you, after all."
"Y-Yeah..."
Receiving such blind faith made me feel a weight on my shoulders.
"Thank you for the tea. I should get going now."
"Okay. Then I'll see you at home this evening."
"Yeah."
Our goodbyes had become remarkably natural.
I told Minami I'd see her tomorrow and decided to head back to the classroom.
*
"Young Miss, what shall we do?"
"About what?"
"Are you not going to follow Kim Yoo-Sung and Kishimoto Rika on their date?"
At the question from her attendant, Minami, Saionji Kumiko chuckled and covered her mouth with a black fan.
"I trust Yoo-Sung. I'm sure he'll handle things just fine on his own, even without me there."
"I do not doubt Kim Yoo-Sung's feelings for you, Young Miss. However, the girl named Kishimoto Rika clearly has the potential to become a major variable in your relationship. She was placed closest to Kim Yoo-Sung on the character relationship chart that Shinji-oppa compiled."
"So, what are you trying to say?"
"I will make the preparations, so you need only come, Young Miss. Why not just think of it as a long-overdue outing?"
"Honestly..."
Saionji Kumiko muttered to herself and set down the teacup she was holding.
"I suppose I have no choice. Let's do that."
Though she said she trusted him, in reality, Saionji Kumiko was anxious about having her boyfriend stolen away.
*
"Mama! How about this one?"
"Mhm. That one looks good on you too."
"Then what about this?"
"That one looks good too."
"...Haven't your answers been a little half-hearted?"
"But it's true that they look good on you. Whose daughter are you, anyway?"
"Well, you're not wrong. I am your daughter, after all."
As Rika said this and puffed out her chest confidently, Maria asked with a wry smile.
"So, what's the special occasion? What made you suddenly want to go shopping with your mom?"
"Huh? Oh, well, something came up."
"Hmph~ And what might that 'something' be?"
When Rika suddenly averted her gaze and mumbled, Maria, sensing an interesting story, began to press for details.
In the end, Rika, who wasn't used to lying, confessed the truth.
"What?! You have a date with Yoo-Sung this weekend?!"
"Mama!"
"Ah, sorry. My voice got a little loud there."
As Maria apologized with a silly grin, Rika glared at her own mother resentfully.
She had definitely done it on purpose.
But knowing that nagging her would be like talking to a brick wall, Rika gave up and said.
"This is my first date, so I need your advice, Mama. What kind of clothes should I wear?"
"Hehe, leave it to me. Mom will show you exactly what to do."
Maria, who had been acting bothered, now boasted confidently and suddenly showed a fiery passion for coordinating an outfit.
Watching her mother, Rika let out a deep sigh for what felt like the umpteenth time.
'This is why I didn't want to tell her.'
*
And then, the fateful day arrived.
Beep! Beep-beep! Beep! Beep!
"......"
Waking to the familiar sound of my alarm, I saw the white-papered ceiling of my room.
I turned off the alarm on my phone screen, checked the time, and shot up from my bed.
"Hwaaah—"
Normally, I would have slept half-naked in the living room, but since the President was staying in the guest room, I had been forced to tidy up my own room.
By doing so, I had managed to create just enough space to lie down, thus avoiding the disaster of running into a just-woken-up President while barely clothed.
I followed my usual routine: a morning jog, training in Hayate at the public park, then returning home for a simple breakfast.
After a shower, I changed my clothes and left the house early.
On a normal day, my schedule would have involved either working out at home or lazing around reading manga, but today was a little different.
I had, after all, already made plans.
Beep!
I passed through the subway turnstile and went down to the platform.
I didn't forget to check my messenger from time to time.
It seemed Rika was on the next train.
Thankfully, it looked like I had arrived just in time.
After waiting for about ten minutes, the train Rika was on pulled into the platform.
"Ryu-chan!"
Rika, who was sitting down, spotted me and waved.
"Ri...ka?"
I was about to wave back cheerfully when I saw her, and my feet froze without me realizing it.
It was only natural. Rika, who always wore her hair in a side ponytail, had let it down for the first time.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Coming back to my senses, I shook my head and boarded the train.
The doors soon closed, and the train began to move slowly.
Rattle, rattle! Rattle, rattle!
Feeling the familiar vibration, I sat in the empty seat next to Rika and deliberately turned my gaze out the window as I asked.
"What's with today? You suddenly came with your hair down."
"Just because. I thought since it's a special date, I should show a different side of myself."
Rika scratched the back of her head as she spoke, then asked cautiously.
"Does it... not look good on me?"
The question came out of nowhere.
I turned my head to answer and was momentarily at a loss for words.
I already knew Rika was pretty, but seeing her all dressed up with intent was devastatingly effective.
Even now, the guys around us were constantly stealing glances at her.
'So this is the power of the number one most popular girl...'
Thinking how truly formidable it was, I told Rika that it looked great on her.
"Hehe—thanks."
Her smiling like that, embarrassed, was simply unfair.