“I like you.”
Minato confessed at the sa mont the fireworks burst in the sky.
Honestly, like in typical love codies, I could have pretended not to hear her over the fireworks.
The fireworks were loud enough to do so.
But could I really ignore the confession that she had bravely made?
And above all, I was curious.
Why Minato, whom I had t only a few tis, liked .
“Why do you like ?”
When I asked directly, Minato hesitated with a slightly embarrassed expression and said,
“Well, you are kind and cool…”
“And?”
“Your muscles are impressive too…”
After saying that, Minato blushed, seemingly embarrassed.
It seed like the last thing she ntioned was her true feelings.
I knew all along that she was incredibly serious about muscles.
If that developed into a liking for , it wasn’t completely unreasonable.
Honestly, I was a bit worried.
If she had liked for no reason at all, it would have been like my fears coming true.
It was better to have a clear reason.
But that was one thing, and this was another.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can accept those feelings.”
I said to her firmly.
Minato looked shocked.
She bit her lip and then asked,
“Can I know why?”
I scratched my head and said,
“Firstly, to be honest, I’ve never thought of you as more than a junior. We’ve communicated a lot through text, but we haven’t t much in person.”
I could probably count the number of tis I’ve t her on my fingers.
The rest of our communication was just over the phone.
Then Minato said urgently,
“If that’s the case, we can slowly get to know each other by eting more!”
“Do we have the ti for that?”
“Uh.”
Minato closed her mouth at my point.
Probably because she realized herself that she had no answer to that.
Unlike , an ordinary high school student, she was a beloved actress known nationwide.
Naturally, she spent more ti outside than at school.
Even if we impulsively started dating, there would hardly be any ti to actually et, and from her standpoint, a scandal would just be inviting unnecessary risk.
“There’s no need to ruin your future just to date .”
“But!”
I spoke in a gentle tone to Minato, who seed unconvinced.
“And honestly, I never expected you to confess. We hardly spent any ti together.”
“Ti isn’t important when it cos to falling in love!”
“Maybe that’s true.”
I agreed with her assertion, but soon added with a bitter smile,
“But to , it matters.”
That was the end of the conversation.
Minato, with her head hung low, remained silent for a while.
Probably because her brave confession was so bluntly rejected.
Honestly, I had never confessed to anyone directly before, so I couldn’t think of any comforting words for her.
Before I knew it, the fireworks display was nearly over.
When the last firework vanished into the sky, everyone would be heading ho.
There I was, unable to act, just looking at Minato in a state of indecision.
Suddenly, Minato raised her head, her eyes firm with resolve.
“I won’t give up.”
“What?”
Her response was totally unexpected.
But she looked straight in the eye, savoring every word as she spoke.
“I’ll make sure you look at . Next ti, you’ll accept my confession.”
Sothing about the atmosphere was intimidating.
Usually, when a confession is rejected at such a mont, people give up cleanly, don’t they?
But instead of giving up, she seed even more determined than before.
Then, she suggested we head back.
“Uh? Uh, okay.”
Despite being rejected just monts ago, Minato’s confident deanor surprised , but I followed her down the hill.
Descending the hill with Minato, we found Rika, Sasha, and Karen waiting for us, not having gone ho yet.
Feeling their gazes on her, Minato chuckled and said,
“I lost today. But I haven’t given up on being Senior’s girlfriend, so you’ll see around often.”
The three of them visibly relaxed at her words.
It seed like they were no longer trying to hide their feelings for .
Honestly, it was more attention than I thought I deserved, but I never expected to beco this popular all of a sudden.
Thinking it might be due to the intertwining with the original story, there remained an uneasy feeling, but I was relieved that it didn’t seem like they liked without any reason.
If it were truly so, I wouldn’t have been able to accept it.
“Now that the fireworks are over, let’s call it a day.”
“Sounds good.”
“That seems best.”
“I’m tired.”
“Let’s go ho.”
After I said that, all four of them agreed.
Thus, the chaotic night of the sumr festival passed by.
July, with its intense heat, passed, and before we knew it, it was already August.
The previous festival almost led to awkwardness in my relationships with others, but sohow, I managed to get through it.
Anyway, having overco a major hurdle, next week we, the mbers of Group D, were planning to go to the beach.
Then, I might et Rika, Sasha, and Karen again, but I couldn’t be sure what would happen next ti.
I couldn’t pretend to be unaware of their feelings forever.
This must be why most protagonists in love codies are set to be oblivious.
Knowing they were all good people and having personal affection for them, I couldn’t decide definitively.
Wasn’t this just like managing a fishpond?
Setting aside the headache from complicated relationships with won, I was working hard at the store, helping my parents, and attentively listening to the news on the radio.
[The winner of the 7th GOF recently held in the USA, i Ling, arrived today at Narita International Airport. i Ling, who can be considered the pinnacle of martial artists in the world, is…]
“Now that I think about it, I wonder what happened to Ivan.”
I heard he went back to his ho country with his daughter Sasha during Golden Week, but I hadn’t seen him since.
He was probably fully recovered by now, and hopefully, he wasn’t rampaging around seeking revenge against .
Back then, I barely managed to defeat him with the help of Senior Fuma, so I wasn’t confident I could win if we t again.
Clatter!
After perfectly cleaning up the table that a custor had just left, I took the dishes to the kitchen.
Most of the tables in the store were dirty due to the peak ti that had just ended.
It would take a decent amount of ti just to clear the plates and wipe down the tables.
I was so busy working between the hall and kitchen that I even forgot to eat.
Soone ca into the store, walking past the curtain at the front.
“Welco!”
“Is… al… possible?”
The new custor was a tall woman, a rarity in Japan.
A woman who seed to be a foreigner, asking in broken Japanese.
She looked Asian but not specifically Korean, so there was only one option.
“It’s possible. Please co this way.”
She was probably a Chinese tourist.
I brought her a nu with pictures, especially for foreigners, and asked.
“What would you like to have?”
The woman ordered from the nu without much hesitation.
“Grilled at, please. A lot.”
“Understood.”
The distinct muscle contours visible even through her clothes suggested that she regularly handled a massive amount of exercise.
‘Could she be a martial artist?’
If not, honestly, it’s a level of muscularity not seen in the average person.
Almost like a female powerlifter who’s trained professionally.
After informing my father that we had a yakiniku custor, I brought basic side dishes and a single-serving grill to her table.
Watching the swift preparation right before her eyes, she wore an expression full of anticipation.
She seed quite hungry.
Seeing that she struggled with Japanese, I asked her just in case.
“Can you speak English?”
To this, the Chinese woman looked surprised at first, then nodded happily with a relieved expression.
“Yes, I can.”
Sure enough, English.
Communicating in English, practically a universal language, was more effective than in broken Japanese.
Afterward, I kindly responded to the Chinese woman’s questions one by one.
Then my father ca out of the kitchen with plates of pork belly and neck at.
As I served the plates, I asked her.
“What brings you to Japan?”
While swallowing eagerly in anticipation of the at, she earnestly answered my question.
“I ca to et a man I must see.”
“A man you must et?”
As I asked back, the Chinese woman nodded and said,
“Yes. A Korean nad Kim Yu-seong.”
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