“So please, Sakuraba-kun! Go out with me!!”
Why did she have to fall for me?
After explaining her reasons, Yunagi-san faced me directly, clasping her hands together as if in prayer.
The faint tears pooled in the corners of her eyes reflected the evening sun after school, shining like jewels.
It was true! Yunagi-san was captivating.
She was undoubtedly cuter and more beautiful than any girl I’d ever met.
But even so, my feelings didn’t change.
“Sorry, I still don’t want to.”
“…No way…”
Yunagi-san’s mouth twisted as if she were about to cry, and she clutched her head with both hands.
After groaning “Uhn, uhn…” for a moment, she took a deep breath and looked up again.
“Wh-why? I thought you weren’t seeing anyone special right now.”
“Well, yeah, that’s true!”
“Th-then, am I just not your type…?”
Yunagi-san lowered her face uncertainly, fidgeting as she looked up at me with upturned eyes.
Her overwhelming cuteness made me feel my resolve weakening almost against my will.
But I couldn’t give in here.
If I did, it wouldn’t lead to a good outcome for either of us.
“Of course, I think you’re wonderful, Yunagi-san. But I don’t have any intention of getting a girlfriend right now.”
“Th-then, does that mean you like me?”
“…No, I don’t.”
Did I have romantic feelings for Yunagi-san?
If asked, my answer would be no.
I didn’t know the reason myself, but in short, love just wasn’t that simple.
Yunagi-san wore a very complicated expression.
She seemed dejected, a little happy, then sad again.
But from her demeanor, it was impossible to miss that she genuinely liked me.
“…I’ll work hard to make you like me. So, I still want you to go out with me.”
“Even if I did come to like you, I don’t think I’d date you. So, I’m sorry.”
“…Uu.”
Yunagi-san looked like she was about to cry again.
But her eyes held a strong determination, as if declaring she absolutely wouldn’t cry.
“…Then what would it take for you to go out with me?”
“What would it take…? Nothing would work. I won’t date you.”
“You can’t mean that…”
Yunagi-san looked ready to collapse.
She braced her hands on the desk as if holding herself up.
The guilt was really getting to me now.
Still, to be this persistent…
I’d always thought that when it came to confessions, if you got rejected once, you normally gave up, at least for the moment.
But it seemed that wasn’t the case for Yunagi-san.
“Is… is it because of me…?”
“No, that’s not it. Even if it weren’t you confessing, I wouldn’t date anyone.”
“I… see…”
Again, that complicated expression.
A strange look—sad, yet somehow relieved.
But no matter what expression she wore, Yunagi-san was endlessly cute.
“…Why won’t you date anyone?”
I didn’t have to answer.
That’s how it should have been, but seeing Yunagi-san trying so hard made me think it might be okay to reply.
“I like my alone time. Reading books, watching movies, thinking things over.”
“…”
“You might think it’s pointless, but to me, that’s more important than anything else. You don’t have to understand. I just want to be left alone.”
In fact, I’d have been happier if she thought it was pointless.
That way, she’d probably lose interest in me.
But Yunagi-san seemed to be thinking something over with a serious expression.
After a long silence, she spoke again.
“Th-then I promise I won’t get in your way…! You don’t have to spend time with me. You don’t even have to pay attention to me. So please, go out with me. I’m begging you, Sakuraba-kun!”
Saying this, Yunagi-san clasped her hands tightly together again as if in prayer.
Without thinking, I scratched my head.
Was rejecting a confession always this difficult…?
What would it take for her to give up on me?
I never expected her to press this hard.
I didn’t know how to handle it.
To make matters worse, I was starting to think she was a little admirable.
Not romantic feelings, but a pure fondness.
Her inner self was probably just as wonderful as her overwhelmingly beautiful appearance.
What a waste.
Of all people, why did she have to fall for me?
Someone like her could have her pick of much better partners.
If only we could be friends.
If it were just friendship, I’d welcome that.
…Ah, I see.
That could work.
“…I still can’t date you.”
Yunagi-san looked like it was the end of the world.
But my reply wasn’t finished.
“But how about we start as friends? Jumping straight into dating is a bit much.”
“No! That won’t do! I want you to go out with me!”
Cutting me off, Yunagi-san shouted.
I was completely at a loss.
…Ah, geez.
“I said no. You’re being unreasonably stubborn.”
“That’s how much I like you! I won’t give up until you go out with me!”
“I absolutely won’t date you. I’ll keep refusing until you give up.”
We ended up glaring at each other in the middle of the classroom.
I no longer understood how things had come to this.
As futile sparks flew between Yunagi-san and me, I thought:
When two people disagree in a discussion and neither is willing to yield.
How do humans ever decide anything?
Wasn’t there some way to break this deadlock…?
After thinking, and thinking, and thinking some more.
“…Alright. Then how about this.”
I presented Yunagi-san with those three conditions.
Namely:
Don’t restrict my actions in any way
Don’t expect me to fall for you
Don’t tell anyone that you confessed to me or that we’re dating
With Yunagi-san’s willpower this strong, properly rejecting her was clearly difficult.
In that case, why not start a relationship in name only, and wait for her to get sick of me and break up?
That kind of development was more realistic, and above all, it would leave no lingering complications.
As long as these conditions were met, I could continue living just as I had before.
But for her, these conditions were surely incredibly boring.
Besides, if we dated, she’d quickly realize I wasn’t much of a catch anyway.
Once she let me go, I’d just be the fool who overreached by dating Yunagi-san and then got dumped.
If that was the title I had to bear, so be it.
If I could endure a little time and the pity of others afterward.
Then I could return to my usual life.
Though my proposal was tinged with some guilt, Yunagi-san accepted it with surprising obedience.
She agreed so readily that I wondered if she had some complicated ulterior motive.
But Yunagi-san, seeming entirely removed from schemes or strategies, just cheered innocently, saying things like, “Yay!” and “Thank you!”
In that moment, she was cuter than ever before.
I could feel my heart tighten just a little.
I might need to be careful about this.
Against my better judgment, I found myself thinking exactly that.