208 – We Need to Hit Them with One Big Punch

RAW

Just before noon on Saturday.

I slowly sipped my café au lait at my favorite café.

Then Saki arrived.

"Hey, Ayaka. You're early."

"Yeah. Haruto went home today, so I was bored."

"Oh? Starting with bragging about your boyfriend already?"

"N-No, that's not it."

Smiling teasingly, Saki sat down across from me.

"Shizuku-chan isn't here yet?"

"She messaged me a little while ago. She said she's almost here."

"I see, I see."

Today, the three of us—Saki, Shizuku-chan, and me—were having tea together.

It was Shizuku-chan's idea.

Around Thursday, she suddenly declared, "Girls' gathering this Saturday! Strategy meeting!"

"Still, this week has been rough for you, Ayaka."

"Y-Yeah. I never expected so many confessions..."

"Seriously, it's weird, isn't it? There were even more than before summer break."

"Maybe..."

"And people confessing even though you have a boyfriend? What are they thinking?"

"Hmm... Most people said they wanted to get over their feelings, but some said they just wanted to talk to me, or that they wanted to do it for the memories."

"For the memories? What the heck is that..."

Saki looked exasperated.

"There were even people confessing without caring that Haruto-kun was standing right beside me."

"That's right. Haruto's been worrying about it too..."

"Want me to stick by your side next week and chase away the confession boys?"

I shook my head at Saki's worried suggestion.

"No. I'd hate it if they held a grudge against you because of me."

I absolutely didn't want Saki getting hurt because of me.

Then the café door opened, and Shizuku-chan walked inside.

Looking around for us, she quickly noticed Saki waving.

"Over here!"

Hearing Saki's voice, Shizuku-chan immediately came to our table.

"Hmm, hmm. So this is the love nest of Ayaka-senpai and Saki-senpai."

"Yep. Nice place, right?"

"The atmosphere is bat-chi goo."

Saki casually played along with Shizuku-chan's joke.

She's really good at handling Shizuku-chan's nonsense.

"Ayaka-senpai, what are you drinking?"

"Iced café au lait."

"I see. And what do you recommend here?"

"Hmm, everything's good, but I usually get this."

"In that case, using Ayaka-senpai's opinion as a reference, I'll order the Mega Melon Soda Float."

"How is that using my opinion?"

I could only smile wryly at the ever-free-spirited Shizuku-chan.

"Saki-senpai, are you going with the mega float too?"

"Nope. I'll have the same as Ayaka."

"I see."

Shizuku-chan called over the owner and ordered a giant melon soda float, while Saki ordered an iced café au lait.

After taking a single sip of water, Shizuku-chan's expression became slightly more serious.

"Now then, let's get to the main topic."

"Oh right. You said this was a strategy meeting. Is it about Ayaka's confession problem?"

"It is!"

Nodding energetically, Shizuku-chan pointed straight at me.

"Ayaka-senpai should publicly reveal her engagement with Haruto-senpai!"

"Whaaat!?"

The sudden proposal made me cry out.

"W-Why?"

"To burn away those rotten-hearted boys with the flames of pure love!"

Raising her beautiful eyebrows, Shizuku-chan passionately continued.

"Ayaka-senpai is Haruto-senpai's wife, you know? Confessing to a married woman is unacceptable! Especially that horny monkey senpai. If he approaches you again, I'll beat him down immediately."

"Horny monkey senpai..."

Saki smiled helplessly as Shizuku-chan somehow managed to snort while keeping a blank expression.

"But how would we even reveal it?"

"At the sports festival. Next week's sports festival."

"The sports festival?"

"Correct. We should reveal it at the moment that attracts the most attention."

Then she clapped her hands.

"I've got it. Let's do it during the mixed relay awards ceremony. Stand on the podium and proclaim your eternal love for Haruto-senpai. A perfect plan."

"On the podium?"

The thought made me shrink back.

"Everyone would be watching..."

"That's exactly why it's perfect. Stand up there and declare, 'I am Haruto's wife! I've devoted my body and soul to him!' Then we can efficiently burn away those foolish boys."

Crossing her arms, Shizuku-chan declared,

"A mass extermination of weak men."

I knew she was suggesting this because she cared about me, and that made me happy, but...

It felt a bit extreme.

"What do you think, Saki?"

"Hmm, I kind of agree."

After thinking for a moment, Saki nodded.

"I don't think it's good for things to keep going like this."

Looking upward as she organized her thoughts, she continued.

"When I watch these confessions, I feel like a lot of guys are just following the crowd. Like, everyone else is confessing, so they do too. To stop that trend, maybe making a wife declaration on the podium really would work."

"As expected of Saki-senpai. You understand how men work."

"Not really."

Saki smiled wryly at Shizuku-chan's approving nod.

"The problem is whether we can actually make it onto the podium."

"That's true..."

The mixed relay was the biggest event of the sports festival.

Every class aiming for victory was taking it seriously.

Making it into the top three wouldn't be easy.

"Why the weak expression, Ayaka-senpai?"

"Because... I'm not that fast..."

"But you've been practicing hard."

"That's because I have to do my best as my class representative. But..."

There would surely be lots of people much faster than me.

As I worried, Shizuku-chan smiled gently.

"No need to worry, Ayaka-senpai."

"Shizuku-chan..."

"Because you possess a terrifying weapon."

"Huh? A weapon?"

I had expected encouragement.

What weapon?

"Ayaka-senpai's weapon is those unnecessarily huge breasts!"

"!?!"

Pointing straight at my chest, she made me instinctively cover myself.

"W-What do you mean!?"

"If you let them bounce while you run, the boys will be forced to bend forward and ruin their form. The girls will suffer mental damage and lose stamina."

"Eh...? Would that really happen?"

"It will. Ayaka-senpai's 'Breast Jiggle' is a debuff rivaling 'Bad Breath.'"

She even said,

"You're a debuff character that would shock even a Morbol."

What bad breath?

Who's Morbol?

And Saki's laughing while saying, "Actually, that's true..."

"I kind of hate that..."

"Ayaka-senpai! You can't choose your methods if you want to win!"

"B-But..."

"Beyond those bouncing breasts lies your happy school life with Haruto-senpai!"

"I want to enjoy school life with Haruto too, but I hate the way you phrase things."

"Muu. You're as selfish as ever, Ayaka-senpai."

Shizuku-chan shrugged.

I thought her wording was the problem, not me.

"Anyway, we'll get on the podium and make the wife declaration, agreed?"

"Yeah... I guess."

If it stopped the confession rush, I had to do it.

And if we publicly announced our engagement, I could proudly say I was Haruto's wife.

Hehe, Haruto's wife...

Ah, maybe I could even call him "my husband."

Hehe...

"Ayaka, you're grinning like crazy."

At Saki's comment, I hurriedly fixed my expression.

"Hau!"

"Ayaka-senpai, knowing you, you're imagining something naughty again, aren't you?"

"That's not true!"

Honestly! Shizuku-chan always teases me like that!

As I puffed out my cheeks in protest, Shizuku-chan suddenly changed the subject.

"By the way, when I mentioned you and Haruto-senpai enjoying yourselves before, you reacted quite dramatically."

Leaning forward, she looked straight at me.

"So what's the truth? Have you done it with Haruto-senpai yet?"

"!?"

"W-W-Well, about that..."

"Mmm? Well?"

Shizuku-chan stared at me with an expression that said she wouldn't let me escape.

Ugh...

Remembering that day made my heart race.

My face felt hot too.

I was probably bright red.

Nothing had happened in the end, but if we were going to become husband and wife someday...

Maybe I should just talk to Saki and Shizuku-chan about it.

"Th-The truth is..."

Trying to calm my pounding heart, I told the two of them what had happened that day.